Confidence – DNC-Consulting

Faith or Confidence, Faith and Confidence, Either or, Both – A Question

A recent question surfaced, “What does it mean to have faith but not confidence?” Some atheist friends immediately will consider this a religious discussion is turn the entire question off. Yet, faith and confidence are not solely the province of religion, and thus, fair game for a discussion, and America needs this discussion today! For those well versed in the definitions and etymology of both words, feel free to skip ahead of the next couple of paragraphs, or stick around for the discussion and feel free to add to the discussion. I welcome your thoughts!

Faith

A common definition for faith is “things hoped for, but not seen.” For example, we hope that when we turn on a light switch, electricity, something we cannot see, will light a lightbulb. Dictionaries hold an almost standard definition for faith as “derived from Latin fides and Old French feid, meaning confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept.” Faith can also include a system of beliefs codified into a religion, strong feelings that become personal beliefs, or absolute trust. For example, consider the trust placed upon the government to act in a specific manner, e.g., for the benefit of the majority of society and for personal interest or the select of society who pay the most in donations.

Interestingly, most people would guess these definitions of faith and stop there with their guessing. However, in stopping, they miss crucial aspects to the etymology and missions of the term faith. Consider that faith also denotes allegiance and loyalty, or individual duty one owes to another, as well as the sincerity of intentions. Finally, we reach a pinnacle or the crux of faith without question; actions are undertaken without question.

Consider for a moment in school; we studied French history, specifically Joan of Arc, nicknamed “The Maid of Orléans.” She is considered a heroine of France for her role during the Lancastrian phase of the Hundred Years’ War, and was canonized as a saint, but only after being burned at the stake for her faith. At nineteen, Joan of Arc went to her death, an action taken without question, in complete confidence, knowing the outcome, on faith, or rather the power of her conviction she was right. While highly simplified, we see the power of faith, backed by confidence.

Confidence

The feeling of confidence has led many a person to leap off a ledge into a river, from a cliff into a raging sea, or, as stated above, to go calmly to one’s demise in the face of tyranny and oppression. Confidence is defined as a feeling or belief that something can be achieved, success can be obtained, that ability can overcome obstacles, and good will come after a struggle. Confidence includes certitude, trust, intimacy, reliance upon others, support from others, the ability to keep secrets, but most of all, confidence is a firm belief, or faith, that someone will act in a right or proper manner. Interestingly, confidence is a double-edged sword for those who swindle, lie and cheat, use confidence to beat their victims for their money and precious resources.

The etymology of confidence holds the key to why confidence is crucial to the discussion on faith. Confidence derives from Middle English confydence, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French confidence, borrowed from Latin confīdentia, from confīdent-, confīdens “trusting in oneself.” Consider this for a moment, when man needed to trust something, the first thing he trusted was himself, and communicating that trust to others was paramount to building a society, an economy, and a government.

America’s failure of confidence is traceable to the partisan issues in a dual-political party system where both parties have proven themselves useless in protecting the citizen from the other party and the extremes inside their own party. When discussing confidence, it cannot be stressed enough; we must discuss money, for we do not spend money. We traffic in confidence in the government issuing paper labeled as currency. Money is the tangible goods valued in trade for a product or service. How tangible is that credit card in your wallet, and how much value does it have if you wanted to trade the card itself for a tank of gas?

Discussion

What does it mean to have faith but not confidence? The questioner doubts his confidence, places faith in hope and desires to know that they know their confidence and faith has been placed in a sound source. Now, a religionist, at this point, would point to a supreme being, and the discussion would shift in that direction. There is nothing wrong with placing faith and confidence in a supreme being. I advocate finding hope, placing faith, and building trust with a community of believers. I am not here to point a person to a community of believers; that is your journey to take, and if interested, I can recommend a few in your area if you are further interested offline.

The intent here is to reflect does faith and confidence work together, separately, independently, cojoined, or in a different relationship altogether? I firmly believe that when we understand the intimacy of the relationship between faith and confidence, we possess the power to know why and what we are placing our faith and confidence upon. As a child, it intrigued me that confidence listed faith as a synonym in the thesaurus, but faith does not list confidence as a synonym in the thesaurus. Why?

The answer lies in the etymology of the words: confidence is all about trusting in oneself, whereas faith requires exercising confidence in someone or something other than oneself. Thus the relationship of trust opens, and in the opening, we find the need for duality in communication, a duality in action, and duality in intentions. For when we put our faith in another, we expect reciprocation. Confidence in oneself has no duality; faith possesses a need for duality, a partnership, and, if you will, a return on your investment.

Why are Americans so angry right now? Some may ask, how do you know Americans are angry? I cannot see signs of anger in America. To these people, I say, look closer, get outside the cities, read the signs, and pay more attention to your neighbors. How do I know people are angry; well, the popularity of “Let’s Go Brandon” is a good indicator. The screams and shouts, the capturing of media attention at every opportunity to harangue the president, the subtle backlash the president faces everywhere he goes in America; yeah, these all indicate America is not pleased and very angry!

Returning to why is America angry? Confidence was invested, faith was placed, and the return on investment is not forthcoming. A lesson often quoted in these articles is a powerful lesson learned from reading classical literature. However, the source escapes me even now, “The most dangerous person is an honest man betrayed.” Where was confidence invested; the voting booth. Where was faith placed; when the oath of office was taken and sworn before God to be upheld. What is the return on investment; it is not “free stuff” from the government,” it is the fair and equal treatment of all before the law.

Failing to see faith upheld means people fall back to questioning faith being invested in the core of society, that which makes us Americans. When this faith is lost, we are left with confidence, but confidence is selfish; confidence only looks after personal interests; confidence is all about me, myself, and mine. What is the danger in confidence; confidence is what the charlatans in government dragged America into in the first place to get us to this dangerous edge. Who is Jill Biden looking out for; it certainly is NOT Joey, but only Jill! Who is Joey looking out for; it certainly is NOT the common citizen or the US Constitution he swore to protect and serve.

Is it any wonder that people would ask questions about faith and confidence? How do we know that we know our faith and confidence have been invested properly when the return on our investment is so bitter, so terrible, and so detrimental? We have not been taught the relationship between faith and confidence, so trust, belief, caring, and compassion are the victims, and America as a society suffers, bleeds, and dies a little more every day. We do not support each other as Americans because the media harps incessantly about every line that is supposed to separate us first.

