Now that the announcement has been made that he is backing the former Massachusetts governor, I’m a little more certain of my selection. He said his decision was based on his tough position on China and that old bugaboo of common sense, “electability”. Now we must keep in mind that electability is defined by the polls provided by the formerly mainstream media whose agenda is far different than those of us who love freedom and love our country. Need I add that it is an atheistic, socialistic formerly mainstream media we are turning to for electability measurement.

It is good to have a confirmation of the wisdom of my choice. Many others feel the same way. A FoxNews poll showed many of the same mind. Ten percent said his support would make the candidate more appealing while twenty seven percent said Trump’s endorsement would make them less likely to support a candidate. The rest just didn’t care.

We need to keep in mind that such endorsements have little to do with the quality of the candidate and more to do with revealing the perspective and priorities of the endorser. In this case, Trump sees China as a growing danger, and it is. But, so is the Federal Reserve, and so are the dictatorial courts, our southern border and militant Islam… and on and on. We need a leader with the wisdom of Solomon. Unfortunately I don’t see any in the current field with this quality.

Lacking anyone with such wisdom, we can only pray that the one selected as the Obama slayer, electorally of course, can, and is willing to, tap into the same source of wisdom that Solomon had and that he does not lean on his own (or his advisers) understanding.

The fact that most don’t care about such endorsements gives us some hope. Those among us who base their lives on the opinions of others have a wide selection of false prophets to follow… along with some leading us into the light. If we really have the need to look to others for our opinions and standards, we need to do more than just look to celebrity.

Peewee Herman was big in show business for a time, yet few would depend on his wisdom to guide their lives. Yet, many, for some unexplained and unexplainable reason, follow the wit and wisdom, or lack thereof, of Janeane Garofalo or Alec Baldwin… Sean Penn even.

We all need to pay a little more attention to whose thoughts we permit inside our heads. The Donald has actually accomplished much. He is almost as skilled at self promotion as Jesse Jackson in his heyday. Why else would there be such drama surrounding this announcement that is ultimately of minimal importance? He certainly has much more to offer than show business types who earn their living pretending to be someone they are not.

However, if we spend time looking into, and deciding who to follow as our opinion makers, wouldn’t it be far more productive to spend that time formulating our own opinions based on facts? Knowing what is going on in the world and knowing where I stand on various issues is the path to personal responsibility. That is the rub. For some reason personal responsibility is not all that attractive to some people. It’s easier to have Oprah or Whoopi do our thinking for us. The only problem is… they aren’t thinking.

James Dobson tugged at the heart strings, S.M. Lockridge spoke with passion. However, for me, the most memorable speaker, was Dr. Robert A. Cook from The King’s College in Briarcliff Manor, NY. – now moved to New York City. He was a delightful gentleman who had a way of putting things into perspective. He began his address by telling us that two days before, he talked to Vice President Bush, and just the day before, he talked to the President. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he said. “But this morning… I talked to God.”

In his own, plain spoken way, the bow tied Dr. Cook showed an unusual understanding of the what was important and where the real power rests. As great a man as Ronald Reagan was, he could not walk on water or turn water into wine… and, even though this may come as a surprise to some, neither can the man who occupies his office now nor any of those seeking to replace him.

We are told to respect our leaders and pray for those in authority. This does not mean we are to blindly follow and not speak up when we see things are amiss. They are men… only men. We are privileged to live in country where we still have the ability to raise our voices when we see the train is headed off a cliff. With this privilege comes the responsibility to do so! After all, it’s not just about us. We are our brothers keeper.

As a practical matter, then, we need to stay in touch with our legislators, at all levels. We are not doing our jobs as citizens if we don’t and our complaints to others just become ineffective whining… and nobody likes a whiner. People respect those who take decisive action – even if they don’t agree with, or even like, you.

Today, we are governed by another ruling class who, at best, gives lip service to the Creator and, at worst, wants Him banned from public discourse, lest their humanistic lies be exposed. They are the ones who determine who is favored and who is shunned. They decide who deserves the good will of the state and who requires observation.

