Is It Time To Put The Ship of State in Drydock

      With the ship of state taking multiple hits and listing badly it may be time to do a major overhaul.  Having been hit buy several torpedos in quick succession the ship is floundering and needs repairs desperately. The housing market seems unable to recover.  The truth is it will not recover as long as unemployment is out of control.   The liberal unemployment payments are not helping and in the long run may be making the situation worse.  The gaping hole from the war in Iraq may soon be sealed, however the bleeding of the economy by the Afghanistan war continues.  There is talk of cutting programs and the size of government.  This sounds good to many people, however this will only add to the unemployment problem.  While downsizing the military may cut expenses in one area, it will raise them in another.  As it will put more people on the unemployment rolls.  This will not solve the problem it will only compound it and stretch it out over a longer time.  Cutting social programs only increases the hardship on those who are already struggling to survive.  The out of control student loans and collapsing infrastructure are just two more signs of the need for a major overhaul.  It is time to put the Ship of State in drydock before it sinks.

      So how do you put the ship of state in Drydock.  The only way I see to do it is find a way to bypass the present system, but keep it working.  They use that system all the time in construction.  A temporary bridge is built to take traffic around a site.   Then the regular bridge can be rebuilt without the interference of traffic. My plan provides a way to do that.  While the temporary plan is in place Congress can focus on fixing the real problems in a real way.   They can cut out all the loopholes, subsidies and other benefits that do not benefit each and every citizen.  They can start by eliminating those that just benefit special interest of the wealthy and big business.  Big oil for one does not need subsidies no matter how much they complain.  Banks and businesses that can not stand on their own merit need to be allowed to disappear.  If there is a demand it will be filled by a provider that is able to make a profit because of better practices.  So I can not buy a Chevy.  That is Chevy's fault.  There will still be companies providing cars and they will be doing it at a profit.

     Cutting benefits is not the answer.  Yes we need to cut the debt, but there are other solutions.  It is the obligation under the Constitution to provide for the welfare of the nation.   That is where Congress has come up short.  Article 1. Section 8, paragraph one, says it is the duty of the Congress to levy taxes and tariffs as needed and to raise a military to defend America while also providing for the welfare of the nation.  What is welfare.  From my readings of Paine, Franklin and Jefferson they did consider taking care of the old, retired and indigent a responsibility of the state.  That being said when you provide welfare for your family you provide, not only shelter, but food, clothing, healthcare and security.  These are the duties of a family and of a nation. While a certain Veteran Congressman is able to have seven homes and live high on the hog, while it is not illegal.  It hardly seems right.  Especially when his fellow veterans are sleeping on the streets because there are no jobs for them.  From my experience in America.  There are always jobs.  Sometimes I have held three or four at one time to make ends meet.  The problem is the jobs available do not pay enough for the work involved or require more training than many Americans have.  Instead of allowing illegals to fill the menial jobs or documented  foreigners to fill the better ones while letting many Americans do without.  America needs a jobs oriented education system instead of one dedicated to sucking all the financial resoures of its victims while providing nothing in return.

    So how do you accomplish this?    I have a plan that does it right now.  It is a plan that pays for itself and can be implemented immediately. It will not be popular but anyone who seriously looks at it can tell it will work. The old saying of "no pain, no gain" is true.  However refusing to change and continue with politics as usual guarantees even more pain down the road.

   My plan accomplishes several worthwhile and needed goals.  It sets in motion a "paid for" plan to fix, repair and replace America's crumbling infrastructure.  It creates jobs and stimulates business.  Fixing the infrastructure requires not only laborers,  it requires equipment, materials and cash flow that stimulates the economy.   This creates payroll taxes that help the struggling economy.  The final thing it does is reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  It will encourage the American people to become a serious part of the world economy and to limit our waste and pollution. While also showing the world America is serious about dealing with our problems.  A couple of my blog pages explain plans that could save America millions of gallons per day.   Not by reducing our standard of living, but by maximizing the energy usage from the what we already consume.  Electric cars may help, but they are not the total answer.  If you drive long distances electric at present is not the answer.  What do you do when you head out cross country and hit the middle of Kansas or Nebraska.  You will be parked and have no where to plug in.  There are viable alternatives that will work.  In France a company builds an air powered car.  Yes it runs on compressed air.  It will run seventy miles per hour and go one hundred twenty miles on a tank of air.  If air stations are built a car can refill its tanks in less than five minutes.  Even doing it at home on your own compressor, which comes with the French car, takes less time and equivalent amount of energy to an electric car.

