For the First Time in *Your* History

Years and years ago - actually only 40 months and a day - when the national debt was a mere $10.5 trillion (as of today's date, it is $15.5 trillion), the former Comptroller General of the United States gave us this memorable quote:

"What's clear is that, while the numbers aren't final yet for the year ended Sept. 30, 2008, for the first time in the history of the United States, the federal financial hole exceeded the total net worth of all Americans. ... So we could confiscate every dime of the net worth of every American household -- including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and every other billionaire -- and we wouldn't fill the hole."   (See the entire interview here.)

Gone: The rule of law

Take note of the following quotes; they are all from the Wall Street Journal’s Feb 10, 2012 edition dealing with the $25 billion “settlement” between the Obama administration, state attorneys general, and the five big banks (Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Citi, Ally):

“The foreclosure deal is the product of a year of secret meetings, confrontations, and brushes with failure.”

“It took months of back-channel conversations between an Obama administration official and a reluctant attorney general . . .”

This One's for You

If you elect me to be your U.S. Representative:

1.  “I will return to the Treasury all of my Congressional pay and benefits above that which I would receive were I still on active duty in the Marine Corps.  In plain language, I will not accept any pay above that which I would normally have received as a Marine, but will return it to the taxpayers from whom it was derived.  Interpretation:  I am not doing this for the money.”

2.  “I will not partake of the Congressional retirement system, no matter how many terms I serve.  Interpretation:  I am not doing this so I can ‘sit back and collect.’”

3.  “I will neither buy nor sell stocks, bonds, real estate, or mutual funds, through a blind trust or otherwise, either directly (by myself) or indirectly (through a partnership or other entity) for the entire period that I serve in Congress, beginning with the date of the primary election, and ending one year after my final day in office.  In plain language, I will not participate in insider trading or have one hair's weight of accusation leveled against me due to controversial votes or legislation.  I will not allow my position in the House to be influenced by any source other than my best understanding of the founding documents of our country, my own conscience, and the people of my District.  Interpretation:  I will reject corrupting influences.”

4.  “I pledge that I will not participate in earmarks, unless more than 50% of all voters in every county (or portion of a county) of the District which I represent sign a petition for me to do so.  Interpretation:  An earmark can only be good if it's good for everyone; otherwise, it's a special favor to someone at the expense of everyone else.”

5.  “I will not vote in favor of an unbalanced budget unless the President who presents the budget simultaneously presents a detailed plan (with draft budgets) demonstrating a balanced budget by the end of his/her term of office.  In plain language, if a President can show me how they are going to balance the budget within their current term, I will vote in favor of their budget proposal, regardless of the President's party affiliation.  Conversely, if the President does not present a balanced budget or a plan to get to a balanced budget within their current term, I will vote against their budget, be they Democrat, Republican, or Independent.  Interpretation:  I am loyal to principle above party; it's time to spend only what we take in (and less if possible).”

6.  “I will keep my oath of office in its entirety.  Interpretation:  I will take offenses against the Constitution seriously and do everything within my power and authority to defend the Constitution and to return the federal government to its Constitutionally limited role.”

The 99-Year Scourge and the Romney Response

scourge [noun]:  1: whip; especially : one used to inflict pain or punishment; 2: an instrument of punishment or criticism; 3: a cause of wide or great affliction [source: m-w.com]

This may be a very wide-ranging article; if so, my apologies, but I find this ugly thing (income tax) at the nexus of many important topics, namely:  privacy, liberty, the pursuit of happiness.

452 Doors

In December we knocked doors for hours a day as we sought signatures for our ballot petition.  It got cold a few times; the ink froze in our pens more than once.

In January, we continue to knock on doors and meet people.  The connections are amazing.

A Message to Supporters of Chris Younts

I am sending this message to address the delicate topic of being a "spoiler" in the current three-way race.

Here are a couple of little-known facts:

When I returned to Texas in July 2011 after a dozen years of active duty in the Marine Corps, I made it a priority to go visit with Chris at the earliest opportunity.  We met in late July and had a hearty, friendly discussion in which we discovered

The Invisible Crossroads

Crossroads.

1820 - The Missouri Compromise deferred war for 41 years, and then the debt came due.  Might not it have been better to fight the Civil War earlier, when the necessary surgery would not have been so costly and the wounds so deep?  Yet, the Civil War became an inevitable cataclysm because