Big Government vs. Americans

209 years ago we had a very famous president, Thomas Jefferson. He voiced the very ideas that this country was based, and why it became so great. Compare his words to those of President Obama.

"A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." ~ Thomas Jefferson in his first inaugural address in 1801

"I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money." ~ President Obama, Quincy, IL, April 2010

"To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." ~ Thomas Jefferson

"I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody." ~ Candidate Obama, Oct 14, 2008

Middle America is at war with the elitists on the coasts who do not respect the American people and who do not want to actually listen to or represent the American people. The ruling elite (I think they are called Republicrats or Demicans or some such label), do not understand the people of this country, and the vast difference between Americans and the rest of the world.

The current world wide economic crisis has resulted in demonstrations all across the globe. Look at the protests in the USA compared to those of Europeans, here in tradition dated to before the Revolutionary War, Americans are demonstrating against Too Much Government. In Europe the Greeks demonstrate and riot because they want the government to give more, to take care of them, the Greeks feel entitled to government largess. The Tea Party movement in the USA, is demonstrating for less government, less encroachment on free enterprise, less spending, and the fact that the government is bailing out too many corporations. There's no better example of the difference between Americans and Europeans today, yet even against the clear will of the people, the ruling elite push us towards a European-style social democracy and away from a free republic, with a limited government.

The socialist ruling elite have been trying for a century to emasculate the USA. They have succeeded in many ways to make the USA a “Nanny State” in the model of socialist democracies. Being good Americans, so long as the “Nanny State” didn’t encroach upon our basic liberties, we choose to ignore the government as much as possible. The problem is that at its core America is unique. It was founded by and attracts persons who don’t want the King, or any ruling elite, to determine their fate, but by people who only ask for an even playing field (rule of law) and to be allowed to make it or fail on their own. Americans want to benefit from the risks they were willing to take and effort they were willing put out. Americans know that being allowed to benefit from that effort and risk, also means suffering from mistakes or sloth, but that it is by our own hand, not some ruling elite that we would succeed or fail. This is the essence of “the pursuit of happiness.”

The idea that somebody is “entitled” to something they haven’t earned, grates at almost all Americans, even those receiving the “entitlement.” As a people we are not happy, when we receive unearned wealth. Compare a poor person living on welfare to a poor person barely making ends meet but not taking government handouts. Unlike those on welfare the working poor have hope. To fully understand the American Dream, go and read TownHall columnist Star Parker’s story, or simply look at any of the studies of lottery winners; their happiness is briefly increased, but after the novelty of buying stuff wears off, their mood darkens and they no longer derive the same enjoyment from the simple pleasures in life.

How can a man be satisfied with something he didn't earn? Ask any person on welfare if they are “satisfied” with their life. If we look critically we see that if “spreading the wealth” would bring happiness and was “good for everybody,” then those on welfare would be happy or at least content? The ugly truth is that unearned money does not bring happiness, redistributing money by force won't make for a happier America. The socialists’ and Obama’s theory that we will have a better society through income equality is demonstrably false. It is a theory only promoted by those who want to be in control of how the wealth is redistributed.

Most Americans don’t want to punish the rich, because they know that in this country most of the rich are rich because of their industry and skill, in the same token most Americans would have allowed GM and AIG to fail, the natural consequence of bad business decisions. Our history is littered with failed auto companies like Tucker, Stutz, REO, Studebaker, Saxon Mfg., Simplex, Packard, Willys, DeSoto, Nash, Hudson, AMC, and DeLorean. When we are told a company is too big to fail, we know it’s a lie. We know that if allowed to go bankrupt, GM would have been sold off in pieces and new companies would have put the viable assets of GM to work. Government ownership of industry, is instinctively wrong to all Americans, it reminds us of other countries where the government owned or controlled industry, like communist Russia, China, or pre-WWII Germany. None of which Americans want to emulate.

