Citizens for Principled Government

Dear Citizens for Principled Government,

As the annual return of the celebration of our Independence approaches, I have been encouraged to post once again the message that I forwarded to you last year. It is titled, “INDEPENDENCE FOREVER”. I hope it adds to your 4th of July thoughts, feelings and celebration.

When the Declaration of Independence was signed and adopted in Philadelphia in 1776, victory over England seemed most improbable. However, as expressed so bravely and eloquently by Patrick Henry, the Colonists trusted in the blessings of Heaven and the principles of liberty, which justified and sustained their actions. To the assembled Virginia delegates, Patrick Henry firmly declared:

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As far back as 1892, school children throughout America have recited a Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the republic for which it stands. In 1892, the magazine “Youth’s Companion” led a celebration of the 400^th Anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to America.  At that time, the words to the pledge were written by either Francis Bellamy or James Upham.  The Pledge then stated, “I Pledge Allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”  Today, the Flag Code includes the Pledge of Allegiance and the manner in which it should be delivered. The Pledge is to be “rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.”

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President George Bush Sr.’s Mistake is Now President Obama’s New Opportunity

Justice David Souter is retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court.  That announcement is both a gift to the Obama/Biden Administration and the culmination of President George Bush Sr.’s mistaken assessment of how Souter would interpret and apply our Constitution when he nominated him in 1990.   The timing of Souter’s retirement confirms his liberal record.  Rather than step down last year and allow President George W. Bush to fill his seat on the Supreme Court, Justice Souter said nothing. Instead, he chose to wait 100 days into the Obama presidency so the new president (who is the extreme opposite of the man who appointed him) can pick his successor.

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To take back control of Congress, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats charged that the Republicans fostered a “culture of corruption”. Both parties have certainly produced their share of scandals in Washington and it didn’t help when President Clinton and his party marketed the idea that personal conduct and character are purely private matters and no longer relevant or required of elected officials. Until he was eventually voted out of office by his constituents, a Democrat member of Congress evaded accountability for the mysterious receipt of more than $90,000 in cash, which he concealed in his freezer. (When uncovered by the FBI, this gave new meaning to the term “cold cash”). At the same time, any misdeed by a Republican has been widely broadcast to support the “culture of corruption” claim of the Democrats in Washington. (We hear less of that now that they have regained majority control even though the potential for corruption seems to be proportionate to the level of power and influence).

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President Obama and the Democrat majority in Washington continue to churn out more government reactions to yesterday’s government induced problems.  This is to be expected it seems from a far away and out of touch Congress that only has to tax and take to fund its endless supply of new  “ACTS” (such as the recent $787 billion “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009”).  Seldom is there any serious discussion of the principles of free enterprise involved or the principles of socialism that such government action unleashes.  Many of the “representatives” who are elected and trusted to make such needed assessments choose instead to further pile on and add billions of dollars of unrelated local earmarks and pet projects that do not warrant national funding. (We are left to ask, “When did pork become so stimulating?”).

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It’s been so long since most Senators in Washington have had real jobs that they don’t seem to know how the legislation they pass will work in the marketplace.  They throw borrowed money at various companies they hope to save “for the good of our economy” only to find that that their legislation is so void of needed safeguards that it is easily abused.  Case in point — a bailout package of precious tax funds that sent $170 billion to insurance giant American International Group (AIG).  They used it to establish a $165 million bonus pool. The top seven executives received more than $4 million each. (AIG previously contributed $110,000 to President Obama, $281,038.00 to Senator Dodd and $111,000 to Senator Schumers).

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“All recessions are psychological,” said former long time Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan. They stem from widespread loss of consumer confidence.  And where does that come from? From widespread news reports that condition the nation to assume the worst and believe the worst – a sort of economic version of the classic tale of the Emperor and his new clothes where everyone is conditioned to see things the same way even when reality is otherwise.

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The Clinton years severely damaged the American Presidency.  When Bill Clinton’s character was challenged during his initial candidacy, he replied that he wasn’t interested in the character of his opponent (President George Bush Sr.).  Clinton said that his objective was to  “change the character of the presidency.”  Indeed he did, which resulted in impeachment proceedings. Eight years later, we were offered another version of a Clinton Presidency through the candidacy of Senator Hillary Clinton. That effort fell short in the Democratic Party but now she is the new Secretary of State. One of her first acts was the selection of Todd Stern (former official in the Clinton Administration) as “SPECIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE”.  Just what is that and what does it involve? “Stern will be the Administration’s chief climate negotiator,” said Secretary Clinton.

Isn’t that something? The same people in Washington who think the government printing presses can roll out a trillion dollars in new money or borrow it from foreign countries to solve all our economic problems are also confident that they can “negotiate” the weather.

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“Nothing lasts longer than a temporary government program,” said Ronald Reagan. We have a ready illustration of that humorous yet frustrating observation in our own state government.

With the stroke of his pen, the Governor changed our state government this past July all by himself.  Such action was warranted, he said, because more than $4.00 a gallon gas prices created an energy emergency and a serious commuter hardship for state employees.  Oddly, no one raised the question whether the Governor even has the authority to make such a change in our state government. (He can’t hire and fire, promote, raise the pay, grant vacations, etc. to the same degree for every state employee but he can institute a blanket restructuring of their work week?)

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Praise for the Obama family amidst profound worries over the President’s stated intentions regarding same-sex marriage, abortion, judicial appointments and higher taxes.

“All the world is a stage,” said Shakespeare.  Barrack H. Obama is certainly center stage now (actually far left of center).  His rise to the presidency is truly historic.  Many emphasize his race and the culmination of Martin Luther King’s, “I Have a Dream” speech. As Senator Diane Feinstein said at the Inauguration, “[It is] a wonderful thought to think that African Americans, as a people, have in a little less than 50 years advanced from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to the White House.”  I, am also amazed at the meteoric rise of Barrack Obama from Illinois State Senator to U.S. Senator to President of the United States in just 4 years.  For me, the contrast is vividly illustrated by two distinctly different moments when the Obama family has gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

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