Distrust of Power Not Necessarily Disrespect for Leaders

The Founders had more confidence in the people than they did in the leaders of the people, especially trusted leaders, even themselves.  They felt the greatest danger arises when a leader is so completely trusted that the people feel no anxiety to watch him.

Alexander Hamilton wrote:

For it is a truth, which the experience of all ages has attested, that the people are commonly most in danger when the means of injuring their rights are in the possession of those [toward] whom they entertain the least suspicion. (Federalist Papers, No. 25, p.164.)

Two hundred years of American history have demonstrated the wisdom of the Founders in proclaiming a warning against the frailties of human nature in the people’s elected or appointed leaders. Every unconstitutional action has usually been justified because it was for a “good cause.”  Every illegal transfer of power from from one department to another has been excused as “necessary.”

— Bailouts, Bank take-overs, Auto Industry take-overs,Obamacare… any of this sound familiar?

The whole explosion of bureaucratic power in Washington has been the result of ‘trusting” benign political leaders, most of whom really have good intentions.

Armstrong Williams:

The social engineering of liberal policy makers often has the unintended consequences of making life more difficult for the people it is trying to help.  They justify liberal policies by correctly highlighting real institutional barriers like racism and historical poverty that have historically held back the disadvantaged. However, instead of teaching the disadvantaged to fish so they can feed themselves for a lifetime, they merely give them a fish to eat.

A Miracle that Changed the World, continued:

Thomas Jefferson struck out with all the force that tongue and pen could muster against trusting in human nature. Said he:

It would be a dangerous delusion where a confidence in the men of our choice to silence our fears for the safety of our rights; that confidence is everywhere the parent of despotism; free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions to bind down those whom we are obliged to trust with power; that our Constitution has accordingly fixed the limits to which, and no farther, our confidence may go….

In questions of power, then, let no more be said of confidence in man, BUT BIND HIM DOWN FROM MISCHIEF BY THE CHAINS OF THE CONSTITUTION. (The kentucky Resolutions of 1798, Annals of America, 4:65-66; emphasis added.)

The wealth of information and context revealed in this book is astounding. I recommend that anyone concerned about the future of America, go out and buy this book today.

The foundation of our country and the principles which have made us the greatest civilization of the planet are explained and exposed as the salvation of human race. To understand where we are going today, we must understand the importance of the Founding Fathers and the radical change in governess which they established.

History was never my favorite subject during my years of education. Dates, names, places… all seemed so overwhelming to me. Totally lost in the flood of information, the context was illusive, if not obscure. The 5000 Year Leap, by W. Skousen, taught me more in a few days then I learned in years of formal education.

Asked to grade themselves on their knowledge, 89 percent of adults polled believed they could pass a basic test on the American Revolution. However, 83 percent failed the test that covered the underlying beliefs, freedoms, and liberties established during the Revolution.

This book should be REQUIRED READING in every school in America.

This post has been expanded and continued as a permalink – See Page: OBAMA ACCOMPLISHMENTS: An ongoing Saga

I probably should have named this “My WTF list” but, being a family friendly site, I will just leave it as is.

Due to site technical issues, and missing the past month of events, I would like to extend the confusing and deteriorating accomplishments of the current administration.

Original Post: Feb. 13  Obama accomplishments shine… like a dim bulb.

