The True Crisis Part 2

Shortly after my last blog congress and the president came up with what they called a deal that would allow government to continue.  Mostly the Republicans gave in.  The few who wanted to continue making a stand such as Senator Cruz were not enough to hold up the process.  However, the "deal" is only a temporary patch.  The fight is only pushed down the road a few months, probably so that everyone can catch their breath, re-evaluated the "gains" and 'losses" of the recent battle so that strategy can be revised and supposedly improved.

All of this only goes to reinforce the concept that politicians today are only playing "politics" with our money and government.  Many functions of government continued without hinderance, many that were in reality not so necessary.  However unlike any other shutdown in US history this one was made to be as painful for the average American as possible, or more succinctly for key Americans (Veterans and military in particular).  While it took more effort and cost to close many venues than it would have cost to keep them open, that wasn't the point.  The current administration wanted to make a point at the expense of the American people.  They wanted to use the American people as pawns in the battle over  the budget.  This is the true symptom of the crisis facing America today.  Not the budget issues as those are old hat and nothing new.  We've had disagreements the have easily reached and surpassed the current purported crisis and have come out just fine.  The difference this time was the overt attempt to politicize the debate and to directly use the American public as pawns in the fight.  This is what is quite new and dangerous.

Why is it so dangerous?  Because it shows that the politicians are more interested in their own agendas, their own pockets and their own positions versus doing the business of the country.  In the past while obviously politicians are people and thus subject to the frailties of all people the rules of conduct and accepted procedures kept them at least somewhat honest in doing the public business and not purely their own.

This is a trend that started back some 50-60 years ago.  Not something that suddenly was sprung upon us, but crept in by degrees.  The culture of the congress, the American public and politics at large have gradually moved over time to what we have today, and it's not pretty.  It is time that we do something about it, but most Americans while recognizing that something is not quite right often can't quite identify what exactly the problem is.  Many other American's can identify the problems but just don't quite know how to effectively deal with them as anything they try seems to fail in the end for one reason or another.

The answer has been identified by several today and the solution is actually rather simple although not easy.  No I don't mean rising up in rebellion, that is doomed to failure for a variety of reasons.  Organizing into a 3rd political party will also end in failure, one thing that both Republicans and Democrats will come together on is to destroy or limit any possible gain by a third party, just look at the Tea Party movement.

So if none of these are the answers then what is?  Simply put:  Education.  No not more college or universities or other "credentialed" education system, but true education.  The same as what our Founding Fathers gained.  I have often stated that real education does not come with an alphabet behind it.  Contrary to what many would have us believe, education is something that all can gain.  Simply reading and studying on your own.  Focus on the classics and remember that not all classics are 200 years old.

A few books that I might suggest to start with:
The Coming Aristocracy, by Oliver DeMille
A Thomas Jefferson Education, by Oliver DeMille
Freedomshift, by Oliver DeMille
Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
The Law, by Frederic Bastiat
That Which is Seen and That Which is Not Seen, by Frederic Bastiat
Launching A Leadership Revolution, by Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady
UnCommon Sense, by Stephen Palmer
The 5000 Year Leap, by Cleon Skousen
Leadership and Self Deception, by the Arbinger Institute


This is a short list that deals directly with the issues facing the world today, I would strongly recommend that you use this as a starting point and then build on it as most of these books have a lot of other suggested readings in them as well to continue to expand your education.

Only when we the American people regain our classical education base that our forefathers had dating back to the origins of our nation can we regain our freedoms, without this any attempts will only result in tyranny.

The True Crisis Part 1

Currently the United States is in the throws of a crisis. Many say it's because Congress and the President can't seem to come together to work out a budget.  With each side is entrenched and demanding that the other side concede some points and compromise while still holding solidly to their position.  Each side demands compromise while unwilling to give a millimeter let alone an inch.  But is this the true crisis or just a symptom or indicator?  First let's examine exactly what the current situation really is.

Currently the US Congress, split between the Republicans and Democrats with the President can't quite come to an agreement as to what the budget should be.  The key difference is the funding of the Affordable Care Act or better known as Obamacare.

If you listen to the media and most who discuss this you would think that something like this has never happened before, but it has, repeatedly over the 200 plus years of the US history.  Ok, yes there are some occasional vague references to the shutdown back in the 1995 of which the Republicans took the blame and Clinton came out smelling like a rose.  However even that isn't the first time such an event occurred.  It happened prior with President Reagan, eight times and once under President G. H. W. Bush as well as Presidents Carter and Ford.
Here is the complete list:

• September 30 to October 11, 1976 (10 days)
• September 30 to October 13, 1977 (12 days)
• October 31 to November 9, 1977 (8 days)
• November 30 to December 9, 1977 (8 days)
• September 30 to October 18, 1978 (18 days
• September 30 to October 12, 1979 (11 days)
• November 20 to November 23, 1981 (2 days)
• September 30 to October 2, 1982 (1 day)
• December 17 to December 21, 1982 (3 days)
• November 10 to November 14, 1983 (3 days)
• September 30 to October 3, 1984 (2 days)
• October 3 to October 5, 1984 (1 day)
• October 16 to October 18, 1986 (1 day)
• December 18 to December 20, 1987 (1 day)
• October 5 to October 9, 1990 (3 days)
• November 13  to November 19, 1995 (5 days)
• December 5, 1995 to January 6, 1996 (21 days)

(http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/a-brief-history-of-federal-government-shutdowns/)

All in all there have been 18 shutdowns of both partial and full since 1976.  These shutdowns occurred due to what we call "Budget Gaps"  For most they were brief, one to two days but others lasted a little longer.  Historically over the entirety of the US history there have been budget impasses in the US government, during which the government generally continued to operate anticipating things to work out in the end.  Budget disputes were argued in Congress and with the President until some sort of agreement could be reached.  Almost no pawns were hurt during these battles.  This changed under President Carter when his Attorney General reinterpreted a legislation from 1870.

