IDEAS vs. RHETORIC

I got this new phone, so I would be able to access and edit my posts anytime I had a free minute.  Turns out a minute isn't nearly enough time, so I'm still finding it difficult to do all I have to do.  The phone is amazing, as so many are, and it didn't take an act of Congress to bring it in to existence. Nothing beats the free market, for stimulating innovation!!!
 

I really have my work cut out for me, trying to haul cars, blog, and conduct a successful Senate campaign.  I hope you are able to overlook the slow pace, and take a measure of comfort in knowing that, if the people of Ohio are GRACIOUS enough to elect me, it will be the least amount of work I have had to do in all my adult life.  So you can be sure I'll not be overwhelmed by the work.  You can also rest assured that, although I've never done anything like it before, I will be up to the task.  I've done many different things over the course of my 45 years, both for money and for fun.  I've never found anything I couldn't do, with a bit of reading and research.  I also have a talent for creative problem solving.  I'm thinking that may come in handy.

Don't get the wrong idea.  I don't think I'm the greatest at anything.  I think I'm good enough to get the job done, and I'm quite tired of settling for the half-hearted efforts of others.  I can't tell you how many times I've hired someone to perform a task, only to wind up doing it again myself.  I know that's probably not the best thing to say, as an aspiring politician.  I'm supposed to be trying to convince you that I AM THEE best person for the job.  I'm trying to give you what you've been missing for SO LONG, you don't even know you should be expecting it... HONESTY.

For too long now, we have told ourselves to just expect our politicians to lie to us.  Therefore, we don't even look for honesty anymore.  We vote for the more charismatic candidate, because it's all we have to go on.  Consequently, we get what we deserve.  If we are content to choose our leaders, based on how well they present a vague, undefined argument, that says, little more than, "something needs to be done",  why should we expect to get leaders who actually have a plan we can take confidence in.  A plan we can get on board with.

Politicians are quite adept at talking a lot without saying ANYTHING at all.  It's time we make them say what they mean, and mean what they say.  Time to expect MORE than just an agreement with us, that there is a problem in WHATEVER area.  But an actual PLAN to solve it.  If we know the plan, we can vote for the plan, charisma be damned.  Maybe THEN, we can get away from the million dollar candidates.  GOOD IDEAS SELL THEMSELVES.  If we insist on hearing good ideas rather than well presented rhetoric, we'll get better candidates, running on smaller budgets.  If we insist on candidates who tell us why we SHOULD choose them, rather than why we SHOULD NOT choose their opponent, we'll get better candidates on smaller budgets.

If we get better candidates running on smaller budgets, they will be beholden to the IDEAS, not the DONORS.  Generally speaking, large contributors typically give to both major parties.  That way who wins is less relevant. They will still have a voice that speaks louder than ours.


I'll get back to ya...

It's STILL the ECONOMY, STUPID!!!

I have a question.  Why is it, with the number one issue on everyone's mind being the economy, our lawmakers continue to focus on health care and climate change?  The latter being such a non-issue to American households, as to be laughable.  If I ask, (or if you ask), the next person you come in contact with, to list the things they would like their legislators to discuss, I'll bet climate change, (notice they no longer refer to it as GLOBAL WARMING), won't even be on the list.

In fact, in an effort to put it on peoples list of things to talk about, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a finding, that green house gases, (the stuff we exhale when we breathe), pose enough of a risk as to require even MORE REGULATION than has already been created.

I have a theory as to why the economy is little more than a footnote in the  discussion.  I believe this is because the effect that both Nationalized Health Care and Environmental Protection legislation have on our economy present one VERY INCONVENIENT TRUTH!  This being that both are keeping businesses from doing anything that can improve our economy, in a tangible way.

You would think that, if in fact, our lawmakers were truely concerned about the condition of the average american's wallet, they would stop working so hard to empty it.  They would be saying the same things so many of us are saying, (even those of us fortunate enough to be working).  Things like, "Let's hold off on that for now", "We really can't afford it".

Everything about both the issues that seem to be dominating the thoughts of our lawmakers centers around taking more from us, both in the way of CASH and OPPORTUNITY.

I would argue that the primary reason for so many U.S. manufacturing jobs moving overseas, is to escape the ever-increasing environmental regulation.  Cheaper labor is one reason, I know.  And it IS the largest expense most businesses face.  But the cost of labor is one that can, for the most part, be controlled, and compensated for through product cost, (I'll be talking more on this in the future).  But with lawmakers, and the EPA, creating environmental standards by fiat, (not the car maker), no manufacturer in their right mind would build a new plant, anywhere NEAR the United States.

I will use as an example, an industry that I actually know something about...

As you know, if you've read my earliest posts, (which I encourage, as a way of learning about me as a person), I am a truck driver.  Not just a truck driver, a car hauler.  Not just a car hauler, an owner/operator.  What being an owner/operator means, is that I actually know how different things affect my bottom line.  I know, for instance, that I can haul two identicle loads, for the same rate, and infuence how much each load actually pays ME, by how I drive, where I buy my fuel, how I put the units on the truck, etc...

