There has been a slow erosion of the natural rights and liberties that this country was founded upon. A death from a thousand individual cuts may quickly befall the greatest experiment of individual liberty that the world has ever seen. The culprit here is not just at the government level but also at the mental level. Too many of those amongst us are far too willing to surrender the rights that are bestowed upon us by our birth.
This has been a slow death march started during the Progressive Era where the idea that we must "progress" past the Constitution and move on toward the more "forward-thinking Old World." That the "rights" of the class far outweigh the rights of the individual. At the birth of this nation the people were sovereign, we have since moved toward a republic where the needs of the many are more pressing than individual liberty.
We have allowed government and culture to dictate what rights have become acceptable and what ones should be dealt away with. We have become a society that after a small uproar has elected to live with being strip searched in the public domain. The use of body scanners and TSA searches have become the writs of assistance of our time. The government along with the supporters of security at all costs have made us "progress" past our fear of unreasonable search and seizure.
These individuals have attacked the first amendment on multiple fronts. We've seen recently that the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare for short) will force religious groups to provide healthcare insurance that provides for contraceptives. Government is attempting to coerce religion in a way that violates the conscious of the institution.
The United States of America now has "Free Speech Zones" when a prominent political figures deliver remarks. It may just be the America I thought we lived in but I thought this entire nation was a free speech zone. The First Amendment grants us this privilege. This is another natural right that is under attack by the culture as well. The growing political correctness and hypersensitivity of this country threatens what we can say and our mindset more than our government ever could.
We've been born with everything we need to exercise our natural rights and liberties. We've been given a mind of our own so we are guaranteed freedom of conscious. We've been given a mouth to speak our minds. We've been given eyes to see the truth. We've been given all the facets necessary to succeed.
The last thing we need to succeed is to reverse the tide of statist outreach. We must not be afraid to push against the tide. Speak your mind. Defend your religion. Have a free mind and conscious. We must reclaim the natural rights and liberties from our government. They are rightfully ours after all.
Showing posts with label Constitution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Constitution. Show all posts
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
National School Choice Week
We have the freedom to choose where we shop. We have the freedom to choose where we eat. We are not restricted by our residence to perform our day-to-day tasks. Since this is inherently true, why do we allow our children to be restricted by the state? Why do we choose to have a top-down education system? Are we applying the tools that made this nation an economic force?
Since 1979, the federal Department of Education has been nothing but an abysmal failure. In 2001, President Bush brought a gas can to the inferno and exacerbated the problem with the No Child Left Behind Act. It's tentacles have nullified the Tenth Amendment and the rights of states and communities to organize their own educational structure. A federal mandate for education is just as unconstitutional and frightening as the individual mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare for shorthand).
The federal government should not dictate what should be taught in schools in individual states and communities. It creates a culture of teaching toward a test and only the test. It forces teachers to alter lesson plans and delay the advancement of the classes. It is because of this teach toward the test culture that students do not have the appreciation for math and science as they once had. They are taught "know this for a standardized test" as opposed to "know this for personal benefit." The test culture forced upon us by the federal government has harmed a generation.
The current primary school system in use by the states does not improve matters either. The policy of "This is your zip code, this is your school." Denies the parents and the children of their fundamental right to choose. Where you reside should not dictate your future. With public schools failing in Detroit, Camden, and other urban areas can we sit here with good conscious and continue to feed the failing schools with our future? We are dooming these children from the start. The drop-out rates in these cities should not come as a surprise. The system is broken and we're choosing to ignore it.
By continuing on with the status quo we are denying the children of these areas two of the three fundamental natural rights enshrined in our Declaration of Independence. Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The free-market solutions that have brought this country to the forefront of the world should be applied to this controlled market system.
The idea of the student voucher was brought to prominence by renowned economist and political philosopher Milton Friedman. The belief of returning the money to the "student-consumer"would give the parents and students the freedom to choose. This freedom in turn drives the school marketplace. The schools with bad reputations and bad graduation rates, with poor teachers will be shut down by the parents and students. Just like a bad business will fail (as long as you aren't in the automotive industry) a bad school will fail. In this country we seem to be immune to the idea of the "bad school." Like we couldn't possibly have them in this country. It's a shame but we do.
In the marketplace competition breeds success and innovation. The government breeds complacency and keeping in place a system regardless of merit. The system needs a shake up.
This week is more than just the voucher system. It should be for school choice, educational choice, and a free and open education system. No more controlled markets. More freedom.
Since our inception as a nation we have been terrified of the over-reaching hand of government. Where other countries dictated the rights of government in their constitutions ours began with the phrase "We the People." It's time we recognize the threat of government mandates across the board. It's time we push the federal government and state government to return the future to families. The ultimate form of the government closest to the people governs best.
Since 1979, the federal Department of Education has been nothing but an abysmal failure. In 2001, President Bush brought a gas can to the inferno and exacerbated the problem with the No Child Left Behind Act. It's tentacles have nullified the Tenth Amendment and the rights of states and communities to organize their own educational structure. A federal mandate for education is just as unconstitutional and frightening as the individual mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare for shorthand).
