Littlestuff Weekender-11-5-2011

Yesterday (Friday) I had the distinct pleasure to share the concept of liberty with 250 students at Westerville Central High School. Thanks to Mr. Brent Morrison for the invitation to discuss the founding, the framing and the devastating results that we are experiencing because we strayed from our constitutional principles. I may be too optimistic, but I believe the message that government is too big and too costly resonated with a majority of those who attended. I emphasized that our massive national debt would have to be repaid by THEM because they have 50 years of work ahead of them. Following my questions about how many of them had jobs, a smattering raised their hands. We established that their rate of pay was around $8.00 per hour each, and I asked them how many would be willing to do the same job for the same number of hours for $4.00 per hour? None of them liked that idea. I went further to explain that 43 cents out of every federal dollar that is spent ….is borrowed so the debt continues to grow above the $15 trillion figure. For them to return some fiscal sanity and preserve their economic futures we must stop borrowing and begin to pay back the debt. The high level of taxes needed to accomplish that in a country that restrains economic growth through laws, rules and regs would probably require them to pay 50% or more of their income in federal taxes…..so they may be working for that $4.00 figure (or a relative number) after all. They understood.

Election Day is Tuesday. Last week (Littlestuff Weekender-10-29-2011) I gave you my positions on the statewide issues. They haven’t changed…I haven’t changed. The battle over Issue 2 has been down and dirty. You and I have many friends who work in the public sector or teach. I fear that if Issue 2 fails, many of them---particularly the ones with least seniority---will lose their jobs in the coming months and years as the state and local communities continue to face growing financial pressure. Who will they blame when that happens? Who will their union leaders tell them to blame when that happens? The brazen union positions and mischaracterizations on the issue have convinced me that the leadership doesn’t give a hoot for the younger members of their union. They would rather win a power play than preserve jobs for all their members. If Issue 2 goes down, then we can say to union leaders, “You win.” We can say to the greenhorn members, “You lose.” We can tell the citizens of our most financially stressed communities, “You lose too.”

The situation in Europe is becoming a massive mess. The Greeks want the money from the European banks but don’t want to implement the necessary austerity measures to qualify for the loans. Any sensible observer knows they will default eventually so why prolong the agony and increase the debt and risk? Because of the EU’s fouled-up system, a Greek default puts the entire Euro monetary system on red alert. The inter-borrowing and other credit sources will tumble like a house of cards when the Greeks “spit the bit,” and the PIIGS nations will be right behind. In addition global banking interests will take huge hits thus undermining the entire banking system. Plus….everyone will finally realize that digital money is not “real” money as currencies collapse because of little …or inflated underlying value supporting the money. Can you say “big mess…FUBAR?”

Our daughter, Kelly, has a birthday tomorrow (Sunday). It’s really difficult to believe that I first held her ?? years ago at Wooster Community Hospital. She now has two great kids of her own. Being a grandpa is much easier than filling the role of “Daddy.” Back then, I was worried that I couldn’t do it well, but she’s turn out to be a wonderful person, great mother and butt-kicking attorney despite her father’s weaknesses and flaws. Must be Mom’s influence.

Final word: Vote Tuesday if you haven’t already. Vote twice or more often if they let you. It’s called “fighting fire with fire” or “sinking to their level.” Our radio show this week will be broadcast on Wednesday only as the University of Toledo Rockets have a Tuesday game again. Our guest will be Derek Merrin, the Mayor of Waterville, Ohio.

Keep the faith….they haven’t begun to tax that yet.

Comment: cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Wed. 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo   www.wspd.com

Defining and Weaving

The previous three columns have examined the foundational tools that are necessary for restoring our nation to its constitutional government, but more importantly to its constitutional roots. We have witnessed for the past century or more our political leaders’ failure to honor and defend our constitutional principles. We have no reason to believe that they will have a series of epiphanies and move to the light from their locations on the dark side. Many have claimed to be in favor of “smaller” government, but I suspect that if they were grilled under harsh lights with their hands restrained and blindfolds in place, they would admit that they believe the basic Constitution of the United States is too severe and extreme for 21^st Century citizens. So, the education of America must include many allies in the political class as well as the mass of uninformed and ignorant citizens.