Over the past ten or so years, Congress and the EPA have imposed ever stringent regulation on exhaust gases and the sulfer content of deisel fuel.  You'll not hear me say, or read in my writings, that there isn't a need for SOME emission standard.  There surely is.  We have an obligation to the next generation, to leave things in as good, or better condition as we recieved from the generation before us. (This applies to the debt we are strapping them with, as well).  But there is a point of deminishing return that is being overlooked.

As these standards have been made increasingly difficult to achieve, both fuel economy and engine longevity have declined.  There are several negative affects from this.  Here are 2.

1.  I burn more fossil fuel to do the same amount of work.  This affects supply, which raises the cost of your heating oil, (it's the same stuff, more or less), and the cost of my fuel.  I build that cost in to the delivery charge.

2.  My engine wears out faster, so I have to build that cost in to the delivery charge to the dealer as well, who in turn, passes it on to YOU, when you buy a car off the lot.

EVERY COST, incurred in business is passed on to you, the consumer.  It has to be.  Otherwise, I and every other business would be... well...OUT OF BUSINESS.

LABOR... LIGHTS... EMPLOYEE HEALTH CARE... TAXES, TAXES, and more TAXES... REGULATORY FEES... YOU PAY THEM ALL!!!  So the less these things cost, the lower the price of the product.  Not to mention, the fewer ADDITIONAL EXPENSES, the more cash available to employees.


That being said... Wouldn't it make sense, for Congress to say something like, "Let's get out of the way, and let business fix the economy".?

AFTER ALL... Economy is what BUSINESS does.  Business is what the economy is.  I'll not say that every business is trustworthy and good.  But it's easier to deal with a bad company, than a bad federal government.  And a whole lot cheaper!


I'll get back to ya...

I can't think of catchie title for this...

HAPPY DAY!!!  The website, me-thepeople.com is up and running at last.  The biz cards are in my pocket.  Family and friends are gathering signatures to get my name on the ballot... It has been difficult, to say the least, managing so many things at one time, while also trying to earn the money to keep the bills paid.  I try to make the most of my limited time at home, by spending as much of it as I can with my wife.  Our kids, (of which we have four), are pretty much grown.  Our youngest daughter, is the only one still under our roof, and she has a pretty busy schedule.  Between school, work, and her boyfriend, she doesn't really hang around the house much either... unless she's grounded to it (that's only half joking).  She's looking forward to that day, in the not too distant future, when she writes her own Declaration of Independence.

I work on this project, (the campaign, website, and blog), generally at times when it won't take away from the relatively small amount of time my wife and I have together, (like after she's asleep, or when I'm on the road). I spent many late night hours, building a website that wouldn't launch, then, while stuck in Baltimore waiting for a load to materialize,  another 18 consecutive hours, building it again from scratch.  I see why web developers get paid well for the work they do.  Please have a look.

"WHY IS HE TELLING ME THIS"?  You must be asking yourself.  "WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME"?

JUST ONE REASON.  I want you to know me.  I want you to trust me.  I heard someone say today, (referring to today's politicians), you can't trust what they say, when they're in CAMPAIGN MODE.  Trouble is... they are ALWAYS in campaign mode.  I have said before, (and it is the tag line for ME THE PEOPLE), that I want to change the way politics is done.  I MEAN THAT.  This land is FULL of fine men and women, who would make GREAT leaders.  They don't want to take on the task, because they are either afraid of the media, or just don't want to get that... ... SOILED?.

The United States of America possesses the best and brightest minds the world has to offer.  A precious few of these are willing to go to the lengths it takes to get elected, in the political climate we have been in for the past half century.  We are all suffering for it.  We are no longer being governed by the best among us, (not that I consider myself to be the best among us).  We are being RULED by mediocre minds at best.  We have to turn the corner on this somehow, and soon.  We are all riding the same train, and it's about to run off the track.  While we are all fighting amongst ourselves, those mediocre minds are stoking the boiler. (I know, I know... we don't use steam engines anymore).  If we don't find a way get our minds off the condition of the upholstery in the dining car,  and on to the condition of the track...

Our future, the future of our children, and grandchildren, holds in store...  A TRAIN WRECK.

I'll get back to ya...

An open letter to Harry Reid

Last Thursday, I heard a sound bite from Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, speaking on the subject of the Senate Health Care Bill, in which he said something to the effect of, "No Longer will Americans have to choose between paying their mortgage, or paying for medical care".  Well Mr. Reid, lets talk a little about choices.

A little over two years ago, the engine in my truck, (our sole source of income), started to shake and knock severely, as I exited the interstate, in South Carolina.  I was faced with a choice.  Call a mechanic to come to me and diagnose the problem, or just start walking home.

I chose to call the mechanic.  He told me that the crank had broken, and it would be necessary  to remove the engine from the frame, and either rebuild, or replace it.

I chose to replace it, because it would require less downtime.  The mechanic ordered a re-manufactured engine and set to work.  Three weeks later the engine was in and the mechanic presented me with a bill for a little under 35 thousand dollars, (he had also replaced the transmission).  I could choose to pay it or let him keep my only source of income.

