Sent: Monday, September 09, 2013 8:17 PM
Subject: America on a slippery slope
I just purchased the Kindle version of the new book:
The Poverty of Nations: A Sustainable Solution
By Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus
http://www.amazon.com/Poverty-Nations-Sustainable-Solution/dp/143353911X
The book is designed to inform governments of the factors that contribute to national prosperity. Below is a summary of the 78 factors discussed in the book that promote national prosperity. As I read through these, I see that the United States is definitely slipping away from the factors that contribute to national prosperity—and if we continue to do so, the United Statese will slip into poverty.
A Composite List of Factors That Will Enable a Nation to Overcome Poverty
A. The Nation’s Economic System (details in chapter 4)
1. The nation has a free-market economy.
2. The nation has widespread private ownership of property.
3. The nation has an easy and quick process for people to gain documented, legally binding ownership of property.
4. The nation maintains a stable currency.
5. The nation has relatively low tax rates.
6. The nation is annually improving its score on an international index of economic freedom.
B. The Nation’s Government (details in chapter 7)
1. Every person in the nation is equally accountable to the laws (including wealthy and powerful people).
2. The nation’s courts show no favoritism or bias, but enforce justice impartially.
3. Bribery and corruption are rare in government offices, and they are quickly punished when discovered.
4. The nation’s government has adequate power to maintain governmental stability and to prevent crime.
5. There are adequate limits on the powers of the nation’s government so that personal freedoms are protected.
6. The powers of the government are clearly separated between national, regional, and local levels, and between different branches at each level.
7. The government is accountable to the people through regular, fair, open elections, and through freedom of the press and free access to information about government activities.
8. The government adequately protects citizens against crime.
9. The government adequately protects citizens against epidemics of disease.
10. The nation’s legal system adequately protects people and businesses against violations of contracts.
11. The nation’s legal system adequately protects people and businesses against violations of patents and copyrights.
12. The government effectively protects the nation against foreign invasion.
13. The government avoids useless wars of conquest against other nations.
14. The nation’s laws protect the country against destruction of its environment.
15. The nation requires universal education of children up to a level where people are able to earn a living and contribute positively to society.
16. The nation’s laws protect and give some economic incentives to stable family structures.
17. The nation’s laws protect freedom of religion for all religious groups and give some benefits to religions generally.
C. The Nation’s Freedoms (details in chapter 8)
1. Everyone in the nation has freedom to own property.
2. Everyone in the nation has freedom to buy and sell goods and services, so that there are no protected monopolies.
3. Everyone in the nation has freedom to travel and transport goods anywhere within the nation.
4. Everyone in the nation has freedom to relocate anywhere within the nation.
5. Everyone in the nation has freedom to trade with other countries without dealing with restrictive quotas or tariffs.
6. Everyone in the nation has freedom to start and register a business quickly and inexpensively.
7. Everyone in the nation has freedom from expensive and burdensome government regulations.
8. Everyone in the nation has freedom from demands for bribes.
9. Everyone in the nation has freedom to work in whatever job he or she chooses.
10. Every worker in the nation has freedom to be rewarded for his or her work at a level that motivates good job performance.
11. Every employer has freedom to hire and fire employees based on job performance and changing business cycles.
12. Every employer in the nation has freedom to hire and promote employees based on merit, regardless of family connections or personal relationships.
13. Everyone in the nation has freedom to use the earth’s resources wisely, and particularly to utilize any type of energy resource.
14. Everyone in the nation has freedom to change and adopt newer, more effective means of work and production.
15. Everyone in the nation has freedom to access useful knowledge, inventions, and technological developments.
16. Everyone in the nation has freedom to be educated.
17. Every woman in the nation has the same educational, economic, and political freedoms as men.
18. Everyone in the nation, from every national, religious, racial, and ethnic origin, has the same educational, economic, and political freedoms as those from other backgrounds.
