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U.S. History 101

Republican Party History

Libertarian Party History

More food for thought?

The Real First President of the United States

The Skull and Bones Society of Yale University

The First American Revolution

Libertarian Info

Placer County Libertarian Party
www.AmericanLiberty.org

CA Libertarian Party
http://ca.lp.org

Libertarian Party (National)
www.lp.org

CATO Institute
www.cato.org

Michael Patrick Murphy, 2006 Libertarian Candidate for the CA Assembly District 4
6th of February, 2007

Imagine we passive taxpayers footing the bill for a military budget that would spend more on defense than all other countries combined! Apparently, that's the Bush "take over the planet and run the place" plan. The 2007 deficit is projected at 244 Billion added to a 27 Trillion national debt, the largest debt in the world! Bush's budget, in theory, plans to lower taxes and decrease spending at the same time as the military budget increase.

Perhaps Bush would like us to believe he is a magician of some sort. However, his past record shows him to be anything but. The only magic G.W. knows is how to bamboozle his countrymen into giving him yet another reprieve. With popularity ratings at the country's all time lowest, at 30 percent, it's a good time to look ahead at a better next president. Meanwhile, Bush ought to be impeached along with his whole cabinet. Contrary to the opinion of some, the country would actually benefit with a huge impeachment. That would be two Presidents in a row. I wouldn't stop there. I'd like to see the public become informed by a trial with all evidence admitted so that "we the people" can see how things are really done in Washington. Knowledge is power and right now, Bush et al try to hide everything. They don't want us to know all the hands in the cookie jar.

Of course in general, the people of this "no longer great nation" don't have the guts to do the right thing anymore. We would rather entertain ourselves on credit. Perhaps George reflects us in that perverse way. As a nation, we have negative savings and spend 20% more than we make. Our government simply magnifies our own shortcomings. In that sense, we are well represented by G.W. He is the symbol of our irresponsibility.

As a people, we don't see the connection between our own laziness and apathy, and all the death and destruction around the world. It's never our own fault. It's always somebody else's. When Davis was governor of California, I used to joke, "I don't have to be responsible at all. I follow the example of my governor and my president." After all, we don't feel the pain as directly as we should. Of course, some do and some will. There's always some wet-behind the ears kid enlisting to fund their college or to follow a family tradition, or to demonstrate their patriotism, but they fall far short of understanding the world they live in before they go out to drop bombs on the heads of other families they've never met. Some do pay the ultimate price while others use their deaths and wounds as an excuse to continue the battle regardless of all logic against it. Their plea is that they would have lost their lives in vain. It may be a shock to these apologists, but much of what war is about is vanity.

While we seek ways of helping kids break from the loyalty and vengeance that keeps them in gangs, we don't apply the same efforts to keeping our country out of similar wars. To finance themselves, the gangs have drugs while governments have oil. As a matter of fact, as a people, we have become to poorly educated to understand the issues that have led us to continue being at war all the time. Our national barbarism is nothing new. Traditionally, Americans have thrived upon it. Just look at the violence we watch at the movies or on TV.

Unfortunately, many of us have given up on trying to understand the mess. We don't go to City Council meetings. We personally fund candidates so poorly that it is no wonder that they are owned by special interests and corporate lobbyists. We don't lift a finger. We simply grab the remote control and vegetate.

As a nation, we will have earned the coming collapse and resulting totalitarian controls over our lives. Being free is political hard work and political hard work is what Americans avoid. We avoid our responsibility as citizens. Then we curse those in office based on our simplistic uninformed views gathered from what the corporate media delivers to our ears and eyes. Yes, the nation has slept with dogs and seems apathetic to the fleas. We barely scratch the surface of reality as we dive into our fantasy world of DVD's and iPods. Maybe we are more "plugged in," but we are also tuned out."

Ironically, with the Internet and the abundance of information at our finger tips, few of us get excited by the world around us. Instead we sense that it is all too overwhelming to understand.

Is it?

Letting things go in the direction they are going is already fatal to many Americans. Add 911 to Katrina, Iraq, auto accidents and gang warfare and you'll quickly see what I mean. We can't afford our own health care while spending a small fortune on SUV's. We lack a wise sense of priorities and look to Big Brother to print money to pay for our stupidity. Each average American Family owes the Federal Government $500,000 and then an additional $100,000 in personal debt. After you consider that fact, how wealthy are you really? If you were to pay it off, you'd look a lot more like any other third world resident. So much for American wealth.

