America's Three-Headed Eagle

I've decided to take it upon myself to learn more about the history of America and what makes America so great and the "envy of the world." A friend recommended a book by W. Cleon Skousen called The 5,000 Year Leap. On pages 24-26 Skousen discussed "America's three-headed eagle." I was amazed at the simplicity and symbolism used to describe the three branches of our government and how they balance each other out on the ruler of law (see picture below).

Polybius, John Locke (no, not from LOST), and Baron Charles de Montesquieu had all advocated the separation of the governmental functions into three departments - legislative, executive, and judicial - the American Founders were the first to carefully structure what might be described as a three-headed eagle.
Quoting Skousen, "The central head was the law-making or legislative function with two eyes - the House and the Senate - and these must both see eye-to-eye on any piece of legislation before it can become law. A second head is the administrative or Executive Department with all authority centered in a single, strong President, operating within a clearly defined framework of limited power. The third head is the judiciary, which was assigned the task of acting as guardian of the Constitution and the interpretation of its principles as originally designed by the Founders."

These functions of government are genius to say the least. It called for the separation of powers, "but the fact that all three heads operated through a single neck. By this means the Founders carefully integrated these three departments so that each one was coordinated with the others and could not function independently of them."

The two wings of the eagle is where I found it most interesting. The Founders viewed Wing #1 as the problem-solving wing or the wing of compassion. Wing #2 as the conservation wing (Left/Right respectively). Referring to Wing #1, "those who function through this dimension of the system are sensitive to the unfulfilled needs of the people. They dream of elaborate plans to solve these problems.

"Wing #2 has the responsibility of conserving the nation's resources and the people's freedoms. It's function is to analyze the programs of wing #1 with two questions. First, can we afford it? Secondly, what will it do the rights and individual freedom of the people?"

Again I am amazed. Amazed that after more than 200 years it still applies today. Probably even more so than ever I dare say. What happens when both wings of the eagle fulfill their purpose? The eagle will fly straighter and higher than any other. The same goes for America. We will "fly straighter and higher than any other civilization in the history of the world." But what happens if one of the wings stop working? According the the Ruler's Law the nation will either drift towards tyranny or anarchy.

Skousen continues, "If wing #1 becomes infatuated with the idea of solving all the problems of the nation regardless of the cost, and wing #2 fails to bring its power into play to sober the problem-solvers with a more realistic approach, the eagle will spin off toward the left, which is tyranny. On the other hand, if wing #1 fails to see the problems which need solving and wing #2 becomes inflexible in its course of not solving problems simply to save money, or not disturb the status quo, then the machinery of the government loses its credibility and the eagle drifts over toward the right where the people decide to take matters into their own hands. This can eventually disintegrate into anarchy."

I often wondered where left and right wing came from in the political arena and wanted to share my new found knowledge. Our Founding Fathers were truly remarkable men with sound understanding and with the inspiration of God were able to come up with our system of government that allows each one of us to have the freedoms that we love and enjoy so much that often we take for granted.

Van Jones - Green Jobs Czar

Title: Special Adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Salary: Unknown
Reports to: Head of Council on Environmental Quality, Nancy Sutley
Appointed: March 2009
Agency or Department that might have handled similar issues: Environmental Protection Agency; Labor

• Will focus on environmentally-friendly employment within the administration and boost support for the idea nationwide.


• Rose from near obscurity in the Oakland, Calif., grassroots organizing scene to the leader of a national movement to spur the green economy.


• Founded Green For All, an organization focused on creating green jobs in impoverished areas.


• Also co-founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Color of Change, which includes Bay Area PoliceWatch, a group devoted to "protect[ing] the community from police misconduct."


• Published New York Times best-seller The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems, in October 2008.


• Started career as a prison-reform advocate in Oakland, Calif., lobbying for reform of the juvenile justice system and youth-violence prevention programs.


• Has law degree from Yale.


• 2007: worked on the Green Jobs Act with then-Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), who co-sponsored the bill in the House.


