Socialism… Good or Bad?

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama’s socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama’s plan.” All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A… (substituting grades for dollars- something closer to home and more readily understood by all.) After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. the students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little...

The second test average was a D. No one was happy. When the third test rolled around, the average was an F. As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased, as bickering, blame and name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great.  But when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that.

Remember, there IS a test coming up. The 2012 elections.

These are probably the best 5 sentences you’ll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.  

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. 

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.  

4.You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. 

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

--- By Bill Essmann. 

Freedom. Precious Freedom.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
-Ronald Reagan (40th President of the United States of America 1981-1989) 

I've got something heavy weighing on my mind. Freedom and some important history pertaining to it. 

This posting is about the freedoms we once held dear and how they are being slowly taken from us. We are unfortunately not doing anything to fight to keep them. Let me tell you where I got the information I will soon share with you.

I went to a Freedom conference about 6 weeks ago and I heard a woman speak. Her story brought me to tears. Her name is Kitty Werthmann. Kitty was born in Austria in 1926 and lived in there for 24 years. 7 years under Hitler’s brutal regime, another 3 years after WWII and another 3 years in the USSR. She shares experiences from her life-- how Hitler slowly crept into power, and slowly took over every aspect of their lives. It is eerily familiar and has a powerful message. 

Kitty Werthmann

It was simply fascinating to listen to Kitty’s account of her life and growing up as a young girl in Austria as Hitler was first elected to power after his awesome track record in Germany and the way he slowly took over Austria in his quest for world domination. The citizens in Austria were also sitting by uneducated and unaware of what was going on. They were just too quick to let their freedoms be pried from their un-grasped fingers. We all know the tragedies that befell them as a result.

I have studied Kitty’s speech several times since ordering the audio, and what I have found I would like to share with you. Here is her story:

Before Hitler came into power, Austria was completely bankrupt. (Sound familiar?)

There was 30% unemployment. (We are slowly getting there.)  

The media was completely false and biased in their reporting’s. (Yep. America too.)   

Hitler promised that if he was elected, everyone would be able to work. He would give every farmer their farms back from the ‘greedy’ banks that foreclosed on them. He would also give every business owner their businesses back from the banks. He promised people hope. They were smitten. (Funny, we were too. With just one extra word. Change. Hope and Change.)

Since Germany at the time seemed to be flourishing economically and there was hardly any crime, Hitler’s plan seemed to be wonderful and it seemed to be working. 98% of Austrians elected Hitler into position. How could 98% of this Christian country could elect such a monster? Kitty asked… Then she replied that he didn’t look or sound like a monster, but actually looked and sounded like a charming American Politician. Joke? Unfortunately not.

Once he was elected, little changes began happening.

The people in Austria never questioned anything. They simply trusted Hitler and Germany. They knew what they were doing there and would succeed in governing the people of Austria.

The first thing that Hitler did was Nationalize the Banks.

The second thing Hitler did was Nationalize the car industry.

The next thing that happened was equal rights. Equal rights for women. (Because equal rights, is the first step in distributing the wealth.) {The feminist movement here in America was a big plan on the agenda of those desiring Communism. FYI} 

Austria had 7 states. Hitler said that 4 states would be a lot easier to govern than 7 and forced a merge into just 4 states, saying that it would be easier and cheaper to have 4. This is Called Regionalism. Regionalism takes away local control. (There have been 3 recent attempts to do this in South Dakota that I know of.)  

Hitler then said that everybody had a right to a guaranteed income. If your income wasn’t what the government said it should be-you got food stamps, you got heating fuel, you got subsidized housing. Sounds like welfare to me. How did the government pay for this? The taxes slowly got up to 70%.

Then, Hitler Nationalized Education. There is a fascinating yet eerie back story to this that I edited out. If you’re interested in hearing it, email me: livinghalfalive{at}gmail{dot}com

Guess what Hitler nationalized right after Education?

Healthcare.

It was free for everybody.

The healthcare in Austria prior to this was excellent, financed by private insurance. There were good doctors and very good hospitals. Kitty then said “This all changed.”

