How Much is a Million? Billion?

How Much is a Million? Billion? Trillion?

"What's the difference between a million, a billion, a trillion?
A million seconds is 13 days.
A billion seconds is 31 years.
A trillion seconds is 31,688 years.

A million minutes ago was – 1 year, 329 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes ago.
A billion minutes ago was just after the time of Christ.

A million hours ago was in 1885.
A billion hours ago man had not yet walked on earth.

A million dollars ago was five (5) seconds ago at the U.S. Treasury.
A billion dollars ago was late yesterday afternoon at the U.S. Treasury.

A trillion dollars is so large a number that only politicians
can use the term in conversation... probably because they
seldom think about what they are really saying. I've read that
mathematicians do not even use the term trillion!

Here is some perspective on TRILLION:
Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000.

The country has not existed for a trillion seconds.

Western civilization has not been around a trillion seconds.

One trillion seconds ago – 31,688 years – Neanderthals stalked the plains of Europe."

Dems endorse largest tax hike in history

We all love to hate the Internal Revenue Service – the IRS. That particularly obnoxious bureau of the Treasury Department is the obvious, up-front target of our frustrations.

But is the IRS really the culprit? The answer is a resounding NO!!!

The true culprit is Congress and US – you and me.

While it is true that our ancestors allowed the submission and eventual ratification of the 16th Amendment, we, you and I, have allowed that evil, amendment and its demon off-spring, the IRS, to live. If we truly want to save our Republic, we MUST control or eliminate most existing taxes, eliminate new taxes and cut back and severely downsize federal, state and even in some cases, local spending. That will start with the total elimination of the IRS, repeal of the 16th Amendment and a grassroots movement to force our Congress-critters to obey the Constitution.

To say that taxes have gotten out of control is the biggest understatement one can imagine. Yet, while we groan under the burden, congressional Democrats and many Republicans are gleefully rubbing their hands together in anticipation of future tax hikes if either Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama are elected.

Here is the entire text of an e-letter I received from my congressional Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-5th District, Louisiana. He sits on the Appropriations Committee, so he knows whereof he speaks.

"Majority's Budget Resolution Contains Historic Tax Hike

"At a time when so many Americans are enduring the effects of a weakened economy and sinking deeper into anxiety over mortgage payments, high gas prices, rising health care costs and job losses, House majority leadership pushed through a budget resolution that essentially shrugs off these concerns.

"In addition to raising taxes, the House budget resolution, which passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, March 13, completely fails to address immediate concerns facing Social Security and Medicare, specifically the unfunded liabilities of approximately $38.7 trillion.

"The plan allows the unfunded liability in Medicare and Social Security to grow by $14 trillion, imposing more than $40,000 in new long-term debt on every American.

"During the Budget Committee hearings, my committee colleagues and I in the (Republican) minority supported an amendment to put a stop to the practice of raiding the Social Security surplus to fund general spending in an effort to address the unsustainable rate of spending growth. Unfortunately, the amendment was rejected by the (Democrat) majority.

"On a similar note, a minority-sponsored amendment was also offered during the hearings to stop taxing retirement income. The majority defeated this measure as well.

"Instead of making these vital changes to the budget resolution, the (Democrat) majority produced a plan with the largest tax increase in history during a time of economic downturn. The majority’s budget raises taxes by $683 billion over five years by raising marginal rates for all workers, eliminating the 10-percent bracket for low-income workers, increasing taxes $500 per child, reimposing the marriage penalty and death tax, and eliminating incentives for investment in U.S. businesses. It also includes a $70-billion tax increase to pay for a one-year alternative minimum tax patch.

"During this uncertain time, America needs a budget that will put us on the path to recovery, but this budget plan will only cause further regression. This budget resolution will reverse the economic gains achieved under the 2001 and 2003 tax laws, which have generated 8.3 million new jobs and a 5.5-percent year-over-year increase in business investment.

"It also cancels out the tax-reducing Economic Stimulus Package, as the tax increase is more than four times the size of the stimulus.When the stimulus passed, Congressional leaders told America they were putting the power back into the hands of the people, but now they have reverted back to their old taxing ways – before the rebate checks were even mailed. For the average Louisianian, the tax hike results in an additional $2,642 in taxes each year. Those of us living in the 5th Congressional District can expect to fork up an extra $1,233 each year. If these taxes are not whittled down when the House and Senate reconcile their budget resolutions, everyone who is expecting a rebate this year might want to hold onto it for a little while.They will likely need it to pay their extra taxes next year."

