......and Pigs Can Fly

Many battles begin in a blatant demonstration of firepower and overwhelming force - witness the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Germany’s Blitzkrieg in Europe and America’s Shock and Awe mission in Iraq. Other times it is an isolated skirmish, an acceleration of hostilities or irresponsible rhetoric that can set the wheels of war in motion.

This past week the opening salvos of the Obama administration’s next battle against the America we know and love may have been launched via two stealth actions intended to stay below the radar of the American public.

Under the pretense of inspiring America’s schoolchildren, President Obama intends to preempt normal educational activities and address our children in their classrooms via TV and computer. A seemingly innocuous event at face value until put in complete perspective. The U.S. Department of Education, under guidance from the White House, has prepared a curriculum for use by teachers in conjunction with the address. The recommended activities for the schoolchildren include writing a paper on how to “help the president,” discuss what “the president wants us to do,” and “write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president.” It alarms me that no where is there mention about “what can be done for America,” only this continual obsession with the cult of personality that surrounds this narcissistic charlatan who has the American Left mesmerized by his every word and action.

To use our children and grandchildren as a captive audience, and to give the NEA, one of Obama’s staunchest allies, carte blanche to practice subversive indoctrination of their precious charges, reeks of the politicization of the public educational system and comes dangerously close to the nascent stages of the fascist youth movements of the mid 20th century. Fortunately, the American public has become aware of the president’s upcoming address and the White House is rethinking its next move. Notwithstanding any positive revisions to their original plan, the very thought that the administration devised such a strategy should send chills down the spine of every American.

The second covert move came in the form of a not highly publicized comment by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, advising the public that they should expect “a big influx” of swine flu in the coming fall season. On July 24, 2009, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius renewed a previous determination that “a public health emergency exists nationwide involving Swine Influenza A that affects or has significant potential to affect national security.” Napolitano’s comment, following the determination of Sebelius, puts swine flu squarely in the crosshairs of Homeland Security and allows it to be elevated to crisis status at Napolitano’s discretion.

Recall for a moment the comments of Napolitano regarding her take on terrorism. While deleting the politically incorrect phrase “war on terror” from the vernacular of Homeland Security, Napolitano felt compelled to include groups or individuals opposed to abortion or immigration, gun owners and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as potential risks to America. Given this ideological mindset, in complete lockstep with the president, is it so far fetched to imagine Napolitano politicizing the swine flu issue in order to advance the administration’s agenda regarding Health Care Reform? Once it becomes a crisis, we can expect the Rahm Emanual doctrine “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste” to trigger actions dedicated to formalizing government takeover of Health Care, either via legislation or executive orders, under the mantra of Homeland Security. Remember that it was a so-called crisis that compelled the government to legislate bailouts, industry takeovers and stimulus fiascos.

We have all seen the hysteria that can be generated around the predictions of an epidemic. The mainstream media, content to serve as the administration’s propaganda machine, would delight in 24 – 7 coverage of a supposed health emergency – think SARS and Bird Flu, previous imminent Armageddon predictions that failed to materialize.

As the fall approaches there will no doubt be an increase in the number of cases of swine flu throughout the country. The American people should take prudent precautions to safeguard their health, and the government should procure sufficient vaccine for the protection of the public. The government should not politicize the disease, panic the populace, and usurp powers that are not within its constitutionally mandated jurisdiction. The American people should remain alert, informed and skeptical of unwarranted reports of widespread dangers to national security, safeguarding their sacred liberties as deliberately as they do their health.

Then, again, in contrast to what we have witnessed in the first months of the Obama administration, maybe our elected officials are only acting in the best interests of the American people with no regard for their own power…..and then, again, maybe pigs can fly.

Nico

Thank you, Congress....

Time is running out. Your voice still matters.

Before your Congressman & Senators return to Washington, take the time to send them an email, make a call, and fax a letter to their offices. If you are paying attention, you should know that the grassroots protest to the actions of our government is being heard, and surely being weighed.

