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America’s Emerging Dictatorship
When our founding fathers declared our independence from Great Britain in 1776 the
colonists were already in the middle of a bloody and costly war to secure their freedom. Once
the war was successfully concluded it was necessary to create a new nation with a form of
government that would not allow a single individual or group to establish another totalitarian
regime and steal the freedom of Americans.
It took years and one failed effort with the Articles of Confederation before the
founders settled on the Constitution of the United States that established a unique type of
government with three separate, but equal branches of branches. These are the executive
branch that includes an elected President and his cabinet appointees, the legislative branch
that consists of a Congress made up of two houses, the Senate and House of Representatives,
and the judicial branch that consists of the Supreme Court and any lower federal courts that
Congress might authorize.
A system of checks and balances was put into place to ensure that none of the three
branches would be able to dominate the others and establish a dictatorship. In addition, the
basic distrust of a powerful centralized government caused the framers of the Constitution to
adopt the Bill of Rights that protected the rights of both individual Americans and the various
states that formed the United States of America. The system has worked so well that our
country became the most prosperous and powerful nation in the world.
Yet, now, almost 250 years later, elements in all three branches of government are
conspiring to shred the Constitution and rob us of our God given rights. We have a rapidly
emerging dictatorship and prime examples of it can be found in what is occurring in the first
days of this New Year. As part of the balance of powers prescribed in the Constitution, the U.S.
Senate must approve Presidential appointments to major positions in the Executive Branch of
Government. The only exception is that during the times that the Senate is in recess the
President can make appointments without the approval of the Senate, but they are temporary
in nature.
However, on January 4, 2012, President Obama appointed three members to the
National Labor Relations Board and a new “Czar” to head the Consumer Protection Agency
without Senate approval despite the fact that the Senate was not in recess. This has created a
Constitutional crisis of epic proportions.
I refer to this as a Constitutional crisis because this is not the first such action Obama
has taken that has clearly violated not only the provisions of the Constitution, but also his oath
of office, and he obviously plans to continue ignoring both the legislative and judicial branches
of government. In fact, he actually brags about what he is doing while campaigning for
reelection at the expense of American taxpayers.
There is now no doubt that the current President of the United States considers himself
a de facto dictator who is so much smarter than the rest of us that he can ignore the
Constitution, the supreme law of our nation, and do whatever he wants. History has taught that
in order to establish an effective dictatorship there must be three decisive actions taken.
First, if the military in the country is patriotic and pro freedom, it must be marginalized
to minimize its ability to resist the imposition of tyranny. Right after the New Year, Obama
announced drastic cuts in the size and strength of our military forces across the board. He is claiming to have the authority to do this under the bill passed by Congress that created the so-called super committee that was to enact wide ranging spending cuts.
If it failed to do so there would be massive reductions of the defense budget. In previous
articles I pointed out that the very creation of this super committee was unconstitutional
and that its failure to act would cause the “doomsday scenario” to unfold for our military.
Unfortunately, not only are my predictions coming true, but Obama is not even waiting for the
automatic cuts to begin in 2013, he is unilaterally moving to destroy the military now.
Secondly, the citizens of any country to be subjugated must be disarmed in order to
diminish their ability to resist the imposition of a dictatorship. It is now clear, by virtue of
the ongoing investigation in Congress of “Operation Fast and Furious” that over 2500 semi
automatic weapons were sold to Mexican drug dealers on orders from the U.S. government not
for the purpose of entrapping the drug dealers, but so Obama could impose gun control laws on
U.S. citizens. He has now done so by Executive Order, bypassing Congress that had refused to
take the same action.
In addition, Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton have pledged to sign the United
Nations Small Arms Treaty that specifically targets private gun ownership in the United States.
This treaty would essentially abolish the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution and make
private ownership of firearms illegal despite the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has twice
ruled that the right to keep and bear arms is a valid and individual right under the provisions of
the Constitution.
Of course, the Constitution requires that any treaty that is signed by a President must
be approved by two thirds of the Senate to be valid. The U.S. Supreme Court has also ruled
that no treaty can supersede the provisions of the Constitution, particularly those that deal
with individual rights. All of this would seem to render the treaty moot since two thirds of the
current Senate will not ratify it, and it clearly violates the provisions of the second amendment.
So why is Obama pushing for it? Simply put, he believes he can ignore the Senate and
the court, sign the treaty, and then allow the United Nations to begin enforcing it. If you believe
that he won’t try that, just look at what he has done in other areas.