For the past two or so years many groups have assumed the task of educating their members and communities about the Constitution, the Declaration and other founding documents. The educational cornerstone going forward must be the “relevance” of those documents for our present time. Relevance as point of view should never be allowed to undermine the purity and the intent of our national heritage, rather relevance should be defined to indicate how the enduring wisdom of the Founders and Framers developed a structure that can withstand the various trends and feel-good schemes of every generation. The keystone of the educational movement must be the absolute principles included, enclosed and embedded in the documents, debates and decisions of the activists during the Founding and the leaders of the Framing.

Although many changes have occurred in our nation (e.g. more states, larger population) since the adoption and ratification of the Constitution, some things have not changed thus underscoring the legitimacy of the document. Some people thirst for power and seek to use it to bend others to their wills. Others are constantly on the prowl to discover opportunities for tapping the resources of others. Some seek to perpetually hold office by distributing the wealth of workers into the hands of non-productive voters. These types of behaviors and attitudes have existed since before our founding, but the proponents of them have become more brazen as time has drifted further away from the passion of our beginning. Human behavior and human desires are relatively constant from era to era. The additions of laptops, cell phones, HDTV, jet travel, air conditioning and robotics haven’t changed human nature or political calculations.

The Founders and Framers were not strangers to human foibles. Indeed, nearly every flaw in human development could be found among them. Their collective genius sprung from the realization that imperfect people would be tempted to pervert the most liberty-friendly government design in human history. As a result, they forged a template for governing that limited the federal government’s impact on the freedoms and daily lives of the governed. The underlying advantage of such a structure is that it could possibly tamper the desires of people to seize the levers of governance because of the relative powerless nature of the federal entity. Nevertheless for the past two and a quarter centuries and especially for the past 100 years, power-hungry politicians and their do-gooder cohorts have corrupted and distorted our finely balanced government. Now instead of sovereign states that join together to provide for a common defense and other national necessities, the federal government has assumed preeminence and dictates to the states as it continues to grow and assume more power over states and citizens. All three branches of the carefully crafted design have assumed power and oversight far beyond what the Framers envisioned. The delicate balance of power between the branches has become a consuming race for power over the lives of the people as each branch seems to consistently find new ways for abusing and exploiting the people. Many citizens are wondering what happened to their inalienable rights, and the states have become mere identifiers for mailing and zip code directories. 

Defining objectives and steps are vital for starting the process of recapturing the government, the nation designed by the Framers. Federal government power (and state power too) must be severely curtailed and constrained. All three branches must undergo radical dismemberment and reductions. One branch should be chosen as the beta, and that would be Congress. No candidate should be promoted or supported unless she or he pledges absolute fidelity to the Constitution and her or his oath of office. During the vetting process candidates should demonstrate that they have a full understanding and familiarity with the Constitution, the Declaration and the underlying principles. Candidates must be unwaveringly committed to individual liberty, federalism (the sovereignty of states) and reducing national government to its constitutional role as literally defined by the Constitution of the United States. Any candidate who falters on any portion of the knowledge and commitment requirements should receive either an “unfavorable,” a “not supported,” or an “actively oppose” resolution from the vetting group. The results should be published with justifications for the designation. Another reason for choosing Congress as the first line of education and recapture is that with the two-year cycle in the House, the turnover process can be implemented more quickly than it can in other branches or chambers. Vetting organizations must have the courage to reject incumbents who are “generally OK.” Our nation is in economic, fiscal and political peril. There is no more time available for “close enough” candidates who are NOT committed to plan laid out by the Founders and the Framers. It’s time to stop pussyfooting. The time has come to either commit to saving the nation or to surrender it to socialist statism.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Next week: Wed. 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo  www.wspd.com

