For many the word liberal holds different meanings, for instance if one is a “liberal” it means they may be more socially “conscience” or possibly environmentally conscience; for others being a “liberal” could mean that they are those “damn” hippy, tree hugging, flower freaks! As someone steeped in a tradition of “conservatism” and having over time realized that many of my views were based in bigotry and hate being called a “liberal” elicits multiple instantaneous reactions.

My first reaction is anger; I want to beat the person doing the calling over the head until they slide down bleeding into the street. My next reaction is stupefaction; I wonder how in the heck someone who spends almost every waking minute discussing and researching the Constitution could possibly be a “liberal.” My last reaction is to go about figuring out what a “liberal” really is, and is it really a bad thing.

When in doubt check the etymology and English language definition, this is my mantra and it honestly serves quite well. Merriam Webster states that Liberal can be defined as the following, “of or befitting a man of free birth; marked by generosity; lacking moral restraint; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms…” (Liberal, 2009) I know that while my moral compass may be different from many others it is not lacking in restraint, so that portion does not apply. I was born free in the United States of America so that definition does apply. I am not bound by orthodoxy (religion) or do authoritarianism and traditional forms bind me so this portion also applies. Am I generous, yes and no, as a staunch objectivist I tend to be generous only with those that are deserving, i.e. directly related or with whom I know will not necessarily squander my generosity. This means that in some cases I am generous, so this definition does apply. According to the dictionary than I am a “liberal.”

So far, according to the dictionary definitions I am quite happy to be called a “liberal.” In fact, I should thank the people who have used this term derisively against me. We found that a dictionary defined liberal is born free and does good things. My problem is that the people who use the word “liberal” derisively do so out of ignorance and through a sense of superiority because they are following the morally superior path (in their own minds.)

So let us look to the history of this word, otherwise known as etymology. For one to look to the history of a word it is important to know where its foundations lie, with most of the English language it is Latin in base, however, as with most of the American/ English language we find that other languages seep in. After all, we Americans are not very original really, that however, remains to be discussed.

Liberal is an adjective, it is a descriptive and a modifier not a noun. With this alone it is improper to use it how many do today, as a noun or worse a pronoun. Liberal describes what a person is not who that person is. On to the history: The Old French “Liberal circa 1375,” reads as follows, “befitting free men, noble, generous.” I like this, after all, I tend to think of myself as a free man, and I would like to be seen as noble. It was also taken from the Latin liberalis meaning “noble, generous” literally “pertaining to a free man,” Even the Greek and others show this as the definition. When applied politically the history dates from 1801, utilizing the French “liberal,” meaning, “tending in favor of freedom and democracy,” Interesting yes.

So now, we see that the word that is slung at people with such viciousness at times should be worn proudly. Of course, on the opposite side we must also see that those who wear it so proudly are not always so very “noble” or worse seekers of true democracy. How can one pursue socialism and call them selves “liberal.” Our founding fathers were very proudly “liberal” yes; many of them embraced the word to its fullest. In addition, to this day while I have at times bristled at the use pertaining myself I am proud to be “liberal.”

Our founding fathers tended to be largely liberal in their viewpoints and political stances. We would never have begun and or had a revolution if it were not for their “liberal” views on revolting against the current government and rules. “This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe.” Thomas Paine – Common Sense 1776 amazing really that this founding father would say that “civil and religious liberty” would be the reason for this nation, or is it.

BORN FREE = Liberal
TENDING IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRACY = Liberal

These are the definitions and etymological results of this word!

Why than are so many people abusing it so badly today, “Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.” John Milton – Areopagitica – 1644 According to conscience, what if my conscience differs in its opinions from yours, is that wrong, or is that FREEDOM! Many people out there do want nothing more than to live their life without the constant pressure from others to conform. They want liberty they want to be free what person does not want this.

I end with this final quotation. “ I regret that I am now to die in the belief, that the useless sacrifice of themselves by the generation of 1776, to acquire self-government and happiness to their country, is to be thrown away by the unwise and unworthy passions of their sons, and that my only consolation is to be, that I live not to weep over it.” Thomas Jefferson – Letter to John Holmes, Monticello, April 22 1820
Thomas Jefferson being the founder of the Democratic – Republican Party, the same one that became two parties later on, he saw what was coming and what now is.