19. Everyone in the nation has freedom to move upward in social and economic status.
20. Everyone in the nation has freedom to become wealthy by legal means.
D. The Nation’s Values (details in chapter 9)
1. The society in general believes that there is a God who will hold all people accountable for their actions.
2. The society in general believes that God approves of several character traits related to work and productivity.
3. The society in general values truthfulness.
4. The society in general respects private ownership of property.
5. The society in general gives honor to several other moral values.
6. The society in general believes that there are both good and evil in every human heart.
7. The society in general believes that individuals are responsible for their actions.
8. The society in general highly values individual freedom.
9. The society in general opposes discrimination against people on the basis of race, gender, or religion.
10. The society in general honors marriage between one man and one woman.
11. The society in general values permanency of marriage and has a low divorce rate.
12. The society in general believes that human beings are more important than all other creatures on the earth.
13. The society in general believes that the earth is here for the use and benefit of human beings.
14. The society in general believes that economic development is a good thing and shows the excellence of the earth.
15. The society in general believes that the earth’s resources will never be exhausted.
16. The society in general believes that the earth is orderly and subject to rational investigation.
17. The society in general believes that the earth is a place of opportunity.
18. The society in general believes that time is linear and therefore there is hope for improvement in the lives of human beings and nations.
19. The society in general believes that time is a valuable resource and should be used wisely.
20. The society in general manifests a widespread desire to improve on life, to do better, to innovate, and to become more productive.
21. The society in general is open to change, and people therefore work to solve problems and make things better.
22. The society in general gives honor to productive work.
23. The society in general gives honor to economically productive people, companies, inventions, and careers.
24. The society’s business owners and workers in general view their companies primarily as means of providing customers with things of value, for which they will then be paid according to that value.
25. The society in general places a high value on savings in contrast to spending.
26. The society in general believes that mutual gains come from voluntary exchanges, and therefore a business deal is “good” if it brings benefits to both buyer and seller.
27. The society in general values knowledge from any source and makes it widely available.
28. The society in general values a highly trained workforce.
29. The society in general assumes that there must be a rational basis for knowledge and recognized channels for spreading and testing knowledge.
30. The society in general demonstrates a humble willingness to learn from other people, other nations, and members of other religions.
31. The society in general believes that the purpose of government is to serve the nation and bring benefit to the people as a whole.
32. The society in general believes that government should punish evil and promote good.
33. The society in general values patriotism and reinforces a shared sense of national identity and purpose.
34. The society in general counts family, friends, and joy in life as more important than material wealth.
35. The society in general counts spiritual well-being and a relationship with God as more important than material wealth.
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A DIRE WARNING OF WHERE THIS NATION IS HEADING: “History has proved it over and over, worldwide; only an all-powerful government could ever hope to control a populace with no moral core.” -- The Eye of Moloch, page 139.
Do you understand our form of government? If you do not understand the important difference between a Constitutional Republic and a Democracy, you are not equipped to understand the politics of our struggle against tyranny. Please watch this 10 minute 36 second video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDS1OHk7Lf8&feature=related
Political Opportunism – The forces of political opportunism overshadow and blind us to the real issues. To turn this nation around, we must escape (at least for the moment) the tyranny of politicians and the promotion of such—as no man or group of men will be the salvation for our nation. In the early days of the Massachusetts Colony, it is said that for an individual to seek public office was an immediate disqualification. If only we, who wish to restore our Republic, could grab hold of that concept and live it, perhaps we could not just focus on the battle plan of action needed to restore our limited federal government, but also protect our potential candidates for public office from character assassination—by having the focus being on the policy that is being proposed, and not the individual candidate sworn to promote that policy. This is an idea that bears much thought in order to come to fruition—for in its fruition is the only hope that corporate wisdom of “We the People” will prevail over the short sighted political process that governs modern American politics.
