Our Founding Fathers Would Not Have Put Up with Gun Control

Our nations founding fathers fought gun control — by killing the who the people who tried to enforce it.  Paul Revere’s famous ride started because Dr. Joseph Warren believed that government troops were marching on Concord to confiscate the arms stored there.  Dr. Warren later died defending his right to carry arms at the Battle of Bunker Hill.  His last recorded words were “These fellows say we won’t fight! By heaven, I hope I shall die up to my knees in blood!”  The good doctor was clearly not a man who was willing to make compromises in the name of political expediency.

Please read the following quotes from our founding fathers and ask yourself if you are living up to the legacy which they have given us:

“When firearms go, all goes – we need them every hour.” — George Washington.

“A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.” — George Washington

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms… disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes… Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” — Thomas Jefferson

“One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.” — Thomas Jefferson

“The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.” — Alexander Hamilton

“Arms in the hands of citizens (may) be used at individual discretion…in private self defense…” — John Adams

“Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation… Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.” — James Madison

“Oppressors can tyrannize only when they achieve a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.” — James Madison

“O sir, we should have fine times, indeed, if, to punish tyrants, it were only sufficient to assemble the people! Your arms, wherewith you could defend yourselves, are gone… Did you ever read of any revolution in a nation… inflicted by those who had no power at all?” — Patrick Henry

“Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?” — Patrick Henry

“The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able might have a gun.” — Patrick Henry

“…the people have a right to keep and bear arms.” — Patrick Henry and George Mason

“As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people before them, may attempt to tyrannize, and as the military forces which must be occasionally raised to defend our country, might pervert their power to the injury of their fellow citizens, the people are confirmed by the article in their right to keep and bear their private arms.” — Tench Coxe

“The Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms.” — Samuel Adams

We get the government we deserve.  What kind of government do you deserve?

Declaration of Independence

Over two hundred years ago, Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, kicking off the American revolution and the creation of the most exceptional nation in the history of mankind. Today we look back at that nation as it once existed and mourn what it has become — what we have let it become.

In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson documented the complaints against the King of Britain which made American independence necessary and good.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

I cannot imagine a more apt description of the hordes of bureaucrat who make a living from harassing the American people and squandering their wealth. Our ancestors threw off one despot only to have their children replace that one despot with tends of thousands of tiny despots. King George was one man and far away. His ability to create damage was limited by his time and attention, and also by the great distances involved and the limited communication technologies available at the time. Our current masters are far more organized and modern technologies enable them to easily harass the American people without stepping away from their desks.

Thomas Jefferson wrote “Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.” Time has proven Mr. Jefferson to be painfully correct.

Now is the time for a new Declaration of Independence — independence from the monstrous machine of government which we have erected over us. We must free ourselves from the oppression of this mechanical beast, this steel leviathan.

This is a decision each person much make for him or herself — the decision to set ourselves at odds with our oppressors — to cease being willing slaves and obsequious subjects and to instead take our natural place as free individuals. We do not demand this right, we already own it — and we will defend it with every available means.

Congratulations to Geert Wilders and the Netherlands

Geert Wilders was found not guilty of hate speech and discrimination by a Dutch court on Thursday. This is a victory for Mr. Wilders, for the Netherlands, and for freedom of speech.

Geert was charged with these ridiculous crimes because his film Fitna quotes the Qu’ran. Yes, the “hate speech” that Geert was charged with is from Islamic sources

After the verdict, Geert said “It’s not only an acquittal for me, but a victory for freedom of expression in the Netherlands. Fortunately you’re allowed to discuss Islam in public debate and you’re not muzzled… An enormous burden has fallen from my shoulders.”

The Islamofascists who took Mr. Wilders to Dutch court are not giving up their war on free speech. They are now preparing an appeal to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights to silence Mr. Wilders.

Geert now lives under twenty-four hour guard due to numerous death threats from members of the “Religion of Peace” — who are threatening to him him because he claims that Islam is not peaceful.

I strongly encourage you to watch the film Fitna and make up your own mind — while that is still legal.

The Soviets Didn’t Expect a Revolution Either

I know a lot of people who are clearly preparing for the next American revolution.  Some are stockpiling food, others are stockpiling ammunition, still others are stockpiling investments.  Some have left the country altogether, having lost hope that the America they once knew can ever be resurrected.

These people aren’t difficult to find.  Talk to Americans in pretty much any walk of life, say something short about how bad the situation in the U.S. has become, then quickly look away.  Odds are good that they will follow-up by sharing a story from their own lives. After a few minutes of conversation, mention that something must be done and see where the conversation goes.  In some places, these people are one in a hundred. In other places, these people are one in three.

Our political “leaders” are terrified to speak about this.  The talking heads in mainstream media are terrified that Americans might be thinking of this.  Federal law enforcement officials are surreptitiously monitoring Americans they fear might be ahead of the curve in leading calls to revolution.

They can’t stop the revolution, because they don’t understand it.  A revolution does not start with a few people carrying guns.  A revolution starts when a large number of people come to the realization that the government is broken and lose their fear of disobedience.  It doesn’t take violence to create a successful revolution, it only requires people to stop taking the government seriously.

Popular revolutions often come as great surprises to the “beloved leaders” who have lost touch with their people.  Popular revolutions need not be extraordinarily bloody, because a majority of the people reach the consensus that it is time for a change.

If you want America to recover, if you want a better world for your children to live in, if you want to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem, just start talking to people.  Share the knowledge that we can have a better government.  Help to build the consensus that it is time for a change.  Don’t stockpile your ideas, share them.