The federal government should not dictate what should be taught in schools in individual states and communities. It creates a culture of teaching toward a test and only the test. It forces teachers to alter lesson plans and delay the advancement of the classes. It is because of this teach toward the test culture that students do not have the appreciation for math and science as they once had. They are taught "know this for a standardized test" as opposed to "know this for personal benefit." The test culture forced upon us by the federal government has harmed a generation.
The current primary school system in use by the states does not improve matters either. The policy of "This is your zip code, this is your school." Denies the parents and the children of their fundamental right to choose. Where you reside should not dictate your future. With public schools failing in Detroit, Camden, and other urban areas can we sit here with good conscious and continue to feed the failing schools with our future? We are dooming these children from the start. The drop-out rates in these cities should not come as a surprise. The system is broken and we're choosing to ignore it.
By continuing on with the status quo we are denying the children of these areas two of the three fundamental natural rights enshrined in our Declaration of Independence. Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The free-market solutions that have brought this country to the forefront of the world should be applied to this controlled market system.
The idea of the student voucher was brought to prominence by renowned economist and political philosopher Milton Friedman. The belief of returning the money to the "student-consumer"would give the parents and students the freedom to choose. This freedom in turn drives the school marketplace. The schools with bad reputations and bad graduation rates, with poor teachers will be shut down by the parents and students. Just like a bad business will fail (as long as you aren't in the automotive industry) a bad school will fail. In this country we seem to be immune to the idea of the "bad school." Like we couldn't possibly have them in this country. It's a shame but we do.
In the marketplace competition breeds success and innovation. The government breeds complacency and keeping in place a system regardless of merit. The system needs a shake up.
This week is more than just the voucher system. It should be for school choice, educational choice, and a free and open education system. No more controlled markets. More freedom.
Since our inception as a nation we have been terrified of the over-reaching hand of government. Where other countries dictated the rights of government in their constitutions ours began with the phrase "We the People." It's time we recognize the threat of government mandates across the board. It's time we push the federal government and state government to return the future to families. The ultimate form of the government closest to the people governs best.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
On the Origin of Rights
There is a common misconception plaguing America. This misconception is so radically dangerous to a free society that the very liberty that we hold dear is in danger. The belief I am speaking of is the belief that we get our rights from government and not from being human beings.
Each and every human being is entitled to natural rights. These rights are enshrined in our nation’s oldest document, the Declaration of Independence. That human beings are created with certain inalienable rights endowed to them by their creator, and that these rights are self-evident. If government elects not to prescribe to these guidelines than it is the right of the people to alter or abolish said government. It is important that the United States continue to follow the idea of natural rights.
When you state that you get your rights from government the government then has the authority to take those rights away. Would you feel comfortable with the government dictating what you can say, feel, and think? To deny human beings these rights is to degrade them to the level of animals. Humans are cognitive beings and deserve to be treated as such. To allow government to have the authority to take away rights is akin to leaving the barn door open and wondering why your hay isn’t there anymore. As a dear friend of mine used to say, "God gave you a brain so you can think, a mouth so you can speak, and eyes so you can see. Government cannot take these things from you and they must recognize them."
Liberty and freedom are not passed down from generation to generation but must be constantly secured by the vigilance of a well informed populous. I refuse to grant the government that kind of power and authority into my life. For the moment you believe you get your rights from the state and not from being an individual you no longer are an individual, a citizen, or a person. You are merely a subject and I would sooner die than degrade myself to the level of a subject.
Each and every human being is entitled to natural rights. These rights are enshrined in our nation’s oldest document, the Declaration of Independence. That human beings are created with certain inalienable rights endowed to them by their creator, and that these rights are self-evident. If government elects not to prescribe to these guidelines than it is the right of the people to alter or abolish said government. It is important that the United States continue to follow the idea of natural rights.
When you state that you get your rights from government the government then has the authority to take those rights away. Would you feel comfortable with the government dictating what you can say, feel, and think? To deny human beings these rights is to degrade them to the level of animals. Humans are cognitive beings and deserve to be treated as such. To allow government to have the authority to take away rights is akin to leaving the barn door open and wondering why your hay isn’t there anymore. As a dear friend of mine used to say, "God gave you a brain so you can think, a mouth so you can speak, and eyes so you can see. Government cannot take these things from you and they must recognize them."
Liberty and freedom are not passed down from generation to generation but must be constantly secured by the vigilance of a well informed populous. I refuse to grant the government that kind of power and authority into my life. For the moment you believe you get your rights from the state and not from being an individual you no longer are an individual, a citizen, or a person. You are merely a subject and I would sooner die than degrade myself to the level of a subject.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Where Herman Cain Lost Me
American businessman and Republican candidate for the Presidency Herman Cain has officially lost me as a potential supporter in the 2012 race. I left the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) having loved the candidate. I came in not knowing who Herman Cain was and left with him in my top three choices for the Presidency.