Do you want to understand the sad history as to how our nation is on the verge of bankruptcy due to its supposed WAR ON POVERTY? I thought I understood the background fairly well until I read the book by Marvin Olasky, THE TRAGEDY OF AMERICAN COMPASSION. The saga behind today’s government programs is truly a war on the values that made America a great nation! Maybe, after you read the book, you will be like me and want the book made into a documentary so that the “useful idiots” that are manipulated by the enemies of our republic might learn something! The Tea Party movement is never going to gain a true foothold on solving the nation’s ills until it understands that those at the bottom, the poor, those who have become dependent upon the myriad government programs are just as much victims as those who pay the bill. Until the Tea Party learns this and promotes that reality it will remain a marginal power to effect the change needed to restore this nation.
Darwinian Evolution versus Nature’s God – Our founding documents refer to nature’s God. This is a most serious issue for the survival of our Constitutional Republic—for a valueless, rudderless populous is easy to lead astray. As the Progressive's convince our youth that Darwinian Evolution is a scientific fact, they undermine our nation's foundational strength. One does not win the war of ideas by being uninformed. There are a lot of books that I could recommend on the subject. If you lack time, at least take a little time to view a video on Science and Creation, I recommend the 1 hour and 8 minute video by Hugh Ross. It is currently available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPvO2EkiLls This is an important topic if we are to reverse the Progressive move to eliminate God from the public forum, and if we hope to disarm the pseudo-intellectuals who mockingly refer Christianity as “intellectual suicide." I highly recommend all of Hugh Ross’s books, and the resources available at http://www.reasons.org/ (For those who bargain shop, these books are significantly less expensive if purchased on Amazon.com).
Stop letting those who hate the Constitution dictate the agenda and terminology: BLUE reflects patriotism and should be for the Patriots of our Constitution, those, Conservatives, Republicans, Libertarians, and yes: Classical Liberals who wish to restore our lost freedoms and the integrity of our Constitutional Republic. RED is the color of socialism/communism and should be the color to portray Progressives, Libertines, Leftist Liberals, Statists, Socialists, Communists, Fascists, Anarchists, and all those simple minded groupies that are easily led astray by shallow ideologies. Why should we patriots follow the color code dictated by the radical left who wish to portray us in an unfavorable light? Look at the map of our last election in the true blue colors:
If you look closely at the map, you will see that we must win back the cities. The election was no landslide for the opposition; we only lost by just over 2%. We need to explain (through the popular media of music, video, Internet, etc.) to the poor how they are being enslaved by government programs, and provide a realistic and optimistic view of a future where they too can have a fruitful and fulfilled life. (This can be achieved through such means as true parental choice in education, restored freedoms to work and create enterprise, and restored rights of private property so the poor can realistically pursue and achieve the American Dream!)
Our nation is going down the tube because our federal government is violating the tenants of the U.S. Constitution. Via a corrupt interpretation of the Commerce Clause, the federal government has usurped authority never granted by the Constitution and based on that corrupt interpretation a lion’s share of our federal bureaucracy has evolved to the detriment of “we the people”, the economy, the nation, and the rights of the individual States. You cannot effectively work to restore our freedom unless you understand the Constitution. A book I recommend (and it comes with an MP3 audio book and also available in video) is the 5000 Year Leap. Learning the subject matter as contained in this book should be mandatory for any high school graduate. If you have not read it, you are missing something important to your knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and your ability to fight the good fight to save America. Check these resources: http://www.learntheconstitution.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/5000-Year-Original-Authorized-Edition/dp/0880801484
I am a classical liberal—as were our nation’s founding fathers: Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets. http://www.ncpa.org/pub/what-is-classical-liberalism Just like everything else, those who hate the freedoms our forefathers gave us and want to create a powerful central state to control every aspect of our lives takes perfectly good terms (such as liberalism) and distorts it for their corrupting purposes.
