http://www.constitutionparty.com RSS feeds for Constitution Party 60 http://www.constitutionparty.com/NewsRoom/CPCommentary/tabid/130/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/48/It-Could-Break-Your-Heart.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.constitutionparty.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=130&ModuleID=511&ArticleID=48 http://www.constitutionparty.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=48&PortalID=0&TabID=130 http://www.constitutionparty.com/NewsRoom/CPCommentary/tabid/130/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/48/It-Could-Break-Your-Heart.aspx by Jack McLain Secretary, Constitution Party of Florida The woman stood at the corner with a sign reading, “Homeless – Two Children – Please Help.”  She resembled an average housewife without signs of drug or alcohol abuse.  I stopped for the red light, opened my window, and asked her if she knew of a rescue mission in the area.  She named a couple of homes that help folks but said they were full.   I asked her about her children.  She replied that they were with her sister.  I didn’t have any cash to give her (only had my credit card), but I gave her a Gospel tract with our church address imprinted.  Then the light changed to green and I had to move on.  But her forlorn face remained in my memory.    Then last night I read of the homeless with a photo of a nice looking woman with a baby in her lap and a small boy sitting next to her, apparently on the ground or pavement, mother and son holding signs reading, “Homeless - Please Help.”  The article, “Middle-class homelessness hits new high in U.S.” told of a 38 percent increase in homelessness in the last three years, that there are now an estimated 1.6 million children, or one in 45 children, out of their homes (American Free Press, 1/23/12)..    The one organization in our nation that represents homeless families and children is National Center on Family Homelessness.  President and founder, Dr. Ellen Bassuk states, “Those hardest hit…are the children.  As many as half…are less than six years old.  A lot of these children are living in cars and abandoned buildings.”  The article went on to list the States with the largest numbers of homeless children:  California, New York, Texas, Florida, Chicago, Illinois, and Arizona.  (Note that my State is listed).    As I sit at our table to eat a delicious meal in a pleasant home, or as I retire in a comfortable bed, the memory of these destitute families remains.  It could break your heart!  Could this be the once proud, sufficient America that we have known for many years?  I grew up during the great Depression.  We were poor, and my parents struggled to keep a roof over our head and food on the table, my brothers and I picked wild berries and sold them door-to-door, but what would it be like to try to live in a car or in an abandoned building, especially in mid-winter in the North?  Suppose there was nowhere to turn and no one to help, all doors were closed to your pleas?   Frankly, it brings tears to my eyes.      What is the cause of such destitute conditions in America?  Suppose it continues or worsens?  Our own national government policies, national companies, and the banking field must accept much blame for conditions that exist.  Government rules, regulations, and taxation first drove many industries and jobs from the United States to foreign countries, especially to Communist China.  Americans cooperated with the purchase of Communist goods.  This continues today to our shame.  Even the financial crises in Europe are attributed to the disgusting policies of the United States government and bankers.      Banks began to allow the sale of homes without a down payment with many families making monthly payments that they no doubt couldn’t really afford.  With job losses and payments ceasing, banks then mercilessly foreclosed on multitudes of homes.  I read of a Sheriff who halted a bank from forcing a very elderly woman from her home.  Good for him!    Some even very old companies have excused themselves when asked why they shipped their manufacturing overseas and discharged employees, even bragging that they take good care of their Chinese employees (claiming that none are slaves), while other companies continue to manufacture in the United States, to their credit.  Does not the answer lie in the almighty dollar?  We can manufacture in China, ship the product thousands of miles across the ocean and make more money than if we continue here in the U.S., they would answer.  Try to buy a pair of shoes or a dress not made in China or some other foreign country. We do without first!  Whatever happened to the word “compassion?”  It is replaced with a “pink slip” in the final paycheck of an employee that served his company well for many years.  “Sorry,” the boss says, “It’s out of my hands.  Good luck.”   Americans have always been generous and beneficent giving to all manner of causes, some important and some unimportant.  Clubs, organizations, museums, art galleries, and many humanitarian institutions are started.  At this particular time in our nation’s history, churches, organizations, and the affluent have a wonderful opportunity to help their fellow man to have a place to live and a table with food.  America should not have destitute hungry children on the street as in some third world country!   