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Chapter 1 - The Economy - Untwisting The Truth
Three important concepts drive our book: Less government, lower taxes, and true freedom. We believe very deeply in the freedom of the individual. In this freedom, individuals have the opportunity to branch out, stretch themselves, succeed and fail, learn and grow from their failures, and achieve extraordinary things. When a society is full of these types of individuals, working hard to better themselves, the direct effect is the betterment of the society as a whole. We can’t emphasize this principle enough: For America needs minimum government, not a minimum wage.
A free market thrives on freedom and the fact that consumers always consume so suppliers will always be needed. Regulations by the government are, for the most part, unnecessary.
In this chapter we examine the truth that big corporations like Wal-Mart are not evil. One of the complaints leveled against Wal-Mart is that they underpay and under-benefit their employees. Could it be that Wal-Mart’s primary goals are customer satisfaction and making a profit (great goals for any business), not providing a place for workers to make a comfortable, middle class income?
“Man is not free unless government is limited.”
(Ronald Reagan)
Commentator John Stossel said it well: “Prosperity comes from leaving people free in a legal system that respects their persons and property so they can pursue their dreams while taking responsibility for their actions. Free people find their own tools if the state leaves them alone.” (Source)
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We don’t like most taxes. But then, who does, other than a few politicians? We realize they are a necessary part of living in a safe, structured country like ours, but a great deal of misconception about taxes hovers in the air. Chapter 2 addresses many of these misconceptions: ¨ Why do many say that the rich should pay more in taxes than the poor? There is an incredibly simple answer to the question: They already do! They make more money so, of course, they pay more taxes (we address the issues of loopholes and sheltering in our book). A graded tax rate system is basically the government telling wealthier Americans they make more money than they need. That assumption represents an incredible invasion of personal freedom in which the government should have no part. ¨ The “Us vs. Them” mentality perpetrated by many in ¨ Studies have shown that when tax rates are cut, revenues increase. The reason for this is found in the answer to this question: Would you rather someone’s money be invested in ¨ Ronald Reagan had it right: Get the government out of the way and watch ¨ Remember one important point: Tax money is your money. “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.” (Thomas Jefferson)
Chapter 2 - Taxes - The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (But Mostly The Bad And The Ugly)
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If we could summarize our purpose for being in
This war on terror is very unlike any war this country has ever faced. The striking difference is this: These terrorists do not have a specific geographical location to pinpoint. On December 7, 1941,
Since there was no one place to go after them, and with Saddam Hussein’s known history of harboring and aiding terrorists, we chose two locations, in a very deliberate order, in which to stage our retaliation against these killers and protect our very existence: Afghanistan and Iraq.
It was clear long ago that
¨ In a 2002 speech on the floor of the Senate, Hillary Clinton said the following: “….intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the
¨ John Kerry, in an interview on Meet the Press in August of 2003, said that he would increase spending in
Chapter 3 addresses such issues as the search for weapons of mass destruction (WMD’s) and when is it time to pull out of
There is a great deal of misunderstanding in
Pinette and so many other court decisions make it clear that a great deal more religious liberty is permitted in
Chapter 4 - Separation Of Church & State - Freedom At Last
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
(Thomas Paine)
One look at the immigration situation in our country is enough to prove one thing: People all over the world recognize what a great country
¨ America is great, not because of its diversity—we are a great country because we have been built on such solid principles as freedom, integrity, honesty, a belief in the rights of individuals, and a strong sense of right and wrong.
¨ Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” If a country loses its core identity, it begins the downward spiral to destruction.
“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
(General Douglas MacArthur)
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The subject of abortion is a very difficult issue to address because it is so charged with emotion, opinions, and politics. In this chapter we offer some simple thoughts and facts that we hope will leave our readers with a few things to think about that maybe haven’t been presented to them in just this way before. Consider the following:
¨ In 1985, a tiny baby named
¨ In 2003, the CDC reported approximately 848,000 legal abortions in the
¨ There is evidence that pain receptors first begin to appear in the skin at about eight weeks gestation. There is also some medical evidence that the child can feel pain as early as the first trimester—and evidence that there is a fully wired pain system by 20 weeks. This is difficult to prove and the range of professional opinion is wide, but isn’t even the possibility that pain is being inflicted on an innocent baby enough to completely avoid anything that might bring that pain?