The third goal of an effective dictatorship involves limiting the rights of the citizens
to have free speech and a free press. People who can’t communicate and learn the truth are
easier to control. Most of the main stream media in this country have already relinquished their
freedom of the press and are doing whatever Obama tells them to do. Those that oppose him
are under constant assault and Obama’s minions on the Federal Communications Commission
are looking for ways to shut down conservative talk radio and control internet content. This is
despite the fact that the Supreme Court has said that the FCC has no authority to regulate the
Internet. Once again, Obama has issued orders that the Supreme Court and the Constitution be
ignored.
Even more frightening is the fact that legislation pending in both houses of Congress
will effectively give Obama an Internet kill switch. It is being pushed in the Senate by the usual
leftists like Reid and Schumer, but in the House of Representatives it is some Republicans that
are pushing it. My next blog article will contain more information about these and other bills
pending in Congress.
The bottom line is, we are headed for a country that is no longer a Republic, but a
nation controlled entirely by a small group of elitists, and unless the American people wake up
soon it will be too late to stop it.
Michael Connelly
mrobertc@hotmail.com
www.michaelconnelly.jigsy.com
www.constitution.jigsy.com
It's Still Liberty or Death
I know that I am the odd man out when I say I could care less about the Jaguars. But given that, you must admit that professional football is a fantasy world where the players (Boselli and a few others noted exceptions) don’t care anything about the town where their team happens to be located. The Jaguars will play here, they will play in Detroit , they will play in Beijing if the money is right. And pro-football aficionados get all excited about it, like they were a college team from their Alma Mammy. This is also the problem with the Republican Party. Put on the uniform and we will cheer for you no matter who you are.
That has to stop. A republican is someone who believes in Liberty and a republican form of government. A republic is a form of government where the majority is constrained from doing things by a written constitution and where representatives (not leaders) are elected by the people, who retain all the power. People who do not ascribe to this philosophy are not Republicans and if they say they are they are lying to you. People who do not support this type of government are not Americans either, because their allegiance is not to the Republic as is constituted. They are the domestic enemies of our Republic referred to in the Constitution and need to be shunned and expelled (preferably bodily) from our party. This includes folks who do not act and vote as if they are Republicans.
Do not be confused if I tell you that the members of the Democratic Party also must support this type of government. We are all republicans because that is the type of government we have established, a republic. There are many issues that Republicans and Democrats can debate and disagree on, and many programs and policies that can be tried and judged on their merits. But the type of government we are going to have is not open to debate. That frankly is a non-negotiable issue for us, a life and death issue. The fact is that both our parties are filled with individuals who have over several decades attempted to transform our republic into a collectivist state. Now at last the call for Liberty is ascending and this will stop. Make no mistake, it’s still “Liberty or Death.â€
A life of Liberty is not easy, but it is sweet. There is no Social Security with Liberty ; there is no health care with Liberty ; there are no government loans or bailouts with Liberty . It’s pull yourself up by your bootstraps boys, and oh yes, you get to keep your money if you can earn it. There are no seatbelt laws with Liberty, there are no cameras on every street corner with liberty, there is less crime with Liberty because everyone is heavily armed and the criminals are well…dead. Liberty means being the actual head of your household, and if you can’t hold it together, Liberty means looking to your family, and your neighbors, and your church, because the government is not in the business of being your mama. Liberty means being on your own to do what you want, and sometimes doing the wrong thing and having to pay for it. But in Liberty is also the motivation and the necessity to do great things and that is what makes it sweet.
The good ol’ boys and gals down at the Tea Party are not going to have the wool pulled over their eyes. They know what manure smells like. The GOP cannot go on supporting the socialist, big government buffoons like Peyton, Crist and McCain. Make no mistake, the list is much longer than that. When we say that we are a big tent, inclusive party, it means that we don’t care what religion, sex, or color you are as long as you are for people being left alone to live their lives. That goes for foreign policy too. We can no longer accept villains who want to tax every transaction, and regulate our every movement. The time has come for government to step off or be stepped on. The real republicans in this party are going make it happen, our ranks swelled by those who will not be lied to by power hungry elitists. Screw football. Let’s talk about the issues, let’s talk about what Liberty means and what lengths we are willing to go to for our children to enjoy its fruits.
Louis William Rose is a political philosopher, writer, and the parliamentarian of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida. You can contact him at louisrose@yahoo.com.
