What I believe about
America
America was founded by men
who had common moral principals. Some were Christians. Some Deists.
Some might even have been atheists or Muslims. But, at the time of
our nation's founding, they all had a fundamental agreement on morals
and ethics. Many of these morals and ethics found their way into the
Declaration of Independence, and from there into the Constitution of
The United States.
It has been said that one
of our founding fathers made the statement “We have gambled our
future on the ability of the America people to keep the Ten
Commandments with all their hearts”. This quote, whether true or
not, represents a very real fact that American government was
established with the intention that it would not be the moral, or
religious, voice of the nation. Within the writings of these great
men can be found an underlying principal of liberty and justice for
all that would be protected by a government “of the people, by the
people, and for the people.” Such a government will, by it's
structure and intent, be in a state of flux as the society evolves
and changes.
Perhaps our founding
fathers had no vision of how much society could cast of the morals of
our ancestors. Or, perhaps they simple recognized that any nation
that wants to strive and thrive must recognize that each individual
has a right of freedom of choice when it comes to religion and
morals. One thing is certain, they understood that, if the nation was
to survive in the freedoms and peace such a government could afford,
then the government would have to recognize, represent, and protect
the individual as fervently as it would the majority and the whole of
the nation. Such that, as the society tosses of the morals and values
of the previous generations, the government (in order to maintain
peaceful coexistence and unity of purpose) must also recognize and
protect the rights of the citizens to do so.
Our founding fathers,
looking to the Bible and to recent history, saw that there is no
place given, no foundation established, upon which a government led
by the church of JESUS the CHRIST could stand. Not only had they seen
how the church had distorted and twisted the teaching of JESUS to
their own means, but they also recognized that there was no place, in
all the plans and teachings of their LORD, a call or command or
suggestion that Christians should try to control the actions of those
with whom they would disagree. In establishing this nation in the way
they did, our founding fathers determined that true Christianity
would thrive and prevail in a society of perfect freedom of choice,
if the Christians would only hold true to the teachings of their
Savior.
Today in America,
Christians and atheists alike are striving to tear down the freedoms
and barriers that our founding fathers so meticulously built into the
fabric of our nation. I find myself looking at a quote from Abraham
Lincoln, “In
your
hands,
my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine,
is
the momentous issue of civil war. “
There
is now, in this country, a series of minor and consistent civil wars
perpetrated upon the American people by the American people. A sense
of the nation tearing itself apart in order that some might force
their ideals and there personal morals upon those who do not agree.
Groups of people who all want to demand that things be done their way
and that everyone live by their code and their standards. Each one of
them wanting to control the government and use it to control the
people. Yet, ours is not a government intended to rule or dictate
lifestyles and morals. Ours is a nation that is to be governed by
those who represent the people, not rule over them.
So
it is that we come to this place in our history. A place where, even
as the government still operates in the manner it was created, the
very foundation of this form of government is under attack by those
who would use it as a weapon against the American people, rather than
protect it and them. Christians are drawing battle lines against
other Christians and the sinners they should be striving to love and
redeem. Homosexuals are being forced to battle to have simple rights
and freedoms. Militant atheists are battling to remove any mention of
religion from our nation and denying it's profound impact on our
history and culture. Whites continue to fight against blacks. Blacks
fight against whites. The nation is torn apart by immigration issues
and incompatible religious ideologies. And where are our leaders?
Our
leaders are feeding the anger and frustration of the people in order
to gain power. They wholly, and unequivocally, feed and encourage
division in the name of strengthening and protecting. Whether it is
in government or in the religious or the secular arena, our leaders
have learned that they can feed the discontent and enrage the flock,
in order to keep the positions of power by presenting themselves as
the one who can win against the perceived and contrived enemy that
lives next door.
THIS
NEEDS TO STOP
It
is this reason, above all others, that moved me to become a candidate
for the President of the United States. As a Christian, I know JESUS
has given no calling to HIS people to try to control the actions of
others. As a Christian, I understand a fundamental principal that
“LOVE NEVER DEMANDS ITS OWN WAY”. As an American, I believe in
freedom. I believe in the rights of each individual to have LIFE and
LIBERTY and to pursue HAPPINESS in whatever way a person chooses as
long as it doesn't interfere with the rights of others.