Why fight over terminology, why fight at all when both sides want a common goal, FREEDOM!

Viva la libertad!

References:

Liberal. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Retrieved July 25, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberal

The article itself was originally published as part of a three part series in the Examiner.

All other references were taken from the private library of the Author and with only one exception all of the quotes were taken from first edition books, or letters- printed at the time of the beginnings of our great country!

Jesse

US turns up pressure on Honduras coup government

By MARK STEVENSON (AP) – 1 day ago



TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — The United States is turning up pressure on the Honduran government installed by a coup — and the businessmen who support it — warning that they will face severe sanctions if ousted President Manuel Zelaya is not restored to power.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called interim President Roberto Micheletti to say there would be serious consequences if his government ignores international mediation for Zelaya’s return.

Her call on Sunday came as talks mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias stalled due to the refusal of Micheletti’s delegates to accept demands for Zelaya’s return.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that Clinton helped “helped him understand the potential consequences of a failure to take advantage of this mediation.”

Honduran business leaders, meanwhile, say U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens has called them into meetings to warn that Honduras — impoverished and highly dependent on exports to the United States — could face tough sanctions if the interim government continues to refuse Arias’ compromise proposal for Zelaya to return as head of a coalition government.

The European Union added to the pressure on Monday by announcing it was suspending $93.1 million (65.5 million euros) in aid to Honduras.

No government has recognized Micheletti, and the United Nations and Organization of American States have called for the return of Zelaya, who was arrested and hustled out of the country by the army on June 28.

But Micheletti vowed not to stand down — and implied that the United States is betraying one of its staunchest allies. Honduras allowed its territory to be used as a staging area for U.S.-backed Contra rebels in Nicaragua during the 1980s, and more recently it sent troops to Iraq.

“We have received pressure from all sides,” Micheletti said in a speech before cheering supporters Monday. “One learns in life that people who seem to be friends are not really friends, but are only interested in what you can do for them or give to them.”

Referring to Clinton’s call, Micheletti suggested she send an envoy to Honduras to verify that his government is not persecuting opponents.

“I told her to please send someone she has confidence in, someone she can really talk to, down here to say whether it was really true that people are being killed all the time,” he said.

He vowed to stay in power until the scheduled Nov. 29 elections. The United States has suggested it may not recognize that vote because it will be held under a de facto government.

“We are going to go with life, we are going to go on with our government, we are going to go on with the next presidential elections on Nov. 29,” he said. “They have to respect us.”

Business leaders — a key sector of support for Micheletti — also vowed to tough it out, hoping that the U.S. government is as wary as they are of Zelaya, who has aligned himself with leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington’s biggest antagonists in the region.

The interim government has launched a lobbying effort against sanctions, betting they wouldn’t play well with U.S. conservatives or business interests.

“Honduras is a small, poor country,” said Amilcar Bulnes, the head of the Honduran Council of Private Business. “The world would look very bad if it takes out its wrath on this country.”

Bulnes attended one of the meetings with Llorens last week, and said the U.S. ambassador told businessmen that “there could be consequences for Honduras. … They could be very tough.”

“Implicitly, he was saying there may be U.S. economic sanctions within the framework of an action by the (Organization of American States),” Bulnes said.

He said such sanctions could draw resistance from investors in the country’s key assembly plant sector, who are overwhelmingly American.

“I imagine there would be some reaction from them,” Bulnes said.

The U.S. Embassy said it would not comment on the meetings.

On July 8, the U.S. government announced it had suspended $16.5 million in military aid, and had placed a hold on development aid expected to total about $180 million. But it has not yet threatened to cut off trade or remittances, a move which analysts say could quickly bring down Honduras’ economy.

“The U.S. could make this be over in a second if it imposed strong sanctions,” said Mark Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University. “But in doing so it would hurt the poor, it would hurt our allies.”

EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner announced the aid cut from Brussels, calling the standoff “a crisis which Honduras can ill afford.”

Adolfo Facusse, the head of Honduras’ National Association of Industries, was defiant:

“We prefer sanctions to Zelaya’s return,” which he said would bring the “loss of liberty, dictatorship, communism.”

