Is Federal Abuse of Power Enslaving American People
Debbie Lewis | 21.08.2010 16:02 | Analysis
Given the massive size of our National Debt, the recent unexpected rise in unemployment, the fact that we are constantly in a state of war, legislators on both sides of the aisle cannot seem to tighten their collective belts and our government cannot accept its role as the protector of our Constitutional rights, are we becoming a “slave state?”
In doing some other research, I stumbled upon an interesting figure. Our total Debt, as a nation, is $13-plus trillion (an overwhelming 93% of the GDP). Not only that, but below the table from which I got this info, it states, “The current Debt Limit was increased from $12.394 trillion to $14.294 trillion effective February 12, 2010.” That is an almost incomprehensible figure.
Please understand that I am not placing all the blame on the Obama administration, (like Democrats are doing to the Bush Administration…Hint…Check the Congressional voting records!). BUT, people need to be held accountable and that isn’t happening. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, our government is spending $1.33-plus trillion MORE than it actually has. Why is the government spending money it doesn’t have?
If the American people are supposed to learn to live within a budget and do without unnecessary things, it’s time our government does the same. The people of the United States cannot bear this financial burden. Do they even understand it? If we average the $13-plus trillion per man, woman and child in the Unites States the debt is nearly $42,000 for each. The median income in the United States as of 2008 was $52,000. That means it would take more than 3 years for a family of 4 to pay off just “their” portion of the debt, which doesn’t include the interest OR their own personal expenses! I am no financial genius, but I DO understand how serious this is. We have let our “public servants” enslave us!
You may be asking yourself, right about now, to whom are we enslaved? In a January 2010 article on 24/7 Wall Street, we find that China owned the bulk of the US debt, at that time, at a whopping $799 billion! Japan came in second, owning $751 billion, and you may be surprised to find that Russia owned $122 billion. This may seem a bit surreal until you realize that, according to this article, the United States government owes a massive $3.5 TRILLION to foreign governments, corporations and others. They WILL want their money back!
Let’s take a look at some of the more egregious recent actions. The TARP Bailouts and the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” programs come to mind. (With what was spent for those two programs alone, we could have come close to buying our debt back from China and Japan, freeing us from them!)
The Bailout gave money right back to businesses who could not handle their “business” in the first place. What did we see after TARP? We saw some of the same tax-payer-bailed-out companies used the money to throw lavish “resort junkets,” give huge bonuses to employees and some even benefited in the most egregious ways (IndyMac comes to mind!). Some of this caught the attention of Congress, a few members of which became angry and lodged inquiries and complaints. Did TARP stop the massive slide into the “recession” in which we currently find ourselves? No it did not, but it DID increase our ever-growing massive debt.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a noble idea, IF we, as a nation, didn’t already owe $3.5 trillion in debt to others. Why are we going to spend money to fix streets that don’t need it? In the town were I live, there were many beautiful “improvements,” all proudly claiming to be part of the Act. The problem is, many of the improvements we didn’t “need.” In some cases, traffic lights were moved a matter of a few feet, to make “new and improved” sidewalks. There were already sidewalks there, and traffic lights. We didn’t need to waste that money! Just an example, if I were to want to remodel my house, I would have to wait until I could afford to do it…I may not want to wait, because it may make me feel better to remodel it now. I mean, after all, it would certainly LOOK better, but in the end, I would have to wait. That is what our federal government should have done!
Let’s think about healthcare and “war?” It all seems like great ideas, but if you haven’t noticed, our economy is not improving…it’s getting worse!
What about the healthcare legislation? Don’t get me wrong, I believe something needs to be done, but this bill is massive, no one read it or knows just how it is going to impact our lives, only to say that it will financially impact both businesses and individuals who are already stressed over getting there bills paid. And, on top of that, it is highly unconstitutional! Congress cannot make laws forcing the American people to purchase things, nor can Congress tell us from whom we have to make that purchase!
What about the state of perpetual war in which we find ourselves? We are sending our men and women to foreign countries to die for what? This present “war” was declared! Not only that, but we are not taking care of them properly when they return. Ask any Gulf War I Vet about that! Many of those guys and gals were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, when they had something much more serious. The government denied there was anything else going on for years, burdening the healthcare industry and the Veteran’s Administration and frustrating thousands of veterans who knew they had something other than PTSD…finally, eighteen years later, our government acknowledged that there really is such a thing as “Gulf War Illness.”