The political leaders accepted the job, took the pay, swore the oath, and are responsible before God for their actions, and are accountable before us, the citizens, for how they act in our name. That is faith and confidence in action. The relationship becomes tangible when we take the time to understand the relationship and then enforce the relationship as a dual tool in building the core of America.

© Copyright 2021 – M. Dave Salisbury
The author holds no claims for the art used herein, the pictures were obtained in the public domain, and the intellectual property belongs to those who created the images. Quoted materials remain the property of the original author.

Unconscious Bias – A Fallacy of the Oppressor!

Bobblehead Doll A few years ago, I had the unfortunate privilege of having for a manager a homosexual person. Let me emphasize; I do not care about your personal choices and lifestyle; keep it to yourself and out of the workspace. Hetero- or homosexual, does not matter; it does not belong in the workplace! Back to the manager, as he was openly homosexual, he embraced all the biases claptrap and accused me of being racist and homophobic. quote-mans-inhumanity

Of which, I am neither. When informed that I am neither homophobic nor racist, sexist, genderist, etc., I was told he was observing my unconscious biases and claiming that I was not biased was actually declaring I was heavily biased. He then went so far as to write me up for being biased. At the time, I had not studied the research on biases and could not counter his charges. This manager chose to stand inside personal space for the guys on his team, but not the females, which was sexual harassment, but the business refused to think this was sexual harassment. That this manager continually rubbed himself against the guys on his team was also rejected as sexual harassment. quote-mans-inhumanity-2

I have learned much since this incident, and I want to help those in similar situations understand a few pieces of the language plasticity that goes into the bias arguments. I will be clear that if a heterosexual male rubs against a female, which is considered sexual harassment, then the same is true for a homosexual, regardless of gender. Being uncomfortable with being touched is not an indication of bias, simply an expression of a personal preference.

Unconscious Bias

3-direectional-balance Bog-standard bias is considered as attitudes, behaviors, and actions that are prejudiced in favor or opposition to a person, group, or thing. But, here is the clincher, bias is judged by others as a projection of themselves when they encounter other people, places, or things. If you think you have a handle on the language of biases, an unconscious bias is also called an implicit bias. Implicit bias is described as bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally, that nevertheless affects judgments, decisions, and behaviors, however just to keep you in the dark, implicit biases are also stereotypes. In social identity theory, an implicit bias or implicit stereotype is the pre-reflective attribution of particular qualities by an individual to a social out-group member. Implicit stereotypes are shaped by experience and learned associations between certain qualities and social categories, including race or gender.

Now, if you think you finally have a grasp on biases, stereotypes, and preferences, we add the final straw to the argument. Biases and stereotypes are judged by an observer using their understanding, education, experience, and opinions as a projection upon you and your actions, behaviors, and attitudes as a lens to understand the world around them. Thus, my not saying “Good Morning” to my manager was projecting his own biased thinking and homophobia, declaring my actions are homophobic slurs. In reality, I am not a morning person and generally do not talk to anyone, spouse included, before 0800. Walking in at 0400 to begin a shift in a call center meant my cherub-like demeanor had not woken up yet, and silence was the only policy.

Bias Self-Auditing

In my email box, I have an email that includes a self-audit of bias for managers. Before continuing, consider what you know about bias. Bias is the thoughts, feelings, ideas, and visions of another person, project upon you and your actions, attitudes, and behaviors, so the person projecting can understand the world. I cleaned up the obvious grammatical errors, not that this improved the material very much.

How and to whom do you delegate work?

- - - - By giving specific tasks to one team member, am I depriving another team member of a growth opportunity?
        
        Am I giving the same level of detail, and therefore equally setting each team member up for success when I assign projects?

End goal: Ensuring that everyone has an equal chance to take on challenging and meaningful projects

How do you give feedback to different direct reports?

- - - - Am I delivering feedback casually to some team members and formally to others?
        
        Do I soften critiques for some team members more than others?

End goal: Making sure you’re delivering feedback equitably.

Any generalizations you make about team members.

- - - - What kind of assumptions am I making about team members based on age, ethnic background, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, appearance, or anything else?
        
        Do my assumptions impact how I feel about their capability and competency?

End goal: Minimizing the perpetuation of stereotypes while practicing and displaying empathy.

Who do you praise publicly, and who do not praise publicly?

- - - - Is there a personal motivation behind team members I praise publicly and those for whom I withhold praise?
        
        Do I limit the exposure of my compliments for some team members and show my appreciation more widely for others?

End goal: Ensuring that you’re sharing accolades fairly.

How and with whom do you exchange casual banter?

- - - - Do I have friendly conversations or share memes with some teammates more than others? How might that affect workplace alliances?
        
        Do some teammates feel alienated or marginalized by witnessing my apparent affinity for other teammates?

End goal: Avoiding outsized allegiances with people based on your shared perspective to the detriment of developing relationships with others with different viewpoints.

Who do you go to for advice?

- - - - Do I go to the same people time and time again for mentorship? Do they look like me?
        
        Are there people to whom I could go for advice and a more expansive perspective?

End goal: Avoid making decisions based only on the feedback shared in an echo chamber.

Consider these statements with me for a moment as part of a discussion on biases. Feel free to leave your comments in the space provided below this article. When I need advice, my manager is younger than I am, but has years of experience in the company. His boss is older than I am by a little bit. They both look like me. Does this automatically mean that I must sacrifice talents, skills, abilities, and tenure because the information comes from someone who looks like I do? No, logic screams. But the emotional immaturity of those casting biased aspersion will claim yes. Anton Ego

When I first arrived on my ship USS Barry (DDG 52), my second-class petty officers were two white males, one black male, and one black female. For competence, I went to the black female as she displayed the most leadership—the two white males were involved in their own relationships and were rarely available to answer questions. The black male did not possess the maturity to answer questions. The first-class petty officers were three white males, two of whom embodied immaturity, and our chief… well, let’s not speak ill of the dead. If I acted as these bias audits claim, my Navy career would have been disastrous, for I would have rejected competency and maturity for race, gender, and incompetence.

