Several Sure Signs

Colonel Dan, SASS Life# 24025

“Sure signs of what Colonel?” Sure signs that America is traveling a precariously declining path, far from the principles of our founding, with an increasing number of Washington politicians caring little and putting our republic in real jeopardy. Have doubts? Read on.

Sign #1: Ignoring the Constitution: Every Representative, Senator and President swears a sacred oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. That means every article, every section and every amendment of that Constitution. No exceptions and no latitude to personally or collectively cherry pick the provisions they will and will not respect or obey. On this I think we can agree. Given that, why would our politicians object to legislation which requires them to show how any proposed bill is authorized by and traceable to our Constitution? You can’t come up with one good reason can you? Neither can I. But most have shown no interest and have in fact, been avoiding it for years.

In 1995, Rep John Shadegg, R-Arizona introduced the Enumerated Powers Act (HR1359). His bill would simply require what I consider the fundamentally obvious—that our federal government show where any proposed bill is authorized and justified by the Constitution. To date, after 13 years, it’s had only 44 Co-Sponsors in the House, zero support in the Senate and zero support from any President. It has never even seen the light of day in terms of being seriously considered, debated and put up for a vote in either chamber! What does that say about those who lead us politically? There should be absolutely no objection to this IF our Representatives, Senators and Presidents were sincerely concerned about the Constitution, their oath of office and America’s foundational principles. When they avoid shining the light of Constitutional truth on their actions, you can bet they have much they want to hide and much they want to do that can’t be justified by the supreme law of the land. Additionally, there has been NO accountability and NO repercussions for this blatant demonstration of arrogance on their part. Amazingly brash is it not?

Sign # 2: Voting Money from the Public Treasury: As written by Alexis de Tocqueville and sometimes also attributed to Alexander Tytler, "A Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only last until the citizens discover they can vote themselves largesse [money] out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that the Democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, to be followed by a dictatorship…." Although ours is a republic, not a democracy, the warning remains valid. Unfortunately, such has been the case for years and this latest “bail out” is nothing more than voting money we don’t have into pockets that constitutionally shouldn’t be getting it. Where does it end and will it end before we experience a more severe fiscal crisis? No. Such spending leads to destructive inflation, currency devaluation and trillions in debt—debts we simply can’t pay.

Sign# 3: Arrogant Leaders: Webster defines arrogance as; the offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride. An attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims of assumptions. Does that sound anything like Washington D.C.? Many great nations have followed similar paths into decline and fall; paths that are often characterized by the leadership growing increasingly arrogant until they are convinced of their own invulnerability. They feel they can get away with anything—“the people be damned.” Does a government who thinks it has veto authority over rights established by the Creator sound arrogant to you? Does infringing on our right to keep and bear the arms which facilitate the Creator’s right of self-defense, sound arrogant to you? And are such infringements a sign that government might fear people who own those guns? You betcha. Remember, the “Let them eat cake” attitude ended in a bloody French revolution, storming of the Bastille and finally the beheading of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette—just one historical example we certainly don’t want repeated in America.

Sign #4: A Disingenuous Press: When the press doesn’t hold our government publicly accountable for such irresponsible behavior, they’ve betrayed their watchdog role as originally envisioned and they reveal exactly what side of the fence they’re on. When they lie, cover up, spike, play down and slant the news in favor of any side, they contribute mightily to the undermining of America’s foundation by distorting or hiding the light of truth. Such reminds me of the old Soviet press which lied consistently in propping up a corrupt system—lies that contributed to and were eventually exposed as a result of the Soviet downfall. Truth builds a foundation of rock while lies build only a foundation of sand that is inevitably washed away.

Sign #5: Public Apathy vs. Pubic Resolve: Finally, as the people of any country grow richer…and lazier…apathy incrementally creeps in and many are apt to let the political leadership get away with just about anything. Why? They no longer care enough to keep themselves informed, are averse to upsetting their comfortable apple cart or have no real way to organize to fight or oppose bad leadership. Not all is lost in America on this score. I’ve traveled the country both physically and electronically and believe me when I say there are far more concerned, dedicated and engaged patriots out there than the politicos or the press would like us to know about. The problem is not one of numbers or vigor but one of organization and coordination provided by leaders who can transform and focus that patriotic fervor into effective action.

The patriots among us must strongly confront this blight of apathy that facilitates and abets such sure signs of decline if we’re to be as dedicated to America’s survival as our forefathers were to her founding. Just the view from my saddle…

Contact Colonel Dan: coloneldan@bellsouth.net

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