An Email to my Congressman

Below is an email I sent to my Congressman about Senate Bill 1867 (National Defense Authorization Act).  This bill that passed the Senate recently leaves it open to interpretation that a U.S. citizen within the borders of the United States can be captured and held indefinitely without trial if they are suspected of terrorist activities.  Some of you might agree with that, but remember, this is the same administration that believes people with Ron Paul bumper stickers, the Tea Party, and returning military veterans are likely domestic terrorists.  Yet this same administration refuses to acknowledge Islamic Terrorism.

I suggest you contact your Congressman and ask them to vote "no" on this bill once it heads to the House.  Below is the text of the email I sent to my Congressman.


Congressman Doggett,

I am writing to you to ask you to vote NO on the National Defense Authorization Act (Senate Bill 1867) once it gets to the House.  The fact that this bill leaves it open to interpretation that U.S. citizens inside our own borders can be detained and held without trial is unbelievable.  This actually passed the Senate!  For quite awhile now I have noticed that we are no longer a free country.  Just trying to open up my own Investment Advising firm has proven that both parties' goal is to use regulations to keep honest people like me from opening my own firm.

But Senate Bill 1867 is definitely the nail in the coffin of the United States.  I am 31 years old, and I am very disheartened that over the last 20 years we have believed politicians' lies that we can continue to spend and promise social programs that nobody understood the costs in the long term.  All the politicians looked at was the amount of votes they would receive to get re-elected. 

The insider trading I see going on with those in Congress makes me sick.  If I traded on the same information that Congressman act on I would go to prison!  How can these so called "representatives of the people" go into public office an average person and come out millionaires?  No wonder our elected representatives NEVER leave office until being forced out. 

Both parties are at fault.  You have come to love your power and persuasion more than you love our country and doing what is right. 

And no, its not all Obama's fault. 

I see our country is similar to the Titanic.  Our ship is broken in half, bobbing up and down, about to go to the bottom of the sea... and here we are arguing that changing the Captain is going to solve our problems.  It's not going to happen.

Our country has been steered directly into an iceberg by our elected representatives over the last 20 years.  And we the people, have allowed you to do it because we had an unprecedented amount of credit expansion via low rates provided by the Federal Reserve to live way above our means.  We were comfortable as long as we had a 4 bedroom house, 2 nice cars, a boat, reality TV shows and football on TV.  The people falsely believed the lies by our representatives that we could continue to expand the Federal Government and it's programs with no adverse consequences.

It is sad that we have allowed our country to spend itself into its own destruction.

Please vote no on Senate Bill 1867 and show that we at least aren't going to completely throw the Constitution out the window....yet.

Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme?

I was watching the Fox News Republican Presidential debate today and the back and forth between Romney and Perry really got my attention.  First of all, Perry does believe (as I do) that Social Security is unconstitutional and that if it exists at all it should be provided by the states.  Perry is now back-peddling from that stance because he believes that it will be very difficult to win the Primary (or the General Election for that matter) if he maintains that position on Social Security.

Romney really hammered Perry on that position tonight.  Romney pointed out how in Perry’s book “Fed Up” he called Social Security a Ponzi scheme.  First of all, the average person doesn’t even know what a Ponzi Scheme is.  A Ponzi scheme is basically paying early investors returns based solely on recruiting new investors into the fund.  As long as you are recruiting new investors then everything works fine…especially for the people who got in early.  But as Bernie Madoff found out, once you can’t recruit any new investors, your scheme collapses from within.  Bernie Madoff is now spending life in prison and what’s even more tragic is he lost many people’s life savings.

Social security IS in fact a Ponzi scheme!  People who are collecting the funds (retirees) are not collecting their own funds they put into it (in fact some didn’t contribute at all).  The funds that were initially invested were spent a long time ago by the Federal Government.  The funds being paid to retirees are from the funds being paid by current workers.  If this pool of workers shrinks, this system will fall apart.  Especially in this economy, we are not creating new jobs; hence, the pool of people contributing to social security is not keeping up with the amount of people receiving social security benefits.  It WILL fall apart.  It’s a mathematical certainty.

