What Your Government Has Done For You Today

[Redoverfarm]

Willet I think education is going right down the drain with everything else.  My son had to send letters out to various buisnesses for his 4-H project.  He is 13 and has never been told how to address an envelope in school. He honestly didn't have a clue to the recipient name, address or return name and address went. I fixed that. But I was shocked that he had never even touched on the subject in school. I try to think exactly what they are being taught.  Some will be lost in the real world. Or will they be right at home in the real world once we are gone?

[glenn kangiser]

Government is teaching them to follow orders, salivate at bells like Pavlovs dog, and be cannon fodder for their endless wars.  They don't need a lot of training besides Gameboy for that.

[williet]

Redoverfarm,
That's what I keep saying.In the world they will live in...they might be right at home. A person who has knowledge or can think will be an outcast.

Glenn,
You're right there too...I keep waiting to see some kid holding a cell phone that can do everything and try to figure out how to actually make a call. LOL

How bout these cars that park themselves? If one were to have an accident while the car was driving ...who's fault would it be? (same as now when a person is driving, I guess....the auto maker!)..

It's really hard to see an up side to where we've sunk in the US of A....BUTmaybe it was the same with our parents. People evolve with the times and maybe my time is just over.....

Now as long as you have some "bling" it's cool...no matter how you got it...you go to a church...no matter how you live or what you believe...it's cool....you have babies...no matter who "my baby daddy is"...it's cool.....you can't read ...you are lazy ... you are ignorant...you are a filthy person...you have a filthy house and yard.....it's ALL cool. Someone else caused you to be in your situation.

We're a nation of VICTIMS  and we're born with endless excuses as to why we're the way we are. I remember the childs song "The little engine that COULD" ...I guess it's not taught anymore.

[glenn kangiser]

That is one thing I like about Mexico.  If you fall off of the 4 foot high sidewalk with no handrails and break your leg because you are clumsy or stupid it is your own fault.  There is no one to sue or blame except yourself.  Should have walked on the inside near the wall.  Why can't we go back to that?

[williet]

Maybe things will change here in a couple of years then. With all the illegals here and us allowing the Mexican government to make our policy...we'll soon be more like Mexico than anywhere else!

[glenn kangiser]

I guess they have come to get it back...  When I left the valley, the schools were appx 66 percent Mexican Students.

[Sassy]

NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS: ASSAULT ON PRIVATE PROPERTY
By Tom DeWeese
January 23, 2008
NewsWithViews.com

One of the dangerous pieces of legislation lying in wait as Congress reopens for business is the "Celebrating America's Heritage Act." The bill has already passed the House (H.R.1483) by a vote of 291-122 and now awaits action in the Senate. Why is it so dangerous?

If passed, it would create six new national Heritage Areas and increase federal funding for nine existing heritage areas by 50 percent. The bill would send over $135 million of federal pork to special interests to be used to influence local zoning laws and help lock away private land in the name of historic preservation.

The six Heritage Areas to be created by the legislation include The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National HA, covering parts of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania and West Virginia; Niagara Falls National HA in New York; Muscle Shoals National HA in Alabama; Freedom's Way National HA in Massachusetts and New Hampshire; Abraham Lincoln National HA in Illinois; and the Santa Cruz National HA in Arizona.

To understand the massive size and impact of these designations, consider the controversial "Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area" (JTHG). JTHG is designed to cover a 175-mile corridor from Thomas Jefferson's "Monticello" in Charlottesville, Virginia to the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Sold as a way to "honor" and promote tourism to the many historic sites in the area where much of the Civil War was fought, the Heritage Area really serves as a stealth land grab. Heritage Areas are federal land use mandates with specific boundaries foisted on local communities. Those boundaries have consequences for property owners caught inside.

It must be understood the Heritage Area affects all the land in the designated area, not just recognized historic sights. The federal designation, made from congressional legislation, like H.R.1483, creating federal regulations and oversight through the National Park Service, require a form of contract between state and local governmental entities and the Secretary of the Interior. That contract is to manage the land-use of the region for preservation. That means federal control and zoning, either directly, under the terms of the "management pact" or indirectly.
http://www.newswithviews.com/DeWeese/tom102.htm

[MountainDon]

Between crap like this and the extremist greens who want to rewild America there won't be any place left to call your own.

