E-Newsletter No. 126           June 2024

Many of the differences between the Democrat party and the Republican party were on full display during the June 27, 2024, debate between president Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump. 

Donald Trump stressed safety and security issues and protecting the rights of our country’s citizens.  These are the legitimate and constitutional roles of the federal government, which are to the benefit of all citizens under the general welfare clause.

Joe Biden promised additional federal government spending on a growing list of programs that are to the benefit of specific subgroups of our country’s citizens.  These “progressive” priorities are the root cause of the growth in the size and scope (and intrusiveness) of the federal government.  None of this spending was ever contemplated by our country’s founders when they wrote the Constitution.  The role of the (limited) federal government is spelled out in Article 1, Section 8, and the Tenth Amendment says that the powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the States or to We the People. 

US Debt Clock – – May 1^st – $103,100 per citizen / June 1st – $103,300

E-Newsletter No. 125           May 2024

In our previous newsletters we have discussed the weaponization of various federal government agencies.  This month, we discuss the collusion between the federal government and the mainstream media.  We all know about the government’s use of the media to advance their various narratives – – i.e., the alleged collusion between the Trump campaign Russia (there was none), the “murder” of George Floyd (he was not), the 2020 summer of mostly peaceful protests (they were not), the “murder” of US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick (he was not), the January 6^th “insurrection” (it was not), and that Hunter Biden’s laptop was a case of Russian disinformation (no, it was very real).  We also know about the government’s collusion with Big Tech firms to censor free speech on social media platforms, whereby a posting by an individual who disagrees with an established government narrative (primarily relating to the Covid pandemic and / or “vaccines”) would get their account suspended or revoked. 

It is true that governments use the media to advance their established narratives. Nazi Germany in the 1930s is a well-known example of a government’s use of propaganda.   Unfortunately, in many cases, the established narratives have subsequently been found to be false (see the list above).  But the weaponization of the media continues to occur.  A case in point is the shifting narrative on “Global Warming” (now known as “Climate Change”) and the ongoing war against fossil fuels and the government’s attempts to advance The Green New Deal. 

Another issue is the mainstream media’s abandonment of its primary responsibility to investigate and objectively report facts that come to light from their investigations.  It could very well be that the last best examples of journalists who fulfilled that obligation were Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who covered the Watergate scandal back in 1972 and 1973.  (“Follow the money”).  Other than a committee of the US House of Representatives, who in the media is investigating and reporting on the flow of funds from foreign governments to members of the Biden family?

Fortunately, there continues to be a few (non-mainstream) media companies that continue to investigate and report on important issues of the day.  The following link is to a documentary on the Weapons of Mass Migration – 

Weapons of Mass Migration | NEW Documentary              MassMigrationFilm.com/share

Have we heard about any of these facts from the mainstream media?

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recently delivered a commencement address at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic college in Ohio.  In his remarks about freedom of speech, he stated that “troubled waters are slamming against some of our most fundamental principles… Support for freedom of speech is declining dangerously.” A college campus should be a place where the exchange of ideas should be most protected, but very few colleges live up to that ideal.

Freedom of speech and an unfettered and objective media have been a vital part of our country’s heritage.  The citizens of our country are in danger of losing that legacy due to the federal government’s weaponization of the mainstream media.

US Debt Clock – – April 1^st – $102,900 per citizen / May 1st – $103,100

E-Newsletter No. 124            April 2024

A two-tiered justice system – An inequitable (unequal) system whereby some people face harsh punishment, while powerful people who commit crimes enjoy immunity.

Lawfare – Legal action(s) undertaken as part of a hostile campaign against a group of people or an individual.

Anyone who has studied history probably has developed a basic understanding of how wars are fought.  Military campaigns are conducted using a variety of weapons. 

Political campaigns are conducted by conveying messages – messages about policy issues, values and principles, and goals and objectives.  The messages are delivered at rallies and during interviews, and (in a perfect world) are covered objectively by a media that doesn’t insert their own bias into the reporting.

A growing number of voters on both the Left and the Right are beginning to realize that over the past several years, our country is moving towards a two-tiered justice system.  Many on the Left are just as concerned about this development as are conservatives, because they realize an unequal legal system is a danger to the future of our country. 

Unfortunately, some people either deny the evidence or are OK with this development, because to achieve their objectives, the ends they seek to achieve are justified by any means necessary.  Some political campaigns include a tactic to suppress their opponents’ messages.  More on that next month. 

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This month the US Congress passed a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel.  Unfortunately, the legislation did not include any funding to protect our country’s citizens from the invasion that is occurring on our southern border.