Social Security IS UNCONSTITUIONAL!  The Federal Government has NO Constitutional authority to force free citizens to pay into Social Security.  NOTHING makes people more dependent on Government than people literally needing those funds to survive.  Shame on us for allowing ourselves into being duped into this program that was made to make us beholden to a Federal Government for our very livelihood.   

Since I’m not running for office I can tell it like it is.  If I offend you…tough.  We must have this conversation.  Most Republicans like Federal Programs as long as it benefits them.  What makes these Republicans any different than a Democrat who believes they should keep the programs that benefit them?  Let’s face it; most Republicans are for a Government that stays within the confines of the Constitution.  Yet, take a poll and see how roughly only 10% are for ending Social Security and sending it back to the states where it belongs.  We have neglected to pay attention to the Constitution and Freedom for so long that 90% of Republicans don’t even know what it is anymore. 

Perry also said that by any measure, Social Security has been a failure.  Romney argued saying that it has worked great for the millions of people who have depended on it for decades.  Let me be Perry’s campaign manager for a second here.  EVERY PONZI SCHEME WORKS GREAT FOR THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP!  Bernie Madoff’s 50 Billion dollar Ponzi scheme also worked great for the people who got in early.  This is the question I would pose to Romney, “Bernie Madoff’s investment strategy also worked for years, the people who got in early made money.  Governor Romney, are you also going to claim that Madoff’s investment strategy was a success for many people?”  If that’s the case, Romney should give Bernie Madoff a pardon as soon as he is elected president. 

The fact of the matter is most (but not all) Republican’s don’t understand what Freedom is.  This is why Perry is back-peddling on his stance on social security.  He has looked at the polls and knows that he is on the losing side of the argument.  Instead of back-peddling Perry should be straight with the American people.  He should explain his position as to why Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, he should explain how it keeps people dependent on the government, and he should also give examples of how States can empower their own people to take control of their own retirement. 

Romney also said, “Social Security is part of the bedrock of the social fabric of our country.”  That is a scary statement.  To say the bedrock of our country is a Federal Program should frighten us all.  This is not a statement from a person who believes in empowering the people to take control of their own lives.  If we want to change our country we must come to grips with what Freedom really is.  It means we must give up the false belief in financial security through a Federal Government program.  Freedom is scary, it’s not perfect, but it is the best system there is for giving everyone the best chance for success.  If you believe the Federal Government should stay within the confines of the Constitution, please re-asses your belief in Social Security.  Don’t take my word for it, read the Constitution and determine for yourself if this program in Constitutional or not. 

Debt Ceiling Debate

Hello everyone,

I have some exciting news.  I have been asked to be the Treasurer on a Congressional Campaign here in Texas.  I go into details on that at the end of this write up.

But first lets discuss the current fiasco in D.C.  Well it appears the Democrats and Republicans have come to an agreement on raising the debt ceiling.  If you read my blog back in January on the debt ceiling you probably think I have some sort of psychic abilities.  Well I don’t.  Once you understand that probably 80% of all politicians are only looking toward the next election it is pretty easy to figure out how these important issues will be voted on. 

 I expressed in my blog back in January that there was going to be a lot of bickering between the two sides but in the end they are more worried about getting re-elected than doing the “hard things” necessary to avoid a currency crisis.  I said that they would raise the debt ceiling in the end with no real changes to their excessive spending habits.  Well if you’ve looked at either sides plan, you’ll find this is exactly what they’re doing.

The deal that appears is going to pass today does essentially nothing to address the real cause of our spending problems: Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.  The so called “spending cuts” are not spending cuts in the way you and I think about our budgets.  Instead, the "cuts" being discussed are illusory, and are not cuts from current amounts being spent, but cuts in projected spending increases. 

As Ron Paul said today, this is equivalent to a family saying they are going to save $100,000 by not purchasing a new Lamborghini and instead buying a fully loaded Mercedes.  When in reality, their Toyota works just fine.  Our government is out of control…both aisles.