Suggestions, Ideas, and Thoughts

Stop seeing race, gender, nationality, and other lines of separation. These are distractions cast upon everyone by foul oppressors who see these lines of separation and project their inadequacies upon everyone else. It is perfectly acceptable not to have biases and claim you have no preferences. I do not care about your gender, race, color, creed, religion, handicap status, or anything else. I care only about your competency, and if I can help you, or you can help me increase competency, let’s work together!

Believe that you are a good person! I know those projecting their inadequacies and claiming you have biases are profoundly pernicious in their approaches. But, when you have confidence that you are doing the best you can, you can rest easy when these pernicious oppressors begin to attempt to humiliate you. In the movie “The Sound of Music,” there is a song called “I Have Confidence.” When you need reminding of your goodness, play this song, and sing along at the top of your lungs! I promise you will feel better!

When you treat everyone as you desire to be treated, without fear and with confidence, you will always have loyal people at your back to support you. If you live by implicit bias and fear, the whole world will never trust you, and you will not have confidence in yourself. Those who oppress want you miserable; deny them that opportunity! Knowledge Check!

Living without biases is possible, is easy, but is sometimes not very convenient. But, as Mr. Miagi said in the original “Karate Kid,” “Man who walks in street, gets squished like grape.” Dr. Seuss is right, “Be the best you, you can be.” Stop allowing the oppressors into your mind; they are not worth your time.

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

Dollars and Sense – Inflationary Spending and Fiscal Insanity

Bobblehead Doll These articles have discussed money, monetary policy, fiscal sanity, and government spending several times this year. Some have called me alarmist for raising fiscal sanity during a “Global Health Crisis.” While COVID-19 (Sars-COV-2) is undoubtedly a viral disease with a 98%+ survival rate, I cannot in good conscience call this a “Global Health Crisis.” The pandemic declaration was a political move, the mask mandating, business closures, and every other hysterical move have been carefully formulated to present a problem where none exists. Has Sars-COV-2 mutated; absolutely, but the emotional hysteria has mutated far faster.

Dollars and Sense

When you pass paper to a store clerk, are you spending money; no, you are spending confidence. Your confidence in the dollar’s strength, as represented by a check, cash, money order, credit card, etc., is what is being spent. Why was the Great Depression so lasting and detrimental; a lack of confidence in the US Dollar. People who saved their money formed sane fiscal policies personally and acted logically lost their confidence in the US Dollar, and the dollar went into a great depression.

Since President Clinton, the US Government has been on a drunken spending spree and does not appear to be stopping unless the citizens demand they cease and desist! What does this mean for you and me; everything costs more for two reasons inflation and interest. When the government prints money, too much money increases prices, and too few goods chase too much money, resulting in people suffering. When the government borrows money, the interest must be serviced; the interest will increase prices and usually absorb some of the extra capital on the market to bring down inflation. Lemmings 2

Except, Quantitative Easing (QE) is hindering the absorption of money on the market. Hence America is witnessing something truly remarkable for the first time in financial history, the debt (principal), the interest, and the extra capital, all of these storms are combining into a major conflagration economically speaking. Usually, at this point, a country begins to look for a place to go to war, which explains China and its expansionist policies in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Too much debt, too much interest, a military needing worked, and assets need to be stolen from other countries. Typical historical thinking, war truly is grand larceny on a massive scale!

Where are America and China headed; let’s ask Czarist Russia, USSR, Nazi Germany, East Germany, China, North Korea, Italy, Venezuela, Greece, France, and who knows how many other economically unstable countries historically and presently. Going to war will not solve this economic crisis, though some may try that solution. The only solution worth advancing at this critical juncture economically is reducing the size of government, placing a firm halt on all government spending, and refusing the politicians to get into debt for at least two decades! Yes, this means changing Social Security, Welfare, Medicaid and Medicare, and every other government benefit program to fit a reduced budget and smaller government model. Failure to tighten belts for the next two decades will bankrupt America, and most of the world, making the Great Depression look like a summer picnic. Lemmings 4

Gold and Oil, real estate, Gross Domestic Products (the goods manufactured in America for sale), trade, all of these wealth tools and more cannot support the debt incurred, the money printed, nor the size of the government from the city and county to the White House. As this trend continues, Wall Street will continue to be tumultuous, at best, and the confidence in the US Dollar will continue to slide. But, as the dollar slides, which global currency will begin to take up the slack?

The Euro has discredited itself and is not worth the paper it is printed on. China thinks they will step into the void and take up the slack with the Yuan, except their financial situation is almost as bad as Venezuela’s and Cuba’s, but their size and government type keep this hidden from the public. Even though the Yuan is in junk status, the Communist government hides these facts; the truth is leaking out in higher trade tariffs and other global trade and finance costs. Russia’s economic situation still has not stabilized with the fall of the USSR and will probably need another two to three decades until it can compete on the global economy again. Gravy Train 2

I heard a postulation that the Arabian Oil Rich nations of the Middle East would produce an OPEC-backed currency if the US Dollar fails. I highly doubt this as a solution, but the potential is there. Another person claimed the lack of confidence in the US Dollar would lead to the World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) issuing currency for the world; boy, would that be a significant problem! Yet, the American Dollar is being purposefully destroyed by the current crop of politicians, and nobody is standing up and declaring ENOUGH!

Inflation

The US Government, and many others globally, have increased their drunken spending since Jan/Feb 2020 to incredibly extensive levels and used a “Global Health Crisis” as the excuse. Except when Ebola was sweeping the world, we did not have this level of insane spending and government intrusion. Ebola is far deadlier, easier to spread, and yet the Ebola disaster is barely remembered. Bird Flu, Swine Flu, SARS, MERS, all these viruses have had their time in the media hysterical spotlight, every single one of them is deadlier than Sars-COV-2, easier to spread, and they were never a cause for a global pandemic. Gravy Train

Inflation is caused by poor economic policy, where the government grants itself the ability to print money. Inflation is not just money and monetary policy; inflation is also confidence, faith, and trust. Inflation is how the government acts, thinks, and behaves. Inflation is as real as COVID-19 and just as deadly as Ebola while being more problematic for everyone. From Dec 2020 to the end of July 2021, inflation has increased the price of goods and services by 3.8%, seasonally adjusted, or 5.4% non-seasonally adjusted, which means that prices go up as a seasonal adjustment in the summer.