I chose to pay the bill.  This was an extremely difficult choice to make, in so much as I had MANY other bills to pay, and no savings to speak of (not to mention 3 weeks without work).  Fortunately, the company I have been contracted to haul for over the last 12 or so years, was generous enough to loan me the money, IF I could pay it back in short order.

I chose to take the money.  I had SIX MONTHS to pay it back.  This was a very tall order, but what CHOICE did I really have?  For the six ensuing months, my wife and I made the same choices over and over again.  Which bills to pay, and which to make wait.  I felt terrible knowing that bill collectors of every kind were pestering my very stressed wife, while I was gone.  And I was gone a lot!

To add to this, a number of other smaller problems cropped up, each with it's own price tag, and some requiring down time.  Included in all this... TWO surgeries for my wife, and my oldest son wrecked on a friends 4-wheeler, shattering his jaw.  All this combined to make for the most difficult 18 months of my life.  I tell you all this Mr. Reid to get to the BIGGEST CHOICE I had to make in all this.  Not the biggest in my view.  But I'm SURE YOU will see it differently.  You see... Being self-employed, it's up to me to make sure to put money aside to pay that ONE LARGE bill, that amounts to about one third of all I earn.

TAXES!

As I'm sure you can imagine sir, the burden of all these catastrophes, combined to make a financial disaster for myself and my family.  I had the CHOICE to file bankruptcy and starting over, or fighting my way through it.

I CHOSE TO FIGHT!  For 18 months, I worked nearly EVERY DAY, many more hours than the Department of Transportation would have approved.  I earned as much as I could earn, and made sure everyone got some.  Except for you folks up there in Washington, that is.  You see Mr Reid,  ALL the other financial commitments I have, large, small, wise, or not so wise, they are all contracts I entered into by consent.  Therefore, I feel they deserve a place in line ahead of the Internal Revenue Service.  You never asked me if I could afford another tax for this or that.  You just keep on taxing.

It's not that I didn't let you know I owed you money.  I filed all my forms, just the way you asked.  I just didn't have any money left.  My wife tried to explain this the the IRS representative, to make a payment arrangement of some kind, but he wouldn't hear of it.  He said we owed too much for that.  So just about the time we had ALL the bill collectors satisfied, the IRS reached in to our bank account on pay day, and took every penny we had.  AND THIS, at a time when you people were THROWING MONEY by the BILLIONS, at companies you deemed TOO BIG TO FAIL.  Even now, I'm still trying to reach an agreement that will satisfy your insatiable appetite for other peoples money, while allowing me to continue to satisfy my FAMILY'S insatiable appetite for SUPPER.

I'm very sorry Mr Reid, I just had to say something.  While your PLAN may possibly free some from the choice between medical treatment and the mortgage, you will force us ALL to choose between paying the mortgage and paying MORE taxes.  But I guess, since most American's taxes are taken before they ever see their paycheck... they don't REALLY have a CHOICE at all.

I'll get back to ya...

Business, Labor, and Fantasy Football

Some who have read my posts, have commented to me that they can't tell which side of the isle I hang my hat on.  I hope they will continue to check in, in the hope that sooner or later it will become clear.  To be completely honest, (I hope by now, you understand how important that is to me), if you are having trouble determining which side I'm on, then I'm presenting myself exactly as I intend, and you are reading without bias.  In fact, I'm not on any side, other than that of liberty. Taking sides is what has gotten us into the mess we're in today. Please don't misread that statement to mean I'm a Moderate.  That too, is a part of the problem.  I'm an extremist, of a sort, and very proud to say so.  I fervently believe in the system our Founders established.  My goal is to aid in it's preservation.

I've been trying for some time now, to conger up an analogy that would help simplify the relationship between business, and government, and the average worker.  A way to convey the notion that it's not really US vs. THEM (you decide which side is yours), the way we have been conditioned by the two party system to think of it.

I think I have one...

I don't actually play fantasy football.  I do however listen to SIRIUS NFL RADIO.  There are a couple shows dedicated to fantasy players.  They give advice on who to play and who to sit, on any given Sunday.  It occurs to me that Fantasy Football is a pretty good example of how our "system" works.  I'll not pretend to know anything about the scoring of it.  But there is a dynamic present, that illustrates the relationship between business and labor.  Not the PERCEPTION, but the REALITY.

Let's you and I make a FANTASY TEAM.  A Fantasy team is made up of players, chosen by way of a draft, from every team in the National Football League.  If I understand what I hear correctly, each team has players to fill all the skill positions,  (Quarterback, Running Backs, Receivers) and the Offensive Line is represented as a whole.  Not sure about the Defense, but that doesn't matter to the analogy. Inevitably, there will come a time in the season, when our REAL team, the one we've been rooting for since we were old enough to care, will be playing against a team with players from our fantasy team on their roster.  On the one hand, we want our HOME team to be successful.  We have an allegiance, built over many years.  For some, a deep emotional bond.  But on the other hand, our fantasy team is in second place, with two weeks left in the regular season.  If our player, or players, are successful enough, we can move up in the rankings, but our home team is likely to lose.  So we will root for our HOME TEAM, and hope our players are JUST SUCCESSFUL ENOUGH to get the job done for our fantasy team, while NOT QUITE pulling off victory.