Here is where we run into the idea of the “protected class” of citizens. These are people who don’t always have an easy time of life. It could be that they have some physical situation, or some lifestyle choice situation that is different than most. However, the common denominator is that the Democrat Party has managed to create a dependency on government in these citizens and, pretty well, takes them for granted at the polling place… sometimes multiple times in a cycle. Foolishly, the other party bought into the compassionate sounding names they gave the laws and embraced them as well.

This is not to say we should ignore our neighbors with physical disabilities. On the contrary, we need to look out for the welfare of our neighbors as we do our own families. However, to make such consideration a mandate from the government opens the door to all sorts of graft, corruption and cronyism.

Consider for a moment the outrageously priced child safety seat for cars. They are a great product and my grandchildren all had them. My kids had this flimsy little thing that hung on the back of the front seat. It would have been useless in a crash. However the mandate did not come until someone had a product they want to sell and the connections to have a law passed. Viola! An instant market of millions of new parents. I want to make clear that just because something is a law does not mean it’s a bad idea – just that we need to be aware of the whole story.

Now consider the whole new industry centered around “compliance”. It encompasses the fastest growing segment of the software industry all the way down to companies that pedal properly worded posters instructing employees how to behave so as not to offend one or more of the ruling party’s constituencies. Those with connections are making multiple millions because of these government regulations, while the rest of us are boxed in more tightly every day by people with no natural authority telling us “you must say this” or “you can’t say that”.

Some of the problems addressed actually had some basis in reality. Sometimes we Americans can behave boorishly, not thinking about the people around us. Yes, even Christians do the same thing. It may not be as overt at times, but we, too, can get caught up in our own concerns and forget the people around us. We are told that true religion is to look out for the least among us, so we are, in deed, our brothers keeper.

It is because we, as a group, have failed to be the salt and light in society, taking care of those in need that we opened the door for opportunists to come in and replace true compassion with the mercantile approach of trading favor for votes. Some of our own number, who claim the name of Christ, have fallen into the trap of attempting to meet their neighbors needs through a political organization that is essentially godless and corrupt.

We cannot escape the blame for allowing this to happen. We have been too wrapped up in our own concerns. These concerns could even include our own church activities. We have not been seeing the needs around us. Not seeing, we have not been responding… and the enemy has moved in with a false solution that takes away freedom and destroys souls.

Recently Allen West has attracted a strong and loyal following.  He has the courage to speak the truth and stand against the prevailing political winds.  Many of you are already fans of what may be a modern day Patrick Henry.  He has been so effective at stirring up the populace that the powers that be in the Florida Republican Party are working at redistricting him out of his seat in congress so he would no longer be the standard by which they are judged.

Using Lt. Col. West as the standard for judging congress is not really a bad idea, yet there are few who would benefit by the comparison.  So for those of you know about the man already… enjoy.  For those who are not familiar with him… enjoy!

This did not set well with those waiting expectantly. Police were called to the Instant Tax Service in Charlotte, NC as approximately 75 angry customers descended on their office demanding the refund deposits as promised on the date promised.  They wanted their money! However, was it? There is common thinking that half the people pay taxes and half do not.

This is only partially true. The part that half pay taxes is true, however, through the magic of Earned Income Credit and other creations of an overly generous congress, many who do not pay taxes actually are refunded more than they have paid into the system… thousands more! Liberals and progressives have a term for these, they are called a transfer payments. That means, money is transferred from those who have earned it to those who have not.

The near violence in Charlotte was repeated in Richmond, VA. Given the thirst for government (read taxpayers) money, it would be surprising if these were isolated incidents. This should be a source of concern for all of us as we work for and anticipate the defeat of the Prevaricator in Chief. This great divider has convinced his followers of their right to feed at the public trough at the expense of their fellow citizens. They have bought into his story European socialist vision and are waiting with outstretched hands. What’s worse, they have been deprived of the ability to create their own lives and their own successes.

