The Future of Humanity: An Argument Against Network Discrimination

      I am an avid internet user, and I am convinced that the internet is the future of progress. Since its advent, the internet has steadily plowed through obstacles and ushered in a new age of development. Although the internet has great potential, it is being undermined by the age old problem of discrimination; however, discrimination has plagued far more than just the internet in its day. We have seen discrimination in racial injustice, gender inequality, LGBTQ rights, and religious liberty. Now this plague has infected the very framework of our world--the internet. This “infection” is known as Broadband Discrimination, which is more commonly known as Net Bias. Net Bias is the ability which Internet Service Providers (ISP) have which allows them to discriminate against different types of internet content users. If Net Bias can be removed from the internet system, the internet will be more cost effective, will become a tool for small businesses, and most importantly, equality and freedom will govern the web and our future.

"Internet map" by The Opte Project

     The internet isn't free. The costs associated with it are extensive. For instance, your Facebook wall is built
by a content owner who paid somebody to program the code for the page. That code is then uploaded to a server which cost hundreds of dollars to construct, not to mention the programming which went into it. From there the server attaches itself to the internet. In order to attach to the internet, ISP’s had to provide the internet connection. To create this internet connection, many towers must be built and many miles of cable must be laid. From there, the internet tower connects the server to another tower in a different part of the world, and the process repeats itself until it is routed to your personal computer where you see it in the form of a webpage. The cost of internet is very large to say the least. Net Bias uses the complexities of this system to exploit certain types of traffic and generate unfair revenue. Because of the bias built into the system, everyday content consumers are forced to pay more for a lower quality service. By eliminating Net Bias, we would effectively allow the system to distribute the wealth fairly, and lower the prices for everyone involved.

     One vital factor in internet-based progress is small business. Every major advancement started small. Before exploitation of the internet began, many businesses prospered. Even ISP’s started off small, but now they throttle the very thing which gave them a chance. Net Bias gives priority to those who are successful. An ISP makes such large profits by requiring a higher price for quality service. This limits high-quality service to big businesses with lots of money, restricts growth and innovation, and favors the status-quo. Small business is key to progress. As Nicole Leinback-Reyhle put it, “Small business is--quite frankly--big business”(1). She went on to explain that the majority of successful and progressive businesses are small ones (1). The Small Business Administration also estimates that about half of all small businesses die within 5 years of starting (1). This death is caused primarily by oppressive expenses or large scale competition. Net Bias perpetuates this problem by adding additional expenses and favoring big businesses. In doing this, Net Bias stifles progress and strangles improvement.

     The internet embodies the future of improvement and progress; in reality, it embodies the future of our race. Because of its vast importance for our future, it is essential that we remove dangerous flaws such as Net Bias from the equation. We have discussed many of the problems which pertain to Net Bias in the internet system, but there are several practical avenues for eliminating those problems. The most applicable solution is known as Network Neutrality. The actual definition of Network Neutrality is a subject of debate; however, there is a general principle, “At its simplest, network neutrality is the principle that all Internet traffic should be created equally” (Roebuck 144). Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu, who coined the term Network Neutrality, suggested the most effective application for the aforementioned principle. He suggested that telecommunication laws be implemented to protect the rights of all internet players, manage discrimination, as well as regulate other social goals (16). Wu’s writings have generated a movement, which is pushing for the Federal Communications Commission to implement rules regulating discrimination. It is in these regulations that equality and freedom will come to internet users.

     At the end of the day, we will either have Broadband Discrimination in the internet system, or we won’t; however, the consequences of either will be existential. If we allow Net Bias to remain in the system, then the consequences are inequality, inefficiency, and stagnation. By implementing Network Neutrality and eliminating Net Bias, we will see greater freedom, equality, and societal progress. Network Neutrality is the anti-discrimination movement of today and it will usher in equality and progress for all, no matter your race, gender, or the size of your paycheck.

Works Cited:

Leinback-Reyhle, Nicole. "Why You Need to Support Small Businesses." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 2 Sept. 2014. Web. 12 May 2015.

Roebuck, Kevin. "Network Neutrality." CMTS High-impact Strategies - What You Need to Know: Definitions, Adoptions, Impact, Benefits, Maturity, Vendors. Dayboro: Emereo Pub., 2012. 143-162. Print.

"The Voice of Small Business in Government." Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. Small Business Administration, Mar. 2014. Web. 12 May 2015.

Wu, Tim. "Why Have a Telecommunications Law?: Anti-Discrimination Norms in Communications." Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law 5 (2006): 15-46. Social Science Research Network. Social Science Electronic Publishing. Web. 14 May 2015.

"Free Rainbows"

Walking down the streets of a large city, you look around. What do you see? You see the towering buildings touching the sky. You see the extensive infrastructure and expensive cars stretching on into eternity. Towering above our meager lives, society casts a long shadow across the earth.

Now take a step back. Look a little bit closer. Beneath the shadows of every immense building, and on the corner of every busy street you can find something much smaller, but ever so much more important. Lurking in the shadows there are the people who have been cast aside by this massive society. The poor, sick, needy masses who are left on the corner of a road pleading, pleading for someone to show them the smallest compassion. But day after day, they are tossed aside by people who see a world no deeper than their own selfish desires.