Do it now. It’s your right. It’s your civic duty. It’s your country.

Here’s a sample letter that I’ll be sending. Feel free to copy, cut and paste, or revise. Be sure to include your name and address. They listen to constituents.

Nico

Dear Congressman / Senator,

Let me begin by expressing my appreciation to the 111th Congress for its contribution to the political awakening of the American public. In a few short months, the actions of Congress have more than compensated for the years of failure by our educational system to teach the fundamentals of American civics.

Thank you, Congress, for allowing an overreaching administration, led by an arrogant president, to attempt an overthrow of our free market economy, so blatant, that even the most uninterested citizen has had to stop and take notice.

Thank you, Congress, for abandoning the strategy of incrementalism, that has been so effective for so many years in eroding our freedom, confiscating our wealth, and changing the fabric of our country, while we were all too busy supporting our families to take notice. Thank you for replacing it with massive, radical legislation so antithetical to American values and tradition, that you have shaken the American public from its collective malaise.

Thank you, Congress, for spending so much, so quickly, for mortgaging our future so boldly, that even the most jaundiced citizen can see that the rising debt service is unsustainable without inevitable, crushing tax increases.

Thank you, Congress, for attempting to decimate and nationalize our health industry, ration our health care, and bring increased bureaucratic intrusion into our lives via stealth legislation that has caused the electorate to demand answers, to which there appear to be no satisfactory replies.

Thank you, Congress, for responding to the voice of the American people, the free speech that is the very cornerstone of the foundation of this country, with insolence and condescending insults. Like smelling salts under the nose of a knocked out boxer, your actions have finally awakened the public.

For many years, I have lamented the disinterest the vast majority of Americans have shown to being actively involved in their government. For too long, too many people have assumed that they really had no say, that their votes didn’t really matter. Now, thanks to the actions of our elected representatives, all that has changed. It seems that every place I go, every group I meet, the conversation is politics. People of all walks of life, all social and economic classes, friends, family, co-workers, and casual acquaintances, are talking about stopping health care reform, the inevitable costs associated with Cap and Trade, unwarranted bailouts, unfathomable stimulus spending and government intrusion into their lives.

There is a grassroots protest throughout America. The Tea Parties are real. The passion and concern at Town Hall Meetings are authentic. You may chose to think otherwise, but rest assured, the political future of America’s elected officials is in the balance. The same outrage that is being displayed today, the same organizations that have formed to give the electorate a venue to express their concerns, the same need to take back control of our beloved country, and the same newly found power of internet communication and networking, will all be channeled towards the ballot boxes in a very short time.

Before you return to do The People’s business, here are the feelings of one of your constituents who is now actively engaged:

Vote No on any Health Care Reform measures that in any way include government intervention, oversight, or control over costs, rationing of benefits, etc.

Put a stop to the Cap & Trade sham that can only harm the American people

Cut the stimulus spending and bailouts, get the government out of American industry, and let free market capitalism and market forces prevail. It works – just get out of the way.

And those new jets Congress tried to slip past public scrutiny– it wouldn’t be such a big deal if only you hadn’t put the country in such dire financial straits already.

Very truly yours,

Nico

Blue, Green and.....What Color is Liberty?

The green ripples continue.

This past week, Iranian police continued the violent crackdown on dissidents who protested the recent presidential elections as they gathered at the gravesite of Neda Agha Soltan, the now-famous young woman who was shot to death at a June 20 election protest.

The June 12th election was supposed to be a well orchestrated show of the peaceful re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, put on for the benefit of a skeptical global audience. All was in order, the outcome predetermined by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, when something went terribly awry.

Supporters of opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, in a bold move against an oppressive government regime, staged a massive, deliberate protest, claiming that the election was rigged. Donning green tee-shirts, green arm bands and green paint, the protesters took to the streets, cognizant of the fact that they were now targets of the police and the dreaded Basij, the Islamic culture enforcers of the theocratic leaders. A green wave of protesters, families, throngs of young Iranians and women in black chadors risked their lives to throw off the yoke of tyrannical government and reach for the gold ring of liberty.