Her brother in law was a doctor. Soon after the nationalization, he would go to work and by 9:00 AM there were already 40 patients lined up at the office. He described it as “practicing medicine on a conveyor belt.” He only had a few minutes per patient. Doctors were put on salaries. No more money went into medical research. Only a few medicines were allowed to be covered through this nationalized healthcare system. If a doctor prescribed a medicine that was not on the list, it came out of their personal salary. Soon the salaries began to dwindle. Soon many doctors decided to leave the country.

The Austrian equivalent to OSHA started shutting businesses down like crazy. This made way for only government owned big businesses, and more control.

Farmers began to be given strict requirements. Even down to the number of eggs their chickens had to lay. Food began to be rationed.

Abortions became legal. (I’m disgusted and frightened with all these parallels.)

Hitler then began to euthanize. 

One of the problems with abortion and euthanasia is that once we decide it is not a problem to kill innocent unborn babies and it is not a problem to kill the elderly or the physically or mentally disabled, who else is it not going to be a problem to kill? Well, obviously the Jews were next on Hitler’s list. Who will it be the next time around? I worry that it will be me or someone that I love.

Then a federal police force began to grow. The Gestapo, or Nazi secret police, was everywhere. They dressed in civilian clothes and spied on everyone. People began to disappear, anyone who opposed began to disappear.  

Next, Austrians were manipulated into giving up their guns. How? First everyone was required to register them, and told this would help with the crime rate. Sounds awesome right? Well, it was a trick. 6 months later after they were all registered, the government required them to be turned in. Since the government tricked each citizen into registering each gun, they had record of each gun, there was no way to get away with keeping your gun. If you didn’t turn in your gun, you would be killed. This step prevented a revolution. Kitty says the only weapons they were eventually left with were their broomsticks. She also said that the only country Hitler couldn’t take over was Switzerland. That was because they refused to give up their guns. 

Next, the churches were nationalized. He required some of the income tax to be paid to the churches. This is the way he got to control the priests and other clergymen.

Slowly and surely Germany had crept in and dominated every aspect of their lives. Pretty soon they had no freedoms. Pretty soon they had no weapons. Pretty soon they had no choice but to comply or be killed.  Pretty soon another country on Hitler’s list could successfully be checked off. 

Before they ever knew what was happening, and before they had a mind to stop it every aspect of their lives was under complete control. These things didn’t happen overnight. It happened little by little over the course of 5 years until Austria had a complete dictatorship. By 1943 the seemingly small and insignificant laws, rules and regulations had slowly crept up into full dictatorship. The boarders were closed. The newspaper was being censored and the radios were nationally run. There was no freedom of speech.

Kitty closes her powerful message: “America is the greatest country in the world. If we can keep it.” 

I'm not sure at this rate we can keep it. There are way too many eerie parallel’s to what is happening with our current administration. One thing that I do know, the communist agenda is pretty straight forward. There is a plan and it is laid right out. They know exactly what needs to be done in order to take over a country as powerful as America.

It's also no secret what needs to be done. Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky lays it all out. The Naked Communist by Cleon Skousen lays it all out. Agenda: Grinding America Down by Curtis Bowers lays it all out. {I could go on but those are good starting points} 

They want us. Those with the communist agenda know that if they succeed in getting America, there is no stopping them. They also know that right now we are too ignorant to notice anything that is going on and therefore won't try to stop them until it is too late. These parallels are not coincidences. We need to wake America up. They will continue to take away our freedoms so long as we stay silent. We need to hold precious and fight for the freedoms and rights that were given to us by God and by the Founding Fathers of the American Constitution. The Government is getting too big and way too involved in our personal lives. If we do not get rid of the big government takeover we are doomed to repeat communism in this, the last and greatest free country in the world.