What will happen when Barack Obama is ejected for the people’s house and the money stops flowing? Or, should the people foolishly keep him in office, what will happen when the money stops because we have simply run out. Denied expectations can promote a response that none of us would like, yet we must be prepared for. The fact is that sooner or later the money will stop flowing and we have a choice of whether it will be a gentle or harsh landing. And… we also have a choice of whether we are prepared for such a response or if it will take us by surprise.

This was just a small skirmish in the quest for what some consider to be rightfully theirs. However, when things begin going badly, we need to consider how we will deal with the situation. We cannot operate a European welfare state, nor should we. However, we have seen the reaction to a delay of funds for just a few days. We cannot ignore this warning and need to be aware that even though we may be doing the right thing, there will be obstacles to overcome and we cannot loose resolve.

As Christians, we need to look beyond the annoyances and the attacks on our country and speak the truth to them that the real source of our security, and the security of those seeking our money, is our Creator, not the folks inside the beltway.

This is kind of the spirit of what we heard when Barack Hussein Obama declared, “With or without this congress, I will keep taking action…” during the State of the Union message. For a President to say this of the entire legislative branch of our government shows a complete contempt for our constitution and the separation of powers the founders built into our nation’s fabric.

This is the man who considers the constitution that was designed to protect rights of individuals through restraint of government to be a hindrance to the implementation of his schemes to change the world for the good of us poor, ignorant folks who still cling to our God and our guns. That is, those of us who are too dimwitted to know any better. Never mind that we have other plans for our money, resources and our lives. The anointed one and this minions are people who know how we should live… and we should just just quietly follow them.

Many years ago, C.S. Lewis noted, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive”. We have been told that expansion of the national government power is for our own good. We are told that the power of government will keep bad things from happening. We are told that the government can give us better health care if only we are willing to sacrifice our potential well being for the good of the overall society.

Unfortunately, it is the power of government that keeps good things from happening. It is the excess of regulation and interference that has destroyed not only jobs, but entire industries. It has turned happy, prosperous cities into towns struggling with despair and joblessness. The President’s answer to this problem is to expand the unemployment insurance. This is indicative of the myopic approach to all our problems… just think about it. If city after city lands on the skids and survives on the unemployment insurance that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi says creates jobs, will there not come a point when more cities are taking than giving and driving the rest into poverty? How about us as individuals – when more of us are surviving on resources of those who earned them?

In the The Treasure of Sierra Madre, the impersonators came to a bad end. They pretended to be people with authority and power to protect the people. They were not people with authority and power to protect the people. They were liars and thieves. They paid the price and suffered the fate of an imposter. What will be the price that Barack Hussein Obama pays for the destruction of America… both now and forever.

Congress? We don’t need no stinkin’ congress!

Bernanke’s press conference announcement again booted the stock and bond markets, but did nothing to boost employment.

At his January 25, 2012, press conference, Federal Reserve Bank chairman Ben Bernanke stated that he expects the Fed to continue imposing near-zero interest rates well into 2014 on short-term Treasury securities. In response, the stock market surged, despite expectations of generally lower corporate earnings and reduced consumer spending. Loose credit and low interest rates usually facilitate stock market speculation.

However gratifying this may to individual investors and pension fund managers, it does little if anything to restore production of goods and services or to raise employment. It also continues to penalize increased savings, which alone provides a stable, long-term platform for economic growth. People living on fixed incomes have had their rates of income on saving chopped around 75% since the Fed first cut interest rates.

As Austrian school economists long have observed, central bank manipulation of interest rates and government deficit spending have an uneven impact on sectors of the economy. When unemployment is high and people are yet freighted with excessive personal debt, consumer spending will be among the last sectors to increase.

Instead, deficit spending and loose money lead businessmen to over-invest in long term capital goods, because low interest cost for borrowed money makes even marginal investment projects appear profitable. When business finally revives and costs, including interest rates, increase, those marginal projects collapse and push the economy into recession.

