Posted on 07/04/2008 8:28:37 AM PDT by rellimpank
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson writes that individuals are endowed with unalienable rights to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
There is nothing in there about state-sponsored "public" service and nothing about having to listen to politicians lecture us about what we "must" do to satisfy patriotic obligation. I checked.
Yet, a hobbyhorse of presidential hopefuls is government service. The duo is under the impression that public service trumps your own selfish existence. After all, you only make a living, give to charities of your choice, take care of your own children, buy your own junk and, hopefully, mind your own business.
"Loving your country shouldn't just mean watching fireworks on the Fourth of July," Barack Obama explained to a crowd in Colorado Springs this week. "Loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it."
Yes. He said must.
(Excerpt) Read more at denverpost.com ...
—ping—
” Obama talked in almost achingly intimate terms about the impact service had on him...”
HUH ?
*Top 5% pay 53.25% of all income taxes
The top 10% pay 64.89%
The top 25% pay 82.9%
The top 50% pay 96.03%
The bottom 50%?
They pay a paltry 3.97% of all income taxes.
The top 1% is paying more than ten times the federal income taxes than the bottom 50%!
the left always complains that the people that make the most get the biggest tax cuts but how do you cut taxes for those that don't pay income tax to begin with?
* percentages based on 2001 IRS tax data
We should start referring to public service in this country as ‘on the public payroll’. That will cast things in a more appropriate light.
I'm all for that. Here's the changes I'd like to see.
1. Get rid of the Department of Education.
2. End affirmative action.
3. End welfare.
4. Phase out Social Security.
5. Lower taxes.
6. End all government programs for areas not listed in the Constitution.
7. Make politicians and government bureaucrats understand I don't need them to run my life and make all decisions for me.
8. Make politicians and government bureaucrats understand that businesses are not the enemy.
9. Make politicians and government bureaucrats understand that the environment is not going to hell in a hand basket. We're going to be okay.
10. End Federal control of states by eliminating Federal funding of areas that should be the responsibility of the states.
Can you help me with that, Barry?
11. Mandate jail time for politicians, judges and bureaucrats who violate their oaths to protect the Constitution.
This is something that we all forget at times. We don’t “owe” this country anything. What we give to the country is done out of free will. Many don’t give anything and that is fine. We may not like it but in fact, it is there right. Thank God, the majority of our people give their all and to them we say thank you. Our freedom is exactly that “Freedom” and the freedom to do what we wish. We are not controlled by any terrorist religion and never will be as long as we stand by our principles of freedom.
One thing I suggest.........listen to our National Anthem and the Star Spangled Banner. Put everything out of you minds for just a few minutes. Then apply it to your life and how you feel about our country. If people disagree with these two songs, then you are not an American.
DOn’t forget to drop the
ADA
EPA
and
H&HS (Dept of Welfare)
I like the title!
The Star Spangled Banner is our National Anthem.
Typo........sorry.
Excellent advice. Of all the freedoms we gained, none is more precious - nor so willingly given away - as the one for which this country was founded, and the foundational freedom for all others enumerated.
Economic freedom.
Without economic freedom your ability to exercise your right to free speech is heavily curtailed - how can you print your ideas, publish your beliefs?
Without economic freedom, you cannot afford to acquire, keep, and bear arms.
Without economic freedom, there is no need to be safe in your papers and property for you will have neither.
Fundamentally economic freedom is the BEDROCK freedom of this nation and the reason it is the engine of the world. And through acquiescence of taxation, distribution, and anti-corporatism we are giving it away.
The first and foremost principles to guide all conservatives should be to first stick to these principles:
All men are created equal
Our fundamental rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
In the time of the Declaration, the pursuit of happiness was understood to be the pursuit or economic success. We were given 3 fundamental rights:
Life - no one can deprive us of this
Liberty - we have the freedom to self-determination as a nation and self-governance as a nation and as an individual
Pursuit of Happiness - the ability to pursue economic activity to acquire wealth
All other freedoms and rights stem from these three. These are foundational, and should constitute 90% of evaluation of any candidate for higher office. How do they rate in the three fundamental rights?
Other rights are nice-to-have and should be seriously considered, but if a candidate does not come down staunchly in support of these 3 fundamental rights, then that candidate will never support the others, nor even support the foundation for them.
“Be a patriot! Get a job”
No-no-no, if you really want to be a patriot, layoff a lib.
I kind of like that. :)
On the other hand, our local government had a group of businessmen come up with a list of things government needed to do to “fix” our economy and the quality of life in our communities. This would make government more “business friendly.”
They wanted more affordable housing, more parks and recreation. Perhaps business should look back to how our parents and grandparents did it. They got together as a community and raised funds for projects to improve their communities. Churches helped with charitable needs. People volunteered on nonprofit Boards and to work in the their thrift shops, etc. Business helped with employment opportunities. They did not “write a check” or look to “government” to fix things and then complain that government was too big and not “business friendly.”
HUH ?
Exactly... The only thing *this* creep has "served", is himself...
the infowarrior
11. Mandate jail time for politicians, judges and bureaucrats who violate their oaths to protect the Constitution.
12. Madate the death penalty (for treason) for politicians, judges, and beareaucrats which "wage war" on the Constitution, and more specifically, the Bill of Rights, in a blatant attempt to make such documents "more to their liking"...
the infowarrior
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