America, the Beautiful

I've traveled all over this great country, I've stood at Plymouth Rock and the site where the first American Flag was raised in Alaska. I've been to the beaches of Hawaii and the swamps of Florida. I've been to the plains of Texas and the mountains of Colorado. This may seem a little ethnocentric, but I believe that the United States of America is not only the most beautiful place in the world but also the greatest place in the world to live. The United States of America is the last bastion of freedom and liberty in the world. If we lose it here, there is no other place on earth. I wish I could take credit for that, but that's from President Reagan, and he was right.

The United States of America was an experiment, created 234 years ago by a small group of independent colonies. Representatives from the 13 colonies gathered together to form a brand new government system unlike any the world has ever seen. The colonists, since crossing the pond, had enjoyed a life of limited government (partially because of the distance), freedom and liberty. When the colonies revolted against the crown, they were trying to conserve their way of life. The Founding Fathers were the original conservatives, unlike those who would want you to believe they were radicals or revolutionaries.

America is not only beautiful because of the diverse scenery you can see as you travel across, but because of the freedom and liberty she provides for her citizens. The Founding Fathers were wise beyond their time. They carefully crafted the Constitution. The colonies saw the need for a limited federal government to control a few interstate issues, the federal government was limited in what it could do. The Founders knew that the federal government would never reign in their power, they left most of the power to the state governments. A system of checks and balances was installed to keep one branch from overstepping it's power. The states created the federal government and wanted to make sure it didn't infringe on their liberties. In the federal system, not only did the executive, judicial and legislative branches have checks and balances over each other, but the legislative branch had a peoples representation and state representation (until the progressives got their way with the 17th Amendment).

For the most part, the system worked liked it was supposed to with each branch keeping the other from overstepping its enumerated powers for nearly 100 years. That has changed though, executives overstepping, legislators using positivism laws and the judiciary legislating and interpreting from the bench. Slowly, they are chipping away at our liberties. Taxes, welfare programs, zoning laws, eminent domain, mandating the purchase of products, censorship, illegal search and seizures, illegal detainment, gov't breaking laws to enforce laws, bribery, crony capitalism, regulating diets, regulating private enterprise, regulating the environment, unregulated central bank, federal bureaucracies, political correctness, etc., etc. "The admin" is now working to suspend free speech with the "fairness doctrine" and "net neutrality". Before you say, 'that won't happen in America, the 1st Amendment guarantees free speech' look at the Patriot Act. Bush II enacted the Patriot Act after the tragic events of 9-11, while it may have good intentions, it had terrible effects on our liberty. The Patriot Act violates the Constitution in several areas, it allows federal agents to write their own search warrants, no need to prove to a judge the need for a warrant. One of the biggest infringements is the Patriot Act makes it illegal to speak out if the fed's are investigating you using the Patriot Act. You can't tell your spouse, your attorney, the press, anyone or you are guilty of a felony.

While America is still the most beautiful country in the world, it is slowly turning into the drab brown and grays of socialism. The Founders would not recognize the America we live in today. With everyday, with every election, the career politicians are stealing our liberty and giving it to someone else. The Founders envisioned a country ruled by it's citizens. It was an honor to serve the government, but you served your term and went home, back to the people you represented. The power of the federal government continues to grow unchecked. They have hijacked the Constitution and subverted it to serve themselves and their ideology. It's time for the people to stand up and take our government back! "When people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people there is liberty." "A government that governs least, governs best." "Government doesn't solve problems, government is the problem."