Fiscal Insanity

Consider with me an analogy; you live in a community of houses and pay a Homeowners Association (HOA) Fee. Your neighbor has decided they can write checks on your checking account, and the HOA has granted them legal protection to write checks on your bank accounts. Because your neighbor has legal protection, you sell off assets to provide the funds for your neighbor. You sell to other neighbors letters of credit that you promise to pay interest on, provided your other neighbors hold those letters of credit for specific amounts of time. Except, your neighbors stop buying those letters of credit over time because they do not like how your neighbor keeps writing checks and spending your money. How do you keep this house of cards from blowing over and losing everything?

Tax Burden America is in this position right now! Trend lines show a steady downward trend in the value of the US Dollar. Inflation will keep increasing prices as too much money is chasing too few products on the market. Debt needs to be serviced and interest paid. But, when the interest payment is the only thing being paid, and the principal will also need to be serviced, where and how does the principal get serviced when the interest is absorbing all the monthly payments? Simple economics, money once created and put into the money market, cannot just be absorbed or disappeared. Just like food doesn’t disappear once consumed, the offal must come out and be handled responsibly. Well, the dollar is in an offal position and needs responsibly handled!

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

The Proper and Improper Role of Government: Chapter 4 – Tax Freedom Day – Do you know why this is important?

Working Dollar In 2019, Tax Freedom Day was 16 April 2019. For those not in the loop, Tax Freedom Day is the day all Federal, State, County, and Local taxes are paid from your paycheck. This date gets further into the new year every year, and with the amount of inflation seen since 16 April 2019, you can bet that Tax Freedom Day will shortly be in the middle of May or July.

What is Paper Money?

Dr. Clarence Carson wrote an article about paper money and the US Constitution, quoted heavily below. Paper Money, “… Paper that was intended to circulate as money but was not redeemable in gold and silver was technically described as bills of credit at the time of the Continental Congress and writing of the US Constitution and US Bill of Rights. The description was (and is) apt. Such Paper is a device for expanding the credit of the issuer.” The credit of the issuer is improved, not the benefit of those forced to use the Paper as credit. Hence, the US Government, to improve its credit, began printing money, and the problems in American Economics took off like a rocket sled on greased rails! Plato 2

Paper Money only has value when the person holding that Paper has confidence in the government printing that money. In every nation across the globe, the only thing keeping value in the paper currency is confidence in the government by citizens paying taxes. Hence, the problems with depressions, the confidence in value are shaken, and the holders of Paper Money become restless and lack confidence that their money is valuable. Bills of credit, Paper Money conveying the value of debt have been around for a long time, as discussed in a previous article on money. Why did the USSR fall; the currency had been worthless for years, and when the citizens had finally had enough, the government fell apart. A fitting tribute and pattern to be heeded from history if we, the government owners, cannot get the government to cease and desist forthwith!

Government and Paper Money

The US Constitution, as originally written, forbids the US Government from printing paper money why; because of how fast the government abuses this power, creating inflation. The Continental Congress was well aware of government abuses with Paper Money, thus restricting the Federal Government to coinage and tying the value to the gold standard. Inflation is nothing more than a hidden tax, where the government controls how much value your money is worth. Every person using US Dollars to make a purchase pays this tax. Thus, by the time a consumable product has been paid for in a store, that tax, inflation, has been paid multiple times, and the consumer is always worse for every point of inflation the government allows.

Irony Did you know that the Federal Government allows 2% inflation every year as a “target?” Consider this for a moment; the government wants your money and calls this tax a “good thing” for the economy. Thus, your prices for everything increase 2% or $.02 every year because the government wants it to. The 2% devaluation of your money is part of the Federal Reserves’ “Dual-Mandate” to achieve 100% employment and price stability. Do you see any logic in making money less valuable as a means to improve employment and stabilize prices? I don’t! Now, consider this, inflation has hit a this year (2021) and has not stopped climbing. Worse, inflation is expected to continue to grow as the government prints more Paper Money, which will eventually end in a depression preceded by massive deflation of the value of the US Dollar. Keep in mind; inflation has become a global problem, as the majority of governments spent money they did not have during the pandemic. Imagine lemmings racing for a fiscal cliff.

Lemmings 5 Josiah Quincy wrote George Washington “that there never was a paper pound, a paper dollar, or a paper promise of any kind, that ever yet obtained a general currency but by force or fraud, generally by both.” Yet, Congress still refuses to learn the lessons taught during the Continental Currency. Debts, runaway inflation, legal enforcement to demand paper money be accepted, all of these lessons were experienced by the Founding Fathers, with Rhode Island being the Continental equivalent of California for bad fiscal policy and idiotic fiscal enforcement. Tax Scheme 2

The founding fathers met during an economic period of deflation, which quickly became a severe depression caused by states issuing paper money that was useless. The founders “hoped to erect a system that would endure, and to do that, they wished to guard against the kind of fiscal adventures that produced both unpleasant economic consequences and political turmoil. Paper Money was reckoned to be one of these.” Paper Money, without the backing of silver and gold, has led to speculation, inflation, deflation, cycles of economic depression, and Congress essentially stole the right to print paper money and borrow from the citizens unconstitutionally! This cannot be stressed enough; there is a direct causal relationship between Congressional action, Executive Orders, and the economic problems America is suffering, including the bondage of debts insurmountable and the abuse of tax schemes! All of which were powers strictly limited in the US Constitution because the founders knew the government would abuse the power of Paper Money! Bait & Switch 2

History shows that when paper money was discussed, the states overwhelming voted to remove the power to print money from the US Government, seeing this as the best method for long-term economic success in America. “The vote was overwhelmingly in favor of removing the authority of the United States to emit bills of credit. The delegates voted by state, and 9 states voted in favor of the motion while only 2 opposed it. (New York delegates were not in attendance, and Rhode Island, of course, sent none.) It is a reasonable inference from the discussion that the delegates believed that by voting to strike out the words, (from the Articles of Confederation, which made up the bulk of the US Constitution), they had removed the power from the government to emit bills of credit.” It is important to note that allowing states to issue bills of credit, print their own money, or stamp coinage was also forbidden. To avoid the economic crisis, the founding fathers were in the middle of when framing the US Constitution and the US Bill of Rights from the Articles of Confederation. How many problems, and how much lower would your taxes be if the Federal and State governments had simply followed the law instead of stealing rights and powers from the governed?