US Debt Clock – – March 1^st – $102,350 per citizen / April 1st – $102,900

E-Newsletter No. 123            March 2024

The list is long, and we don’t have enough space this month to go into a detailed discussion about these incidents, but we are providing a partial list of some of the federal government’s recent transgressions:  Lois Lerner and the IRS targeted conservative groups by screening for key words such as “patriot” or “tea party” when processing the groups’ applications for Not for Profit status; the FBI (at the behest of the teachers unions) labeled parents who protested at school board meetings as being domestic terrorists; the FBI characterized Catholics with a devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass as possible domestic threats; and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), the Office of the US Surgeon General, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI, and the White House colluded with Big Tech companies (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, et al) to censor free speech that deviated from the Left’s narrative(s) about vaccines and the pandemic.

And let’s not forget the suppression of the New York Post’s reporting on the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop in the month prior to the 2020 election.

Our unalienable rights are under attack by the Left.  It is oftentimes said that the Second Amendment is necessary to provide protection for a person’s life as well as their unalienable rights.  We will go into a further discussion about the federal government’s attacks on freedom of speech, religious liberties, and the right to peaceably assemble in next month’s newsletter.

During a recent session of the US Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made a comment that the First Amendment “hamstrings” the federal government.  Yep.  Our Founders were very wise when they listed these unalienable rights that need protection from the overreach of government (because that is what governments eventually attempt to do).  Either she is incredibly ignorant about the reasons behind the Bill of Rights, or she doesn’t care about our citizens’ rights.  Should we expect more of someone who sits on the country’s top court?  Absolutely, yes.   Unfortunately, this is what you get when it’s more important to fulfill DEI quotas rather than choose someone who respects the oath of office they take to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

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Well, the federal government’s budget for the fiscal year that began last October 1^st has finally been passed by Congress.  This year, we didn’t suffer from Congress passing an Omnibus spending bill.  Instead, we got two “minibus” bills.  Could it have been worse?  Without a doubt.  Many of the Left’s spending requests were eventually denied.  Could it have been better?  Absolutely.  We have included a link to Rand Paul’s 14-minute speech on the Senate floor about earmarks and pork barrel spending.  More importantly, he reinforced the fundamental concepts espoused by our country’s Founders in the US Constitution, and he clarified the meaning of the General Welfare clause, which has been perverted by the Left. 

Sen. Rand Paul exposes shocking pork barrel spending

Special interest spending is not for the general welfare of the country. This unconstitutional spending leads to generalized inflation, and inflation is a general punishment on our country’s citizens.  The resulting deficit and the growing debt problem are an immoral punishment that is being inflicted upon our children and grandchildren.

It just so happens that on Monday, March 11^th, the Biden administration released its proposed $7.3 trillion spending plan and budget for fiscal 2025.  The $1.5 trillion deficit projected for the current year is projected to rise to $1.8 trillion next year.  The ten-year projection foresees no discernable decrease in the amount of the annual deficit, because there is no change in the Democrat party’s desire to buy more votes and further bankrupt our country. 

US Debt Clock – – February 1^st – $101,640 per citizen / March 1st – $102,350

E-Newsletter No. 122            February 2024

Tyranny – Cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control.

Tyranny has always existed in history.  In the mid- to late 1700s, the source of tyranny in America was King George.  Over half of the text of The Declaration of Independence was a list of grievances, documenting the tyranny the colonists were experiencing. 

In today’s world, tyranny can emanate from a wide variety of sources – – the federal government’s Administrative State, from state legislative bodies, and even from a “democratic” majority that wishes to exercise its power over other people’s lives.  A companion word that accompanies tyranny is coercion – the use of power to achieve a result that other individuals oppose.

Let’s start with the Second Amendment.  The government’s desire to restrict our citizens’ rights to keep and bear arms emanates from the Democrat party and its leadership in the federal government.  The Left was able to pass a federal “assault weapons” ban in 1994, which subsequently expired in 2004.  Subsequent studies on the effectiveness of the ban, including a congressionally mandated study, a 2014 study published in a book by the Oxford University Press and a 2020 Rand Corporation review, concluded there was no compelling evidence the ban saved lives.

However, the Left’s desire to impose its will on our country’s citizens has not abated.  Another tactic of the Left is to pass legislation at the state level, in the hope that a state law will help set a precedent that can then be applied in other jurisdictions.  Fortunately, these laws have consistently been overturned by the US Supreme Court, which has the responsibility to follow the original intent of the US Constitution to protect our citizens’ unalienable rights.