Not only that, our Peace Prize-winning President’s projected defense budget is UP from what it had been for that past several years. I thought he was going to bring the troops home. I guess not! He is just moving them around. His estimated Department of Defense budget for 2011 is $708 billion. Anyone who follows legislation can tell you that that will not be the end of it, either, as nearly every year there are “Emergency Supplemental Appropriations” Acts passed…meaning more money needed that the initial budget didn’t “foresee.”
As for more ways to enslave us, what about State’s Rights? The ability for a state to do what it needs to do to satisfy its particular needs? What about the rights of individuals? Our inalienable rights endowed to us by our Creator?
Arizona is in a battle to protect its borders and itself from illegal immigrants. As the 10th Amendment states, Arizona has the right to govern as it sees fit. The recent Arizona immigration legislation was passed because the Federal government, which does have immigration laws, was not protecting Arizona. The Customs and Border Patrol’s website states, “CBP officers protect America’s borders at official ports of entry, while Border Patrol agents prevent illegal entry into the United States of people and contraband between the ports of entry.” Yet that wasn’t happening, so the state took matters into it’s own hands. Poles everywhere showed strong public support for the Arizona legislation, yet the Obama Administration filed suit against Arizona, citing that Arizona’s legislation “cracking down on illegal immigrants conflicts with federal law.” But, again, the federal government is not doing its job. Arizona had no choice!
The end of the Bush era saw the passage of one of the most egregious laws against one of our inherent rights, our right to privacy. With the passage of the FISA Amendment, telecommunications companies were awarded retroactive immunity for data collected on their clients and pass to the federal government, basically skirting laws that were already on the books. And, lest we forget, then-Senator Obama voted FOR that.
Let’s face it, if we do not become “enslaved” by our massive debt, our federal government is making it hard for us to exercise our inalienable rights, many of which they choose to ignore. The federal government is constantly abusing its power Add to that that the GDP is projected to be over 90% for the next several years, at least 3 of which it is estimated to be at or OVER 100% and the questions should be, “Why are we letting the federal government drive our country into oblivion? Why aren’t the states, and citizens, fighting back? How did this happen? Why haven’t we, as the individuals whom Congress and the several administrations represent, been paying attention all these years? What is it that we do not understand?”
While it may be more difficult for us to do something about the National Debt (although, I am of the opinion that we need a seriously savvy businessman in there, slashing the budget to pieces!), there may be something we can do about the federal government. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are very clear. IF the government has abused its power over and over and over again, to the point of tyranny against the people, we have the right and duty to install a new government that will look after the interests of people of these United States. That would be tricky, but it can be done…it’s been done once before…when we, as a nation, separated ourselves from the oppressive British government.
As has been stated in the documentary, Don’t Tread On Me: Rise of the Republic, as well as on The Reality Report and on the Tenth Amendment Center website, there are vast powers reserved for the states and the people. How many of us know that our federal government is limited to eighteen powers? That’s right…just eighteen! Yet, the way Congress passes legislation and our many Presidents sign Executive Orders, one would not know the federal government is to be very limited.
People need to read, carefully, the Ninth and Tenth Amendments:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. 9th Amendment, The Bill of Rights
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. 10th Amendment, Bill of Rights
While our “fearless leaders” (read “public servants”) say, “We don’t really know what they meant by that,” I beg to differ! There is PLENTY of proof that our Founding Fathers wanted a limited government. During the debates and discussions during the drafting of our founding documents, our Founders laid out exactly the kind of government they envisioned for this country. A government, not in charge of every single aspect of our lives, but a government that is supposed to protect us from those who would stop us from seeking life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
James Madison said the powers given to the Federal Government through the Constitution are few and defined, but the powers remaining for the State governments, as well as the people, are indefinite. Is that the kind of government we have now? Not even close!
As just a couple of examples, remember TARP and the “Town Hall” meetings, with regards to healthcare? TARP was passed under duress. If you doubt it, you need to do some research! Marshal Law was threatened if Congress did not pass the law. Most of our lawmakers knew it wasn’t a good idea, and that is why “they” resorted to pressure and threats to get it passed. As for the Town Hall meetings, remember the massive numbers of people getting involved then? During those “Town Hall” meetings, did our legislators listen to us? NO! And they continue to pass egregious legislation that they don’t even read!