• 1993: was arrested at the Los Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of cops in the Rodney King beating. "I was arrested simply for being a police observer," says Jones, who had just graduated from Yale Law School and was working with the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco.


• 1999: was arrested in the 1999 Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization.


• Excerpt from a Nov. 2005 interview in the East Bay Express:
  Jones had planned to move to Washington, DC, and had already landed a job and an apartment there. But in jail, he said, "I met all these young radical people of color -- I mean really radical, communists and anarchists. And it was, like, 'This is what I need to be a part of.'" Although he already had a plane ticket, he decided to stay in San Francisco. "I spent the next ten years of my life working with a lot of those people I met in jail, trying to be a revolutionary." In the months that followed, he let go of any lingering thoughts that he might fit in with the status quo. "I was a rowdy nationalist on April 28th, and then the verdicts came down on April 29th," he said. "By August, I was a communist." In 1994, the young activists formed a socialist collective, Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, or STORM, which held study groups on the theories of Marx and Lenin and dreamed of a multiracial socialist utopia. They protested police brutality and got arrested for crashing through police barricades. In 1996, Jones decided to launch his own operation, which he named the Ella Baker Center after an unsung hero of the civil-rights movement.

1. How did Van Jones, a self-proclaimed communist become a special advisor to the president?
2. Did President Obama know of Van Jones’ radical political beliefs when he named him special advisor?

Are these reasonable questions that need to be answered?

Source: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/29631/

Questions To Ask Our Government

Is is wrong to ask questions? Especially when it comes to what our government elected officials are doing? Why are Americans all across the country being attacked for boldly questioning during townhall meetings? I believe it is our right and duty to question the government. We should ask questions with boldness. Below are some questions that we should demand our government to answer:

• Our unfunded liability for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is close to $100 trillion. Is there any way to pay for these programs without bankrupting America?


• We are in so much debt, why spend more borrowed money on cap-and-trade and healthcare programs before we stop the flow of red-ink?


• The stimulus package funneled billions of dollars to ACORN. How does giving billions of dollars to ACORN stimulate the economy?


• If it was so important for congress to pass the stimulus bill before they even had time to read it why has only a fraction of the stimulus money been spent 6 months later?


• Bush said he had to abandon free market principles in order to save them, how exactly does that work?


• Why won’t member of Congress read the bills before they vote on them?


• Why are citizens mocked and laughed at when they ask their congressman to read the bills before they vote on them?


• Was the cash-for-clunkers program meant to save the earth or the economy? Did it accomplish either?


• How did Van Jones, a self-proclaimed communist become a special advisor to the president?


• Did President Obama know of Van Jones’ radical political beliefs when he named him special advisor?


• The Apollo Alliance claimed credit for writing the stimulus bill—why was this group allowed to write any portion of this bill?


• If politicians aren’t writing the bills and aren’t reading the bills, do they have any idea what these 1000 page plus bills actually impose on the American people?


• If the ‘public option’ health care plan is so good why won’t politicians agree to have that as their plan?


• If town hall meetings are intended for the politicians to learn what’s on our mind—why do they spend so much time talking instead of listening?


• Politicians are refusing to attend town hall meetings complaining, without evidence, that they are scripted. Does that mean we shouldn’t come out and vote for you since every campaign stop, baby kiss and speech you give is scripted?


• Why would you want to overwhelm the system?


• Is using the economic crises to rush legislation through congress what Rahm Emanuel meant when he talked about not letting a crises go to waste?


• What are the czars paid? What is the budget for their staffs/offices?

These are questions that Glenn Beck asked tonight on his t.v. show on Fox News. He also asks, "Am I hateful for asking these questions?" All week Glenn will try and answer these questions. One thing that I've learned from Glenn Beck since watching/listening to him, he doesn't discuss anything without extensive research and making sure he can back it up with facts. I encourage you to watch the Glenn Beck show this week on Fox News this week (5pm EST/3pm MST and then replays at 12am MST - set your DVR) and get informed on how Obama is fundamentally transforming America...not in a good way.