The results of this dog and pony show will be higher costs for commodities across the board as futures traders realize this is no plan at all and our government will have to continue to monetize (print) our way out of this debt.  This means higher costs for gasoline, electricity, and grocery bills in the not too distant future.  Our only hope to stave off higher inflation is if the economy goes into a massive recession which will help slow the cost of rising prices due to nobody being able to afford to pay the higher costs.  Not exactly something to hope for. 

The manufacturing index (a figure closely monitored on Wall Street) showed we look to be heading back into recession.  The Obama administration forecasted our GDP to grow by over 4% this year, in the first 2 quarters our GDP on average is about .8%.  We need a growth rate of roughly 9% for the next two quarters to make their projections.  Yet these same people claim they can forecast interest rates out 10 years and give us accurate predictions of our deficit in 2020!  What a joke!  They really think we are stupid to not be able to see through these shenanigans. 

As you all know, I am a staunch believer in Freedom.  I have been asked to be the Treasurer on the Brian Matthews for Congress Campaign here in Texas.  Brian Matthews is an elder at my Church.   God called me for some reason to send my blog to him, and he responded with wanting to get together to get my opinion on my view of government.  He is a Constitutional Conservative, and is as concerned as I am how both democrats and republicans have lost their way.  We see pretty much eye to eye on 98% of the issues.  We are trying to raise as much funds as possible since there is sure to be many opponents in this race.  There is no incumbent since this is a new district so we have a good chance of winning.  But even more important than funds, we need prayer.  Politics isn’t exactly for the faint of heart.  There is sure to be a lot of hurtful things said about us, and outright lies being spread about Brian Matthews, his family, and our campaign. 

Our message is based on three principles:  Faith, Family, and Freedom.  Brian Matthews is a small business owner; he is NOT just another career politician.  Please visit our website at BrianMatthewsforCongress.com and see where he stands on the issues.  Brian may be running for Congress in Texas but he plans on being a voice for Americans all over the country.  If you feel called to help us with a donation of any amount you can donate through our website or mail a check made out to Brian Matthews for Congress and mail it to 7401 West Slaughter Lane, Suite 5031, Austin, TX 78739. 

Thanks everyone!

Tribute to Glenn Beck

For those of you who didn’t know, today was the final episode of Glenn Beck on the Fox News Channel.  I wanted to take some time in using this blog to thank Glenn Beck for his tireless effort in pursuit of bringing a different perspective to politics.  I can’t imagine how many enemies he has made on both the right and left.  It really was a breath of fresh air to see someone stand up for what’s right regardless of the heat he has taken for it. 

He was (and still is) a polarizing figure.  He questions the motives on both sides of the aisle.  This is what makes him so dangerous and why he has come under such relentless attacks.  He has exposed how dirty of a game politics truly is, and yes, it is on both sides of the aisle.  We have allowed a President to take our freedom away as long as it was a Republican…or as long as it’s a Democrat.  Government ran by a republican or democrat is the enemy of freedom.  It is like fire, if kept small and controlled it is great, but left to grow out of control it will destroy everything in its path.  Glenn has helped to awaken us to this.  I believe more and more people on both sides of the aisle are starting to realize that it doesn’t matter who the President is, we end up with more debt, more wars, higher prices, and a bigger government.  There has been an awakening.

For the first time I don’t have much interest in the Presidential election coming up.  I guess after doing my own research and watching Glenn I have come to the conclusion that politicians will do anything to get elected.  That doesn’t mean I won’t vote.  I will vote for the person who wants to take power away from the government.  I refuse to vote for anyone who says government is the answer to our problems.  That has been the attitude that has brought us to the brink of collapse.  Putting our faith in politicians will ALWAYS lead to disappointment.  The answer does not lie with politicians, it lies with us…the people.  Before fixing our government we must fix ourselves.  We must become the people we were born to be, not the people we have allowed ourselves to become. 

At our core we are good and decent people.  But our pursuit for “stuff” has set us on a crash course.  We are told that without everyone spending recklessly our economy will collapse.   If this is the case, I say let it collapse.  A society built on buying things of no value is a society I don’t want to be a part of. 

