Federal Budget: $3,820,000,000,000 (3.82 Trillion)
Income: $2,170,000,000,000 (2.17 Trillion)
New Debt: $1,650,000,000,000 (1.65 Trillion)
Amount Cut: $38,500,000,000 (38.5 Billion) – about 1% of the total budget.

National Debt Total: $14,271,000,000,000 before this year’s budget.

Harry Reid is calling this a “historic amount“. The President said it is a “historic deal”. John Boehner simply said, “We’ve come to an agreement”.
Let’s Put This In Perspective. It helps me to think about these numbers in terms that we can relate to.
Let’s remove eight zeroes from those numbers and pretend this is a household budget for the fictitious Jones family.

Amount of money the “Jones’s family spent this Year: $38,200
Total income for the “Jones’s family this Year: $21,700
Amount of new debt added to the credit card this Year: $16,500
Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
New outstanding balance on credit card: $159,210

So last week, the “Jones’s” sat down at the kitchen table and agreed to cut $385 from their yearly budget. A historic amount!

Thank you to Bobby Cox for sending that to me. However, none of you should be discouraged by the ridiculous deal or the outlandish rhetoric coming out of Washington. When Harry Reid makes such insulting comments as “…the Cap, Cut, and whatever plan…,” sounding more like a spoiled teenager than a U.S. Senator (my apologies to the teenagers, the ones I know say far more intelligent things), take heart that you are getting under the skin of the ideologues who are watching their utopian fantasy crumble beneath them like the house of cards it has always been.

This is the beginning of a long struggle. The first shots fired in a war rarely have great impact, but the enemy of our republic knows that we mean business. We’re not just a bunch of flag waving grandmothers complaining about taxes. A point I often make, in fact, is that our complaints have been far more focused on spending and the size of government, not taxes. But, for the first time since Reagan, congress is focusing on reducing the deficit instead of increasing it. In two years we went from National Health Care, the most costly and damaging piece of legislation most of us have ever seen, to a game of “who can show the biggest cuts.” Sure, most of the “cuts” are fantasy at best, but no one is trying to nationalize another component of our private sector.

I urge you to read this column in the American Spectator. We must stand firm in our resolve. The time to surrender is not when we’ve got them on the run.

This fantastic video outlines the plan that the Communist America Party set into action over 40 years ago. They’ve achieved nearly all their goals. Be sure to check out his website at http://kitmantv.blogspot.com/.  Here are the list of goals established by the Communist Party in 1963:

Communist Goals (1963)
Documention below
Congressional Record–Appendix, pp. A34-A35
January 10, 1963
Current Communist Goals
EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, January 10, 1963
Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America.
At Mrs. Nordman’s request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following “Current Communist Goals,” which she identifies as an excerpt from “The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen:
[From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen]
CURRENT COMMUNIST GOALS
1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture–education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.
43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.
45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

Note by Webmaster: The Congressional Record back this far has not be digitized and posted on the Internet.
It will probably be available at your nearest library that is a federal repository. Call them and ask them.
Your college library is probably a repository. This is an excellent source of government records.
Another source are your Congress Critters. They should be more than happy to help you in this matter.
You will find the Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto interesting at this point.
Click here to see them listed with brain-challenging comments.
Documentation
Webmaster Forest Glen Durland found the document in the library.
Sources are listed below.
The quote starts on page 259.
Microfilm:
California State University at San Jose
Clark Library, Government Floor
Phone (408)924-2770
Microfilm
Call Number:
J
11
.R5
Congressional Record, Vol. 109
88th Congress, 1st Session
Appendix Pages A1-A2842
Jan. 9-May 7, 1963
Reel 12
The book was found in the off campus stacks, was ordered and checked. The quote below was checked against the original and is correct. The few errors in the copy from the Congressional Record are shown in [ ] .
The quote starts on page 259.
California State University at San Jose, Clark Library stacks call number:
Naked Communist
HX
56
S55
Book title page:
Skousen, W. Cleon. Naked Communist
Salt Lake City, Utah: Ensign Publishing Co.
C. 1961 , 9th edition July 1961.

Senator Jim DeMint, one of the true Constitutional Conservatives in the U.S. Senate, remarked in this article that the tea party seems to be losing its focus. I have to agree. We’ve seen our own meetings go from 70 or 80 attendees down to 30. At the Blue Lake Jazz Concert this week, a great opportunity to reach out to the local community, we had only a handful of our members attending, though close to 200 total watching a fantastic show.