It is time we INSIST that our Representatives, from the local level all the way to the federal level, listen to our concerns and follow the Constitution. Maybe, if they do not “understand it,” they should do a little research. After all, they are supposed to REPRESENT, not dictate. They are supposed to take their “marching orders” from We-the-People. They are supposed to PROTECT and DEFEND our Constitution from ALL enemies…foreign and DOMESTIC! They take an oath to do that! That is their job! Why don’t We-the-People shape up and hold them to it!
Endnotes:
Take Back Washington
http://www.TakeBackWashington.com
The Reality Report
http://realityreport.blip.tv/
The Tenth Amendment Center
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/
Debt Subject to Limit Graph
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/charts/charts_debt.htm
National Income and Product Accounts Table
http://bea.gov/national/nipaweb/TableView.asp?SelectedTable=5&FirstYear=2009&LastYear=2010&Freq=Qtr
Government Current Receipts and Expenditures
http://bea.gov/national/nipaweb/TableView.asp?SelectedTable=86&FirstYear=2009&LastYear=2010&Freq=Qtr
Census "Quick Facts"
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html
US Census Population Clocks
http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
Which Countries Own American Debt?
http://247wallst.com/2010/01/13/which-countries-own-americas-debt/
United States public debt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt
DOD Releases Defense Reviews, 2011 Budget Proposal, and 2010 War Funding Supplemental Request – Update (February 2010)
http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13281
AIG, Congress and the Taxpayers
http://www.takebackwashington.com/articles/AIGCongressandtheTaxpayers.html
Government Report Finally Admits Gulf War Illness is Real
http://www.youtube.com/user/trupeace4all#p/f/53/0AKJpZBAfPo
Indymac Boys Get Sweetheart Deal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssl5yb7FewA
Rep Brad Sherman Martial law
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaG9d_4zij8
Protecting our Borders: This is CBP
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/about/mission/cbp.xml
Arizona governor signs immigration bill, reopening national debate
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/23/AR2010042301441.html
Justice Department sues Arizona over immigration law
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/06/AR2010070601928.html
Public Supports Arizona Immigration Law
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1591/public-support-arizona-immigration-law-poll
HR 6304 The FISA Amendment Act of 2008
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-6304
Please understand that I am not placing all the blame on the Obama administration, (like Democrats are doing to the Bush Administration…Hint…Check the Congressional voting records!). BUT, people need to be held accountable and that isn’t happening. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, our government is spending $1.33-plus trillion MORE than it actually has. Why is the government spending money it doesn’t have?
If the American people are supposed to learn to live within a budget and do without unnecessary things, it’s time our government does the same. The people of the United States cannot bear this financial burden. Do they even understand it? If we average the $13-plus trillion per man, woman and child in the Unites States the debt is nearly $42,000 for each. The median income in the United States as of 2008 was $52,000. That means it would take more than 3 years for a family of 4 to pay off just “their” portion of the debt, which doesn’t include the interest OR their own personal expenses! I am no financial genius, but I DO understand how serious this is. We have let our “public servants” enslave us!
You may be asking yourself, right about now, to whom are we enslaved? In a January 2010 article on 24/7 Wall Street, we find that China owned the bulk of the US debt, at that time, at a whopping $799 billion! Japan came in second, owning $751 billion, and you may be surprised to find that Russia owned $122 billion. This may seem a bit surreal until you realize that, according to this article, the United States government owes a massive $3.5 TRILLION to foreign governments, corporations and others. They WILL want their money back!
Let’s take a look at some of the more egregious recent actions. The TARP Bailouts and the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” programs come to mind. (With what was spent for those two programs alone, we could have come close to buying our debt back from China and Japan, freeing us from them!)