[Sassy]

Where the People Don't Rule

by Fred Reed

Common delusions notwithstanding, the United States, I submit, is not a democracy – by which is meant a system in which the will of the people prevails. Rather it is a curious mechanism artfully designed to circumvent the will of the people while appearing to be democratic. Several mechanisms accomplish this.

First, we have two identical parties which, when elected, do very much the same things. Thus the election determines not policy but only the division of spoils. Nothing really changes. The Democrats will never seriously reduce military spending, nor the Republicans, entitlements.

Second, the two parties determine on which questions we are allowed to vote. They simply refuse to engage the questions that matter most to many people. If you are against affirmative action, for whom do you vote? If you regard the schools as abominations? If you want to end the president's hobbyist wars?

Third, there is the effect of large jurisdictions. Suppose that you lived in a very small (and independent) school district and didn't like the curriculum. You could buttonhole the head of the school board, whom you would probably know, and say, "Look, Jack, I really think...." He would listen.

But suppose that you live in a suburban jurisdiction of 300,000. You as an individual mean nothing. To affect policy, you would have to form an organization, canvass for votes, solicit contributions, and place ads in newspapers. This is a fulltime job, prohibitively burdensome.

The larger the jurisdiction, the harder it is to exert influence. Much policy today is set at the state level. Now you need a statewide campaign to change the curriculum. Practically speaking, it isn't practical.

Fourth are impenetrable bureaucracies. A lot of policy is set by making regulations at some department or other, often federal. How do you call the Department of Education to protest a rule which is in fact a policy? The Department has thousands of telephones, few of them listed, all of which will brush you off. There is nothing the public can do to influence these goiterous, armored, unaccountable centers of power.

Yes, you can write your senator, and get a letter written by computer, "I thank you for your valuable insights, and assure you that I am doing all...."

Fifth is the invisible bureaucracy (which is also impenetrable). A few federal departments get at least a bit of attention from the press, chiefly State and Defense (sic). Most of the government gets no attention at all – HUD, for example. Nobody knows who the Secretary of HUD is, or what the department is doing. Similarly, the textbook publishers have some committee whose name I don't remember (See? It works) that decides what words can be used in texts, how women and Indians must be portrayed, what can be said about them, and so on. Such a group amounts to an unelected ministry of propaganda and, almost certainly, you have never heard of it.

Sixth, there is the illusion of journalism. The newspapers and networks encourage us to think of them as a vast web of hard-hitting, no-holds-barred, chips-where-they-may inquisitors of government: You can run, but you can't hide. In fact federal malefactors don't have to run or hide. The press isn't really looking.

Most of press coverage is only apparent. Television isn't journalism, but a service that translates into video stories found in the Washington Post and New York Times (really). Few newspapers have bureaus in Washington; the rest follow the lead of a small number of major outlets. These don't really cover things either.

When I was reporting on the military, there were (if memory serves) many hundreds of reporters accredited to the Pentagon, or at least writing about the armed services. It sounds impressive: All those gimlet eyes.

What invariably happened though was that some story would break – a toilet seat alleged to cost too much, or the failure of this or that. All the reporters would chase the toilet seat, fearful that their competitors might get some detail they didn't. Thus you had one story covered six hundred times. In any event the stories were often dishonest and almost always ignorant because reporters, apparently bound by some natural law, are obligate technical illiterates. This includes the reporters for the Post and the Times.

Seventh, and a bit more subtle, is the lack of centers of demographic power in competition with the official government. The Catholic Church, for example, once influentially represented a large part of the population. It has been brought to heel. We are left with government by lobby – the weapons industry, big pharma, AIPAC, the teachers unions – whose representatives pay Congress to do things against the public interest.