At what point will we turn back the pages to the vision of the Founding Fathers? How wretched must we become before we take action, and then, what will be the cost to get America back on track? How socialist will we become? How much tyranny will we tolerate? How many prisons will we have to build? How many prisoners will there have to be? How many political prisoners? How many "disappeared?" How many bombs will have been dropped, and on whom?

We like life simple and information delivered in less than 3 seconds or, "Why bother." Okay then, here's simple.

Six Things You Can Do to Improve Government!

1. Never vote Republican or Democrat again as long as you live. If they are running under the banner of those two parties, they've already sold their souls. Believe it or not, you are not innocent. You are responsible for what your elected officials do or don't do because in America, you are the boss. As things stand, the great majority of you are simply a negligent. I can blame you for everything that happens from higher debt, higher taxes, more war, more crime, etc. And I do. I always say, that "Americans get what they deserve." Unfortunately, I get what you deserve, too! That's the price of having so many bosses and a "tyranny of the majority" in apathetic control of the country.
2. Never buy a copy of any local newspaper or listen to any radio station that has a consistent Republican or Democratic slant. If you must read one, borrow the neighbors. Get your information online. It doesn't waste trees, is cheaper and its a much more level playing field. (You got here didn't you?)
3. Register to vote as a Decline to State, Libertarian or Green voter. There is much more honor there. Send a clear message to the two big lobbies. Demand that candidates not be "on the take." Then help them get elected.
4. Know the candidates by driving down to City Hall and looking up who gives them money. Look up their contributions on the Internet. Then, while you're there, look up the agendas for your city, county, or other office to see how incumbents votes. It's easy.
5. Demand accountability and transparency on candidates websites and in every aspect of their careers. Their whole record should be there for you to see. Their contributions should be visible too. If they don't do it, then they are not accountable and transparent. It's as simple as that.
6. Run for office yourself. Even if you lose, you'll have at least a much better understanding of how the system works (or doesn't work).

How I would I fix our budget

1. First, I would put America back on the gold standard and lock currencies to it. The government would no longer be able to create inflation by printing counterfeit money. All money would be redeemable for gold.
2. Pay down the National Debt first. The budget would include paying off a portion of the National Debt and all interest owed each year.
3. Stop budget deficits. We would not be allowed to increase the National Debt by having budget deficits.
4. Send Americans a copy of the General Budget and a bill for it. Have a link to government budget information attached to all tax forms. If you're going to have kids, take responsibility. If you have a family of four, you pay for a family of four–no discounts and no favoritism for choosing to have children. When expenses are lowered, taxes can be lowered. Cut the government back to doing a few things well rather than so many things badly. This means the EVENTUAL elimination of at least 90 percent of the Federal Government.
5. If necessary, increase taxes to pay for the Federal Governments activities. Americans, might actually wake up and vote for less spending when they realize that the government "pays as it goes" and that they too must pay as they go. They might stop electing wasteful politicians and spend more time being politically responsible. They might see the wisdom in smaller more local government existing under the more watchful eyes of its citizens.

The results of these actions would mean a more responsible people with a government that reflects that. It would mean less war and more favorable international relations. It would mean greater personal wealth and lower personal debt. It would mean more freedom and less crime. To learn more, start reading more. Start understanding the world you live in by becoming more informed. These are all positives. The only thing it requires on your part is more honesty and discipline. We can live in a better world. It all starts with you. If we all continue to wait for everybody else to go first, we'll be visiting the Grim Reaper before a better world appears.

Volunteers are needed to Run Against Rocklin City Council and Placer County Supervisor Incumbents. Let's bring social and economic freedom back to Placer County!
Call (916) 435-9090 for more info.

Mike's views do not necessarily represent the views of the Placer County Libertarian Party Mike can be reached at mmurphy@americanliberty.org
Michael Patrick Murphy is the author of The Government, ISBN 0-595-30863-5 He is also running for the State Assembly in District 4. His campaign site is www.murphyforassembly.com