Finally - "It does not take a village"

Well it's finally happened. I have moved into the blogosphere. As Press Secretary Robert Gibbs would say, I have been "hatching this nefarious plot" for a few weeks. I am not sure I have the qualifications or the intellect to stand up to some of the great minds spread across the web. However, that has never stopped me from voicing my opinion before. Besides, I cannot and will not remain silent any longer as the noble experiment that is my USA is poisoned by the collectivist mindset.

This country, my country is and always should be based on the ideas of Individual rights and Self-government. It remains the only place in the world where man is free to succeed and fail in direct proportion to his own ambition. The Declaration of Independence spells these right out for us. However, even without this charter of freedom, these rights exist! "We hold these truths to be self-evident." The founding fathers realized that only by protecting the rights of the Individual could their grand experiment succeed. This is further evidenced in the 10th Amendment.

The gentlemen who conceived these charters knew well the power that could be vested in a central government. They had lived it first hand under King George III. Assurances had to be granted that the states would remain "free and independent". The idea that states (and thereby the people) must be, for the most part, self-governing and self-supporting is key to allowing men to live and prosper in peace.

Over the last 90+ years this idea has been under a full frontal assault. Collectivists have labored to centralize power through taxes, their weapon of choice. The federal income tax was introduced in 1913 as "a minor tax on the wealthy". At that time we thought someone was wealthy if they had a taxable income of $20,000 per year and took 1 percent of their income over and above that amount. Now we apparently think someone is wealthy if they have a taxable income of $21,175 per year, because we take 15 percent of their income in taxes. This of course, does not include FICA which tacks on another 15.30% if you are self-employed (7.65% for those of us who rely on others for our livelihood).

Of course, other weapons are utilized in this war on the Individual: Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, Welfare, The Federal Reserve Board, the IRS, and the Interstate Commerce Commission. Through these agencies/programs individuals are beholden to the central government for things like retirement planning, healthcare, and free trade. Unfortunately, our elected official have absolutely no interest in changing this. In fact, their very existence seems to depend on increasing our reliance on the federal government rather than on ourselves.

We must dig in against this slippery slope towards complete despotism. As Thomas Jefferson said, "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have." Kip Williams speaks about "the big reset" in his blog The Desolation Angel. Accountability must be returned to DC. The idea that public service is not a lifelong occupation should be paramount. This can only be accomplished by setting Congressional term limits, the elimination of political contributions (and lobbying money), and the institution of a Fair Tax. Although this may seem like an insurmountable task, it can be done if we have the will. It's time to get informed, speak up, demand explanations, and kick a little tail.

So where am I going with all of this? What are my reasons for cluttering up this humble little corner of the web? Simple really. I would like to:

1) Promote the ideas of Individualism
2) Invite others to join in the discussion of "what's next?"
3) Encourage younger citizens to get involved in their own future
4) Continually exercise my own mind rather than letting the media overinfluence my thoughts
5) Rely on logic and facts rather than emotion and scare tactics



I welcome and encourage all comments and debate. If you feel the need to use insults (an indicator of a close-minded philosophy), vulgarity (the sure sign of a limited vocabulary), and personal attacks (evidence of a weak mind), go right ahead. After all, they're your rights too.



--Matthew Phillips