U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, represents the 5th Congressional District and serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Budget Committee. He can be reached at the Monroe District Office (318-322-3500), the Alexandria District Office (318-445-0818) or Washington, D.C. (202-225-8490.) Visit Alexander's Web site at www.house.gov/alexander or write him at 316 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Interestingly, both Democrat candidates for President voted in favor of this resolution when it hit the Senate. Remember, it's just a resolution at this point, so be careful who you vote for.

Thanks to SouthDakotaNomad and Hiya1 for the following information which was delivered to me in an e-mail.

This is too true to be very funny. The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but check out this perspective –

A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans. It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number, what does it mean?

A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.

B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787.

C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets 2,066,012.

Washington, D.C. – HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

Alexander statement on vote on House Budget Resolution

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (March 13) U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, today released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res. 312, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for FY 2009.

“This budget resolution contains the highest tax hike in history totaling $683 billion over five years and would allow the unfunded liability in Medicare and Social Security to grow by $14 trillion,” Alexander said. “During this time of economic downturn, America needs a budget plan that will put us on the path to recovery, not one that pilfers taxpayers and ignores the problems facing these two critical programs. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take a more sound approach to its budget resolution, so that Congress can work to reconcile a budget that steers America in the right direction.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: Pilfer is a derivative of the French word meaning booty and in modern usage means to steal.

You had better volunteer

"The IRS' primary task is to collect taxes under a voluntary compliance system." (emphasis added)
- Jerome Kurtz

Internal Revenue Annual Report, 1980

"Our tax system is based on individual self­-assessment and voluntary compliance." (emphasis added)
- Mortimer Caplin

Internal Revenue Audit Manual, 1975

"Each year American taxpayers voluntarily file their tax returns and make a special effort to pay the taxes they owe." (emphasis added)
-Johnnie M. Walters

Internal Revenue 1040 Booklet, 1971

"Because the American tax system is based on voluntary compliance and self-assessment, each year taxpayers make their own determination of their tax liability' and file returns reporting the correct tax. (emphasis added)
- WELCOME to the United States of America

Form 1-357, Re. 7-19-80, the United States Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service

Our "voluntary" tax system

Charles Rangel, in explaining his "Mother of All Tax Reforms" bill, which would raise taxes by $3.5 trillion over the next ten years, says his bill would:

"restore a sense of equity and fairness that is critical to the success of our voluntary tax system."

Voluntary tax system? Are we living in the same country? Federal withholding is not voluntary. The tax code has nothing voluntary about it. If you don't pay they put garnishes on your wages, then liens on your property and then you go to prison.

Voluntary? In the IRS realm, unlike the rest of the US justice system, the accused are presumed guilty until they can prove themselves innocent. And the IRS will use their full power under the law, with guns blazing, even over a minor dispute.

Today I got a letter from the IRS claiming that I owe them $766, a small sum and I think that they are wrong. But here is the "we will destroy you" content of the letter I received:

"This is our notice of our intent to levy (take) any state tax refunds that you might be entitled to. In addition, we will begin to search for other assets that we might levy."

Mr. Rangel, what exactly do you mean by "voluntary?" The IRS can put a lien on my home for a $766 dispute?

ENOUGH taxes already

In addition to the noxious federal income tax, consider these other local, state and federal taxes:

Accounts Receivable Tax
Ad-Valorem taxes (on real estate)
Building Permit Tax (disguised as a fee)
CDL License Tax
Cigarette TaxCorporate Income Tax
Death taxes
Dog License Tax (disguised as a fee)
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax (disguised as a fee)
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax (tax on the Socialist Security income of senior citizens)
Road Usage Tax (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax

Workers Compensation Tax

In Louisiana:
Hotel/motel tax
Entertainment tax

And let’s not forget the other taxes that come to us disguised as “fees.”

Driver’s license fee
State identification card fee
Fees to use national and state parks and beaches
Grazing fees for those who use BLM lands (public lands) for their cattle.
Fees on corporations and communities for using “too much” water.

The list can be extended depending on what state a person lives in. The point is we are being taxed into submission.Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened? Can you spell politicians? Can you spell greed? Can you spell Boston Tea Party?

If we really want to save our Republic, we MUST roll-back taxes on every level, abolish the IRS, repeal the 16th Amendment, and punish legislators for their past tax and spend habits.

And I still have to press 1 for English.