Have we given up? Or do we think that one election equals “mission accomplished”?

I’ve made it clear since we started this group that we will probably not see America return to her constitution roots in our lifetimes. And if we don’t continue this fight, no one else will. History has shown us that the vast majority of conservatives we put into office will lose their way and follow lockstep with their progressive socialist colleagues on the other party. It’s the path of least resistance. The only thing making the path to socialism difficult for our representatives is us. True conservatives in the tea party and other liberty groups are America’s last chance. If we fail, there is no future for this country.

Yes, I know we’re tired. We all have jobs and families that require most of our time. But a little effort from a great number of people goes a long way. We impacted the biggest conservative landslide in the nation’s history last year. But we immediately begin losing ground once those folks get into office. Even if we win the presidency and the senate next year, our fight isn’t over.

Please consider what you value most. God, family, country are always at the top of my list. The first two are in my control. The last is not. It takes millions of like-minded citizens to change our course. We’re counting on you. At our next meeting in August, after the guest speaker, we’ll have some open discussion to see what it is you’d like to see come out of this tea party. It’s time to get ready for a tough fight next year. We’ll need all hands on deck.

See you in August.

Ron Estrada, Chairman

North Oakland County Tea Party Patriots

Instead, every 4th of July, I read Facebook posts that rattle off such uneducated nonsense as this: “On this day 200 years ago, 55 white , rich slave owners took it upon themselves to tell the rest of us what type of government we should live under.”

Seriously? It’s daunting to read and hear such drivel, because I don’t even know where to begin with such a mountain of ignorance. One or two historical bloopers I can deal with. It takes only a moment of my time. But the comments like these, much of it from major news organizations, is nothing more than propaganda in the same league with Nazi Germany (ohhh, sorry about that, I took a favorite Progressive accusation of the Right, except now it’s accurate). Because apparently our Progressive leaders and their sounding boards at CNN, NBC, et al have taken a page out of Hitler’s playbook: tell a big enough lie, and tell it often enough, and people will believe it.

In the case of our Founders, the Big Lie is that they designed this government around a system that supported, even encouraged slavery. Therefore, all that they accomplished is no longer valid. What the designers of the Big Lie keep hidden (possibly they no longer know, the lie has been perpetuated for so long), is that slavery was a key issue in both the debate surrounding the Declaration and the Constitution. In fact, it is nothing short of a miracle that the United States even exists with such a deep chasm fixed between northern and southern states.

Let’s paint the picture. I’ll keep it simple so that even Chris Matthews can understand:

We had 13 independent British colonies. Some, like Massachusetts, were determined to break from Great Britain. Others, like South Carolina, were determined to remain loyal to the crown. Most were in between the two extremes. Defeating Great Britain and winning independence was a near impossible task with 13 colonies. Had they been divided, there would have been no hope. In order to keep the 13 colonies united in the drive for independence, the northern states compromised on the the issue of slavery. Had they not, their little uprising would have ended early in 1776, Britain would have tightened its grip on its unruly American colonists, and the state of the slave would have not changed anyway.

Eleven years later, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention faced the same hurdles. The new United States was coming apart at the seams. There was no common currency, no military, and each state heavily taxed citizens from other states. France, Britain, and Spain were all eagerly awaiting swoop in like vultures and devour the pieces of the former states.

Many would say that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention faced a much more difficult task than their comrades did in 1776. Some states wanted complete independence from the others. Some states wanted a strong central government with no input from the citizens. Some delegates even wanted a monarchy.

The compromise they achieved was ingenious and has, to this day, proven to be the closest this world has ever come to a perfect form of government. But again, the issue of slavery nearly divided our nation in two, as it would again in 1861. The choice was to end slavery, thus killing any chance of ratification in the southern states, or limiting the influence of the slave states. Thus the introduction of the infamous 3/5ths rule.

Ironically, the rule that said each slave represented 3/5ths of a man is used by liberals to point out the racist tendencies of our founders. However, it was the southern states that wanted each slave to represent one man. The northern states did not want slaves represented at all.

Why?