Two years ago, a tiny girl stepped onto a street corner under the shadow of the selfish city. She was not homeless, not in need, not there to beg for compassion. She was there to spread hope  to those who were homeless, in need, and begging for compassion. This little girl sat down, and put up a sign which simply said, “free rainbows, so you can smile.” When people would look at her as they walked by, she would hand them a small picture of a rainbow which she had just colored. This little girl did something no massive building or endless road ever could. She made someone’s life better, “so they could smile.”

The Sign of God's Pure Love for All

This little child did something which very few people do anymore. Unlike little children, the human race has become obsessed with themselves. We look past the pain and heartache and, by thinking only of ourselves, justify our cruelty at the expense of the weak and needy. In doing so we cast shadows of selfishness on those around us. It is this selfishness which must be overcome for the world to become truly great.

Just as in the biblical days of Noah, there are two great forces at work in our world today. The cause of light and goodness in constant combat with the shadowy cause of selfish indulgence. There is no longer a middle ground. We may claim to be good while walking in the twilight of selfishness, but so long as we do not stand directly in the light, we place ourselves in a position where we may be destroyed by our own figurative floods. A flood which, if we do not actively fight, will sweep the glow of compassion from this earth, Leaving nothing but the gloom of apathy in its wake.

People do not love each other; rather, they love themselves. We need to love people, else we may end as those who died in the first flood. We must truly look beyond ourselves and genuinely care about others to make the world better. The dark clouds are forming above us, their shadows ominous, foreboding the rains to come if we do not stand firm against them.

One person cannot save a world of people who aren't willing to join with them in the saving. We are all living in this great society. Each of us are responsible to serve each other, and to be a benefit to that society. I can pull my own weight, but every person here must assist me in order for us to change the world.

We are not blatantly evil or apathetic. However, many people are not actively striving to make the world better. By sitting on a wall between compassion and apathy you are hurting the well being of the entire world. Those sitting on this wall forget a fundamental attribute of that wall; That it is owned by those who do actively do evil. Indeed Edmund Burke said it well, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Some may say that I am seeking glory, honor, or have some ulterior motive for promoting the cause of human goodness through selfless action. To those who may think such things, I say that it is not the case. Rather, I seek for a better world. A world where human beings of every walk of life will turn their eyes from cold, hard ways of selfishness, and will instead look at others in the light of charity and empathy. I seek a world where all people help each other to climb from the pitfalls in which we are all held captive rather than battle and bully their way to the top of the pit, simply by pushing others beneath themselves. I seek only a world in which we, we the citizens of the earth all seek to lift, comfort, and serve each other.

Do you who sit on this wall wish to join us in this great cause of compassion upon which we are embarking, yet find yourselves unwilling to relinquish the pleasures found in selfish living? You are not alone in those desires. I am one of the most grievous sinners of pleasure. But unlike those who sit on the fence, I actively declare war on this carnal self within. It is not a difficult task. Simply in trying to become more compassionate, you step away from the wall and become a benefit to the human family.

We are all part of this family. We have to stick together to become better as a group. Alas, we constantly cast each other aside in our individual quests for greatness, forgetting that a man who stands alone will reach no higher than his single arm can stretch. We cannot expect to become great as a human race by tossing each other from this ship in our selfish desire for comfort and glory, for no vessel can reach its destination without a crew who will all help each other.

As we move into a new period, a period in which our attitudes illuminate the goodness in this world, and lift those weaker than ourselves into the dawn of this new age, let us each resolve to look beyond our selfish desires.

Let us each accept the responsibility we all have to help each other escape the pains of this world.

Let us each determine what things we are willing to sacrifice to aid those who have nothing.

Let us also decide to look into our relationships and search for those who hurt and are afflicted.

Let us all determine that we will make one person smile everyday.

At last, let us each follow the grand admonition to do unto every other person what we would have them do unto us.

Certainly, we will stumble, we cannot be perfect, but we can try. Indeed, to try is to do something. And something is exactly what needs to happen.

Will you good people step into the light? Will you lift the olive branch out of the flood of selfishness with true determination to make a better world? Will you be one who hands out free rainbows?

Will you stand by me? We do not stand against other men, but we do stand against pure selfishness, greed, and pain. It is these tyrants which now oppress us all.

Never before have men shrunk in time of oppression. Men of all ages have risen up in revolution to any hand which crushes them. Will we be counted among them in this grand rebellion against corruption itself?

May we each rise from the dust, cast the chains of fear at our feet, and face our foe! We can become the people this world needs. Let us finally resolve to stand together, for when we do, even the longest, darkest shadows fall beneath us.

Socialism in America: Grasshoppers and Greenhouses

Imagine with me, an early spring morning in a meadow. You can feel the breeze dancing along your face. The sun is sparkling, birds above you serenade their mother earth, and the smell of flowers is beginning to blossom all around you. As you look about, you can see two trees standing a way off. One is hidden by the walls of a greenhouse, and the other stands off another twenty yards or so. The tree in the greenhouse is a gorgeous silver oak, well cared for and healthy. This tree is under the constant care of an old gardener. The greenhouse provides the perfect climate for the tree. This tree has all the water and nutrients provided by the kind old man. It is well pruned, with soft, beautiful bark.

The other tree has never been cared for in it’s life. As you walk toward it, you can see the gnarled branches and scarred bark of the old sycamore. It cannot even compete with the beauty of the Oak. But you can see that this tree has succeeded in its quest for survival and strength. Through all the winds and rains, scorching and freezing, this Sycamore has grown by its own might. Though it is not physically appealing, it is strong and self-reliant. While the Oak in all it’s beauty is totally dependent on the old man.