With many Americans living in luxury, with money for every need, as well as for recreation, sports, and giving to prospective political candidates, much more thought and prayer needs to be given to those unemployed through no fault of their own.  We have known of some very hard workers who are now needy people.  Can we not help them to get back on their feet?  Do we care?  With all the promises that will be made this election year, will any candidates promise to personally help one needy family or to save one child from abortion?   Remember our Declaration of Independence, “that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness---that to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed…”  John Dickinson, a signer of the Constitution stated, “It is not our duty to leave wealth to our children; but it is our duty to leave liberty to them.”  We need to consider it our duty to provide life and happiness for them as well.    The Constitution Party Platform is clear concerning Welfare, reading in part:  “America’s welfare crisis is a government-induced crisis…Charity, and provision of welfare to those in need, is not a Constitutional responsibility of the federal government…The message of Christian charity is fundamentally at odds with the concept of welfare maintenance as a right…We encourage individuals, families, churches, civic groups and other private organizations, to fulfill their personal responsibility to help those in need.”   If you have not read the message of Congressman Davy Crockett of yesteryear, entitled, Not Yours to Give, we have copies available upon request.  Every Congressman should read this message!   “And let us not be weary in well doing:  for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”  (Galatians 6:9).    Jack McLain, Secretary Constitution Party of Florida   Webmaster Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:31:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:48 http://www.constitutionparty.com/NewsRoom/CPCommentary/tabid/130/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/49/Education-Taxes-Government-Schools.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.constitutionparty.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=130&ModuleID=511&ArticleID=49 http://www.constitutionparty.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=49&PortalID=0&TabID=130 http://www.constitutionparty.com/NewsRoom/CPCommentary/tabid/130/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/49/Education-Taxes-Government-Schools.aspx by Robert W. Peck Chairman - Constitution Party of Washington School levies will once again be on the ballot in various districts around my home state of Washington on February 14 (Valentine’s Day). The education establishment learned some time ago not to put bonds and levies on the regular November ballot as they often fail at elections where larger numbers of voters turn out. In recent years, such levies are nearly always voted on in a so-called “special election” at an off season when nothing else is on the ballot and few voters participate. If the education establishment can get its base of support to turn out, and if few voters participate overall, then an ever increasing flow of revenue for the bloated education bureaucracy will much more likely result. Never mind the waste of taxpayer dollars spent on a special election – “it’s for the kids!” My friend Rick Kiesz, editor of the Palouse Patriot together with his wife Carolyn, has written a great article on the topic of government schools and why he will be voting “No” on ALL school levies. I wholeheartedly agree with Rick’s sentiments and encourage you to read his article. However, I have a few thoughts of my own that I’d like to add. I’m sorry to have to say it, but those of us who identify ourselves as Christian, conservative or Constitutional, tend to spend more time complaining than taking action. We’ve become too preoccupied with talking about how big the education establishment is, how much money they have and how much power they have. We’ve convinced ourselves that there’s nothing we can do to stop the Godless, humanistic, socialistic brainwashing of a generation by the all-powerful government education establishment. But I beg to differ. In fact, I dare say that there are few if any problems facing America today that we couldn’t lick if we had the courage of our professed convictions and were willing to endure a little hardship and make some sacrifice. For example, I’m persuaded that if Christians, conservatives and Constitutionists were to act on their professed values, we could demonstrate for all to see that there isn’t even a need for a government run education system. If the large percentage of the population that identifies as Christian were to place their children into Christian private schools, or homeschool (an equal or in some cases even better alternative), the government run schools would become virtual ghost towns. The injustice of taxing all the citizens in order to prop up the establishment bureaucracy that serves only a few, would become evident for all to see. The people would soon demand their tax dollars be returned to them to be used on the education option of their choice. The government education bureaucracy just might be put out of business altogether. Now some will say "oh, but we can’t afford a private school tuition." This is where putting our money