All of us know that President Obama has announced that White House tours had to be cancelled because of the Sequestration. But has anybody even tried to find out exactly what had to be cut back? Were White House staff actually laid off? Were their paid hours reduced? Is this actually true …. or is it just a ploy? Shouldn’t the White House have to demonstrate what had to be eliminated (and when) in order for the tours to be cancelled? Does anybody care about the truth anymore?

CIC (kick) is the power unleashed by computers and the internet in the 21st century. CIC is the exponential force created by combining Creativity, Information, and Communication. You are not imagining the world is moving more quickly. It is. The old linear ideas of the Industrial Age and the 20th century don’t work anymore because they are just … too … slow. One of the most vital things that CIC does is to transfer or distribute power from institutions to their “markets”, that is, to people like you and me. This is happening whether the product of these institutions is cars, health care, government, religion, or working conditions. This is what empowers us to redirect the future.

An exponential solution relies on a Trusted Messenger with a Message which is an exact match to the (enlightened) self-interest of the target audience. This audience, therefore, adopts the solution immediately which makes it quick and effective (this is how Treasury Secretary Paulson was able to avoid an economic meltdown immediately following the 2008 Financial Crisis). This is the art of “fighting without fighting”.

On the other hand, a linear solution (a holdover from the Concentrated Power days of the Industrial Revolution) relies on persuasion and/or coercion and does not match the (enlightened) self-interest of the target audience. This audience, therefore resists adopting the solution which makes it slow and ineffective (the 2009 Economic Stimulus and Obamacare are linear solutions). This is the art of “fighting by fighting”.

So, what can we do to change the future? One way is to vote on November 6, 2012. No excuses. Another way is to support those with the courage to speak out (or speak out yourself). Yet another way is to do one act, one small act, that will begin to move us in the right direction. Remember, in this new world, all of these things will have an exponential effect. Such change will not come from government. It will come from the individual actions of millions of people who are willing to step out and have their say. Just look at what happened in 2012 in Egypt, for example. Recall how the United States became the United States. Don’t let someone else decide your future!

Our country is in a mess. You know it and I know it. We could use a miracle right about now. Many of us feel that Biblical miracles can be explained away as natural events. But this is only the how of the miracle. The real miracle is the when of the miracle. Think about how the Israelites escaped from the Egyptians because the Red Sea parted at exactly the right time. Would we think of it as a miracle if the Red Sea had parted, say, a year later?

My life experience, particularly close to nature in a remote area of Canada, confirms for me the reality of God’s Love and Power. It is the stuff of miracles. And so one question remains. Do we have the Courage and the Faith to ask God for one … right now? God does not do His work through governments. He works through individuals … like you and like me. Today is November 5. Tomorrow we elect a President for the next four years. You and I must decide if it is time to ask for that miracle.

“When the debate is over slander becomes the tool of the loser.”

In Part 1, I discussed the characteristics of the problem of illegal immigration. The question Americans are asking themselves is … “Why can’t we find a resolution?”.

Recently I read a Time Magazine article written by a journalist who has admitted publicly that he is an illegal alien and still cannot find out from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) whether or not he will be deported.

US federal politicians have come up with a laundry list of reasons to follow the statement, “This is why we can’t fix the illegal immigration problem right now.” The US has been singularly unsuccessful in securing the US/Mexican border. Rudy Guiliani says he could do it fairly easily. Perhaps the US should hire him. Look what he did for New York City. Does this sound like the United States? – the “can-do” country?, the country that is a “nation of laws”? Or, does this sound like a country that has lost its way, to the severe detriment of American self-respect, and loss of international prestige?

There is a moral issue here which, in my opinion, suggests a solution to this problem. The reason the United States does not have a corresponding problem with other people who break the law is because existing laws are enforced and such people are brought to justice. While some of them may never be caught, they are still considered to be criminals and the intent of the legal system is to find and prosecute them. For some crimes, there is a statute of limitation which says that they can no longer be prosecuted after a defined length of time. In effect, at that point, the government can no longer enforce the law and such people are treated as if they were innocent. This is the foundation of our legal system.

