Apr
10
Ron Paul Lives On In All of Us
Filed Under Freedom, Government, Politics, etc. | Comments Off on Ron Paul Lives On In All of Us
I admit I hadn’t studied the constitution in a half a decade when Ron Paul made it popular to study and promote true principles of freedom again. When I heard the presidential candidate promises, I asked myself, “can a president really do all that?”
“Do they even have the power to make such promises? Can they save our homes from the housing financial crisis?”
I was shocked to reread the 13 short paragraphs about the office of President again in the Constitution. Try reading it for yourself and ask yourself what we’ve created of our president. Sometimes the rhetoric seems like we want a Saviour to solve all of our problems. It kind of reminds me of a time when people wanted a king really badly, but it turned out not to be in their best interest.
We know that what Ron Paul started, he didn’t actually start, and the momentum he created will live on. I was excited to learn about BJ Lawson running for congress in North Carolina (good people live their, including my friends at LuLu). His platform demonstrates the principles of true freedom (and responsibility) to me and I encourage you to participate in Bucks for BJ whether or not you live in North Carolina.
And if you’re in a position where you can’t afford even $5 in support of Constitutional principles, take time to reread the article on the President and keep it in mind as you vote this fall.
Jan
30
I’m Not A Popular Guy Right Now
Filed Under Business Ideas, Resources, Principles, etc., Freedom, Government, Politics, etc. | 3 Comments
After a Personal Management class at the University of Scouting that I took my 11 year old scouts to last Saturday, I asked the instructor (who works for a local bank) how he advises the people in his bank when the dollar is loosing so much value and Bernanke dropped the interest rate again to help the stock market.
He said, “when I have little old grandmother’s who were getting 5 percent interest on their life savings coming into the bank and finding out that they get 2 percent, I’m not a very popular guy right now. These folks were barely making it as it was.”
Imagine that. Hard-working Americans who aren’t free-riding on the government, who’ve saved, who are now in their later years…and they’re savings are vanishing through their fingers. All so that we can shore up against the consequences of bad decisions by the Federal Reserve Board in the past. I couldn’t have painted a better picture how irresponsible policies to “stimulate the economy” hurt the poor.
This banker friend of mine, said, “2008 may be one of the most difficult years we’ve seen in a long time.” I fear he is correct and now wouldn’t be surprised if Bernanke does it again.
Jan
21
My good friend from high school, Aaron Anderson, started blogging recently and asked me why I supported Ron Paul. I never got around to writing any more than why I had cooled on Mitt Romney (I’d choose Romney over McCain or Hillary any day).
Our country faces some serious problems right now, lots of them. Given the circles where I interact and what I read, the problems I hear most about are:
- The weakening of the U.S. dollar and an imminent recession/depression.
- A failure in Iraq and poor reputation globally.
- A failing educational system.
- A heightened anxiety about immigration.
- Concerns about outsourcing and China.
- Healthcare crisis (I hear this more in the media than from conversations)
This list by no means purports to be all-encompassing, it’s just the issues I’ve heard a lot about and have stood out to me. Which candidate hasn’t talked about change? Obama, Hillary, Romney, et. al. say they’re going to bring change to Washington. They will be different that it’s been in the past.
Yet, the only one the media really points out as different, to the point of trying to marginalize him, is Ron Paul.
First, Aaron, to put the principle problem into perspective…
View a piece from the Comptroller of the United States, David Walker and Glen Beck on the bankrupt United States of America. This is for real, Aaron. That you and I owe, right now, $400k each for just Medicare and Social Security, is slightly disconcerting, isn’t it? How did this happen?
Ron Paul’s view, which I share, is that we created the problems abroad, in health-care, in education, and in many other facets of our government by departing from the famous contract that we, the people, have with our government. I’m going to share Paul’s take on each of these issues (with my thoughts) in a separate posts.
Here’s an 8 minute introduction to Ron Paul (ignore the bit about polygamy and Mitt Romney…these videos are created by his supporters, not his campaign). Take a few moments to watch it, including the credits.
The most common argument against Paul I hear is that he can’t win. That’s not true. Whether or not he takes the nomination, the principles he stands for are the only ones that can win. Natural consequences of going against correct principles will correct us whether or not we decide to change, the question is how painful will those consequences be? How long do we wait to change? I have hope, because of Ron Paul’s campaign, that there are a substantial group of Americans who understand the Constitution enough that they want to live by that document again. These people give me hope. I feel nothing but hope for America’s future and for our Constitution (this is link to a wonderful song about the constitution).
Dec
16
Boston Tea Party ’07
Filed Under Freedom, Government, Politics, etc. | Comments Off on Boston Tea Party ’07
My wife has asked me what I want for Christmas. I responded with only two requests:
- A pair of jeans (mine have no left knee and even my corduroy pants are only held together by threads).
- A few of our very limited dollars to donate to Ron Paul tomorrow.
When I see the support for this principle-based man grow, I’m confident that these campaign supporters are people who represent true hope for America and for the future of the U.S. Constitution. Our voice still matters.
Oct
22
I’ve really grappled with my choice for President this time around (it seems like the election has entered my life a lot earlier than in previous election years). It has come down to either Mitt Romney or Ron Paul for me. I write this post to work through my thoughts, and hopefully others grappling the same issues will find these comments and help in choosing the next president.
Right now, my vote is for Ron Paul, and I’ll explain why. This post will be on reasons I’m for and against Romney.
Romney seems like he could really curb spending. He pulled it off at the Winter Olympics and as Governor, why couldn’t he do it again? I really, really like this about Romney. Running a company, I really would like to see a President who measures the need for government spending more like the need for spending when running a business. Our country needs to cut waste.