Such was the genesis and progress of the housing bubble and subprime mortgage securities.

Contrary to the aggregate computer models of Keynesian economics, the economy as a whole never has been controllable via government stimulus spending. In fact, as reported recently, the 31% increase in business long-term investment over recent months has been largely concentrated in labor-saving equipment, which ironically adds to unemployment or postpones new hiring.

This article was originally posted in The View Form 1776 blog.

http://www.thomasbrewton.com/index.php/weblog/fed_feeds_distortion/

As Barack Hussein Obama kicked off his presidential campaign with a State of the Union message.  The Prevaricator in Chief tried to sound much more mainstream than his actions have shown him to be.  We shall look at any proposals that may actually have both merit and potential for execution at a later date, however for now, let’s look at what American patriot, Thomas Paine might tell him.

What has happened is, the US Census Bureau erroneously claims that it “‘is required by the U.S. Constitution count everyone living in this country, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.’” Accordingly, they have counted millions of illegal aliens in the 2010 Census and are using those figures to apportion the US House of Representatives. If this egregious misinterpretation of the US Constitution is allowed to stand, five states (Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio) will lose representation in the US Congress to which they are lawfully entitled, while three states (California, Texas, and Florida) will be awarded additional representation in the US Congress to which they are not lawfully entitled. And, of course, this will also directly impact the makeup of the Electoral College, which ultimately elects the President of the United States.

Of course, this manipulation of the 2010 US Census also impacts the election of the US President, as those states that are granted more seats in the US Congress are also granted more votes in the Electoral College as the Electoral College is composed of a “Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress. . . .” (Article. II. Section. I. Clause. 2. US Constitution). And, as everyone knows, under the US Constitution, it is the Electoral College that ultimately elects the President of the United States. Thus, the states of Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio, will be unjustly denied their lawful votes in the Electoral College, while California, Texas, and Florida, are being unjustly granted unlawful votes in the Electoral College. Would it not be extraordinary if the margin by which President Obama is re-elected in the Electoral College would be provided by the manipulation of the census data under his control? Again, this would be an outrage!

In essence, the Obama administration is rigging the US Census to steal a congressional seat from the State of Montana. This rigging will keep Montana from having a second congressional representative. If the illegals in California, Texas, and Florida are not included, then Montana will receive two congressional seats and four electoral votes. Under Obama’s rigging plan, Montana will continue to have only one congressional seat and three electoral votes.

Considering the major media and even most “conservative” talking heads have said virtually nothing about this monstrous misallocation of constitutional government is just the latest example of how truly out of touch the people who are entrusted to inform the American people really are.

The plaintiff in this case is the State of Louisiana, which has now been joined and supported by amici U.S. Border Control, U.S. Border Control Foundation, U.S. Justice Foundation, Institute on the Constitution, Gun Owners of America, Inc., Gun Owners Foundation, English First, English First Foundation, Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund, The Lincoln Institute for Research and Education, Public Advocate of the United States, Policy Analysis Center, Virginia Del. Bob Marshall, Oklahoma Rep. Charles Key, Maryland Del. Don Dwyer, Washington Rep. Matt Shea, Wyoming Sen. Kit Jennings, as well as Candidate for Governor of Montana, Bob Fanning, and Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Montana, Chuck Baldwin.

Attorneys filing this brief before the US Supreme Court are Herbert W. Titus, William J. Olson, John S. Miles, Jeremiah L. Morgan (of the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C. of Vienna, Virginia) and Gary G. Kreep (of the U.S. Justice Foundation).

As citizens of the State of Montana, and as candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Montana, Bob Fanning and I are outraged at this unconstitutional manipulation of the 2010 US Census, and the subsequent unconstitutional and unlawful misapportionment of the US House of Representatives.