Eighth, we are ruled not by a government but by a class. Here the media are crucial. Unless you spend time outside of America, you may not realize to what extent the press is controlled. The press is largely free, yes, but it is also largely owned by a small number of corporations which, in turn, are run by people from the same pool from which are drawn high-level pols and their advisers. They are rich people who know each other and have the same interests. It is very nearly correct to say that these people are the government of the United States, and that the federal apparatus merely a useful theatrical manifestation.

con't @ http://www.lewrockwell.com/reed/reed139.html

[desdawg]

My Government is working on the budget according to Ron Paul. Actually that is not my Gov't. That is the Dem's Gov't. It is just mine by default. 
http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2008/tst031608.htm

[ScottA]

A return to local government would be great but I don't see it happening anytime soon.

[glenn kangiser]

I hope the coming meltdown is total.

[MountainDon]

First, no matter what you think of the government, good, bad or indifferent, the government we have is your government at the moment. There are governments at different levels, local village.town/city, county, state and federal. There is one government at each level and they are all yours and mine.

Where the People Don't Rule,  by Fred Reed

I read the article in its entirety. However, like too many there are no solutions suggested. There's only criticism. Mr. Reed blasts our form of government as being some sort of a false pretense at democracy. A lie in other words. I disagree.

If Mr. Reed, and others, don't like the way things are going, I would be more interested in hearing their suggestions on the "how" of change rather than continuing the incessant same-old thing spouting of complaints about the way things are. Calling for change or saying start over from scratch doesn't mean anything without suggestions.

Democracy is by far the most challenging form of government - both for politicians and for the people. Winston Churchill stated, "Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." I totally agree. I have traveled (for periods of 2 to 4 weeks duration) in countries with authoritarian, communist and military dictatorships. I wouldn't care to live under those systems as a permanent condition.

The USA is a republic with a representative constitutional democracy. A pure democracy is not practical at population levels above the village or small town level. The ancient Athenian democracy probably only had a voting population of 5000 - 6000. Over that it becomes virtually impossible to have everybody cast their vote on everything.

So if you don't like our democratic republic form of government, and you can't come up with ways to solve problems, what other form of government would you endorse?

Totalitarian regime    Government by a little group of leaders on the basis of an ideology, that claims general validity for all aspects of life and usually attempts to replace religion. The regime does not tolerate any deviation from its state ideology. Regime opponents are persecuted, tortured, detained in concentration camps and members of ethnic minorities are killed in mass executions (genocide).
Historic examples of totalitarian regimes include: National Socialism (Germany under Hitler, 1933-1945) and Stalinism.

Authoritarian regime    Government by a little group of leaders. In contrast to totalitarian regimes, authoritarian regimes have no distinct state ideology and grant some amount of freedom (e.g. economic and cultural) as long as their rule is not jeopardized. The most important goal of authoritarian regimes is the maintenance of power and the personal enrichment on cost of the country and its population.

Theocracy    "Government by God": in reality this means government by religious leaders. Usually a certain interpretation of ancient religious laws replaces modern forms of law and is enforced with utmost severity. Example: Islamic Republic of Iran.

None of those for me.

Some times I do feel I'm beating my head against a brick wall. I've been involved with public land use and abuse with the BLM and the Forest Service for a couple decades. It is most frustrating at times, both from the standpoint of seeing stupid public abuses and from seeing the abuses from stupid over zealous rangers and district managers, enforcing their own narrow perspective of right and wrong. However, I can count  victories and compromises that work, among the failures. Here in NM I am again in the midst of dealing with the forest service travel management review process in two of the forests closest to me. Coming up is another similar process involving some of the BLM lands near me. 

I could sit back and say "what's the use?" That's easy. However, if I did that I believe I'd have no right to complain about the status of things like trail closures, camping restrictions, etc. I do believe my efforts, and the efforts of my fellow 4-wheelers, dirt motorcyclists, and ATV users have made a difference. That's participatory government.

Participate or don't bitch. (Can I say that?  If not, the word complain may be substituted.)

[Sassy]

I participate - write letters, faxes to my representatives concerning issues that are important to me; participate in groups who are endorsing Ron Paul & his solutions to some of the problems we have in the USA... but all I ever get are form letters back from the representatives & the MSM has pretty much put a total blackout on any info about what Ron Paul is doing...  don't know what I can do about that except keep trying...   

