Just where in the hell are we headed?

Maybe it is time that we "all" take the time to review the great and purposeful formation of this America we love and cherish. This America that countless millions have fought and died for in order to preserve that one element that we all know and embrace as the "Constitution of the United States". Maybe we should reflect on what was said and done then as compared to what is said and done now. I ask each and every one of you to take it upon yourself to familiarize yourself with the written document but in the interim I will take it upon myself to bore you with a short dissertation, albeit personal and biased. For the sake of brevity I will only dwell on those items of discourse that embellish my opinion. As such you will be able to refrain from reading this diatribe at your pleasure. We will be jumping here and there throughout but you will get the gist. So, now that you have a brief understanding of where I will be coming from (albeit not where I am going), let's begin.

On July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress (a formation of freedom hungry participants) drew up and approved "The Declaration of Independence". This document begins with those heralded words, "When in the Course of human Events", words that stick in your throat and brings emotion to the forefront. These words laid the foundation for the "what and why" of our thereafter. Further on it states that in order to secure certain rights, "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed". Think about that for a minute. Does it say what we think it says, that the "Government is put in place by the People and thus shall be responsive to the wants and desires of those people"?

Sure it does you say, but of course it doesn't you know.

What happens to that elected person when they arrive in Washington is as enigmatic as the original "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". Almost immediately after entering their elected office they are overwhelmed with the power they wield through the "tax and spend" syndrome. Never in their wildest dreams have they envisioned the control over so much wealth. How many of you know how many zeros equal a trillion? Don't write it down, just say it. It's "12". Yes, that's right, there are 12 zeros for a trillion. The enormities of the Government and vast amounts of monies at their disposal transforms them into dyed in the wool Spendaholics. And let's not be confused with whether they are Republicans, Independents or Democrats; it happens to all of them. Back home they were constrained from spending by their income, or lack thereof, but not back there. Quite to the contrary. They found that if they run short they could just: (i) create a deficit, (ii) print more money, or (iii) just raise taxes on the local yokels. Think about that for a minute or two. If you were able to buy what you wanted, when you wanted and without concerns for whether or not you had the resources, how frugal would you be? Not, probably since it's pretty easy to spend when it is someone else's pocket your dipping into.

Shortly after finding their new power they realize how gratifying it is to have the position, so what do they do. They immediately begin assembling a team to get them re-elected. In reality, they spend more time on working on their re-election than they ever do on why they were sent there. Not sure about this? Well further on we will review just how much time they really devote to their job.

So now that you have a brief understanding as to why we are no longer "governed by the people", but rather by the greed and power of being in office, you are better prepared to follow along on this journey. Opine if you wish.

Getting back to the document, we find it says, that "He (King George /Government) has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers (Government employees) to harness our People (Governed), and eat out their Subsistence(income and tax the hell out of them). Look familiar? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the similarities here.

But let's get back on track(my track that is).

Congress ("tax and spend" is their surname) is "out of control".

In the end the colonists proclaim that they have had enough of this Government and they are absolved (meaning sick and tired of) from it. The rest is history, since all, or most all of us have seen the movie "The Patriot", starring Mel Gibson, and know we kicked George and his "Government" out.

But, unfortunately for us, that was just the beginning. Now came the hard part: How to form that perfect Government and to have it do what we thought it should do.

Hence, came the "Constitution of the United States". Yep, that's us folks. The land of the free and the home of the brave; but only by virtue of the brave are we free. Take a brief pause and look up the definition of the word brave. Close your eyes and conjure up in your mind a "brave" person. Amazing what will come to mind isn't it?

Now, don't forget the ending clause of the founding fathers:

"with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor".

Conjure up an image of one who "pledges to another his life, fortune and honor". Bet you don't have a politician anywhere near the front of your list, do you? Unless of course you are married to one.

And, the part about "divine Providence"? Religious connotation? Supreme Court took care of this. Oh well, that is another story in itself.