Our current batch of politicians are doing their best to convince us that one side (or the other, depending on who's telling it) is the  source of all our problems.  There ARE some examples where it's true (for both sides), that they have contributed.  But the fact of the matter is, business and labor (business owners and the average worker) have a symbiotic relationship to one another.   One cannot exist without the other.  Business NEEDS to have a reliable source for the energy necessary to manufacture a product, get it to market, and facilitate the sale, thereby making it possible to repeat the process over and over again.  Regardless of what some will tell you, ANY business that exists, does so for one purpose.

To make money!

And THAT IS AN EXCELLENT reason.  Oh they may well be meeting a need in the community, and providing jobs.  Or manufacturing a product that saves lives... or energy... or money... you get the idea.  But, make no mistake.  Whatever the product or service, the goal is profit.  As I said, that is an excellent reason.  Profit is the thing that motivates everything from product innovation to the hiring of more employees.  Employees, who come to work each day for one reason.


To make money!


And THAT is an EXCELLENT reason.  Oh they may indeed love their job.  They may be meeting a need in the community, doing a job that saves lives, and so on...  You see my point?  Take away the potential for profit, and we ALL lose our motivation.


The worker needs business, to provide the means to make money, to go out and buy products from business, that needs people to buy their products so they can buy raw materials and pay employees, to make PRODUCT to SELL to MAKE MONEY...  Neither of these methods for making money is better than the other.  Neither is worse.  In fact, BOTH are NOBLE.  Both offer to exchange a product for cash (the product of the worker being his or her sweat).


The thing that has become a strain on our system, is the one organization in our land that takes an increasing amount of our cash, while offering no product of comparable value...


OUR GOVERNMENT!



While we can point to examples of corporate greed, were some company is charging more for their product than we believe  it to be worth,  we can also site examples of workers who are paid for work they're either not performing, or performing poorly.  BOTH represent GREED. And BOTH are hurting our economy.  But as our Government, at every level, takes more and more of the PROFIT we all work so hard for, both the BUSINESS OWNER, and the WORKERS are losing OUR MOTIVATION!!!


I'll get back to ya...

A CALL TO ARMS... so to speak

Okay!  Housekeeping is done!  The business cards are on the way.  The signatures are being collected and me-thepeople.com is only a day or so from being up.  Very sorry to have taken so long getting the ball rolling.  I encourage you to view my previous post, if you haven't already read it.  It's the key to what I hope to achieve in the coming year.  WELL... PART of it anyway.

You see, what I hope to accomplish here,  by emptying my life of all it's contents, is to encourage others of... shall we say... less than perfect backgrounds, to become engaged in the battle to preserve the liberty our Constitution, as written, granted to the sovereign  States. 

I figure, if I (an ordinary man, of ordinary means) can openly place all the childish, selfish, and just plain BAD behavior of my past, out there for the media, and opposing candidates, to sift through, spin and repeat over and over again, perhaps it will serve as an inspiration to others.  Maybe someone (or many someone's I hope), who has been pondering the bleak future their children and grandchildren  face,  will think to themselves... "IF THAT GUY CAN DO IT... I CAN DO IT".

I am painting a HUGE target on my chest and forehead, and stepping up to face the firing squad, in the HOPE that others, with comparatively SMALLER targets to aim at, will step up beside me... or behind me... or somewhere in the vicinity of the firing range, and say ENOUGH is ENOUGH. 

The future of generations depends on US... RIGHT NOW!!!  Who among  you will respond to this confiscation of our wealth and liberty?  Who among you will STEP UP and join me? 

This UNION was forged by men who, for the most part, understood the nature of mankind.  They established a set of statutes that GUARANTEED our sovereignty.  And we have allowed FEAR  and GREED to take that sovereignty from us.

Well... we are out of excuses, and out of time.

MY NAME IS SCOTT A. RUPERT.  I am running for the United States Senate.  Not because I want to be a Senator.  Not, solely in the interest of the State of Ohio.  In the interest of the Several States of this Union.  If I win... I WIN.  If I don't...

When my grandchildren ask me why they aren't allowed to do this, or that... I'll be able to look them in the eyes and know that I tried to fix it. 

I'll get back to ya...

SOME of the things I don't want to tell you about myself

I composed this post several days ago... I wish I could just delete it... But you need to hear this stuff from me... I know, if I don't tell you, someone else will. If someone else tells you, you'll no longer be able to trust me. If you can't trust me, you'll stop paying attention. If you stop paying attention, all will have been lost.

As you have read in a few of my posts, I've not spent my life with my eye on a career in politics. To tell you the truth, I'm not planning on a CAREER in politics NOW. For me personally, I'm only thinking of the immediate future. For our Union as a whole, I'm thinking much more LONG TERM. For those who have noticed that I refer to this GREAT LAND of ours, more often as a union, as opposed to a nation, or country, let me explain...  

I'm not a Constitutional scholar by any means. But, I think our Founders had in mind a sort of cooperative. Every State having it's own things to bring to the table. They didn't really know the full scope of what they were creating at the time. How could they? But they knew what they had fought to escape. How many had died to make it possible, and they were not willing to see it easily lost. So they, after much deliberation, penned the document on which all our future prosperity would hang. THEY called it a Union. They were not creating ONE BIG STATE. They were creating a UNION OF SMALL STATES, each with their own sovereignty. They went to great pains to assure it stayed that way. I call it a UNION, to remind you that that is what we ARE. And it's what we need to stay.