Why There Will Be No Economic Recovery

Regardless of what you hear from the professional thieves in Washington D.C. and the talking heads of the mainstream media, there will be no economic recovery.  Economic recoveries do not “just happen”, they are caused.  Cyclic economic theories do not imply that the cycles occur without human intervention, they merely show that humans tend to behave like herd animals. We all tend to do the same things together until it causes significant negative consequences.  We create the cycles, the cycles do not occur without our causing them.

Once you accept that an economic recovery can only happen as a consequence of human action, you must define what actions lead to economic recovery.  Fortunately, this is a fairly well understood area of economic study.

Hiring

We currently have an official unemployment rate of 9.1%.  This number is almost useless, because it does not include the 8.5 million Americans who are currently working part-time because they cannot find full-time jobs, the 2.2 million Americans who are unemployed but have not looked for work in the last 4 weeks, and the 822 thousand Americans who are unemployed but have given up on ever finding a job.

The first step towards economic recovery must be raising the number of productive workers in the economy.  Unfortunately, smart business people are avoiding hiring workers in the United States.  Why?  Because the cost of compliance with government regulations makes hiring Americans uncompetitive.

The Minimum Wage

Minimum wage regulations cause hiring to be reduced and unemployment to go up.  Ignoring every known principle of economics, President Obama increased the minimum wage in July of 2009.  This deepened “the great recession” and hurt people at the bottom of the economic ladder the most.

Corporate Income Taxes

Corporations do not really pay income taxes.  They may appear to pay them, but all that really happens is that they pass those costs along to their customers.  In a world without global trade, corporate income taxes have very similar effects to individual income taxes, except that they are more hidden from eligible voters.

In a world where global trade is the norm, corporate taxes raise the cost of American goods and make foreign goods more affordable in comparison.  The United States has one of the world highest corporate tax rates, which is a huge part of the reason we have one of the worlds worst trade deficits.  If we got rid of the corporate income tax, American made products would once again be price competitive — both here and abroad.

Personal Income Taxes

Personal income taxes discourage working and encourage spending.  Politicians and pundits alike marvel at Americans pathetic personal savings rate.  They shouldn’t.  Americans are doing exactly what an economist would expect them to do.

Capitalism requires capital.  Capital comes from savings.  Savings is one of the true creators of wealth.  If we did away with personal income taxes, Americans would be encouraged to save money.  If we replaced the personal income tax with a national sales tax, Americans would be discouraged from spending money, doubling the positive effect.

Government Regulation

Federal regulations cost the American people approximately $1.1 trillion per year — and those numbers are from 2005. $1.1 trillion dollars is more than Americans pay in federal income taxes. This government micromanagement represents an incredible, and usually hidden, drain on the economy.

Thomas Jefferson wrote “I am for a government rigorously frugal and simple. Were we directed from Washington when to sow, when to reap, we should soon want bread.” It appears that President Jefferson’s projections are coming true.

The Size of Government

Every dollar in the “government economy” is another dollar that is not in the productive economy. Every dollar that is invested in a government building is a dollar which cannot be invested in a manufacturing facility, a farm building, or a productive office building.

Every potential worker who is pushing paper for some government department instead of producing something of value to the market is a burden on society — a burden on those people who are producing value.  The shrinking productive work force is now supporting 4.3 million federal employees and 15.9 employees of state and local government.  These government employees are paid significantly more, on average, than their peers in the private sector.  This means that even more private sector workers are required to provide funding for each public sector employee.

The Burden of Government Debt

The U.S. national debt is now $14.4 trillion dollars.  That is $129,431 per taxpayer.  Dollars that are spent to pay interest on the national debt cannot be invested in the economy.  They cannot be used to hire people, to develop new technologies, or to invest in plants and equipment.

The Retirement Age

The retirement age was set to 65 in 1938.  Since that time, the average lifespan of American’s has increased sixteen years, but the retirement age has only been adjusted by two years.  This means that more current workers are needed to support the larger number of retired workers — but the government is making it difficult or impossible for businesses to employ Americans.

Why There Will Be No Economic Recovery

Take a look at the items above and compare it to what American politicians are currently willing to do.  American politicians are not willing to shrink the size or scope of government, reduce corporate and personal income taxes, or raise the retirement age.  They simply will not do these things.  Until American politicians are willing to take these proactive steps to recovery, there will be no economic recovery.

Barack Obama Creates Misery

The Misery Index now stands at 12.67%. George Bush inherited a misery index of just 7.93% and left office lowering the misery index to just 7.49%. Bill Clinton entered office with a misery index of 10.56% and lowered it to an impressive 7.29%. George H.W. Bush entered office with an index of 10.07% and unimpressively raised it to 10.30%. Ronald Reagan though, was the all time champ, he inherited a misery index of 19.33% from Jimmy Carter and reduced it to less than half — 9.72%.

Barack Obama entered office with a misery index of just 7.73% and in just 29 month has managed to raise it to 12.67%. This rise of almost five points recalls the dark days of the Carter Administration. Jimmy Carter managed to raise the misery index seven points — from 12.72% to 19.72% — in only 48 months. Barack Obama is on track to beat Jimmy Carter’s ignominious record.

What is Misery?

Most of us feel that we know what misery is — and most of us have felt the misery generated by the Obama administrations economic policies. Economists, however, strictly define misery so that it can be measured and charted.

The Misery Index is made of two basic economic indicators which significantly impact human happiness — the unemployment rate and the inflation rate. Not being able to earn money makes almost everyone miserable. The money that you do earn being worth less every month is also a cause for significant unhappiness.

The Raw Data

A Not-So-Pretty Picture

The Even Uglier Reality

This data would be bad, if it were accurate. Unfortunately, the real data is far worse. The government has changed the way that they calculate both unemployment and inflation!

If you look at the real unemployment data and the real inflation data — as they used to be calculated — the real misery index now stands at a whopping 33.5%.