Zelaya angered many here by ignoring the objections of the courts and Congress to try to hold a referendum on changing the constitution, which many saw as an attempt to impose a Chavez-style socialist government.

Bulnes said the damage to Honduras’ image since Zelaya’s ouster had already hurt the country’s tourism, hotel and restaurant industries, but he said that farms and factories were still operating normally.

Seventy percent of Hondurans live in poverty and the per capita gross domestic product is just under $4,000 per year.

“Neither Micheletti nor Zelaya gives me anything to eat,” said street vendor Oscar Quintanilla, who is struggling to raise four children amid constant protests. “I don’t care about constitutional referendums, all I care about is the welfare of my family.”



Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

So, the article makes a great deal in the opening paragraphs of showing how the whole world is essentially supporting the return of Zelaya. Only at the very bottom of the article does it mention the reason he was ousted, and nowhere in the article does it mention that Zelaya essentially impeached himself by insisting on violating the constitution of Honduras.



I think a very telling quote from Micheletti the interim President is this:

“We have received pressure from all sides,” Micheletti said in a speech before cheering supporters Monday. “One learns in life that people who seem to be friends are not really friends, but are only interested in what you can do for them or give to them.”



What the hell is our country coming to when we cannot even tell the truth and outright support a wannabe dictator’s return to power?

Stay vigilant fellow patriots…



And die with your boots on…

God changes allot…(the following are only a few verses that contradict each other- there are literally hundreds…)

Initial creation…

Genesis 1:27 “And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ”

Wait, cant let females think they are equal now…

Genesis 2:7 “And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
and
Genesis 2:21-23 “And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ”

Of course there is God with his multiple personality disorder/ possibly manic depressive…

Exodus 15:3 “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.”

Wait he is peaceful though…

Rome 15:33 “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”

Who was Joseph’s father (who was supposedly Jesus’s father)

Matthew 1:16 “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”

Or was it the plumber?

Luke 3:23 “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.”

How many animals should Noah take (multiple choice…)

Genesis 7:2 “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.”

OR

Genesis 7:8-9 “Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.”

Lets just kill em all…

Isaiah 14:21 “Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.”

I mean better than being confused…

Deuteronomy 24:16 “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Carrying luggage is hard as well…

Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Or do you…

Galatians 6:5 “For every man shall bear his own burden.”

Than Paul and his light (this big, no it was this big…)

Acts 9:7 “And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.”

Wait a minute it was THIS big…

Acts 22:9 “And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.”

Of course there was the initial prophetic end times thingy…

Matthew 24:34 “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

Ooop…here lets read that again…

Mark 13:30 “Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.”

Hmm maybe I have that wrong?

Luke 21:32 “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.”

Stop, stop, stop even though there is more I cannot go on…

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Walk on down the yellow brick road, and finish this article here!

Many of us are wondering what we are going to do when the elections come around midterm in Arizona. While your vote is private and should be considered fully one must realize that we need major change if we as shooters, and Constitutional supporting, law abiding “Citizens” of this great nation are to retain those Constitutional rights our ancestors fought so hard for. What do you want as a citizen of this great nation, do you want our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms to continue to mean more than the paper they are printed on?

As a writer, American history buff, and collector of texts that were written at the time of our founding I am constantly at odds with people from every side of the fence. Some are hard-core “liberals” so to speak, and others are hard core “right wingers/ neo-cons.” All of them are Americans and all of them have the right as it stands now to disagree with my personal opinions. However, none of them or me has the right to take those Constitutional, Declaration of Independence values and rights so dearly held to by the original founders of this great nation. I quote “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, which among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” While there are times I truly wish people would simply come together and realize that we do not all have to be the same to live together, I do also enjoy the diversity we have and will always support the rights that were given to us with that very diversity in mind!

At no time does this great document (Declaration of Independence) say, “We should ensure as a nation that the only rights are those that we agree with…” What has happened in this nation to change what once was cherished to (and I quote a “right winger”) “those are old rules sometimes change is necessary…” Amazingly, this good person is a police officer in Texas, he carries a gun on and off duty, and he has the freedom to say things like what he said to me. Those freedoms are a direct result of the very document he considers“outdated” and in need of change!

