Freedom has changed.  What was once the inspiration that compelled men to lead their families to a distant land in order to begin a new life unencumbered by smothering totalitarianism, it has become some vague notion given only scant lip service when politically expedient.  Freedom must be redefined to its original splendor.  It must be pushed back up to the status that was once celebrated by all Americans, to the exalted position that our founding fathers knew it deserved.  To re-establish freedom as a beacon of happiness should be the priority of every American.  But we face an uphill battle.  Those who do not understand the nature of freedom have assaulted its delicate façade.  Although freedom and man’s desire for freedom will never be stripped from the soul, it has been pitted and tarnished and must now be resurfaced and polished, so that we can once again enjoy the fruits of our god-given status.

It is hard to imagine a people willingly voting themselves into subjugation, but that is exactly what the people of Venezuela did.  Since Hugo Chavez was voted into office his government has seized control of the largest telephone company in Venezuela, followed by the largest electricity and cement companies.  In February of 2007 his own congress, passed a law that allowed Chavez to “rule by decree.”  Most recently, Chavez is seizing his nation’s largest gold mine.  Of course, the seizure of private companies is cloaked in a language that sounds well-meaning and reasonable.  The Mining Minister of Venezuela commented, “Due to the financial crisis that has extended throughout the world, it’s necessary to recover our gold to increase out international reserves.”

In seven short years that country has slipped into a totalitarian state.  It illustrates how a population absent an understanding of freedom can enslave itself.  

This is the same path that has been cleared for the United States.  Liberal leaders across the country, emboldened by the popularity of Barack Obama, have been doing something that they had heretofore not done: say what they actually think.  Congressman Moran from Virginia recently said, “…we have been guided by a Republican who believes in this simplistic notion that people who have wealth are entitled to keep it and they have an antipathy towards the means of redistributing wealth.”  Senator Biden recently implied that raising taxes was our patriotic duty.  President elect Obama told a tradesman that, “we want to spread the wealth around.”  The liberals in this country are telling us what they want to do, very clearly and concisely.  

Many Americans are frightened that we will lose freedom to these anti-capitalist sentiments.  But there are those who do not see this as an encroachment on freedom, rather as something that they deserve.  This is folly.  The government was never intended to provide material wealth to anyone.  It cannot without sacrificing freedom.  Ronald Reagan said it best when he said, “A government can’t control the economy without controlling people.”   Reagan was right.  Whenever one man becomes the arbiter of how to spend another man’s wealth, one man then becomes subjugated to another and freedom is lost.

But the temptation of gaining wealth without the requisite work is strong.  Peggy Joseph is an American woman who has fallen victim to this temptation.  At an Obama rally she exclaimed, “…I never thought this day would come…I won’t have to worry about making a car payment, I won’t have to worry about making my mortgage…”  If the government is going to provide these things, can it not also take them away?  As soon as government begins providing, it begins controlling.

In the context of freedom, liberal promises are frightening indeed.  The liberal list of promises is quite long.  Government will provide your healthcare; pay for your college education; ensure your mortgage payment; control who you contract with and what the terms of that contract are; confiscate earned wealth and give it to those it deems worthy; and as believed by Peggy Joseph, the government will make your car payments.  If these things come to bear and the government does provide all of these things, two things must be true.  First, the government will also have the power to take these things away.  Second, in order to fund these material handouts, the government will be required to confiscate wealth from those who produce it.  After all, the government produces nothing, it only consumes.  To protect ourselves from this tyranny, we must not fall victim to the temptation.  And we must change the way we think of the role of government, specifically regarding taxation.

For too long, the democrats on Capital Hill and liberals across the country have been allowed to frame taxation in their own terms, which are designed to obfuscate the true nature of taxation.  Liberals talk about “providing tax cuts” and “giving billions in tax breaks to the rich, while that poor get nothing.”  Except, how can government “give” something that was never theirs to begin with.  A tax cut is not the government giving money away.  More accurately, it is allowing people to keep more of what they have earned.  

Individuals and businesses produce; the government consumes our work.  Not the other way around.