As you stand there, the days begin to go by. Spring turns to summer, into Autumn, and now at last it is winter. The Oak is hidden away from the storm in comfortable protection by the gardener, while the Sycamore is fighting for it’s life. It is just like all the winters before. Each sheet of snow brings added strength to the old tree, as the Oak sits in it’s happy warmth, not heeding the weather at all.

But that was the same day the gardener died.

There is a type of freedom that comes from being self-reliant. Being able to produce and own your property and use it as you choose is a beautiful concept. Thomas Jefferson wrote it into the Declaration of Independence. He called it the unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. Which he originally wrote as the right to property. Being self-reliant and owning ones own property are ways of living happy lives. Sadly, America no longer protects our rights to freely pursue our own enterprises.

In painful contrast to the beauty capitalism offers, Americans now experience more of the ugly economic system we know as socialism. Socialism is defined by the merriam-webster dictionary as “a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism.” Allow me to direct your attention to a list discussed in congress in 1963. This was a list of “current communist goals” to make America into a socialist economy which, by definition, allows for communism to enter the government. The list, found in the Appendix to the Congressional Record, January 10th, 1963, comprises 45 goals to make America socialist. Out of 45 things proposed by communists to replace that beautiful system with socialism, the only one which has not come to pass is the dismantling of the FBI. In the last 51 years our nation has become exactly what socialists wanted it to become, if not directly by the government, then indirectly by the attitudes of the people.

Some of my listeners may not be convinced that simply a “socialist attitude” is a dangerous thing. Allow me to share a parody of Aesop’s fable of the ant and the grasshopper:

An ant had spent all summer working hard to prepare for the winter. He built his home and filled it with stores of food. Meanwhile, his friend the grasshopper just played the months away, never preparing for cold.

When winter came, all the grasshoppers had no food. So they elected a leader who would take care of them. This leader took half of what the ants had prepared, and redistributed it to all the grasshoppers. No one starved that winter.

The next summer, as the ant watched the grasshopper play, he decided that he would go play as well. After all, the government would take care of him. But almost everyone else thought the same thing. When winter came, there was not enough food, and everyone starved.

This is a way of thinking that stems from socialist ideas, and it obviously doesn’t bode well for the ants or the grasshoppers. Winston Churchill made this point in October of 1945 in the debate, Demobilisation, in which he said the following, and I quote; “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” It is imperative that people learn what is happening around them, so they will know what to do when the time comes. The way we can prepare for the political winter on the horizon is by education. It is by teaching the citizen that it is the citizen’s job to keep his country in check. To teach that in a free republic, it is the people’s job to insure the government does not overstep its bounds. But most people don’t maintain that control. Let me tell you about the 2012 presidential election.

In November of 2012 The United States Census Bureau published a statistical election report. This report detailed the eligible voter number with the number who actually voted for president. The results are depressing to say the least. Out of an estimated 319,154,900 citizens only 181,918,293 voted. That is a total of 57 percent. Almost half the people who claim the privileges of being American did not vote for the leader of their nation. According to information also supplied by the United States Census Bureau, if we were to rearrange the population, moving those who voted into the most populated states, and those who did not vote into the less populous, in the 2012 election, 39 entire states worth of people did not vote for their president. They didn't care about their rights, or their liberties. They just played all summer and waited for the gardener to care for them.

We each have an inalienable responsibility to defend our unalienable rights. It is not the grasshoppers job to feed us. We have not been guardians of our liberty! We stand at a crossroads. What we do now will determine the freedom and happiness of our posterity. If we continue the path we have begun, we will, in just a few short years, have to look our children in the eyes and tell them why we didn't fight for them.  It’s a very dark future, but there is a way to right our wrongs.

Consider the American Revolution. There was a great amount of complacency and a feeling of indifference towards England pervaded.  But there was a man by the name of Thomas Paine. He believed that if we would be free, that we must stand up and separate from Great Britain. But did he stand idly by? No, he wrote out the cause for which he so earnestly believed. People were ready to listen to him, and when he published his pamphlet, Common Sense, it became an all-time bestseller in one month. He educated the masses on his vision, and only several months following his pamphlet’s publication, the Declaration of Independence was signed, bringing his vision to fruition.

Like Paine had the power to change the course of history, each of us carries the potential to change the path toward socialism down which our country is heading. But simply because we can change doesn't cut it. These flaws which we have permitted to slip into our nation must be fixed if we wish to posses the happiness found in being self-reliant. We not only can educate, but we must! The first step is not just to tell others, but to act ourselves. We must be the ones to change. It is our roots which must grow deep to make our trees strong. Prepare for the winter to come. The grasshoppers have entered the White House. I urge you to reach out, and like Thomas Paine, build up yourself, and build up those around you. Socialism has taken root in America, and it is time to cut down that tree.

The Theory of Thymos: Plato’s Prediction

People are strange. Throughout all the ages of man, armies have wasted their lives going to war over things as frivolous as an apple as well as many who kill themselves and others in the name of a divine being that they have never even seen. At the same time, many heroes have given their lives in protecting liberty and standing up for justice and freedom. What could cause people to make decisions such as these? The ancient Greeks believed that there was a part within each of us that caused us to make irrational decisions like these. This was called Thymos. Plato wrote extensively on the topic. He said that all forms of society are born from this philosophy of Thymos, and I agree. Upon examination we can find that political initiative, the life blood of a free society, flows from the attributes of Thymos. Likewise, if we do not control this place within, we will develop a weaker more tyrannical society.

