Determined to Agree

The political world has created a barrier to real debate on very important issues to every American. It seems contrived by politicians to keep citizens divided all the while they drive the government in the direction they prefer. It seems at times that every political question divides us no matter what the question is so the question is: Is there any issue most Americans can agree on?

Freedom in general terms: Can Americans agree that freedom is important? I think so. I believe if you ask Americans if they believe that freedom is important an overwhelming majority would agree.

Free Markets: The question of free markets is often asked with qualifiers that blur the overall concept of free markets. If you ask Americans: Do you believe that the economy benefits when citizens are able to own and run businesses with little interference from government? A majority of people will agree. If you ask: Should businesses be able to run their business any way they choose without any government oversight? Most people would disagree. America was built on free markets and is wealthy because of free market capitalism. It has been a concerted effort of demonization of capitalism which has led to an acceptance of government regulation.  

Government Regulation: Can Americans agree there is too much government regulation? I believe most would agree. Can Americans agree there is a role for government regulation? I believe most would agree. The problem is we have political parties that are pandering to every special interest and every special interest is looking to regulate something that creates an advantage for them. This must stop. Most Americans would agree.

Immigration: Can Americans agree that immigration has been good for America? I think most would agree. Is allowing people that have broken our laws to get here a policy Americans want continued? I believe most Americans want immigration fixed. Most Americans want a secured border. Most Americans want immigrants that are here to assimilate and not to take advantage of our generosity through welfare programs. Most Americans don’t want to see children of illegal immigrants kicked out of the country but they are conflicted on the remedy. So why not just secure the border to start?

Gay Marriage: Most Americans believe that gay couples should have all the legal rights of married heterosexuals. Most Americans see this as a fairness issue. Civil Unions are supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. The definition of “marriage” has always been a union between a man and woman. A majority of Americans believe in marriage as a sacred tradition. Why not allow civil unions the same benefits and leave the definition of marriage alone? The other option is to remove any government benefits related to marriage and civil unions.

Debt and Deficit: Americans agree the federal government and all levels of government spend too much and therefore take too much in taxes. Americans agree we should spend less and balance the budget by reduced spending. Americans manage their budgets and believe government should do the same.

Taxes: Most Americans hate taxes and fear the IRS. Most Americans support a simplified tax system. Most people believe everyone should pay into the system. When asked the question should the “rich” pay more too many people agree. But with a flat tax the billionaire paying 15% of a billion pays a lot more than a person that pays 15% of $10,000. If asked the question whether or not taxes should be flat a majority of Americans would agree.

There is a lot we as Americans can agree on but it is not in the interest of politicians to ask the right questions. The American people need to reject politicians that don’t agree with us…

 

Is Social Media Undermining the Right to Privacy?

Too many people post too much stuff about their comings and goings, where they are eating, what they are buying or feeling at every hour of the day. I am not going to comment on the way people choose to share their lives because I engage in social media sites as well, but my concern is the message it sends to kids.

The right to privacy is a constitutional, God, given right that we should cherish. We should be able to live our lives without interference from anyone including and especially government agencies and bureaucrats. The right to privacy is as important as the right to free speech which is greatly improved with the advent of social media. Social media has given a voice to so many more Americans, and it has broken the “log jam” of newspaper editors that used to control the flow of information. But what about protecting our privacy?

In Utah, as we speak, a new DOD data center that is being built in the name of security is going to be capable of watching and spying on every American citizen without their knowledge. In the name of keeping people safe, the federal government is preparing to make our lives less safe and endangering our right to privacy. We will be less safe from the prospect of an over reaching and controlling government. I want to allow the government to track terrorists but at what cost? What information will we allow them to gather on us? And from where we will allow them to gather information on law abiding citizens?

So here is my fear. As kids spew their lives on every social network without an ounce of consideration, how likely will they be willing to protect the rights of privacy and our other constitutional rights? Their willingness to share their information may cloud their judgment on constitutional limits. It will be easier for the younger generation to shrug off as unimportant the ability and reality of government agencies tracking our every move. They are so accustomed to being tracked by friends, why not the government? And not only government, corporations and advocacy groups as well.

Between the lack of civics and history in the public school curriculum, the acceptance of information dumping on social networks, and the ability of federal government to track our every move, what will become of privacy? What will become of our nation? What will become of our Constitution? What will become of our liberty?

Determination Should be Unleashed & Protected

The economy and the markets have shown exceptional resilience in the headwinds of an out of control spending tornado that is Washington DC and the federal government. Imagine if we had an administration in Washington that wanted the economy to thrive? We would be in the greatest economic recovery in history right now.

Why is it that we continue to limp along instead of steam rolling down the economic highway? Burdensome regulations and an expanding amount of money being drained from productive uses. The current administration has a strong belief in the “goodness” of government and sees its primary role as wealth distribution. The evidence is in the numbers. Welfare programs have exploded, taxes have been raised on the most productive in our society, and the new healthcare law is not about health but rather an effort to make healthcare a right so that everyone gets the same fair but poor care from providers. This government believes our problems are a result of free markets instead of understanding free markets are the solution.

Small and big business alike are managing to squeeze out more productivity from their current operations even with all of this effort to undermine them. So I come back to the point that if we reduced our government footprint and let business and individuals decide where to spend their own money, our economy would be on fire!!

This country is blessed with so many people that are determined to succeed. Most of us have been brought up to work hard and take care of ourselves and our families. If we have a little extra we show our compassion through donations. But we have a generation that has been exposed to the idea that fairness is more important than self-determination and free markets. They have been told that community is more important than individual freedom. They have been told government = community. That equation is dangerous and false. Communities thrive when individuals are free to decide their own fate. Government is not a community it is a necessary evil. Everything government does has unintended and often bad consequences to our individual liberty and economic viability.

We still have a generation that is determined to protect individual rights but I am afraid that the next generations are being wooed to place that determination in government mandates. We must teach individual determination and reject government as a community if we hope to survive as the greatest Nation on earth… We owe that to our posterity…