Okay, back to my life.

I'll not spend a whole lot of time going over every detail of every event. I don't think it's necessary to do that. My purpose in doing this, is to make it clear that I don't have a need to keep secrets. However, some of my past lapses in judgment have effected others who are less enthusiastic than I, about having past events brought into the present.  I will respect their requests to remain silent.  In the event that these things are made known by someone with respect for the privacy of others than I, please know that my first choice would have been FULL DISCLOSURE.  There are many events in my life that, if I could do over again, would go much differently. Not because I want to get elected to the senate, but because they represent points of weakness in my character. Weaknesses that no longer exist, but weakness just the same... and I am ashamed. I used this as an illustration to my son today. To demonstrate to him, that at some point in his life, something BIG will come up, that may make him wish he had made better choices along the way. So choose wisely NOW, for that reason, if for no other.

My wife and I have been married 14 years.  Prior to that, I had been married to another. We had two children together. For a time, you could say, I pretty much left them all. Not FINANCIALLY, (I don't say this to make it sound like I wasn't ALL bad... I was ALL bad) I kept all the bills paid, but I wasn't coming home.  I had been unfaithful to her more times than I care to count, and had decided that I just enjoyed my freedom too much to be tied down.  After a time, I came to my senses and tried to go back to things as they had been.  But after a few months, I once again left, this time I filed for a divorce.  Eventually I married again, to my present wife.  A year later, I petitioned the courts for custody of my children and, after a hearing, custody was granted.

I'll not cheapen any of this confession, by offering reasons for any of my behavior... NOW or EVER. Nothing I could say, would make me any less of a scum bag.., low life.., creep.., idiot.., #$%@*, or any other descriptive phrase you choose to insert. And after all, I concur with all of those assessments. I can only trust that you will get a sense of my contrition, and know that in spite of what these acts represent, the man sharing them with you now is an honest man, of character and honor.

These are by no means the only things that need to be brought out into the light. I've smoked dope (and inhaled). I've done several other drugs as well. Although I can say, I've not done any of that since my late teens (maybe very early twenties). At age sixteen, I crashed a car into a tree, while fleeing the police. I nearly killed myself and my best friend. The doctors say, the only thing that saved our lives was the fact that we were extremely drunk, at the time. I think I was given seven citations from that incident. One being DUI. When I went to court, I entered a plea of no contest, on a technicality. The doctors were too busy saving my life to administer a blood alcohol test. By the time they did, my blood alcohol was below the legal limit, therefore I was not guilty. What a system!

Again I'll offer no reason or excuse. Except to say I WAS a teenager. "10 FEET TALL AND BULLETPROOF", and all this behavior was in spite of my mothers best effort, to instill in me that strong basic set of values.

I think that gives you an idea of what kind of man I was. And I truly hope that this confession gives you a sense of what kind of man I am today. I don't mean to try to convince you that these things are "no big deal". For those affected by my acts, they surely were a big deal at the time. To some, they still are. I only hope to convince you that a man's past is not indicative of his future. I don't think that any of the things I've shared would be acceptable behavior from a statesman, (a species largely extinct in Washington D.C.). Now that I am the man I am today, I don't find this behavior to be acceptable from myself or anyone else. For obvious reasons, I'll not comment on or attempt to shine a light on this kind of history (should any exist) in the the life of any other candidate. I know a man can be changed. I know that, while these kinds of things can not be overlooked completely, they don't automatically invalidate the rest of his ideas.

"When I was a child, I behaved like a child. Now that I am a man, I put away childish things".

I'll get back to ya...

Let's talk a little about where we're going

I had in mind to start cleaning out my closet today.   To begin cleansing myself, so to speak, for the fight.

I've decided instead, after a conversation with a friend, that it might be a better idea to share a little about what I'm hoping to accomplish here.

I've been speaking with people.  Getting them excited (and everyone IS excited) about an UPRISING of sorts.  I tell them to log on and see what I'm up to.  But I can imagine that once they get here, they see some entertaining prose and a short rant on the erosion  of our liberties, and think, "well THAT was entertaining".

Here's the thing...

This health care debate that has been raging on in the nation, for more than a decade now, is not a debate without merit.  Neither is the notion that, as the one species on this planet with the ability to reason, we have a responsibility to manage our environment in a way that will allow generations to come, the privilege of stepping out their front door in the morning and taking a DEEP BREATH of clean, fresh air.  The problem is, the people we have given charge of managing our affairs have taken it upon themselves to strip us of both our cash and our freedom, in the name of these issues. If either CAP AND TRADE, or the HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL, in it's current form are allowed to become law, the Union as we know it... rather as our parents and grandparents knew it, will cease to exist.  Most likely, never to return.  These bills threaten the very fiber of our Constitutional form of government.  If the government is funding our every health requirement, they will eventually have to manage our behavior as what they will call "the only way to keep us healthy".  THINK ABOUT IT... We do it to our children all the time. "Johnny don't do that. You'll hurt yourself".  PERSONALLY, I would rather die YOUNG and FREE, than become an captive of the state.  Likewise with Cap and Trade.