The Bailout gave money right back to businesses who could not handle their “business” in the first place. What did we see after TARP? We saw some of the same tax-payer-bailed-out companies used the money to throw lavish “resort junkets,” give huge bonuses to employees and some even benefited in the most egregious ways (IndyMac comes to mind!). Some of this caught the attention of Congress, a few members of which became angry and lodged inquiries and complaints. Did TARP stop the massive slide into the “recession” in which we currently find ourselves? No it did not, but it DID increase our ever-growing massive debt.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a noble idea, IF we, as a nation, didn’t already owe $3.5 trillion in debt to others. Why are we going to spend money to fix streets that don’t need it? In the town were I live, there were many beautiful “improvements,” all proudly claiming to be part of the Act. The problem is, many of the improvements we didn’t “need.” In some cases, traffic lights were moved a matter of a few feet, to make “new and improved” sidewalks. There were already sidewalks there, and traffic lights. We didn’t need to waste that money! Just an example, if I were to want to remodel my house, I would have to wait until I could afford to do it…I may not want to wait, because it may make me feel better to remodel it now. I mean, after all, it would certainly LOOK better, but in the end, I would have to wait. That is what our federal government should have done!
Let’s think about healthcare and “war?” It all seems like great ideas, but if you haven’t noticed, our economy is not improving…it’s getting worse!
What about the healthcare legislation? Don’t get me wrong, I believe something needs to be done, but this bill is massive, no one read it or knows just how it is going to impact our lives, only to say that it will financially impact both businesses and individuals who are already stressed over getting there bills paid. And, on top of that, it is highly unconstitutional! Congress cannot make laws forcing the American people to purchase things, nor can Congress tell us from whom we have to make that purchase!
What about the state of perpetual war in which we find ourselves? We are sending our men and women to foreign countries to die for what? This present “war” was declared! Not only that, but we are not taking care of them properly when they return. Ask any Gulf War I Vet about that! Many of those guys and gals were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, when they had something much more serious. The government denied there was anything else going on for years, burdening the healthcare industry and the Veteran’s Administration and frustrating thousands of veterans who knew they had something other than PTSD…finally, eighteen years later, our government acknowledged that there really is such a thing as “Gulf War Illness.”
Not only that, our Peace Prize-winning President’s projected defense budget is UP from what it had been for that past several years. I thought he was going to bring the troops home. I guess not! He is just moving them around. His estimated Department of Defense budget for 2011 is $708 billion. Anyone who follows legislation can tell you that that will not be the end of it, either, as nearly every year there are “Emergency Supplemental Appropriations” Acts passed…meaning more money needed that the initial budget didn’t “foresee.”
As for more ways to enslave us, what about State’s Rights? The ability for a state to do what it needs to do to satisfy its particular needs? What about the rights of individuals? Our inalienable rights endowed to us by our Creator?
Arizona is in a battle to protect its borders and itself from illegal immigrants. As the 10th Amendment states, Arizona has the right to govern as it sees fit. The recent Arizona immigration legislation was passed because the Federal government, which does have immigration laws, was not protecting Arizona. The Customs and Border Patrol’s website states, “CBP officers protect America’s borders at official ports of entry, while Border Patrol agents prevent illegal entry into the United States of people and contraband between the ports of entry.” Yet that wasn’t happening, so the state took matters into it’s own hands. Poles everywhere showed strong public support for the Arizona legislation, yet the Obama Administration filed suit against Arizona, citing that Arizona’s legislation “cracking down on illegal immigrants conflicts with federal law.” But, again, the federal government is not doing its job. Arizona had no choice!
The end of the Bush era saw the passage of one of the most egregious laws against one of our inherent rights, our right to privacy. With the passage of the FISA Amendment, telecommunications companies were awarded retroactive immunity for data collected on their clients and pass to the federal government, basically skirting laws that were already on the books. And, lest we forget, then-Senator Obama voted FOR that.
Let’s face it, if we do not become “enslaved” by our massive debt, our federal government is making it hard for us to exercise our inalienable rights, many of which they choose to ignore. The federal government is constantly abusing its power Add to that that the GDP is projected to be over 90% for the next several years, at least 3 of which it is estimated to be at or OVER 100% and the questions should be, “Why are we letting the federal government drive our country into oblivion? Why aren’t the states, and citizens, fighting back? How did this happen? Why haven’t we, as the individuals whom Congress and the several administrations represent, been paying attention all these years? What is it that we do not understand?”