For years, many federal agencies continued to operate during a funding gap, while “minimizing  all nonessential operations and obligations, believing that Congress did not intend that agencies  close down” while waiting for the enactment of annual appropriations acts or continuing resolutions. In 1980 and 1981, however, Attorney General Benjamin R. Civiletti issued two  opinions that more strictly interpreted the Antideficiency Act in the context of a funding gap, along with its exceptions. The opinions stated that, with some exceptions, the head of an agency could avoid violating the Antideficiency Act only by suspending the agency’s operations until the enactment of an appropriation. In the absence of appropriations, exceptions would be allowed only when there is “some reasonable and articulable connection between the function to be performed and the safety of human life or the protection of property.” (Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, February 18, 2011, Congressional Research Service)

The Antideficiency Act was intended to stop a practice by the executive branch in over spending funds so as to force Congress to add to their budget.  A practice that came out at the end of the Civil War was to quickly spend your allotted budget and thus forcing Congress to allocate more funds to keep you going, after all Congress just had to fund all "obligations" of the government.   This was a back door way of increasing your budget.  The Antideficiency Act put a stop to the practice and force government agencies to stay within the proscribed budgets given by Congress.  Prior to this stricter interpretation by AG Civiletti when the US Congress and the President couldn't agree to a budget by the end of the fiscal year government continued as usual except to par down unnecessary activities and new contracts.  Perhaps pay checks might get delayed until the budget would finally get passed, but government operated reasonably normal. 

After this interpretation things changed and politicians started seeing and opportunity to make a political statement or to use government as a pawn in their political battles.  Early on only limited agencies were involved, just the ones in dispute, but by 1995 it focused on the whole of government.  For decades no one was quite willing to go to the extreme and shut down government, mostly the Republicans due to the beating they got in 1995.  

Invariably the Congress in a "compassionate move" will give back pay to the employees of the government so that they don't suffer undue hardships from the loss of pay.  What this means is that our government employees will now have a paid vacation, in addition to the regular vacation time they earn, at the tax payer expense with no benefit.  

In the end Congress and the President will likely work out some kind of a deal, restart government and pay everyone for services not rendered.  At face value it would seem that the crisis will be adverted, but is it really?

Stay tuned for Part 2...

Constitutional Rights

I often hear government officials, lawyers, politicians and others talking of our "Constitutional Rights." It is common for the average person to refer to their rights as "Constitutional" because so many have used this term for so long.  However, if the people of America in the early days of our nation heard this they would be appalled and justifiably angry at any who used this term.

Frequently I have asked friends, coworkers and others I meet and talk with to name a "constitutional right."  While some are leery to answer fearing a "trick question" others might say the right to free speech or right to bear arms, a very few might bring up the right from self incrimination, speedy trial or others.  For each of these responses I have to inform them that they are wrong.  These are not "constitutional rights."

We do not have any "constitutional rights" at all.  None, zip, zero.  And this is where the founding generation would take offense.  Our rights are "inalienable" not "constitutional."  Why is this so important you might ask.   Well when you consider that words matter, it is extremely important.  First let's consider what the difference is.  Constitutional rights would be rights that are granted to the people from the constitution.  Inalienable rights are those granted by our creator; for religious folks this is God, for secular folks this might be nature or rights inherent in just being alive and human.  Either way they do not come from the US Constitution by any means.

Once you understand the difference you can then consider why it's important.  For this let me give you and scenario to illustrate my point. In the US military commanders can impose Non-Judicial Punishment on subordinates within their command for wrongdoings.  This punishment is called Article-15's or Captains Mast (Navy) which is the chapter in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).  Now under this a commander who is a Captain (Lieutenant in the Navy) in rank or below can take away rank of enlisted subordinates in the pay grades of E-4 or below.  Commanders with the rank of Major to Colonel (Lieutenant Commander to Captain in the Navy) can take away rank from enlisted subordinates in the pay grades of E-6 or below.  General officers and Admirals can take away rank from any enlisted subordinate in a courts martial.  Why the distinction you might ask; in the military they have a saying "you can't take what you can't give."  What this means is that Captains can promote subordinates up to the pay grade of E-4 but not higher, Majors-Colonels manage promotion aspects up to E-6, while General officers manage promotion aspects through the senior enlisted grades.  Thus if you can't grant it you can't take it.

Now let's consider this in the light of our "rights."  If those in power can redefine our rights as being granted by the US Constitution then they can modify or illuminate them through modifying the Constitution.  The early Americans would be up in arms at this concept because they strongly believed that our rights are given to us by our creator and they guarded them religiously as such.  The reality is that the Constitution does not grant or define our rights.  The only thing it does is limit the government in doing anything to "infringe' upon those rights that are inalienable to every man, woman and child.

However, today it seems Americans are willing to let those in power redefine their rights and thus allow them to be taken away.  Unless we return to the thinking of our found generations and recognize that we have "inalienable Rights" and it is government that is restricted from doing anything in violation of those rights, Americans are doomed to eventual servitude and slavery under a tyrannical government.  History has proven this to be a fact in that never in the worlds history has the facts ever been otherwise.