We are further outraged that our own governor, Brian Schweitzer (the incumbent Democrat governor who is term-limited out of office after the completion of his current term) has done nothing to prevent the people of the State of Montana from being denied the rightful seating of an additional US House member from the Montana delegation to Washington, D.C. He has not served as Montana’s watchman, to make certain that our State is being treated fairly by the Obama administration. Louisiana has been forced to go it alone, as the only State willing to bring this challenge. By not joining the lawsuit against the Obama administration, what Governor Schweitzer in essence is doing is allowing illegal aliens to deny the due representation of the citizens of Montana in Washington, D.C. This is an outrage!

It is a gross misinterpretation of the US Constitution to claim that the US Census is supposed to “count everyone living in this country.” Article. I. Section. I. Clause 3. as amended by Section. 2. of the 14th Amendment authorizes “a targeted decennial census of the ‘respective numbers’ of ‘the People’ of the several States, not a wholesale count of the numbers of persons found ‘living’ in the United States.” The term “the People” is a technical term used in the U.S. Constitution to refer to the polity, that is, the people who constituted the government and who are legal citizens of the nation. Only by such a tailored count can the constitutionally-authorized decennial census serve the purpose for which that census has been required–the apportionment of representation of the people of the several states in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“It is manifestly untrue that the decennial census ordained by the Constitution is to be taken without regard to a person’s ‘immigration or citizenship status.’ The decennial census is conducted for the apportionment of representation in the House of Representatives, the members of which are ‘chosen every second Year by the People of the several States.’ (Article. I. Section. 2. Clause. 1. US Constitution). The first sentence of the 14th Amendment establishes a symbiotic relationship between a person’s United States citizenship and that person’s State citizenship. Thus, whether a person is part of ‘the People’ of a State is largely, if not exclusively, dictated by a person’s ‘immigration or citizenship status.’ Any census that ignores that connection is fatally flawed.”

In the afore-mentioned lawsuit, we are asking the US Supreme Court to preserve the integrity of the US House of Representatives and Electoral College.

I can tell you that the people who want to disassemble constitutional government in this country are hoping that no one notices what the Obama administration is doing to manipulate the 2010 US Census to unlawfully reconstruct the US House of Representatives and Electoral College. Well, I can tell you, Bob Fanning and I (along with the other amici curiae supporting Louisiana in this lawsuit) are not going to let that happen!

I will be holding a press conference to blow the whistle on what is taking place to deny the people of the State of Montana (along with the people of the states of Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio) their lawful representation in Washington, D.C. I am also using the influence and outreach of this column to alert the American people as to how the Obama administration is attempting to manipulate the US House of Representatives and Electoral College.

It is more than interesting also that the “anointed” establishment neocon Republican Montana gubernatorial candidate, Rick Hill, has, himself, not even bothered to alert the people of Montana to this travesty. Why not? Rick is a career politician who once served in the US House of Representatives from Montana. One would think he would want to protect the people of the State of Montana from this outrage. But he has said nothing! Plus, have you heard anything about this from any of the “conservative” talking heads on FOX News? No you haven’t! Why not? Why is it left to this column to alert you to this gross violation of constitutional government?

Therefore, I unashamedly appeal to readers to help Bob and I carry this fight to preserve the integrity of the US House of Representative and the Electoral College to the US Supreme Court. Please go to our web site.

I also highly encourage readers to visit the web site of the law firm filing this brief. William J. Olson, Herbert Titus, et al., have been at the front lines in helping to defend constitutional government for longer than many of us have been alive. Bill Olson and Herb Titus have defended a sizeable number of patriot organizations and individuals against federal usurpation for decades. I don’t know of another law firm with the credentials and track record of fighting for constitutional government, Second Amendment rights, and individual liberty anywhere in the country than the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C.