While it may be more difficult for us to do something about the National Debt (although, I am of the opinion that we need a seriously savvy businessman in there, slashing the budget to pieces!), there may be something we can do about the federal government. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are very clear. IF the government has abused its power over and over and over again, to the point of tyranny against the people, we have the right and duty to install a new government that will look after the interests of people of these United States. That would be tricky, but it can be done…it’s been done once before…when we, as a nation, separated ourselves from the oppressive British government.
As has been stated in the documentary, Don’t Tread On Me: Rise of the Republic, as well as on The Reality Report and on the Tenth Amendment Center website, there are vast powers reserved for the states and the people. How many of us know that our federal government is limited to eighteen powers? That’s right…just eighteen! Yet, the way Congress passes legislation and our many Presidents sign Executive Orders, one would not know the federal government is to be very limited.
People need to read, carefully, the Ninth and Tenth Amendments:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. 9th Amendment, The Bill of Rights
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. 10th Amendment, Bill of Rights
While our “fearless leaders” (read “public servants”) say, “We don’t really know what they meant by that,” I beg to differ! There is PLENTY of proof that our Founding Fathers wanted a limited government. During the debates and discussions during the drafting of our founding documents, our Founders laid out exactly the kind of government they envisioned for this country. A government, not in charge of every single aspect of our lives, but a government that is supposed to protect us from those who would stop us from seeking life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
James Madison said the powers given to the Federal Government through the Constitution are few and defined, but the powers remaining for the State governments, as well as the people, are indefinite. Is that the kind of government we have now? Not even close!
As just a couple of examples, remember TARP and the “Town Hall” meetings, with regards to healthcare? TARP was passed under duress. If you doubt it, you need to do some research! Marshal Law was threatened if Congress did not pass the law. Most of our lawmakers knew it wasn’t a good idea, and that is why “they” resorted to pressure and threats to get it passed. As for the Town Hall meetings, remember the massive numbers of people getting involved then? During those “Town Hall” meetings, did our legislators listen to us? NO! And they continue to pass egregious legislation that they don’t even read!
It is time we INSIST that our Representatives, from the local level all the way to the federal level, listen to our concerns and follow the Constitution. Maybe, if they do not “understand it,” they should do a little research. After all, they are supposed to REPRESENT, not dictate. They are supposed to take their “marching orders” from We-the-People. They are supposed to PROTECT and DEFEND our Constitution from ALL enemies…foreign and DOMESTIC! They take an oath to do that! That is their job! Why don’t We-the-People shape up and hold them to it!
Endnotes:
Take Back Washington
http://www.TakeBackWashington.com The Reality Report
http://realityreport.blip.tv/ The Tenth Amendment Center
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/ Debt Subject to Limit Graph
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/charts/charts_debt.htm National Income and Product Accounts Table
http://bea.gov/national/nipaweb/TableView.asp?SelectedTable=5&FirstYear=2009&LastYear=2010&Freq=Qtr Government Current Receipts and Expenditures
http://bea.gov/national/nipaweb/TableView.asp?SelectedTable=86&FirstYear=2009&LastYear=2010&Freq=Qtr Census "Quick Facts"
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html US Census Population Clocks
http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html Which Countries Own American Debt?
http://247wallst.com/2010/01/13/which-countries-own-americas-debt/ United States public debt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt DOD Releases Defense Reviews, 2011 Budget Proposal, and 2010 War Funding Supplemental Request – Update (February 2010)
http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13281 AIG, Congress and the Taxpayers
http://www.takebackwashington.com/articles/AIGCongressandtheTaxpayers.html Government Report Finally Admits Gulf War Illness is Real
http://www.youtube.com/user/trupeace4all#p/f/53/0AKJpZBAfPo Indymac Boys Get Sweetheart Deal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssl5yb7FewA Rep Brad Sherman Martial law
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaG9d_4zij8 Protecting our Borders: This is CBP
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/about/mission/cbp.xml Arizona governor signs immigration bill, reopening national debate
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/23/AR2010042301441.html Justice Department sues Arizona over immigration law
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/06/AR2010070601928.html Public Supports Arizona Immigration Law
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1591/public-support-arizona-immigration-law-poll HR 6304 The FISA Amendment Act of 2008
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-6304
Debbie Lewis
e-mail:
thepeople@takebackwashington.com
Homepage:
http://www.TakeBackWashington.com