    So how does this wonderful program work.  This technically does not raise taxes, it creates a new one.  For the Republi-can'ts who argue against tax increases.  They had no problem doubling the national debt during the Bush Administration.  However they did not  provide a means to pay for it.  It is time to step up to the plate and help solve the problem they created. That being said it is paid for in advance by a tax of $1.00 per gallon on gas.  It is immediate.  All it takes is being voted in and it can be implemented tomorrow.  Based on America's present consumption average per state is about eight million two hundred and thirty two thousand gallons a day.  That means the state immediately can pursue projects that are already going or ready to go.  Over a year that would generate over three billion dollars for each state to use.  The tax can be reduced later if it is doing the job it was designed to do.  This tax will provide an incentive to buy more economical cars.  This program eliminates a constantly recurring budget drain.  This program creates a possibly permanent fund to constantly deal with the infrastructure  problems.  The tax collected in each state should stay in the state it is collected in.  The Federal government other than creating the tax, should have no part in it or access to the funds.  The Fed should only be allowed to make sure each state is using the money for what it is designated for.  Fixing infrastructure.   It should generate enough tax income that each state should be able to fund their own programs.   This is a solution and it works now.  Its does not take months or years.  It will start stimulating the economy immediately.

    This is definitely an outside the box program.  The thing is it can work while giving Congress time to deal with the real problem which is the budget.  The budget needs to be cut and cut drastically.  The couple trillion the Congressional Super Committee is supposed to cut is just the tip of the iceberg.  It will take cutting over 5.6 Trillion to balance the budget.  With 1.2 billion per day paid in interest on the national debt we will be over 4.3 trillion more in debt than when we started the ten years period they are talking about.  That is just in interest.  That means we have accomplished absolutely nothing.  It is time to get real and deal with the problems.

Fixing the Shooting Problem

How to Fix the Shooting Problem in America.

                                     Some people will say you can't do that.

                            Well if our Founding Father's thought that way,

                                   We would not be a nation today.

                             

                                   You have a problem, you fix it.    

                             Fixing the Gun Problem in America 

  The first thing we need to realize it is about saving lives, not controlling guns,

    

The recent school shooting in Florida broke a very sad record in America. It bumped Columbine from the top ten list of the worst school shootings. The problem is not guns. The two worst mass killings in America did not involve guns at all. Oklahoma City and 9/11 both happened without a shot being fired.  The problem is a lack of respect for the sanctity of life. As God has been removed from our society we have fallen into a state of Anarchy. The only way to restore order is to make consequences of civil disobedience so severe that no one wants to pay the price. Criminals have far more rights in the American justice system than the average citizen, and are better served by the court system. It is time to reverse the corruption in our system of government.  It can start by passing the laws recommended in this post, or we can sit by complacently till the talons of anarchy tear into our own lives. Congress can fix this problem. The right to own guns is given by the Constitution, therefore laws concerning their use should be Federal Laws and Crimes. About thirteen thousand five hundred people are killed by guns in America each year. Over one hundred people are shot every day, and over forty of them die every day. While school shootings focus our attention on the problem, there is a bigger problem.

    We might as well fix two problems while we are at it. Decriminalizing the use of plants will destroy the profit incentive which the drug culture is based on. The criminals who depend on the high profits will fade from existence just like the rum runners did at the end of Prohibiton. Another American mistake created by an incompetent government of the time.  Notice I did not say legalize. I said decriminalize because the laws concerning drugs should never have been passed in the first place. A little studying will make clear that growing plants is a God given right. A right validated in the Declaration of Independence which will open enough jail cells to start incarcerating people who violate the new laws I am proposing. The present drug laws are useless. The waste of money on agencies that only perpetuate their own existence thru incompetence and indifference is insane. It would be far cheaper for the government to grow and distribute pot to the abusers at a nominal fee which would eliminate the need to resort to criminal means to pay for their habits.

     Pot did not become illegal until the end of Prohibiton. The laws against pot were pushed by the alcohol industry who wanted their business back.  My grandfather who was a WW I veteran told my cousin and I that pot was the alternative high during Prohibition era and became very popular. The present drug enforcement system is an asinine use of our tax dollars. Nobody has ever overdosed on pot. They might die from doing something stupid on pot, but not from pot. That can be verified by the fact that it is legal to have up to two ounces of pot in your possession in Washington, D.C., which shows the hypocrisy of our government. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both raised and sold marijuana on their farms. They both left detailed records of their farm operations. Probably did not sell it as pot, but as the raw material for making hemp rope, cloth and burning for heat. The financial benefits from job creation, product production and industrial potential, such as ethanol, far out weight the threat of a few thousand pot heads. God made clear in Genesis 1:29 that "all" plants bearing seed were for our use. The Declaration of Independence makes clear we have rights given by our creator.  In Genesis 1:31 God said he had finished creation and it was good. He definitely knew the potential for misuse. It must not have bothered him. Alcohol is a far bigger problem for mankind but Jesus turned water into wine. So was Jesus wrong. Our priorities are a little messed up.

     So what is the solution?  God gave clear directions about the price of taking a life. He did not hedge, he made it clear in Genesis 9:5-6

           I created humans to be like me, and I will punish any animal or person that takes a human life. If an animal kills someone, that animal must die. And if a person takes the life of another, that person must be put to death.