History has many examples of what tragically happens when citizens’ unalienable rights are violated.  The list is long, but we will only mention one of the most tragic examples.  In November 1938, the Verordnung gegen den Waffenbesitz der Juden prohibited the possession of firearms and bladed weapons by Jews.  We all know what happened to the Jews in Germany in the subsequent years. 

It is oftentimes said that one of the primary reasons for the Second Amendment is to protect our citizens’ rights listed in the First Amendment.  That is the discussion for next month’s newsletter.

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BTW – As you may recall, Congress “punted” (yet again) on the federal government’s budget for the year that began last October 1^st.  The new targeted date for some of those appropriation bills is now March 1^st and is March 8^th for the other appropriation bills.  Let’s see what they’ll do (or not do).      

US Debt Clock – – January 1^st – $101,230 per citizen / February 1st – $101,640

E-Newsletter No. 121            January 2024

What is “the Administrative State”?  The simple textbook answer is – – The Administrative State is part of the Executive Branch and is comprised of the various agencies that have been established to perform the functions of the federal government.  It is oftentimes referred to as the “Fourth Branch” of the government.  On our website, we have an original Conversation Piece from October 2013 that lists those various agencies.

What-The-Government-Should-and-Should-Not-Do.pdf (f2ppr.org)

Set aside for a moment that the annual spending amounts shown in that Conversation Piece are from ten years ago, along with the fact that the current annual deficit amount is now a multiple of what it was back then.  We also need to momentarily set aside the issue that most of these departments and agencies are a violation of the Tenth Amendment, and this spending and the resulting deficit that arises is a direct result of the “progressive” movement. 

You will notice that at the top of the list is the Social Security Administration, which is a socialist concept that if left unaltered will eventually lead to the financial ruin of future generations.  Back in October 2013, we indicated that if the functions of several of these “non-constitutional” agencies were to be handled by the states and civil society groups, the spending of the federal government could be reduced by over 48 percent.  And that reduction didn’t even include any cuts for Social Security, which we subsequently addressed a few years later in The 2020 Initiative. We recommend slowly systematically transforming the Social Security program into a means-tested welfare benefit.

In conservative circles, the Administrative State is oftentimes referred to as The Swamp, rife with all sorts of fraud and abuse.  In its most corrupt state, it is also referred to as The Deep State – – agencies run by unelected bureaucrats with their own self-interests, with no accountability, and pursuing their own (oftentimes hidden) objectives, rather than providing for the general welfare of the country as a whole.  In recent years, one of the most troubling aspects of The Deep State is how those agencies are being weaponized against We-The-People.  That is the topic for next month’s newsletter.       

US Debt Clock – – December 1^st – $100,710 per citizen / January 1st – $101,230

E-Newsletter No. 120            December 2023

Article I of the US Constitution sets out the structure and the responsibilities of the Legislative Branch of the federal government.  Our October and November newsletters discussed our country’s dysfunctional Congress and its lack of fiscal responsibility.  This month we will address Article II and the Executive Branch. 

Article II states that the executive power of the federal government shall be vested in the President of the United States.  Under the system of checks and balances laid out by our country’s Founders, the Legislature writes laws, the Executive Branch executes those laws, and the Judiciary has the responsibility to address all cases, in law and equity, under the Constitution.  Article II requires that the President “shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed,” and it states that the President shall also be the Commander in Chief of the various branches of our country’s military.

Let’s first address military matters, because one of the most important responsibilities of the federal government is to protect our country from foreign adversaries.  The Legislature appropriates the funds that are needed by our military and (on paper) has the sole power to declare war.  However, the last war that was formally declared by Congress under the provisions of the Constitution was our country’s involvement in World War II.  All other military engagements since WW2 have been conducted under the direction of the President as Commander in Chief.  Regardless of how these military engagements are initiated, the successes and failures of these engagements (which include the disastrous withdrawal of our forces from Afghanistan in August 2021) is the responsibility of the Commander in Chief.

As noted above, Article II requires that “the laws be faithfully executed.“  Unfortunately, our country’s immigration laws are not being faithfully executed.  As a matter of fact, the disastrous situation that has been occurring on our southern border for the past several years is a direct result of refusing to execute the laws that have been passed by Congress.  The term “illegal alien” is well documented in our country’s statutes.  However, the preferred term now being used by the current administration is “undocumented migrant.”  Illegal aliens are committing a crime by entering our country in violation of our country’s laws.  The primary problem is that our country’s laws are not being faithfully executed.