I
know there is room enough in America for all of our citizens to live
in peace and strive in unity for the advancement of all persons as
equal before the law and GOD.
The
change needed in this country does not come from legislation and
governance, it comes from true leadership and the influence that a
true leader can bring into the lives of the citizens. These changes
come when the leaders no longer seek to fuel the anger and
frustration, but strive to dissipate it into an understanding that no
one has the only right way to do anything. You do not have to respect
or like the choices of your neighbor. You just need to let them make
them unhindered by your opinion of what is right and what is wrong.
Government cannot legislate morality.
We
have seen to what levels the morals of people can fall. When murder
is determined to be acceptable, the laws will allow it. Because the
people of America will decide it is OK. So, a million Americans are
murdered. This is not a failing of our government. It is not a
failing of our courts. It is a failing of the America citizens. It is
a failing of the church.
ABORTION
Abortions
don't happen because they are legal. Abortions are legal because a
large segment of the American population wants them to be. It is
wrong. It is murder. That is my opinion. If a law were passed, I
would sign it. Just because something is legal doesn't mean you
should do it. If something is illegal, doesn't mean people won't do
it. In the end, the law isn't the answer here.
More
abortions would be stopped by good leadership than by passing a good
law. More abortions would be stopped by a president who stands in
front of the America public and pleads for women not to do this to
themselves, then can be stopped by pleading for the life of the baby
or calling women “baby killers”. As a Christian, my focus is on
spiritual and eternal things. While it is sad that there are a
million babies murdered every year, it breaks my heart that there are
a million women in such a spiritually dark place that the murder of
their baby is even an option. Knowing that spiritual darkness only
gets darker after taking a human life, makes me more prone to speak
to these women and plead with them for their own sake, and not for
the sake of a baby that will be in the hands of JESUS.
That
is how a president can end abortions. That is how JESUS would do it.
We
need to stop fighting with each other and start speaking and living
peace. Those who follow the man who said “Blessed are the
peacemakers” and “Live at peace with all men” need to lead the
way of peace and turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, and if
they take you to court, give them more than what they ask for.
Because, even though our enemies do not war the way JESUS said for us
to war, we Christians are obligated to follow HIS plans and HIS ways.
If we Christians will do that, we can lead this nation back to
strength and courage and prosperity like none of us has seen before.
That
is how social issues are dealt with in a free society. By leadership,
not legislation
Our
government has been bankrupted by a combination of “the art of the
deal” and the idea that crept into the heads of Americans that the
government is supposed to solve all their problems and disputes. I
dealt with the disputes issue above. (We have too many leaders who
want to use the government as a weapon against American citizens in
order to win an argument and to have their own way) We are not a
nation of “majority rule” We are a constitutional republic. Even
if the majority and the congress want something, the Supreme Court
has to rule whether it is in keeping of equal rights for the
individual.
The
art of the deal, in congress, works like this;
Senator
A wants Senator B to vote for proposition A. Senator B agrees to vote
for proposition A only if Senator A will Vote for Proposition B and
get senators C and D to vote for Proposition B. So Senator A talks to
Senator C about voting for proposition B and Senator C agrees if
Senator A will vote for Proposition C and Proposition D as well and
getting Senator B to vote for C, D and K. Multiply that times 100 and
you can see why the art of the deal costs you Trillions of dollars.
The
art of the deal is made possible in large part by the seniority
system in government. TERM
LIMITS
would eliminate some of the power that one congressman can wield over
another. TRANSPARENCY,
true transparency, would go a long way as well. If I write a law and
submit it to congress. Members of congress will add riders to it that
have nothing to do with it. Oft times, these riders result in its
defeat, rather than the original intent of the law. These riders are
added in order to get them passed on a bill that has support, because
what is being funded in the riders doesn't have enough support. A
president who informs to the American people all the Senators and
Representatives who put these riders on the laws the people want, has
the power to empower the people to remove those congresspersons who
are a hindrance to the policy of the president.
This
nation, when it was founded, was founded with a government that was
not established to take care of the wants and needs of the people. It
was supposed to take care of national defense and promote “General
Welfare”. It was never supposed to support individual welfare.