Tax Quotes, Sayings about Taxes

Tax Quotes, Sayings about Taxes:

"You don't pay taxes - they take taxes. ~Chris Rock, Bigger and Blacker


People try to live within their income so they can afford to pay taxes to a government that can't live within its income. ~Robert Half"

Tax Quotes, Sayings about Taxes

Tax Quotes, Sayings about Taxes:

"I don't know if I can live on my income or not - the government won't let me try it. ~Bob Thaves, 'Frank & Ernest'"

Tax Quotes, Sayings about Taxes

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss. ~Robert Heinlein"

A constitutional election of our president Part 1

The election of an American president has become little more than a farce. Principled stands on issues, and believe me, there are plenty of pressing issues, are few and far between in the 2008 election cycle.

Republican candidate John McCain has taken a stand on national security, while Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have taken stands on separate versions of “Universal” health care. Clinton and Obama, have allowed their campaigns to degenerate to mud-slinging, fund-raising and empty rhetoric.

What about border security? What about our slumping economy – our national debt and runaway spending? The Democrat response, predictably, is to eliminate the Bush tax cuts and raise taxes. Candidates who faced and addressed those issues, namely Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, dropped out of the race due to lack of public support and probably lack of financing. Romney was putting his personal funds on the line and the last I heard Paul only had about $9 million in the bank.

Apparently the next president will be the one who can peddle the most influence, looks best on television and further Balkanize (divide) our country by appealing to the most voters in ethnic and special interest groups such as Hispanic and black voters, “young” voters, women voters and the kook fringe of environmental wackos and gays.

First, let’s look at fund-raising, keeping in mind that campaign finance reports always lag behind actual money raised.

“In January, Obama pulled ahead of opponent Hillary Clinton in the money race, raising nearly twice her $18.9 million for the month. The two remain in a tight competition for the most raised since the start of 2007 and are nearly tied in the number of delegates they've won from the primary contests.

“Obama collected more than $1 million a day in January -- largely thanks to small online donors -- bringing his total haul to $138.2 million. Although official February reports won't be available until the end of March, Obama's campaign is already reporting that the presidential hopeful is keeping his record-breaking fundraising pace.”

Total Receipts: $138,231,595
Total Spent: $113,291,435
Cash on Hand: $24,940,159
Debts: $1,104,693
Date of last report: January 31, 2008
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00009638

Hillary raised $35 million in Feb. Obama raised (an estimated) $50 million.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23392917/

McCain raised about $30 million in Feb., and fell short of his goal.
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2007/03/25/mccain_misses_fundraising_goals.html

The three major candidates have between them raised more than $250,000,000 – a quarter of a billion dollars – AND WE ARE STILL IN THE PRIMARIES.

I guarantee folks, if we can keep Hillary from gloating over Obama's problems, McCain's head from exploding the next time he loses his temper and Obama from killing all the white folks, we will have the best president money can buy.

Want to save our Republic? Then we've got to begin once again the constitutional election of our chief executive.

The constitutional election of our president Part 2

Sadly, it didn’t take long for the constitutional method of electing a president to fall under the wheels of “progress” and politics.

The Constitution NEVER mentioned the popular election of the chief executive who was instead, to be chosen by a body of electors appointed by the LEGISLATURES of the respective states.

Because of the vague wording in Article II, Section 1, some states began almost immediately to hold general elections to choose the electors, which in a period of less than 40 years resulted in a president being elected by popular vote – and we can all see where that has led.

In 1828 Andrew Jackson became the first president elected mainly by popular vote. He considered himself “a direct representative of the common man,” rather than the administrator of the international affairs of the sovereign states that comprise the Union.

Below is the actual wording of the Constitution:

Article. II.
Section. 1.

Clause 1: “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows

Clause 2: “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

Clause 3: “The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President.”

This clause was superceded by the adoption of Amendment XII.

Twelfth Amendment (1804): Changes the method of presidential elections so that members of the electoral college cast separate ballots for president and vice president.

President George Washington appeared to see the writing on the wall and greatly feared a pending party system would become little more than a popularity contest between individuals and political philosophies instead of principled debate over issues. The needs of a growing nation would end up subservient to the wishes of a minority of ambitious men and according to Washington, could even lead to foreign influence in the American electoral process.

Washington refused to run for a third term, establishing a two-term precedent that was to stand until 1940 and eventually to be enshrined in the Constitution as the 22nd Amendment. Washington warned in his Farewell Address against involvement in European wars, and lamented the rising North-South sectionalism and party spirit in politics that threatened national unity. The party spirit, he lamented:

“serves always to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.”