To believe that it is the government’s role to provide material wealth is to subject oneself to tyranny.  That is not what the United States is.  That is not what made the United States the greatest country in the world.  We are exceptional in spite of government, not because of it.  When the 60 some-odd million Americans who recently voted to be given material wealth by the government come to understand that in doing so they have sacrificed their own freedom, only then will we reinvigorate our blessed United States.  When freedom is fully realized it can unleash the maximum human potential to achieve and nothing can stand in the way.  But first, we must all come to understand the true meaning of freedom and how it can bring about happiness.  Only freedom can bring the safety and security that Americans demand.  Let’s join together and embrace freedom.  Let’s turn our backs on those who will tempt us with materialism, only to seize power in doing so.  Let’s all remember what it really means to be free.  

Except it is just absurd and any critical thought exposes this for what it is: the proven failed policies of the socialist.

The rich already pay the lion’s share of the taxes. Here’s a breakdown:

The Top 1% of income earners pay 40% of all income taxes collected!

The top 5% pay 60% of all taxes.

The top 10% pay 70% of all taxes.

The top 25% of income earners pay 85% of all taxes.

The bottom 50% of income earners pay 3% of income taxes.

We’re already ridiculously lopsided. The rich are already getting soaked. Soaking them more will just cost jobs, lower wages and send jobs overseas.

Now let’s put it into perspective: When Obama says he’s going to give 95% of people a tax cut it is not possible. How can you give a tax cut to the 40% of people (at the bottom of earners) who don’t pay income tax? Barack calls it a “tax credit” when you give someone money who doesn’t pay income taxes. I call it welfare, or socialism.

However, I challenge all you Obidenites to look at your pay stubs. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

How much are you already paying in taxes? A LOT, I bet. Now add in state tax, sales tax, car tax, property tax, telephone tax, restaurant tax, and on and on and on.

Taxes are already our BIGGEST expense. If you need more money to spend it is foolish to blame the corporations who are paying you! You should blame government - they are taking the most money from you - government is your biggest expense.

Taxing more makes no sense.

A $3000 credit to hire an employee isn’t nearly enough to offset the added employment cost - especially in the face of increased taxes.  This will only benefit those companies already planning expansion.  If that’s the case, why do taxpayers have to subsidize them?  They are going to hire anyway.

The housing crisis was caused by the government.  In short, the Community Reinvestment Act compelled banks to provide high risk loans.  These loans were bought up by Fannie Mae under the administration of the Senate (Barney Frank and Chris Dodd).  The plan was designed to give low income people houses except it backfired - they couldn’t afford them!  Banks sold the bad notes to Fannie Mae, who sold them to investment banks looking toe sell them again to make a profit.  Too much bad paper - the market collapsed.  This was started by the government trying to social engineer poor people into houses they couldn’t afford.

Anyway - While taxes are a big complaint about Obama for me, I have a fundamental issue with Obama.  I believe in low taxes, small government and maximum freedom.  I want the government out of my life.  My grandfather came here as an immigrant and made something for himself without going on the dole.  My Dad worked his butt off for my sisters and me.  He got no help from Nanci Pelosi, or Harry Reid or Barack Obama or any government handouts, that for sure.  If given the freedom to achieve, Americans have a great ability to fend for themselves.  We are the greatest country on earth in every regard - economically, militarily, in research, in development - by any metric.  We got this way because of LACK of government intervention, not because of it.

I am afraid of slipping further into a socialist model.  It has been tried over and over again and fails every single time.  That’s not what made America great.

Dear Sir:

I am writing to ask for your help regarding the current national situation with energy.  With all respect, I implore you to keep driving the point that we need a responsible energy bill sent to the President and we need it fast.

The scene on the Hill last Friday was a grand spectacle and it was very well received.  At a family gathering this past weekend, there was widespread agreement that Republicans must continue to hammer this home…

It may well be the key to our success this Fall.

