Opportunity for All, Favoritism to None
E-Newsletter No. 33_____ September 2016

We The People need a “new, New Deal” – – a promise to reduce the size and scope of an intrusive, ever-expanding, deficit-driven federal government. Using the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, FDR’s “Old Deal” from the 1930’s should never have been implemented. Unfortunately, those policies and programs represented the very first steps down the long and winding road towards Socialism. Our country desperately needs to change course, because the Old Deal and the “progressive” agenda is not working for America. Socialism, by its very nature, is contrary to the principles of limited government and individual rights that underlie the country’s founding. Socialism might sound like a good idea (or might make you feel good) but history has shown that the detrimental effects of Socialism vastly outweigh any potential benefit of an ever-expanding federal government.

It is immoral to push $19.5 trillion of debt onto our children and grandchildren. This past month, the cumulative US debt amount surpassed the mark of $60,000 for every man, woman and child in America. Think about that statistic for just a moment, and then consider the fact that the Democratic Party’s platform offers absolutely no ideas or solutions to the country’s growing debt problem. Instead, it promises even more “free stuff” to favored segments of the country’s citizens. This is truly immoral because our children and grandchildren have never had any input on the decisions that have been made to push this huge financial obligation onto them.

We need to eliminate deficit spending and begin re-paying the country’s debt. We The People need to take our government back from the Washington cartel. Unfortunately, career politicians are not inclined to put forward solutions to this growing problem. They would rather try to continue to buy votes with other people’s (our children’s and grandchildren’s) money. We need to implement Term Limits for the US Senate and US House of Representatives, so that the people who are running for Congress are free to fix this growing problem without being fearful of the possible effect on their long-term political career.

We need to stop talking about Tax Reform, and actually make fundamental (radical) changes to the tax code for personal income taxes. This includes linking Tax Reform to the related changes that need to be made for Social Security, Medicare / Healthcare taxes, and the country’s poverty/welfare programs. We should not “tinker on the fringes”, but we should use this opportunity to fundamentally transform (and shrink) the federal government.

We want the federal government to re-focus on its proper role – – the duties and responsibilities that are laid out in the US Constitution – – to protect the citizens’ rights, protect the country as a whole, and manage our country’s relationships with other countries around the world.

Thomas Paine in his pamphlet entitled “Common Sense” discussed the fundamental differences between government and civil society (families, religious institutions, charitable organizations, and other “communities”). The Progressive Agenda is simple and straight-forward – – government must continue to grow to become the most powerful force in society, and nothing should compete with the government’s “experts” who will develop a program to solve any problem that could happen in a person’s life.

Last month, we provided links to the 2016 platforms of the Republican and Democratic parties. Unfortunately, these are 66-page and 55-page documents. Although we encourage you to read the entire platforms of both parties, we realize that this is a significant investment of time. Therefore, we have prepared two new Conversation Pieces that are on our Foundation’s website that are excerpts from the two parties’ platforms –

http://www.f2ppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The-2016-Republican-Party-Platform.pdf
and
http://www.f2ppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The-2016-Democratic-Party-Platform.pdf

US Debt Clock – – August 1st – $59,899 per citizen / September 1st – $60,144

E-Newsletter No. 32______August 2016

The Republican and Democratic parties’ conventions are over, and the mudslinging has begun in earnest – an unfortunate, inevitable result of our country’s political process. But our Editorial Board would like to keep the focus on the parties’ principles, rather than the personalities and trustworthiness of individual candidates. The two parties’ platforms are available on the internet at –

https://prod-static-ngop-pbl.s3.amazonaws.com/media/documents/DRAFT_12_FINAL[1]-ben_1468872234.pdf and

https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Democratic-Party-Platform-7.21.16-no-lines.pdf

Our Editorial Board was somewhat disappointed by the GOP platform, because it attempts to make a case for supporting certain initiatives (such as advancing responsible homeownership) that are beyond the scope of the federal government’s responsibilities spelled out in the Constitution.