Even as Washington served as President, coalitions and alliances began to form. It wasn’t long before those alliances were named and the party system of politics began.

With the start of the new government under the Constitution, President George Washington appointed his former chief of staff, Alexander Hamilton, to the office of Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton wanted a strong national government with financial credibility. Hamilton proposed the ambitious Hamiltonian economic program that involved assumption of the state debts incurred during the Revolutionary War, creating a national debt and the means to pay it off, and setting up a national bank. James Madison, Hamilton's ally in the fight to ratify the United States Constitution, dropped his nationalism in response to demands in his Virginia district and joined with Jefferson in opposing Hamilton's program.

By 1790 Hamilton started building a nationwide coalition. Realizing the need for vocal political support in the states, he formed connections with like-minded nationalists and used his network of treasury agents to link together friends of the government, especially merchants and bankers, in the new nation's dozen major cities. His attempts to manage politics in the national capital to get his plans through Congress, then, "brought strong responses across the country. In the process, what began as a capital faction soon assumed status as a national faction and then, finally, as the new Federalist party.”

By 1792 or 1794 newspapers started calling Hamilton supporters "Federalists" and their opponents "Democrats", "Republicans", Jeffersonians, or Democratic-Republicans. [2] The Federalist party became popular with businessmen, mostly people from New England, and Democratic-Republicans were mostly farmers who opposed a strong central government.. ……..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Party_%28United_States%29

The Democratic-Republican Party (unrelated to the present-day Republican Party), was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1792. It became the dominant political party until the 1820s, when it split into competing factions, one of which became the modern-day Democratic Party. Its members identified the party as the Republicans, Jeffersonians, Democrats,[1] or combinations of these (Jeffersonian republicans, etc.).[2]
Jefferson and Madison created the party in order to oppose the economic and foreign policies of the Federalists, a party created a year or so earlier by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Foreign policy issues were central; the party opposed the Jay Treaty of 1794 with Britain (then at war with France) and supported good relations with France before 1801. The party insisted on a strict construction of the Constitution, and denounced many of Hamilton's proposals (especially the national bank) as unconstitutional. The party promoted states' rights and the primacy of the yeoman farmer over bankers, industrialists, merchants, and other monied interests. From 1792 to 1816 the party opposed such Federalist policies as high tariffs, a navy, military spending, a national debt, and a national bank. After the military defeats of the War of 1812, however, the party split on these issues. Many younger party leaders, notably Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams and John C. Calhoun, became nationalists and wanted to build a strong national defense.[3] Meanwhile, the "Old Republican" faction led by John Randolph of Roanoke, William H. Crawford and Nathaniel Macon continued to oppose these policies. By 1828, the Old Republicans were supporting Andrew Jackson against Clay and Adams.

The party's elected presidents were Thomas Jefferson (1800 and 1804), James Madison (1808 and 1812), and James Monroe (1816 and 1820). The party soon dominated Congress and most state governments outside of New England. By 1820, the Federalists were no longer acting as a national party; there was little to hold the Democratic-Republican Party together. William H. Crawford in 1824 was the last nominee by the Congressional nominating caucus; but the majority of the party boycotted the caucus. Henry Clay finished fourth in the election that year, behind John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and William Crawford. Their factions became separate parties after the election, of which the Jacksonians became the basis of the present Democratic Party; the National Republicans were absorbed into the Whig coalition which faded out before the American Civil War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Democratic-Republican_Party

Yahoo! Mail - grahamgeorge2000@yahoo.com

Yahoo! Mail - grahamgeorge2000@yahoo.com:
LIBERTY
“Liberals have for years been talking about how they are really the champions of the Constitution. They’re not, but they talk like they are. And year after year people fawn over their claims and vote for them because they actually believe that acting counter to almost everything the Constitution itself stands for is supporting and preserving the Constitution. The Constitution is a pretty simple document. It says that the federal government has very limited authority. And it goes on to say that every authority not granted to the federal government through it is reserved by the States and the people.” —J.J. Jackson"

Election Day Quotes and Sayings

Election Day Quotes and Sayings:
"Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason. ~Author Unknown"

Election Day Quotes and Sayings

Election Day Quotes and Sayings:
"An election is coming. Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry. ~T.S. Eliot"

Repeal the 17rh Amendment to help save our Republic

Checks and balances, in referring to the federal government, are commonly thought to apply to the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of the government to keep one branch from seizing power. This system of checks and balances could rightly be called a horizontal check, and applied only to the federal branch of the government.

