This page is in black & white for a reason! Some things are indeed that basic.
Welcome to the Liberty 2010 website. This is a constitutional politically oriented website based in Tallahassee, Florida. It is expressly non-partisan and non-profit. I may well offend Democrats and Republicans alike, but this is done based on facts and the law, not emotion. Everyone is welcome to visit and learn.
We declared our independence from England on July 4, 1776. This was done largely to escape the tyranny of the King. Life being cyclical in nature, we are now facing a similar situation with our own central (federal) government that has grown enormously in the past several decades under both Democrat and Republican administrations. In 2011, we are now looking at taking in $2.2 Trillion in revenue, yet we are planning to spend over $3.8 Trillion. This means we have to borrow the $1.6 Trillion difference, and of course pay interest on the loan. Six (6) percent of our federal budget is allotted to interest on the debt, and with additional borrowing this will of course go up. This $1.6 Trillion is what is known as the deficit, and the collected deficits over the years are what is known as the national debt, which is currently around $14 Trillion.
Several dozen founders struggled with each other after our independence was won and eventually crafted a masterful and unique document known as our Constitution. As with anything of man, it is imperfect and has been amended numerous times. We must all live within the rules of our Constitution, for when we do not and one party exceeds their authority we all end up paying the price at some point. This also tends to compel the opposing party not in power to do the same in return when they get back into power. The truly bad thing about unconstitutional laws is that once passed and enacted, the average citizen has no easy recourse to combat them. The legislators that pass them continue to collect their (as of 2010) $174,000 per year salaries. We've seen this with REAL ID driver's license laws from the Republicans in 2005, and the health care laws from the Democrats in 2009. State driver's licenses and health care are not constitutional functions of the federal government in Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution. The "general welfare of the United States" is all of us, not just a few.
Here in Florida, 2011 has not been an improvement over 2010 for Liberty. Our Legislature is dominated by Republicans in both the House and Senate, yet we get laws such as SB 550 in 2010 that violates our own Florida Constitution's Right to Privacy in Article 1 Section 23 by mandating septic tank inspections even though there is no cause to do so. 2010 also gave us red light cameras from the state legislature, where the person receiving the ticket has no 5th or 6th Amendment rights, and of course in 2008 they gave us their version of federal REAL ID driver license laws, which violate the 4th Amendment by seizing personal papers without cause. All of these laws were passed by Republicans, and all have a central theme that increases the government, reduces liberty, and makes the citizen guilty until proven innocent.
Are you a conservative? If you're unsure, maybe this will help you decide. Do you agree with the following?
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America Is Good. |
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| 2. |
I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. |
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God “The propitious
smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the
eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” from George Washington’s first Inaugural address. |
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| 3. |
I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday. |
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Honesty “I hope that
I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I
consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an
honest man.” George Washington |
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| 4. |
The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government. |
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Marriage/Family “It
is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known.
By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing
connections of a family.” Thomas Jefferson |
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| 5. |
If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it. |
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Justice “I deem one
of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice
to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” Thomas Jefferson |
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| 6. |
I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results. |
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Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Happiness “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.” Thomas Jefferson |
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I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable. |
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Charity “It is not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worth of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.” George Washington |
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| 8. |
It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion. |
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On your right to disagree “In
a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the
multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without
thinking.” George Washington |
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| 9. |
The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me. |
A "circular firing squad" is where you end up shooting each other. No one wins in a situation like that. We have found in many elections that there are several conservative candidates running that agree 100% on the core principles of conservatism such as slowing and reversing the size of the government and fiscal responsibility. These candidates end up working against each other, and the non-conservative candidate reaps the benefit. The concept we are proposing is to "leave your ego at the door" and work together to determine who is the best candidate for an office, and work 125% for that candidate. We think the purpose of an election is to elect the candidate best-suited for the job of representing their constituents. Unfortunately, money always factors into these races. We've not figured out how to offset that one. Incidentally, Republican does NOT equal conservative. At the federal level, the Republican Party has shredded our Constitution on several occasions, most recently in 2005 for the REAL ID law.
The idea here is a very simple one- we want Liberty in 2010 and the years to follow. To accomplish this goal, we as voters must elect representatives that will be not only responsive to our input and concerns, but also responsible with our money. Since this has not happened in some time, we must educate ourselves about the candidates that will be running for office, be they incumbents or new to the political world. In order for candidates to effectively run for office, they should have a neutral meeting place where they and their supporters can discuss issues with each other as well as with others. Think of it as a town hall for candidates.
We must always look beyond the sound bite on any proposed legislation and read the bill. As one that tries to do so, it is not an easy job. Many conservatives were upset with members of the 111th Congress when they did not read the bills. It works both ways. As an example, an education bill was passed in 2011 that was lauded by conservatives, yet how many knew it turned over control of our educational system to the federal government by accepting many federal standards?
This website will host several sites of interest that offer education on issues we face, or motivation so we can work towards a better future for ourselves and our kids.
A links page will be set up with places to find related information.
- Paul Henry, webmaster
Updated July 2011
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