A growing Constitutional problem is the President’s use of Executive Orders.  All laws are supposed to be passed by the Legislature.  The Executive Branch should not write laws (nor unilaterally forgive student loan indebtedness in defiance of Nancy Pelosi and the Supreme Court).  In his first year in office, President Barack Obama issued 39 Executive Orders.  In his first year in office, President Donald Trump issued 55 Executive Orders (many of which were to reverse Executive Orders issued by President Obama).  In his first year in office, President Joe Biden issued 77 Executive Orders (many of which were to reverse Executive Orders issued by President Trump).  Our Editorial Board believes that every Executive Order should be voted on by the House of Representative and Senate, and if a majority of both houses agree, it would be OK for that Executive Order to take effect.

Next month, we will address “the Administrative State” (aka “the Swamp”) which has resulted in a massive increase in the size and scope of the federal government.  Many of these departments are outside the scope of the US Constitution (our Founders would not approve) and unfortunately, many of these departments in effect both write the rules and regulations (the laws) and then interpret and adjudicate any issues that arise.      

US Debt Clock – – November 1^st – $100,350 per citizen / December 1st – $100,710

E-Newsletter No. 119            November 2023

We are deferring our discussion about the Executive Branch and our weaponized Administrative State (aka the Swamp) until next month.  This month’s newsletter will pick up on the ongoing dysfunction relating to the federal government’s lack of fiscal responsibility.

As you recall, when the federal government’s new fiscal year was about to begin on October 1^st and the required appropriation bills had not yet been passed, Congress chose to continue to follow “business as usual” and passed a short-term Continuing Resolution to provide authorization for continued spending at current spending levels through Friday November 17^th (right before Thanksgiving).  This ongoing dysfunction of failing to pass the required appropriation bills on a timely basis cost Kevin McCarthy his job as Speaker of the House, because his “deal” with House conservatives back in January was to not let this happen yet again.

Are things any better now that the House of Representatives has elected Mike Johnson as Speaker?  In our opinion, the answer is “Somewhat.”  On November 14th, the US House passed a “laddered” Continuing Resolution, which was subsequently approved by the Senate and signed by President Biden on November 16^th.  This temporarily averted a government shut down, as the can was again successfully kicked down the road.  Spending at current levels under four of the appropriations can continue until January 19^th and can continue for the other eight appropriations until February 2^nd.

While all of this was going on this past month, a significant and unprecedented event happened, which received close to zero coverage by the corrupt mainstream media.  The amount of the federal government’s “on book” debt owed on behalf of every citizen (every man, woman, retiree and minor child) is now officially over $100,000 each.  How we got to this unprecedented level of debt is easy to discern.  The issue is not due to a “government revenue” problem – – the taxes that taxpayers pay is burdensome enough.  The debt problem continues to grow due to unchecked spending by the government.  As we discussed last month, the unfortunate truth is that the largest portion of this spending is for the Socialist programs known as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and welfare, along with interest on the constantly growing debt.  The government is putting this spending on its “credit card” and is pushing the obligation onto future generations.  It’s no wonder that the government’s credit rating was recently downgraded.

This month, we added a new Conversation Piece to our website.  Fiscally responsible individuals need to “manage their checkbook.”  Unfortunately, the federal government’s financing is upside down (basically, the checkbook balance is zero) so the government finds itself (mis)managing its “debt book.”  We didn’t go all the way back to the start of the government’s debt book, but the link below takes you to a table that shows the progression of the government’s debt amount (which is driven by the spending requests of the Progressive Left) since January 1, 2014.  This “debt book” balance has grown to $33.7 trillion as of November 1, 2023.

www.f2ppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The-Federal-Governments-Debt-Book.xls  

US Debt Clock – – October 1^st – $98,800 per citizen / November 1st – $100,350

E-Newsletter No. 118              October 2023

This month, we were planning to wrap up our observations about the differences in the values that are most important to Leftists and Conservatives.  However, due to the “news” this past month, we decided to address what is happening (or not) in Washington DC.  It seems like nearly everyone in the country (except hard-core Leftists and anarchists) is unhappy with our federal government.  A recent Pew Research Center poll shows near record lows for every branch of the federal government.  Next month, we will discuss the Executive Branch, along with several federal agencies (i.e., the Administrative State aka the Swamp). 

Congress (both the Senate and the House of Representatives) is a mess.  The last time Congress fulfilled its fiscal obligations and passed all twelve appropriations bills prior to September 30^th was in 1997.  For 26 years, this dysfunction has led to government shutdowns, massive Omnibus Spending bills, and Continuing Resolutions.  These bills simply perpetuate the problems that have led to $33.66 trillion of “on book” debt. 

