Don't Raise the DEBT Limit!

Here is an email I sent to my Congressman and Senators today:


Dear Senator Sessions, Senator Shelby, and Congressman Aderholt,

I have earned a lot of money in my life. Wisely, I have spent less than I have earned. There have been emergencies over the years where I have had to go in to debt. I also have purchased homes using a mortgage. In both instances, not only prudence on my part, but realistic restrictions on the part of my lenders, have limited how deep into debt I could go. Because of these limitations, I have always been able to repay my debts. Personally. I have never had to have my children, or even other citizens with more money than me, bail me out.

Regretfully, our Federal Government is not only unwise concerning how it spends my money, it also has the ability to borrow much more than is wise. And it has done so. For some idiotic reason, there is now a current move to increase our national debt limit in order to prevent an economic crisis. Again. The analogy of trying to put out a fire with gasoline is very fitting. What fool really thinks that adding to the debt will decrease it? How will giving the federal government more of my money teach it to be more prudent with how it spends?

I urge you to lobby the House/Senate to NOT increase the debt limit! Make the government live within its means. We all know the threat of default on the US debt has nothing to do with raising the debt limit. There is plenty money in the current revenue stream to pay the obligations on our debt, as well as to maintain all of the Constitutionally required services provided by the government.

Will not raising the debt limit hurt? You bet. Will a lot of the government handouts and unconstitutional departments have to be done away with? You bet. Not raising the debt limit will force the government to live within its means, and it will force the shrinking of the government. Both of these things will go a long way toward insuring that both our economy and our nation remain vibrant and free.

Thank you for your service,

Bobby Taylor
1501 Stadium Dr. NE
Cullman, AL 35055

Things

I was born in 1956, just about in the middle of the Baby Boom generation. By the time I was a senior in high school, Veit Nam was winding down, most hippies had cut their hair, and Nixon had resigned. The Beatles were already gone, and the Space Race was over. Teenagers were already moving from motorcycles to cars, and the cassette tape was the new technology replacing 8-tracks. We had one television in the house, and it was a color set (however, you still specified that it was color, because there were still a lot of black & white sets around.) We had expanded from three channels to five, but all were free via our antenna. We had one phone in our house, although a lot of people had an extension phone.

My grandparents had upgraded to an in-door toilet only a few years earlier (about the same year we landed on the moon.) I had an uncle and aunt who not only still used an outhouse, but they had just recently got electricity. Although my dad worked at a "plant", he also farmed. I helped. A lot. It was not unusual at all for me to get home from school and then get on the tractor and plow until after dark. Of course, on Saturday it was farming all day long. When I was about 14 or 15, my older brother and I planted an acre of okra to sell to the local farmers' market. It was my first entreuprenural endeavor. It required a lot of hard, hot work, but we made good money.

I had a happy childhood.

Why now do I spend over $100/month on cable television? Why do I have a color TV in almost every room of my house? Why do I have several phone extensions in my house, as well as a cellular telephone in my pocket? Why do I live in a house at least twice a big as my parents, but I have only half as many kids? Not only do I not farm, I hire someone to spray my house for bugs, someone else to cut my grasss, and someone else to maintain my pool.

Am I happier than I was when I was a teenager?

The US Is Failing

America was great because it was founded on Christian principles and the morality of the Holy Bible that permeated our whole society. Although they were certainly unChristian and immoral actions taken by individuals within the country, and even though our government sometimes did bad things, the basis of our nation, the very blueprint for our being, was the moral code outlined in the Old and New Testaments. Anyone who denies this truth has not read the hundreds of documents written by our founding fathers. The Bible's moral code is clearly engrained within our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence of the United States Constitution. God blessed America.
 
Our country is now faltering, ready to fall. We are no longer the envy of the world. Our government is in shambles, but no one recognizes the cause of the decay. Here is what I believe is causing the downfall of our country:
 
We removed the mother from the home, letting someone else raise our children.We removed prayer and God from the school, allowing other doctrines to be taught.We legalized abortion, putting self before the good of others.We normalized and sensationalized sex, breaking down the bedrock of the family unit.We made homosexuality moral, stretching the bounds on other moral bounderies.We took away personal responsibility, and replaced it with government control.We now accept immoral behavior in our families, our communities, and our government.
 
We are also beginning to no longer support Israel. The Bible promises that God will bless those who are a friend of Israel, and curse those who are her enemies. That is a promise that is repeated many times in the Bible. If you are a Christian or a Jew, you must believe this promise.
 
I believe that God is no longer blessing America. It does not matter how many times our politicians include the mandatory "God bless America" at the end of their speeches. It does not matter how many prayers are offered to a "higher power." We the people of the United States of America, must turn back to the Bible and the absolute moral guidelines clearly outlined therein. Jesus Christ is the only way to gain enternal life, and following his teachings, and teaching them to your children, is the only way to save America.
 
Pray for Israel. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And pray for America. But do not waste your time praying to a "higher power." Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, is the The Way.

