Machiavelli once said "The end justifies the means.”
Many American politicians appear to be in bed with that concept. It is on the assumption that the end justifies the means that most of the corruption so apparent in our government thrives. It is also why England’s conservatives, ahead by 19 points seven months ago, barely squeaked by with a two-point victory in that nation’s elections this week. If Republicans do not learn from that lesson, they will repeat it in November.
How have “they” been able to so slyly remove one right of American freedom after another? Sadly, the answer is they let us do it to ourselves.
People hate to hear that. I get emails telling me “I have never missed voting in an election. I’m a responsible citizen.”
Many Americans believe voting is the most important thing they do as U.S. citizens. No. It isn’t. The most important thing good American citizens can and should do is to become involved in the candidate selection process before voting. That means you need to attend local caucuses or whatever pre-ballot candidate selection process your State offers. You must become informed about candidates so you know to whom political power is being given before their name appears on a ballot.
The only weapon citizens have other than involvement in the process is information. Learn as much about candidates as possible. Be informed about political issues.
Following are facts about two important issues, the value added tax (VAT), which the Congress will try and pass, and illegal aliens (which Congress chooses to ignore). Arm yourself with the facts and ask your political candidates questions about these issues.
VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT)
Opinion: One reason liberal progressives spend taxpayer dollars like castor oil going through a baby is because they know their profligate spending is not sustainable – and it tends to have the same result as the castor oil. Is it possible they intend to force a new revenue source in the form of a value added tax? VAT is usually spoken of in the U.S. as a means of doing away with the income tax – but there are questions as to whether a VAT will replace the income tax or be added to it. That may or may not be true.
Fact: A VAT would cause a huge increase in the cost of goods. It would be particularly hard for those living on fixed incomes – seniors, disabled, retirees, and welfare recipients.
Fact: It is impossible to know the specific amount of future dollars produced by any tax that changes the cost of goods. When someone tells you the VAT will produce “X” number of tax dollars in revenue, don’t believe it. When the price of something goes up, less of it is purchased. Thus, estimates of how many tax dollars will result from a new sales tax are usually less than accurate.
Fact: In addition to lower consumption because of cost increases, at each step of a product’s creation a VAT is charged. If a brewer makes beer, the person who provides the hops will charge the brewer a value-added tax for it, as will the person who provides the barley and the malt. Obviously, the cost of the beer will reflect the brewer’s increased costs for each ingredient. Thus, not only do you end up paying the consumer VAT of 25 percent (or 20 percent – whatever), you also pay for the increased cost of the product. What VAT really accomplishes is putting the burden of tax collection on business rather than government. At each step of a product’s development, a VAT for the elements needed to create the product is paid.
Fact: Communism controls the means of production. In a capitalist economy, the people control the means of production. There is no greater way to control production than the pricing of products, from food to health care. If government wants orange growers to use a pesticide the orange growers don’t want to use, until they agree to use it guess who will be paying higher taxes to get their oranges to market? Or, maybe government will demand orange growers raise the price of oranges so tax revenues will be higher. Taxes are a highly efficient way to control the means of production. If anyone who reads this thinks government would not do such a thing, we are not living on the same planet.
FACTS ABOUT ILLEGAL ALIENS
Fact: This
link takes you to a Memorial created so all of us can remember some of those who have died because our government will not protect America’s Southern border.
Illegal aliens have been an American problem for many years. Government has been totally ineffective at stopping illegal border crossings. They do not want to close the border. Democrats want illegals in America because they vote for Democrats; Republicans want them here because they provide low-cost (albeit illegal) labor and Republicans enjoy the support of the business community. Note to Republicans: remember what I said about England, above.
Opinion: Americans who think “I am my brother’s keeper” means adding tax burdens to the backs of the middle class so illegal aliens can enter our country with disregard for our laws need to ask: “Who is my brother?” The answer is “In a spiritual sense, the illegals and your middle class countrymen are both your brothers.” If illegals were moving here spiritually rather than physically, the following facts would not exist. The next question is, “To whom is your first loyalty owed?” In other words, you have more than one brother and those who support illegals harm the American brother to help the illegal. That is mere logic.
Does being your brother’s keeper mean helping drug cartels enter your nation to make methamphetamines readily available to teenagers? Is letting someone attack your motherland an act of brotherhood on the part of the intruder? Brotherhood is a two-way, not a one-way, street. You may respond by saying “That’s not my intent at all. I just want to help the downtrodden.” It may not be your intent, but don’t dodge the responsibility for results just because it’s not what you intend. Good intentions, as I recall, pave the way to somewhere. If you support illegals, the result of their presence in America is yours. I refer you again to the Memorial Web site.
Fact: Catechism of the Church teaches that when a Catholic moves from one nation to another, that person must obey the laws of the new country. This makes idiotic the stance taken by the Bishop of Los Angeles and others in the Catholic Church hierarchy. They should re-read the Catechism they are supposed to be teaching the Faithful.
Fact: If being poor were a valid reason to violate the national sovereignty of the United States, most of the world would be here. This country alone cannot support the world’s poor. Making others in this country poor trying to do so is immoral. Look at Europe. Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain decided they would spend money on socialist programs. They ran out of money. Hard-working people in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are saying, “Why should we pay for the stupidity of these other countries?” The same question is about to be asked by various States in America about California, Michigan and New York. No one should be forced to pay for the stupidity of other countries or of other States.
Fact: In 2006, it was estimated that illegal Hispanic workers sent $45 billion home, to Mexico. After the state-owned oil company, it is Mexico’s second largest source of income. Every dollar represents lost job opportunities because no taxes were paid on that money. Every dollar earned by illegals represents jobs Americans used to hold.
Fact: The Pew Hispanic Center indicates that 97 percent of from 12 to 20 million illegal aliens work in construction, hospitality, manufacturing, restaurant, administrative and service jobs and that only 3 percent are employed in low-paid agricultural jobs; the remaining 97 percent take jobs away from Americans. Are you your brother’s keeper? Which brother?
Fact: According to the U.S. Justice Department, 28 percent of convicts in federal prisons are illegal aliens. Do you realize how costly not only in dollars but in victim suffering this is?
Fact: The Pew Hispanic Center notes that only 5 percent of illegals surveyed in December 2005 who had been in the U.S. for two years or less came here because they were unemployed in Mexico. Thus, unemployment in their home country is not what motivates illegal entry into the U.S.
Fact: The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reports that "The proportion of immigrant-headed households using at least one major welfare program is 24.5 percent compared to 16.3 percent for native households."
Fact: The Center for Immigration Studies says Census Bureau data indicated in 2002 that households headed by illegal aliens used $10 billion more in government services than they paid in taxes. Data from the new Census will soon be available.
Either we are a sovereign nation or we are not. Either we are a nation that abides by the Rule of Law, or we are not. Ultimately, it’s up to voters to decide. Will you be an informed voter? Will you take the time to help put worthy candidates on your ballot?