"Raveling"

Some people derive immense joy from solving puzzles. They commandeer the entire dining room table to hold thousands of tiny pieces of cardboard … all of which are strikingly similar. They spend endless hours attempting to reconfigure the picture featuring the white kitty in the snow bank. Each little piece is uniquely shaped and hued in order to limit its application to one distinct position in the picture. While I am puzzled by those who enjoy such a painstaking pastime, I do, however, appreciate their patience and persistence. It is the type of calm tenacity that is necessary for restoring our constitutional nation. It requires a sense of how the final product will appear (vision) and a plan for choosing or discarding the various puzzle-pieces on hand (priorities). The title of this column is “Raveling” because our nation has been unraveling in so many ways.

We have witnessed a political leadership that has blatantly ignored their constitutional duties while, at the same, expanding extra-constitutional government to the point where our government no longer serves the people by defending our liberties, but has become an ominous threat to our freedom. Many have joined the chorus to restore our nation or to return to our founding principles, but those lofty goals are difficult to define and nearly impossible to achieve. “Raveling,” on the other hand, is a process whereby we “re-weave” the fabric of our nation. It involves the social fabric, the political and legal tapestry and the broadcloth of fiscal and economic responsibility. Each thread has to be grasped and carefully woven back into the whole cloth as designed by our Framers. Presently, reformers are concentrating on the political aspect. That focus is doomed to fail because the entire structure has to be addressed and repaired for the fabric to regain its former integrity. If the approach does not address the whole cloth, the shredded remnant will remain…incomplete, unfulfilled and inadequate. The greatest obstacle to a systematic reconstruction of the Framer’s original plan is the impatience of the citizens. As we discard the chains of statism and knit together the liberty comforter, the progressives, statists and socialists will agitate ferociously for a return to the massive state apparatus. The fickle nature of surly voters could easily undo the restoration movement, and the leftists would not fritter away their opportunities to resume the construction of the dominant state.

Reality has presented us with a seemingly insoluble quandary: go slowly and methodically to reconstruct a firm(er) foundation, or accelerate the process to minimize discontent and thwart a hostile big-government constituency. To follow the deliberate foundational route is the preferred one because the Republic must be rebuilt in a manner that will render it nearly fail-safe. All precautions must be employed to prevent the hijacking of individual liberty and personal opportunity in future eras. To successfully implement the methodical path will require a massive education program that draws in the citizens as active stakeholders in the historic reclamation and restoration undertaking. Selling a form of government can be risky because there are clusters of people who will seek to pervert the process to serve their own purposes. It is better to promote liberty…choice…freedom…opportunity as benefits for individuals rather than promote the collective benefits that might accrue from reigniting the Framers plan. The sizzle should be in the sale by promoting the cornucopia of advantages of working for one’s freedom and self-interest.

So the “raveling” process breaks down into two basically unsatisfactory options: a slow educational piecemeal effort while fighting intense rearguard skirmishes, or a wholly disruptive dismantling of the present leviathan followed by a reconstructive period with additional safeguards added to limit opportunities for mischief. The slow route is extremely susceptible to assault and sabotage, and the faster remedy could result in widespread chaos. Personally, I find the educational systematic method more appealing, but I am aware that the more abrupt reconstructive measure may be the best available option if our economic troubles bring the nation to its knees amid swirling turmoil.

As we go forward with this challenge to restore constitutional principles to our nation, it is my hope that I can work with some like-minded patriots to design educational methods and materials to assist other patriots, patriot/liberty groups and citizens with their efforts to peacefully transition from the freedom-stealing, opportunity-denying and constitution-undermining government of today toward a re-establishment of the Constitution of the United States as the premier and sole beacon for guiding our federal government. The educational project should be a transformational tool that equips the people to shift from the present state of too-big government to a slim, sleek constitutional republic that was developed by our Framers. There is no magic wand for ending the oppressive monolith we have today and replacing it with a federal government that values freedom and protects individual liberty. We must begin work today on “Wand Building 101.” Think about it and be prepared to participate. We must all become teachers. We must all walk in the shoes of the Founders and the Framers.