Many
years ago I heard a story about Davey Crocket. In the tale, as I
remember it, there was a time when a widow of an admiral who had
given great service to the nation, came to congress for assistance,
as she had fallen on herd times. After many speeches of support, Mr.
Crocket stood and spoke of the very real fact that the congress had
no right of law, or conscience, to take the money of the public and
give it to a private citizen. The request was denied. However, in a
previous vote M. Crocket, caught up in the enthusiasm of a moment,
had voted a large sum to be used to assist after the Georgetown fire.
This opened the barn door.
(you
can find the entire story at this address
http://www.constitution.org/cons/crockett.htm)
Long
since the barn door was opened, many finely intended herds have
escaped to cripple and destroy the very foundations of our country.
So much so, that the rapid gallop towards socialism (or communism if
you prefer) has bankrupted our nation and caused an insane amount of
money to be collected from those who work for a living, to be given
to those who do not. While this seems like good Christian charity and
divine provision, it is in fact extortion and theft. As Davey Crocket
would say, “I
will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to
appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this
floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as
much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of
Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public
money.
“
In
ALL cases, socialism results in exploitation of the poor and working
class. In every historic account, where the people are allowed to be
idle, with no need to strive for their survival, destruction and
sloth have consumed and destroyed both them and the nation that
supported them. Our government was not meant for this. If we are to
maintain some semblance of the nation our forefathers established,
then it is incumbent on the citizens to fend for themselves. It is
necessary that the peoples of America take care of one another. This,
once again, is the cause to which the Christians church is called,
and one of the many purposed for their existence that they have
shirked off. This nation is founded with the idea that the Christian
church would hold fast to the teachings of our savior and would
follow HIS commands and precepts, even if there arises those who will
not.
The
plan that JESUS set down, that HIS people would pool their money
together and care for one another, has been so completely rejected
that the church has, on occasion, been helped in its efforts by the
act of a president to use the funds of the government to support
faith based ministries. This is one of the great embarrassments of
the church.
70%
of the population of America claim to be Christians. (Now, this
doesn't mean 70% are Christians) However, if 70% of the nation were
to bring a simple, minimal tithe to the storehouse, the Christian
church would have enough money to feed the hungry, house the homeless
and clothe the naked. As well as provide healthcare for the needy and
keep people from losing their homes. All this while requiring work in
return for help and establishing care for the needy. The Christian
Church could solve ALL the social problems in America. Even racism
and illegal immigration, and abortion.
Here
is the point, the America citizen needs to be re-educated to
understand that the government is not the answer to their issues. The
government is not a weapon to use against other Americans just
because you do not agree with them and their choice of lifestyle. The
America people need to take care of each other and remove the burden
from the government. If the Christians in America will not do it,
then there is no hope to salvage the nation that conceived started
here 200+ years ago.
Now,
to empower the American people to do more to take care of each other.
The government needs to create a more fair and simple tax plan. We
need to remove the burden from the working poor and distribute it
equally among those who have been blessed to receive benefit from
their life in America. So, if I were your president, this is the plan
I would strive to achieve;
Every
American would pay a 20% flat tax. There would be a standard
deduction of $25,000. Each person who makes $25,000 or less, would
get a full refund. That is the basics. This tax would also include
the funding of Social Security and a plan to pay of the national
debt.
America
has become such a disposable society that we even determine that our
veterans and senior citizens are something to be treated like
disposable diapers. They cover us for a while and then we crap on
them and toss them away. Once again, I admit my Christian values
influence me here. I think we should hold our veterans and seniors in
high esteem and treat them like the people who maintained this
country and kept it safe and strong and supported its economy and
infrastructure, while keeping us protected. There is no group that
does more to hold our economy together then those who work basic
labor jobs for 50 years of their lives. We should reward these people
for their contribution, not treat them like dead weight.
To
this end, there are three major components to my plan;
- Relief
of the poor
- Fully
funding Social Security
- Paying
off the national debt
*The
first point is obvious. By using a standard deduction of $25,000 we
give a full refund to those who make $25,000 or less. This means that
the person who makes $50,000 only pays 10%. It creates the flat tax
most Americans seem to favor and it removes some of the tax burden
from the poorest, working class Americans. The person doing the basic
9-5 also has no need to file for their refund. This saves them
billions.