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/29631/

Social Security Benefits: A True Story

For the past twenty years Stacey has been collecting social security benefits from the federal government because of a "disability." This disability doesn't keep her from working full-time as she is perfectly able. Rather, it's more of an excuse not to work as she feels she deserves and is entitled to this money because of past events that has happened in her life.

Stacey receives three quarters of a thousand dollars every month, which in today's economy doesn't go very far. In fact, Stacey needs to make an additional three hundred dollars each month just to meet all of her financial obligations and to have a little spending money. In the meantime, Stacey started using credit cards to make ends meet and racked up a couple of thousand dollars in debt.

A few months ago Stacey came into some money ($20K+). She met with a financial counselor (good) to plan what she should do with the money. Stacey didn't follow the advice given to her (bad) and has maybe $5,000 left. It was advised to pay off all of her credit cards and loans and put the rest away and continue to make due with benefits received from the government. Soon, Stacey will be back to where she was just a few months ago.

The financial counselor encouraged Stacey to increase her income by getting job so she wouldn't have to use her nest egg. Stacey explained that she needs to find a job where she won't make more than $500 per month or pays her cash under the table or her social security benefits will go away. Stacey has become SO dependent on social security that it keeps her from rejoining the work force and becoming a productive member of society. Stacey has become a "gullible gull." WHAT IS A GULLIBLE GULL?

What is the moral of this story? Social Security is flawed. Stacey shouldn't be receiving this money, but does. Since she has been receiving it for the past twenty years or so she is literally unable to live without it. According to a recent news article, one economic analyst said that social security will probably implode within the next two years. What happens to Stacey when the income stops arriving? How is she able to survive? She has forgotten how to work and be self-sufficient and will continue to get free handouts. If not from the government, she'll try and get it from friends, neighbors, and/or family.

And to think that our government wants to provide a "public health care option" for health care despite overwhelming evidence that IT DOES NOT WORK! Obama says it will compete. But how can private insurance compete with the government when they are also the regulator? How can private insurance compete when the government subsidises health care? IT DOES NOT WORK! The President must realize this...he's a smart man isn't he? Guys? I just don't understand it...IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE! I'm all for health care reform to bring costs and premiums down, but a public option isn't the way to do it. I believe health care is a privilege, not a right.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment with your opinion.

The names in this post have been changed for anonymity.

Dave Ramsey's Take On "Cash For Clunkers"

Why is Dave Ramsey passionately opposed to the government's Cash for Clunker program? Watch the video below young grasshopper...



The program, when started had a $1 billion fund and was supposed to last three months. Within the first week the billion dollars was gone! Another $2 billion was passed through the House and Senate praising the success. What a crock! How can we expect the government to run health care if they can't even manage a cash for clunkers program. If they tell us it's going to cost us 1.5 trillion dollars for health care reform over the next decade they're really telling us it's going to cost us 4.5 trillion. That's a whole other story in and of itself.

There are other ripple effects of this clunkers program. Used car sales are now suffering because when someone turns in their clunker the dealership is then required to make that clunker inoperable then then destroyed. Nothing of the car can be used ever again. Smart Washington...real smart.

OpenCongress.org

I just recently registered on the website http://www.opencongress.org/. Here you can track your individual state Senators and Representatives and see what they're doing in Congress. This also allows you to see current bills...especially the Health Care Reform bill. Here you can view the bill for yourself and read all 1,036 pages to know for yourself what it contains - be informed!

Why the Rush? A New Look...

On the drive to work this afternoon I was listening to Sean Hannity on talk radio. He was taking calls and one of these callers made an interesting point that I had never thought of before…neither had Sean. This is what she pointed out:

There has been big push and rush to get health care reform passed in the House and Senate these last couple of months. President Obama wanted it passed before the August recess, but since it didn’t happen he’s now shooting by the end of the year…and is determined that it will. It’s all about politics and for Obama to get re-elected for a second term.