The Democrats’ platform is extremely disturbing – – the Table of Contents is a three-page laundry list of “social engineering” progressive initiatives that are well beyond the scope of the federal government’s responsibilities, and several are counter-productive programs that will inevitably lead to unintended consequences.

In our February newsletter, we provided a link to a website that contains several 5-minute videos that highlight the key differences between the Left (“Progressives”) and the Right (“Conservatives”). The following link is to the video that discusses seven inevitable results that arise from Big Government –

https://www.prageru.com/video/how-big-should-government-be-left-vs-right-1/ 

1. There will be ever increasing amounts of corruption. [ Power and money breed corruption. ]

2. Individual liberty will decline.

3. Countries with ever-expanding governments will either reduce the size of their government, or eventually collapse economically.

4. In order to pay for an ever-expanding government, taxes are constantly increased.

5. Big Government produces big deficits and ever-increasing and ultimately unsustainable debt.

6. The bigger the government, the greater the opportunities for doing great evil. [ Coca Cola cannot break into your house or confiscate your wealth, or build concentration camps, or commit genocide. Only Big Governments can do that. ]

7. Big Government eats away at the moral character of a nation. [ People no longer take care of other people. They (erroneously) think “the government” will take care of that. ]

The Left believes the state should be the most powerful force in society – – not parents, not businesses, not private schools, not religious institutions, not even the individual human conscience. Without the belief in an ever-expanding government, there is no Left. Without a belief in limited government, there is no Right.

US Debt Clock – – July 1st – $59,640 per citizen / August 1st – $59,899

E-Newsletter No. 31________July 2016

In a few weeks, both major political parties will hold their conventions – – the Republicans in Cleveland on July 18-21, and the Democrats in Philadelphia on July 25-28. Unfortunately, once the parties’ conventions are over, our country’s citizens will be subjected to several months of negative television commercials regarding the personality and trustworthiness of the two major parties’ presidential candidates.

Our Editorial Board agrees that the trustworthiness of the individuals who are running for president is an important issue. However, we believe it is even more important that our country’s citizens have a constructive conversation about the underlying principles of the two major political parties regarding the size and scope and proper role of the federal government. To that end, we have added a new Conversation Piece on our website that puts forward a platform that would move the country towards a new and better “desired state” – – the Founders’ original idea of limited government. Let’s call it the platform of The Party of Personal Freedom –

http://www.f2ppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-Party-of-Personal-Freedom.pdf

We believe the most important question for the 2016 election is – – Do we want an even bigger, constantly expanding, more intrusive federal government? Or do we want individual liberties and personal freedom?

US Debt Clock – – June 1st – $59,569 per citizen / July 1st – $59,640

E-Newsletter No. 30_____June 2016

Just a short newsletter this month.

On our website’s Home Page, we mentioned that one of our Foundation’s primary objectives is to share with our readers some of the wisdom from our country’s founders and other influential thought leaders. We have added a new Conversation Piece on our website, where we have posted a collection of quotes about personal responsibility, the federal government, and other topics. Here is the link –

http://www.f2ppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Pearls-of-Wisdom.pdf

We hold these truths to be self-evident.

US Debt Clock – – May 1st – $59,558 per citizen / June 1st – $59,569

E-Newsletter No. 29 ______ May 2016

Last month we provided a link to Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution, which lists the responsibilities of the federal government. Nowhere in the Constitution does it mention that the federal government should provide healthcare to all of the country’s citizens (or food or housing), or provide a monthly pension benefit to a retired citizen.

So, how did we start heading down this long and winding road towards socialism and an ever-expanding federal government and a cumulative debt of $19.3 trillion? The simplistic answer is that Article 1, Section 8 gives to Congress the responsibility To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper…. But unfortunately, the supporters of the liberal/progressive agenda fail to read the entire sentence – To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers – (the powers that are listed above this sentence in Section 8).

