I did some work this week for a Danish company here in the U.S.A. While working I met one of the big wigs running the place. I told him how I would love to visit Copenhagen and the rest of his beautiful country. Now, he has no idea who I am or what I stand for. For some reason he went into a diatribe of how wonderful the tax system in Denmark is.
"In Denmark we have a 32.5% average county / municiple tax, a 42% capital gains tax, a 51.5% income tax on income over $67,600 equivalent American dollars, an 8% social tax, a gift tax of 36.25% on gifts over $3,500 equivalent American dollars... but we pay these taxes with happiness. Everybody gets free medical care, free mental health care, paid when unemployed, free this, free that..." OK, the free this and that are my words. I just could not keep up with all the this and thats!
He went on to say that, "You can find rich people in Denmark, but not like in the U.S. We have a system that is fair to everyone."
I couldn't believe my ears. "Free", he said.
I made one simple statement, " Free? How is it free? You pay for it."
"Yes, but how do you design a system that is fair to everyone?" He walked away.
The look on his face was priceless. It was as though he knew for the first time that all these things he listed as free, were not free afterall.
This would be a good lesson to anyone who thinks that anyone can give you something for free with one hand while picking your pocket with the other.
What the Danes have, and what we have, is a system that provides freebies to those who do not contribute from the labor of those who do contribute. Contrary to what the Ditzy Dane said, it isn't free to anyone.
In such a system the only way to ensure that there is fundamental fairness is to somehow guarantee that every citizen is working his hardest all the time for the same pay as every other citizen. This is impossible and unreasonable because there will always be those who don't try, who don't care, and want to game the system. That's right, there will always be folks who have no problem with being lazy of body and brain because they know laws will be written to support their lazyness. There will also be politicians in government who will impose taxes on "the little people" while exempting themselves or outright cheating on taxes because they somehow believe they are special. Two recent examples of this are Charlie Rangle http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/22/rangel-charged-ethics-violations/ and John Kerry http://www.examiner.com/x-53980-Boston-Conservative-Examiner~y2010m7d24-John-Kerrys-Yacht-and-Taxachusetts . Both of these men love taxation as a means to forward the Progressive Liberal agenda. They just don't believe those taxes should apply to themselves.
What kind of system would be fair? Simple. Everyone plays by the same rules, the same tax rates, and the same laws. There cannot be a system that penalizes ability and industry for one group, yet rewards sloth, mediocrity, and dull brained thinking for another.
Coddling the lazy isn't fair. When you hear a politician talk of fairness for the less fortunate, hang on to your wallet.
One of the most dangerous things in the world is a politician talking about helping people. Everyone who reads this knows people who would rather sit on their butts and wait for someone to come along and hand them something for free. Problem is, it isn't free even to them either. Those who are coddled are enslaved as much by government as those who pay the bills. The coddled are stuck in a system that constantly tells them to wait for help, to wait for a handout, to wait for government compassion. They are told they are needy, unable to survive on their own, incapable of improving their lives themselves. Many buy into it. Many remain enslaved upon the government plantation their whole lives. They wait around for the crumbs that fall from the master's table.
Some say that ever higher tax rates that rob from the productive to give to the unproductive is cruel. No doubt it is.
More cruel is robbing someone of their spirit. Convincing people that they must remain dependent upon the grace of government, that they are incapable of bettering their own lives, and that they must forever be beholden to massa gubmint for all they have or will be is cruelest of all.
Our government should be ashamed of itself for this. We should be ashamed of ourselves if we ever believed it.
African slaves may have been freed as a result of the civil war. It took folks like Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon Bains Johnson, Barak Hussien Obama, and a cast of useful idiots to enslave us all.
Break the chains of tyranny. Refuse the crumbs of government. Refuse to help your overseers. Do it on your own. That is the only fair way.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Why Illegal Immigrants Are Not the Problem
These days we hear a whole lot of vitriol directed at those who enter and take up residence in our country illegally. Our position is as follows:
Illegal Immigration is a huge problem; illegal immigrants are not.
Why not blame illegal immigrants? Because that is like blaming the symptom for the disease. These are folks who, for the most part, are seeking a better life for their families than they could ever provide in their own country. Let's be honest; if you lived in a third world country that was utterly corrupt, was ruled by drug cartels or dictators, a country which offered no opportunity for security or prosperity... you would seek greener pastures too. That is the honest truth. You know it and I know it.
