Posted on 08/05/2007 7:51:43 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
We believe the federal government has grown too big, too expensive, too intrusive, too nosy, too abusive and.. . .well, just about everything it was not supposed to be.
What are we talking about when we say that? It's not Congress. Nor is it the Presidents, but between the two, they have created and fostered an Imperial Bureaucracy, a virtually independent, ever growing government that is answerable to no one, staffed by unelected bureaucrats who write rules and regulations that have the force of law and lord it over us as if they were our Imperial Masters.
How big is the bureaucracy? Not counting Congress, the White House, the State Department, the CIA or the Military in uniform, there is 1 fulltime civilian federal employee for every 123 Americans. Surprised? Is that too big?.
Congress has been on a Legislative binge for more than 60 years. To enforce those laws, at the direction of Congress, the bureaucrats write regulations. At the end of 2006, there were 144,040 pages in the Code of Federal Regulations. In that almost undecipherable mass there has to be one, two or a dozen that can jump up and bite any one of us at any moment. When it happens, they have the full force of government behind them while all we can do is go broke paying attorneys.
For instance: The BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) is systematically, one by one, revoking gun dealers' licenses on paperwork technicalities. Someone overlooked and therefore did not fill in one space in a form. BOOM! "Your license has been revoked." The small ones who could not afford thousands of dollars in Attorney's fees, simply went out of business. Twenty years ago, there were 250,000 licensed gun dealers in this nation. Today, there are only 108,000. That works out to be 19 a day that have just disappeared. And, of course, the number of gun dealers "not complying with regulations" is used by BATF to justify and expand it's budget.
How much are these regulations costing us? According to a recent study released by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration, in 2004, the nation's business community, mostly small businesses, spent $1.1 trillion complying with Federal Regulations. Who pays that? We do. It's a cost of doing business and is a part of the price of everything we purchase. How much is $1.1 trillion? Assuming a population of 300 million, it's $3,667 for every man woman and child in the country. And you thought all those regulations didn't affect you. Right?
All Congress has to do to change all this is snatch the bureaucrats up by the knap of the neck, let them know the Rules Committee has arrived and rewrite the enabling legislation in specific terms, precisely narrowing and defining the scope of their authority and how they will conduct themselves. But it's too busy playing a vicious, high stakes game of political "Gotcha" while enacting even more legislation that directs the bureaucrats to write even more regulations. And virtually every new regulation take a bite out of someone's liberty.
The list of abuses and abusive attitude could go on to near infinity, but the real question is, "How did it get this way?" The Founding Fathers put together a government meticulously designed to prevent what we have. What happened?
What happened was the standard ingredients of politics, greed and corruption. Late in the 19th Century, the Power Brokers and Robber Barons saw the federal government as a cow that could be milked for power, prestige and cash, but the Senators, who took their marching orders from their respective Legislatures kept blocking them. After a number of years of manipulation, apparent bribery and really dirty politics, we got the 17th Amendment which took the power of appointment away from the State Legislatures and moved it over to general election.
The result was predictable and inevitable. When the Senators were dependent on the Legislatures for reelection, the individual legislators and the Legislature as a whole, had enormous clout. When your reelection depends on only 80, 90, 100 people, you pay very close attention to what they want. When it was shifted over to the entire population of the State, the electing units were so large no one at home had any clout. This is exactly what the manipulators wanted, because the Senator's attention and loyalties switched to those who could help assure reelection, the Power Brokers. And that's where they still are today.
We were supposed to have a Senate made up of Statesmen who would be immune to public opinion and popular causes, vigilant guardians of our individual rights and liberty. Instead, we have a Senate composed of 100 free agents, free to follow their own agenda, which they do with impunity and immunity; answerable only to their political party, special interests, the mainstream media and their campaign contributors; responding with legislation to every popular cause that comes along, often inventing one just to get face time on TV; perfectly willing to eradicate everyone's rights simply because a few might or have abused them and have turned the United States Senate into an arena for an ongoing, seemingly never ending political food fight. It's disgusting and we deserve better.