In the end, with a brute show of force, the government quelled the initial riot, but at a high price. Despite a clampdown on journalists, the protesters utilized cell phone cameras, Twitter and the powers of the internet to expose, for all the world to see, the true response of an oppressive theocracy to the dissenting voice of its populace. Weeks later demonstrations continue, and having now tasted a bit of freedom of speech and self-determination, a young, restless population, tired of Sharia Law, may be sowing the seeds of revolution once again in Iran.

Flashback – January 2005, Iraq. Despite the media criticism of that unpopular war, despite the nay-saying of Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and The New York Times, despite the infighting, border disputes, and tribal feuds of its peoples, the desire for liberty brought out the Iraqi people in droves to vote on their collective future.

Sporting the blue fingers of voters, Iraqis demonstrated on the global stage their hope for a better future - a future rid of a tyrannical dictator, rid of mass executions, rid of rape and torture rooms. Men and women, aware of the threats of violence, vengeance and death, bravely waited on voting lines and triumphantly raised their blue hands in defiance of those who would condemn them to a hijacked, perverted interpretation of Islamic law.

But what of America? What of the nation that spent its sacred treasure to bring the blue fingers of liberty to Iraq, to inspire the green hands of protest in Iran? What color did liberty take in today’s America?

November 4, 2008 – Over 129,000,000 million Americans would cast their vote for president. One party would put forth an eloquent, young, charismatic candidate, savvy of the day’s communication technology, aware of a youthful, energized voting block, and promising handouts, equality of results rather than opportunity, and an all caring, omnipresent government that would tend to every need, reward the underachiever and punish the wealthy. The opposition presented an aging, honorable war hero - a good man who was not quite up to the fight, who marginalized his base supporters in an effort to appeal to his opposition. A man who abandoned his supporters, who had rallied behind him, ready and willing to fight, waiting only for the battle cry that never came.

The results are history. The majority of the electorate cast their votes for handouts and entitlements. They painted their hands white as they surrendered a piece of liberty here and a freedom there, in exchange for a government to which they would become beholden. Some painted their hands yellow, afraid to speak out against a charlatan candidate for fear of incurring the wrath of the politically correct media, while still others did nothing, failing in their civic duty.

These are not the colors of liberty in America. It was the red blood of Americans that wrenched liberty from the British Empire, and it was that same crimson blood of Americans that rescued liberty from the clutches of tyranny and totalitarianism across the globe. The colonists voted with red hands in Boston Harbor in 1773 and again at Lexington and Concord in 1775. The Founding Fathers knew they were voting with red hands when they put those hands to paper in 1776, culminating with John Hancock’s declarative flourish. The red hands of Americans were raised in Bellau Wood, Iwo Jima, Normandy, Korea, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Throughout history America has voted for liberty, both at home and abroad, with the blood of its sons and daughters.

So what now? In a country of law and order we vote not with arms, but with the power of the word. We do not shed blood, but neither do we meekly stand by and surrender our Republic and our liberty without a fight. Our weapons are our pens, our phones and the awesome power of the internet. The enemy is anyone who would seek to diminish our freedom, confiscate our treasure and intrude on our lives via a burdensome, meddling government that has forsaken the values, traditions, and the constitution, of our country. We have a civic duty to vote – to vote with the red hand of America.

Lest we think that we only vote in November, ask any candidate, any elected official when elections begin. They are running for office every day, with every decision they make, every calculated move, every sound byte, every facial expression, every parsed word and every empty promise.

Since they are campaigning every day, we must be voting every day. For every vote coming up in congress we should be issuing emails, faxes and calls. We cannot influence those who represent us if we do not speak out. If we speak, and they decide to disregard our voice, they should know that they do that at their own peril.