I don’t think that Romney is dishonest or inconsistent on the issue of abortion. It’s difficult to understand that with a cursory look at his change on abortion. As a Mormon, his seeming contradiction on abortion makes complete sense to me. I’ve studied his words before and after and completely understand where he’s coming from. He personally believes that abortion is wrong except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. He doesn’t want to rule out abortion for everyone because he wants women in the above situations to have the choice. His decision to move the pro-life route was as a result of seeing how far the pro-choice legislation had gone. This just makes sense. Sounds like someone who doesn’t want to impose his belief system on others but wants to protect the babies’ lives as well.
The flop on same sex issues bothers me a little more, but not to the point of deciding against him.
Although I really like Mitt Romney and what he did for the state of Utah, I’ve recently watch a few videos produced by him that really turn me off. First, a high-school like play on partisan politics and second a video that makes it sound like Romney is wanting to chase down the Jihadists. I want to talk about that one a little more.
I don’t think we will win chasing the terrorists. As I said before, I’m a Mormon, and in our faith, there is often comparison between terrorism of our day and Gadianton Robbers of ancient America. I’ve studied the Book of Mormon and the parallels to our time are overwhelming. The problem I have with chasing the Jihadists in their hiding places, is that when you chase them, they are going to come back stronger and they are right here with us in our government.
There are so many indications that similar things are occurring in our time with 9/11 and going after the Jihadists. From the historical perspective that this book of scripture gives me, there are two ways to win this war, preach to them or fight the battle, together, on our own turf. Different times, I know, but I think there is something we can learn from the lessons of how people dealt with the Gaddianton Robbers a few thousand years ago.
Dinner call. I’ve got to go get something to eat with my family, but I’ll post on the great things I’ve seen in Ron Paul soon. Most of my feelings come down to one point, I believe in Freedom over security and Ron Paul shares that value like no other politician I’ve seen in recent years.
Jul
30
A More Perfect Union – 10 DVDs – Repopularize Constitution
Filed Under Freedom, Government, Politics, etc., General | Comments Off on A More Perfect Union – 10 DVDs – Repopularize Constitution
The National Center for Constitutional Studies is offering 10 DVDs of the movie A More Perfect Union
for the price of one. They’re inviting us to purchase the movie, along
with a copy of the Constitution and share them with friends and
community. I’m for helping our nation to understand its founding and
Constitution and will definitely order some copies. I encourage
everyone else to do the same. This movie about the Constitutional
Convention is extremely well done.
Jul
20
Beating Senator Orin Hatch
Filed Under Freedom, Government, Politics, etc. | Comments Off on Beating Senator Orin Hatch
Phil Windley’s Technometria | Beating Senator Orin Hatch
Jun
6
The Sickening Cost of American Healthcare
Filed Under Freedom, Government, Politics, etc. | Comments Off on The Sickening Cost of American Healthcare
This article doesn’t surprise me: Third Party & Independents:: The Sickening Cost of American Healthcare. I’ve always wondered when the American public will begin to realize how the healthcare/insurance industries are robbing them indirectly.
Apr
14
Products and Services – HomeNet Communications, Inc.
Filed Under Business Ideas, Resources, Principles, etc., Freedom, Government, Politics, etc., Technology | Comments Off on Products and Services – HomeNet Communications, Inc.
Ok, I’m mistaken on the last post. I figured this out thanks to a post by Jason on Paul’s blog.
I called the number from iProvo.net in January and was informed that the cheapest package was $89 and was bundled with 3 services. iprovo.net is not the place to go. The correct prices are at Products and Services – HomeNet Communications, Inc. and it turns out that they are very competitive.
Apr
14
Paul Allen embraces iProvo and I don’t
Filed Under Business Ideas, Resources, Principles, etc., Freedom, Government, Politics, etc., Technology | Comments Off on Paul Allen embraces iProvo and I don’t
Paul Allen is championing iProvo and sites an article by Lawrence Lessig, but I have some questions about it.
Good article Lawrence, but I’m wondering if iProvo really increases the competition.
If the community is not purchasing the broadband at the price it is, how does the government expect the demand to appear at an even higher price (albeit faster Internet speeds) when many in the community are surviving with their dial up?
I see the argument for it if we consider Internet a public good like roads, but I’m more concerned that Provo expects to finance this service through paying customers. They haven’t snagged me and I’m a “high speed user.” My Vonage, Comcast combination (about $68 per month) blows their least expensive plan out of the water ($89) since I have no interest in cable television. I realize that the iProvo Internet is faster and better, but for at home use, Comcast works great and I don’t care about the extra speed when it costs me another $20 per month. iProvo IS NOT COMPETITION FOR MY NEEDS. Won’t others feel like me about this? From what I understand, iProvo needs 30 percent of the entire city using their service to pay for it. With the current usage in the city, I’m just concerned I’ll be paying the bill for iProvo even if I don’t ever decide to use it.
So, my final question is, why is it a good thing for the local government to push iProvo when the private sector hasn’t demanded it?
I’d like a few reasons other than it’s super-fast and other tech talk. Is it really going to boost the amount of tech business in Provo and raise more money in taxes to pay for it? Historical examples? I’m uninformed and still open on this topic. I’m just not yet convinced iProvo is the best thing for Provo.
But, then again, it doesn’t really matter, the decision is made. I might as well just look for other ways I can use it even if it won’t have my home Internet use. Maybe it will be cheaper to set up a data center in Provo?
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