Our Constitution opens with "the Preamble":

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Check out that "blessings of liberty"? Another religious connotation for yet the other story.

A powerful statement to say the least, don't you agree? However, nowhere in this statement does it say "put one individual or group before or above another", does it? We'll see.

The first order of business was to establish the Congress, both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the method of their selection and their duties, powers and compensation. You should note that their first order of business was to establish their compensation and privileges. Looking up the definition of the word "privilege", I find that it refers to "a special entitlement or immunity granted by a government or other authority to a restricted group". They got that right.

1. Revenue and Expenses: I've already discussed their "tax and spend" powers, so no further discussion on this is needed.

2. Compensation : They receive approximately $174,000 annually for working 2-4 days a week, on average (yes, they claim they work while off; don't we all?), all to the tune of about $150.00 per hour. And, lots of "long" holidays and super long breaks. Try that out at work. They also voted themselves a raise of $4,700 in 2009 which is included in the $174,000.00. They also are provided healthcare (either 100% or 75% paid by the tax payer) and are eligible for fully vested retirement at the end of 5 years.

3. How chosen: They are elected by "We the People". Why do we continue to elect individuals that are oblivious to anything other than trying to "BRING HOME THE BACON", yet to attain that they give the rest of the pig away. They try to foster an image of a "good public servant", but I don't want a "good public servant". I want a person that focuses more on our safety and protection and less on distributing the wealth. Does anyone out there know of a poor politician? Think about that one. Whatever happened to good old fashioned work and pulling oneself up by the bootstraps philosophy?

4. Powers: In reality, Congress has unlimited powers. In particular " The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States".

Now that you have this information let's take a quick look at the current legislation that is front and center. That, of course, is what got me started with this tirade in the first place. I simply used a little of the Constitution as a lead in so it didn't appear that I was just harping on Congress for the sake of harping. I want to discuss two major concerns.

Item #1: "JOBS AND UNEMPLOYMENT" - No one can argue the lack of jobs has led to the highest unemployment rate for decades. This situation was the result of the biggest recession since the 30's and it stretched to all quarters; well, maybe all but at least most. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) , America’s unemployment rate is the highest since 1983, but while most of the job losses have been in the private sector, public sector jobs – including jobs in government, education and health services – continued to increase. Furthermore the Experts conclude that the number of government jobs will continue to grow in the coming years. Consider the following:

At what point in time will we have more Government employees than non-Government. Since the "average" Government employee makes $70,000 annually as opposed to $40,000 for private sector employees it is easy to understand why their jobs are so attractive. The Government People will kiss the hand that lays the Golden Egg and keep re-electing them. Now we know why they grow the Government as fast as they can and why they keep fighting to get re-elected. Do you suppose that it really has anything to do with the "good of the country". One of the largest recipients of new government jobs is my next issue. In 1990 the Congress enacted the Federal Employees Pay Act to insure that federal employees received equal or better pay, and benefits, than those paid in the private sector. Nothing within that Act states the need to be equally qualified. Obviously it is implied?

Item #2: "HEALTHCARE" - There is a big battle, on-going in the Congress and the country over this as we read. I think that healthcare is a major issue for this country and needs to be addressed in a meaningful and constructive way. However, like the majority in this country, I disagree with a President and Congress who have decided that they need to get this passed right now. They have crammed a product through both the House and Senate that all of them agree is "bad" legislation. Ask any of them and they will all argue that it is better than nothing and can be fixed as we go. Well folks, "fixed as we go" means throwing more money at it, nothing more. And, they did this in spite of every meaningful poll showing that 55-60% of those polled are against the plan in its current form. What the hell has happened to "We the People"? What part of "We the People" not liking something don't they understand?

And, to heap insult on top of insult, they buy off a few Senators to get their "better than nothing" bill passed so that it can begin the next journey to the House of "ill repute*" that first got the ball rolling. (* - According to the online Urban Dictionary - "House of ill repute" is defined accordingly: "reference to a &@*re house, cat house, or other house where goods/services are offered/available that are not generally socially accepted.