I relate this too you my readers because I want to impress upon you the importance of keeping with our original founding and hard fought for values. Those values of freedom, the rights to individual expression, the rights to believe what you want, and above all the rights to KEEP and BEAR arms. There are more rights and some of them have been nullified with time and some very recently. One of those rights that many states are fighting to regain is the Tenth Amendment rights-this state focused Amendment was nullified by our 16th president…another of those rights are the Fourth through the Eight Amendment rights. These rights were nullified by the combined efforts of the former President Bush and Senator John McCain when they (and many others) voted the Patriot Act in –twice. Yes, my fellow patriots and proud citizens regardless of your beliefs or stances the very rights you would like to take from each other are also the rights that allow you to do this. Of course, you have the most recent travesty to hit our nation and that is the “bailout” and TARP etc. Yes, John McCain and George Bush were among the initial planners for these terrible money-wasting travesties. So, get upset with the current administration, but think about one thing- did you vote for McCain in the election? If so you voted for the same bad politics!

So this Mid Term election in Arizona vote for real change, effect a real revolution and show people that they can make differences with their votes. Vote for Jim Deakin for United States senator, and vote for a man that wants to do the right thing. With your support, we can bring about great change in this nation, let us start with Arizona, and spread the vote for freedom across the United States!

This article was written solely by Jesse Mathewson and was not endorsed by Jim Deakin.

Many of us are wondering what we are going to do when the elections come around midterm in Arizona. While your vote is private and should be considered fully one must realize that we need major change if we as shooters, and Constitutional supporting, law abiding “Citizens” of this great nation are to retain those Constitutional rights our ancestors fought so hard for. What do you want as a citizen of this great nation, do you want our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms to continue to mean more than the paper they are printed on?

As a writer, American history buff, and collector of texts that were written at the time of our founding I am constantly at odds with people from every side of the fence. Some are hard-core “liberals” so to speak, and others are hard core “right wingers/ neo-cons.” All of them are Americans and all of them have the right as it stands now to disagree with my personal opinions. However, none of them or me has the right to take those Constitutional, Declaration of Independence values and rights so dearly held to by the original founders of this great nation. I quote “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, which among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” While there are times I truly wish people would simply come together and realize that we do not all have to be the same to live together, I do also enjoy the diversity we have and will always support the rights that were given to us with that very diversity in mind!

At no time does this great document (Declaration of Independence) say, “We should ensure as a nation that the only rights are those that we agree with…” What has happened in this nation to change what once was cherished to (and I quote a “right winger”) “those are old rules sometimes change is necessary…” Amazingly, this good person is a police officer in Texas, he carries a gun on and off duty, and he has the freedom to say things like what he said to me. Those freedoms are a direct result of the very document he considers“outdated” and in need of change!

I relate this too you my readers because I want to impress upon you the importance of keeping with our original founding and hard fought for values. Those values of freedom, the rights to individual expression, the rights to believe what you want, and above all the rights to KEEP and BEAR arms. There are more rights and some of them have been nullified with time and some very recently. One of those rights that many states are fighting to regain is the Tenth Amendment rights-this state focused Amendment was nullified by our 16th president…another of those rights are the Fourth through the Eight Amendment rights. These rights were nullified by the combined efforts of the former President Bush and Senator John McCain when they (and many others) voted the Patriot Act in –twice. Yes, my fellow patriots and proud citizens regardless of your beliefs or stances the very rights you would like to take from each other are also the rights that allow you to do this. Of course, you have the most recent travesty to hit our nation and that is the “bailout” and TARP etc. Yes, John McCain and George Bush were among the initial planners for these terrible money-wasting travesties. So, get upset with the current administration, but think about one thing- did you vote for McCain in the election? If so you voted for the same bad politics!

So this Mid Term election in Arizona vote for real change, effect a real revolution and show people that they can make differences with their votes. Vote for Jim Deakin for United States senator, and vote for a man that wants to do the right thing. With your support, we can bring about great change in this nation, let us start with Arizona, and spread the vote for freedom across the United States!

This article was written solely by Jesse Mathewson and was not endorsed by Jim Deakin.