(side
note: If it could be done, I would give the refund at the end of
November so families could have the money for Christmas gifts or
Christmas vacations. I think this would serve to strengthen some
family bonds. Or, half then and half at the end of April)
*The
second aspect may not get as much support right away. It will from
the seniors and working poor, but not the wealthy. Particularly
because the percentage rate is high at this point. However, that
percentage will be reduced once there is a good reserve. Likely after
the first year.
Five
percent will go to Social Security. (this is why 20% isn't that high.
Most working class Americans lose more than 20% out of their checks
now when you add SS)
Even
though a person who makes $25,000 a year will get a full refund of
their money, that $25,000 will be counted as Social Security income
just like it is now. So, in return for the use of the money, and the
contribution to society and the necessary support work they provide
for those years of work, those who make a little more will cover
those who don't. This tax rate will likely be closer to 2% after the
first year. I think it is reasonable for America to take care of
those people who scraped along in the minimum wage jobs and lived
paycheck to paycheck. Rewarding those who mowed the grass and flipped
the burgers with such a small percentage of our income is right.
This
is not a welfare program. This is reward for people who supported us
for 50 years. This is a support program to honor our elders, which is
good and right.
I
know that Social Security is a mess. It is a bureaucratic nightmare.
It is run by the government, so of course it is. It needs to be
fixed. I know that. But, those in power and the rich elite will not
do it. They do not think like the working poor. They have no clue.
They think they can privatize it and give every person the chance to
choose how to invest that money in order to make more money. That
sounds real good to them. But, it doesn't to millions of American who
are going to live off of it. I will tell you why.
Most
Americans who are relying on Social Security to survive, are not in
the habit of investing or day trading. They get a check and they pay
their bills. When they get old, they want to sign a piece of paper
and get a check every month and pay their bills. That is all they
want. No money in the markets. No investment portfolios. That stuff
is too scary. Just give them a check every month from the government
and make sure the government fulfills the promise and requirements.
The
difference between the career politicians and the wealthy elite who
run this country, and the working class and me is that the people
running this country do not have a mother who lives off of her $800 a
month SS check. So, we need to make sure that those folk, like my
mother, have that available and as simple as can be. It wouldn't hurt
to increase the payments a little either.
*Paying
off the national debt has been a battle cry of the people for
decades. Now, it is at a huge sum of 18 Trillion+ dollars. This has
weakened America in the international stage and we need to end it.
It
only takes about 7-10 percent in flat tax to fund the operation of
this country. There is an additional 5% tax in this plan to pay off
the debt. Five percent will raise nearly three trillion dollars a
year. We should have the nation debt free in 7 years from its
inception. It has to be done.
Now,
after that time, we reduce the rate to 13% total. Although, we could
leave it up and reduce other taxes to alleviate more taxes off the
poor. Future determination based on future information and
conditions in America.
Commander
and Chief stuff (foreign policy and veterans affairs)
I
spent 9 years in the Navy in the submarine fleet. I will not
cavalierly spend human lives like was done in Bengahzi. We seem to
lose the value of human life more and more as our nation goes further
and further away for fundamental values. I will not do that.
I
use the VA healthcare system. There are things we need to do with
that. Not the least of these is the need to care about our veterans
the way civilian doctors care about their patients. Maybe they do too
many tests, but it is better than not enough.
The
system needs many more urgent care facilities. Or a more sure
certainty that the VA will cover the costs, even when nothing is
found to be wrong, if you go to a hospital emergency room.
I
am one of those people who would have likely died if it were not for
being persistent and then falling into the care of a civilian
emergency room doctor. I had my triple by-pass before I had a heart
attack only because of the insistence of an emergency room doctor.
The VA would have had me waiting another couple of months.
We
really could use to get some of those churches that would be led to
do good works to focus on helping veterans in need. While the
government should take care of them, the church is better equipped
and more efficient. Still, with us all working together, we can do
better.
Syrian
Muslim refugees, IS, Al'Quaeda, Taliban, etc
This
is the singularly most pressing, untenable situation in the world
today. There is no way to stop what is going on with radical Muslims
in the world. If we killed every member of every known group of
terrorist today, new ones would pop up tomorrow. These people follow
a belief that requires them to kill the infidels. This is the
foundation of their understanding of their religion. There is no way
to stop this other than an act of GOD. Should the message of peace
and grace found in the teachings of JESUS find its way into the
hearts and minds of the citizens of the Middle East, than there would
be hope. As I said, this would take an act of GOD.