Comment: cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Next Wed,, Nov. 9^th, 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo www.wspd.com

  

Picking Perfect Priorities

Discernment is the act of exercising keen insight and good judgment. In other words…know what you can, understand the parameters and the consequences, and make the best choice possible. True discernment does not necessarily mean that one makes the choice that yields the most favorable outcome. The favorable path may be immoral, unethical or perhaps illegal. The best choice, therefore, may not be the one with the greatest yield. Bernie Madoff chose to engage in an enterprise that initially reaped high returns for his clients and him, but ultimately led to most of his customers losing their entire investments. In addition, Bernie now sits in an eight by twelve cell, and his family apparently loathes him (or it’s a ruse to minimize their liability).

One of the more popular slogans for those engaging in complex difficult tasks is “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” In other words if the goal can be generally achieved with a reasonable outcome, take it and move on. Do not allow your quest for perfection mire you into a fruitless, time-consuming effort when you could be moving on to other tasks or objectives. Discerning decision making is having the judgment to understand when “good” is good enough….additional time and talent will not significantly appreciate the value of the outcome. This column is not intended to be an esoteric exercise in decision making. I leave that to Robert Ringer, Stephen Covey and John Maxwell. This column is a follow-up of sorts to an earlier one (“What is your vision?”, 10-26-2011, www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com). In the previous column I urged you to identify and solidify what your vision for the nation would be if you had the power to implement it. If you cherish and respect the Founding and Framing documents, your vision can be defined more quickly, but getting from “here” to “there” requires a whole lot of vision, work and persistence.

Picking perfect priorities is a method for transitioning from vision to action. As we stated in the earlier column, the vision will establish the parameters for identifying candidates or issues that are consistent with the end result we desire. Reality often intervenes, however, so it becomes necessary to prioritize the qualities or attributes that we believe are essential for earning our support. Earlier I stated that I value constitutional fidelity based on principle, integrity and humility. You, on the other hand, may have different priorities. You may prefer tenacity, pragmatism or collegiality as your over-arching attributes for restoring our Founding ideals. With your vision defined you can choose the attributes that are most likely to lead toward your visionary goal for the country, and choose the people and issues that most closely match your template.

These two columns in tandem are not intended to be a sum total definition of the process for choosing whom or what to support in the governing and electoral processes. Just as a frame is not a house, these columns are not an action plan. A house does need a solid frame to be structurally worthy, and I believe that we need more than slogans, vague objectives and partisan rhetoric to achieve our goals and save our Republic. In the last election cycle, for example, Tea Party and affiliated groups elected 83 or 84 Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. Yet when the first major vote- raising the debt ceiling- was cast, more than 60 of those freshly-minted Representatives abandoned the overwhelming will of the people who elected them. Why? I believe that we failed to insist on strong constitutionalism from our candidates. “Smaller government” is not necessarily “constitutional government.” Our vision and our priorities were not definitive enough to truly identify candidates who shared our passion….or who were “lukewarm” and in “general agreement” with our objectives. We allowed the “apparent” good to supersede the quest for perfect, and we settled for weak unprincipled poseurs. The outcome, so far, has been disappointing, but as we more clearly define our expectations and do not allow ourselves to be stampeded into strictly partisan boxes, we can be more effective in vetting and identifying those who truly share our vision and our priorities.

The final column in this mini-series will be “Raveling.” We’ll attempt to design a framework for undoing the “unraveling” of the United States of America. See the “vision,” identify the “priorities,” and implement the “raveling” can be a formula for restoration. We must have a plan, and we cannot rely on a party establishment or leadership to share our values. They work unceasingly for power, and we should always labor for liberty. These are not complementary or compatible values.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

This week: Mon., 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo  www.wspd.com