At our heart all Americans want the greatest opportunities possible to succeed based on their work and merit. This is exactly what the free enterprise system provides. It makes earned success possible for the most people. This is the heart of the American dream; however “crony capitalism” is not free enterprise. Excessive regulations that only serve to protect big business who coincidentally provide huge sums of money for politicians, is not free enterprise. Bailouts of business who are “too big to fail” (which means that big enough to make huge political contributions), while adding regulations to small business which make it impossible to start up, is not free enterprise. Thomas Jefferson was right and most Americans believe that “a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.” In essence this is liberty and the very definition of the pursuit of happiness.

Americans admire Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, all creative entrepreneurs. Americans disdain Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the driver’s license bureau, all rule making bureaucrats (who generally exempt themselves from their rules). In our hearts we understand and own the fact that that income inequality by itself is not what makes people unhappy, and that only earned success can make them happy. The purpose of forming our republic and the purpose of free enterprise is to create an environment where all people can pursuit happiness, not materialism. Americans stand for and demand equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. Americans want true prosperity and happiness, a real cure to poverty, not a bandage to treat poverties symptoms. We don’t want to be told we’re better off with a “pill” to mask the symptoms than to receive the operation to cure the problem.

Intuitively Americans know that more government spending is just a pill to cover the symptoms of too much government, and we want the cure, which is less government spending. Yes the surgery will be painful, and the recovery long, but slashing government spending is a cure not a pill to mask the symptoms. Just like when you need a radical mastectomy, a pill only deadens the pain until you die, it doesn’t save you, and sometimes you must cut the cancer out. Too much government is a cancer. The American people have rejected Obama’s advice, we’re not better off taking a pain pill, than getting necessary surgery.

The spontaneous rush of formerly inactive citizens into political activity, like the Tea Party of yore, is Americans traditional response to too much government. The vast increases in federal spending that began with the Republican TARP legislation in fall 2008 and accelerated with the Obama Democrats' stimulus package, budget and health care bills. Americans believe in principle over power, that’s why you see Democan and Republicrat alike losing when they refuse to take principled stand on less government. Americans don’t want government to “get things done”, we want government to get out of the way. Just like after Katrina, it was the government in the way that kept the people, churches, and even Walmart from delivering much needed aid to the people of New Orleans, we know we are better off if we can just get the government out of our way.

Political strategists for both parties are wrong, trying to maintain power rather than following principles. Maintaining power is not what matters most to the vast majority of Americans. We want leaders who are committed to principle not to the exercise of power. Things are changing; we want and are willing to vote for people who will downsize government. The 2010 primaries like the 2008 elections were not a renouncement of free enterprise and call for more government, but a punishment for unprincipled power mongers regardless of party who are taking power without the consent of the people.

The American people are at war against bigger government, we threw off the shackles of tyranny by a ruling elite 200 years ago, like then we tried peacefully at first, so today through elections and demonstrations Americans are again peacefully working to throw off big government. The Gadsden flag has become the symbol of the Tea Party. Any person running for office needs to consider the words on that flag; “Don’t Tread On Me”. Big government is at war with the American people, they started the war, they forgot the principles this country was founded on.

This war against the American people has already become violent; it’s not Americans taking up arms against the government, but the government and is socialist stooges like government labor unions, who use violence to attack Americans who stand on principle. Every violent act at demonstrations in the USA over the past few years has been, caused by socialists or illegal aliens attacking Americans standing up for their rights. A prime example is the 4 SEIU thugs under indictment for attacking Mr. Kenneth Gladney at a St. Louis tea party assembly last August. Mr. Gladney was protesting a health care forum hosted by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), handing out Gadsden flags and voicing his opposition. Then from the periphery members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) attacked and horrifically beat him. Gladney is a typical tea party participant, an American standing up for his rights, he’s not the racist redneck MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann would have you believe. He’s an African American, and the SEIU thugs reminded him of that as they beat the crap out of him, using the N word repeatedly. There is only one way that this war of big government against the American people will not become more violent; when given the choice vote for leaders who will stand on principle, not covet power.