Facts About Tax Freedom Day

IRS Please note, the federal deficit, state deficits, pension crisis, student loan debt crisis, and interest are not included in the numbers quoted below. The following information comes directly from the Tax Foundation (linked above):

- - Tax Freedom Day is a significant date for taxpayers and lawmakers because it represents how long Americans as a whole have to work to pay the nation’s tax burden.
  - This year, Tax Freedom Day falls on 16 April or 105 days into the year.
  - In 2019, Americans will pay $3.4 trillion in federal taxes and $1.8 trillion in state and local taxes for a total bill of over $5.2 trillion, or 29 percent of the nation’s income.
  - Americans will collectively spend more on taxes in 2019 than they will on food, clothing, and housing combined.
  - If you include annual federal borrowing, representing future taxes owed (interest on the debt), Tax Freedom Day would occur 22 days later, 8 May.
  - Tax Freedom Day in 2018 and 2019 was five days earlier than it was in 2017, primarily due to the recent federal tax law, the Tax Cuts, and Jobs Act.
  - From 1930 to at least 1995, Tax Freedom Day has taken 1.27 days longer per year to reach. – I do not have an updated reference for this information since 1995.
  - In 2019, on average, it took:
    - - 42 days to pay the income taxes
        
        26 days to pay payroll taxes
        
        15 days to pay sales and excise taxes, not including surcharges and government fees for services
        
        11 days for property taxes – states control this, some municipalities, it took a lot longer
        
        5 days for Corporate Income Taxes
        
        6 Days for other taxes that always get passed along to the consumer.

Tax Burden I have read economic reports from noted minds in economics that claim had the dollar not been loosed from the ties to the gold standard, America could not have produced the tools needed to win WWII. To which I continue to claim, as Colonel Potter from M*A*S*H so aptly stated, “HORSE HOCKEY! and BULL COOKIES!” Having Congress issuing massive letters of credit, borrowing tremendous sums of money, and the economic fallout remains a millstone about the financial neck of this country. How much longer will Americans pay for debts created during WWII? What about the ever-increasing debt burden and interest that is driving prices and taxes ever upwards?

Knowledge Check! The US Government has acted improperly since establishing the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. Not just improperly but illegally under the US Constitution as drafted. Illegally, immorally, and unethically towards the founders, and distorted the intent of the US Constitution to protect America from runaway government debt and inflation/deflation/depression cycles common when issuing Paper Money. This is the utter truth, and until this problem is rectified, removing paper money is the right thing to do, even if it means some financial hardship! America can survive financial difficulty; we cannot survive the bondage of runaway debt, interest that sucks all the GDP, and the socialism projects being paid for by tax dollars to buy votes from envious people looking for “equality and fairness.”

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

NO MORE BS: Enthusiasm and Confidence – The Power Tools to Conquer

Laughing Owl In a job interview, the interviewer asked me for my two greatest strengths and why. The following article represents both my answer and my desire to see others understand. The interviewer thought I was insane by the look of disgust on their face; needless to say I was not hired. When I asked why; the answer amazed me. My strengths were too strong for their culture. Let that sink in for a moment; a confident and enthusiastic person was not a good fit for their organization. Maybe, just maybe, free societies should be taking a new look at these age-old tools for changing the world.

What is Enthusiasm?

Henry Chester is quoted as saying, “Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money and power and influence. It is no more or less than faith in action.” As a point of fact, this is the first quote I took time and a ton of energy to memorize. Enthusiasm represents intense interest, eagerness, enjoyment, and a desire for approval beyond the simple desire of peer acceptance. Enthusiasm also arouses feelings and originates via Latin from enthusiasmus, meaning inspiration and frenzy. From the Greek, we learn the etiology of Enthusiasm stems from “enthousiazein ‘be inspired or possessed by a god’ (based on theos ‘god’)” The etiology of Enthusiasm makes Henry Chester’s point more perfectly when a person considers the power and origination of faith and placing faith upon a power greater than oneself.

Literary Fiend Consider those people you have found possessing large amounts of Enthusiasm; can you feel their intensity, frenzy, and eager interest? I have had this pleasure multiple times, in various locations across the world. My first experience was with a S. Korean business person riding the subway who was so excited to help and interested that I parted company with a feeling of desiring to be better as a person. From that day in 1995 to today, I have strived to capture the same level of Enthusiasm as this business person in gratitude for his kindness and example of Enthusiasm.

What are you enthusiastic about?

Recently I was hired to be a data analyst for warehouses, and I sit as an advisor to the warehouse operations team to use data analysis to improve decision-making. I cannot describe in words how enthusiastic I am every day to wake up and learn something new about data analysis, the tools of database data mining, and keeping my boots dirty and hands greasy in operations. Ever since I got injured in the US Navy, I have tried to be what I knew, and the journey to this position has been great and dreadful, but each experience has improved how I think, and teach, to improve business operations. I finally feel I can positively contribute as a handicapped person to the world with this position, and this feeling is incredible! Leadership Cartoon

What is Confidence?

In an effort to not confuse this topic, I have copied the definition of confidence from an earlier writing. Confidence is a unique term, and Webster spends an inordinate amount of time trying to capture the power of, and reality is confidence. Confidence is “a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities; firm trust, a specific feeling regarding the truth of something, a feeling or belief upon the reliance of someone or something.” The key to confidence is your own self-assurance. For example, you are assured through past transactions that your employer is not kiting paychecks. Your confidence in receiving a salary drives you to be motivated and return to work each day. When that trust is broken, you will leave and find new employment. Hence, people do not work for companies, but for managers and leaders, they like.