The Thymos that dwells within each of us is the seat of our passions. It has been defined as that area of the soul where feelings of pride, indignation, greed, and shame as well as those of kindness, charity, empathy, courage, and nobility are located and ruled. The Thymos is a force of progression. It is not content with where it is now. It wants to grow, to become greater. If left unchecked, it will even push a person to dominate or enslave another. It also drives many people, especially men, to seek glory in what they do and a legacy for others to remember them by. This is an essential part of a human being.

Plato compared the human soul to a chariot with the charioteer and two horses. The first horse is called Eros. This horse was not well bred, hard to control, and is represented as a black horse. The second is Thymos, of royal breed, but rather prideful and difficult. He is a white horse. The charioteer’s name is Logos. He is the master of these horses and has the potential to control them, or to destroy the whole chariot by his lack of control. The meaning of these three Greek words are Appetite (Eros), Passion (Thymos), and Logic or Reason (Logos). Combined, these three function to make us each who we are. To find the key to understanding Plato’s idea of the soul (and how Thymos works into it), we must look at the other two parts of the chariot.

Plato's Analogy of the Soul

Thymos is the part of our soul which allows us growth. However, depending on which of the other two agents it listens to will determine whether it grows to a healthy and strong Thymos or becomes a deformed and weak force for evil. When Thymos begins to act like Eros (or we allow our passions to become dependent on our carnal appetites), it will grow weak and unhealthy. In contrast, the Godly capacity each of us has to reason and think for ourselves allows us to subjugate both our passions and our appetites to work as a team. When we master all three of these fundamentals of the soul, we exhibit pure greatness. Men in this station will often demand respect, and are they very dignified. When this state of being is achieved, we receive a greater sense of what we feel is right and wrong, our understanding of justness (the primitive form of justice) quickens, and we begin to get a sense of what we want the world around us to become.

This sense of justness brings with it a need for action. When people with strong Thymos see unjustness being exhibited towards themselves and to those with whom they are associated, they cannot help but stand up for that. When there are enough people who rise to fight this unjustness, no matter what the price, there will be a change in the society to match the new active majority’s view of justness. This massive-scale change is exactly what took place in America with the Civil Rights movement. This now becomes the new law of justice, and it will remain so until a new active majority overrules that in the name of their perception of “justness,” ad infinitum. This is the key to political action. A persons natural sense of what is “just” and what is not. But this is not always a positive, improving concept. When the active majority decides that what is “just” is not in fact true or eternal “justice,” then the society is headed for a dark period.

The first way that a Thymos can become twisted is if it is allowed to fall into step with Eros; our appetites were not meant to control our passions. This occurs when reason steps aside and is not firm in its control of Thymos. Thymos then begins to see the “freedom” of following ones basest instincts. When one totally logical person loses his or her passions to things like eating, sleeping, and amusement, they become totally immoral and selfish. This is just the opposite of what is necessary for a freedom reform. The sense of “justness” caused in this type of person will change as fast as their animal instincts will. If the active majority consists of these people, they will have an extremely unstable foundation.

Another way a Thymos can become socially destructive is when you feed it but don’t control it. By hooking that beast to your chariot unbridled, you are asking for destruction. This type of Thymos is like a unkept fire. It will only grow and consume everything around it. When this type of Thymos develops inside of someone, they lose all the positive attributes that used to be a part of it. All that is left is pride, indignation, and greed. This person, when insulted or not recognized as much as they would like, will lash out in indignation because of their pride, or the shame they feel because of the truth shown them. They won’t only fight back, they will begin to rally others around them, lighting others on fire as well. As this begins to happen, greed sets in and those people begin to seek for power. This is much like what happened in the French Revolution. People with this mindset will have a very oppressive idea of “justness” and they will normally use force to instagate their idea of justice.

The last dangerous type of Thymos is actually not dangerous in and of itself. Its presence makes it so that the other two types can function, making this, in my opinion, the most lethal of the three. This is a domesticated Thymos. Thymotic behavior is essential for liberty and freedom because it invites all to stand up for what they believe. It is this same behavior that caused early Americans to fight for liberty. When that behavior is removed, you have complacency and apathy. This is why the “active” part of any majority is the part that has the power. A person who doesn’t stand for anything will fall for everything. These people might not agree with their immoral leaders, but they won’t do anything about it. When one of those flaming groups of powerseekers begins their quest, these people won’t care what’s happening (as it won’t hurt them). They will be caught in the fire and throw their lives away for a selfish tyrant and a cause to which they don’t even understand or really care about. This is the kind of Thymos that is destroying America as we speak.

Thymos was something greatly understood by ancient peoples throughout the world. It was the source of many great political changes like the Magna Charta, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. But when not harnessed appropriately it has also led to some of the worst moments of history, times like the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Communist movement. We can see the need to awaken those who don’t have any passion, and to stand up for the true sense of eternal justice. Some have been pushing their personal idea of “justness” upon what we thought was true “justice.” In truth, this process has been in motion for years. We are at a crossroads of freedom and bondage predicted by Plato. I swear that I will take up the reigns of my chariot and guide my passions and appetites down a road towards freedom. I can only hope that you will join with me in this Race for Liberty.

See Plato’s Phaedrus and The Republic for details and sources.

