Pillars

I have come to a place in my life where I have been able to define certain pillars of belief and understanding. Here I will briefly define those pillars, or what I consider important, so that you can get a sense of where I stand.

The Constitution:

I believe the Constitution of the United States and Bill of Rights to be the reason for America’s greatness and the most advanced of civilized agreements. The construct created by these documents are the result of thousands of years of tyranny, monarchies and other failed forms of rulership. There is little doubt that modern society has proven this construct to be superior and has shown the world that liberty works and justice palpable. I fear that the rights and limitations contained within this document are slipping from our grasp and this erosion will have drastic consequences in coming decades.

Personal Freedom:

Freedom is the right to take responsibility for oneself and their actions.  It is the ability to make choices to any degree, so long as it does not affect or harm another individual.  I do not support freedom outside of law and justice, for that is anarchy.  This freedom encompasses all aspects of our lives and efforts.  I truly believe in the right of the individual to live their life as they see fit, even if it’s considered a poor choice by the majority, provided there is no effect to another person.  Where matters affect other individuals, a simple construct of laws is necessary to provide just interactions between individuals.

War & Foreign Policy:

I am not a pacifist, but I truly believe that “just war” is it’s only rightful cause. If we are attacked, I strongly believe we have every right to defend ourselves in every possible way and we should maintain a strong military to deter such advances. This concept of promoting war for oil or to bring democracy to the world is completely foreign to me. The idea of spending trillions of dollars to maintain military bases in over a hundred countries is abhorrent. The result has been to leave America nearly undefended and has drained our resources that would be much better spent at home.

National Sovereignty:

I believe there are forces in this world that would rather see the lines of nationalism and sovereignty a thought of yesteryear. I strongly believe in the rights of individual nations to do as they see fit and the concept of regional or global governments to be dangerous in the least. The pursuit of such things shall prove to be perilous and will ultimately deny the humanistic “pie in the sky” intent of globalists and proponents of regional and global governments.

Personal Privacy:

At the base of liberty lies privacy. I summarily reject the idea that if I am doing nothing wrong, I have nothing to worry about. Even a rudimentary understanding of history proves this to be a dangerous philosophy. I believe that government, corporations and individuals have no right to my personal business in any form. If I voluntarily share such information, it is by my own volition…but the idea that I will accept being tracked, monitored or spied upon dare threatens every possible liberty that comes thereafter. There is no reason just enough to sanctify invasions of my privacy.

Family Rights:

I strongly support the rights of parents to do as they feel right, even if it means spanking their child or punishing them by their own measures. (This is not a justification of child abuse…that is wrong!) The infiltration of government in family rights undermines the stability of the family unit, the pillar of civilized society. I support home schooling rights and believe it is within the right of the parent to oversee a child’s education. I support the rights of parents to oversee their child’s development in every way they desire.

Immigration:

I believe America to be a great country and support a path to legal immigration. The idea of permitting, by means of lack of enforcement, illegal immigration undermines the rights and means of natural born citizens and those whom have utilized legal means of gaining citizenship. The idea of amnesty for illegal immigrants and the failure to enforce immigration laws threatens the well being of all those who exist in this country legally. I believe we should round up all illegal immigrants and ship ‘em out…perhaps providing a short grace period for them to pursue legal means of immigration.

Energy Pursuits:

Energy has proven to be the foundation of all modern advancement. I believe that government regulation, lobbies that influence government and corporate greed have prevented the advancement of new energy technologies. My studies have shown that many technologies exist that could provide inexpensive and/or free energy to the people, but the quest for profit has stood in the way of such technologies to come into existence. I support the investigation into cleaner and more efficient energy technologies through private investments and pursuits through the elimination of corporate subsidies and vast pools of money available to corporate lobbyists.

Education:

I reject the idea of federal government regulation and control of educational institutions on the basis that there is no “one size fits all” solution to educational needs. I support a teacher’s right to educate and make decisions by their own personal measures and defend the rights of each school to make choices based on their unique needs. I support the idea of making the educational field more appealing for teachers by increasing wages and benefits; doing so by reducing administrative overhead and eliminating the Department of Education.

Religious Freedom:

I believe in the right for all peoples to follow whatever religion suits them best.  Despite having made my own determinations towards Christ, it is quintessential to the foundation of a free society to neither force any specific religion nor stand in the way of the existence of any one belief.  I support the right of people to pursue any religious view, but I do not support freedom FROM religion views or the elimination of religious beliefs in public schools or public facilities.  That view, for me, is not exclusive to the Christian faith.

Free Markets & Economy:

I believe in the free market and it’s ability to respond to the needs and demands of a people.  I believe that free markets, absent of heavy handed government regulation and controls, will organically align themselves to the best situation.  I do not support government corporate bailouts or propping up failed corporations for the sake of pursuing economic stability.  The idea of forcing corporations, through systems of taxation and regulation, to make decisions that are unprofitable or unsustainable undermines the intent of capitalism and destroys the free market.

Sound Money & Taxation:

I support the principle of sound monetary policies through the eradication of the Federal Reserve and a return to sustainable economic means. The idea of accepting trillions of dollars in debt, for future generations to pay, strongly threatens the individual and completely destroys the concept of taxation without representation. Just as in my own life I must live within my own means, so too should government…if it can’t be afforded, then it shouldn’t exist.  High taxes, propagated by unsound monetary policies and unsustainable growth, interferes with the economic means of individuals and corporations and reduces our ability to invest into areas that suit us.

Governance & Law:

I believe in the original construct of the Constitution. A small federal government, highly restricted in their capacity with more complex matters being decided at the state and local levels. I believe that a government closest to the people is best to represent the desires of those people. Though I believe in the ideas of law and justice, I also maintain that our current situation has gotten out of control. With 8 million plus laws on the books, and the responsibility upon each individual to know such laws, we have undermined the original intent of law.

Gun Rights:

The intent of the right to bear arms was never meant for the purposes of hunting.  It is, on one account, to give individuals the means to defend ourselves and our justly acquired property from the unwarranted and forceful threat of less than desirable peoples.  One the second account, it’s intent is to give us the ability to defend ourselves from an unwieldy and tyrannical government, should such a thing come about.  To give up our firearms is to put us in direct threat of overbearing tyranny and the threat of those who intend to harm us and our families.  I support firearm education and the justful use of lethal force.

Right To Life:

This has been a difficult journey for me which has lead me to conflicting points of view.  I have heard very compelling arguments from both sides, which have tempered and compromised strong beliefs.  Philosophically, I support the right to life and the promotion of human existence by child birth.  Politically speaking, however, I recognize that there are situations where this would be tremendously difficult or could cause harm to a woman. It is very difficult on where to draw the line, and therefore I deny any nationwide solution, on either side, for such matters.  I believe each state, or even county, should have the right to decide such difficult moral matters so as to determine the moral will representing the smallest possible majority.