If we do nothing, we cannot complain when our taxes are raised to pay for undisciplined spending and bailouts. We cannot complain when private enterprise is replaced with more government bureaucracies. We cannot complain when our inheritance to our children is confiscatory taxes, a crippling national debt, diminished global influence and vulnerability to the forces of terrorism. We cannot complain when we are forced to wait months for routine medical treatment or when we must watch our parents, grandparents and other loved family and friends denied treatment because they have reached an age when their “useful viability to society” has been deemed to have run its course - instead seeing them forced to undergo “counseling” starting at age 65, by a cost-conscious government employee, who will advise them to consider their “end of life options.”

Now is a unique time. Our elected officials are coming home from Washington. When they return they will take up the issues of Health Care Reform, further stimulus (spending) bills, increased government takeover of private industry and the general dismantling of our Republic as we know it. Let them hear your voices while there is still time to stem the tide of socialism. If you think that they are not concerned by this groundswell of popular dissent, you need only listen to the words emanating from the administration. Concerned citizens, showing up at Town Hall Meetings and otherwise questioning their elected representatives, are being called angry mobs, right wing extremists, and dangerous crowds.

The “angry mobs” in Iran are being brutalized by their oppressive government and yet they continue to speak out. The “dangerous crowds” in Iraq are still attempting to reclaim their self-determination as a nation.

Perhaps it is time to conduct a primer in American history for those who profess to lead us. Let’s start with a few short phrases.

Repeat after me:

“…that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governed”

“We, The People….”

Nico

The Tea's Brewing in Staten Island

We awoke to the drumbeat of a steady rain that continued unabated throughout the early morning hours. The weather forecast did nothing to put a positive spin on the day ahead. Not exactly the perfect day to spend at an outdoor political rally, especially for someone who has never put rallies of any sort high on his list of priorities. That was yesterday, this is today. Times have changed, the country is changing, and for those of us who are paying attention, priorities must change also.

We left around 10:30 AM to show our support for the upcoming Staten Island Tea Party rally organized by a long time close friend. The rally was held at the Conference House, a fitting venue, since it was there that the American delegation of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Edward Rutledge listened to and declined the proposal from Admiral Lord Howe, Commander the British fleet in New York, to denounce the Declaration of Independence, set down arms, and return to the status of British colonies.

Despite the ominous grey clouds overhead, the setting was perfect. Cresting a slight knoll there appeared before us an open air, covered pavilion right on the water’s edge, with the shore of Perth Amboy in the distance. A scattering of people were already there as the stage was being set for the event. Throughout the intermittent drizzle the crowd continued to grow. Friends and strangers alike met, and became engaged, all sharing a common grievance – the ever expanding reach of government into our pockets, our business, and our lives. For the locals, the issues had festered under the dismissive attitude of a congressman who was beholden to the Obama administration at the expense and detriment of his constituents.

As the rally was about to begin, wave upon wave of citizens crested the knoll, swelling the space before the pavilion. One could feel a palpable excitement in the air that manifested itself part way through the singing of the National Anthem when the entire multitude, almost 700 strong, joined in, raising their voices in a patriotic display of unity.

After some opening words by the organizers, the guest speakers addressed the audience, while behind them we could see the incoming storm, the lightning flashes striking New Jersey, and hear the first rumblings of thunder. Sheets of rain replaced the drizzle, but the crowd held fast. Halfway through, heralded by a massive thunderclap and the first strike of lightning on the Staten Island shore, the heavens opened, creating a river of runoff through the crowd and into the bay. As lightning continued, some returned to the safety of their cars, but a large contingent remained, taking shelter under the pavilion roof, and the rally continued. For these citizens, their focus was undeterred. They understood, our forefathers shed blood for the gift of freedom we take so much for granted – a summer storm was not about to cause them to retreat.

So today in Staten Island it is evident that there are Americans who will fight for their country, and who will not abandon their civic duty to act as watchdogs over those who would lead our republic to ruin. If this small event, in the least urban corner of the New York City metropolis, is being duplicated throughout the vast expanse of America, then there is hope that the current tide towards a socialist agenda can be reversed.