Think about how states are represented in our federal government. A state is awarded congressional districts, therefore congressional votes, based on population. Had the southern slaves been counted as one man, those pro-slavery states would have had greater representation in congress, therefore more votes, than the anti-slave states. This compromise would weaken the southern states a bit, but not so much that those states would fail to ratify the Constitution.

Why is this fact never taught to our kids?

It is little wonder that the liberal elite can so easily peck away at the accomplishments of our founders. We’ve created a nation of the historically ignorant, obvious when one hears a college educated talk show host refer to the “rich, white, slave owners” who founded this nation.

Speaking of, the fact that many of the signers of the Declaration were rich should highlight their courage, not demonize them. Men like Washington and Jefferson could have lived lavishly under British rule. Instead, they chose to risk it all, stick their necks in a noose, and proclaim independence for future generations. I wonder which Harvard professor will give them credit for that?

My Independence Day challenge for anyone, liberal or conservative, is to read a book about the debates surrounding the Declaration or the Constitution. You may be surprised at the words that came out of the mouths of a bunch of rich, white, slave owners. In their day, they fought harder for the issue of equality and civil rights than anyone in our time. While none were one hundred percent successful, they laid the groundwork for following generations to erode the evil of slavery. It is unfortunate that it had to come to war and the cost of over fifty-thousand lives, but the rich, white, abolitionists eventually prevailed (I’m among those who believe the war was unnecessary, but that’s the topic of another article).

What we must all understand this Independence Day is that freedom is most often fought for in town halls and conventions, with the weapons of debate and politics at our disposal, and common ground our only option lest we destroy whatever tenacious progress we have made. A scorched earth policy is born of contempt and arrogance, not upon a love of human dignity and liberty. That is the seed of compromise.

The truth, if you have the courage to look for it, is quite liberating.

Happy 4th of July.

Heritage produced this chart which is at Click here

Liberals, however, know that they are right just because it is their position. When every argument has been satisfactorily countered they a) call you a racist, or b) use an argument so breathtakingly stupid that you have to excuse yourself to have a good belly laugh.

I give you Alan Combes. We all know Alan, he used to make Sean Hannity look brilliant. Now he just makes himself look stupid. Last night on Fox News (I actually heard the re-run on the radio this morning), during a spirited debate about Right to Work, Alan’s final, brilliant stroke was to exclaim that “it’s (RTW) only one reason jobs are leaving union states…many people are seeking warmer climates!”

I’ll give you a moment to excuse yourself for a good belly laugh.

Alan? Seriously? This is your final argument? I mean, I understand that every argument against Right to Work has been satisfactorily lampooned by anyone capable of reading a simple bar graph, but I’m a bit embarrassed for you, man. Obviously, you haven’t been able to keep all your liberal duckies in a row. You’ve just crossed one incorrect liberal fantasy with another: global warming.

It cannot be possible that auto manufacturers are fleeing My Michigan like Gingrich staff members to seek a warmer environment, because according to you and your friends, the warmer climates are already here (think of the gas we’ll save not having to drive to Florida every November). Surely, there’s no reason to leave the palm-tree lined beaches of Houghton Lake for the hellish weather in South Carolina.

But maybe you have a point. Texas has enjoyed the largest job growth of any other state over the last ten years. The fact that it is a Right to Work state is surely a coincidence. My guess is that thousands of companies moved there for the 110 degree summers and cat-sized cockroaches.

No, it couldn’t be that large employers have repeated, time and again, that they are more likely to open a new plant in a Right to Work state than in a Forced Union state. It couldn’t be that the NLRB has recently made it clear that if you open shop in a Forced Union state, you will be penalized, even blocked, for opening another plant in a Right to Work state. It couldn’t be that.

You’re right, Alan, it must be the weather, even though it wasn’t the weather for the last, oh, 100 years.

Folks, the liberals are desperate and not interested in the truth. They can read the same statistics that we can. But it’s like convincing a five year-old that there is something better in life than ice cream (probably not a good example for anyone who knows me). The liberal is right simply because changing his mind is unthinkable. “Never admit that you’re wrong, no matter how wrong you are” should be on the flag of the Liberal States of America.

If any of my stubbornly anti-Right to Work friends actually read this, I’m sure they’ll still cling to their dying religion. As state after state adopts Right to Work, Michigan will continue to watch hundreds of thousands of jobs flow out of state like a river of regrets.

But it’s okay, they’ll all enjoy the warmer weather. And you’ll still be right.