Little understood by many is the “vertical check” that was placed on Congress to ensure that the states had their fair say in the running of the federal government. That “check” came in the form of the Constitution itself under Article I, Section 3.

“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.”

First one must understand that the federal government is an agent, hired by the states and the people, to represent our interests in national and international matters. The people have their voice in the federal government through the election of Representatives to the House of Representatives. The states were to have their voice through the Senate.

But passage of the 17th Amendment changed all that. The 17th Amendment reads: “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislatures.

“When vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, that the legislature of any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

“This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.”

The once powerful voice of the sovereign states was effectively silenced by passage of the 17th Amendment and was replaced by the now extremely powerful voice of special interest groups led by lobbyists for various causes and interests. State governors have become mere figure-heads, the senate has become a mini-House of Representatives (only with more power), and the people? Well, we appear to exist only at election time when the hogs belly up to the trough for even more federal largess.

People from states other than Massachusetts can do little more than stand by helplessly as Senators such as Ted Kennedy set up literal empires on Capitol Hill, delay presidential appointments and even stick their noses in international affairs. Ex- Klansman and former KKK Exalted Cyclops and Kleagle Robert Byrd set up such a senatorial empire in West Virginia. (Hmmm. I wonder how Byrd feels about Barack Obama running for president.)

Brilliant thinkers with minds far greater than mine have eloquently called for the repeal of the 17th Amendment. It may be the only way to silence the likes of Kennedy and Byrd and believe me, there are more Senators on the Hill just like them only less well known.

James Madison was not only involved in structuring the system, but was also a keeper of its contemporaneous record. He explained in Federalist No. 10 the reason for bicameralism: “Before taking effect, legislation would have to be ratified by two independent power sources: the people's representatives in the House and the state legislatures’ agents in the Senate.”

The need for two powers to concur would, in turn, thwart the influence of special interests, and by satisfying two very different constituencies, would assure the enactment was for the greatest public good.

The system as designed by the Founders was in place for a century and a quarter, from 1789 until 1913, when the Seventeenth Amendment was adopted. The Framers' plan both protected federalism and ensured that relatively few benefits would be provided to special interests.

The 17th Amendment can be repealed if people demand their states and state legislatures vote for repeal and send that demand to Washington. If the Senate then refuses to agree, well then, maybe it’s time to find new Senators who agree the states should have a voice in the running of our Republic. We must demand the federal government repeal the amendment and adhere to the Constitution and the original intent of the Founding Fathers.

Will Rogers Quotes - The Quotations Page

Will Rogers Quotes - The Quotations Page:
"Our constitution protects aliens, drunks and U.S. Senators."

"There ought to be one day-- just one-- when there is open season on senators."

"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."

Will Rogers Quotes - The Quotations Page

Will Rogers Quotes - The Quotations Page: "Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what's going to happen to us with both a Senate and a House?"

Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "[edit] Calls for repeal
There are some who have called for the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment.[4] For example, former Senator Zell Miller, upon retiring from the Senate, said “Direct elections of Senators … allowed Washington’s special interests to call the shots, whether it is filling judicial vacancies, passing laws, or issuing regulations.”[5] Thomas DiLorenzo, author of The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War, said 'The Seventeenth Amendment was one of the last nails to be pounded into the coffin of federalism in America.[6] Some blame the Amendment, together with the Sixteenth Amendment, for the expansion of the authority of the United States Congress in the twentieth century.[7]"

Stop the bureaucracy

One way to save our Republic is to rein in our runaway bureaucracy.

In 2005 the federal government admitted to more than 100 federal agencies employing about 2.7 million civilian workers – or roughly 2-percent of the total U.S. workforce and that bureaucracy has grown.

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/78xx/doc7874/03-15-Federal_Personnel.pdf

That does not include employees of the Postal Service (ROUGHLY 900,000 people – S.O.R editor) —who fill full-time permanent positions in the executive branch.

The CBO analysis goes on to state that that portion of the total federal workforce (2.7 million people) basically represents the government’s white-collar employees. Hourly workers, such as stenographers, secretaries, military personnel and congressional and senatorial staff are not counted in this study.

