Life Liberty and Property

Chief Justice Robert's Troubling Decision

2012-06-28T19:32:00.001-07:00

We finally have a decision from the "Roberts Court," about the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. What I find unsettling about the decision is that Justice Roberts appeared to want to have it both ways, to say the individual mandate was not supported by the commerce clause while still upholding the law in it's entirety.

His reasoning, that the individual mandate amounts to a tax is at the end of the day just as troubling as defending the mandate using the commerce clause. This just felt to me like a reach, and one that was not befitting a Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Even the Obama administration did not claim this was a tax. They claimed that Congress did indeed have the authority under the commerce clause to compel Americans to purchase health insurance from private carriers under penalty of a fine. Fines are NOT taxes. Fines are a punishment for violating the law. Taxes are levied as a form of revenue. Taxes and fines are two distinctly different things, something which Justice Roberts certainly knows. In the parlance of the common man....this is just LAME!

While I cannot ascribe a motive for his decision, I have heard various explanations for why he ruled the way he did, and they are troubling to say the least. Not wanting the court to appear "too partisan" and being concerned with how the "Roberts Court" will be viewed historically should NOT be considerations affecting how he decides the constitutionality of the laws being reviewed by the court.

If indeed those were his motivations (an in fairness to him, this is only speculation) then he has failed to show real judicial leadership during his first big case while presiding over the Supreme Court. Let's be clear on this. His job is a simple one (in concept). Justice Roberts and his fellow justices are there to pass judgment on the constitutionality of laws enacted by Congress.......PERIOD!

Their jobs are NOT......to shape public perception of the court, establish individual legacies, appear to be non-partisan, be liked, or try to actively change the ideological direction of the court. If Chief Justice Roberts is indeed concerned about any of these things, then he is failing to do his job as a Supreme Court Justice.

To be sure, no justice is obligated to align themselves with "conservatives" or "liberals." However they ARE obligated to put aside any concerns about image, legacy, and public perception and decide solely on the constitutional merits of the laws they are asked to review.

To the degree that Chief Justice Roberts has failed to do that, he has failed both the court AND his country!

The Biggest Scam in History

2011-02-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Recent revelation about the activities of the Federal Reserve indicated that the Fed is ripping off the American taxpayer!

Climate Change and Crony Capitalism

2010-11-26T16:52:00.000-08:00

Once again we see crony capialism in action as big business lobbies for Cap and Trade, and a prominent climate scintist promoting "global warming" is the recipinet of some of the stimulus money that the Obama administration put in play.

This money was supposed to stimulate the economy, not go to scientists to help push a climate change agenda. This is an example of how the Obama administration has helped defraud American by pushing a climate change agenda that could cripple the Unites States economy.

A VERY IMPORTANT "OFF TOPIC" POST - PLEASE READ AND SHARE

2010-10-06T18:43:00.001-07:00

This is a link to a VERY important "off topic" post. Please share this with everyone you know! This link is to a video clip from the 911 attack where two firefighters who just got out of the World Trade Center in time, tell about several explosions in the LOBBY of the building, before it collapsed.

911 Firefighters Reveal Huge Explosions In The World Trade Center Lobby Before The Towers Collapsed
Please spread this far and wide and share it with everyone you know.

Thank you,

BP, Cap and Trade, and How The Climate Game is Played

2010-06-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Essentially President Obama's alleged "anger" at BP is just a phony show. In reality, BP helped to draft the Cap and Trade legislation that Obama is trying to push through Congress.

http://www.educationnews.org/mobile/breaking_news/washington/92634.html

When government "colludes" with big business, it is called "corporatism" or "corporate fascism." The Obama administration "pretends" to be outraged and tries to garner public support for new "climate legislation" to restrict the oil companies and hold them accountable, which in reality, they (the oil companies) actually helped write the very regulations that are being "imposed" upon them.

This is the way the "game" is being played in Washington, but in all fairness to the current president, it did not start with the Obama administration. This has been going on for decades!

Open Borders is The Real Agenda of our Political Elite

2010-06-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

In all of the rancorous debate over Arizona’s new proposed immigration law the real agenda of the federal government is not being talked about. You have to wonder what the government is thinking in a time of economic recession when they show absolutely no interest in securing the border with Mexico.

The answer is to be found in the philosophy and attitudes of our political leadership at the highest levels. This many come as a shock to most ordinary Americans, but many of our political leaders do not believe in a sovereign America!

This is sometimes referred to as being a “post American,” and in brief it means that those who embrace this idea, feel that nation states are outmoded in the modern world.