After discussions with the nine (9) voting age members of my family in Virginia, and many of my friends, I have found commonality in opinion:

1) Republicans should find every high rock they can, stand atop and scream, “We need to drill in ANWR, the shale deposits, and off shore!”  This has such wide support - it would be great if you would join the call for this - in a way in which people can actually hear you!

2) Let’s build as many nuclear power plants as possible.  Nobody I talk to is afraid of them at all.  There are plenty of places in our great commonwealth to build one - how about we lead the charge?  You’ll have widespread support, I’m sure.

3) Stay out of our personal lives and let us run our own businesses.  Virtually everyone I talked with this weekend mocked Obama for his stupid “inflate the tires” comment.  The underlying theme is that we don’t want our elected leaders condescending to us and telling us how we should live, vis a vis inflating tires and buying a certain type of light bulb.

In short, we want the government to get out of our way!  Let us drill where the oil is. Get out of the way of nuclear development.  Get rid of the taxes that further drive up energy costs.  Set the American people free to pursue low cost energy and they will do it.  It starts with removing the shackles of oppressive government regulation and legislation.  You are in a position to do just that.  Please help.

Second, most of the speech consisted of the same, tired, leftist ideals that Marxists use to justify the confiscation and redistribution of wealth…  “We’re going to save the world and our children, we just need to make the proper investments” is typically something they say.  Barack cloaks the sentiment in lofty terms, perhaps even better then the leftists of a generation ago:

“This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably.”

What exactly does that mean?  It means those of us inclined to produce something of quality, generate wealth, and use freedom for self-improvement, will have our efforts rewarded by Barack Obama so thoughtfully stealing our wealth in the name of “[sharing] the benefits more equitably.” 

Change?  Hardly.  Liberals have been talking up redistribution of wealth since the nineteeth century.

Third and most importantly, Obama says he’s going to save the world.  One of the methods that seems to have taken hold with the left is to make such an audacious claim, that it is too exhausting to combat rhetorically.  Or, in the case of the right, we are generally too busy building wealth, learning, working and otherwise being productive to care.  Well, it’s time to care.  Here’s a short list of the things Barack “the messiah” Obama is going to do:

“…defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it.”

Oh that’s rich.  Has he not been doing everything in his power for the last 3 years to leave Iraq totally hanging out to dry? 

“…renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan”

Um, Obama just said that even knowing what he knows now, he would not go back and support the surge.  We should have achieved peace in Iraq by moving the political process forward, he claims.  Yet with Afghanistan, he wants to use the military.  Why will the military work in one place, but not another? 

“…renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons”

I bet Russia, Iran, North Korea and China love this idea.  In fact, I bet they go right along with it, on paper anyway.

“…build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably”

“Share…more equitably.”  Why do I have to share anything?  Where does it say in the Constitution that I have to share - and share with the rest of the world?! 

“…we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands”

Obama is going to prevent the seas from rising.  He’s going to stop famine.  He’s going to stop storms.  This guy is really something!  Didn’t Superman, as played by Christopher Reeve, spin the Earth backwards on it’s axis, in order to reverse time and prevent Lois Lane from being killed by an earthquake?  That’s it!  Obama is Superman!

“…stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe”

Human rights!?  Where was Obama screaming about human rights when Uday and Qusay Hussein were raping pre-teen girls in staged rape-rooms in Iraqi presidential palaces?  Where was he when women in Iraq were prevented from working?  Where was he when Saddam was jailing or killing any and all who would stand up to him?  Human rights?  He’s kidding, right?

Then, the be-all-end-all of sickening, leftist tripe.  Obama chasitises his own country while speaking abroad:

“I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.”

How dare he!  The United States has single handedly done more for freedom in this world than the rest of the countries of the world combined.  We take in more immigrants, legal and illegal, than the rest of the countries of the world COMBINED.  We give more in charity as a country - more that twice as much than the next largest giving country.  We have been the sole source of strength of freedom in the world for the past 250 years! 