The real problem are the folks in our own country who would exploit these unfortunate people for the purposes of personal gain and political power.
We hear about how illegal immigrants do the work Americans won't do. That is simply a lie. Nobody knows exactly how many illegal immigrants are in this country. Estimates run from ten million all the way up to fifty million people. These people either find employment, go onto public assistance rolls, or both. Regardless of how many are here, there are many who want to keep them here. Here is why:
Employers want them here because they are cheap labor. Hiring illegal immigrants keeps the costs of labor and benefits low. Frankly, some companies want illegal immigrant employees for the same reason other companies move their manufacturing facilities to third world countries. The answer is cheap labor. For most any product produced, the vast majority of the costs associated with producing that product is the cost of labor. Employers get away with hiring these workers because the Federal Government makes it very easy to get away with doing so. Illegal Immigrants are hired not because Americans won't do the work, but because Americans won't do the work for the wages offered to do the work. Rather than improving the manufacturing process or the product to keep costs low, companies hire cheap labor and increase their bottom line. Any time you hear of a company extolling the virtues of illegal immigrants and supporting the work of illegal immigrant rights groups, it isn't because there is something special about these people. It's because they can make more money hiring them from a cheap pool of labor.
Government wants them here because they are voters and potential voters. They are the grease on the wheels of social programs that need victims to justify their existence.
Why do I say they are voters? Because many are. I worked with a man for several years. He got into the United States with a tourist visa. He didn't come here as a tourist though. He came here to lay down roots, find a job, and raise his family. He and I had many long conversations. We were good friends. The problem was that he had no interest in becoming an American Citizen. His plans were to return to his home country when he retired. In our conversations, over a period of four years, it became obvious where his loyalties were. He was always praising the country he had to leave to make a living. He was always talking about how much better it was there. He did not like the United States at all. The State we were in issued him a driver's license. He was able to buy a home. His children went to our public schools. He was able to register to vote. Yes, that's right, he was a registered voter, and voted in every election. Illegal Immigrants are a powerful voting block in this country. Make no mistake about it. Nobody checks your citizenship status when you register. In fact, my friend signed up to register when he got his driver's license.
When you hear politicians talk about how we must have compassion and give these folks a quick path to citizenship through amnesty; what they are really saying is that they need those votes for re-election.
The Federal Government refuses to enforce existing immigration laws.
The Federal Government enables people here illegally to enroll in public assistance programs.
The Federal Government imposes no meaningful sanctions upon employers of illegal immigrants.
The solution?
Make it a Federal Crime to hire anyone for any purpose who cannot show documentation that they were either born in the United States (Certified Birth Certificate), a Naturalized Citizen, or have a valid Work Visa. Make this crime punishable by twenty years in prison per count. Each count shall run consecutively. Those subject to these penalties? Every company official from CEO to Human Resources Manager.
Make it a Federal Crime to not check for a Birth Certificate or Naturalisation Papers before accepting a voter registration card.
Make it a Federal Crime to not check for a Birth Certificate or Naturalisation Papers before allowing a person into a voting booth.
The Federal Government MUST move to secure our borders as it is Constitutionally required to do so. If we institute these laws we won't have to round up millions of people for deportation... they will just leave.
Illegal Immigration is a huge problem; illegal immigrants are not.
Why not blame illegal immigrants? Because that is like blaming the symptom for the disease. These are folks who, for the most part, are seeking a better life for their families than they could ever provide in their own country. Let's be honest; if you lived in a third world country that was utterly corrupt, was ruled by drug cartels or dictators, a country which offered no opportunity for security or prosperity... you would seek greener pastures too. That is the honest truth. You know it and I know it.
The real problem are the folks in our own country who would exploit these unfortunate people for the purposes of personal gain and political power.