where our mouth is comes in. If everyone who rails against the deplorable and depraved state of the government schools were to donate $5, $10, $25, or $50 per month to a private school (or a neighborhood homeschool family), that school could then reduce it’s tuition rate so that most any family could afford a private education. Those with successful businesses, or those who have finished raising a family and whose household expenses are now reduced, have no excuse. If every Christian-conservative-Constitutionist were to act on their professed convictions, private Christian schools would become the new booming industry in America. They would be springing up in every neighborhood. They would be hiring teachers who would be set free from the bureaucracy of the government education establishment and turned loose to teach with all of their God given natural talent – free to honor their Creator as they educate children with all of the gifting that He has given them. And thanks to people like you giving to help support those private schools, they could offer assistance to families who truly cannot afford the tuition. The devotion of parents to their children in homeschooling or sacrificing to pay a tuition, and the sincere charity of others in assisting those who need it, would soon replace the bloated, bureaucracy ridden, government education establishment. Gee, I’m getting myself all worked up here. Maybe I’ll just have to practice what I preach. Okay, I just stopped and wrote a check to the K-8 school at my church. Take that government schools! This might sound like the lofty, idealistic vision of a dreamer, but the fulfilling of the dream is really only as far away as each of us giving up going to a movie once a month, or giving up a latte a couple times a week – a sacrifice alright, but much less sacrifice than those who laid down their lives and fortunes to give us this country. My point is that it is doable if we are willing to do what it takes. Therefore, whiling away my days complaining about the current state of affairs just isn’t an option for me, not while action can still be taken. While the current government run education system remains, please don’t talk to me about the need for a levy or bond until the entire education system, from Washington DC, to Olympia, to the local school district, has undergone and implemented all of the recommendations of an independent performance audit and is running at the efficiency levels that would be expected and required in the private sector. You see, I’m persuaded that the problem isn’t that taxpayers aren’t taxed enough. I’m persuaded that the problem lies in a bureaucracy that consumes most of the funds before they ever make it to the classroom. If it were up to me, I’d start by firing everyone in DC, Olympia and the local district except the teachers, the building maintenance staff, one principal and secretary per school and one administrator and secretary per district. I believe our teachers are smart enough to figure out how to properly educate children without an army of bureaucrats in far away places telling them how to do it. And if the district administrator isn’t capable of ordering the books requested by the teachers and assigning maintenance staff and funding in a manner that properly maintains the facilities, then we need to add hiring a new administrator to our to do list. Perhaps this sounds excessively harsh, like I’m being too severe, I mean really, expecting a government bureaucracy to tighten its belt and live like those of us in the private sector, yea, that’s just plain unreasonable. On this Valentine’s Day, or whatever day levies might be on your local ballot, let’s have a heart, show some love for the kids and vote “No” to heaping more debt, taxes and government bureaucracy on the backs of future generations. Get more information about schools and levies at http://www.taxfacs.com/ (information is for Spokane County, but is indicative of the situation elsewhere)   If you agree with the content of this article, please forward, post and publish far and wide. If you don’t, who will? © Robert W. Peck Robert Peck lives in Spokane Valley, Washington where he owns and manages residential rental properties. He serves as the Chairman of the Constitution Party of Washington and as Western Area Co-Chairman for the Constitution Party National Committee. Webmaster Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:31:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:49 http://www.constitutionparty.com/NewsRoom/CPCommentary/tabid/130/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/50/Vital-Freedoms-Lost-While-President-Consoles-Americans.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.constitutionparty.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=130&ModuleID=511&ArticleID=50 http://www.constitutionparty.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=50&PortalID=0&TabID=130 http://www.constitutionparty.com/NewsRoom/CPCommentary/tabid/130/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/50/Vital-Freedoms-Lost-While-President-Consoles-Americans.aspx by Jack McLain Secretary, Constitution Party of Florida In what is probably the most sorry piece of legislation ever passed by House and Senate, Americans have essentially lost their basic freedoms under the Bill of Rights!   