What Kids Need, and What the Government Gives Them

I believe that this country is headed for collapse. I also believe that we can save it. The education system is what is ripping us apart. You can trace almost any problem in our modern day society back the our corrupt schooling system. We need to change the public schooling system in order to turn our world around. We can fix this! If we can manage it our country will return to it’s former glory in just a few generations.

When was the last time you had control over what was taught at school? What is taught to the future of America! We are in a position where, if not stopped, it will take us down a path to tyranny and slavery. This is explained very clearly by the following statistics:

• 3,030,000 Students drop out of high school every year
• In the 50 largest cities in America 59% of students drop out of high school
• 75% of crimes in the US are committed by high school dropouts

This does not look like a system that works. The problems in this society obviously have been flowing from the public schooling systems. Where children are taught what is, and isn’t true.

Where do the majority of American children learn “Truth” from? The public schooling system. But the problem is that the government controls this method, because of the separation of church and state, and because of outspoken minorities, God and religion are taken out of the equation. What does this result in? Easily moldable children being taught that “truth” is whatever the government deems to be “politically correct”. This is not right. This is not freedom. People with power want to keep their power (see D&C 121:39). This is one of the reasons that our country is failing. Truth has been replaced by political correctness and standardized testings. The youth of today are our future, and the government of today is taking away their knowledge of truth. They are denying us of our truth!

And we know that the violation (or denial) of truth brings less freedom.

Our country, the one that stands for freedom and justice, is destroying itself in the name of freedom! We are already experiencing the problems as the last generation has reached adulthood and too many are still completely reliant on the government for money, food, clothing, and housing. To fix this we need to do away with the “No Child Left Behind” Program, the new common core program, standardized testing, and federal control of the schooling program. We need to move the responsibility of public education  back to the states where it belongs. These are the steps that need to happen in order to bring back our glory.

The lack of truth in our schooling system and reliance on the government has caused our country to enter the state it is in now. Our country is headed for collapse. The many reasons for this can be brought back to the public schools. This is fixable, but it will require a huge change to the modern schooling system.

An In-Depth Look at the Constitution: The Executive Branch

            In 1787, our founding fathers drafted the Constitution of the United States—our foundation and governing document in this country. This Constitution is the reason that we have the freedoms that we have today, and the reason that our government isn’t as oppressive as it could be. However, this Constitution has been torn apart. Amendments, unconstitutional laws, and unconstitutional court rulings have plagued this nation, and, just like the Declaration of Independence says, it is our responsibility to get back to the Constitution and back to good government: “…when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.”

            One of the key elements to the Constitution was the idea of three branches of government: the legislative branch (Congress), the judicial branch (the courts), and the executive branch (the President and his cabinet). One of the most genius ideas that is found in the Constitution is the idea that these branches could check each other and balance each other out so that one branch would not become so powerful as to abuse the power given to it. The Constitution set up checks and balances to ensure that this would happen. However, conspiring men have found ways to alter and abolish these checks and these balances for their own profit and power.

            The branch of the Constitution that I’m going to be talking about today is the executive branch. This branch of government mainly consists of the President of the United States and his cabinet, and everything about the executive branch is found in Article II of the Constitution.

            Let’s begin with the process of election for the President and Vice President of the United States. In Section I of Article II of the Constitution, this process of election is laid out. The states each appoint a number of electors based on the number of Congressmen and Senators that the given state currently has in office. These electors are the ones who choose the President and Vice President. An elector must be an honorable person that is not holding any office under the United States. These electors must also be strictly anonymous; for fear that their votes could be influenced by others. On a date and time chosen by Congress, the electors meet in their respective states and vote for two people: one president and one vice president. They then send their votes to the Senate, and the votes are counted. A president and vice president are then chosen. The twelfth amendment made miniscule changes to this process, but for the most part, the fundamental format of the election process stayed the same.

            Electors were originally designated so that conspiring men would not deceive the majority of the people. However, look at America today. The Electoral College still chooses the president, but did you watch the last election? All people care about is the popular vote, which shouldn’t even matter. The vast majority of states in the United States today have laws that govern what electors do and who they vote for. Most states have laws that say that their electors must vote for the person that the majority of the people vote for, and as a result of this, many conspiring men have been elected to office (just look at our president today). This is just one of many of the checks and balances that have been demolished by unconstitutional laws.

            Next, the Constitution covers the qualifications of a president. All of these qualifications are found in Section I of Article II, and all of these qualifications apply to the Vice President of the United States (because he becomes president if the President is unable to execute his office). Here are the qualifications:

• Must be a natural born citizen of the United States
• Must be at least 35 years old
• Must have been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years

            In Article II, Section II of the original Constitution, a list of powers given to the President of the United States was created:

• To serve as commander-in-chief of the army and navy in times of war
• To grant pardons and reprieves for offences against the United States
• To fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate

            The President was also given a list of powers that are meant to be given him under the advice and consent of the Senate:

• To make treaties
• To nominate and appoint ambassadors or other public ministers and consuls
• To appoint the judges of the Supreme Court
• To appoint all other officers of the United States that are not mentioned in the Constitution and created by law

            In the Constitution, it specifically talks about how these powers are given to the President under the Senate. If they desired, the Senate could easily stop the President from appointing any offices of the United States. However, look at today’s United States. The Senate is vastly Democratic, and they are totally on the side of the President of the United States. Their agenda is very similar to his. Why would they want to take away his power?