These are not the only issues that are being used as instruments to pry our freedom from our grasp, only the most obvious.

I don't think our Founders ever had in mind for this United States to EVER be RULED by a political class.  They intended for people like you and me to go to The Seat of Government, at the behest of our peers, discuss what business was at hand, legislate as need be, then GO HOME and live with the legislation they had passed, JUST LIKE THE REST OF US.  We have been divided into groups.  Each willing to surrender a small portion of our liberty, as long as it meant another group lost a larger portion of theirs.  The men and women who call themselves our leaders, have quite successfully pitted us all against one another by pointing out to each group, the inequities between us.  Blaming one group or another for the plight of someone else.  One man says, "vote for me and I'll make sure THEY can't do this".  A woman says, "vote for ME.  I'll keep THEM from doing THAT".

When all the dust settles, we are ALL left with fewer liberties and a larger burden.  To quote that famous gecko... "WE'VE BEEN DUPED"!

The vision that I have is to return this Union to its RIGHTFUL HEIRS.  This blog is a start, but not even a hint of what I think we  (you and I) can... MUST accomplish.  I've registered a domain that will be up and running soon, I hope.  My youngest is charged with that task.  It will be the platform for what I hope will become a NATIONWIDE MOVEMENT to bring real people back in to the political arena.  Political affiliation, not required (but also not rejected).  To enlist brave men and women to lay aside their fear, and join me in the battle to take back the reigns of government.  No offense to talk show hosts (thanks to all for the info), or bloggers (again, thanks for all the info), or the guy on the bar stool saying "someone needs to do something"... or the guy on the CB saying the same thing, but while we ALL are complaining, NOTHING IS BEING DONE.

Thanks to the... shall I say, OVERZEALOUS bunch currently holding court at the Seat of Government, our condition as a nation has been brought in to CRISP FOCUS.  The climate is right for a thorough cleansing, from those who believe they have been put there to give us what they think is "good for us".  And then, with enough new faces in town, to make a few adjustments to our Constitution, to prevent this from ever happening again.  I think that's what the framers had in mind, when they wrote it.  IN FACT, I think if they were alive today and sitting down, quill in hand, to spell out our... RIGHTS?  They probably would have stopped at "CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW", and just left it at that.  The question facing us now is this...

WHO WILL COME TO THE GALLOWS AND PLACE THE NOOSE AROUND THEIR OWN NECK, FOR THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY?

I WILL!

But I'd rather not be standing there alone.

I'll get back to ya... 

Why hide behind Tom Sawyer?

Once upon a time, there was this lazy, slacker of a teenager.  Oh, he had some good qualities, thanks to the hard work of his mother. (Remember her from the last post)?

Slacker was your average, run of the mill teen.  Perhaps a bit ahead of his time, in his  level of HIGH SCHOOL APATHY.  On the days he managed to find his way to the front entrance to his school, his eyes (when they were open) were on the clock, in anticipation of the final bell.

Eventually, Slacker decided that, in spite of their best efforts, the educators were unable to teach him anything of value.  He stood up at the end of health class (maybe it was English class) and walked out the side door, never to return.

During the years leading up to that EPIPHANY, while mom was working hard to instill that BASIC SET of laws, dad was working equally hard at teaching Slack the finer points of womanizing, and various other forms of carousal.  Lessons that young Slacker would learn well, and perfected to levels far greater than those of his mentor.

***DISCLAIMER:  This is paternal dad, not step-dad. ***

Slacker carried on with little concern for anyone other than himself, well into what, for lack of a better term, he'd call adulthood.  By the standard he now measures...?  Call it "PROLONGED ADOLESCENCE"  (There's a little P.C. for ya.)

Anyway... Back to Slacker...

In his mid 20's, sometime after the birth of his first child...  BEHOLD!  The light came on and he could see himself for who he was, and he was ashamed.

VERY ASHAMED!

And from that moment, Slacker began to walk a path much different than the one he had been on for so long.  From time to time, he would catch himself wandering.  He would slap himself around a bit, then run back to the path and walk on.

Somewhere along the way, Slacker changed his name to HARD WORKER, and then to COMMITTED.  Committed has ALWAYS cherished his freedom, even before changing his name.  Now that he sees that his freedom is being threatened, along with the freedom of his friends... and EVEN THOSE who are not his friends, Committed has changed his name to TOM SAWYER (modern day warrior).  And once he has all his wasted years out there in the light, for all to see, Tom holding the light in his own hand, he will change his name one more time.  Then everyone will know him for who he is now...

An AVERAGE AMERICAN, who has lived his life sometimes WELL, sometimes NOT SO WELL.  Who struggles to make ends meet and wishes he didn't have to work so hard.  No extravagant home, no yacht, no big bank accounts... heck... no extra money at all.

An average American who believes that his Union was established by average men, who intended for it to stay in the hands of average men. (and women too, of course)

An average American who believes he is NO BETTER or worse than any other and that, but for the bright light of the media, (not to be confused with the bright light of TRUTH) would be as qualified as any other to hold a seat in the United States Senate.