While we sleep, work, and go about our daily routines, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 has been passed by House and Senate and signed by president Barack Obama at the turn of the New Year.   This bill, drafted and sponsored by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Carl Levin (D-MI), claimed to be 500 pp long by Obama, but 926 pp long by constitutional attorney Tim Baldwin, “contains draconian language authorizing the U.S. military to seize and incarcerate U.S. citizens without warrant, due process, trial, etc.   “It completely nullifies a good portion of the Bill of Rights [Amendments 5,6,7, and 8], turns the U.S. into a war zone, and places U.S. citizens under military rule,” writes Chuck Baldwin in his report of January 9, 2012 entitled “Bill of Rights Is No More.” (ChuckBaldwinLive)  The bill, otherwise known as the “Indefinite Detention Act,” contains provisions in Sections 1031 and 1032 that deprive Americans of rights that have been guaranteed since the founding of our nation.  Those who are targeted for arrest are called “belligerents” and “covered persons,” while these terms are not defined and citizens are at the mercy of tyrants.   Two questions immediately arise:  Who wrote the bill and who read the bill?  Did these Senators really write the entire bill or their henchmen on the left?  How many Congressmen who voted for the bill, passed by a Republican House and a Democrat Senate, really read the bill?  An embarrassing question to ask them indeed.    Meanwhile, “president” Barack Obama, in a long, flowery statement upon signing the bill stated, “I have the power to detain Americans…but I won’t.”  Really?  Then why didn’t you take those provisions from the bill?  Obama had stated that he wouldn’t sign the bill but changed his mind (his promise) when it passed Congress.  “Detain” is a nice sounding word while the bill actually provides for arrest without any constitutionally guaranteed safeguards.        The bill is described in the “Freedom Index” of The New American (1/9/12, p. 31) as follows:  “Detainee-related language in the Defense authorization bill (S.1867) was written in such a sweeping way that even the United States can be considered part of the battlefield in the global war against terror---and even American citizens accused of being terrorists can be apprehended by the U.S. military and detained indefinitely without habeas corpus [L. you may have the body; i.e. show proof] and without being tried and found guilty in a court of law…the War on Terror must not be allowed to destroy legal protections stretching back to the Magna Carta.”   Mike Adams of NaturalNews wrote:  “One of the most extraordinary documents in human history---the Bill of Rights---has come to an end under president Barack Obama…a law that grants the U.S. military the ‘legal’ right to conduct secret kidnappings of U.S. citizens, followed by indefinite detention, interrogation, torture and even murder…with no jury, no trial, no legal representation and not even any requirement that the government produce evidence against the accused.”  Calling it “outright government tyranny,” Adams states that the bill “effectively nullifies the Bill of Rights.”   We read that constitutional scholars describe this bill as “extremist, tyrannical and dangerous.”   What can Americans do about such shameful legislation coming out of Washington?  Andrew Nappi, State Director of the Florida Tenth Amendment Center, has written a lengthy letter to Senator Michael Haridopolis, Florida Senate President, stating our position and requesting action for Floridians:    “The NDAA is the single biggest evisceration of our Bill of Rights in our lifetime.  Never before have the definitions of ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorist supporter’ been defined so broadly and vague; never before have we codified into law a president’s nonexistent authority to arrest and detain American citizens on American soil…the most egregious assault on our fundamental legal rights of protection under the Bill of Rights.   “In the interest of preserving the Bill of Rights, and checking the runaway abuse of the general government, the creation and agent of the several states, we are urging you to arrest the progress of the evil that endangers all Floridians under the National Defense Authorization Act arrest and detention provisions.  We request at the start of this coming legislative session you do the following:”  There follows a list of six requests that Nappi makes of the Florida Senate President which we can provide, or you can access at andrew.nappi@tenthamendmentcenter.com   In providing protection from tyranny for their citizens, every State legislature and Governor in this union should shortly declare that we will not tolerate such action by the federal government.  Our Tenth Amendment rights provide for us to resist and cease any action that would arrest and imprison law abiding citizens without cause.  This is yet another vital cause for Sheriff Richard Mack’s Constitutional Sheriff project to take notice of for proper action.   “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).  Answer:  Prayer and Action!  “Reprove unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11).    “Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God” – Benjamin Franklin. Webmaster Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:34:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:50