What, may you say, do I mean when I state that the Senate "bought off" a few Senators? Well let me just say this. "They, being the Senators, took it upon themselves to take more of your hard earned dollars and gifted it to the a selective group of residents in the State of Nebraska. Well you say, how can that be when the Constitution specifically states that " all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States"? Beats the hell out of me, but that seems to be the norm for Washington.

And just what kind of deal did the (dis)honorable Senator Ben Nelson (D) Nebraska take it upon himself to make in order to "buy" his vote? Well folks, here it comes.

SEN. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., exacted a special price for his vote on the Senate health-care bill. Opening up the Medicaid program to 15 million more Americans over the next decade will cost the states billions of dollars — but not Ben Nelson's state. For Nebraska, the cost, estimated at $100 million through 2016, will be paid by the federal government.

That's right, he got upwards of $100 million tax payer dollars for his constituents. Not bad for a farm boy?

The following is a phrase that has been used by many, yet continues to befuddle all as to its author(s) or its authenticity. But make no mistake: IT DOES MAKE A COMPELLING ARGUMENT.

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.

According to the author, these are the ten stages through which all great nations have gone. Which stage are we in?

I started out doing a one pager and I'll be darn if I am going to do fifth page.

To all who have read this far, I congratulate you, because you really must care. This just touches the tip of the iceberg, so be true to yourself. Take the next step; "DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?

And bear in mind; this precious Constitution, this fragile piece of paper, gives each and every one of us the right to disagree. And I will defend, at the top of my voice, your right to do so.

Raul Grijalva passes the buck.

I read that Rep. Raul Grijalve was "tops" when it came to sitting House members giving out bonuses in 2008. Or rather, I should say, never gave a second thought about giving "our" money away. Appears that he gave his 16 member staff about $52,000. And yes there were those that gave more, but not as a sitting member from Arizona. Wonder how much these politicians would give if it actually came out of their own pocket, instead of ours??? Yes, I know, it was in the spirit of Christmas giving and it really is an insignificant amount considering a trillion dollar deficite but how many of you have had to count the pennies to be able to put food on the table or buy gas to get to work?  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?ref=name&id=100000327713121

Health-care sting starts now

Congress and Health-care; right or wrong?Its out of the bag; health-care plan will start costing you more, NOW. An article in the morning paper outlines the costs associated with the nearly passed health-care bill. Amazing how things seem to appear at the 11th hour as opposed to the review stage. Maybe those Republicans were right after all.

A kudu for Gabrielle Gifford

The timid appearing Congresswoman from Tucson voted against the increase deficite spending. Now all we need for her to do is rethink her position on the budget breaking health care issue.

Hats off to the President.

Just listened to President Obama discussing his meeting with community bank leaders. Other than the same old rhetoric; also known as BS, I was impressed with his ending in which he said, and I quote "wish you guys all, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year". I am tired of hearing "Happy Holidays" just so no one is offended.

Obama "good ole boy" phylosophy

Paybacks are hell, except when it is your old stomping grounds that gets the payback. Obama has purchased a prison in Illinois, his ex-state of residence, and plans on transferring the Guanatnamo prisoners there. No mention yet of the cost to the American tax payer for the purchase, but now that it will be a federal prison, we also will be funding all of the new jobs created in "Illinois".

The new prison is located in Thomas, Illinois which is a short hop from Clinton (coincidence), Illinois just north of Interstate 83. From there it is a quick ride east on Interstate 83 to Chicago. Just imagine trying to locate one of them after they arrive there. Oh well, go figure.

Government employees "rake it in".

Latest on the job situation. Public employees make $70,000 annually, on average, which is about 75% more than the "average" American. Seems right in line with my previous post regarding pay raise for our Congress. Looks like the only ones not worried about our economy is the government.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer "right on".

Jan Brewer, Governor of Arizona says you can practice Christmas and Honaka in state agencies you work for. I new deep down she had some guts.