            In Section III of Article II of the Constitution, a final list of powers and duties is given to the President of the United States:

• To inform Congress from time to time on the State of the Union
• To recommend legislation or action that the Congress may take
• To convene in either or both houses of Congress
• To adjourn Congress in case of disagreement
• To receive ambassadors and public ministers
• To take care that all laws be faithfully executed
• To commission all the officers of the United States

             If you did not watch the President’s 2014 State of the Union Address, I would encourage you to go watch it. It is very eye opening to see what President Obama is doing to usurp and abuse his power. After the preamble, the first phrase of the Constitution states: “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States…” Notice how all legislative powers are given to Congress, not to the President. The President can only recommend that Congress do something. He cannot and should not make laws, yet he does. The President has abused his power to put executive orders into action. One of the President’s first powers mentioned in Article II is the power to serve as commander-in-chief of the army and navy in times of war.

            The Founders created the commander-in-chief position so that the President could act in times of emergency. This included the power to create executive orders, but this power has been utterly abused. The President now feels that he has all power. He feels like he can do whatever he wants; that he can make laws whenever he desires. The executive branch of the United States was originally designed to be limited, but our president is currently pushing past that and creating laws, which is severely unconstitutional. Go watch the 2014 State of the Union Address. Barack Obama basically says that he would like to work with Congress, but he says that if they don’t cooperate, he will take matters into his own hands and do it himself. It is our right and duty as the people of the United States to stop this from happening.

            America is wicked. The people of America are becoming increasingly more ignorant and immoral as each minute passes. America’s government is oppressive. Many of America’s laws are unconstitutional. America is trillions of dollars into debt. We have a President and a Congress consisting of power-seeking corrupters of government. America has countless problems right now. All hope seems lost.

            The only way back to what America once was is through the Constitution. We need to get back to this divine document. It was designed to limit the powers of our government. We need to stop Barack Obama. We need to stop Congress. We need to stop the Supreme Court. We need to stop unconstitutional law. We need to stop giving in to this death, desolation, and tyranny in these states. It is our right; it is our duty, to throw off our oppressive government and to get back to the principles that made us a nation. We must become a more perfect union. We must get back to the Constitution.

Constitutional Powers: What happened to the 25?

"What powers does the government have under the Constitution?" 

   When we first see this question we may think of the many fingers of government that have reached into ever facet of our lives. If you thought of those thousands of "powers" being exercised by our government, I commend you, at least you know what is going on in America. But you're wrong. There're only 25 powers even implied in the original Constitution. This is a drastic difference from what we see today. What powers was the government given originally? How have those changed? What happened to cause those changes? Our government has reached far beyond it's bounds, and as a result, we are losing our freedoms. 

   Initially, our government was very limited. They were only given 25 powers, some of which are only implied and may not have been purposefully included. To counter that already minimal list, there also placed nine regulations upon them. When we look into our governmental processes it can be difficult to imagine what these powers may have been. 

1. To lay and collect import duties.
2. To pay the debts of the U.S. Government.
3. To regulate commerce with foreign nations and Indian Tribes.
4. To regulate commerce among the States.
5. To regulate immigration.
6. To establish a uniform rule of naturalization.
7. To establish uniform laws on bankruptcy throughout the United States.
8. To coin money and regulate its value and that of foreign coin, and to issue bills of credit.
9. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States.
10. To fix the standard of weights and measures.
11. To provide and regulate postal services.
12. To establish protection for intellectual property, including patent, copyright, and trademark rights.
13. To constitute lower national courts.
14. To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the laws of nations.
15. To declare war, authorize warlike activities by other than the armed forces, and make rules concerning captures.
16. To raise, support and regulate the armed forces.
17. To govern what part of the Militia shall be employed in the service of the United States.
18. To exercise general Legislation over federal ground, which is limited to federal territories and districts, land purchased from states with the consent of their legislatures, U.S. flag vessels on the high seas, and the grounds of U.S. embassies abroad.
19. To guarantee a republican form of government to the States.
20. To enter into a treaty, alliance, or confederation with a foreign state.
21. To declare the punishment for treason.
22. To prescribe the manner in which the acts, records, and judicial proceedings of each state shall be proved to other states and what should be done about them.
23. To admit new states into the Union.
24. To dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States.
25. To make laws necessary and proper for executing the powers delegated to the U.S. government.

These are the basic necessities of a good, sound, strong government. A government needs to be kept to it's bounds, or it will grow and, in the end, will turn on it's creators and consume their freedom. 

   To help to stop the government from consolidating itself and expanding, consequentially becoming a more tyrannical one, the founders placed restrictions on what the national government could do. 

1. No exercise of powers not delegated to it by the Constitution.
2. No payment from the Treasury except under appropriations made by law.
3. Excises and duties must be uniform throughout the United States.
4. [The government] Shall pass no tax or duty on articles exported from any state.
5. No appointment of a senator or representative to any civil office which was created while he was a member of Congress or for which the amount of compensation was increased during that period.
6. No preferences to the ports of one state over another in regulation or tax collection.
7. No titles of nobility shall be granted by the U.S. government, or permitted to be granted to government officials by foreign states.
8. [The government] May not protect a State against domestic violence without the request of its legislature, unless it cannot be convened, in which case, without the consent of its executive.
9. U.S. courts do not have jurisdiction over suits against a state by citizens of another state or foreign country.

There are other negatives on the power of government, but they can be boiled down to these nine. As we look at both of these lists we see first, that this government is far larger than it was ever meant to be, and second, that the government has directly violated the Constitution many times. As a result of those changes, we are seeing an ever more tyrannical government. 