Now for the record, even though I disagree, I would be willing to entertain a spirited debate about the merits of the nation state in the modern world. However, one thing is not open to debate, and that is that all officials of our state and federal governments swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and thus it is their sworn duty to uphold the sovereignty of the United States, which includes securing our borders.

This brazen abdication of sworn duty is difficult for me to stomach. At a time when we celebrate the sacrifices of generations of American’s who have paid the ultimate price for preserving America’s freedom, our political elite in both parties, are systematically attempting to undermine the sovereignty of the United States by a “de facto” opening of the borders.

Their modus operandi is to do all they can to frustrate the job of the border patrol, to ensure lax enforcement of federal immigration law, at the same time preventing states from taking steps to deal with the problem themselves.

In so doing the Federal Government is defrauding American citizens by refusing to enforce the laws they have enacted through their elected representatives. Some Americans applaud this dereliction of duty, the result of an utter lack of understanding regarding this country’s Constitutional government and it’s responsibilities, not to mention the effect of illegal immigration of a Mexican population that feels no political allegiance to the United States, and has no interest in culturally assimilating and becoming Americans.

However there is no excuse for government officials refusing to enforce the laws they are sworn to uphold, and helping to change the racial and ethnic demographic makeup of the country with absolutely no regard for legality or public opinion.

http://www.aim.org/aim-report/aim-report-the-coming-north-american-parliament-march-b/

To be sure there are many reasons why both Democrats and Republicans want illegal immigration to continue, but the most dangerous one is the efforts to undermine US sovereignty and lay the groundwork for North American Government.

This is blatantly unconstitutional and therefore should be resisted by all who serve in our state and local governments.

Defrauding the Citizens

2010-05-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

You know we are entering a dangerous and difficult time for our country, when the President of the United States openly sides with foreign leaders in criticizing the laws of OUR country.

With members of Congress cheering Mexican president Phillipe Calderon as he berates the state of Arizona for having the audacity to enact a law to curb illegal immigration, we know our government is committing fraud against the American people.

Tom McClintock is spot on in this 5 minute speech. Its a shame that he is not cheered by his fellow Congressmen as Calderon was cheered when criticizing this country.

President Obama's handling of this issue is nothing less than a disgrace! Just when you think this administration can't get any worse, it sinks to a new low.

Securing our borders is one of the things the Federal government is tasked to do under our Constitution, and it blatantly refuses to enforce our immigration laws. This defrauds all of us as citizens, because our government refuses to to do its job, preferring instead to encourage by its inaction, the violation of our borders and thus our territorial sovereignty.

Limited Government Gaining Ground

2010-05-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

The political movement for limited government appears to be gaining ground according to Ron Paul. But why would this be so?

I suspect this movement is gaining ground among ordinary Americans rather than the political class. Most ordinary people understand that they cannot spend more money than they make. that's just common sense. However common sense and government do not seem to occupy the same universe!

Politicians get elected promising to "do something" or other to fix what is wrong with society. The fact that legislation is not necessarily the best way of doing this is for the most part lost on them.

Government grows because it has the power to tax and levy fees on the citizens. If it had to show a profit like business does in the private sector, this would not be possible, as government does not produce anything, therefore cannot make a profit.

Government attracts to itself those who not surprisingly believe that every problem can be fixed if only there is a department established to deal with it, supported by a new tax to fund that department, and a new "Czar" to head up that department who can "cut through the red tape" (which actually means to operate without accountability).

Government "metastasizes" intruding into more and more areas of private life, until the line between public and private becomes blurred. Scaling back this odious trend will take not only political courage but something else that is in short supply these days, selflessness.

Selflessness is one of the hallmarks of true citizenship, and requires a belief in something larger than ourselves.

In the words of the first century Jewish scholar Rabbi Hillel:

"If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I?

If I were around during the first century I would have answered Hillel's second question with "a politician."

This quote speaks of the need for a healthy balance between the desires of the self and the willingness to serve a larger cause, because in so doing we become greater for having put aside our personal interests and lending our spirit and energy to the fulfillment of a purpose for which we are willing to sacrifice.

It is the supreme irony that those called to "public service" are often the most reluctant to make this sacrifice, preferring instead to force others to endure the sacrifices that are necessary often to address problem these "public servants" have created.

It remains to be seen whether limited government will have an appeal beyond the Tea Party and other grass roots organizations who understand that government cannot solve all problems. I am keeping my fingers crossed but not holding my breath.