In no particular order…

• The stimulus, slush fund has failed.
  How’s that “Hope and Change” working out for ya?
• Obamacare has been rejected by a large majority of Americans.
  The silent majority has spoken.
• Obama embarrassed himself twice in Copenhagen (Olympics and the Global Warming Hoax Conference ).
  Take a bow for those, Obama.
• The deficit and unemployment are destroying the Obama fiction, and the country’s identified Obama’s policies as the problem.
• Democrat candidates were humiliated in New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts, and guess what? Patrick Kennedy has said he’s not running for reelection in Rhode Island. He’s got a 62% disapproval…
  Can’t wait till the 2010 elections.
• Generic polls favor Republicans by huge margins.
• Sarah Palin is getting write-ups now in the Mindless Media that Barack Obama would kill for. Joe Klein and David Broder, the same day, wrote 90% lauding favorable pieces of Sarah Palin.
  You go, girl!
• Of course, then there’s Robert Gibbs. We have to feel sorry for Obama because of Baghdad Bob Gibbs –“We’ve seen in survey after survey that Americans want to see Republicans and Democrats stand together on health care.”
  …stand together AGAINST health care.
• Guantanamo Bay is still open.
  God Bless the U.S. Military.
• Obama will not drop the idea of trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City.
  I don’t think we’ve heard the end of this from the Big Apple.
• Michelle Obama has told the world that her daughters are fatties.
• ClimateGate, a total hoax, has been exposed. Record cold temperatures worldwide over the past year, mind-numbing blizzards and Algore nowhere to be found.
  If it doesn’t snow, it’s a sign of global warming… If it snows to much, it’s a sign of global warming… Am I missing something here? Really, that’s what it comes down to? What has happened to common since?
  Oh, right, we’re all just idiots…
• Obama embraces bank bonuses after trashing them for a year.
  Sounds a bits schizophrenic.
• Obama prematurely and awkwardly gives away the lie of not taxing the hell out of the middle class.
  Shocking, eh?
• Joe Biden has, in effect, said mission accomplished to Bush and Cheney for their brilliant policy in Iraq by claiming it’s one of the greatest achievements of the Obama administration.
  We’ve moved from schizophrenic to delusional.
• The tea parties are working.
  Thank God.
• There’s this story from The Politico: “Family Feud: Pelosi at Odds with Obama.”
  “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s increasingly public disagreements with President Barack Obama are a reflection of something deeper: the seething resentment some Democrats feel over what they see as cavalier treatment from a wounded White House.”
  Modern day ‘three stooges’ — Obama, Pelosi and Reed.
• And then of course Dingy Harry has pulled the jobs bill. He’s reducing it from $85 billion to $15 billion.
  The only ‘jobs’ this administration understands – Union and Government Bureaucracy employment.
• The deadly shooting attack by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad on a military recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas in May 2009 that killed a US soldier and injured another.
  Lets not assume he’s Muslim.  That would be acting “Stupidly“.  Terrorist 1, Obama 0.
• Obama takes three days to respond to the Christmas underwear Bomber… three days! If not for luck, the attack would have claimed the lives of at least 300 people, not to mention those who might have died on the ground.
  I do not believe our security should rely on luck… do you? Terrorist 2, Obama 0.
• Obama Refuses to Call Ft. Hood Massacre an Act of Terror.
  A shooting that killed 13 and wounded scores of others, preceded by a SHOUT OUT… Priorities, anyone? Terrorist 3, Obama 0. Feeling safe yet??

May 5, 2010 : Revised additions

• Pelosi: “But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.”
  This is how Liberals legislate. Be afraid… very afraid.
• Obamacare becomes law.
  Democrats ignore overwhelming public opposition to ObamaCare and pass it anyway, and Obama continues to ‘Sell’ his plan to no avail.
• Obama takes over ALL Student Loans, under the cover of Obamacare, hidden in 2400 pages of socialist transformation.
  Did you even know the name of the bill? Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
• Obama snubbed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
  Not a problem meeting with Cuba or Iran, with friends like that, who needs allies?
• Obama refuses to call Massacre at Ft. Hood an Act of Terrorism. President hides behind irrational political correctness again.
  How can we fight terrorism, when the Commander in Chief won’t even acknowledge it.
• War on Terror renamed by Obama Administration.
  No such thing as ‘Islamist terrorism’ in ObamaWorld.  Man Made Disaster? Overseas Contigency Operation?
• Obama excludes private and Catholic school children from the Easter egg roll ticket giveaway.
  A Uniter, Not A Divider? Respect for religion? Really?
• Obama announces that he will approve oil and gas exploration.
  If you believe this one, I have some swampland in Florida to sell you.
• Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the latest Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)
  Damn… I feel more secure already.  Love those Communist…Ya know they don’t lie.
• “NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said Tuesday that President Barack Obama has asked him to ‘find ways to reach out to dominantly Muslim countries’ as the White House pushes the space agency to become a tool of international diplomacy.”
  Hu?? WTF… When did NASA become a Public Relations Department?
• Obama hasn’t held a formal press conference in almost a year.
  Where is the Media? Do dictators have to answer questions? Guess not.
• Obama administration continued ‘War’ on Tea Party Patriots. Racist, bigoted, violent, ignorant, hate-filled, intolerant…
  Why does the administration and it’s subordinates continue to defame the most patriotic, God-loving, law abiding, compassionate citizens I’ve ever met?
• Army Disinvites Franklin Graham from National Day of Prayer Event.
  Obama:”…we have a very large Christian population — we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation…”
  USA ranks #1 in National Christian Population.  225 Million / 85% of the Population. Maybe he wants to transform America to a Muslim Nation??
• Obama’s Katrina – Despite plan, not a single fire boom on hand on Gulf Coast at time of oil spill.
  A crisis is a terrible thing to waste, when you can blame it on BIG OIL.
• Governor Jan Brewer signed an immigration law that launched a national debate. Obama called the effort “misguided” and directed the Justice Department to monitor its implementation, warning that it could violate citizens’ civil rights.
  Obama and his regime govern against the will of the people. CBS Poll: 60 percent of Americans say Arizona’s tough new immigration law is “about right” or “doesn’t go far enough.” Are you listening, Washington?
• Times Square attempted car bombing, once again, lucky the bomb didn’t go off.  Obama spent about 50 seconds reassuring us that nothing had happened and nothing will happen, everything’s okay in New York, now back to the economy…
  Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? …  Terrorist 4, Obama 0.
  