We must become the type of people that can be depended on to help others in their time of need.  Next time you see a woman with a flat tire on the side of the road, pull over and help her.  If your neighbor needs help, lend a hand.  Instead of buying your son a video game he can indulge himself in, buy him a baseball glove and spend quality time playing catch.  God and the family has always been the foundation that builds strong communities; we must focus on that before we can change our country. 

Glenn Beck has started his own online T.V. broadcast.  He has NO investors and is relying solely on paid memberships in order to fund his new venture.  This way he has free reign to speak the truth, he does not have to worry about sponsors.  I admire Glenn for stepping away from a platform like Fox, where financially he was doing great.  He himself has said that his new venture could be bankrupt in a year if he doesn’t get tons of members.   I encourage anyone reading this to support him in his new venture.  You can get access to his T.V program for $4.95 per month.  Go to GlennBeck.com for details.  It’s very easy to hook up your laptop computer to your T.V, all you need is an S-Video cable and an audio cable.  You also need a T.V. new enough that has these connections.  

You can bet that if Glenn is successful with his new venture that the push to regulate the internet will increase dramatically.  At the moment there truly is freedom on the internet.  The government is salivating to get their hands on it.  We must not allow this.  They will clothe it under the disguise of protecting your children from pornography, or keeping your banking information secure.  We must not fall for this.  It is nothing more than another power grab.

I always thought it must be tough with a person of his character and beliefs to live in New York.  I recently moved to Texas because I just couldn’t live in a state like CA that is destroying itself from within.  I had to live out my principles.  Even as scary as it was for my wife and I to quit our well paying jobs and come here with no employment waiting for us.  Turns out the New York Daily News reported today that Glenn signed a lease in Dallas, TX.  He is finally making the move from New York to Texas.  Amen to that.  We could always use more jobs and freedom loving people here in Texas.  

Glenn's closure to his Fox T.V. show is not the end...with people like you supporting him, this is only the beginning.

TSA and the 4th Amendment

This Saturday I will be attending a rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol in Austin supporting Texas’ bill HB-1937.  The Texas House recently passed this bill unanimously.  It now needs to be passed by the Texas Senate, it then heads to Governor Perry for signing into law.  This legislation is designed to protect the freedom and dignity of people by stopping the treatment of travelers as criminal suspects and the forcing of innocent citizens to submit to unreasonable and humiliating searches without probable cause as a condition of travel.  Basically it just reaffirms what the 4^th amendment to the constitution guarantees.  The Federal Government has already threatened that if this bill passes they will shut down all air travel in Texas.

I understand this is a very emotional issue.  All of us want our families to be safe when traveling on airlines.  Just a few years ago I was a huge supporter of government intervention in regards to keeping us safe.  Since becoming an avid studier of history and the U.S. Constitution I have changed my stance dramatically.  It’s no surprise that most of us believe government can’t do anything better than the private sector.  Look at the U.S. postal service, DMV, Department of Education, Department of Energy, ect.  Yet for some reason many Americans think government can adequately protect us when it comes to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  I don’t blame people for having this stance.  We are practically taught from pre-school that the government is there to protect us.  Unfortunately people don’t realize that our founding fathers did not intend for the Federal Government to take on this role.  The Federal Government’s intended role was to protect our rights guaranteed under the Constitution, basically their only goal is to make sure we have Freedom…period. 

Two weeks ago I traveled to CA on an airline.  After returning from CA I noticed there was a “Notice of Baggage Inspection” inside my checked bag.  It stated my bag was chosen to be opened and searched.  It also said, “If the TSA security officer was unable to open your bag for inspection because it was locked, the officer may have been forced to break the locks on your bag.  TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, however TSA is not liable for damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution.”  What on Earth is this Nation coming to when we allow federal agents to open our bags without our permission, break our locks, and then say they don’t have to replace the locks they break?  No private company could ever get away with this without being sued.  Yet, most silently sit by while the Federal Government grows bigger and bigger, becoming more intrusive, treating us all like terrorists, and spends us into bankruptcy.

So if we kick the TSA out of Airports, does this mean none of us will be safe on airlines?  No.  American’s are conditioned to believe that government is the only entity that can keep us safe.  But this just isn’t the case.  The free market is what made America great, keeping us safe on airlines would be no exception. 