This BRIGHT LIGHT of the media has corrupted our electoral process and my goal is too make all the digging up of scandal, largely IRRELEVANT.  I may overlook a thing or two.  I haven't been preparing for a career in politics.  There are plenty of things to try to remember.  But I'm quite certain that SOMEONE will be HAPPY to point out anything I miss.

If I make it to the steps of The Capitol, that will be good.  Unless of course, I'm standing there alone (see If you want something done, do it yourself).  If I convince OTHERS to run? Others who would run for office, if not for that one secret,... people who desire to protect the freedom of ALL AMERICANS, not just those you agree with?

THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC!!!

Our Founders laid it all on the line, when they signed the Declaration of Independence.  They were committing treason against the King.  A crime punishable by death.

I'll get back to ya... 

Why ME THE PEOPLE?

 I've been around for nearly half a century now.  Sounds like a long time, when you say it that way.  I remember when I was a kid.  My mother put a great deal of effort into teaching me the difference between right and wrong.  That was a MONUMENTAL task, in light of the poor example my father set.  When I would go into the street, she would correct me gently, and explain why that was a bad idea.  Then, if I went into the street again, she'd swat me on the rear and remind me that she had told me not to do that.

As I got older, mom stopped worrying about the street and began giving me lessons with a bit more substance, and if I violated the tenants of those lessons, my posterior would remain pain free.  My FREEDOM, however, would become... shall we say... INFRINGED UPON.

Eventually I became an adult. (much more like my father than mom would have liked) After some... difficult years, my mother's teaching slowly began to evolve from a list of restrictions, to a pattern for living that, became more and more liberating, the more consistently I applied them to my life.

Looking back on it, hind sight being 20/20 and all, I can see a pattern develop between my behavior, and my mothers' restrictions... let's call them... LAWS.

As I became more and more rebellious,  moms laws became more and more restrictive, until eventually I had no rights at all, beyond the requisite "3 HOTS and a COT".  This is, of course, an overstatement. Mom never made me sleep on a cot, and not every meal was hot.  She would tell me, as I now tell my kids, that she would prefer to be able to trust me with the basic set of "LAWS" and allow me to be free to make GOOD choices.  BUT, since I repeatedly made POOR ones, I left her no option except to make ANOTHER rule... oops... LAW.  Each law leaving me with less authority over my own life.

She was right, of course, in her determination to make certain I lived long enough to turn out alright.  And who was I to complain?  After all, she was the one making sure I had everything I needed.

HOUSING... FOOD... TRANSPORTATION... HEALTH CARE... See where this is going?

Eventually, I did what we all do... USED to do.  I moved to a foreign territory (5 miles down the road), where I could be free to do as I saw fit. I established the Sovereign State of TOM and made my Declaration of Independence.  I probably even threw a party to celebrate my release from an oppressive and tyrannical government... I mean mom.

Okay, I've exaggerated a bit in the interest of holding your attention, but you get the picture.  The amazing thing is... after ALL THAT... After all the complaining about the unfairness of it all... I've walked my little clan of law breakers down the same path.

I'm confident there is no need to spell out the parallels I have drawn.  The distinctions, on the other hand, may not be so obvious.  The laws we as parents set down for our children, with the exception of the basic set, which from this moment forward shall be referred to as THE CONSTITUTION, have a built in sunset clause.  Once they've established themselves, achieved statehood so to speak, our kids are free to pursue their own self-interest, unfettered by the restrictive regulation of their parents.  Generally speaking, this system works with astounding results.  Each generation achieving things the one before it couldn't imagine.  When was the last time you heard any lawmaker say something like, "we no longer see a need for this law,"?  Hmmm... I can think of one... two...  ... three?  TROUBLE IS, all the examples I can think of are part of that basic set. THE CONSTITUTION!

But by far the greatest distinction, and most dangerous to overlook is this...

The FOUNDING FATHERS  of this Union, (to maintain the metaphor) did not put quill to parchment for the sake of controlling the kids, or protecting them from their own foolishness.

THE CONSTITUTION WAS WRITTEN TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN FROM AN OVERBEARING PARENT.

In their wisdom, the Founders understood the nature of man is to RULE rather than to GOVERN.  They made a set of laws that would make it difficult for this to occur.  I imagine that from the moment our Constitution was ratified, there have been those who have sought to break it down, and with some measure of success.  Today our... I think I'll just call them POLITICIANS, as opposed to LEADERS, have concluded that the only way to get around that set of laws, is to BUY US OFF. Remember the part about mom providing everything I need?

It took me about 30 seconds to come up with a name for this blog site.  The point of ME THE PEOPLE is to underscore the idea that The Constitution of the United States, misunderstood as it has become, is not about WE, the collective, working together to make a better America.  It's about ME, the individual, and YOU too, of course, being free to pursue our own self-interests, thereby making a better America.

I'll get back to ya...

 Click here to veiw that BASIC SET
  

Click here to view the text from the Declaration of Independence

If you want something done right. do it yourseif...? Here goes EVERYTHING.