To learn more about this lawsuit and the Olson law firm…

In the meantime, each of us should be using our individual and collective sphere of influence to trumpet this attempted travesty as loudly as possible! I especially encourage readers in the states of Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio to demand of every elected public office holder in their respective states to use every means possible to defend the lawful rights of their states to proper representation in the US House of Representatives and the Electoral College. The people of America simply must not allow this flagrant manipulation of the 2010 US Census to take place! If the Obama administration gets by with this now, think how the states’ representation in Congress will be abused in the future.

For more by Chuck Baldwin go to http://chuckbaldwinlive.com

However, as John Adams told us, “Facts are stubborn things”. The facts in this case, include the Iowa caucus results being reversed to give Rick Santorum the victory. Romney was no longer 2 – 0 in the prior contests. Another fact was that CBS News, in an obvious attempt to swing the election results, made a clumsy effort to damage the former Speaker with a hatchet job interview with his former wife.

As with many ill-conceived efforts to strong arm the public, an aggressive, confident response can turn the entire situation around. John King’s attempt to put Gingrich on the spot with an embarrassing question turned sour quickly as it was met with a surprisingly determined response that called out the network and the questioner for what they were. The crowd cheered. Instead of turning on the former Speaker, they understood this was just an attempt to dredge up old news and remove the effect of any repentance and change of heart the man may have had.

This was just one of many times the Speaker’s refusal to back down from difficult questions accrued to his benefit and endeared him to the the voters in South Carolina, and the rest of the country. With the response from the voters, some have theorized that this was a media attempt to boost a Romney rival. This thinking is based on the idea that they really are afraid of former frontrunner. I’m not sure this is really the case… however some have this mindset… but then, some think Obama is doing a great job.

In any case, a few days before the primary, the polls started to detect rising support for Newt Gingrich. They didn’t really understand the just how strong his support was, and how impressive his win would be. For those satisfied, or at least, not overly upset with the things going on in our country, it is hard to comprehend how horrified many Americans are at the actions of the ruling elites. Four in ten voted for Gingrich, only a quarter voted for the party’s golden boy. A thirteen point spread is pretty impressive for one who had been trailing in the polls only a few short days before.

Rick Santorum had a solid third place finish, with the endorsement from evangelical leaders. Yet such endorsements alone did not help the man, who would do a good job, but fails to excite the electorate. He did, however, finish ahead of the candidate with the most loyal and aggressive support base.

Some Ron Paul supporters have tried to spin the results as voters not voting against their man, but as voting against Mitt Romney. Gingrich just happened to be the lucky beneficiary of this antipathy. It would seem that a vote for the fourth place finisher, Paul, would also have been a vote against Romney… yet the people chose Newt and Rick Santorum over their heart throb. It could be that some voters have found, not the candidate, but some supporters, too much to deal with and looked for another candidate to support. Dedication is fine, but attacking those who are essentially on the same side, is not the way to win them over.

Each one on the ballot is doing their best to make the best story out of the outcome. However, I’m sure many of the good old boys in the Palmetto State have seen the t-shirt hawked at NASCAR events that reads, “Second Place Is Just The First Loser!” There is no way to spin this other than to say that Newt won this round handily.

Will this begin the momentum that carries him to the White House? Will the media and establishment beat him down so their guy can be McCain 2.0? Is it possible the Santorum or Paul campaign can get a second wind and electrify the voters? I don’t know. Time will tell. I would suggest though, that if your guy isn’t in the first position, it’s time to get to work.

Just don’t try to help your favorite by telling all sorts of disgusting stories about the other competitors. There is very little we have not heard of the nastiness and many of us are tired of it. No one will be convinced of the righteousness of your cause by having their intelligence or patriotism attacked, Remember, we will have to work together as a team to defeat the imposter in the White House when this is over. We can’t do this showing greater hostility to each other than to those destroying our country.

Some will say, but candidate R or candidate G is no different than Barack Hussein Obama. We many not like some, or even many, of their policies, but to say they are the same is utter nonsense. We need to remove the socialistic cancer in our government, then work at fixing the problems it has created. Sure, some will fix them more quickly than others, but we need to stop the bleeding in any way we can… with any one we can!