In 1913 the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified forever changing the Constitution. The original passage in the Constitution, Article 1, Section 9, reads as follows “No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.” While the origin of taxation goes all the way back to colonial times, the income tax dates back to the Civil War, 1862; in an attempt to regain lost war revenue. At that time only 1% of the population was required to pay the tax. In 1867 a flat tax was proposed and entirely repealed in 1872. Income tax is by far the most oppressive and unconstitutional of taxes ever emplaced on the people of this country. In 1892 the Populist Party used the Income Tax as a rally point and in 1894 the Wilson-Gorman Tarriff Act or the Income Tax act of 1894 was signed into law. In 1895 in Pollock v. Farmer’s Loan and Trust Co. the U.S. Supreme Court declared  the Income Tax Act of 1894 as unconstitutional for it failed to meet the requirements laid down in Article 1, Section 9. In 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment changed the Constitution to allow for the income tax. In 1913 it was a small and paltry flat tax, easy fooling the constituents. By 1932 in progressed to a “Graduating” or “progressive” tax. Meaning that the more you make the more you pay. “After World War I, the War Revenue Act of 1917 imposed a Maximum tax rate for individuals of 67 percent, compared to a rate of 13 percent in 1916.” (4) The rate was lowered down to 25% in 1926. However it was increased to 63% as well as limiting exemptions from $1,500.00 to $1,000.00 for singles and $3,500 to $2,500 for married couples during the Great Depression. The Wealth Tax Act of 1935 increased the maximum tax rate to 79%! In 1942, the Revenue Act raised it again to 88% and again the Individual Income Tax Act of 1944 raised it to 94%! The current rate as of today is 35%.

The power to lay and collect taxes resides ikn Article 1, Section 8 and reads;

Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

In the Article covering the governments prohibitions, Article 9, it reads; 

No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.

This clause is important, for this is the clause that was forever changed by the Sixteenth Amendment.

The Sixteenth Amendment reads;

Amendment 16: Income taxes
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

February 3, 1913.

I do not mind paying taxes for the general upkeep of the government. The problem here is that they have taken away from the freedom of the people. Let us take a look at the amount of taxes each citizen will pay in Sierra Vista, Cochise County, Arizona. Arizona is ranked one of the lowest in the nation for income tax. We will use a $100,000.00 gross income with no deductions, Joe Snuffy, age 25, just as an example.

Tax 1: State Income Tax: 4.24% ($4,240.00)

Tax 2: Vehicle Registration: $8.00 ($4,248.00)

Air Quality Research Fee: $1.50 ($4,249.50)

Vehicle License Tax (instead of Personal Property Tax): 60% of base retail and is reduced by 16.25% for each year the vehicle is registered

in AZ. For example, for a new vehicle that costs $25,000, the first year assessed value would be $15,000 and the VLT would be $420.00. The second year the assessed value would be $12,562.50 and the VLT would be $363.06. ($4,669.50)

Tax 3: Property (Real Estate) Tax ($220,000.00 home in Sierra Vista not near a school): 6.58% – City and 5.10 – County total 11.81%      

($16,479.50)

The rate is per $100.00 of assessed value.

Tax 4: Federal Income Tax: 28% for this example ($44,479.50)

Now let’s say that Joe Snuffy owns a business and profits $75,000.00 a year after overhead.

Tax 5: Corporate Income Tax: 34% an additional $25,500.00 in taxes. Not to mention state taxes.

The state of Arizona also charges additional taxes to business for the privilege of operating in Arizona called the Privilege Tax. If Joe or his business invests in stocks, property, bonds, municiples or precious metals the they would both pay a c. That is a double taxation by the federal government. Triple if one takes into account the fees and taxes of a purchase that the state levies. In 2010, the zero percent Capital Gains Tax for Tax bracket 10% and 15% will expire and rates will go up to at least 15%.

Capital Gains Tax Rates

That is a lot of tax money.

Tax 6: Social Security and Medicare Tax: The 2009 tax rate (combined) is 7.65% for an employee and 15.3% for the self-employed. Since we have established that Joe owns a small business he is taxed $15,300.00 annually ($59,779.50).

Tax 7: Federal Unemployment Tax: Joe’s business gets hit again with a standard 6.2% (certain deductions for State unemployment taxes bring this to .8%) Joe’s Business now pays $31,700.00 without Capital Gains Tax.