What are the Necessary Functions of Local County Government?
Duval County residents, commercial property owners and small businesses owners are being choked by the cords of excessive taxation and regulation to support excessive government spending and the mayor’s office is proposing an additional property tax increase. Currently tens of thousands of Duval County residents have had their hours at work reduced or are unemployed as a result of the recession, and many small business and property owners are struggling to keep their businesses afloat. Commercial property tax increases and storm water fees are making it nearly impossible for small shops to operate in retail centers and commercial property vacancies are on the rise. A new property tax increase is unbearable for those barely or unable to make ends meet. Rather than a property tax increase, government should be looking for ways to decrease this burden on its citizens.
The current issue of excessive taxation, debt and spending at the federal, state and local level is a multi -pronged problem created by the government. The first problem is the amount government is currently spending with an extending question of what they are spending our money on. The second problem is the manner in which taxes and fees are collected and municipal debt is incurred. Mayor Peyton and others are proposing an additional property tax increase while assuring us they have cut every possible expenditure out of their budget.
While examining their budgets it is a good time for our leaders to ask the fundamental question “What is the necessary function of local government?†In a free society, government is created to provide for the security and protection of the property and rights of its citizens, through armed forces, state National Guard or a police force and fire department; to provide infrastructure for commerce and free trade; to provide a court system to settle disputes and to prosecute criminals; and, to provide for a currency to allow for free trade.
The converse to this question is “What business is the government in that should be handled by the free market?†In Florida and in Duval County, these businesses include among other things: schools, medicine, welfare, entertainment, agriculture, insurance, land development, ports, libaries and charities. In Florida, there are numerous primary, secondary and higher education schools that educate more effectively and efficiently than their current government school competitors. Simply compare the cost of education per student. The government should get out of the education business. Public education should be there to provide the minimum required education program. Government schools should be a program of last resort similar to the public defender’s office. The government’s goal should be to get our residents out of the government school system and to promote the expansion and growth of private and parochial schools; not to increase the size and burden of the government school system.
As compared to government businesses, there are numerous private hospitals that operate more efficiently and effectively. The government should get out of the medical business. There are numerous non-profits and charities that operate more effectively and distribute the money voluntarily given to them. The government should get out of the charity, welfare, recreation, entertainment, land development and library business. The free market has, and always will, do a better job at regulating itself and providing goods and services more efficiently and economically. But the real question is not who can do the job better − it is a matter of what is right and wrong. When the government takes money from a citizen to support individuals or programs that the citizen, whose money they are involuntarily spending, does not agree with, it is simply wrong.
At the state and local level, governments should work to have essential government services be paid for directly by those who use these services. These services should be paid for in the form of local sales taxes and user fees. For example, 100% of the cost of the stadium should be shouldered by the users of the stadium. If this can not be done, the stadium or facility should be sold or leased to someone who can operate and manage it profitably.
However, cutting the budgets of programs that are necessary functions of government such as fire, police, courts and roads are not necessarily the answer. The budgets of these necessary agencies and departments should be increased if necessary while those agencies providing services that should be handled by the marketplace should be phased out and eliminated.
Utilizing Property taxes to pay for these services is fundamentally abhorrent. In a free society no individual should ever lose their property for failure to act or pay a tax. All taxes should be avoidable and connected to specific use or consumption. If someone gets power they pay a tax, if the purchase fuel they pay a tax, if they purchase water they pay a tax. When they purchased their property they paid a tax, once they purchased the materials to build their home they paid a tax. Once an individual purchases a good or service and pays the associated fee or tax it becomes their property. The state should have no further claim against their property.
Our government was not created to do things for people, corporations or for states; to take from some to give to others. Unfortunately the un-American expanded federal, state and local social, welfare and entitlement system represents the gradual creep of a socialist redistribution of wealth mentality that is slowly undermining the fabric of the American dream. Every individual has the right to the fruits of their own labor and the responsibility to support themselves and their families. Under the US Constitution, the federal government cannot legitimately redistribute the wealth and assume power over people’s lives and dominate mans existence with oppressive taxation, regulations and government controls. Our leaders need to send those calling back to the charities and use the bully pulpit to rally the business leaders, churches and non-profits to the cause of individual and community responsibility to solve these problems.
If you agree with this position and would like to learn more about the message of liberty, visit the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida website at http://www.rlcfl.org/ and find your local chapter today.
Will Pitts, Chairman
Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida
July 17, 2009