The Grand Old Party (GOP) renewed its faith in the American Dream today when it voted to elect Michael Steele as the Chairman of the Party. Steele, the former Lt. Governor of Maryland, is the first African American to lead the GOP. It is refreshing to see that the party of Abraham Lincoln - the Great Emancipator - renew our faith in the American Dream.
Steele commented: "We're going to say to friend and foe alike: We want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us, and for those who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over,"
To say that Steele faces huge obstacles to his success is a dramatic understatement; but he appears to have the qualifications and character to become a very successful chairman. In light of Washington, D.C.'s dominance by Democrats, a strong loyal opposition is, of course, necessary for good governance. Congrats!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Our $10 TRILLION DEBT
According to the U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK, "The Outstanding Public Debt as of 24 Jan 2009 at 10:28:21 PM GMT is: $10,625,470,122,772.17". They continue:
"The estimated population of the United States is 305,521,304
so each citizen's share of this debt is $34,778.16.
The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$3.34 billion per day since September 28, 2007!"
Wow! Most people are focused on the deficit - which is the amount of money the federal government spends more than it takes in for any given year. But the debt is the all the money outstanding throughout the years. This silent crisis can definitely paralyze our financial situation over time. The interest on the debt is consuming a larger and larger portion of our federal expenditures - squeezing out other areas of the budget - like infrastructure, military, science, etc.
For more information, visit http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/.
And don't forget to check out AmericasSurvivalGuide.com
"The estimated population of the United States is 305,521,304
so each citizen's share of this debt is $34,778.16.
The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$3.34 billion per day since September 28, 2007!"
Wow! Most people are focused on the deficit - which is the amount of money the federal government spends more than it takes in for any given year. But the debt is the all the money outstanding throughout the years. This silent crisis can definitely paralyze our financial situation over time. The interest on the debt is consuming a larger and larger portion of our federal expenditures - squeezing out other areas of the budget - like infrastructure, military, science, etc.
For more information, visit http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/.
And don't forget to check out AmericasSurvivalGuide.com
Monday, January 19, 2009
A principle for today and tomorrow
(Originally printed in the Detroit Free Press)
If one had fictionalized the confluence of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday today with the inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow, no one would believe it.
Yet America has a long history of remarkable auspicious days. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4 -- 50 years to the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Battle of Gettysburg was won on July 3.
As we celebrate the King holiday today, we should focus on King's pivotal role in moving the country toward the dream of racial equality.
The Declaration of Independence declares as a self-evident truth the First Principle: "all men are created equal." Of course, at the time of the Declaration, that self-evident truth was honored in the breach more than in reality. Jefferson and other founders owned slaves; indentured servants were common; women were disenfranchised.
However, the principle of equality was so powerful that over the course of time it assaulted and eventually tore down the bulwarks of inequality. Even before the nation's birth, many founders railed against the hypocrisy of slavery. Abolitionists continued this tradition.
In 1863 Abraham Lincoln reaffirmed this principle in the Gettysburg Address when he said the nation was "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Armed with this First Principle, Lincoln and the Union Army eventually liberated the slaves. Yet the promise of equality was quashed with the Tilden-Hayes presidential election of 1876 and the abandonment of Reconstruction thereafter.
Not until King, along with many other courageous leaders and foot soldiers, was America forced to fully confront racism.
King's efforts were deeply rooted in the principle of equality. Writing from a jail cell in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963, he predicted African Americans "will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom."
He explained: "One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage."
Inspired by this understanding and the struggles of the civil rights movement, Congress passed a series of laws, and America has moved -- all too slowly -- to embrace the full ramifications of equality. Obama's inauguration will be its most vivid embodiment.
Our work, however, is not done. Our schools, museums, politicians and the media should reflect on King's achievements and pay homage to his role in making America accountable to the First Principle. To fulfill his legacy, all Americans need to be versed in the First Principle of equality and continue King's demand that it be unequivocally applied.
For more on American history and our First Principles, visit:
http://www.americassurvivalguide.com/
If one had fictionalized the confluence of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday today with the inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow, no one would believe it.
Yet America has a long history of remarkable auspicious days. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4 -- 50 years to the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Battle of Gettysburg was won on July 3.
As we celebrate the King holiday today, we should focus on King's pivotal role in moving the country toward the dream of racial equality.
The Declaration of Independence declares as a self-evident truth the First Principle: "all men are created equal." Of course, at the time of the Declaration, that self-evident truth was honored in the breach more than in reality. Jefferson and other founders owned slaves; indentured servants were common; women were disenfranchised.
However, the principle of equality was so powerful that over the course of time it assaulted and eventually tore down the bulwarks of inequality. Even before the nation's birth, many founders railed against the hypocrisy of slavery. Abolitionists continued this tradition.
