"A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders himself without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering to Caesar that which, of all things, most emphatically belongs to God: himself." --C.S. Lewis
Good morning everyone!
Today I have found an article that says everything I think about what is happening in our government. With all of the Patriotism running high these days, it has been almost impossible to say anything about our government without being criticized. However in this article posted at Hal Lindsey's site,
Oracle, Brian Dotzler verbalizes exactly what many have been saying for many years. The behavior by the Democrats right now ought to sicken every American but no hue and cry is going out. The call for tax cuts are being ignored and a defiant Congress that has grown fat with the taxpayers money refuses to give back the people's hard earned money that I might add has been extorted from them through unconstitutional laws. People such as Gene Chapman are screaming out for answers but IRS and our wonderful Government of the People will not answer. To read about his death fast go to:
One Mans Fight For Answers. Don't let Gene's "Ghandi" like appearance fool you. He is a born again Christian who loves the Lord. He is the third person who has gone on this fast til death and due to publicity, the government promised answers to the last two who ended their fast but never received the answers.
In this article, Brian Dotzler hits two of the nails right on the head. One reason we are in this mess is because we are a nation where the people at the government feeding troughs outnumber the people (taxpayers) who are footing the bills. Secondly, the national debt has made us slaves to the Federal Reserve which is a private corporation controlled by a syndicate of millionaire banksters who want to rule the world and with their control, now own all the money and the politicians ( you won't see them admit that to Dan Rather)! Just watch one of our Senators or House Members run against anything the Money Changers want and you will very soon see them destroyed politically.
The only question I ask is, Will the people ever wake up? The answer is, not unless they want too! At this time it appears that they do not want to really see what has happened to us or our great country. The status quo is more comfortable. If Ben Franklin and George Washington and John Adams and the rest had been of this mind, we would still be paying taxes to England and singing, God Save The Queen.
God Bless
Elaine Moreland
It’s not the Economy, Stupid; It’s the Government
It was bad enough trying to get unbiased information during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Politicians told us only what they wanted us to hear and most media outlets were more concerned with pushing a political agenda than they were in reporting the truth. Of course, the truth is of little importance these days since opinions are so much easier to defend.
And now, with the return of our soldiers from the Middle East, comes the heated debate over tax-cuts and America’s economic situation. But just how serious is this problem?
Like the truth, the economic situation in America is relative to whom it is that has a podium; it’s more a matter of opinion than a fact.
For instance, some politicians argue against tax-cuts for the simple reason that America’s budget can not afford it right now. They feel that the budget has been stretched too thin due to the war in Iraq and that right now is simply the wrong time to return tax dollars to the taxpayers.
On the surface, such an argument makes sense; it sounds responsible. However, there is a fundamental problem with this mentality: it is based on opinion.
So what is the truth? Are tax-cuts warranted or just a bad idea?
Before making such a decision, it might be wise to look at the Federal Government’s 2002 Annual Report and see exactly how much our government is spending and where our money is going.
In 2002, taxpayers spent nearly $310 billion dollars on defense, comprising 13.5% of the federal budget. Defense spending increases 7% from FY 2001 to 2002. One would think that, in the post 9-11 era, defense spending would be the big winner when it comes to government spending, but such is not the case.
Social programs paints another story. Last year the government spent nearly $1.4 trillion on the following programs: National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities; Departments of Agriculture, Education, Housing & Urban Development; National Labor Relations Board; EEOC; and the list goes on. (It might be helpful to point out the $2.75 million for the United Nations, the $2.5 billion in subsidies to the U.S. steel industry, and the $800,000 for … (get this) … THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION. Tragically, spending on social programs increased 9% from FY 2001 to 2002.
But not to be outdone is the huge chunk of cash being paid to … “no one.” That’s right; “no one” received 14% of this country’s budget in 2002, a whopping $333 billion!
You may be asking, “Who is this no good “no one” and why are we as a nation paying him so much “Johnny” (cash, that is)?
Well, “no one” is the interest we pay on the national debt, a debt that currently sits at close to $6.5 trillion. That’s quite a bit of “Robert” (dinero) to shell out with no services rendered.
So, what should we do? Whose plan is better, the conservative or the liberal? Should taxes be cut, increased, or just remain the same? Before coming to that conclusion, ask yourself a few more questions.
Is it true that tax-cuts can create jobs, lower unemployment, and spur the economy? Or is the opposite true, that only by increasing taxes can we fix the “sluggish” economy. (By the way, what exactly is it that determines a sluggish economy? Either the economy is growing at a desired rate, or it is not. Why not just say that the economy is growing slightly slower than we would like it to?)
Regardless of your political affiliation or economic background, it should be crystal clear that the government is ignorant when it comes to fiscal policy. The mere fact that in 2002 military spending increased at a slower rate (7%) than social spending (9%) is a colossal example of the government’s inability to control itself. Shouldn’t defense spending have grown at a greater rate since we are facing an enemy here at home, an enemy that has infiltrated our borders and has proven to strike with extreme prejudice? And what about the social programs, why are they growing at a faster rate than the economy?!
Speaking of social programs and all that is spent on them, are our children getting better educated? Are welfare recipients getting jobs? Is the unemployment rate falling? Are all medically uninsured children now insured? With all these tax dollars going to solve the ills of society, one can only assume that something must be improving. But in reality, nothing has improved; nothing has changed (except the amount of money being spent). The government hasn’t fixed anything. It never has and it never will. (History, my friends…read your history.)
About the only thing our government has had great success implementing is a competent military. Without question our Armed Forces have risen to the challenge time and time again without hesitation. Even when under-paid, poorly-fed, and greatly neglected (Valley Forge), the military has never despaired. It simply follows orders and marches ahead.
Yet when it comes to financing our soldiers, we have our priorities completely mixed up. How is it possible that the interest on our national debt comprises more than our defense budget? But an even bigger crime is the social spending.
As stated earlier, the social spending programs dwarf all others, yet produce almost nothing. (Some even argue that they produce less than nothing).
However, the military has been a giant success. Even with the mediocre (if not small) paychecks, military personnel (and their families) can live comfortably. They have health care, dental, housing, and incredible educational opportunities. As a matter of fact, you would be hard-pressed to find any type of educational incentives that can compete with the military’s G.I. Bill, College Loan Repayment Plan, and ROTC Programs. The billions of dollars wasted each year by the Department of Education would go much further as incentive programs for military personnel and their families instead of being thrown into the bureaucratic windstorm that succeeds in spending too much money on absolutely nothing.
The irony in all of this is that the many benefits the military successfully implements (medical, dental, housing, education, etc) are the same types of programs the federal government fails to make work. (But that’s another story.)
When it comes to government spending, how much bang are Americans getting for their buck? Is the money reaping any benefits, or is it going in someone’s pocket that didn’t earn it, doesn’t need it, and refuses to return it?
The government has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that it has no willingness to spend our money responsibly, it ignores all the financial principles that govern business and industry, and continues to bleed the taxpayer regardless of his income or situation.
Whether or not tax-cuts can stimulate the economy is irrelevant. That issue has no bearing on what this nation’s fiscal policy should be. While it is true that a large segment of the population believes social programs are a necessity, history proves these programs as utter failures; they simply cannot work because they lack accountability and competition.
Whoever coined the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid” obviously failed to look at all the facts. Someone needs to tap that fella on the shoulder and whisper, “Hey stupid, it’s the spending.”