So the questions must now be posed: Who among you are willing to do some little bit as citizens? Who can step out of that comfort zone that exists on the sidelines? To those in the general Summit, New Providence, Berkeley Heights area, would you be willing to take a small step to assure that our elected officials know how we feel about the out-of-control spending, the government intrusion and the threat to our health care? Let me know. To others in New Jersey, we have an upcoming election for governor – do you want better than we now have? To those around the country, can you influence others to speak out for our rights? Our elected officials are returning home now, before the decisive vote on Health Care Reform. NOW is the time to let them know your thoughts on Health Care Reform, on the Cap & Trade legislation that they voted on, on expansive government issues and on the tax burden that these decisions will place on us, our children and grandchildren. Rest assured, they will listen, and then they will act, knowing that we are out here and watching.

The Tea’s brewing in Staten Island. Anyone else care to put on a pot?

Nico

You Too Can Be a Pearl

We’ve heard it all before. What good will my vote do? Why bother emailing or calling my congressman? Who cares about one man’s voice? What good will all these Tea Parties and protest groups accomplish against the money and resources of the government and those currently in control of which direction the country is headed?

Sounds like surrender to me. Take a step back from the big picture and focus in on the details. Tip O’Neill was right when he said “All politics is local.” Each and every member of the House and Senate, every governor, mayor and local official has one primary objective which influences every vote he takes, his ultimate reelection. To that end, they will listen to every opinion and complaint from their constituents, weigh the pros and cons and evaluate how to vote to maintain their office.

Those who favor entitlements, government largesse and intervention into life’s minutia, indiscriminate spending and the class envy proposition of punishing those who succeed on their own, have made their voices heard and have allowed our representatives to safely follow the new administration as it reverses American tradition and tramples free market capitalism.

The voice of the opposition, those who cherish the opportunities available in this country, those who want to keep more of their hard earned income, those who believe in individual reward and failure, unimpeded by government intervention, has only recently begun to be raised. It is being heard but is being evaluated as to its strength and its staying power. Is it just an aberration, a momentary fad, or is it the beginning of an uprising which will oust those politicians who choose to ignore it? If our voices are to make a difference they must be persistent, ever-growing and relentless. We have only to look to nature to see the picture of all that can be accomplished if we remain vigilant and outspoken.

A foreign object invades the host oyster and settles in, refusing to let go. Try as it might, the oyster cannot dislodge the particle, so in order to protect itself against the invader the oyster continuously coats the intruder with a substance called nacre.
Over the course of time the oyster will be discovered, its defenses broken down, and pried open to reveal the invader which has manifested itself as a pearl.
The voice of each individual can become, as all the grassroots movements across the country are likely to become, an intruder beneath the veil of our elected officials. If our efforts continue, despite the constant attempts to marginalize them and cover them up, the usurpers of our government will be revealed for what they are, and we will be left with the pearl formed by the spirit of Americans like yourself who will not go silently into the night.

Nico

Health Care Reform - Obama's Trojan Horse

Health Care Reform – Obama’s Trojan Horse

The Obama administration, in its mad dash to transform America, is conducting another bum’s rush to pass its version of Health Care Reform legislation, which will devastate this country’s health industry and push the American economy another step closer to collapse, while ratcheting up the inevitable tax hikes looming over the American people.

Please take a moment to read the following passage, concerning Health Care Reform, and also the Long Term Budget Outlook by the CBO (which will only get worse at the breakneck pace of escalating government spending.) Then call and email your congressman, demanding a vote against ObamaCare and a stop to the undisciplined spending going on in Washington.

Your comments are welcome at www.aramisamerica.blogspot.com.

Nico

(The following was sent by an old friend, Frank S. who is the driving force behind a Tea Party organization in Staten Island. To read his excellent articles visit www.teapartysi.com.)

“Ladies and Gentlemen, socialized medicine is about to be rammed down our throats, and the greatest health care system in the world is going to be dynamited at its foundations.