Nor are employees of a number of federal agencies such as:
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve,
The Central Intelligence and Defense Intelligence Agencies,
The National Imagery and Mapping Agency,
The national security agencies,
The White House and Office of the Vice President, the Postal Rate Commission,
The Tennessee Valley Authority;
Members of the Public Health Service’s Commissioned Corps;

Employees who are paid with non-appropriated funds (for example, employees of the military exchange system, whose salaries are supported by revenues from sales) and foreign nationals overseas; and the legislative and judicial branches of government (except for the Government Printing Office), the U.S. Tax Court, and some selected commissions.

Two other groups of federal civilian workers—part-time and seasonal workers and trade, craft, and laboring employees who are paid under the Federal Wage System — are covered in a different report.

In other words, far more than 2.7 million people are employed by Uncle Sam and paid with funds provided by the taxpayers.

Our Founding Fathers, in declaring independence from Great Britain, noted that King George III had erected a bureaucracy which the colonists considered tyrannical. The following two quotes are directly from the Declaration…

“The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”

So, the Founders threw out the British tyrants and over the years we, their heirs, have built our own tyrannical bureaucracy. Our modern bureaucracy starts at the local, county and state levels. These bureaucracies send out “swarms of officers to harass, us, fine us, regulate us, monitor us and are eating out our substance through taxation and duplication of services. Most, if not all states, have:

Departments of Health and Human Services
Departments of Hospitals
State Police
Tax revenue compliance officials
Departments of roads, bridges and highways
Driver’s license bureaus
State court systems
State veterans affairs offices
State Public Safety and Corrections bureau (state prisons)
National Guard units
Departments of social services
Department of Medicaid
Insurance commissioners
Voting commissioners
and the list goes on….

On the local and county level we have:

Building inspectors
Sheriff’s Departments
Police Departments
Fire Departments
Street and road maintenance workers
Zoning compliance officials
Tax assessors
Veteran’s affairs offices
Adoptive and foster parent services
Public health nurses and offices
County Courts and judges
City Courts and judges
Jails and correctional prisons
Medicaid offices
and the list goes on…

Don’t get me wrong, we need local and state control over our police agencies, prisons, courts and judges and fire departments and several others. We need good roads, sewage disposal, clean water and schools that aren’t falling down, plus, these departments and agencies are subject to local and/or statewide review and approval, unlike the federal bureaucracy and its swarms of nameless, faceless bureaucrats.

But the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy – of the federal government’s role in our lives – isn’t really apparent until one examines the federal government’s role beginning with the president’s cabinet.

President George Washington established the first cabinet which consisted of four people: Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox and Attorney General Edmund Randolph “to advise and assist him in his duties.”

The president’s cabinet has expanded enormously through the years. Nearly all the cabinet level members have built substantial bureaucracies under their direction. I have shown a few under the broad headings below, just to give an idea of the size, scope and power of these often dictatorial agencies. I have also tried to call attention to some of the duplication of services such as Indian Affairs, justice and education. I also highlighted a few bureaus that address women’s issues. (Since when and by what constitutional authority do education and women’s issues that fall under federal jurisdiction?) I also felt it important to highlight parts of the massive federal land grab.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html

Department of Agriculture, Secretary Ed Schafer
www.usda.gov

Home Financing in Rural Areas
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP)
These are the folks who tell us what we should and shouldn’t eat.
Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES)
In partnership with land-grant universities, and other public and private organizations, CREES provides the focus to advance a global system of extramural research, extension, and higher education in the food and agricultural sciences.
Forest Service (FS)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR)

The USDAs 2009 budget is $95 billion with 63% of that allocated to food giveaway programs.

USDA has a total of 18 sub-agencies.

Department of the Interior, Secretary Dirk Kempthorne
www.doi.gov

DOI Quick Facts
67,000 employees
Operating budget of $15.9 Billion
DOI manages 500 million acres of American land, roughly 20 percent of the total land area.

The U.S. Constitution Section 8, Clause 17 authorizes Congress: “To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings…”

But in 1849 Congress abdicated its constitutional responsibilities, effectively threw the Constitution in the trash and created The Department of the Interior and began the seizure of massive amounts of land which could and should be administered by the states.