On our website, we have a Conversation Piece entitled “Don’t Tread on Me” / There Ought to be a Law (or Not). The Founders of our country established a federal government with limited powers, and with the intent that the federal government would focus on a few vital functions, which are primarily oriented towards protecting the country as a whole and the citizens’ rights. Unfortunately, over the course of time (and due to some of our elected officials’ desire to “fix a problem” or advance a favor towards a special interest group or some other sub-segment of the population) we now have a federal income tax code (including IRS Regulations and Official Guidance) that is in excess of 70,000 pages and 4 million words. We also have a situation where it is easy for a citizen to commit three crimes a day, oftentimes without knowing it. (We recommend that you do an internet search on a book entitled Three Felonies a Day by Boston civil rights lawyer Harvey Silverglate).

Fortunately, it is possible to get off the road that we’re heading down, if we simply return to the Founders’ idea of Limited Government. And fortunately, there is an educational institution that has created a series of online courses that gives everyone an opportunity to better understand our country’s founding principles. The following link takes you to Hillsdale College’s website and the page that lists the various courses that are available (for free) –

http://online.hillsdale.edu/dashboard/courses

The course entitled Introduction to the Constitution is a good place to start, to refresh your understanding of representative government, the separation of powers, and the principles of Limited Government. The fourth segment of this course highlights the differences between centralized, bureaucratic rule and constitutional government.

Constitution 101 – The Meaning & History of the Constitution will provide you with a more in-depth understanding of the underlying principles behind our country’s founding. It includes a segment on The Progressives’ Rejection of the Principles of the Declaration of Independence, along with The Progressives’ Assault on the Constitution.

Lastly, we also highly recommend Constitution 201, which includes a segment entitled Restoring Constitutional Government. Common Sense tells us that the principles behind Limited Government are just as true today as they were back in the 1700s.

US Debt Clock – – April 1st – $59,420 per citizen / May 1st – $59,558

E-Newsletter No. 28 _____ April 2016

Last month we put forward a radical idea – – the federal government should stop trying to assume all of the roles that properly reside with the states, or with civil society, or with the individual. The Tenth Amendment in the Bill of Rights states that 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. Our Editorial Board believes the federal government should re-focus its attention towards its responsibilities that were specified in the US Constitution.

However, the Progressives’ agenda is that the federal government should grow to assume whatever responsibility(s) the federal government deems that it should have. So the real question becomes, what is the proper role of the federal government? We have included the following link to the applicable section of the US Constitution (Article 1, Section 8) that lists the responsibilities of the federal government.

http://www.f2ppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/The-US-Constitution-Article-1-Section-8.pdf

As you read through the list, it is readily apparent that there is one common theme – the federal government’s primary role is one of protection – to protect the general welfare of the country as a whole, and to protect the rights of the country’s citizens.

The first sentence sets forth the responsibility to provide for the common defense of the country. Section 8 goes on to make references to the country’s army, navy, militias, forts, arsenals, and dockyards.

The federal government’s responsibilities also include establishing tribunals (courts) to protect the citizens’ rights.

The specific language that was used by the Founders is interesting to note – for example, “To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.” Again, the role of the government is to protect the rights of individual citizens. This sentence does not say that the federal government has the responsibility to make progress in science and the useful arts (although the supporters of the Progressive agenda would disagree).

It should be noted that our Editorial Board does disagree with one of the responsibilities that was originally listed in the Constitution – – it is time to privatize the US Post Office. There is no longer any reason for the federal government to run the Post Office (and lose billions of dollars each year while it mis-manages what is essentially a business operation).

The government is also responsible for providing punishment for any counterfeiting of the country’s currency. The government needs to protect the value of our currency (and it shouldn’t debase the value of our currency by borrowing $19 trillion of debt to be repaid by future generations).

The federal government is also responsible “To regulate commerce with foreign nations.” As we have noted elsewhere on our website, our Editorial Board believes the focus of the federal government should be directed outwards – – towards our country’s relationships with other countries around the world. Unfortunately, the liberal / progressive agenda serves to distract the attention of the federal government away from this fundamental role, and instead distracts the federal government with a focus on “internal” domestic issues that should be dealt with by the states, civil society, families, or by the people themselves (i.e., personal responsibilities). Common Sense tells us that these self-evident truths are just as true today as they were back in 1776.