The Masters of Chutzpa - Mexico's hypocracy on immigration

2010-04-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how Mexico always seems to have something derogatory to say about our immigration laws and how we enforce them?

This is interesting, because Mexico has some of the most draconian immigration laws in the world (aside from North Korea where they may shoot you even if you are in their country legally), but I digress.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1602610/posts

Mexico is warning its citizens who travel to Arizona that they should obey the local laws in the state of Arizona lest they be targeted by law enforcement there.

Wow, what a travesty. The citizens of Arizona are required to obey the law, so why wouldn’t visitors be required to as well?

Mexico has a history of interference with America’s laws and immigration policy; to make it easier fore it’s citizens to violate our borders. This is ostensibly because it wants the remittances they send back to Mexico.

Remittances are a significant source of income for Mexico; even though they have plenty of natural resources they can exploit for profit their chief export is illegal labor.

Time to call the emperor out on his attire or lack of it.

Mexico is an oligarchy, ruled more than governed by an ethnic elite (Castilians), who are descended from European Spaniards. They have little use for their brown skinned citizens and so are delighted to see as many of them enter the United States as possible, where they become the burden of the US, but still continue to send remittances back to mother Mexico.

These illegal immigrants are a strange lot. They are out in the streets protesting OUR immigration laws (after breaking them) and waving Mexican flags. They profess loyalty to a country that doesn’t even want to take care of them, but DOES want the money they send back to Mexico as a result of their illegal labor in the US.

So lets add this all up:

Mexicans illegally enter the United States
Their country does not want to take care of them “ala social welfare’
They protest America’s immigration laws
They profess their loyalty NOT to the United States, but to the country that was only too happy to see them go….Mexico

I have a brilliant idea. Why doesn’t the US State Department pressure the Mexican government to take better care of its “most vulnerable citizens,” that way far less of them will want to cross the border and leave Mexico.

By the lax enforcement of our immigration laws, we are helping Mexico to shirk its responsibilities to its own citizens, and that doesn’t seem fair.

Mexico needs to put its own country in order before they criticize how other nations conduct their internal affairs. The racial caste system in Mexico is an example of why this has not happened.

In Mexico, white Spaniards are at the top of the political and economic heap. It has been that way throughout all of its history and likely will never change. This racial disparity is deeply rooted in their culture and seems to be a permanent fixture in their society.

There is nothing even approaching economic equality or fairness. The rich white minority rule over the darker skinned majority, and make no bones about it. The American ideal of upward mobility does not exist in Mexico, and likely never will.

So when Mexico starts complaining about our “racist” immigration laws, they should be reminded of the shabby way they treat those entering their country illegally, not to mention their disregard for their own citizens.

We should remind them that “good neighbors” respect each other's borders, but I doubt the Mexican government will listen.

The Tea Party - My Thoughts

2010-04-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

The Tea Party is to me a most welcome phenomenon, whether or not you believe that is will accomplish much in the political arena. More than anything it is an indication that Americans are waking up to what is happening in our country and that is a healthy sign.

Our traditional two party system (Republican and Democrat) is the problem. It puts every issue in an adversarial context and causes people to choose sides, when what is really important is loyalty to the Constitution, NOT loyalty to a political party!

So far the Tea Party has been cautious about its association with candidates of either the Democratic or Republican parties. This is wise, because the political elite in this country know full well that the Tea Party represents a new political trend and they are trying to leverage this phenomenon to prop up the traditional political system.

I don't think there is any doubt that government at all levels is becoming ever more corrupt and this represents an acceleration of the forces poised to destroy America as a sovereign republic.

The Tea Party is in direct opposition to the paradigm of expansive government, and as such is the only political entity that realistically represents the greatest cross section of the American electorate. Thus the efforts to infiltrate, discredit, and corrupt the Tea Party are well underway.

How will all of this pan out? My guess is that there will be some political shifts that at best may slow down the growth of government. However in the long term, government will most likely do what it does best, grow and consume more and more of our economic resources, as it continues to degrade our republic, and with it the quality of life.

I am the first to admit that I could be wrong and hopefully I am. I never thought I would live to see that the Soviet Union fall, and so I think that hope for our future is in order. The idea of smaller government must be understood as making possible more freedom and an expanding free marketplace, both of which go hand in hand.

The Tea Party is raising consciousness and inspiring debate about the proper role and scope of government. If for no other reason than this, it is a movement who's time has come, and not a moment too soon...

The Health Care Reform Bill and The Constitution

2010-03-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

As most of you already suspect, the United States Congress has vastly overstepped its bounds with the so called "Healthcare Reform" legislation that was just passed. This bill has several provisions that curtail the authority of the individual states to regulate healthcare within their jurisdictions.