Tools Confidence is a reality when many people all trust the same thing, which creates societies, social standards, and governments. Confidence in the government is expressed using the government’s monetary system to trade for products and services you would not have if you had less confidence in the government system. Firm trust in the “value of the US Dollar (insert your own currency here)” leads to gains and losses in economic values. Consider the events of the Christmas Holiday, which is fast approaching. The individual expresses confidence, faith, and hope in holiday shopping. The government uses the data of the volume of trades of confidence as a measuring stick in how well they are doing in government to improve a person’s return on investment. Shopkeepers, stores, and others selling products and services represent a two-way street of faith, hope, and confidence as they trade with customers and with other suppliers, government, and stakeholders in conducting business.

Confidence is never an unconscious decision! One cannot have firm trust, faith, or hope, in something without being consciously aware and possessing experience and knowledge in that someone or something. Hence, confidence is the conscious use of trust as a destination in the journey of hope, launched by faith. Grit is a Marathon

What are you confident about?

In the movie “Sound of Music,” Maria sings one of my all-time favorite songs as she leaves the nunnery and takes a bus to her new role as a nanny, “I Have Confidence.” I can honestly say, as she does, “I have confidence in me.” I have talents, skills, knowledge, and experience worth value to me, and that is all I need! It did not matter to me that my Enthusiasm and confidence were too great for the interviewer’s culture and business; I interviewed my best and allowed the chips to fall where they may. What are you confident about? Who are you confident in? Why do you invest your confidence in those answers? When do you feel the most confident, and would you like to feel more confident?

Of all the questions asked, the “Why” and the When” questions are some I would love to discuss individually as you make your improvement plans. Since this is not entirely possible, I offer the following advice from LaRae Quy, an FBI Agent. The points are hers; the comments are mine. Non Sequitur - Decisions

Take Risks!
1. In my youth, I climbed trees, lots and lots of trees. In Maine, we had a patch of pine trees growing so close together, the trees had woven a mat out of their uppermost branches, and you could walk on this mat of branches. Huge risk, great fun!
2. As a soldier, I was freaked out by how close the Warthog could provide fire support. When the ‘Hog came through, being on the ground was the most intense feeling I have ever experienced. Huge risk, lots of fun.
3. As an operations manager, I took an ill-considered risk. I fired the floor supervisor as they refused to train anyone else in doing the jobs they were hired for as a means of job security. The risk paid off; the remaining team members stepped up to the plate and learned.
4. Risk requires action; act swiftly, even if it means minor course corrections along the way.
5. Action includes failure; stop fearing failure! When we understand failure, we know ourselves just a little better and act more smartly!
6. When in doubt, activate step 5!
Ask for feedback!
1. Do you prefer to receive feedback from friends, family, or foes? Some of all, all or none, or something or someone else?
2. Do you trust those providing feedback sufficiently to act?
3. Can you tell the difference between feedback and criticism? They are not the same, and in accepting feedback, you need to be able to give feedback. Hence ask, but never forget to provide feedback.
4. Never give criticism, even if you think the criticism is “constructive.” There is never, ever, anything “constructive” about criticism!
Practice, Practice, Practice
1. Missoula Montana, I presume he is retired now, Veteran Employment Specialist, Charlie Brown, genuine person, real name, had a favorite axiom for helping veterans search for work and hang in their job search, “Keep throwing spaghetti at the wall until something sticks!” Which is all well and good, but to get spaghetti to stick to a wall, you must first cook and drain the spaghetti. Thus, practice requires preparation. In case anyone is interested, yes; I have thrown spaghetti against a wall.
2. Rule of 6-P’s, “Proper Prior Planning, Promotes, Promising, Practice,” is my saying, and I know it works. Practice is a prerequisite to promising performances, but you must prepare properly. Yes, as a dual-service veteran, I know the other axioms for the Rule of 6-P’s.
3. See Suggestion 5! Wash, rinse, and repeat!
Link up!
1. Network.
2. Make acquaintances.
3. Get to know people!
Grit Up!
1. I cannot stress this enough; confidence and Enthusiasm require grit! Lots and lots of grit!
2. Believe this statement: “Merentur Melius Quam Tu tibi semper sit.” From Latin, meaning, “You will always be better than you deserve.”
3. What is “Grit,” you might ask? Grit is a positive, cognitive trait based on an individual’s perseverance of effort combined with the passion for a specific long-term goal or end state. At least, that is what the academics call grit. Of all the people America remembers who have had a positive and long-lasting influence upon American culture, John Wayne is near the top. If anyone embodies grit, John Wayne is quoted thusly, “True grit is making a decision and standing by it, doing what must be done. No moral man can have peace of mind if he leaves undone what he knows they should have done.” In understanding grit, I have oft called upon T. S. Eliot, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

NO MORE BS: Hope, Faith, Confidence, and Your Money

Life Valued Imagine you are going about your daily duties and visit the grocery store. Where for a specific amount of confidence and hope, you complete an exchange for a product groceries. Another trip sees you investing hope and faith in retirement using confidence to help protect against the vagaries of the future. April 15^th is fast approaching, where confidence in the government is measured through tax revenue, and government officials then spend your confidence on various projects where you hope the investment will be rewarded by improved roads, better economic conditions, and safety inside defensible and sovereign boundaries.

What is Hope?

Hope, according to Webster, is a feeling of trust, as an extension of an expectation, and desire, that something will occur. For example, I hope for my diet to work, as I desire to lose weight, an expectation that exercise will aid in losing weight, and trust that my weight will reduce over time. Does this make sense?

Wasting Time I ask, because too often, when hope is mentioned, people immediately tie religious expectations and connotations to the word, then plasticize hope into being something it is not. Hope is not an end goal but the journey to an expectation born of desire and bounded by trust in a system that supports a person’s hope.

What is Faith?

As detailed by Webster, Faith is both an expression of religion’s doctrines and complete trust or an expression of confidence. Faith is the launch process of hope. Going back to my desire and expectation to lose weight, I have trust that the doctor was correct in ordering me to lose weight. Hence, my conviction in the doctor’s words is an expression of faith, and my action is putting faith and hope to work actually to lose weight.

Never Give Up! Complete trust is observable all around us daily, from inserting the key into the car ignition to start a car to the hours spent working where we trade our time (a precious resource) for a tangible item (paycheck) and in so many other ways and means. Consider grocery shopping; we make selections using our best judgment, with complete trust that the products purchased will not make us sick from food-borne illness or the ignorant or malicious actions of other people. Why does spitting in a police officer’s cup of coffee make us mad; because it breaks that complete trust that the same will not happen to us.