US Debt Clock – – March 1st – $58,980 per citizen / April 1st – $59,420

E-Newsletter No. 27 ______ March 2016

During the Democratic Party presidential candidates’ debates, there has been a lot of talk about how the amount of taxes paid by the country’s wealthiest citizens is not enough, and that they should pay their “fair share”. Unfortunately, none of the candidates have specifically defined what amount or level of taxes would be fair (only that it’s not enough). And unfortunately, with the Left’s (Progressives’) spending plans, it appears that no amount could ever possibly be high enough. And unfortunately, we cannot even afford our current level of spending, so the federal government continues to rely on annual deficits and an increasing amount of debt that is being pushed onto future generations.

We have included the following link to an interesting five-minute video that attempts to answer the question of whether the rich pay their fair share of taxes.

https://www.prageru.com/courses/economics/do-rich-pay-their-fair-share

The question has two parts – who is rich? and what is fair? Contrary to many people on the Left, our Editorial Board members are not envious of successful people. (We applaud successful people). Nor do we feel that the issue of [the fact of] ”income inequality” needs to be “fixed”. We continue to believe that our country’s citizens should be free to make as much money as they can (or want to) as long as they are not doing anything that is illegal.

So the question is – What is “fair” (for everybody – now AND in the future). The video puts forward one possible answer – that the portion of the population that makes 10% of the country’s income should pay 10% of the country’s taxes, and that the portion of the population that makes 20% of the country’s income should pay 20% of the country’s taxes, and so on. We disagree with this simplistic answer, because we feel that each American citizen should strive to be a self-reliant person, and no individual / family should pay federal income taxes until they have earned an amount that is at least equal to the applicable federal poverty guideline amount. We also believe that progressive income tax rates continue to be appropriate (at least for the near future) and that tax rates should not be decreased until the country’s cumulative debt amount has been repaid.

The video also discusses payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare. Unfortunately, it does not discuss the fact that an employee’s wages are first taxed for Social Security and Medicare, and then those wages are taxed again for federal income tax purposes. The video also does not discuss whether these socialistic programs should ever have been implemented to begin with, because they represent an over-reach by the federal government, and they are no longer affordable (as currently constituted) due to changes in the country’s demographics. It is immoral that we, as a country, have pushed the financial obligation for these programs onto future generations. These programs need to be fundamentally transformed over a multi-year transition period, and the payroll taxes that are paid each year for these programs should count towards satisfying a portion of a person’s / family’s total tax obligation for the year.

Hillary Clinton has said that if she were to be elected, she would not increase taxes on any family making less than $250,000 per year. So how is she going to eliminate deficit spending, begin to repay the country’s debt, and raise enough taxes to pay for the new programs that she is proposing? Well… She (or Bernie Sanders) is simply going to get the money from the Top 1%. However, as noted in another Prager University video entitled “How to Solve America’s Spending Problem” increasing the amount of taxes on the Top 1% is not a sufficient (or viable) answer. The amount of the deficit that is projected for the current fiscal year in President Obama’s latest budget is $616 billion (another $2,000 per citizen). Even if the federal government were to take 100% of the earnings of everyone who makes more than $1 million, this would only raise federal tax revenues by $600 billion, so this wouldn’t even get us out of the hole for the current year. Pandering career politicians (in both parties) have never been any good at simple math, nor at being straightforward with the country’s citizens. It is true that the federal government could go ahead and take this action, and within a few years, the number of viable businesses in the country would decrease significantly (and the number of employees who earn a living wage would also decrease significantly). We cannot tax ourselves into prosperity.

Our Editorial Board believes that the only thing that is “fair” is to have each citizen assume personal responsibility for their own life (including their own food, shelter, utilities, continuing education, healthcare, retirement, etc.). The federal government needs to reverse course, and stop trying to assume all of the roles that properly reside with civil society. We need to shrink the size of the federal government, and have it re-focus on its responsibilities that were laid out in the Constitution. Common Sense tells us that these self-evident truths are just as true today as they were back in 1776.