May 13, 2010 : addition

• Holder said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing when asked had he read the state law cracking down on illegal immigrants. — Fox News: May 13, 2010
  Wondering if anyone in Washington actually reads anything…

Unfortunately I see no end to this post and the troubling issues it exposes.

Original Post: Feb. 13, 2010  Obama accomplishments shine…

MATTHEWS : Party time. After 13 months of whispering and wooing across the aisle, the president must now win with those on his side. He must rally the Democrats to pass health care because they’re all he’s got. He must now lead the band with all the music and magic he has in him.

Selling victory. To win his biggest test, one he set himself, the president must convince his people the prize is worth the pain. He must teach the deepest of all truths, that it’s what you do with what you’ve got.

These statements are amazing to me.

Ok Chris, do you have your Pom Poms out? You seem to be marching in lockstep behind the Obama Health Care Parade.

Matthews has a new liberal definition of  ‘Victory’ or in his words, “Selling victory.”

VICTORY now defined: Passing a plan that the American people don’t want.

NewsBusters.org:

• Split on Obama’s handling of health care: 48-48 (46-50 August 17)
• Support Obama’s health care reforms: 46-48 (45-50 August 17)
• President Obama’s job approval is at 54 (57 August 17)
• Deficit: 65% think health care reform will make it worse
• Medicare: 56% of seniors think it will weaken Medicare
• On the crucial “what’s in it for me?” question, twice as many Americans (32-16) think it will make their own care worse, twice as many (40-20) think it will increase their costs, and more than three times as many (37-11) think it will hurt their coverage.

December 16, 2009 Washington Post-ABC News Poll

• Obama and the Democrats have had decidedly less success convincing the public that their health proposals will bring positive change.
• More than half of those polled, 53 percent, see higher costs for themselves if the proposed changes go into effect than if the current system remains intact.
• About as many (55 percent) say the overall cost of the national health-care system would go up more sharply.
• Moreover, just 37 percent say the quality of their care would be better under a new system; 50 percent see it as better under the current set-up.

Steven Thomma  McClatchy Newspapers, March 17, 2009

“Its new survey finds Obama’s approval rating falling to 59 percent from 64 percent in February. It also finds the ranks of Americans who disapprove of the president’s job performance rising, to 26 percent from 17 percent.”

Back to Chris Matthews Sunday Program.

Ms. KATHLEEN PARKER : I think he’s done his best to say, `Look, I’ve tried.’ But everybody’s forgetting something, which is that the American people don’t want this plan.

MATTHEWS : “He must teach the deepest of all truths, that it’s what you do with what you’ve got.”

Really? What has the President been doing?? He has given over 100 speeches on Obama-care, and over 100 combined television and newspaper/magazine interviews.

Professor Obama has been preaching the same sermon for over a year and the polls show it continues to be rejected by 2/3 of the American people.

Rasmussen Reports:

Three-out-of-four Americans (74%) trust their own judgment more than that of the average member of Congress when it comes to economic issues facing the nation.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 13% trust the average Congress members judgment more, while 12% are not sure who knows best.

I don’t think “the deepest of all truths” have seen the light of day, as reflect by Rasmussen.

A few “simple truths” have been exposed:

• The Cornhusker Kickback
• The Louisiana Purchase
• No TORT Reform
• No selling insurance across state lines
• No Stupak amendment
• No Health Savings Accounts
• No Media Care Reform…
  Just cuts of 500 billion, … which will never happen, to a program that is going BANKRUPT.

Ms. O’DONNELL: Well, one of the problems is, there’s an intramural aspect to this that may not be as obvious. The House has mistrust of the Senate. The Senate has to promise to make fixes.

“The House has mistrust of the Senate,” and the American people don’t trust Congress… But we are going to believe the Senate is going to keep promises.

Are you kidding me?  What’s not “obvious” about that?

Ms. O’DONNELL: And people just don’t believe they will follow through and help cover those House Democrats who would vote for this, and that’s a real problem.