In my opinion, each airline will have its own security screening.  For instance, if an airline named Freedom Airlines felt the public did not want intrusive searches then they would allow passengers to board without being searched.  Instead Freedom Airlines would save money on not having security equipment that cost them hundreds of thousands per year and instead have armed guards on their flights.  If the public truly wanted intimate searches of every person and bag then Freedom Airlines would quickly go out of business.  Of course this airline would get all of my business.

Now let’s say for instance another airline named No-Privacy Airlines took the opposite approach.  They either take ex-rays or hand search everyone who boards, and also open up all checked bags.  If America truly did want this type of “safety” then No-Privacy Airlines will thrive.  Now it is true that these flights might be more expensive due to the increasing costs of equipment and enough staff to handle the searches.  But the price of additional safety on a flight must cost the traveler more money (that’s his choice), but it should not cost their Freedom as it does currently.

Is it possible some lives might be sacrificed in the rare circumstance that a passenger that was not searched was able to bring a bomb on board?  Yes.  But Freedom isn’t free.  Sacrificing freedom to be safe leads to exactly the type of government we have today.

If the public truly does want these intrusive searches, then we need to do it the right way.  We need to have the Constitution amended in order to make this legal.  The 4^th amendment currently protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures.  If we allow the Federal Government to violate the very document that they swore to uphold, what is to stop them from violating other areas of the Constitution?   It’s no coincidence that our children aren’t being taught thoroughly about the Constitution in school, I know I didn’t learn about it in the CA public school system.  How can we know our rights are being violated if we have no idea what they are?  If there is no change from the current course the United States is on, we will become a nation completely dominated by the political elite.  We are at a tipping point.  Will you choose to remain complacent, or will you become informed and choose to spread the message of Freedom?

Unions, Thugs or Freedom Fighters?

I have been paying pretty close attention to the Union strike in WI.  I worked for a union once back in 2001.  I was paying about $90/month to belong to the union.  I was working part time and was getting paid about $11.00 per hour.  I actually asked if I could elect to not join the union but this was not an option.  I was forced to join.  That just didn’t sit right to me living in a “free” country.  I did not have medical, dental, or any type of pension since I was working part time, so what was I paying $90/month for?  I know I am going to ruffle some feathers for some people with this write up…but it is time to have an open debate about this issue.

I just watched Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) say that if Unions don’t have collective bargaining rights then the people working are essentially slaves.  That statement is ridiculous!  In a free market if my employer and I can’t come to an agreement on my wages then I can quit.  If I can’t quit because I am living paycheck to paycheck then that is my own fault.  That doesn’t make me a slave, if I would have prepared properly then I could have found another job.  Again, what happened to personal responsibility?  Why do people need a Union to negotiate for them?  If you’re not being paid a wage that you are worth, then you should be able to find another job that will pay you that wage.  If you can’t find that wage somewhere else, then I’ve got news for you…you’re not worth that much.  Sorry, but that’s life.  If you’re not happy with that wage, learn a trade or get the education you need to increase what your services are worth.    

In my opinion Unions make people a slave.  There is no incentive to work hard, your pay is based on how long you have worked at your current position, in a free market your pay is based on how productive you are.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that companies with Unions are less efficient than their non-unionized competitors.  I couldn’t imagine working at a place where it doesn’t matter how hard I work, that the guy next to me who does half the amount of work is getting a pay increase because he started 6 months before me. 

Since working full-time, I have never worked for a union.  There was a time when I felt like I wasn’t being paid what I was worth.  So I scheduled a meeting with my boss and explained to him why I should be paid more.  At first he said that at the moment he couldn’t boost my pay.  So I politely told him that I would be forced to look elsewhere then.  Knowing that I was better than the other employee’s, and my numbers proved it, I was in a position to do that.  He came back a day later and offered me a $7,000 per year raise.  I was happy with that, he was happy to keep me.  I would have been a big loss of production if he had to replace me.  This is the essence of a free market system.  And if you’re a go-getter then that system rewards you. 