It Once Was Good

Walking to work. It once was good, but no more.
Riding a horse to work. It once was good, but no more.
Taking a carriage to work. It once was good, but no more.
Taking a streetcar to work. It once was good, but no more.
Taking a car to work. It works for now.

Things change. Just because something used to be good, does not mean that it always will be. Someday, some type of mass transit will replace the private car in many areas.

Get a job. Join a Union. It once was good, but no more.

Things change. Unions had a place during the early industrial revolution as workers moved from the field to the factory. Most early factory workers were uneducated and uninformed. Employment laws had not yet caught up with the move from an agrarian rural lifestyle to one based around big, urban employers. Workers needed to band together to protect against unfair and unjust treatment. The Unions worked.

But worker protection is no longer the primary goal of the Unions. Money, politics and control of the worksite are now the most important things to the Union bosses. Unions are the primary tool of the progressive/socialists in achieving their goal of wealth redistribution. The "good of the worker" is merely a campaign slogan to increase the dues co-opted from the membership in order to be able to finance the real objectives of the Union bosses.

Workers are no longer uneducated and uninformed. There are more than enough laws on the books to protect workers today. Unions should be allowed to exists as any other organization is allowed to exist. However, all laws favoring Unions and giving them special powers should be repealed. Just as I pay dues to the NRA and NESA, I can pay dues to a Union if I want to. However, my membership in the NRA has nothing to do with whether I can work for a certain company, and my employer certainly does not have to deduct my NESA dues from my paycheck.

A letter to my Senator

December 13, 2010

The Honorable Richard Shelby

United States Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510-0103

RE: Your letter dated November 29, 2010

Dear Senator Shelby,

Thank you for responding to my letter concerning federal spending and earmarks. I appreciate your need to “bring home the bacon” to your constituents in Alabama, and you have certainly been successful over your career in doing just that. However, the spending in Washington must stop. Every time Congress votes to spend more money (i.e. grow the government), we the people lose more of our liberty. That loss comes through more regulation and/or higher taxes. Every time. No exceptions.

The problem with earmarks is not that you are simply allocating money already “spent” to your pet projects, but that in many instances the earmarks are added to other legislation in order to entice those voting on the bills to vote in favor of a bill that otherwise they would vote against. If a project has merit, then craft your bill and bring it to the floor for a vote. If you want to increase funding for national security, rural health care, secondary education, and law enforcement and drought relief as you state in your letter, then vote on those items. It is shameful that these worthwhile projects have to be treated as bribes in order to get other unrelated legislation passed.

The problem with our government is not a shortage of taxes. It is spending. Spending will never be reduced until men of character are willing to give up their pork in order to show others the more patriotic way! Because of the severe shortage of character in Washington, I pray that you will support a Balanced Budget Amendment when it comes before the U.S. Senate. As was evidenced by the recent election, the American People want Limited Government, Fiscal Responsibility and Free-market Capitalism. If you are not willing to fight for these three things, then I ask that you do the patriotic thing and resign from the U.S. Senate. If you are willing to fight to save our economy and our country, then may God Bless You.

Sincerely,

Quotes by an Economist and Patriot

Famous quotes by economist and patriot Milton Friedman. My favorite is at the bottom.

"The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit."

"Nobody spends somebody else's money as carefully as he spends his own. Nobody uses somebody else's resources as carefully as he uses his own. So if you want efficiency and effectiveness, if you want knowledge to be properly utilized, you have to do it through the means of private property."

"Governments never learn. Only people learn."

"So the question is, do corporate executives, provided they stay within the law, have responsibilities in their business activities other than to make as much money for their stockholders as possible? And my answer to that is, no they do not"

"The only way that has ever been discovered to have a lot of people cooperate together voluntarily is through the free market. And that's why it's so essential to preserving individual freedom."

"Most economic fallacies derive - from the tendency to assume that there is a fixed pie, that one party can gain only at the expense of another."

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself."

"What kind of society isn't structured on greed? The problem of social organization is how to set up an arrangement under which greed will do the least harm; capitalism is that kind of a system"

"The society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither. The society that puts freedom before equality will end up with a great measure of both."

Registration, Certification or Licensure?

I believe in a free-market economy. In order to have one, government regulation must be kept to an absolute minimum. The market, or peoples' willingness to purchase, should be the controlling factor as to the success of a product or service. Whether your product is "approved" by any governing body should have little, if any, ability to control your right to offer such product or service. How do Registration, Certification, and Licensure affect a free-market economy?

Registration - The listing of a thing in order to keep track of it. If by government, in order to know how many exist and in order to tax. If by private parties, in order to be associated or known with that thing. Registration is not used to control the quality or quantity of something.

Certification - Attesting to the fact that a thing meets a certain standard. Certification standards can be created by private entities (i.e. Good Housekeeping, Microsoft) or by the government (i.e. OSHA, EPA.) The claim "Certified" lets the public know that you meet the standard set by the certifying organization. Certification normally is not used to control the quantity of something, but does advertise a minimum quality.