The answer, the solution, is to repeal the 17th amendment so we have at-home control over what they do or do not do and we can get that done if we put our mind and resources to the effort. Put the appointment of Senators back where it belongs, with the Legislatures and that's exactly what we're going to do..
"Whaat," you wail, "you want to take away my right to vote for Senators." If putting it back where it belongs, with the State Legislatures, means taking it away from you, Yes, we do. We're taking away ours too, so you haven't been singled out. But be realistic. That vote is only symbolic. It is meaningless, simply because the only time a person has power in the ballot box is when he can exercise some control over the actions of his "servants" and the only way to have control is to be able to talk to them directly, not just to their staff. Can you call your Senator and get him on the Phone? The Party Bosses can. Milton Megabucks can. The media can. The lobbyists can. But you can't. Face it. We're just a mass of nameless faces in the crowd they have to shmooze every six years just enough to persuade us to keep them in office.
So, the choice is yours. You can hang on to your symbolic vote, or you can take positive steps to help change it. Millions of men have put themselves in harm's way to preserve our freedom with their blood staining the world's battlefields. We have not served them well by allowing this to happen. It's time to make amends and giving up your symbolic vote is a small price to pay compared to what they sacrificed.
We have a solid, three step plan to get it done. It's been hailed as "Brilliant," "Outstanding" with an 80% to 90% probability of success by some pretty savvy people who have been trying for years to get Congress to exercise some self restraint, trying to make them understand that they have been granted responsibility rather than power.
Constitutional historians rate the 17th Amendment as the biggest mistake we have ever made. Our success will be hailed by future historians as the greatest advance of liberty in the 21st Century.
Individual liberty and smaller government are our objectives, but it goes beyond that. We have wounded men and women languishing in miserable conditions in VA Hospitals and there are 1,252,188 members of Disabled American Veterans who are not receiving adequate care, partly because of the bloated, inefficient, dollar consuming bureaucracy but primarily because Congress has proven itself to be the world's most profligate spendthrift to the point where there's no money "left over" to take care of them properly. When we can cut the bureaucracy down to size and get some control over the Senate we will be able to provide some better care for these wounded warriors. We owe it to them and they have earned it.
If you want to be a part of it, contact us at the Email address below or at http://hometown.aol.com/repealthe17th/ROAR.html
ROAR (Restoring Our American Republic, Inc) 2975 Elizabeth Lane Snellville, GA 30078 Voice: 770-978-1913 FAX: 770-978-1064 RepealThe17th@aol.com http://hometown.aol.com/repealthe17th/ROAR.html
“We also need term limits, and limits on the power of the unelected Congressional staffers”
That’s true, but even more than that, we need limits and very pricise job descriptions on the bureaucrats. Until we can get them under control, it’s just going to keep getting worse.
It worked for me. But, right now, all you get at the web site is a plea for money.”
Maybe because that’s what it takes to get the job done. This has aleady cost me a little over $12,000 and I am not a charitable institution. Unless some other people put money in the pot, it just ain’t gonna happen.
It’s up to you.
IMHO this site needs a touch of professionalism and clarity of purpose.”
You will please note that I said “a few extra dollar” in “honor of,” not “for.” My point is that by allowing this government to go this far we have, essentially, betrayed the men who spilled their blood on our beahalf, and, as stated, it’s time to make amends.
As for being “professional?” As I recall, the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were hand printed on parchment, straightforward, simple statements of purpose.And that’s what is on the web page. No bells, whistles, swooping eagles, just a simple, straighforward statement of the problem and the proposed solution.
Because you had the courtesy to send me an email, I sent you a copy of the plan. For the people who have read it, it seems to be split into three camps
1.Those who believe it will work.
2. Those who don’t think it will.
3. Those who are afraid it will.
If you fall into number 1, get aboard.
If you fall into number 2, you’re in line with about 2/3 of the people who thought Thomas Jefferson and those other idiots who signed the Declaration of Independence were looking at nothing more than a short trip on a tight rope, because, obviously, it won’t work.
I don’t think you fall into number 3. Incidentally, from the feedback I get, those in Number 1 are leading.