MATTHEWS: OK. I think they’re going to try to solve that by some kind of public statement, by 50 at least Senate Democrats. `We are going to pass reconciliation and meet your objections to the Senate bill if you vote for the Senate bill.’ They’re going to have to, clearly.

Excuse me, I though the Obama line on that was the “Republican obstructionists” were blocking the presidents every move, not his fellow progressive Democrats.

A simple math lesson here. The Democrats had a super Majority in the Senate and an overwhelming numbers in the House. They could have passed anything.

Anything.

Even with the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts, all they needed was ONE Republican. One Republican. And Lord knows we have some Liberal Republicans that pollute the Senate on a regular basis. Could they find one Republican, that they could convince, or like Democrats, bribe? ONE Republican?

NO.

Now they speak of ‘reconciliation‘. Really? Just 51 votes? Seems like the Democrats are struggling like a beached whale to round up enough votes in the House to pass the Senate version of this monstrosity. If you can only get 51 Senate Democrats to vote for this, and there are 59 who caucus with the Democrats, doesn’t that mean you have BIPARTISAN OPPOSITION to this bill? All the Republicans and maybe 8 Democrats?

BIPARTISAN OPPOSITION.

Poles, Tea Parties, Town Halls… The American people have spoken, but no one in Washington is listening.

Washington will hear all of us soon!

“You understand, I mean, with Charlie Rangel. You promised the most ethical Congress in history, and — and, I mean, you gotta understand now why so many Americans think Congress is corrupt. It just doesn’t look good. This Rangel thing just doesn’t pass the smell test.”

PELOSI: Look, I — I served for seven years on the ethics committee. The last thing I would have wanted would be for the speaker of the House to interfere in a political way in what was going on there. That just should never happen. Uh, but the fact is — is that, uh, w-w-what Mr. Rangel has been admonished for is not good. It was, uh, uh, a violation of the rule of the House. Uh, it was not something that, uhhh, jeopardized our country in any way.

No, no, no.  How could the fact that one of the most powerful men in Congress is corrupt have any effect on America? I mean, after all, all he does is write the tax law. He’s chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

He doesn’t have any effect on America. No way. Don’t even tell me he’s in the same league as Tom DeLay, who they had to force out of there.

Here’s Pelosi back from November 7th, 2006, election night.

PELOSI: To-day the American people voted to restore integrity and honesty in Washington, DC. And the Democrats in-tend to lead the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.

Typical of everything the Democrats say: It’s a lie and is not true.

Here’s Paul Krugman from the New York Times. He was on This Week as well during the roundtable, and Elizabeth Vargas says,

“Speaker Pelosi, Steny Hoyer were all calling for Tom DeLay to relinquish his post when he was also admonished by the ethics committee.”

KRUGMAN: It is worth pointing out that none of these things actually seemed to affect national policy. Yeah, I’m unhappy with this. I wish Rangel would go away. But it — it really has no national significance.

Oh, no national significance at all!

Oh, he’s only chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. He’s cheating on his taxes. He’s not reporting income.

On MSNBC, Joe Scarborough says to Senator Durbin,

“You served with Charlie. I served with Charlie. Are you disappointed?”

DURBIN: I want to tell you one thing about Charlie Rangel. When he joined the Army after World War II as an African-American, he was put in a segregated unit. He served in combat in Korea. This man has served his country. I am not going to presume, uhhh, guilt when it comes to Charlie Rangel.

Charlie Rangel is a veteran, so who cares if he’s corrupt? He served in North Korea. Who cares?

He’s corrupt – simple truth.

“When appointed, the Council will be reviewing such matters as involving the National Guard of the various States; homeland defense; civil support; synchronization and integration of State and Federal military activities in the United States; and other matters of mutual interest pertaining to National Guard, homeland defense, and civil support activities.”

This is from the WhiteHouse.gov press office:

“President Obama Signs Executive Order Establishing Council of Governors.”

Now, this seems to be federalizing the National Guard.

“When appointed, the Council will be reviewing such matters as involving the National Guard of the various States; homeland defense; civil support; synchronization and integration of State and Federal military activities in the United States;” integration, synchronization “and other matters of mutual interest pertaining to National Guard, homeland defense, and civil support activities.”

Now, Obama said in the campaign,

“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”

He said that in 2008 in the campaign.

You stop and think about that: Just as well funded as the US military? The military budget is, what, around $600 billion a year? Stop and think of that: We spent more on the stimulus than on national defense.

But anyway, we’re going to spend $600 billion on a civilian national security force just as powerful as the US military? Can anybody say posse comitatus? Then we have this executive order from yesterday and I’m really scratching my head over what this means.

Based on his campaign statement:

“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”

Scary thought, eh?

What the hell is going on in Washington??