US Debt Clock – – February 1st – $58,727 per citizen / March 1st – $58,980

E-Newsletter No. 26 _____ February 2016

The 2016 presidential election cycle has officially begun with the onset of the Iowa caucuses. In making our selection of the country’s next president, it is very important for We The People to assess the “personality” and trustworthiness of each of the candidates (Donald / Hillary). However, we believe that it is more important to listen to the candidates’ views on the role of the federal government, their priorities if they were to be elected, and their proposals on how to deal with the key issues that should be addressed during the election.

In this regard, we believe that it is very important to understand the fundamental differences between the two political parties. We have included the following link, which will take you to five five-minute videos that highlight the key differences between the Left (“Progressives”) and the Right (“Conservatives”).

https://www.prageru.com/courses/left-and-right-differences

If you only have time to view one of these videos, we recommend the first video – How Big Should Government Be? It discusses seven inevitable outcomes that result from an ever-expanding government. It concludes with the following observation – Without the belief in an ever-expanding government, there is no Left. Without a belief in limited government, there is no Right.

We also like # 2 – Does it Feel Good or Does it Do Good? It asks a fundamental question – Does a particular government policy or program do good (for society) or does it just make you feel good (about yourself)? We need to remember that the highway to hell is oftentimes paved with the best of intentions.

And then there is # 5 – How Do We Make Society Better? This one might be the best of the five. It explains that Conservatives believe the way to a better society is almost always through the moral improvement of the individual; by each person doing battle with his or her own weaknesses and flaws (and assuming personal responsibility). On the other hand, Progressives are pre-occupied with using the power of the government to fix the moral failings of “society”.

We also want to let you know that we have included a new conversation piece on the Foundation’s website. Thomas Paine was one of the country’s Founders, and in 1776, he wrote a pamphlet entitled Common Sense –

http://www.f2ppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Thomas-Paine-and-Common-Sense.pdf

Many of these self-evident truths are just as true today as they were back in 1776.

US Debt Clock – – January 1st – $58,268 per citizen / February 1st – $58,727

E-Newsletter No. 25 ______ January 2016

We hope that everyone had a happy holiday season. For a lot of people, Christmas came one week early this year. On December 18th, the US House of Representatives and US Senate passed a massive (2,009 page) spending and “tax extenders” bill, which paired two pieces of legislation – a $1.15 trillion spending bill and a bill that contains a number of provisions that affect the taxation of businesses and individuals. Some pundits have opined that the primary benefit of this legislative “success” was that it enabled the federal government to remain open, and the full faith and credit of the government was left intact. The reality is that much of this spending should not have been approved, and the full faith and credit of the federal government has taken yet another hit because of this legislation.

The “omnibus” appropriations bill funds all of the government’s agencies for the current fiscal year that began on October 1st. Keep in mind that this $1.15 trillion of spending represents the “non-mandatory” portion of federal spending (29% of the total). The remaining 71% of the government’s cash outflows was not even addressed by this spending bill, because that portion of the federal government’s spending is for debt service and for “entitlements” that are on automatic pilot, using formulas that career politicians do not have the courage and/or will to change.

Congress also passed the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, which extended various tax breaks, preferences, deductions and credits. Unfortunately, with the 2016 deficit already budgeted to be in excess of $470 billion, our elected representatives felt a need to “protect” us from tax hikes. But what we really need is protection from any further spending increases. The total cost of these “tax expenditures” (lost tax revenues) is estimated to be in excess of $622 billion over the next ten years. Some estimates put the cost as high as $680 billion.

The tax breaks for certain sub-segments of the country’s citizens include residential energy conservation credits, teachers’ classroom expense deductions, “transit benefits” for mass transit and parking benefits, the child tax credit, the earned income credit, qualified tuition deductions and other education credits, but no “free” college education (yet).