Tax 8: Inventory Tax (State Dependent): Joe’s Business has a warehouse full of boats, an appraiser comes in and appraises these items then Joe has to pay the State taxes because it is then considered income. Luckily Joe gets over a bit, he is in Arizona and they do not have an inventory tax.

There are also literally hundreds of other forms of taxes we pay as well. Sales tax for example.

Sierra Vista Sales Tax (2007): 1.75%

County: .5%

State: 5.6%

And that depends on the services used. That’s a 7.85 Sales Tax. For every dollar you spend you pay an additional .0785 cents. for every $100 it is $7.85. Doesn’t seem like much does it. Now take into account everytime you go to the store.

Then we have gasoline. The Federal Gas Tax rate is 18.4 cpg (cents per gallon). In Arizona (using the same example) the State adds an additional 18 cpg. So for every gallon of gas you pay 36.4 cents. A 20 gallon fill up twice a week costs you $14.56. A year’s worth of filling up totals $757.12.

Let us say that Joe Snuffy goes to Wal-mart twice a month to purchase household items and he spends $200.00 total. He goes grocery shopping twice a month spending $500.00 total. Adding his gas taxes of $757.12, his grocery taxes of $39.25 and his Wal-mart taxes of $15.70 gives us a total of $60,591.57 a year and taxes. That doesn’t take into account furniture, Christmas, birthdays, religious holidays, vacations or other niceties in life one may want. Nor does that take into account other such things as investments or business. So if a man or woman earns $100,000.00 they end up paying well over half in taxes. What would happen if everyone payed half their incomes on taxes? There would be a lot of destitution in this country. I make around $55,000.00 a year and without deductions I would be paying my 25%. I would still not be in the poverty line though. Nor would I accept handouts. I would simply get another job and work more hours, continuing to better myself. I would then have to pay more taxes.

     The Sixteenth Amendment left nothing to protect against the dangers of double, triple or indirect taxes. Where is our representation at? The Statists love to talk about fairness and equality, but how is it fair that being successful means that you must pay more than everyone else in percentages? Isn’t 10% of $300,000 still more than $3,000? Why must the American Dream be punished by higher and higher taxes. At the end of this series we will examine the many ways we can earn quality tax revenue, cut spending and finally bring the constitutionality back into taxes.

1. Independence Forever: Why America Celebrates the Fourth of July by Matthew Spalding, Ph.D.
2. The Declaration of Independence
3. The Constitution of the United States of America
4. Income Tax – History  // Law Library – American Law and Legal Information
5. Read The Stimulus
6.H.R. 1105 Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009
7. Omnibus Spending Bill: Huge Spending and 9,000 Earmarks Represent Business as Usual by Brian M. Riedl
8. Omnibus Bill Earmarks
9. Ricci Vs. DeStefano
10. The International Judge by Daniel Terris, Cesare P.R. Romano, Leigh Swigart
11. Berkeley Law School symposium: “Raising the Bar: Latino and Latina Presence in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation – A Latina Judge’s Voice”
12. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
13. Gun Control – Take That! And That! The Gun Control Debate Continues, Further Readings by Rubin Carter
14. Georgia Carry.org
15. Dred Scott v. Sanford
16. United States v. Miller
17. The Brady Handgun Control Act, Public Law 103-159, H.R. 1025 – 103rd Congress
18. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, H.R. 3355 in Title XI, Subtitle A
19. National Firearms Act of 1934
20. District of Columbia v. Heller
21. United States v. Cruikshank (1875)
22. Presser v. Illinois (1886)
23. ATF Abuse Web Site
24. Library of Congress: A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
25. Association of Communities for Reform Now (ACORN)
26. Current Minimum Wage Rates
27. Minimum Wage Resources – Heritage Foundation Research
28. Raising the Minimum Wage: Another Empty Promise to the Working Poor – Richard V. Burkhauser, Cornell University; Joseph J. Sabia, University of Georgia
29. The White House.gov Web Site
30. Ice Age Timeline
31. The Real ‘Inconvenient Truth’
32. Debunking Global Warming, Global Myth by Edmund Contoski
33. Waxman-Markey Bill; H.R. 2454: American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009
34. Wind Turbines: The Whole Truth
35. The Heartland Institute
36. H.R. 3200 America’s Health Choices Act of 2009
37. The Real Cuba