We hear about how illegal immigrants do the work Americans won't do. That is simply a lie. Nobody knows exactly how many illegal immigrants are in this country. Estimates run from ten million all the way up to fifty million people. These people either find employment, go onto public assistance rolls, or both. Regardless of how many are here, there are many who want to keep them here. Here is why:
Employers want them here because they are cheap labor. Hiring illegal immigrants keeps the costs of labor and benefits low. Frankly, some companies want illegal immigrant employees for the same reason other companies move their manufacturing facilities to third world countries. The answer is cheap labor. For most any product produced, the vast majority of the costs associated with producing that product is the cost of labor. Employers get away with hiring these workers because the Federal Government makes it very easy to get away with doing so. Illegal Immigrants are hired not because Americans won't do the work, but because Americans won't do the work for the wages offered to do the work. Rather than improving the manufacturing process or the product to keep costs low, companies hire cheap labor and increase their bottom line. Any time you hear of a company extolling the virtues of illegal immigrants and supporting the work of illegal immigrant rights groups, it isn't because there is something special about these people. It's because they can make more money hiring them from a cheap pool of labor.
Government wants them here because they are voters and potential voters. They are the grease on the wheels of social programs that need victims to justify their existence.
Why do I say they are voters? Because many are. I worked with a man for several years. He got into the United States with a tourist visa. He didn't come here as a tourist though. He came here to lay down roots, find a job, and raise his family. He and I had many long conversations. We were good friends. The problem was that he had no interest in becoming an American Citizen. His plans were to return to his home country when he retired. In our conversations, over a period of four years, it became obvious where his loyalties were. He was always praising the country he had to leave to make a living. He was always talking about how much better it was there. He did not like the United States at all. The State we were in issued him a driver's license. He was able to buy a home. His children went to our public schools. He was able to register to vote. Yes, that's right, he was a registered voter, and voted in every election. Illegal Immigrants are a powerful voting block in this country. Make no mistake about it. Nobody checks your citizenship status when you register. In fact, my friend signed up to register when he got his driver's license.
When you hear politicians talk about how we must have compassion and give these folks a quick path to citizenship through amnesty; what they are really saying is that they need those votes for re-election.
The Federal Government refuses to enforce existing immigration laws.
The Federal Government enables people here illegally to enroll in public assistance programs.
The Federal Government imposes no meaningful sanctions upon employers of illegal immigrants.
The solution?
Make it a Federal Crime to hire anyone for any purpose who cannot show documentation that they were either born in the United States (Certified Birth Certificate), a Naturalized Citizen, or have a valid Work Visa. Make this crime punishable by twenty years in prison per count. Each count shall run consecutively. Those subject to these penalties? Every company official from CEO to Human Resources Manager.
Make it a Federal Crime to not check for a Birth Certificate or Naturalisation Papers before accepting a voter registration card.
Make it a Federal Crime to not check for a Birth Certificate or Naturalisation Papers before allowing a person into a voting booth.
The Federal Government MUST move to secure our borders as it is Constitutionally required to do so. If we institute these laws we won't have to round up millions of people for deportation... they will just leave.
Why the 17th Amendment is Bad News
The founding fathers were wise men when they decided that Senators would be appointed by the various State legislatures. This was no accident. It was, in fact, designed to protect the Republic from sliding towards becoming a mob rule democracy.
Article 1 Section 3 of the Constitution is as follows:
"The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote."
That is how Senators used to be chosen.
The idea of having divisions of power in what constitutes the Federal Government was to divide the power of the majority. You had the House of Representatives which was elected directly by the people. Then you had the Senate, of which each member was essentially an ambassador of the "sovereign" State government. Finally, there is the Chief Executive (President) chosen by a temporary College of Electors (not by popular vote as some assume).
So there you have three separate and distinct divisions of power within the Federal Government. The idea was to provide each department with a will of its own and as little influence as possible in the election of the others.
Many have the idea in their heads that the United States is a majority rule democracy. The fact is that we are not. We are a representative Republic. While this a a form of democracy, we were deliberately formed as a representative Republic to protect the minority against the possible tyranny of a majority faction. When you hear a citizen of our country say that we are a democracy founded on the principle of "majority rule", you are listening to the babbling of a fool who has no understanding of the form of government he lives under. When you hear someone spout that Presidents of this country are elected by popular vote, you are listening to the ramblings of the uneducated.
The brilliance of our Constitution is the division of power. It gives each branch of government its own set of constituencies. What this is supposed to do is make it more difficult for a majority, whether that majority be numbers of persons or numbers of dollars, to impose its will on the minority.
So what the 17th Amendment does, essentially, is take the power of the sovereign states away from the debate in Washington. It destroys the role of the Senate as a representative body of State governments, and creates what is actually now a second House of Representatives. This means that the same people or interests that elect a congressman, elect a senator. It concentrates the power of the majority. Why is this bad?