   The changes that plague our nation are countless. One need only hunt down a list of bills being processed to see how terrible the plague really is. We see laws regulating and over regulating business. We watch as taxes are taken from us at ever greater amounts; by a government that isn't even allowed to tax you directly. We tremble in fear of massive laws that no human being has ever read that drastically change our very lifestyle. And among many other things, we now have a president that has publicly told us that he intends to use executive action (not a power given by the government) to move his socialist agenda along, with or without the consent of the congress. 

   These are just a few of the countless things that our government is doing that overreach their constitutional bounds. But what are some of the major events that rocked those foundations? Over the four major waves that have hit America, the waves have crushed our freedoms, and opened large rifts that allowed the government to overstep it's bounds. 

   The first "wave" came from 1803 to 1824. During this wave, the Judicial Branch ruled that they had power to determine the Constitutionality of any and all laws. This is second nature to us now, but the implications of that ruling are exponential in allowing the government to overstep it's rules. In allowing the government to decide what the government could do, it basically negates the Constitution entirely. The only thing that was really kept the Constitution alive was the check and balances of government. That kept itself from overreaching and throwing off the Constitution.

   The second wave hit just after the Civil War. In the aftermath of such a horrific event, the government vastly overstepped it's bounds. Though, I find that many of the decisions were good, they were went about in the wrong way. From this point on, everyone accepted that the government was the power, not the states. This was not very wrong at the time, but it opened the door wide for the next wave.

   The third came in and around the year 1913. The 17th Amendment was passed. This took away one of the biggest protections of the Constitution, ever. This was the states appointing the Senators. The door that was opened by Lincoln now took the power from the states. 

   The fourth started in 2008 with the Wall Street fiasco and huge government bailouts. Following that we saw many things explicitly outlined in the Constitution being violated. Ex post facto laws have been passed left and right. Bills of Attainder are also. Everything is in chaos.

   Everything we've seen so far has shown how our government has corrupted the Constitution. It is sickening to think about all the breaches that have happened. And it makes us wonder, as we look at all the freedoms and rights we have lost, and are losing, if they have taken those things away, can they not take away more? Can they keep expanding? This requires a call to action. Will we stand for our rights? There are specific things we need to approach as a nation. The biggest thing we can do now is push the congress to repeal the 17th. This is the first step. Once we do that, we can start bringing power back to the States and take power from the President. We need to do that. 

   The Constitution in an inspired document. It is the standard by which our government should abide. It is not. As a result we have lost, and our losing many freedoms. We need to promote change. If we can shift the power center back to the states, we can have a rebirth of freedom. If we do not stand for our liberties and for our Constitution, we will be forced to kneel to the government that was once our own. The time is near. We have a decision to make. I echo the admonition made by our beloved president George Washington, "The time is near at hard which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves". This stands as true today as it was at the time of the revolution. Will we stand 4 the Constitution? 

Robinson Crusoe: An Archetype of America?

What constitutes a government? Is it the force behind a large nation? Or can a government be found on a small island where one shipwrecked man fights to survive? In reading one of the greatest classics, Robinson Crusoe, I couldn't help but compare the way that he, Robinson Crusoe, governs "his man Friday", to how our government governs us today. Several things in particular that I noted from the way he governs Friday versus how our government works are things like, how they differ in their governing, how they treat those they govern, and what their perception of the governed are. When we look at a story of such significance in actually shaping great governments, we can start to understand and bring out the fundamental flaws that have been hiding in our modern system of government.

How does Washington treat it's citizens? Each day it seems we hear of some new law or act of government welfare. Our government constantly is bailing people out, spending imaginary money on, and "helping" people. In contrast, we see Robinson Crusoe who, though he helps Friday, is going about doing that in a totally different way. He always has Friday's welfare at heart, even if it is only for the purpose of keeping him alive to be his slave. But instead of just pampering him and not allowing him to fail, he is constantly teaching him how to take care of himself. He teaches him how to use tools, how to read, how and what to worship. Once more, we see a point to compare. Our government is constantly promoting education, but not the purpose behind it. Likewise to Crusoe, our government promotes jobs and working under others. As we look at this, we see the sound judgement behind Crusoe, and find some flaws in our government. Flaws like over-excessive debt, promoting idleness through welfare, and not giving people the opportunity to try-with the pretense of not wanting them to fail. But these are only a few of the flaws that we will uncover as we look at it from the perspective of "My Man Friday".

What were some of the tactics that Crusoe used in his governing? This is where we start to see similarities that startlingly similar. We see Crusoe setting himself up as a superior in all ways. He is better than Friday at the language, he is Fridays portal to God. He's the one that Friday needs to survive. By doing that, Crusoe gains all power over Friday. Similarly we see our government setting up a superiority complex over the masses. By using the welfare, complicated wording in legislation, long dry debates, and high standards of living, our government sets themselves above the masses. When they do that, it creates a wide gap between them and the government. We are starting to see the shadows of an aristocracy forming.