The tax breaks for certain select businesses (the beneficiaries of crony capitalism) include special rules and tax preferences for the biofuels industry, wind energy, alternative fuel / fuel cell vehicles, real estate investment trusts, restaurants, film and television producers, motorsports complexes, race horses, mine safety equipment, railroad track maintenance, etc., etc.

An Associated Press release was issued the day after this legislation was signed into law. The final sentence summed it up fairly well – “Congress’ top leaders of both parties took turns claiming credit for the holiday-season largesse.” It’s probably safe to say that many of our country’s citizens are excited by the thought of all of this “free money” being doled out by the federal government. But the truth of the matter is the Washington cartel has once again hit future generations with a double-whammy. The appropriations bill busts the spending caps that Congress approved in 2011, and Congress continues to dole out tax breaks to special interest groups (both favored businesses and select sub-segments of the country’s citizens).

US Debt Clock – – December 1st – $58,060 per citizen / January 1st – $58,268

E-Newsletter No. 24_______December 2015

First, an update… As we mentioned last month, our elected representatives in Washington DC have passed legislation to (again) suspend the country’s debt ceiling until March 2017. As part of that legislative “success” our representatives gave themselves a deadline of December 11th to pass spending appropriation bills for the federal government’s fiscal year that began on October 1st. We will give you another update next month.

The Republican presidential candidates held their third and fourth debates on October 28th in Boulder, Colorado, and November 10th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Many of the candidates discussed some of the spending and other fiscal challenges facing the country –

Chris Christie – Let me be honest with the people who are watching at home. The government has lied to you and they have stolen from you. They told you that your Social Security money is in a trust fund. All that is in that trust fund is a pile of IOUs for money they spent on something else a long time ago…. 71% of federal spending today is on entitlements and debt service.

Bobby Jindal – We keep stealing from our children. That is immoral. That is wrong, and we are creating more government dependents…. Barack Obama has done a lot of damage to our country. I think one of the worst things he has done is try to change the idea of America to be one of dependence.

Ted Cruz – ….the current [tax] system isn’t fair. Washington is fundamentally corrupt. Every page [of the tax code] reflects a carve-out or a subsidy, and it is all about empowering the Washington cartel.

Carly Fiorina – This is how Socialism starts. Government causes a problem, and then government steps in to “solve” the problem. This is why we need to take our government back.

Marco Rubio – This election is about the future. The Left and the Democratic Party have no idea about the future. All of their ideas are the same tired ideas of the past – more government, more spending. For every issue before America, their answer is a new tax on someone, and a new government program.

Jeb Bush – Hillary Clinton has said that Barack Obama’s policies get an “A”. Really? One in ten people right now aren’t working or have given up altogether. That is not an “A”. One in seven are living in poverty. That is not an “A”. One in five children are on food stamps. That is not an “A”. It may be the best that Hillary Clinton can do, but that is not the best that America can do.

Rand Paul – This is the unholy alliance that people need to know about between the Right and Left. The Right and Left are spending us into oblivion. We are borrowing $1 million a minute…. We have to ask the question – Where is money best spent – in the private sector or in the government sector?…. Liberty thrives when government is small. I want a government so small you can barely see it.

Mike Huckabee – I’ve got five grandkids. I do not want to walk my five grandkids through the charred remains of a once-great country called America, and say “Here you go. $20 trillion of debt. Good luck making something out of this mess”.

Marco Rubio – Washington is out of touch through the fault of both political parties… We have a $19 trillion bipartisan debt…. If the next four years are anything like the last eight years, our children will be the first Americans ever left worse off by their parents.

– – – – –

Our Editorial Board agrees that next year’s presidential election represents a clear choice between an ever-expanding federal government, or taking back our government from the Washington cartel. Our government needs to support policies that promote personal responsibility and provide Opportunity for All. Our government needs to stop showing any favoritism to special interest groups, and end crony capitalism. And we need to stop stealing from our children and grandkids. If not us, who? If not now, when?

Best wishes for a happy holiday season, and a brighter 2016. We can get this fixed.

US Debt Clock – – November 1st – $57,203 per citizen / December 1st – $58,060