1. The Declaration of Independence
2. The Constitution of the United States of America
3. The Heritage Foundation
4. The Great Global Warming Swindle
5. The Heartland Institute

I am still very strongly grounded in my beliefs in the equality of freedoms and the preservation of the Constitution. However, I am no longer rabidly religious. In fact, I am not religious at all and after changing over a long period, I found that it was the religion and religious experiences themselves that contributed the most to my being able to live where I am now. It was the last “Church” I attended, as a member and its pastor that helped me become who I am today. Without his guidance in my continual quest for knowledge and the wonderful doors, he helped me see still existed I would still be stuck chanting mantras and praising “Jesus” daily versus researching, and learning the actual history attached to all of this.

I have been told that my fascination with history is just plain odd and that history cannot help us now, yes, I have been told this. Obviously, we know this is not true. History is the only true method of divining the future. Our futures are closely intertwined with our histories and to have knowledge of both we must be able to lay down our religious differences, beliefs, and rabid ideals. I have taken to the study of American history, our foundations, Founding Fathers, ideals, and above all the very basis of our country FREEDOM!

Over the years of studying this, I have found that the terms “liberal” and “conservative” rarely mean anything truly different. Modern America has taken to referring to Democrats as “liberals” and Republicans as “conservatives” they have polarized some factions of those parties on what are known as “party lines” The funny thing is that in many areas people are Republican and support “liberal” philosophies, or people are Democratic and support “conservative” philosophies. Worse, the politicians themselves rarely are fundamentally different from their “opponents.” Look to voting records and than you tell me, or better yet look to history when the Republican Party was the “socially Liberal” party and the Democratic Party was the “traditionally secure” party.

So when someone calls me a “liberal/ libtard etc” or a “conservie/ conservative etc” I tend to dismiss them as uneducated. Anyone at this point who still strongly supports their party based on what they feel is correct or what they have heard to be right deserves the presidents they have received and the changes they are seeing. There is no real difference between the two parties any longer, the major players from both sides vote the same, dress the same and attend all the same parties. So am I a liberal or a conservative?

If you have an answer to that question than you are less intelligent than I originally figured…

Our culture is what impedes us from progress on a social and even economic scale. The old traditions, the old standbys, all are ingrained into our heads from birth and for some reason held to a lofty standard of superior and prime validity. This is particularly evident to me in the assumed gender roles. Man works, woman tends etc. It’s evident in many things however. Regional racism and bigotry, ideas about sex, drugs, politics and more. The culture we inherit (or are forced to inherit) is dangerous. Not just American culture, but ALL culture. Culture is the enemy of progress and of a better society. As long as we keep pushing what we’ve been pushing for a thousand years, we’ll never get out of the Dark Ages.

I am not saying nothing good can come from culture. Certain values can be stolen and used to your advantage, the good ones. Every culture has some good values. Take them and use them for yourself, but let go of all of the things repulsive about culture (and there are a lot in my opinion). Most of all, never fall static, never become lazy and accept what cultural traditions are imposed upon you by your parents, your peers or yourself. Homophobia might seem culturally acceptable in your High School. Reject it. Sexism might seem culturally acceptable in the office. Reject it.

Force yourself to fearlessly question everything anyone tells you is right. Don’t fall in line behind a mouthpiece, saying, “This is right because s/he says it is.” Question everyone, even those you agree with. Not only will this develop a philosophy and culture all your own, unique to you, but it will refine your ability to think critically and give you more control over your own life. The ones who lose the fight are the ones who give up and accept what society is piling on them.

It’s not easy to reject culture and make your own. Besides the lack of passivity necessary to accomplish this, we have the TV’s, Internet, movies, billboards, magazines, commercials, churches and schools working against us. That’s a mountain of opposition. Still, I know that people can overcome and develop their own culture in the face of these odds. If I did it, I know that you can do it.

This is a call. Make your own culture. Write your own commandments and your own constitution, but always leave space on the paper, because nothing can ever be totally forced to stay the same.