The choice is yours.
That’s the conventional wisdom, that it can’t be done because there’s no way the Senators will give up their hot tub. So, when the front door is blocked, barred and bolted, go in the back door and that’s what we’re doing. The second principle, much like the first, came from a shoulder patch I saw on a U.S. fighter pilot —”When you’re losing the game, change the rules.” That too is what we’re doing. So, if you’re curious as to how this works, send me an email and I’ll send you a copy of the plan.
You may say this statement is ridiculous, but think about it. The House of Representatives is elected directly by the people the way it was intended by our founders. No State government influence or say in who gets elected. Representatives are accountable to and serve at the will of the people.
After the 17th, State Legislatures have no say or representation in Washington. Both Senators and Representatives are accountable directly to the people, not state government. What makes it even worse is that Senators don't represent small compact districts with their own interests like the House members do. Instead of representing say, an agricultural district, or an industrial district, a white, black or Hispanic district, Senators have to prostitute themselves statewide over all interests. The only way they can do this is by way of pork. Big pork barrel projects that will get them elected state-wide. Guess who pays for all this pork.
State government has to hire lobbyists such as the National Conference of State Legislators, or the National Governors Association, or private lobbyists to name a few. They stand in line with their hats in their hands behind all the other thousand of lobbyists like big oil, the tobacco lobby, the pharmaceutical lobby, etc. to try to influence their Senators. The problem is that the State lobbies don't have BIG BUCKS like the other lobbies do.
This is wrong. This is not the way it was intended to be. You may not trust your state Legislature, but do you trust big business and political action committees that fund multi-million dollar Senate campaigns more? (Don't get me wrong, I support free enterprise and capitalism 100%, however, big multinational corporations should not be running our country for their own benefit at the expense of the people. The amnesty bill is a prime example.)
We need to go back to the way things were. Do you think that Trent Lott and others were representing their states during the Immigration amnesty vote? Hell no! But Trent will get re-elected because of his seniority. If State Legislators sent Senators to Washington, they could also call them home and replace them. Do you think the federal government would ever impose unfunded mandates on the states again? Remember, the federal government is supposed to act for the benefit of the States and do what the States cannot do on their own individually.
My 2 cents for what it is worth.
It’s not up to us to decide. That is something that will have to be worked out between the Legislatures and the Senate post-repeal. We do not have an agenda, except to get the bureaucracy under control, not only in size, but in the way they do things.
We hope to make it a part of the amendment required to repeal the 17th, but it may not be possible to require Congress, after there are 51 Legislature appointed Senators seated, to create a national Ombudsman which would take over the review of new regulations, appeals on infranctions and be charged with the responsibility to keep the bureaucrats on track.
The current mess is the result of ‘democracy’ in action.
That’s exactly what it is, so come aboard.
The special interest groups that want illegal immigration also have less clout since the senators do not have to raise money for campaigns. The states and cities and counties are the ones dealing with the problems of unchecked illegal immigration, they are already screaming to the state legislators to do something about it.
Would you Freepmail me the plan, too?
Sing along: "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I'm told I'm free"....
Your posting was informative and made a lot sense.Gave me a different viewpoint on the subject,thanks !!!
The Founders designed a Constitutional Republic to avoid the emotional mob rule facet of democracy and promoted states rights to (among other reasons) keep the government closer to the local citizens. A brilliant plan.
The 17th was a major step away from those plans, and it appears we are in danger of losing the Republic, in spite of Franklin's caution.
Massive unaccountable bureaucracies have expanded into state and even large local governments as well. Can this be reversed? The task is daunting and heavily opposed, but illumination and ROAR can certainly help inform those who will see the issue.
Sacking the 17th may well be effective in restoring a balance of power to the small states and the people.
Would you Freepmail me the plan, too?
I don’ t know how this system works. I just signed on this morning. Send my an email to RepealThe17th@aol.com and I’ll get it right back to you.
Sterling Saunders
This has long been the commentary of conservatives. That it all went wrong after the 17th.
Good food for thought and thanks for the ping!
Save.
** ping **
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.