OKAY...  Sorry this is taking so long to get started.  I'm REALLY going to have to invest in that voice recognition software... or someone to transcribe my dictation.  It's not really an issue that can be addressed by better time management, I just don't HAVE enough time.

You see, I work in an industry in which 70 to 80 hours a week is not just considered NORMAL, but is expected.  And not just EXPECTED, but necessary to make a descent living.  If I said that was all I put in, I'd be deceiving you.  Don't get me wrong, I love what I do.  Just trying to educate you on what the people bringing you your groceries (and everything else) are up against.


It's unfortunate that while working this LONG week, those of us who have chosen this profession must do it EXACTLY RIGHT, or risk having large portions of our revenue confiscated by various LOCAL, STATE, and FEDERAL authorities.  IN FACT, in the state of Minnesota, answering incorrectly to questions on a VOLUNTARY survey, can cost both time and money.  Here's the story on that


It astounds me that an industry that is so VITAL to our national economy, is targeted so aggressively as a source of revenue, by all levels of government.  Perhaps this is because they know that, no matter how much they take, it's not going to go away.  It CAN'T go away.  It can only get more expensive to operate, the cost, OF COURSE, being passed on to the shipper, and then, OF COURSE, on to YOU the consumer.


This is one of the MANY issues (though far from the most important) that has brought me to this place in my life, where I can NO LONGER stand to just complain and say "something should be done".  It's time for me to ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING.


I said in my last post that, IN TIME, I would get to the purpose that brought this blog in to existence.  Well... I've given that more thought, and concluded that perhaps it would be better to START with that, rather than lead up to it.  That way everything you view here, over the next 12 months, can be considered in light of it's purpose.
The purpose is 2-FOLD.  The most important goal I have is to cause you to think... rather RETHINK about the way POLITICS and GOVERNMENT is done.  With any luck, to cause you to become involved... ENGAGED.  I don't mean calling or e-mailing your representatives in congress.  I mean BECOMING your representatives in congress. (more on this in the future)


My secondary goal is to maybe convince those of you in Ohio, to allow me to be a part of the solution.  I intend to have my name on the ballot for United States Senator, from the State of Ohio, in 2010.  That would be my REAL name, not Tom Sawyer.  (listen to the song, by Rush)


I mean it with my all heart, when I say this is my secondary goal.  If I can... WE (you and I) can cause enough REAL PEOPLE... REGULAR PEOPLE to get involved in OTHER STATES, and OTHER OFFICES, how things work out for me will be of little consequence.  Conversely, if I am allowed by the people of Ohio to become a part of the governing body, but I am alone on Capitol Hill, there will be little hope for change.  Every election cycle, someone puts their hand up and says "VOTE FOR ME, I'LL MAKE THINGS BETTER", and they MEAN it.  But they are one vote among many... one VOICE among many.  By the time they have been there long enough to have influence, they have either FORGOTTEN why they went in the first place, or been CONSUMED by the... ... machine? that is TODAY'S American politics.

I know... I know... we've heard a lot about change here recently.  So much in fact, that it's become cliche'. "CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN"...?  I'm talking about the kind of change I think the great men (and women, I'm sure) who FOUNDED this UNION believed in.  You need only look at our U.S. CONSTITUTION to understand what I mean by change.  REMEMBER... the CONSTITUTION?  The sacred document that guarantees our freedom from an ALL POWERFUL and OPPRESSIVE federal government?  CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW... and all THAT?  WELL, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, it's STILL the LAW of the LAND...


FOR NOW...


It's hanging on by a thread, and we're running out of chances to save it.


I'll get back to ya...




...OH YEAH... The song.  by RUSH

Just getting started

Please forgive me.

I'm new at this.

I'm not much of a talker, though I have QUITE A BIT to say.

Not much of a typist either... guess I'll have to get over that... Maybe I can get one of those voice recognition programs, to do the typing for me... Then I'd have to be a TALKER...

I'm starting this blog for a reason. I SAY that because, if anyone ever READS it... maybe passes it on to someone else, and then enough people read it to have it's desired effect, I don't want anyone to feel they were pulled in, or somehow TRICKED.

I'll get to the reason in time. For now, just keep in mind that there IS ONE.

I'd like to take a moment to apologize for the um... LACK of DECOR, on this site. I'll work on that, but I am pretty busy. What with bills to pay, and kids to feed, and that GREEDY UNCLE, scheming to take every extra dollar, I hardly have time to READ a blog, much LESS write one.

But... someone said, "if you want something done right, do it yourself." ...I'm guessing the someone who said that had an idea of the aptitude of the person he was saying it to. But, none the less, I heard it... so I'm gonna DO IT.

For now, with each post, I'll include a pic or two, taken as I travel about the country. That way, if my words don't hold your interest... maybe the pictures will. And I PROMISE, I'll dress it up in time. (as soon as i figure out how)

I KNOW I haven't said much to give an idea as to my purpose. But, bear with me. I have a YEAR to explain it. (it won't take nearly that long)

NOW, I need to go to bed. That UNCLE of mine, insists that I get a certain amount of sleep each night.

I'll get back to ya...

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

THIS... is a TEST. ... This is ONLY a test.... In the event of an actual emergency...?


Okay, it's an emergency. I'll get back to you.