This is the point the caller made – If the health care reform bill does pass, it’s schedule not to be enacted into law and phased in until 2013. If there has been such a big rush to get it passed why not enact it as soon as possible? Politics. Obama knows that if enacted and phased in as soon as it passed America will see that Medicare benefits dropped or reduced and employer coverage will start to go away, and if that happens America will be in uproar and there is no way that he’ll be re-elected for another term. If however it’s not enacted until 2013, after he’s been re-elected, there’s nothing the American people can do about it.

This is an interesting observation that needs more attention.

Right Before Our Eyes

There have been times in my life where I'm searching for something specific. For example, I'm trying to find those chocolate chip granola bars in the pantry. I know that we have them, but I search and search and search and for the life of me can't find them. I then ask my wife where they might located. She comes into the kitchen, opens the pantry door, and pulls them out on the eye level shelf...they were right before my eyes and didn't even see it! Has that ever happened to you?

I think that is what's happening today with most of the American people. President Obama's agenda and vision of where he wants to take America is right before our eyes and we're not even seeing it. I hope to be my "wife" that is able to point these things out to you.

President Obama has told us exactly what he believes and what he wishes to do when it comes to health care "reform." He has said it specifically word for word, but most of us, especially the main stream media isn't seeing the bigger picture! Take last night for example, August 11, 2009, Obama held a town hall meeting in New Hampshire to promote and defend the health care bill he's promoting. During that town hall meeting he said:


"I have never said that I want a single payer health care system."

In 2003, during a Civil, Human, and Women's Rights Conference he said this:


"I happen to be a proponent of single payer universal health care plan...A single payer health care plan…a universal health care plan. That’s what I’d like to see." (See video below)




So which is Mr. President? America! He has said that he wants a single payer universal health care system! It's right before our eyes! Today he's saying what he needs to say to get his bill passed. If a public option is made available it will inevitably lead to universal health care and run the private industry out of business.

While our congressman/congresswomen are home for their August recess please call, email, write, go to town halls and make your voice known that you're against universal health care, more specifically a public option. We need to let the government that the people are in charge and they work for us...not the other way around. YOU can make a difference!

People Speaking Out Under Attack

What happened to America? I don't recognize it anymore. Sometimes it feels like I'm in a different country. One of the greatest freedoms that we have is our right to peaceful protest, to speak out and voice our opinion, and to question our elected officials. My previous post talked about town hall meetings where American citizen were doing just that. Since then the DNC (Democratic National Committee) and the White House has attacked our God given right calling them right-wing extremist mobs. Even going as far as these town halls being "manufactured" and set up by the health insurance companies. This is absolutely ludicrious! I mean it's natural human reaction and emotion to get defensive when somone opposes your point of view, but these our our elected officials whom are the voice of the people. Their job is to listen to the people and hear from all points of view, but instead they are targeting them and demonizing them. All I can say is that if they do not listen to the voice of the people, they will soon be out of a job.

We the People are Speaking Out

As the August recess for Congress is underway, many congressman are going back home and holding Town Hall Meetings with their constituents. One such meeting in Philidelphia, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Senator Arlen Specter got more than they bargained for. A woman in the audience had this to say:

“I look at this health care plan…I see nothing about health or about care. What I see…what I see is a bureaucratic nightmare Senator. Medicaid is broke. Medicare is broke. Social Security is broke. And you want us to believe that a government that can’t even run a “cash for clunkers” program is going to run one seventh of our U.S. economy! No sir! No!”

This is not an isolated incident either. A slue of other congressman are facing the same things. I believe that America is beginning to wake up, speaking up, and making their voices heard! Below is a video montage of town hall meetings...

Obama Officials: Taxes May Rise to Pay Health Care

Remember back on the campaign trail that Obama said that if you make less than $250,000 you will not see one penny of your taxes increase in any form? Yah, well, "two of President Barack Obama's economic heavyweights said middle-class taxes might have to go up to pare budget deficits or to pay for the proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system."

