We’ve Created a Monstrosity
It’s so easy – that is, it’s so easy to be miserable.
Maybe it’s more important for us to put some perspective on what some ideologists are telling us – many using the media as a loud echo chamber.
Our national media got to be successful nationally by making the federal government the center of all news. It has sold advertising time for overpaid anchors who bring on paid pundits – with all of them telling us what they think we should think. It has worked for a long time now.
Most of us know that the federal government should not be the center of our lives. We’re interested in our families, our neighbors, our schools, our cities/counties, and our states because what happens at those important levels of our lives has an immediate impact on our health, happiness, comfort, and safety.
While we know it should not be true, our federal government has gotten so big, so intrusive in so many arenas – that are ill-advised to address nationally by our Congresses and our administrations – it is impossible to ignore.
Our local and state representatives should be listening to us, not the special interest groups and ideologues who pretend to know everything, including education, the environment, illegal immigration, and a host of other programs supposedly designed to make the lives of citizens better.
Our Constitution was set up as a republic – a republic of sovereign states. States have their own constitutions, their own laws, their own justice systems, their own education systems, their own health care systems, their own taxes.
The federal Constitution was conceived and laid out as one of limited and enumerated powers.
Here’s a paraphrased summary of those powers:
Section 8: Powers of Congress
- To lay and collect taxes, duties, tariffs and excises, and to provide for the common defense.
- To borrow money on the credit of the United States.
- To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States.
- To establish a uniform rule of naturalization/citizenship.
- To coin money, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures.
- To establish Post Offices.
- To issue patents to inventors and copyrights to authors
- To declare War.
The 10th Amendment states: “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.”
The other 9 of the almost immediately adopted first 10 amendments are important to individual citizens as guarantees by the federal constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Those include free speech, freedom to arm, and fair and equitable justice. Our civil rights laws and amendments are part of those guarantees.
So, the federal government was never intended to provide income to its citizens, food and shelter, health care, education, or college student loans and a plethora of other programs and expenses, including abortions. It was never intended to provide foreign aid or public broadcasting or unemployment benefits.
Each state retains its sovereignty except in those areas as outlined in the union’s constitution.
So, what does this cursory review of our federal constitution add up to?
It’s simple. The federal government has no business trying to exert its power over issues and problems for which it has no responsibility. It has responsibility for the nation’s borders and national security. It has no responsibility to make us drive EVs or not use gas stoves or anything else. Presidential executive orders are supposed to be limited to federal operations and employees, and executing the laws passed by Congress. The Commander-in-Chief is allowed to immediately respond to an attack or imminent threat of attack by another nation or group, but the president is not authorized to continue armed conflict without a Declaration of War by the Congress.
We’ve lost our way in many respects.
Our federal government has become the largest in the world. It’s the world’s largest employer by far. Add to that it appears it has no intention but to grow even larger – by borrowing money to the point of, as of today, a debt of $94,315 on every person living here.
It was never intended to create laws that allow non-elected bureaucrats the power to change or add requirements to laws without ongoing Congressional oversight. That puts excessive power in the executive branch and independent federal agencies.
A final thought.
In a capitalistic system and society, charity is left to the private sector. And in the US, private charities assumed that role without historical precedent and success. Americans are generous with their time and money. Now, we’ve become more like Europe where private charity is often frowned upon and supposedly, rightly assumed by the government. Now we have a plethora of organizations, headed by radical environmental groups and organizations like Planned Parenthood, all lined up at the public trough to get their share of the public pig slop.
On top of that, we now have large segments of the population that feels it is entitled to government support and programs. Under the private charity scenario, people wanted self-reliance as quickly as possible.
The country is well down the road to socialism and government control of everything.
Can it be saved – or is it too late already?
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Have a great and prosperous week
Hug somebody.
References:
https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-i#article-section-8
SPIDER Bites
This week’s trivia question is: Spain ceded Florida to Britain in exchange for what territory? The answer to last week’s question re: the oldest European-founded city in the United States. St. Augustine. Located 40 miles south of Jacksonville on the Atlantic coast, St. Augustine was founded in 1565 – 42 years before Jamestown – by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, a Spanish conquistador whose mission was to rid the area of French Huguenot colonists who were trying to usurp the Spanish claim of Hispaniola (Florida). Spain’s King Philip, a Catholic, had no tolerance for the French protestants. Ponce de Leon claimed and explored the Florida peninsula for Spain in the early 1500’s but never did find the fountain of youth.
After hearing the President’s “don’t” warning, last Sunday an Iran-backed group attacked and killed 3 US military people stationed at a compound on the Jorden border. It marks some 166+ attacks now on US military positions in the Middle East. The policy of appeasement and ‘don’t’ is not working. It’s created a powder keg. Oh, Biden promised retaliation and consequence for last Sunday’s deaths. You think a week was enough time for Iran and the terrorist groups to move themselves and their weapons before the Friday’s bombings started?
Amid this turmoil, the administration put a freeze on permits to sell natural gas on the world market while it studies its impact on climate change. Too bad, European allies! Freeze!
Oops. The used-to-be go to source for facts, Snopes, had to admit President was wearing a work helmet backwards at a Wisconsin rally recently, after reporting it was a hoax.
Fries now cost $7 at McDonald’s. Now we can understand all the misinformation out there about the economy. On behalf of the president, obviously a staff member wrote on X, that “inflation is coming down” in the U.S. “It’s now lower in America than any other major economy in the world. And the costs of essential items including gas are coming down too. It’s never been better.” Believe it! Meanwhile, oil prices are on the way up again with the shipping attacks by the Yemen Houthis.
Denver is the latest city to throw up its hands in frustration with what to do with the influx 40,000 illegal immigrants the past year. The reported “bipartisan” deal with the President would allow him to shut down the border “when it becomes overwhelmed.” Really? And who decides that? Apparently, 8+M illegals in 3 years is not ‘overwhelming.’
Now comes illegals violently attacking 2 police officers in Times Square, subsequently arrested, then released without bail. These immigrants came to the US by indicating they needed asylum from persecution in their country of origin. I presume the police in Venezuela were ‘persecuting’ these thugs. Come here! was/is our invitation. You can do whatever you want here, and we’ll take care of you. I’m almost overcome with compassion for these ‘victims’ who gave us the finger and threw kisses on release from their 3-hour detention.
Our Gov. DeSantis is proposing 4 US Constitutional amendments to help “fix” the federal government. They are: 1. Term limits on members of Congress; 2. Require a balanced budget; 3. Line-item veto power to the president; and 4. Prohibit members of Congress from imposing laws on citizens that do not apply to themselves. Our legislature will take up the proposals in its session this year. BYW, the country’s first 2 presidents, Washington and Jefferson, decided not to seek a 3rd term, setting a 2-term tradition. It wasn’t codified until after FDR and 1951 when the 22nd Amendment was ratified limiting the presidency to two terms.