Keep in mind the fact that the twelve appropriations bills do not address the trillions of spending for the Socialist programs called Social Security and Medicare.  The outflow for these programs, plus Medicaid, in the year ended September 30^th totaled over $2.4 trillion.   It is estimated that the unfunded obligations for the promises made under these programs is over $75 trillion, which is over twice the amount of the “on book” debt.  Until these Socialist programs get fundamentally transformed (or eliminated) we will continue to weep for future generations.  But we digress.

In the year just ended, the deficit rose to $1.7 trillion, compared to $1.4 trillion the year before.  Nearly 10% of the cumulative debt has arisen in just the past two years.  Spending was $6.1 trillion and revenues were $4.4 trillion.  The government spent over 35% more than it took in.  The Socialist programs, plus interest on the debt are nearly half of the government’s spending.  These programs and the interest on the debt are on “automatic pilot” and are not separately budgeted.   Which leaves us with the budget process for the other half of the government’s spending to be approved via the twelve appropriations bills.

So…  What are those twelve bills?  We will use “shortened” names, but they describe the nature of the spending.  Our Editorial Board generally supports six of these bills (not necessarily their bloated spending) because they are enumerated in the Constitution – Defense, Homeland Security, Military Spending, the Legislative Branch, Department of State & Foreign Operations, Financial Services & General Government (Treasury, Courts and Executive Branch).  The other six bills are questionable under the Constitution – Agriculture, Labor (which includes Health & Human Services and Education), Energy & Water, Interior, Transportation, and “Commerce” (as currently expansively defined and conducted).

Kevin McCarthy was subjected to 15 rounds of voting in January before he was elected Speaker of the House.  He was elected only after he promised that things would change and twelve appropriations bills would be passed prior to September 30^th.  That didn’t happen, and to a large degree that was due to the Democrats’ resistance to control spending and their demands for more spending on “their” priorities.  Unfortunately, we will “continue to get what we deserve” (and our children and grandchildren will suffer the consequences) until fundamental, lasting change happens in Congress. 

US Debt Clock – – September 1^st – $97,850 per citizen / October 1st – $98,800

E-Newsletter No. 117              September 2023

Last month, we discussed the reason why Socialism has failed in every single instance where it has been tried – (Human Nature).  Each person is an individual with unique talents and needs and wants.  A centrally planned economy is doomed to failure because elites (bureaucrats) will never be able to know what each individual’s abilities or wants might be.

Unfortunately, this has led to a new class struggle in our country, which is between We-the-People versus “them.”  The elitists / bureaucrats in Washington DC will not stop in their attempts to control every aspect of people’s lives.  Soon, we will not be able to drive gasoline-powered automobiles, buy natural gas stoves or incandescent light bulbs, etc. etc.

And why is that?  There is another aspect of Human Nature that has always been lurking in the shadows, but which has now come front and center for everyone to see.  In our February 2018 newsletter, we discussed the Seven Deadly Sins.  In that newsletter, we (“half-jokingly”) made the case that in the commercial / business world “Greed is good.”  But, having said that…  In the government / political world, we believe that Greed is the most deadly of all the deadly sins.  Greed for power is more deadly than greed for money. 

It is becoming readily apparent to We-the-People that we are at a crossroads in our country’s history.  Conservatives have always considered America to be great.  However, our country is currently in decline, and we need to make it great again.  Conservatives have always thought our Constitution was great, but the unrelenting onslaught by the “progressive” movement to fundamentally transform our country has led to several significant deviations from our founding principles.  It is readily apparent that our federal government is absolutely NOT great anymore because of the progressive movement, and this is why the current approval rating for each and every single element of the federal government is at an all-time low.

The greed for power and control has also led to a disproportionate amount of wealth being funneled to the elites in Washington DC.  Big Government Socialists want you to focus on the wealth earned by capitalists, rather than focus on the inhabitants of the swamp (i.e., the elected and appointed officials and the members of the Administrative State).  That accumulation of power has facilitated that accumulation of wealth.  Socialism always leads to greed for power.  Modern-day Marxists (and RINOs) choose to ignore that aspect of human nature.  They desperately want to hold on to that power, and that is the reason why we get the likes of Diane Feinstein, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, “the big guy”, etc. etc.

There are three planks in the Convention of States resolution – Term Limits, Fiscal Responsibility, and Reducing the size and scope of the federal government.  All three planks are more vital than ever, because the new class warfare now being waged is between We-the-People and “them.”

US Debt Clock – – August 1^st – $97,500 per citizen / September 1st – $97,850