For several years I was very active in the politics at the VA Hospital - helped to get a Wellness Program going with classes, access to the physical therapy dept during off hours for use of the equipment, got organizations to donate new equipment that helped the veteran as well as staff.  We had a yearly Wellness Fair & fitness challenge, went around giving massages (a person would sit in a chair, we'd give them a headphone to listen to classical music & give them a shoulder massage) during stressful times.  I organized group diabetes classes for patients & family... health fairs for patients, families & staff to educate them on what services were available through the VA & the community; there were lots of things I could do to improve care... 

We do our part in trying to be self-sufficient by building our own home, providing our own power, growing our own fruits & veggies... 

I support organizations that try to improve people's lives - Salvation Army, Prison Fellowship, Homeless mission, & other organizations like the NRA, Immigration reform, etc. 

Those are all things that anyone can do to help take care of others, improve their community, impact laws & policy... but I still think that "telling it like it is" will hopefully wake more people up to engage in their communities & nation so that it won't all slip away while they are watching their favorite sitcom or reality show...   it may sound like complaining but how else do you let people know what's happening?   

[MountainDon]

Hey Sassy, I know you are a participator. In fact you likely do a greater diversity of participation than I do. I may have a rather single minded focus (on public land use issues) than may be healthy.  I do give our local politicians a hard time over dumba$$ ideas and fiscal irresponsibility though. I simply get annoyed at bellyaching with no attempt at positive corrective input. And sometimes I let fly on the heat of the moment. It's fine for Mr. Reed and others  to criticize; it is a free country after all. I would just like to see some suggestions along with the critique.

I guess one thing to remember is that we do have the freedom to be critical and be outspoken about it. We still have many things to be thankful for.

[glenn kangiser]

What would be wrong with the limited form of government our founding fathers made via that GD piece of paper called the Constitution, without the illegal executive signing orders, with the president having no right to make war -- that was for congress -- oh yeah -- but we have a fairly worthless congress. 

What about having a President elected by the people rather than installed by the court, but how about a president who is a man of the people and for the people rather than for self serving big business interests.  What about real elections rather than computer fraud, MSM owned by big business interest - read monopoly on government -  and a bunch of people who feel they really voted?

Religion is good for crusades, man killing in the name of god, men presumptuously assuming they are the right hand of god-- I'll bet they are all the ones he will say he doesn't know.

Naw -- I don't want the others.  It would just be nice if we had a good ol' common law Constitutional  form of government un-enhanced by all of the un-Constitutional ex-post facto laws and regulations the politicians and lawyers have created to twist and sidestep the Constitution to fit their special interests.

Why can't farmer Sherri sell me a gallon of raw milk?  Why can't farmer John sell his 5 acres of almonds?  Why must Doctors prescribe drugs they don't believe in or be sued?  Why must even the little guys hire a engineer for their driveway now?  Why must children have dozens of unsafe vaccinations?  Government sold out to big business interest could be part of it.

A government that has left the Constitutional government set up by the founding fathers could be better if it was taken back to the way it was intended to be.

[desdawg]

I will be the first to admit that I am not a participant. That would be like taking on another full time job. I admire those that have the time and perserverance to do that. I guess I have a need for my time to be productive and I don't think my voice has any impact, thus it would be wasted time. I still maintain that the only impact my vote ever has is when I vote or abstain from voting with my checkbook. And even at that I am such a smaller player that hasn't much effect. So there you go, it would need to be a concentrated effort from many small players to carry any weight. It is really quite a trap isn't it?

[MountainDon]

That would be like taking on another full time job.

That's why the majority of my participation is in one rather narrow field, public land use. I do send some Faxes on some things, through a website. I'm not sure of the efficacy of faxes and emails though. Dealing with the FS and BLM it seems that attending public meetings carries more weight IF they are accepting written input at the meetings as well. In any event comments made via a real paper letter works better with those outfits.

Speaking of that, some Dems introduced a new bill today that would designate five new Wilderness areas in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and West Virginia. According to E&E's report, the legislation (H.R. 5610) was introduced by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall of West Virginia and Reps. Jim Costa of California, Peter DeFazio of Oregon, Raï¾£l Grijalva of Arizona and Tom Udall of New Mexico.