In 1863 Abraham Lincoln reaffirmed this principle in the Gettysburg Address when he said the nation was "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Armed with this First Principle, Lincoln and the Union Army eventually liberated the slaves. Yet the promise of equality was quashed with the Tilden-Hayes presidential election of 1876 and the abandonment of Reconstruction thereafter.
Not until King, along with many other courageous leaders and foot soldiers, was America forced to fully confront racism.
King's efforts were deeply rooted in the principle of equality. Writing from a jail cell in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963, he predicted African Americans "will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom."
He explained: "One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage."
Inspired by this understanding and the struggles of the civil rights movement, Congress passed a series of laws, and America has moved -- all too slowly -- to embrace the full ramifications of equality. Obama's inauguration will be its most vivid embodiment.
Our work, however, is not done. Our schools, museums, politicians and the media should reflect on King's achievements and pay homage to his role in making America accountable to the First Principle. To fulfill his legacy, all Americans need to be versed in the First Principle of equality and continue King's demand that it be unequivocally applied.
For more on American history and our First Principles, visit:
http://www.americassurvivalguide.com/
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Resurrecting the Language
For far too long, our culture has done its best to convert our conversations and literature into generic, bland, and 6th grade reading levels. Add to that the internet's penchant for abbreviations and half-words and phrases, and the English language is taking a horrible beating.
Widely believed to be the broadest and most diverse language, the modern speaker and writer have done English a grievous injustice. But help is on the way. The "Word Warriors" at Wayne State University have posted a number of words they suggest should be revived in the lexicon. The website also allows readers to make their own suggestions. Currently listed just under "a" are acrid (bitter, stingy); asinine (utterly stupid); antithetical (opposite); apodicitic (incontestable); and many more. On the website also features penultimate (one of my favorites, meaning second to last).
When we diminish our language, we diminish our culture and uniqueness. Great Job Wayne State! (By the way, did my mention my wife and I are alumni?)
Check out the website at: http://www.wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php
Widely believed to be the broadest and most diverse language, the modern speaker and writer have done English a grievous injustice. But help is on the way. The "Word Warriors" at Wayne State University have posted a number of words they suggest should be revived in the lexicon. The website also allows readers to make their own suggestions. Currently listed just under "a" are acrid (bitter, stingy); asinine (utterly stupid); antithetical (opposite); apodicitic (incontestable); and many more. On the website also features penultimate (one of my favorites, meaning second to last).
When we diminish our language, we diminish our culture and uniqueness. Great Job Wayne State! (By the way, did my mention my wife and I are alumni?)
Check out the website at: http://www.wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Enduring Values Will Help Us Persevere
America can't seem to catch a break. Just when the Iraq War was settling down, Afghanistan started to deteriorate. Our economy is crumbling; the domestic automakers barely escaped totally collapse, and the financial sector is in shambles. Political corruption is running wild. Our stature in the world has been stained.
However, we have gone through much worse times. Civil War, World Wars, epidemics, and the Great Depression just to name a few. And America has always come through each crisis and eventually recovered strongly.
We have done so by adhering to the enduring values. Hard work. Honesty. Integrity. Love. A belief in God. Patriotism.
In our recoveries, we have held fast to our founding First Principles: the rule of law, unalienable rights, equality, the Social Compact, and limited government.
We can make it through the current turmoil, if (and only IF) we return to the enduring values. If we do so, we can preserve. Our fate, as always, rests with the American people and whether they recommit themselves to the principles and values that have made us great. Time will tell. Let’s hope we do the right thing. The alternative is too awful to imagine.
For more about the enduring values and the First Principles, visit http://americassurvivalguide.com.
However, we have gone through much worse times. Civil War, World Wars, epidemics, and the Great Depression just to name a few. And America has always come through each crisis and eventually recovered strongly.
We have done so by adhering to the enduring values. Hard work. Honesty. Integrity. Love. A belief in God. Patriotism.
In our recoveries, we have held fast to our founding First Principles: the rule of law, unalienable rights, equality, the Social Compact, and limited government.
We can make it through the current turmoil, if (and only IF) we return to the enduring values. If we do so, we can preserve. Our fate, as always, rests with the American people and whether they recommit themselves to the principles and values that have made us great. Time will tell. Let’s hope we do the right thing. The alternative is too awful to imagine.
For more about the enduring values and the First Principles, visit http://americassurvivalguide.com.
Monday, January 5, 2009
New Look and Content
Thanks to the great folks at google, I have refreshed the blog to add several new features and a new look. Note the added video clip on the right hand of the page, the beginnings of a Great Books list as well as favorite websites. Please post comments on what you think should be added to the lists.
Also, you can subscribe to the blog (also on the rightside of the blog) as well and recieve new posts (a most convenient feature). Please spread the word and enjoy!
Also, you can subscribe to the blog (also on the rightside of the blog) as well and recieve new posts (a most convenient feature). Please spread the word and enjoy!
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