America
has only one course of action for the wars and struggles in the
Middle East. Containment and disruption. If we contain the Muslims to
the region of the world that is on the other side of the ocean, we
have a chance to not be victimized by these religious zealots. As
long as we can keep them busy and disorganized, we can disrupt their
ability to attack here at home. There in lies the rub.
Our
current administration is going full speed ahead to bring 200,000
people from an area where “Death to America” is as common as
“Hello”. On top of that, there is a movement to bring 200,000 to
Canada, and Mexico, and Central America, and many more to the
countries of South America. In the end, our leaders are planning to
support over a million enemies of America to be imported to the
nations south and north of our very unsecured boarders.
In
my book I write about how Islam would take over this country by 2032.
I couldn't see how it could happen until just recently. Now, I see
how this president has continually undermined any hope America has of
avoiding the carnage that we only see on TV.
I
do have a military strategy for IS and Al'Quaeda. I can't share it
now or there will be a full defense in place by the time I am
president. I can tell you it will cost less money and less American
lives. For now, we have to stop the current leadership from
orchestrating our destruction.
There
is an ever changing world that will be completely different in a year
and a half. There will be new threats and different topographies. The
battle lines will be redefined and different leaders will be in play.
We have no control over those issues at all. We only have the
certainty of the few things we can do to improve the conditions in
this country.
In
the end, the real power to change the course of the nation and the
world lies at the doorstop of the Christian church. We need a revival
in the churches and an awakening in the nation. There is nothing
government and courts and laws can do to fight the spiritual sickness
that has torn this nation apart.
So,
what kind of person qualifies to be president of the United States?
Let's look at the options and ideals of those available and the
pundits that comment on what a President should be.
I
recently heard one of the talking head media folk espousing how they
wouldn't support anyone who didn't have good experience as a
governor. A number of governors have stepped up and proclaimed they
have balanced the budgets in their states and so they should be
president. Examination?
They
balanced their budgets by exploiting the poor with lotteries and the
proliferation of slot machines and gambling establishments. They
balanced their budgets with billions of dollars from the federal
government. How does any of that translate to being president? There
is no national lottery and there is no magic pot of gold above the
level of federal government. (Unless you borrow it).
How
about the senators in the race. I have heard them say how horrible it
is that the veterans are treated so badly. They are the ones in the
position to have done something about it for years. So..?????
Then
there are those who feel the country should be run like a
corporation. Folks, corporate America is run with the idea of borrow,
borrow, borrow, declare bankruptcy. Borrow, borrow, borrow, declare
bankruptcy. Let's try this. Didn't work. Declare bankruptcy and
restructure. This is the mentality some think we should put into a
government that is already in borrow mode. Makes no sense to me.
Frankly,
I think the country should be run like a family. The only people who
actually balance a budget in America is that family living on $40,000
a year with mom and dad and two kids. They seem to be the only ones
who get the idea of not buying things they can't afford.
We
need a leader who will influence the America people to peace within
our borders. Someone needs to stand up and say it is not necessary
that we all embrace the same morals and ethics. We do not have to
agree with each other to live in peace with each other. We don't all
have to be the same. We need a leader who will not try to use the
government to force a religion or a belief on those who disagree. We
need a spirit of peace and we need an act of GOD.
We
need a leader who can bring the blessings of GOD to the nation.
Because without them, no amount of human effort or planning or
feigned attempts at righteousness will matter. Christians doing
things the way JESUS said to do them, and not doing things in HIS
name HE never said to do, is ultimately the best way for any society
to function.
So,
the president of the United States must lead by example, with word
and deeds, to speak peace into the hearts and minds of the nation.
This cannot be legislated. It must be modeled. Only a spirit of peace
and unity coming from the off ice of the President can dispel the
darkness and anger and frustration that has gripped America's young
people and threatened our future and our present.
There
are thousands of other issues on the hearts and minds of Americans.
In the end, most of them come down to a change in attitude and a
focus on others rather than self. In the end, it all comes down to
the wisdom of JESUS being embraced by HIS people.