¨ I can’t help but look at the abortion statistics and the adoption statistics and try to put them together in some way. If 848,000 babies (in 2003) are aborted in a typical year, and thousands of childless couples are waiting for babies, doesn’t it make sense to somehow bring the two problems together and come up with a win-win solution?
¨ A point about STEM CELL RESEARCH: For all the hype and controversy and money spent, embryonic stem cells have yet to be used for one actual therapy in a human, while adult stem cells have been successful in the treatment of numerous patients with a variety of diseases from heart attacks to corneal degeneration to diabetes. Please see our book for more information about this controversial topic.
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We address the subject of welfare in
Much of what we believe about welfare is based on this concept: If the government gets out of the way of the American people, the needy, for the most part, will be provided for. Americans are, in general, generous and kind. According to the Giving Institute, Americans donated about $295 billion to various causes in 2006, much of that money going to help the needy. In the big picture, when government is limited, more money is present in our pockets to use to help those around us. To enhance this fact, take a look at Chapter 7 for some eye-opening examples of wasteful and inefficient government spending.
“You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”
(Abraham Lincoln)
Remember this important point: When government solves a problem, they are using your money to do it. This seems pretty obvious, but we believe that many Americans overlook this fact when they say that it’s a good thing that the government provides for the needy. Consider the words of Barry Goldwater: “The government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away.” Government does not exist to fill in the gaps where individuals seem to fail—it exists to carry out functions that cannot be fully handled by individuals. The point is not that our government is bad. The point is that government is often expected to do things it should never be asked to do.
The goal in
One phrase summarizes this chapter on a difficult issue: Government health care is not the answer to the health care concerns that exist today. If limited government is best, do we really want to hand over to them one of the largest industries in
Please remember again an all-important fact: the government doesn’t have any money of its own. They don’t generate capital or provide services like other businesses. In order to carry out their plans, the government taxes you and me. If
Many feel that health care is a right for all Americans so the government should be involved. But is it a right? Walter Williams makes a great point about this. The true rights we experience in
So, just what is the answer to the health care concerns of today? We don’t have an all-inclusive solution. However, we do know that the answer lies in the free market system we already have in place. The solution will involve such elements as Health Savings Accounts and putting a large portion of the control of each person’s health care into their own hands, not the government’s. The answer will also involve bringing some common sense into the courtroom, where out-of-control malpractice suits are driving up insurance costs.
In all of the debate, one thing is certain in our minds: Putting the government in charge of this area of our lives is not the answer.
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Unions have done much through the years to improve the lives of American workers. The question we address in this chapter is, are unions still an important part of the
A few summary statements will explain our overall thoughts about unions:
¨ We encourage each American worker to empower themselves to go for what they want. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and stretch yourself.
¨ We truly believe that most people do not need the help of a union to get them to achieve their goals.
¨ Even with the understanding that unions often provide a security for workers to know they will not get fired, and knowing that unions work hard for better wages for their people, we believe that good workers will get recognized for their work ethic and talent and, in the big picture, will tend to have more earning potential in a non-union environment. It seems that too many workers are willing to give up the chance for greater advancement and better pay for the comfort of having this security.
“Never, never, never….give in.”
(Winston Churchill)
We have a huge concern with the driving force behind our current social security system: The system represents, once again, the government robbing the individual of the freedom of choice and the freedom to experience the consequences of bad choices. Since somebody long ago and far away decided how much of my paycheck would go into this plan, my involvement in the whole Social Security investment process is removed. However, this money belongs to each person and we believe that most Americans want to be involved in making decisions about their future.
We wish that Social Security taxes would be phased out entirely. However, if that doesn’t happen, it would be great for
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