This is not surprising since Congress routinely ignores the law while creating legislation, but it may have reached unprecedented levels with this particular bill. Since I am not an authority on Constitutional Law, I will defer to Judge Andrew Napolitano who IS an authority on the U.S. Constitution, to elucidate the areas in which this healthcare bill violates it's provisions.

Judge Napolitano's arguments are rooted both in an understanding of Constitutional law and a respect for our founding legal structure. Most modern Americans do not know or understand why adherence to the Constitution is critical for the prosperity and well being of our society. Our dumbed down educational system and warped societal values have embedded in our citizens the falsehoods of a government that has grown far in excess of what is necessary and prudent.

My hope is that Judge Napolitano's prediction is correct, and that this legislation will be invalidated either in part or in whole by the Supreme Court. This I feel will be a true test of whether the court actually is faithful to its role as the arbiter of Constitutional legitimacy or whether in fact partisan politics have indeed also infiltrated our nations highest court.

Crony Capitalism

2010-02-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

I had a post all written about this topic, but wasn’t at all satisfied with what I wrote. I am therefore going to refer to a link to an article by John Stossel about what he calls “Crony Capitalism.”

This is about the best explanation for what is going on in our country at present and why although many people think of Barack Obama as a socialist, he is nothing of the kind.

The government makes a show of “reining in Wall Street, “ when in fact Wall Street helped get the present administration elected.

If we are ever going to turn this country around we need to understand that “big government,” and “big business,” go hand in hand. They are in bed together and they are making some serious whoopee!

In this unholy alliance between the Federal government and large multinational corporations (which are now considered living beings) small business ends up getting the shaft!

“Big business” is NOT about free enterprise or free market capitalism. Like “big government,” it is about corruption, fraud, and cronyism.

That’s why “what’s good for GM, isn’t necessarily “good for America!”

Crony capitalism is about the cutest con going, because government makes a show about standing up to big business with new regulations, but those regulations rather than being restrictions on big business, actually tilt the playing field in favor of large corporations and against their competition.

Oh, and that reminds me….big business HATES competition. Besides it’s so much easier to bribe your way to profitability than to actually earn it. So the next time you hear some “conservative” talk show host spouting off about how new government regulations will hamstring American business, remember that some business interests are benefiting from these regulations, and others are not.

Many large corporations actually want these regulations because they create favorable situations in which these companies can gain monopolistic advantage and get more market share.

Tragedy in Haiti

2010-01-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

By now everyone has heard about the earthquake in Haiti and the terrible toll in human life and injury. These people have suffered terribly and are struggling to rebuild their country and their lives.

Please consider contributing what you can large or small to the effort to help them in their time of need. We are all human and need to respond to this human tragedy.

Please note that there are those out there who would use this disaster to defraud people who are trying to help others. There are many legitimate relief organizations out there.

Check out this link about the major organizations.

Thank you,

George (blog owner)

Life Libery and Property - Essentials of a Free Society

2010-01-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

In these troubling and complicated times, society's leaders search for answers to our most pressing problems, but the answers have been there all the time, and they start with the essentials of a free society, Life, Liberty and Property.

These three things are eternally interwoven and form the basis for a free and productive society. It has always been so and will always be, as long there are human beings. Our fiscal policies of late have centered around monetary policies that can only be described as "slight of hand." We are learning (ONCE AGAIN) the
hard way that real wealth is based upon real value, not smoke and mirrors.

Unlike my other blog on antiaging, I do not have any particular expertise or knowledge base in finance and economics, but I have felt for a very long time that something was very wrong in the way our society is operating.

These feelings have been confirmed by what I have learned about the sub prime mortgage crisis and have led to a better understanding on my part about how our economy functions and what economic policies have gotten us into trouble.

It is the classic and timeless struggle between an elite leadership class who just can't seem to resist the urge to tinker with the economy. They believe that a top down centralized approach to economic policy is the path to prosperity. This has proved to be anything but true!

I will comment on this and other aspects of economic and foreign policy and show how such has had disastrous consequences for our country and it's citizens. I invite knowledgeable people to post and comment, but please remember to be civil.

I will moderate all posts and comments, and I ask that if you have a point to make, or criticism to voice, please do it constructively. I will also include many links to article and videos that I feel illustrate my point of view. There is a lot of good material out there and we can begin to educate ourselves as citizens on what constitutes the correct policies that lead to peace, stability, prosperity, and freedom.