Good viewing: Gun Control for Dummies – good information on the Bill of Rights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F584p5kJL-U
This nation is “losing it” as it progresses in a self-destruct mode. This glorious nation, one uniquely founded on a most reasonable, albeit “sane” foundation than any previous in history—one which brought it to become that shining light to the world—is now becoming an irrational blight upon its own people. Three of the powerful aspects that made America great are being devastated: 1) The strong moral and spiritual base within its people, 2) a free enterprise system, 3) the Constitution of the United States of America established to promote the first two aspects and to protect the public from the tyranny of unrestricted government power.
Our nation was founded by those who fled the despotism of Europe—both religious and governmental. Leaning on the lessons from history it chose to found its government in a way as to keep the three major elements separate: Religion, Government, and Economic Enterprise. For, when any two of those combine, the result is tyranny.
Over the past 150 years, our once strong moral base has been undermined by relentless attacks on our religious beliefs, led by a once plausible theory of evolution—which in light of recent scientific discovery is at best the most far-fetched of pseudo-science—but now enforced by government in the public forum and taught as fact (for those who would care to do some reading on the subject, one book I would recommend is WHY THE UNIVERSE IS THE WAY IT IS, by Hugh Ross).
While the Supreme Court still has the Ten-Commandments prominently displayed, our government actively promotes laws which undermine each and every one of those commandments—making it such that even the most evil of religions can righteously point to this nation as “The Great Satan.”
Unlimited expansion of the federal government has been made possible through a twisted and unintended interpretation of the “Commerce Clause,” –whereby the federal government has undermined the original intent, while blatantly neutering the Tenth Amendment. This has allowed the federal government to unconstitutionally expand is power and diminish our once healthy and prospering free enterprise system.
Any student of history or of human nature knows how fallible man is, and what wickedness he is capable of inflicting on his fellow man. And any man of spiritual understanding can see beyond the shallow ideologies of socialist, communist, and progressive thought which dominate modern politics.
We are in the midst of a war where the enemy is bent on destroying our nation’s moral and spiritual base, our free enterprise system, and the Constitution created to protect it from man’s natural inclination to use government to accumulate power over others.
The attack of the enemy is on multiple fronts and relentless. We must learn to fight effectively—but the battle is the Lord’s. If we are to wage it successfully, we must seek His light, His wisdom, His direction, and His Power. I am not a religious man and must fight off the tendency to hold the institutional church in America in contempt, as it has allowed the enemy to flourish. But thank God we do not need the institution of the church to save this nation, but we do need God. As Christ said in Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." While I applaud the efforts of patriots in various Tea Party movements to expose the attacks of the enemy, we need to establish a true battle plan to win back our Republic. Only with God’s power and direction can we achieve this. I for one, welcome the opportunity to meet with others in prayer for the purpose of seeking God’s direction and power to turn this nation around.
Be aware America:
"Foreign influence is
truly the Grecian horse to a republic. We cannot be too careful to exclude its
influence." – Alexander Hamilton
"Those who don't know history are
destined to repeat it." – Edmund
Burke
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that
matter." – Martin Luther King Jr.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do
nothing." – Edmund Burke
"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided
missiles and misguided men." – Martin Luther King Jr.
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who
are willing to work and give to those who would not." – Thomas
Jefferson
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem;
government is the problem." – Ronald Reagan
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the
government fears the people, there is liberty." – Thomas Jefferson
“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” –
Psalm 146:3
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths
straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
"There is no gain without struggle." – Martin Luther King Jr.
"Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one. "
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate,
tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." – Samuel
Adams
“I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts” – Will Rogers
Registered to vote? Check the voter registration status of yourself or a friend: http://www.wallbuilders.com/vote/ Every patriot you can get registered to vote increases our chances of making positive change come the next election. Even better, why not provide them the form to fill out to vote absentee?
As longshoreman philosopher Eric Hoffer once observed, "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket."
“That's the difference between a totalitarian and a normal person. Liberals are obsessed with controlling what other people do.” – Ann Coulter 2/27/13
"How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!"—Samuel Adams, 1776
“It would be a dangerous delusion were 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, let no more be said of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”—Thomas Jefferson