We, just like the Austrians, put way too much trust into a sweet talker and charmer. All it took was 2 words, Hope and Change, and we gave a lot of power to a man we knew little about. It is eerie however how similarly Hitler ran his country. The little changes that at first may seem innocent, things like nationalizing banks and the car industry… Obama did these with little notice and little opposition. Bigger changes then become easier and more tolerable to make, like nationalizing healthcare. I keep bashing the feminist movement, because equal rights for women starts a mindset that everyone should be equal. This is exactly how the communists take over the country. They plant ideas like this into the heads of people and then more radical ideas become tolerable. Same idea with the abortion and euthanasia. Once some killing is ok, soon it’s justifiable to kill more.

The Austrians were manipulated slowly until it was too late. It is so far not too late for us, but let us not wake up one morning with no guns, and no freedoms and then realize what it is we have done in our ignorance. Let us do our part to preserve freedom. Education is the most important thing I can think of to do this. Educate yourselves and others on the quest to preserve Freedom. Precious Freedom.

An Emblem of Magnanimity and True Courage

I would be willing to bet that most of you have seen this flag.

 

I would also be willing to bet that you don't know what it means.

This flag is very symbolic, and once a person knows the symbolism behind the flag, I would again be willing to bet they would be motivated to fly this flag alongside the Stars and Stripes. This flag is art in it's most inspiring form, and remember how much I love and am inspired by art? This flag is inspiring to me.  

So, today I am going to teach you what I know about the symbolism of this really cool flag, because I am all about educating people about the history of our country that touches me. 

This flag is called the Gadsden Flag, designed by an American General named Christopher Gadsden. Now, there is a lot of history and story behind the flag that I am not going to get into, because I am no history buff and no doubt I would get something wrong about the date or the war or the man and men behind this awesome flag. Instead, I simply want to tell you about what the snake means.

                                                                                                 

In December 1775, "An American Guesser" (we later believe to be Benjamin Franklin) anonymously wrote to the Pennsylvania Journal stating that he saw this flag on one of the drums belonging to the marines. He stated that each country has its own mascot and he believed this to be the mascot of the American country. He then speculated why he thought a snake would be a fitting mascot for this great country. He gave an awesome and fitting analysis.

Firstly, for those of you who don't know about the behavior of a rattle snake, they never begin an attack but once they do, they never surrender. They fight to the death. They never strike until they have generously given notice to their enemy and cautioned them against the danger of treading on it. Or, as The American Guesser put it: “She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.”

Can you see the parallel to America? The rattle snake therefore becomes an “emblem of magnanimity and true courage” truly fitting for this great American country. Then comes the powerful and bold warning not to tread on this creature. Just as the early American Colonists warned Britain.

How beautiful is that?

There is more symbolism in the rattles. I'm sure most of you know that originally there were 13 American Colonies. Well, this just happens to be the number of rattles the average snake has. Also, it is symbolic of the loyalty and connectedness that those original colonies had for and towards each other. It is, as this American Guesser stated “curious and amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to pieces. One of those rattles singly, is incapable of producing sound, but the ringing of thirteen together, is sufficient to alarm the boldest man living."

There is even more symbolism in this Join or Die flag that Benjamin himself designed that those of you fellow and faithful tea party activists have certainly seen:

It is more symbolism on the 13 colonies, with New England at the head and South Carolina at the tail and the rest following their order along the coast. I am sure there are more stories behind these 2 flags that are fascinating and inspiring, I am as I stated no expert and am unaware of every story or symbolism.

I am inspired by the courage, boldness, pride, and leadership that our founding fathers had. They knew the beauty in the concept of freedom and liberty. They fought hard. They were divinely inspired and divinely helped. They worked hard and sacrificed everything they had for what we have in front of us now. It took them being controlled in England to be able to appreciate what the idea of America could offer them. It scares me to death that the citizens of our country are unaware of the magnanimity of liberty and are literally falling asleep while those who yearn for control and dictatorship take serious advantage of our innocence, trust, and obliviousness. Let us awaken and take back what our founding fathers gave to us. Because as I see it now, we are having our liberties stripped from us, our freedoms pried from our no longer grasping fingers and we are about to have the rug ripped right out from under us. Will that wake us up I wonder? It is time we once again lived up to our symbol of the rattle snake. It is time we once again stand up and become again an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.

Defenders of the Ungrateful?

