200 Years Of Paine

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Thomas Paine, American revolutionary, firebrand and radical. While the country that his words inspired has been begun an uncontrolled descent into socialist inspired totalitarianism, his words should still resonate with those who hold some semblance of hope in the future. His seminal work, "Common Sense" is, by necessity, needed more today than ever before. Would that we had the necessary thousands of people infected by his words today. We would be better served and have more than a gram of hope that things will not only get better, but would advance us into a place of renewed vigor, with no more government than a man can stand.

SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.

Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one: for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries BY A GOVERNMENT, which we might expect in a country WITHOUT GOVERNMENT, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer. Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise. For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this he is induced to do by the same prudence which in every other case advises him, out of two evils to choose the least. Wherefore, security being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows that whatever form thereof appears most likely to ensure it to us, with the least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others.

In order to gain a clear and just idea of the design and end of government, let us suppose a small number of persons settled in some sequestered part of the earth, unconnected with the rest; they will then represent the first peopling of any country, or of the world. In this state of natural liberty, society will be their first thought. A thousand motives will excite them thereto; the strength of one man is so unequal to his wants, and his mind so unfitted for perpetual solitude, that he is soon obliged to seek assistance and relief of another, who in his turn requires the same. Four or five united would be able to raise a tolerable dwelling in the midst of a wilderness, but one man might labour out the common period of life without accomplishing any thing; when he had felled his timber he could not remove it, nor erect it after it was removed; hunger in the mean time would urge him to quit his work, and every different want would call him a different way. Disease, nay even misfortune, would be death; for, though neither might be mortal, yet either would disable him from living, and reduce him to a state in which he might rather be said to perish than to die.

Thus necessity, like a gravitating power, would soon form our newly arrived emigrants into society, the reciprocal blessings of which would supersede, and render the obligations of law and government unnecessary while they remained perfectly just to each other; but as nothing but Heaven is impregnable to vice, it will unavoidably happen that in proportion as they surmount the first difficulties of emigration, which bound them together in a common cause, they will begin to relax in their duty and attachment to each other: and this remissness will point out the necessity of establishing some form of government to supply the defect of moral virtue.

Some convenient tree will afford them a State House, under the branches of which the whole Colony may assemble to deliberate on public matters. It is more than probable that their first laws will have the title only of Regulations and be enforced by no other penalty than public disesteem. In this first parliament every man by natural right will have a seat.

Take a moment today and read, or reread the words of the original American Firebrand. Do not let the spirit of his words pass unnoticed. Mr. Paine named his pamphlet "Common Sense" for a good reason. It is something we need a great deal more of, now more than ever. Some might contend that his words are outdated and unnecessary. They could not be more wrong, no matter how hard they try. Mr. Paine wrote from a time when the word Liberty actually meant something. Here's hoping that the that time comes 'round again soon.

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Libertarian, Thomas Paine, Common Sense, Freedom, Liberty, Government

Something Wicked This Way Comes

我想昧耳，昧心，變石頭・我想昧耳，昧心，变石头
Wo shang mei er, mei xin, bian shi tou. Please God, make me a stone. - River Tam, Serenity

We are all going to enter into a new and devastating world sooner than we wish and our children and grandchildren will be the ones bearing the burdens of today's willful ignorance. USA Today reported that the current US debt has risen another 12%, to a whopping $63.8 trillion, and the destructive spending coming from Washington and the cretins who dwell there shows no signs of slowing. The new President is more than willing to not only continue spending, but to add more trillions of dollars in debt to further his destructive socialist agenda.

The latest increase raises federal obligations to a record $546,668 per household in 2008, according to the USA TODAY analysis. That's quadruple what the average U.S. household owes for all mortgages, car loans, credit cards and other debt combined.

"We have a huge implicit mortgage on every household in America — except, unlike a real mortgage, it's not backed up by a house," says David Walker, former U.S. comptroller general, the government's top auditor.

USA TODAY used federal data to compute all government liabilities, from Treasury bonds to Medicare to military pensions.

Bottom line: The government took on $6.8 trillion in new obligations in 2008, pushing the total owed to a record $63.8 trillion.

The numbers measure what's needed today — set aside in a lump sum, earning interest — to pay benefits that won't be covered by future taxes.

Despite these numbers, which the politicians must know about, unless they are blind, deaf, dumb and illiterate, Obama and his regime plan on saddling us with a multi-trillion dollar "health care" system, as well as other programs that will push this country, and everyone in it, further into soul crushing debt. Children as yet unborn will enter the world 10's, if not 100's of thousands of dollars in debt. They will spend their lives in toil to repay a the money that politicians and their supporters saddle them with today. They shall live, work and die as debtors for the governments follies.