Obama should have stood there and exclamed that the world would do well to follow the United States.  To embrace our freedom based on natural law.  God given rights to pursue life as we see fit.  To use our own passions, wisdom, strength, convictions and ideas to build wealth.  To strive for personal achievement.  To be free to enter into contracts and the freedom to make something from nothing.  The freedom to be everything that the human spirit can fathom and do so under the blanket of natural freedom granted by God to every person on earth.  That is the message Barack should have given. 

This man has dishonored himself.  He is not deserving of any attention whatsoever.  He stands against all that is free and promotes the evil of incremental tyranny.  His speech in Germany is proof positive of that.

The main stream media are following Obama around with their collective tongue dragging and Obama is rather aloof in his appraoch to the panting patsies. The only negative press I have heard in the latest news cycle is about how Obama is not accessible. Looks like he’s only going to give them canned tidbits. This is surprising because he must know that the MSM will only hand him softballs. Obama’s handlers must be scared to death about his inexperience - they won’t even put him in front of friends.

The Iraq situation is a hard one to figure out. In the event of an Obama victory in November, if he sticks to his word and begins an immediate withdrawal, there is a chance that it is actually the right thing to do. This will be a alignment of the stars for him. Of course, this would be in spite of his every effort to halt progress pre-surge, but the fawning press will overlook that, I’m sure. If he flip flops, and says we’ll stay in Iraq until the Commanders on the ground say otherwise, he’ll cause some disturbance on the left. How much this will impact the election is hard to say - the leftists will vote for him anyway, since power is their driver, not actual policy.

The one bright light, if you could call it that, is that McCain may benefit from this entire spectical. Since McCain is quite liberal himself, there is a chance that some on the left will abandon Obama and come over to McCain in the general election. Though that could be all the difference we need for a win, it would still leave a liberal majority in both houses of Congress and a left of center President. Better than having a Marxist, sure. Good for the country, well…

One thing is for sure - the media have a new darling. The McCain camp must be stunned at how fast the MSM turned on the previously-loved maverick. Let’s hope that people pay as little attention to Katie Couric as I suspect they do.

So - now we hear that the main stream media (MSM) is sending crews to accompany Obama to Iraq. Okay, I get that. It is still way out of balance with McCain’s treatment. But get this - they’re sending their anchors! CBS, NBC and ABC are not sending field correspondants or even their middle east bureau chiefs, they are sending their prime time anchors!

It is as if the Obama PR people set up a road tour and have some guests lined up. That’s right - Obama has guests on his tour. You can bet that’s how the events will be treated. And mark my words, these are events. Each interview is a carefully orchestrated media event designed to boost Obama’s numbers and perhaps insulate him from criticism from the left as he flip flops (again) about the war. CBS, NBC and ABS are willing accomplices in the effort.

Someone please tell me when the last time ANY presidential candidate got all three network news anchors to follow him half way around the world and agree to successive interviews - one each night for three nights.

I wonder, how did they decide who would go first? I bet that it was decided by the Obama campaign.

Imagine this - a campaign has three very well behaved lap dogs at their disposal, who happen to represent all three of the major broadcasts. This is a total disgrace.

With any luck, this will be one of the final nails in the coffin of credibility. The MSM doesn’t even vaguely resemble objective or credible.

I’m not sure why I am suprised, but this is just so overtly biased. I guess I’m more stunned than suprised.

We hear a lot about change these days.  The leftists keep on with the same old complaints: We need to change how the United States is viewed by the rest of the world.  We need to stop tax cuts for the rich.  We need to change the failed Bush energy policy.  We need to change the culture of curruption.  We need to change how oil company executives keep getting richer, while gas prices have doubled in the past couple of years.  Change, change, change.  Hurrah for change!

But a change to what?

While the mantra of change can be a powerful media message, as evidenced by Barrack Obama’s campaign, it is but a loose cloak, concealing the true nature of the change Obama seeks.  Before sytematically dismanteling the Obama platform, let’s first discuss something Obama never does; talk about how great the United States already is.