Minerals Management Service
Bureau of Reclamation
8.7 million acres managed by the Bureau of Reclamation associated with reclamation projects.
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
66 million acres managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (via the Bureau of Indian Education) provides education services to approximately 46,000 Indian children in 184 schools and dormitories
The Bureau manages relationships with 562 Indian tribes
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
96.4 million acres managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Geological Survey
National Park Service
84.6 million acres managed by the National Park Service
Bureau of Land Management
261.7 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Office of Surface Mining

Department of Commerce, Secretary Carlos Gutierrez
www.doc.gov

DOC Bureaus
Bureau of Industry and Security
Economics and Statistics Administration
Bureau of the Census
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Economic Development Administration
Minority Business Development Agency
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Technical Information Service
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Patent and Trademark Office

Department of Justice, Attorney General Michael Mukasey

www.usdoj.gov

DOJ Bureaus and Agencies
58 total including:
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
Community Capacity Development Office (OJP) (includes Weed and Seed and American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Desk)
Federal Bureau of Investigation - FBI
Federal Bureau of Prisons - BOP
Office of Tribal Justice
U.S. Marshals Service

Department of Justice 2009 Budget request $26.35 Billion.

Department of Defense, Secretary Robert M. Gates
http://www.defenselink.mil/

Department of the Army
Department of the Navy – including the Marine Corps.
Department of the Air Force
Defense-wide Agencies

2009 Budget request $515.4 Billion

Department of Labor, Secretary Elaine Chao
www.dol.gov

Bureaus, offices and agencies under DOL
32 including:
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
58 additional Directorates and offices are under OSHA

The Department of Labor has 16,848 employees with a 2009 budget request of $10.9 billion

Department of Education, Secretary Margaret Spellings

www.ed.gov

The Department of Education oversees 21 advisory committees including:
President's Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities
National Advisory Council on Indian Education
The Department of Education oversees 12 operational committees.
The Department of Education currently operates on a budget of $68.6 billion.

Department of State, Secretary Condoleezza Rice

www.state.gov

Interesting comment from Secretary Rice:
Empowering Women To Work for Peace Secretary Rice (Mar. 6): "Where states do not or cannot ensure that their people have an opportunity to benefit from globalization, the results are troubling and often the victims are women. ...We in the international community should make sure that we hear the voices of women and account for their concerns whenever we seek to establish or to keep the peace. If we do that, we are actually making the job of keeping the peace easier."

Bureaus and Offices under the State Department

Deputy Secretary (D)
8 Departments
Bureaus and Offices:
50 total Bureaus and/or offices or agencies including:Women's Issues (WI)

Could not locate comprehensive State Department budget.

Department of Energy, Secretary Samuel W. Bodman

www.energy.gov

44 administrative areas, i.e. Undersecretaries, administrators of departments, offices, etc.

Department of Energy budget for 2009 is $25 billion.

Department of Transportation, Secretary Mary E. Peters
http://www.dot.gov/

12 Bureaus, boards and dozens of offices
Operating budget for 2009 of $68 billion.

Department of Health & Human Services, Secretary Michael O. Leavitt

http://www.whitehouse.gov/goodbye/bfb51c79338cc0acc0579d54986eb867274aefc0.html
14 Agencies including:
IHS - Indian Health Service

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Hillary Clinton’s proposed “Universal Health Care” has not been voted on or approved, yet DHH and several other agencies are pushing, pushing and pushing to ram this crap down our throats.

IMHO, we can knock their estimated 45 million uninsured Americans down to about 25 million by DEDUCTING the approximately 20 million ILLEGAL, NON-AMERICANS BEING COUNTED. Notice, they don’t tell you the source of the so-called “widely held aspiration in our nation.”
This is from the DHH website:

“Every American Insured
There is a widely held aspiration in our Nation that every American should have access to affordable health insurance.
According to recent estimates, nearly 45 million Americans lack health insurance coverage. It is time to set a goal that, within five years, every American has access to affordable insurance.
The government provides sustainable assistance for the poor, the elderly, and the disabled. Federally-funded programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) are essential tools and will continue to help those in need. However, there is a real need to create a marketplace for affordable insurance beyond that provided through federal government assistance. Many states recognize the problem and are already working to reform health care.”

2008 Budget $8.8 billion for this TOTALLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL AGENCY.

Department of the Treasury, Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/goodbye/09ccc51137a3c315205f2bb4b2d57b8346293709.html

1 Bureaus including:
The U. S. Mint and
The Internal Revenue Service
9 Offices

2009 Treasury Department budget is $12.9 billion with
$11.362 billion going to the IRS

Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Michael Chertoff
http://www.whitehouse.gov/goodbye/df1e1904fbc823d12f3fff238e830972c239b085.html

16 separate components including:
FEMA and the
U.S. Coast Guard
$44,309,000 budget for 2009.