The bill would designate just about 500,000 acres of Wilderness in West Virginia, Arizona's Tumacacori Highlands; the Redwood Mountain Grove in California's Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park; the Sabinoso Wilderness in New Mexico; Oregon's Copper Salmon area and the South Fork of the San Jacinto River Canyon in Riverside County, California. E&E's report says the Wilderness proposals are also included in separate measures.

We have enough Wilderness already! If you aren't aware, Wilderness, with the capital W, means areas you cannot use any mechanized transport to access, not even bicycles. People of foot and horses are okay.

[MountainDon]

previously I stated...

I'm not sure of the efficacy of faxes and emails though. .... In any event comments made via a real paper letter works better with those outfits.

Clarification: It's not that emails or Faxes carry less weight than a written on paper letter. What makes a difference is a communication that expresses your concerns and desires in your own words. A canned paper letter is really no better than one of those online emails or faxes. Not that you will ever get anyone on the receiving end to admit that original thoughts count for more than form letters.  I have been told that from people I know who work with the lobbyist organizations from my side of the public lands use fence.

FWIW

[sparks]

My participation in gov has been limited...helping a state rep get elected. He was a republican, myself, pretty much a lifelong democrat. But his strong suit is education. And I believe in that very much!

The last few years of my life have altered the political idealogy I consider.

I've come to one conclusion.....'they don't work for us'.

Found this, just for laughs http://jokelibrary.net/yyPictures/m/2008b.html

Hope it doesn't offend anyone.

[glenn kangiser]

Supporting the Constitution makes you a terrorist suspect.

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/FBIsuspect.html

[glenn kangiser]

How about selling us out a little deeper -- shhh  --- secret.

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/jos-can-you-see-bush-s-trojan-taco

[Sassy]

http://www.newswithviews.com/DeWeese/tom110.htm

FIRE MARY PETERS

By Tom DeWeese
May 11, 2008
NewsWithViews.com

The Bush Administration has directly defied, not only the will and intent of Congress, but it is now openly ignoring legislation that the President himself signed into law. As a result a Constitutional crisis is rapidly developing over a project to let Mexican trucks on U.S. roads. As a result, many are now calling for the firing of U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

In September 2007, the Bush Administration began a pilot project to allow Mexican trucks to drive on U.S. highways. The project is, frankly, necessary if goals for the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) are to be achieved. The SPP openly calls for "harmonizing" the borders between the U.S. Mexico and Canada. In fact, the Bush Administration sites the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as its authority to push the project.

Congress was not happy with the program. Several members immediately sighted problems with safety of the Mexican trucks, including the inability of Mexican drivers to read English road signs in the US. Within weeks of the beginning of the project, both houses of congress began to draft legislation to put a stop to it.

Quickly, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) introduced an amendment to the Department of Transportation (DOT) appropriations bill to remove funding for the project. The amendment was passed by a bi-partisan majority of 74-24 and subsequently became part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed into law by President Bush on December 26, 2007.

To make it perfectly clear that the legislation was a demand for the Administration to stop the Mexican truck project, Senator Dorgan received a letter from the Senate Legislative Council to confirm the law's intent. The letter said, "No funds made available under the Consolidation Appropriations Act, 2008, were to be used in fiscal year 2008 to establish or implement a cross-border motor carrier demonstration program to allow Mexican-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones along the international border between the United States and Mexico."

  con't at link above

[glenn kangiser]

Not just today but over time...sold us out -- our government is someone else's or a great part of it.

http://www.viewzone.com/dualcitizen.html

[peternap]

Well....I do participate even though I don't believe Don. I am a great believer in lobby politics and it works in the limited areas I can raise enough bodies. Sort of Government by threats and intimidation. It seems to be the only voter input they listen to.

I am also sure there will be a meltdown and in fact, think it's coming to a head quickly. It may be wishful thinking because if I had to describe my political standing, it would be anarchist. If the Government shut down today, I would be just as happy.

Until and if, people start pulling together as a community again, instead of asking our neutered Government to do for them, there is no hope to recover what we once had and were. Until that time, I'll be an anarchist.

I didn't feel that way when I worked for the Government, but as we get older, we change!