The United States is HOPE.  Hope for millions upon millions of people who try, many succeeding, to come live here.  To listen to the political left, the United States has a tarnished image across the world, and we must be nicer, so that we are better liked.  They usually say something like, “We must repair the image of the US abroad.”  Hogwash, I say.  If we are so bad, why then do immigrants, legal and otherwise, pour across our borders by the millions?  The answer is because we give hope, where no other place on Earth can. 

The United States is GIVING.  As a country, we give more in charity than any other country.  In fact, we give more than the next two largest givers COMBINED.  This is not just in terms of dollars.  As a percent of our gross domestic product we give this huge amount.  What a stunning, beautiful reflection on the good people of America.  That we would give about $300,000,000,000.00 in charity in a single year speaks volumes about the people who are responsible for it.

Of course, we could never give so much if we didn’t have two fundamentals in place: First, the kindheartedness that is required.  Second, the ability each has to give.  The former is a product of a country founded in the belief that all people of the earth are born with equal footing under God and as such, we should do what we can to help each other.  The latter is a product of the freedom we enjoy, granted by God and secured by our Constitution. 

The United States is DECENT.  This Fourth of July weekend I walked down my neighborhood street and was in awe of the decency of the people.  Each lawn had children running around, playing with bats and balls and chasing dogs.  Dad’s stood sentry in front of smoking grills, spatulas in hand, waiting for Mom’s to deliver the trays of burgers and hot dogs.  American flags waived from almost every front porch.  Firecrackers popped in the distance as neighborhood boys celebrated both Independance Day and an excuse to blow off said firecrackers.  Innate in all of this is an overwhelming sense of decency.  From the farm towns of the midwest to the sidewalks of south Philadelphia, this scene played out across the country.   

America is SAFE.  Throughout the typical days and nights in America, we share a common sense of safety.  We don’t have to worry about a neighboring tribe attacking us.  There are no worries about a violent uprising of a political opposition party.  Many of our kids walk home from school in safety.  Ten year olds should only be concerned with getting their homework done, listening to Mom and Dad, and about what to do on the weekend.  They should not be shouldered with adult burdens.  Much less knowing that just miles away there exists a people who want to kill them.  Americans are safe because we are free.

The United States is FREE.  Perfectly simple and it works.  We are free to do whatever we want, whenever we want to in the pursuit of happiness.  The government is not free.  The government can only do that which is specifically provided for in the Constitution.  The Constitution is, therefore, a rulebook for the federal governement.  If it doesn’t specifically say the governement can do something, they cannot.  At least, this is how the document was designed.  In practice, however, liberal idealogy has been a constant force of degeneration.  It is this force that we find so clearly defined in the Obama platform.

Where does the Constitution say that the Federal government is supposed to provide health care for every American?  It doesn’t.  That should be the end of the story, but it unfortunately is not. 

Obama wants to provide health coverage for every American.  Well, the federal government already does this for the poor and the elderly, and it is a disaster.  Between Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, we are on our way to economic collapse.  A study by the Heritage Foundation says it best:

“In the coming decades, the cost of these programs will leap from 8.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to 18.6 percent of GDP—an increase of 10.2 percent of GDP. Without reform, this increased cost would require raising taxes by the current equiva­lent of $12,072 per household or eliminating every other government program. Funding all of the prom­ised benefits with income taxes would require rais­ing the 35 percent income tax bracket to at least 77 percent and raising the 25 percent tax bracket to at least 55 percent.”

All you Obama supporters hear that?  Now, that’s just for the existing programs.  Let’s tack on healthcare for not just the poor and elderly, but for EVERYone.  What do you think is going to happen to your taxes?

Obama continues the tired old “Republicans give tax breaks to the rich” mantra.  (Though this very old bit of demagoguery seems to clash with the ‘change’ mantra, but I digress.)  In common liberal fashion, Obama chooses his statistics very carefully, saying in his “Blueprint for Change” document that, “The Bush tax cuts gave those who earn over $1 million a tax cut nearly 160 times greater than that received by middle income Americans.”

That is probably true.  But this fails to recongnize that those who make $1 million or more PAY THE MOST. 