What is Confidence?

Detective 4 Confidence is a unique term, and Webster spends an inordinate amount of time trying to capture the power of, and reality is confidence. Confidence is “a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities; firm trust, a specific feeling regarding the truth of something, a feeling or belief upon the reliance of someone or something.” The key to confidence is your own self-assurance. For example, you are assured through past transactions that your employer is not kiting paychecks. Your confidence in receiving a salary drives you to be motivated and return to work each day. When that trust is broken, you will leave and find new employment. Hence, people do not work for companies, but for managers and leaders, they like.

Confidence is a reality when many people all have trust in the same thing, which creates societies, social standards, and governments. Confidence in the government is expressed using the government’s monetary system to trade for products and services you would not have if you had less confidence in the government system. Firm trust in the “value of the US Dollar (insert your own currency here)” leads to gains and losses in economic values. Consider the events of the Christmas Holiday, which is fast approaching. The individual expresses confidence, faith, and hope in holiday shopping. The government uses the data of the volume of trades of confidence as a measuring stick in how well they are doing in government to improve a person’s return on investment. Shopkeepers, stores, and others selling products and services represent a two-way street of faith, hope, and confidence as they trade with customers and with other suppliers, government, and stakeholders in conducting business.

Resilience Confidence is never an unconscious decision! One cannot have firm trust, faith, or hope, in something without being consciously aware and possessing experience and knowledge in that someone or something. Hence, confidence is the conscious use of trust as a destination in the journey of hope, launched by faith.

What is spent when money exchanges hands?

Confidence, faith, and hope. But, you claim, “That was my money.” Really, what value does your money have? The answer is nothing! If I give you a piece of cloth/paper stamped with a 20 symbol on it, you interpret this as a $20 bill, having the value of 20 dollars, pounds, euros, etc. That which we call money is nothing but faith, hope, and confidence in a governing system where products and services are exchanged for time and faith and hope through our individual confidence in the government. But the reality is that the piece of paper/cloth is nothing, has no value, and can do nothing without the express faith, hope, and confidence of the one trading services or products for that value statement.

Dane-Geld By removing the Gold Standard from money, we stopped trading in a fungible and tactile substance (Gold, Silver, Grain, Salt, Animal Hides, etc.). We began trading in a measured system of confidence as provided by the government. Your “money” is nothing but your faith and trust in the government sponsoring your system of confidence be that confidence called a US Dollar, a Rial, a Pound Sterling, a Euro, etc., you deal in nothing but confidence. Raw products with tradable value, grain, precious metals, oil, etc., are all injected into the monetary system through investment and speculation markets, not the individual farmer, rancher, miner, etc. Who receive their wages not through trading their products but by trading their efforts and time with their confidence in an employer-supported by a functioning government system.

Your Money!

I love this phrase! Rather, I like asking the question, “What does ‘Your Money’ mean to you personally?” The answers never cease to amaze and horrify me. I asked a 20-something this question and was told it was what they spent on college. So, I wondered does your education and academic success provide the value of the investment of money? To which, the 20-something had no coherent answer. Let me be clear, the value of an academic gamble is not found in the money made with an employer but in the power of changing how you think and approach the world. Educational costs have far exceeded the value of the academic experience. The connection between the value and cost of education is warped and twisted, and the only people winning are governments, unions, and the controllers of educational experiences.

Detective 4 If I hold a piece of paper/cloth with 100 stamped upon it, I could claim I have money. Except, I do not have money; I have a bit of cloth/paper with ink declaring that piece of cloth/paper had value, but only if I trust that government. Consider the trouble Venezuela is currently in, the thin ice of economic problems Mexico, Greece, France, and so many other countries exist presently. The confidence in those government systems is shaken. The value of that currency is weak compared to other currencies. If a blacksmith in Ohio produces a sword, and similarly skilled blacksmiths create the same sword in Saudi Arabia, China, Vietnam, Peru, and Cuba, why does the value of that sword change? Are the sweat and efforts of the blacksmiths different; no! Does the value of experience change; no! Did the cost of gaining that knowledge, experience, and talent change; no! Is the steel cost to mine different; only because the governments’ currencies are different. Does the value of the sword adequately represent the value of the currency exchanged; more than likely, No!

What is “Your Money?” For when we lose confidence in the government, the value of the currency slips, which leads to expressions of fear, a lack of faith, and a refusal of the citizens to hope and trust. Recently, I had a statement arrive declaring I had XX thousand dollars in a retirement account. Is the value of those funds found in the report received; no! The value of those “retirement funds” is located in the government system’s future, invested with faith, on a journey of hope to the time that I can remove those funds without being taxed to death. If the value of the dollar goes down, those retirement funds are useless. If the dollar’s value goes up, more faith, hope, and confidence are being invested in the government operations over time.

A “Liberty FIRST Culture” understands their money relationships to government, is engaged in preventing government abuse as that leads to lower values of currency, and the lower the value of a currency, the more expensive products and services become. Kate, the blacksmith from the (2001) movie “Knight’s Tale,” is absolutely correct, “Each drop of sweat has a price!” But the price of that sweat is not always competitive with the currency used to remunerate that effort, all because of hope, faith, and confidence in the government managing the currency. Think about that the next time you are asked to vote!

NO MORE BS: President Abraham Lincoln on Welfare

The following remains a critical point regarding the government.

“The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” – President Thomas Jefferson

Do we understand the principle President Jefferson is trying to convey? Government actions can only injure. Governments cannot build, cannot pick winners and losers, and cannot improve the human experience. Governmental activities, taxes, fees, licenses, regulations, etc., are all designed to injure those governed. Thus, the need for smaller governments to reduce the potential for injury among the citizenries.

“If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. – Speech at Clinton, Illinois, September 8, 1854.” – Abraham Lincoln

Taking President Jefferson’s principle and President Lincoln’s conclusion together, we have reached the problem. Since the government can only injure and forfeited trust and confidence of the citizens is at stake, we must discuss the principles upon which the Welfare State in America has ballooned. Back in the late 1980s and through the 1990s, a common theme was found among politicians; there must be a work mandate for receiving government largesse through the Welfare Program. Unfortunately, the work mandate was never fully adopted by all the states, and the fundamental principles that built the Welfare State were never addressed.