Obama, Pelosi and their Congressional minions are blasting this UNCONSCIONABLE bill through the committees, because they know that if they wait too long, and the truth about this bill comes out, the American people will never swallow it. Just as with the "Stimulus" bill and Cap and Trade, transparency scares them to death.

On today's show, Rush Limbaugh said that the passage of this bill would be the death knell of the American economy….

This is from an editorial from Investor's Business Daily. It was not investigated and reported by ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, or anybody else - just little ol' IBD. Read it and weep for your country.”

It's Not An Option

It didn't take long to run into an "uh-oh" moment when reading the House's "health care for all Americans" bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal.

When we first saw the paragraph Tuesday, just after the 1,018-page document was released, we thought we surely must be misreading it. So we sought help from the House Ways and Means Committee.

It turns out we were right: The provision would indeed outlaw individual private coverage. Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:

"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.

So we can all keep our coverage, just as promised — with, of course, exceptions: Those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers.

From the beginning, opponents of the public option plan have warned that if the government gets into the business of offering subsidized health insurance coverage, the private insurance market will wither.

..... What wasn't known until now is that the bill itself will kill the market for private individual coverage by not letting any new policies be written after the public option becomes law.

..... The public option won't be an option for many, but rather a mandate for buying government care. A free people should be outraged at this advance of soft tyranny.

*********************************
Congressional Budget Office
Director’s Blog

The Long-Term Budget Outlook

Today I had the opportunity to testify before the Senate Budget Committee about CBO’s most recent analysis of the long-term budget outlook.

Under current law, the federal budget is on an unsustainable path, because federal debt will continue to grow much faster than the economy over the long run. Although great uncertainty surrounds long-term fiscal projections, rising costs for health care and the aging of the population will cause federal spending to increase rapidly under any plausible scenario for current law. Unless revenues increase just as rapidly, the rise in spending will produce growing budget deficits. Large budget deficits would reduce national saving, leading to more borrowing from abroad and less domestic investment, which in turn would depress economic growth in the United States. Over time, accumulating debt would cause substantial harm to the economy. The following chart shows our projection of federal debt relative to GDP under the two scenarios we modeled.

Keeping deficits and debt from reaching these levels would require increasing revenues significantly as a share of GDP, decreasing projected spending sharply, or some combination of the two.

Measured relative to GDP, almost all of the projected growth in federal spending other than interest payments on the debt stems from the three largest entitlement programs—Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. For decades, spending on Medicare and Medicaid has been growing faster than the economy. CBO projects that if current laws do not change, federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid combined will grow from roughly 5 percent of GDP today to almost 10 percent by 2035. By 2080, the government would be spending almost as much, as a share of the economy, on just its two major health care programs as it has spent on all of its programs and services in recent years.

In CBO’s estimates, the increase in spending for Medicare and Medicaid will account for 80 percent of spending increases for the three entitlement programs between now and 2035 and 90 percent of spending growth between now and 2080. Thus, reducing overall government spending relative to what would occur under current fiscal policy would require fundamental changes in the trajectory of federal health spending. Slowing the growth rate of outlays for Medicare and Medicaid is the central long-term challenge for fiscal policy.

Under current law, spending on Social Security is also projected to rise over time as a share of GDP, but much less sharply. CBO projects that Social Security spending will increase from less than 5 percent of GDP today to about 6 percent in 2035 and then roughly stabilize at that level. Meanwhile, as depicted below, government spending on all activities other than Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and interest on federal debt—a broad category that includes national defense and a wide variety of domestic programs—is projected to decline or stay roughly stable as a share of GDP in future decades.

Federal spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will grow relative to the economy both because health care spending per beneficiary is projected to increase and because the population is aging. As shown in the figure below, between now and 2035, aging is projected to make the larger contribution to the growth of spending for those three programs as a share of GDP. After 2035, continued increases in health care spending per beneficiary are projected to dominate the growth in spending for the three programs.