Many times the populous is influenced by personality, political fad, emotional argument, or just plain self interest. Politicians spewing forth feel good popular slogans and making promises to redistribute the wealth of others into the pockets of potential voters, or promising to mandate that states do certain things for various groups through Federal law, get elected. Many times State governments oppose these programs the Federal Government mandates that they accomplish with no Federal funding. State governments, who know the folly of Washington, are held hostage to the interest groups of popularly elected Senators, who were elected by the same groups that elected Representatives to the House. The checks and balances upon the power of the Federal Government are removed from the States.
Not only are these Senators now not subject to their State Legislatures, they are now beholden to money influences from outside their own States. They are also strongly influenced to vote for Federal programs that confiscate the wealth of individuals to redistribute into the hands of those people and groups that popularly elected them. Rather than representing the best interests of their home State and influencing Federal policy to protect the interests of their State, they are representing their own interests to get reelected by their popular constituency.
As you can see, the 17th Amendment concentrated Federal power over the individual Sovereign States. Essentially, it forces States to become agencies of the Federal Government. This was not originally intended. The 17th Amendment was a victory for the Progressive Movement in the early 20th century. It is something that must be repealed. Failure to win its repeal dooms us to incrementally more Federal power over us as individuals and over the States. This brings Federal Tyranny upon us all.
Article 1 Section 3 of the Constitution is as follows:
"The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote."
That is how Senators used to be chosen.
The idea of having divisions of power in what constitutes the Federal Government was to divide the power of the majority. You had the House of Representatives which was elected directly by the people. Then you had the Senate, of which each member was essentially an ambassador of the "sovereign" State government. Finally, there is the Chief Executive (President) chosen by a temporary College of Electors (not by popular vote as some assume).
So there you have three separate and distinct divisions of power within the Federal Government. The idea was to provide each department with a will of its own and as little influence as possible in the election of the others.
Many have the idea in their heads that the United States is a majority rule democracy. The fact is that we are not. We are a representative Republic. While this a a form of democracy, we were deliberately formed as a representative Republic to protect the minority against the possible tyranny of a majority faction. When you hear a citizen of our country say that we are a democracy founded on the principle of "majority rule", you are listening to the babbling of a fool who has no understanding of the form of government he lives under. When you hear someone spout that Presidents of this country are elected by popular vote, you are listening to the ramblings of the uneducated.
The brilliance of our Constitution is the division of power. It gives each branch of government its own set of constituencies. What this is supposed to do is make it more difficult for a majority, whether that majority be numbers of persons or numbers of dollars, to impose its will on the minority.
So what the 17th Amendment does, essentially, is take the power of the sovereign states away from the debate in Washington. It destroys the role of the Senate as a representative body of State governments, and creates what is actually now a second House of Representatives. This means that the same people or interests that elect a congressman, elect a senator. It concentrates the power of the majority. Why is this bad?
Many times the populous is influenced by personality, political fad, emotional argument, or just plain self interest. Politicians spewing forth feel good popular slogans and making promises to redistribute the wealth of others into the pockets of potential voters, or promising to mandate that states do certain things for various groups through Federal law, get elected. Many times State governments oppose these programs the Federal Government mandates that they accomplish with no Federal funding. State governments, who know the folly of Washington, are held hostage to the interest groups of popularly elected Senators, who were elected by the same groups that elected Representatives to the House. The checks and balances upon the power of the Federal Government are removed from the States.
Not only are these Senators now not subject to their State Legislatures, they are now beholden to money influences from outside their own States. They are also strongly influenced to vote for Federal programs that confiscate the wealth of individuals to redistribute into the hands of those people and groups that popularly elected them. Rather than representing the best interests of their home State and influencing Federal policy to protect the interests of their State, they are representing their own interests to get reelected by their popular constituency.
As you can see, the 17th Amendment concentrated Federal power over the individual Sovereign States. Essentially, it forces States to become agencies of the Federal Government. This was not originally intended. The 17th Amendment was a victory for the Progressive Movement in the early 20th century. It is something that must be repealed. Failure to win its repeal dooms us to incrementally more Federal power over us as individuals and over the States. This brings Federal Tyranny upon us all.
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