But if you’re not a go-getter then Unions do benefit you.  The union can demand a higher wage than your worth.  If you’re one of those people who love unions I would suggest re-thinking you’re work ethic.  Have you stopped learning how to make yourself a better worker, have you become complacent in where you’re at?  This is definitely a result of joining a union. 

I can see how millions of people have been suckered into thinking that they need to be supported by a Union.  The Union bosses do a great job of making people feel like all corporations are evil and are just out to exploit the employee.  Unions are great marketers; Unions now have amassed the power to have politicians in their back pocket.  The corruption between Unions and politicians are out of control.  I’m sure most of these people protesting in WI are good people.  I just wish they would take a step back and realize the answer isn’t to pay a Union to bribe politicians to pass legislation that forces employers to have to bargain with Unions.  The benefits in WI will be cut, it’s just a matter of whether they do them now, or whether the market will force them to do it once their state can no longer issue bonds.  Remember, the so called “rich” are the ones purchasing state bonds allowing the states to continue to borrow.  Without these “rich” people, the state would go bankrupt over-night. 

I’m sure some of you are mad at this point and completely disagree with me.  That’s fine.  But this is a debate we need to have.  Too many companies are moving their manufacturing over-seas due to the lower cost of doing business.  Pro-union legislation across the U.S. is forcing companies to move to states that don’t have this type of legislation. 

Many people think that if it weren’t for Unions we would all be chained in the bottom of a coal mine working 16 hours per day.  That is laughable!  Actually what I would do is just refuse to work there, if everybody did that then the employer would have to improve the working conditions or be forced out of business.  Again, this is how a free market works.  Another argument is well all the employers would hold out and everyone would starve.  No…you would just have to cut back your expenses. Your whole family wouldn’t be able to afford an iphone, going out to eat 3 times per week, buying new cars, going  to the movies, buying 60 inch flat screen T.V’s, ect. But at least you would be free, how much is freedom worth to you?

One of the protesters in WI had a sign that said, “Tax the Rich instead.”  Some of you might agree with this.  And here is what I tell WI…go for it.  My great state of Texas could always use more businesses moving into our low tax, low regulation, pro-business climate.  Taxing the rich causing class warfare has never solved any countries problems, just look at France.  If states take the stance of raising taxes on the rich (which I expect CA, NY, CT will do), then their unemployment rates will get worse and more businesses will move.  It’s that simple. 

I think our public educational system has pretty much succeeded in brain washing most of the younger generation (ages 35 and below).  They train us that we have to go to college, even if it means going $100,000 into debt to do it.  When I was a mortgage underwriter I can’t tell you how many people I saw that graduated with over $100,000 in debt and were making about $36,000 per year.  And that was back in 2007, can you imagine how much more college costs now and how much harder it is to get a job in this stagnant economy?  Our educational system also teaches us that we need to work for someone else.  They don’t encourage entrepreneurship at all.  The text books are full of lies, especially when it comes to history.  We are all taught that Lincoln and FDR were two of the greatest presidents.  What a joke!  Lincoln ripped the constitution to shreds!  Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus essentially throwing over 13,000 people in prison on charges never brought about or made known, he said all citizens engaging in “disloyal practices” would be tried in military tribunals, he also allowed his generals to shut down over 300 newspapers that he saw as a threat (think of Fox News today).  Lincoln claimed that he needed to allow some temporary sacrifice of the constitution in order to save it.  Sounds familiar doesn’t it?  I wouldn’t doubt if what I just told you above you had never heard before.  This is the state our educational system is in.  Please, research what I said above about Lincoln.  Don’t take my word for it. 

Back in the industrial revolution unions may have had a place in society.  But with all the laws, regulations, and organizations that keep a close watch on working conditions, unions really don’t have a place here anymore.  Take your life into your own hands.  With the managing of investments I like to say, “Nobody cares more about your money than you do.”  This is why I don’t trust many financial advisors; they have their own interests at heart.  Same with Unions, nobody cares more about your wages and benefits than you do.  Negotiate those yourselves.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that you can’t negotiate with businesses; you have a lot more power than you think.