The current recession and policy responses have little effect on long-term projections of noninterest spending and revenues. But CBO estimates that in fiscal years 2009 and 2010, the federal government will record its largest budget deficits as a share of GDP since shortly after World War II. As a result of those deficits, federal debt held by the public will soar from 41 percent of GDP at the end of fiscal year 2008 to 60 percent at the end of fiscal year 2010. This higher debt results in permanently higher spending to pay interest on that debt. Federal interest payments already amount to more than 1 percent of GDP; unless current law changes, that share would rise to 2.5 percent by 2020.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 4:43 pm and is filed under Budget Projections, Long-Term Budgetary Issues.

How Could It Get So Bad, So Fast?

What happened in America?

One day we stand as a free market, entrepreneurial prosperity machine. Businesses rise, prosper, and expand. Occasionally poor decisions cause failures, businesses collapse, and some new idea, some new phoenix, rises from the ashes with a better plan, a more efficient model, and the internal fortitude to take a gamble, to risk it all, for the boundless opportunities that are there for the taking.

One day we elect statesmen who take moral stands, who make us proud, who are honored to serve their nation, yet humbled by their awesome responsibilities. We stare down oppression on the global stage, defeat our enemies while sacrificing our sacred treasure, and then rebuild the ravages left behind out of our boundless prosperity.

One day we are a nation of self reliant individuals, making our own way, content that the sweat of our brow brings sustenance to our families, and allows us to provide some relief for the unfortunate through that charitable virtue that is part of America.

One day we awaken and realize that the America we knew and loved has been turned asunder, raped and pillaged, not by an external enemy, but from within, by those we entrusted with the stewardship of our republic.

The beefy paw of government now intrudes throughout our society, promising precision, surgical corrections of our economy, our social structure, our core being as Americans, while wielding a mighty club, and striking out with abandon.

No longer are market forces allowed to make corrections, nor risk takers to find reward or failure. In lieu of statesmen, we find headlines reeking with news of corruption, scandal and infidelity. Sham legislation awards benefactors, hacks, and special interest groups, in a shameless redistribution of wealth, taken from the producers and doers via an endless mill of taxation.

Now we find our elected leaders apologizing for America’s deeds and actions, coddling our enemies, and inviting those who would do us harm to probe what is perceived as the soft underbelly of a once mighty beast. Only the presence of the brave men and women of our armed forces keep us safe, but even that great deterrent is subject to the misguided leadership of its commander.

The strong, silent individual, emblematic of America, has been pushed aside by groups demanding entitlements, professing grievances, and fighting for a place to be suckled under an all-encompassing, ever-expanding federal bureaucracy.

Who is to blame for the metamorphosis of America?

Front and center, the Obama administration must shoulder the blame for the rapid, widespread disintegration of American values, traditions, economy, and respect on the world stage. The far-left liberal agenda, the embracing of socialist ideology, the demonization of capitalism and the shameless vitriol leveled at those who would strive to achieve success outside the umbrella of Obama-sanctioned programs have, and will continue to, fundamentally change the lives of Americans now, and in the foreseeable future.

While the administration and the democrat party are at the apex of the problem, there is sufficient blame to spread around. The republican party, by embracing bigger government, participating in uncontrolled spending, miring itself in scandals, and marginalizing its conservative base, has forfeited its fiduciary trust with the American people. Furthermore, it has failed to produce a salient, sustainable, alternative policy platform, nor a charismatic, strong-willed, media-savvy, representative to serve as a rallying point for the grassroots uprising that is bubbling up throughout the country. Until it finds itself, and its figurehead, it offers little as the opposition party.

Finally, the blame must be shared by the electorate. The American citizens of today are too focused on immediate gratification and personal needs and wants. The country is bereft of civic education, responsibility, and self sacrifice for a greater good. The uneducated citizen falls prey to slick campaign promises, lies, and the cult of personality. Freedom is sacrificed for convenience, self respect for handouts, and love of country for the empty promises of Hope and Change.

Wake up America. Speak out, write, petition, and demonstrate, lest we wake up again to greater changes, less liberty, and an America we hardly recognize.