     The laws I am recommending are what God commanded and will go a long way to fixing the problems in America. The problem in America is not guns. It is a lack of the respect for the sanctity of life. A lack of respect reflected in the abortion industry, another crime that God recommends capital punishment for. There are several more offenses that God recommends capital punishment for. If all the laws were enforced it would probably reduce our population by over fifty percent. My goal however is not to kill people but to make sure that the right to life is held sacred as God proposed it. Many of the crimes are moral and can be debated. The taking of a life which is God given is a crime against God. Therefore what God says is just, and is not excessive. Not enforcing what God says is a crime against mankind is a lack of responsibility. The removal from society is not excessive, but an obligation for the safety of the rest of mankind. If someone sticks a gun in your face and threatens to blow your brains out would you want him roaming the streets.                                                                                                                          

     The Declaration of Independence says we have a God given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore anyone taking away those rights should answer to God and the punishment he commands. That being said, when I look at the crime in America it is easy to see that the main cause of most of our crimes is a lack of respect for the sanctity of life. Our government has created an environment that promotes the problems facing America today. The government has created a society that does not promote self- sufficiency.  What we have instead is a valueless dependent class. One that has no respect for law and order, but are a law onto themselves.

      Many I have talked to say my recommendations will never stand a chance. Well America is at a point that this is the only hope of saving our nation. If it is not done it will lead to the only other alternative mentioned in the Declaration of Independence and that is the overthrow of the government and rebuilding of our country. With almost as many guns as people in this country, the thought of revolution is not a choice I care to see America make.

                                 The Right to Bear Arms

     The right to bear arms is a birth right of the American people. In the movie the Patriot when his home is burnt by the British, he runs into the burning home and saves his guns. He had four sons and he had guns for each of them.  It made an interesting point as they had been taught how to use them at a very young age.

   Over the last two hundred years guns have evolved.  The Constitution was made to be adjusted over time.  It is time for the Amendment to be amended to reflect the world we live in now.  There are definitely two classes of guns and they should be clearly defined. The original weapons will still do what they were intended for. They will still provide for our security.  This category I call Constitutional Weapons.  In this day and age there is need for a second class of weapons.  Just for the record the majority of all capital crimes are committed with what I call Constitutional weapons. Revolver pistols would be exempt from license as Constitutional Weapons and would be exempt from taxation. Semiautomatics however fall into the category of Recreational weapons.

                           Weapons need to be put into two categories.

     Constitutional Weapons, in this category would be muzzle loaders, like the ones that were used to gain our freedom from Great Britain. It would also include shotguns, breach action guns, pump shotguns, lever action guns, revolvers and any other weapon that requires a break in firing between rounds. Most of the deaths in America happen from these kinds of guns, mass shootings happen with guns in the next category.

      Recreational Weapons, in this category are all weapons that can be fired continuously by simply pulling the trigger. All recreational weapons would be licensed and taxed annually just like cars. If I have to license my recreational canoe, gun owners should be forced to do likewise. There will be no licenses, limitation, or fees placed on Constitutional weapons.

    The nonregistration of Constitutional weapons means they are not in a database and no one can go on a computer and see how many weapons you have. Some of the single shot Constitutional weapons are accurate at two miles away. The skill of the marksman will accomplish as much or more than filling the air with bullets. This does not control or take away gun rights. The Federal government has already done that in banning the ownership of certain types of weapons, like machine guns. Licensing guns is not unfair, the government already licenses cars, boats, planes and many other things. In Indiana even horse and buggies are not exempt from the requirement, the Amish have to plate their vehicles.

     This may not solve the gun problem but it will make those who have the weapons responsible for paying the fees that help finance the programs to fix America.  The fees can be used to create a better system of controls, background checks, mental evaluations, security systems in our schools.

   This is my view on the matter my view is to buy a gun you must show proof of citizenship. Gun ownership is guaranteed to Americans. If you are not a citizen you have no right to a gun by my opinion, but that is my view on the matter

                          Laws to Fix the Problem

Law #1 Commission of a crime with a gun will result in a Federal Felony Conviction and no less than ten years in prison. The punishment is for having a gun during the commission of a crime. The issue is not whether the person used weapon but that they had it in their possession.

Law #2 Use of a weapon causing bodily injury will result in a minimum sentence of forty years to life.  If a life is taken it will result in a life sentence without parole. There will be no plea bargains allowed.  This is a just law. It is not cruel and unusual punishment. Releasing a known predator back into society, would be cruel and unusual.

The right to self-defense and protecting one’s life, family and property may make exceptions to the mandatory penalty, but only from provable self-defense.

These sentences are not unfair. It should not be a problem as killing people and robbery are not the intent of honest gun owners. In England police officers do not even carry guns. Their view is that they are to serve the public, not to suppress the public. England averages about 40- 60 gun deaths per year, which are mostly suicides.  In 2014 the number of gun deaths in Japan was six. Seems to me we have a problem with a lack of respect for life in America.

    Once the public sees that this is the law and it starts being enforced I assure you the crime rate will drop.  The multiple offenders will not be released to prey on society. They will be removed from society. When people understand that picking up a gun requires one to be responsible for ones actions and that the misuse of a weapon will cost them dearly, attitudes will change. A respect for life is the only cure for the problem America is facing. A lack of moral values is the source of the problem.