We also see the contrasting views of who their governed are. Robinson Crusoe sees Friday as a lesser race, but still as a human. In his work with Friday, we see him taking the responsibility to govern because it is his right. At the same time, he treats him as a fellow human, but one of a lesser class and age. Here we see a very strict caste system. A system that is based on an assumption that one man is inherently better than another. In contrast, the United States is infamous for its over-the-top equality. The government is constantly promoting equal rights, supplying equal things, and, in short, trying to erase all distinction. This is not bad. Equality is good, if you go about it the right way. Which we don't. But even with all those taxpayers dollars being invested into breaking those gaps, we are only forming larger rifts! As we pointed out before, the government is making it so, "in the name of equality" an aristocracy is forming. We see the rich getting richer (and more politically powerful) and the poor getting poorer (and exponentially less powerful in politics).  This is a fundamental flaw the plagues our nation today. And the rift is only getting wider.

In looking at a classic of such renown, we have been able to uncover many flaws lurking in the shadows of our government. We have seen things like debt, welfare, government regulation, as well as many others. These and other things are increasing the feeling of aristocracy in America. It's our responsibility to change this. If we sit by and watch as these flaws ferment into something far worse, then we will have that much of a harder time fixing things. We need more people who do not rely on the government for their living. We need to start building small businesses to fight poverty. We need to become more involved in our future, and not give all the power to Washington and let them run wild. Specifically we need to abolish the seventeenth amendment. This will move power back into our states, and help to keep Washington in the peoples hands. If we do this, our government may once more become on "of the people, by the people, and for the people". That's the real kind of government.

What I Would Do If I Was President

 I understand that the president of the United States is undoubtedly the most powerful position on Earth. Also though, you have to realize that with great power comes great responsibility. Being the president of this country is also the toughest leadership position to be in. Now, what would I do as president of the United States? I can never be sure because I have never been in the position (obviously). These things aren’t necessarily what I would do, but I would definitely attempt them. Our country is plummeting downward right now, and there are so many problems that nobody can even count, not to mention solving them. I may not be able to fix these problems, but I can try.

            The first thing I would attempt to do is repeal the 17^th amendment to the United States Constitution. Why would I do this? Well, the 17^th amendment establishes direct election of United States senators by popular vote. This means the senators, instead of being appointed by the state legislature like they used to be, are now elected by us, the people. You may think this is a good thing, because it gives the people more power and more freedom, but this is a horrible amendment. I will tell you why. First of all, only one delegate who attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that supported electing senators by popular vote. Seeing this, we must realize that this amendment takes away the brilliance of the Constitution, and minors the amazing government in which it brought this country. Here is why: the people of the United States already have Congress representation in the House of Representatives. The point of the state legislatures appointing senators was to give the states representation in Congress. Often the states’ desires and wants differ from the people’s wants and desires. We need to get rid of this amendment because the states need Congress representation, so that we can have stronger states, as well as strong people and a strong country. The states need Congress representation. We need to follow the principles of the Constitution, the most brilliant document ever written. We can not turn away from what God has given us through our founding fathers. Congress representation is the first thing I would give the states if I was president of this country.

It's hard to say what I would do if I worked in
Washington

            Another huge problem in our country right now is National Debt. The federal government has been borrowing money from other states (mainly China) to pay for government-funding programs that we don’t even need. Now, states like China won’t even let the federal government borrow more money, so the federal government is using money that they don’t have to pay for programs that they don’t need. Plus, we are in a lot of debt to China and other states. How dumb is that? That would be another problem which I would attempt to fix. You may ask: how do you eliminate debt? Well, here is how I would do it. Two words: create jobs. How does this eliminate debt? When people don’t have jobs, they rely on the government for money, and right now the federal government is giving them money so that they don’t have to work. So instead of using their revenue to pay off debt, the federal government is using it to give the people who don’t work. I will not blame some of them, though, because some just can’t find jobs to work at. So how would I create jobs for these people? One man who came up with a great plan to create jobs was Mitt Romney. I don’t believe in everything that Romney has done, but this plan is genius. So, to create jobs, I would use Mitt Romney’s famous five-point plan: 1. Take advantage of our energy. This will give people more jobs in energy. 2. Teach children in schools skills for their later lives. This is crucial because the next generation will always be handling the problems which the last generation left behind for them to fix. Also, the more skills they have, the more jobs they will be able to get. 3. Create trade agreements with other states. This will give more jobs to the people of the U.S. by boosting U.S. exports, which will create or support hundreds of thousands of jobs. 4. Support more entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are the people who create jobs, because they create businesses which give people jobs. 5. Champion small business. By reducing taxes on small business, we can create more opportunity for the businesses to give people jobs. This is a brilliant five point plan which will create jobs for people so that they will not have to rely on the government for money. I would also attempt to eliminate useless government programs which give people (who are capable of working) money so that they do not have a desire to work. I may send some of these programs to the states as well, because the states could handle them more efficiently than the federal government.

            Another thing I would attempt to do as president (and the last thing I will mention here) is promote principles. I believe that this will fix many of the biggest problems this country has. Three of the biggest problems we have are: One, we are turning away from the principles of the Constitution and the brilliant government system it has given us. Two, as a people, we are lacking morality. We aren’t as moral as we once were as a people. Three, the American people do not believe in this country. We don’t believe in the American Dream or the Land of Opportunity anymore, because there is no guarantee that if we graduate from college that we will get a good job. By promoting principles, we can help people realize that we need to embrace the Constitution, become more moral, and believe in America.

            These are three things I would attempt to do if I was president, so that I could help turn this train around so that it doesn’t nose-dive off of the cliff that it is headed towards. This is possibly the most crucial aspect of this place and this time period: getting America back to the state where it once was. That is what I would help to do if I was president of the United States of America.