Department of Veterans Affairs, Secretary Dr. James Peake

http://www.whitehouse.gov/goodbye/c3f35a26e6ee60ac30cb24f1f42b3348c3002a7a.html

23 offices, centers and administrations plus nearly
1,300 VA hospitals, clinics, mental clinics and other care facilities
2009 Budget request $94 Billion

Department of Housing & Urban Development, Secretary Alphonso Jackson http://www.whitehouse.gov/goodbye/7275bb52afbca920399bf80a915132766478eecb.html

164 Offices and agencies operating within HUD including:
Public and Indian Housing (PIH)
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing
Field Operations Staff
Office of Policy, Program, and Legislative Initiatives
Grants Management Center
Office of Administration and Budget/Chief Financial Officer
Section 8 Financial Management Center

2009 HUD budget is $38.5 billion.

Folks, it goes on and on. As if the mind-boggling array and multiple levels of bureaucracy shown above isn’t enough, President Bush has awarded Cabinet-level rank to:

Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator Stephen Johnson

http://www.whitehouse.gov/goodbye/3f057934ff392d400f15b4013a1911c7ccaabc28.html

Office of Management and Budget, Director Jim Nussle
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/


National Drug Control Policy, Director John Walters
http://www.whitehouse.gov/goodbye/9aad2544d2be2e3957333e59686a3ed6b1b7efe1.html

U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Susan Schwab
http://www.whitehouse.gov/goodbye/400f280ff2c3bbfb8f61c36cf94d94f9bafcfa6f.html

Like I said in the beginning of this post, NOW is the time to rein in the federal bureaucracy. NOW is the time to reclaim our Republic.

Barry Goldwater Quotes

Barry Goldwater Quotes: "A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away.
Barry Goldwater"

We live in a Republic, not a Democracy

Our great Republic, our nation, is in deep trouble. Not the least of those troubles comes from Americans not understanding our system of government. How can they when most of our elected officials and media types refer to America as a Democracy?

We do not live in a Democracy, even though our so-called leaders wish we did. We live in a Republic; as in “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands…”

In a nutshell, a Republic is a government ruled by law and a Democracy is “majority rules.” Traditionally, a Democracy is a very unstable form of government while a Republic is much more stable.

We will cover more of this later, but for now, let me just say that our Republic is in serious trouble.

The foundation of our Republic is the Constitution and that document and the principles for which it stands are in enormous danger. As I write these words it is March 2, 1008. We are in the middle of a political race to determine who will be the next president of these United States. Will it be Barack Hussein Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Sidney McCain III or Mike Huckabee?

The question in my mind is, is any one of these candidates suited to become the next president? First, Obama, Clinton and McCain are all sitting Senators. Why are they out campaigning for higher office while still hauling in an inflated, bloated, ridiculous salary footed by we the taxpayers? How many Senate votes and debates have they missed as they scramble for more power? We could go a long way in preserving our Republic by requiring any office holder who seeks to gain a higher office to first resign from his current office.

Obama and Clinton both want “universal health care” for all Americans. Nowhere in the Constitution is health care mentioned. According to the 10th Amendment, any powers not specifically granted to the federal government by the states, is reserved for the states or the people respectively. That means, quite simply, that if a particular state wants to use state funds to provide health care for its citizens, it can. But the federal government is forbidden due to the 10th Amendment.

Even worse, Obama and Clinton intend to make their universal health care plans MANDATORY. Clinton has even said she would approve of wage garnishment for anyone reluctant to join.

McCain co-sponsored the McCain/Feingold campaign finance act which took a huge chunk out of the 1st Amendment which guarantees all of us freedom of speech.

If any one of the three, McCain, Clinton or Obama is elected president he or she will be required to take an oath. The oath, as prescribed by the Constitution itself, says: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

McCain has already violated the Constitution and Obama and Clinton are chomping at the bit for their chance. A refreshing step toward upholding our Republic would be for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to refuse to administer the Presidential Oath of Office to anyone who has already pledged to violate that oath in order to get elected.

Clinton is a liberal (Socialist?) and Obama is even further left than she. In fact, if Obama took one step further to the left he would be in danger of falling off the world. But is McCain a liberal as well? I’ll let my 86-year-old mother answer that. She is a die-hard, card-carrying union member as well as a life-long Democrat and she told me last week she will vote for McCain before she sees a black man become president. She says there is something sneaky about him. She doesn’t like Hillary either because the shrillness of her voice gives her a headache.