The news came from Tax Cheat Treasury Secretary Timoth Geithner and National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers on Sunday. "They both sidestepped questions on Obama's intentions about taxes. Geithner said the White House was not ready to rule out a tax hike to reduce the federal deficit; Summers said Obama's proposed health care overhaul needs funding from somewhere."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090803/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_economy_13

Another campaign promise broken. "There is a lot that can happen over time," Summers said, adding that the administration believes "it is never a good idea to absolutely rule things out, no matter what."

What Can I Do? (Part 2)

Here are some more personal steps that you can take to speak out and stand up to an out of control government. We the people must be heard...

"First, consult with trusted spiritual advisors for guidance. That could be a member of the clergy or a trusted, spiritual friend. Also, to me, and to most of our Founding Fathers by the way, this includes seeking the guidance of the Lord in prayer. I know, this is something that invites the ridicule of the mindless, godless spawns of hell (I say that with love, of course). Again, I couldn’t care less. If there was ever a time when we needed guidance from a Higher Power, it’s now. To you, that higher power may come in the form of a spoon…whatever, go with it. Unless the spoon is telling you to kill, cook and eat your neighbors, or in any way bring harm to others, then, obviously, that’s not a “higher power”, that’s A spoon. But we must have inspiration on our side for this struggle.

"Second, now that you’re (hopefully) freshly armed with inspiration, read the news and study issues from multiple sources, with “better eyes.” You’ll see things clearer and be far less likely to be deceived.

"Third, question everything. Yes, even from me. Mom used to tell me that I had a head on my shoulders for a reason…USE IT. And with so much information available today from SO MANY sources, there is a ton of bogus nonsense circulating. My credibility means everything to me right now, so before we put anything on the radio show, or Fox News, we check, double check, triple check and more, at times…and even WE, sometimes don’t get it right. But one thing we NEVER start with is mass email. Some of them are written so cleverly, and even cite news organization sources or mention that they’ve “checked” the information for accuracy. MOST of those stories aren’t true. There is so much truth to use in defense of our great nation right now, it seriously damages our cause when we fall prey to these Internet hoaxes. In other words, whether it’s a story on Fox News or something from your best friend, trust, but verify.

"And the fourth thing I’d like to get across today is, remember your traditions and heritage. One of the most shocking things said during the course of the presidential campaign last year came from Michelle Obama. During a campaign stop, she said, “and Barack knows that we are going to have to make sacrifices, we’re going to have to change our conversation, we’re going to have to change our traditions, our history, we’re going to have to move into a different place.” First of all, one can’t change one’s history. Oh, you can re-write it, certainly, to make it a lie, but that doesn’t change it. Secondly, I don’t want to change our traditions and history! It is our traditions and history that make us who we are…we are AMERICANS! And we will fight to stay AMERICANS!"

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/28577/

What Can I Do? (Part 1)

I believe a lot of Americans are waking up and realizing there is something wrong with what our government is doing. Cap-and-trade, health care reform, card check, the collapsing dollar, bailouts, stimulus bills, "cash for clunkers", gigantic, unsustainable debt, and on and on. Americans see this, but often ask the question: What can I do?

Glenn Beck is promoting that you can be a "Constitutional Watchdog" for America. He says, "we need you to keep watch over the most perfect political document ever given to mankind.

Don't try to pay attention to everything — it's impossible. As we've discussed, they're throwing so much at us at once — again, by design — that it's just too much to assimilate. Find something that you know about or have interest in. Watch what Congress is doing on that. If it's cap-and-trade, look for everything you can find on that issue. Whatever it is, when something comes up that doesn't sound right, start barking loudly, like the Constitutional Watchdog you are.

When you see this happening alert Glenn Beck by email or tweet and he'll highlight the story you've uncovered. When you see the Watchdog Shield, you'll know that it wasn't us who found the story — it was one of our Watchdogs.

Next post: What you can do on a more personal nature...