• The top 5% of income earners pay 60% of all income taxes!
• The bottom 50% of income earners pay 3% of all income taxes!
• The top 50% of income earners pay 97% of all income taxes paid!

So, does Obama mention this?  Of course not.  It appears he would rather have you think that the federal government is giving money to rich people and taking it from the poor.  His argument is so audacious that it somehow doesn’t seem to go away.  Obama is lying to you.

The Bush tax cuts went  to EVERY single income bracket, top to bottom.

On creating jobs.  Nevermind that we are at around 5.5% unemployment, which is near full employment.  Still, Obama wants to further increase the size and scope of government.  According to his “Change” document on his Web site:

“Barack Obama believes we need to double federal funding for basic research and make the research and development tax credit permanent to help create high-paying, secure jobs.”

On Iraq, Obama says that he will begin bringing troops home immediately.  According to his own Web site, “He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months.”

And then, he’s going to keep things stable with “diplomacy.” Interestingly, diplomacy had zero effect on the decade leading up to the war and 17 UN Resolutions. But, if he says he can do it, it must be true.

On Energy, Obama says that the Bush policies have failed. Many democrats use this to cite some of the “change” Obama is going to bring around. Well, Obama doesn’t want to drill in ANWR, doesn’t want to drill off-shore, doesn’t wan’t to drill in the Dakota’s, doesn’t want to use and expand nuclear energy and doesn’t like coal. So how then does he expect to lower gas prices? Well, he doesn’t. He almost said so himself when he said he’d prefer a more “gradual increase” in gas prices.

You’ll never hear Obama say this, he’ll leave that to the other leftists, but liberals want high gas prices. That way, they have more reason to take your money and subsequent control over your life.

In Obama’s 64 page Plan for America, he says that he will increase or add funds or funding 32 times. That’s some list! In the same document, he also says the word “provide” a whopping 52 times! I counted them - each instance is another in which he says he is going to “provide” something for you.  From “providing capital” to farmers (giving money to them) to “providing seven sick days per year” (getting onvolved in business operations at the smallest level), Obama is going to provide for you.

Change can be good or bad. You can have change where government is scaled back, taxes are lower, we crack down on terrorists and illegal aliens, or you can have the kind of change Obama wants. The change where you get increased taxes, larger governement, weaker military, no war on terrorism, inept foreign policy, and a nanny-state to boot.

Which change do you want?

The 911 call recording is nothing short of riviting, albeit short.  Joe tells the dispatcher that he has a shotgun.  He tells him that the theives are getting away with a “bag of loot.”  He tells him he’s going outside to stop them.  Then you can hear the shotgun being charged and then discharged.  Both shots hit their mark.  Score two for the good guys.

That these two men had broken into and robbed a home is ignored.  That the two were illegal aliens is ignored.  That they were unemployed is ignored.  That they were already deported once from the USA on cocaine charges, goes on being ignored.  Instead what we get is one leftist after another giving excuses for their behavior and coming down on Joe Horn like he is the bad guy.  Unbelievable.  Or maybe, not so much.

Just think about what would happen to home burglery rates if across the country, criminals knew that if they chose to rob someone, there was a real chance of being shot and killed.  Doesn’t take a Senate seat to figure it out.  (Then, maybe I’m being too generous.)  Still, common sense tells us that this would be a huge deterent.

The Texas law is a good one.  It marks a clear distinction between good guys and bad guys.  It’s an almost romantic representation of what most re-blooded Americans instinctively believe anyway; we should be able to fiercely protect our property and well being, and that of our neighbors.  Joe did just that.  Not only that, but he was downright angry.  You could hear it in his voice on the police recording.  At one point he sighed and said, “But they’re getting away!”  Well, in the end they didn’t, thanks to a hero who was looking out for the good guys.

For the next few days, be prepared to listen to all of the self-proclaimed good guys along with their Marxist minions.  They’ll be telling us all what a barbarian Joe is and how Texas law is so unenlightened.  Yawn.  I bet the next illegals think twice before breaking into a Texas house.

This is my official pat on the back for Joe Horn.  Good shooting.  Well done.