Licensure - The granting of a privilege not available to all. If by government or another official body, used to restrict the quantity of a thing (i.e Doctors and Lawyers must be Licensed.) The licensing body is usually made up of practitioners of the profession to be licensed, who have an inherent interest in restricting competition in the profession. Some licensing bodies are private (American Medical Association), while some are quasi-government or government agencies (State Bar.) Although often claiming to be concerned with quality, Licensure is most used to control quantity in a profession.

Registration is good when used to help the public to find a product or service. Registration is necessary if the government wants to tax a certain product or service. Voluntary certification allows a product or service to set itself apart from or above those not certified. Certification allows the public to believe that a product or service meets the minimal standard required by the Certification. Registration and Certification can be good for the market when not abused. Abuse normally comes in the form of some type of Licensure.

Licensure is bad for a free-market economy. In order to be free, the market for a product or service must be decided by the public's willingness to purchase it, not by a group who, in almost every instance, have their own interest, and not those of the public, at heart. Why is healthcare so expensive? Because the American Medical Association, made up of doctors already well-established in the profession, control the number of doctors (competitors) that are allowed in the market. They do this, not by setting standards, but by setting quotas. In fact, the AMA has done such a good job of controlling competition that they are able to not only restrict where a doctor may practice and what field the doctor is allowed to practice in, but even if the prospective student is allowed to attend medical school (the medical school also has to be licensed by the AMA.) The State Bars are even worse. Why do you think lawyers are able to charge $200, $300, $400 PER HOUR or even more for their expertise? It is because the Bar can do everything the AMA can do, and in addition, their members write the laws and regulations that assure there is no competition for services.

The requirement to be Licensed is leading us into a caste system not seen since medieval times, and it is restricting our free-market. When those already in the profession can control who is allowed in the profession, competition will always be restricted and prices will always be high. Those in control will be enriched, while those wanting to provide the product or service and not accepted will be forced into other fields. In addition, new products and new techniques, especially those "outside the box", will be stymied as those in control are reluctant to change, and those with the new ideas are afraid of being kicked out of the club.

Personal and Economic Freedom

Limited Government, Fiscal Responsibility, Free-market Capitalism. These three things are not three independent goals. They go hand in hand. You cannot have them separately. They are THE goal of Constitutional Conservatives and most who associate with the Tea Party movement (you know, those racist, bigot, extremist idiots who should be called terrorist, at least according to the main-stream media and those in power.)


Limited government interference and regulation sets the citizen free to pursue life, liberty and happiness, while it sets the entrepreneur free to start and grow a business, powering our economy and creating jobs and wealth. The only reason for a government to grow is so that it has more control of our lives. Every time Congress votes to spend more money (i.e. grow the government), we the people lose more of our liberty. That loss comes through more regulation and/or higher taxes. Every time. No exceptions.


Fiscal responsibility insures that we are paying our own way, and are beholding to no one. Although the Bible does not condemn or forbid debt, it does give some very wise counsel: Deuteronomy 28:12: The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.  Proverbs 22:7: Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. Just like you and me, it is in our nation's best interest to not be in debt. Just like you and me, our nation should be mature enough to live within its means. The more government grows, the more it spends. The more it spends, the more it must raise our taxes, unless it goes into debt. So just what is government debt? It is the outward proof of the inner cowardice of our government that keeps it from saying NO to spending, while at the same time not having the guts to vote for tax increases.


Free-market capitalism is the engine and the proof, the cause and the effect, of a free people and a free nation. Without personal freedom, the free-market will disappear. Without a free-market, personal freedom can not exist.

Common Ground

Business Owners

Investors
Religious Right
Social Conservatives
National Rifle Association
Home Schoolers
Parental Rights Advocates
Libertarian Party
Conservative Advocacy Groups
Tea Parties
Many Tax Payers
Constitutional Conservatives

What do they all want from their government? They ask for nothing, except to be left alone!

Slavery

Slaves worked hard all day at a job, giving most, if not all, to their "benefactor." It didn't matter how hard a slave worked, for the master gave equally to all his slaves. Slaves had to accept, and could only have, the care that their benefactor allowed them to receive. They couldn't decide what kind of trade to practice without the master's permission. The slave had to eat what the master told them to eat, for the master always knows best. For giving their entire lives and livelihood and freedom to the master, the slaves expected to have their needs met all their lives. However, there was no guarantee, and usually they were mistreated and forgotten as the master's economic situation changed. After all, they were but slaves, and what was good for the master was the most important thing, the greater good.

Americans work hard all day at a job, giving most, it not all, to their government. It does not matter how hard you work, for the government gives equally to all its citizens. Americans have to accept, and can only have, the care that their government allows them to receive. They can't decide what kind of trade to practice without the government's permission. Americans have to eat what the government tells them to eat, for the government always knows best. For giving their entire lives and livelihood and freedom to the government, Americans expect to have their needs met all their lives. However, there is no guarantee, and we will be mistreated and forgotten as the government's economic situation changes. After all, we are but citizens, and what is good for the government is the most important thing, the greater good.

We fought a war to free the slaves once. Will it be required again? Only your VOTE will tell.