I loved Herman Cain so much I started my first ever Tea Party speech with the same quote he started his CPAC speech with. The appeal of a businessman as the Chief Executive is always very great for me. Which is why it is so difficult for me to withdraw my support of Mr. Cain because of his comments toward Islam, Muslims, and the idea of Mosques in the United States.
Mr. Cain consistently brings up his upbringing in the Jim Crow South and how the idea of racial discrimination caused him great difficulty in life. Then why would Cain then place the same intolerance toward Muslims and Islam?
As much as Herman Cain preaches about his love of the United States Constitution he hasn't seemed to have read a lot of it. For instance Herman Cain has spoken about his reluctance to appoint a Muslim into his cabinet and has stated that a test would have to be administered to prove loyalty to the United States and not Islam which violates United States Constitution Article VI: "...but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."
Now when discussing the new mosque to be built in Tennessee Cain stated that people should have the right to ban mosques from there town. This of course is in violation of the very religious freedom that led the settlers to come to America in the first place, and in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
Mr. Cain's statements are hurtful and ignorant of Islam. Putting an entire religion into a category because of a few radicals is the very stereotyping Cain was against in the Jim Crow South.
It's a shame a man with such great problem-solving skills and such an adamant supporter of the FairTax has had to say these things. We are at war with Islamic Extremists not all Muslims. The dialogue of hate must be removed from his platform.
I loved Herman Cain so much I started my first ever Tea Party speech with the same quote he started his CPAC speech with. The appeal of a businessman as the Chief Executive is always very great for me. Which is why it is so difficult for me to withdraw my support of Mr. Cain because of his comments toward Islam, Muslims, and the idea of Mosques in the United States.
Mr. Cain consistently brings up his upbringing in the Jim Crow South and how the idea of racial discrimination caused him great difficulty in life. Then why would Cain then place the same intolerance toward Muslims and Islam?
As much as Herman Cain preaches about his love of the United States Constitution he hasn't seemed to have read a lot of it. For instance Herman Cain has spoken about his reluctance to appoint a Muslim into his cabinet and has stated that a test would have to be administered to prove loyalty to the United States and not Islam which violates United States Constitution Article VI: "...but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."
Now when discussing the new mosque to be built in Tennessee Cain stated that people should have the right to ban mosques from there town. This of course is in violation of the very religious freedom that led the settlers to come to America in the first place, and in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
Mr. Cain's statements are hurtful and ignorant of Islam. Putting an entire religion into a category because of a few radicals is the very stereotyping Cain was against in the Jim Crow South.
It's a shame a man with such great problem-solving skills and such an adamant supporter of the FairTax has had to say these things. We are at war with Islamic Extremists not all Muslims. The dialogue of hate must be removed from his platform.
Monday, December 27, 2010
GOP To Start House Business with Reading of the US Constitution
GOP Unveils Strict House Rules - Politico
The Republican Party as the majority party in Congress gets to set forth the new decorum rules of the House of Representatives. One of these rules will allow for the United States Constitution to be read on the House floor on the second day of business January 6th. The rules also force all bills to cite their constitutionality.
I strongly endorse both of these new House rules. I would like to see them go a tad further though.
The Constitution should be read in its entirety every single Monday before all Congressional business takes place. This way no one in attendance can claim they don't know what the Constitution says like this guy.
The second rule; the citing of Constitutional authority should allow for more debate on the bills since Congressmen will feel more willing to argue constitutionality. I would like to see this go a tad further though. I would like each bill to be submitted with an entire constitutional defense. This will prolong debate for the public to see and hear what each legislator is trying to do within the confines of our government's founding document. This will cut down on bills being written and passed with hours of their completion like the Healthcare Bill, or the PATRIOT Act. Finally, with more debate comes less action and with less action means less expenditures. Less expenditures means less debt. Isn't that what we are all calling for these days?
Thanks to Politico and article author Jonathan Allen & Jake Sherman.
The Republican Party as the majority party in Congress gets to set forth the new decorum rules of the House of Representatives. One of these rules will allow for the United States Constitution to be read on the House floor on the second day of business January 6th. The rules also force all bills to cite their constitutionality.
I strongly endorse both of these new House rules. I would like to see them go a tad further though.
The Constitution should be read in its entirety every single Monday before all Congressional business takes place. This way no one in attendance can claim they don't know what the Constitution says like this guy.
The second rule; the citing of Constitutional authority should allow for more debate on the bills since Congressmen will feel more willing to argue constitutionality. I would like to see this go a tad further though. I would like each bill to be submitted with an entire constitutional defense. This will prolong debate for the public to see and hear what each legislator is trying to do within the confines of our government's founding document. This will cut down on bills being written and passed with hours of their completion like the Healthcare Bill, or the PATRIOT Act. Finally, with more debate comes less action and with less action means less expenditures. Less expenditures means less debt. Isn't that what we are all calling for these days?
Thanks to Politico and article author Jonathan Allen & Jake Sherman.
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