“You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.” – President Abraham Lincoln

Yet, this is the exact purpose and goal of the Welfare State, to “permanently do for them what they should be doing for themselves.” As the first fundamental principle in the Welfare State bureaucracy, we do not help citizens become free but chain them to live as slaves.

The second fundamental principle of the Welfare State is to replace god, gods, and God, with the government.

“It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.” – President Abraham Lincoln

By replacing god, gods, and God with the government, people can be taught to live miserably and never leave the Welfare Plantation, which supplies job security to those who administer welfare programs. Hence, the Welfare State plantation is a jobs program for government employees, not a helping hand to lift the person to greater achievement. In the Welfare State, the only person greater than the recipient is the government’s bureaucratic gods.

President Abraham Lincoln makes two more connected points where the government’s largesse through the Welfare State bureaucracy and the American Citizen cross.

“If this country is ever demoralized, it will come from trying to live without work.”

“You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence.”

Work, the effort applied to a task, where time is traded for money, has redemptive qualities, and builds independence and initiative. I have traveled through enough government housing projects to know that by not requiring work, the citizenry is demoralized, the people are miserable, and the result is generations of corrupted drones who will not act independently and do not understand the need for individual initiative. Both of which were stolen from them for a “mess of pottage!”

President Trump was correct. Some people come to America just for Welfare Benefits because living on Welfare in America is better than working back home.

“If any man tells you he loves America, yet hates labor, he is a liar. If any man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool.”

“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”

“That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence built.”

In this instance, labor is the work performed where time is traded for money and the experience of performing work. Yet, how often is work denigrated and derided by government employees, even as they show up to work at their jobs; too often. How often is work lamented by Hollywood types who are trying to keep people on the Welfare Plantation; too often. Why; because the second a person learns initiative and gains independence, that person will curse the time wasted living on the Welfare Plantation, be unsettled about politics, find a god, gods, or God different from government, and exercise their rights and freedoms under the US Constitution.

Government Largess 4 In the Welfare State, America’s governmental largesse steals products from growers to give to those who, after the second generation on welfare, no longer understand work or can perform work. America’s Welfare State is the envy of the lazy people the world over. I have been bankrupted through decisions I thought were right at the time but were not good at all. I tried to gain some temporary assistance through the welfare program and was ineligible because I made too much money the year before.

After spending three years rebuilding, I hit a snag. I tried to apply for welfare again, only to be told that I do not qualify for welfare because I receive money for my disability from military service. On both visits, the waiting area was full of non-English speaking single mothers with children. A key point because continuing to have children increases welfare benefits. One must conclude there must be a male person living in the home to help keep making welfare payments go higher. Yet, every application has no spouse and no male person residing in residence.

Government Largess 2 Hence, welfare leads to promiscuity, moral degradation, and lying. As an operations manager, I had several hard-working people who hired on as day laborers; I asked them if they wanted to come on full time, and was refused because if these hard workers got a full-time position, their girlfriends’ welfare would be cut. I was invited into these workers’ homes; their parents owned the home, three younger couples live in the house and the combined children. Grandma gets welfare for latchkey kids; each mother receives welfare rent assistance, food assistance, clothing assistance, school assistance for themselves and their children, and WIC. The amount of assistance for the same kids is received by four different people living in the same home. The grandmother said she was trained on obtaining maximum assistance for welfare and has taught her friends and family how to milk the welfare system.

An isolated incident; not quite. I have seen versions of this behavior practiced in a number of states, in multiple families, and every time it breaks my heart to see all this potential chained to the Welfare Plantation, but don’t forget the fraud.

President Abraham Lincoln makes two more critical points for consideration.

“You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.”

Yet, this is precisely what happens when government vilifies the wage payer to obtain votes. Look to any election, and you will see rhetoric that vilifies wage payers, but even with all the vitriolic messaging, the wage earner never is raised up. Remember the $15.00 minimum wage media frenzy, how many states who adopted the $15.00 minimum wage have the same or better employment; none! Because at the heart of the minimum wage is a government injuring wage payers and interfering with the market.

“You cannot have the right to do what is wrong!”

If ever there was a need for a motto to be chiseled in the stones of every government-run housing development, this is the motto! The Welfare State breeds dependence, which opens doors for time on a person’s hands. Time on a person’s hands, who is already dissatisfied, depressed, and disillusioned, equates to violence, riots, looting, crime, drug and alcohol use and abuse, and worse. All because a government allowed the “right” to commit crimes!

Where did the Welfare State begin?

The Summum Bonum of the roots of Welfare in the United States lies: in the following also from President Abraham Lincoln:

“The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation is the philosophy of government in the next.”

Why are the professors in college so important; because what they teach today becomes the people’s actions tomorrow. Therein lies the problem; too many professors know this and continue to preach, teach, and expound upon principles anathema to America’s health, growth, and future. The colleges get rich on government largesse, turning out the future, full of righteous indignation and no common sense. Who then proceed to influence government policy, which is emotionally satisfying but ruinous and nonsensical.

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and, under a just God cannot retain it.” – President Abraham Lincoln

The professor teaching lies does not deserve the students’ admiration, the pay from the college, or the respect of position.

President Abraham Lincoln also provided the solution to the Welfare State:

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”

In the current state, America is in, finding the “real facts” is made difficult because of the media, Big Tech, and Hollywood’s complicity and collaboration. Yet, the truth remains, and the seekers for truth will find absolute truth. America cannot continue to have the current Welfare State, nor can America long survive having citizens and immigrants, including illegal immigrants, draining the Welfare State, vilifying the wage payers, and causing destruction at the slightest whim or fancy. Work is an eternal principle that must be re-enthroned as the method and means of qualifying for government assistance.

Government Largess Better still, return the powers of helping people to religions and non-profit organizations. Thus, releasing the government from stealing from farmers, illegally and immorally regulating prices, and interfering with the market as injuries to the productive class of citizens to benefit the few who refuse to work.

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