“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.” George Washington

Some of us don't do real well on this.

I would like to add to this powerful quote by President Washington. These veterans sacrificed for a reason. They sacrificed for freedom, liberty, and honor. They sacrificed for the American flag and what it means. When we don't respect the reason these veterans went to war, why would anyone want to risk and sacrifice their lives just so we can be disrespectful to our freedoms? We need to not only honor and respect the veteran, but we need to honor and respect the reasons why they went to war. 

 

How dare we be so disrespectful to the reason our Defenders die.

A Military Wife

I am a constitutionalists, and I have a lot of American pride. I appreciate the sacrifices our troops are making in preserving our freedoms. I think that they are underappreciated by many in our country. I would like to offer my gratitude and respect for them at this time. But this is not what this post is about. This post is a post to offer my gratitude and respect for an even more underappreciated group… their families. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have a husband or a wife overseas. Not able to see every day. Not able to share parenting experiences with. Not to be able to kiss and hold and just be with daily. These men and women are so strong. They are my heroes. I never wish myself to be one of these women; I just don't think that I am up to the challenge. But I honor them, I respect them, and I am grateful for their sacrifices. I can't imagine what it must be like to have a son or a daughter overseas, or to have a mother or a father. Its one thing not to be able to be with your loved ones, but the real difficult thing I think would be to know that at any moment, they may die. To be taken from you and your life forever. That is a worry I hope never to experience, but I am so grateful that people do experience it. Because it means that we have troops to defend our freedoms and our nation. Now if only the citizens back home could defend our freedoms and our nations within our communities and branches of government right here in America the way our troops do overseas. If only we could show a little more gratitude and pride to be Americans. If only we could respect our history and our constitution a little better. I promise to do my part.

I heard this read on the Doc’s show and it really struck a chord. I would like to share it with you all. It's dedicated to the wives of the enlisted military. I am grateful for your sacrifice.
What is a military wife?

They may look different, and each is wonderfully unique but this is what they have in common. Lots of moving. Moving. Moving. Moving far from home. Moving two cars, three kids and one dog, all riding with her of course. Moving sofa’s to basements, because they won't go in this house. Moving curtains that won't fit. Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours. Moving away from friends, moving toward new friends. Moving her most important luggage, her trunk full of memories. Often waiting waiting waiting. Waiting for housing, waiting for orders, waiting for deployment, waiting for reunion, waiting for phone calls, waiting for the new curtains to arrive, waiting for him to come home for dinner… again.

They call her military dependent, but she knows better. She can balance a checkbook, handle the yard work, and fix a noisy toilet. She can put together a wooden swing set. She is immediately familiar with dry wall anchors and toggle bolts. She can file the taxes, sell a house, buy a car, and set up a move all with one power of attorney. She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her. Reinvents here career with every PCS. Locates a house in the desert, the Arctic, or the deep south and learns to call them all home, because she makes them all home. She is fiercely independent.

Military wives are somewhat hasty. They leap into decorating, leadership, volunteering, career alternatives, churches, and friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people, their roots are short but flexible. They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them. Military wives quickly learn to value each other. They connect over coffee, rely on the spouse network and accept offers of friendship and favors, and record addresses in pencil. Military wives have a common bond.

The military wife has a husband unlike other husbands. His commitment is unique. He doesn’t have a job, he has a mission. He can't just decide to quit. He is on call for his country 24/7, but for you, he is the most unreliable guy in town. His language is foreign, TDY, PCS, MOS, FOB, ACU and so a military wife is a translator for her family and his. She is the long distance link to keep them informed, the glue that holds them together. The military wife has her moments. She wants to ring his neck, dye his uniform pink and refuse to move to Siberia, but she pulls herself together. Give her a few days, a travel brochure, a long hot bath, a pledge to the flag and a wedding picture, and she goes. She packs, she moves, she follows. Why? What for? How come? You may think it is because she has lost her mind, but actually it is because she has lost her heart. It was stolen from her by a man who puts duty first, who longs to deploy, who salutes the flag, and whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her military husband she will remain his military wife.