Even if the government were to tax everyone at 100%, this debt would never be able to be repaid. This country may be left with no other recourse than to repudiate the debts foisted on us by this and past regimes and declare bankruptcy as a nation. That is something we are likely to never recover from.

The people leading us to this fiscally irresponsible horror have no care for the future, beyond maintaining their power through the broken electoral system. They will continue their assault on us, despite the fact that The Great Leader admits that the country is broke. When and where will it end? We will either have to harden our hearts and become stones to bear this or it will end in violence when no more may be borne by the peasantry.

We may well be past the point where there are "libertarian" or "conservative" or any political solution for this. Ceasing spending alone is not the answer. That $63.8 trillion will still be out there hanging over our heads like the sword of Damocles. Only a dismantling of government, programs and entitlements will have any effect. Even that is unlikely to do the job, since people will inevitably wish for "pragmatism" and a slow dismantling, (which is unlikely, as they'll wish to maintain their power base and the bureaucracy).

I fear for my children and theirs to come. The world they will inhabit will be vastly worse than that we once inhabited. Thanks entirely to politicians and their quests for power.

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Libertarian, National Debt, Obama, Spending

Sometimes You Should Listen To The Fans

The Green Lantern Movie has been in development for a while now and nothing is set in stone, as of yet. A truly talented fan has come forward and made a very convincing case for Nathan Fillion to head up the movies starring role, Hal Jordan. They've also made one of the best fan made movie trailers I've ever seen. Personally, I think the case is made. As a Fillion fan and a Green Lantern fan I think he would bring just what is needed to the role. Hey, producers and director! Listen up! This is gold!

We loved Fillion in Firefly and Serenity and there's just no doubt that he's the man for the role.



via I09

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DC Comics, Nathan Fillion, Green Lantern

Yet Another Soda Tax

First it was the governor of New York, wanting to raise more money for his dwindling coffers. Now it's the current regime and Obama who want to impose yet another tax on people and their carbonated beverages in order to help him fund his socialised medicine scheme.

Senate leaders are considering new federal taxes on soda and other sugary drinks to help pay for an overhaul of the nation's health-care system.

The taxes would pay for only a fraction of the cost to expand health-insurance coverage to all Americans and would face strong opposition from the beverage industry. They also could spark a backlash from consumers who would have to pay several cents more for a soft drink.

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee is set to hear proposals from about a dozen experts about how to pay for the comprehensive health-care overhaul that President Barack Obama wants to enact this year. Early estimates put the cost of the plan at around $1.2 trillion. The administration has so far only earmarked funds for about half of that amount.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based watchdog group that pressures food companies to make healthier products, plans to propose a federal excise tax on soda, certain fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and ready-to-drink teas. It would not include most diet beverages. Excise taxes are levied on goods and manufacturers typically pass them on to consumers.

Senior staff members for some Democratic senators at the center of the effort to craft health-care legislation are weighing the idea behind closed doors, Senate aides said.

The Congressional Budget Office, which is providing lawmakers with cost estimates for each potential change in the health overhaul, included the option in a broad report on health-system financing in December. The office estimated that adding a tax of three cents per 12-ounce serving to these types of sweetened drinks would generate $24 billion over the next four years. So far, lawmakers have not indicated how big a tax they are considering.

Mr. Obama and his bureaucratic cohorts are willing to add a "sin tax" on people who just want a few joyous moments with a frosty non-alcoholic beverage. This is just the opening salvo in his tax and spend health rationing plans. No doubt other onerous taxes lay in wait in the wings to fund this debacle. Fat taxes, fast food taxes, non-organic food taxes, organic food taxes and more are likely to rear their ugly heads, just to fund Obama's "health care" plans.

If they pass this one without resistance we can rest assured that they will see this as a sign of weakness and will rush to impose even more taxation measures. That's just the way these people work. Give them an inch and they want a mile. It's only a few cents, right? It's always a few cents here and there, and then pretty soon it's a whole dollar. Every soda you buy today already has embedded taxes in it that the companies have to pass along to the consumer. Fuel taxes, local, state and federal taxes, payroll taxes and a wide variety of incremental taxes that range from local to the federal levels. The politicians are counting on us not caring about " a few cents more". Well, I care.

You should, too. This taxation will be used to fund government controlled medicine. It doesn't work anywhere else in the world, why would we think that a Chicago politician would be able to do any better than anyone else? I certainly don't want the government controlling and rationing health care. They do a lousy job of it already and are more than partially responsible for most of the problems that we do see in our current system. No thanks. Keep your hands of my health care and my little pleasures in life.

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Taxation, Obama, Root Beer, Soda, Libertarian