The reason that there are at least 12-20 million illegal immigrants in the United States is because the federal government has decided voluntarily not to enforce existing law. While it may be difficult to enforce the law, surely the solution cannot be to abandon enforcing the law. The cause of the illegal immigrant problem, therefore, is not illegal immigrants, it is the federal government (both Democrat and Republican administrations, by the way). The result is that illegal immigrants are living and working in the United States as if they were citizens but must live in the shadows because of their uncertainty about whether or not they might be deported. So, they have none of the legal protections citizens have which means they can be exploited and mistreated with impunity.

The moral issue needs to be stated with clarity: “Is it moral for the United States to treat any human being this way?”. I would state categorically that the answer is “No!”. It seems to me that two things have to happen to begin to correct the illegal immigration problem. 1. The United States (including the Federal Government, States, and Sanctuary Cities) has to state unequivocally that, after a certain date, all immigration laws will be enforced and anyone entering the country illegally will be subject to prosecution … period. Whether or not it is difficult to do so is irrelevant. 2. Anyone who is in the United States illegally before that date will be allowed to apply for citizenship as the moral resolution of the federal government’s failure to enforce existing law. My thanks to the Politically Correct crowd for making this an issue. While I do not agree with how they did it, I applaud that they did it.

While Political Correctness has done a lot of damage to Free Speech in America, there is at least one area where it has focused attention on a problem which must be resolved … Immigration. Immigration is a hot topic in the United States today, especially Illegal Immigration. The central question about illegal immigration in the US, for almost all Americans, is, “Why in the world does the US Federal Government seem incapable of resolving this issue … is it incompetence, is it partisan bickering … or … is it something else?”.

There are two characteristics of illegal immigrants that stand out – cheap labor, and potential future voters.

-They have low expectations. The per capita income in Mexico, for example, is 25% of the per capita income in the US.

-The rapid population growth in Mexico, for example, means fewer jobs there, especially for young people.

-They are easily exploitable because they are illegal and can’t complain.

-There are now 12-16 million or 7-20 million illegal immigrants in the US, depending upon whom you ask. Granting amnesty would create a very significant number of new voters.

To put it bluntly,

-this kind of cheap labor is just another form of slavery,

-trying to make them voters is just blatant manipulation of them and of the democratic process.

We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

In the meantime, because the US has stopped enforcing existing Federal Immigration Law (whatever happened to “We are a nation of laws”?),

-there are now “sanctuary cities” in the US for illegal aliens,

-they are receiving welfare, education, and other social services, to the severe detriment of State Budgets.

-the “open border” has substantially increased drug traffic and violence,

-Arizona has become the area of choice in the Western world for kidnapping,

-it has become easier to ignore or not enforce other laws,

-the US is losing its confidence and stature in the arena of foreign affairs,

-it has become Politically Correct to label, as a racist, anyone who wants to enforce existing Federal Immigration Law,

… and on, and on.

What is wrong here … and what will make it right? I will address this question in Part 2.

Are we approaching the 29th day for the United States? (September, 2012). I do not say this lightly and, in my opinion, both political parties share the responsibility for the current state of affairs. Consider what has happened.

-The US National Debt went over $16 trillion (that is 16,000 billions). That is more than $51,000 for every man, woman, and child.

-The third Quantitative Easing (printing $40 billion per month) announced by the Federal Reserve caused the rating organization, Egan-Jones to lower the US Government to AA- from AA. Paul Ryan, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, called it a “sugar-high” for the economy less than two months before the Federal Election. Too much money chasing too few goods and services always leads to inflation. It is inescapable.

-The United States is mired in a stagnant economy with unemployment remaining above 8% and the increase in Gross Domestic Product stuck below 2%. Average income is declining and the number of people below the poverty level is higher than it has been for decades. The Bush tax cuts are scheduled to expire or be renewed on January1, 2013 as are the devastating Sequestration cuts to military and domestic spending. Obamacare is in the process of implementation with as yet an unknown impact on health costs and taxes. Expanding regulation has inhibited business to grow and expand. The debt crisis in the European Union shows no signs of being resolved with attendant repercussions for the American economy. All of these factors introduce uncertainty, the “economy-killer”, into the mix.

-Illegal immigration continues to be an unresolved issue with no light on the horizon.

-On September 11, the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City, there were demonstrations against the United States in Egypt and soon afterward across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and even in Australia. These were ostensibly a reaction to an obscure YouTube movie which appeared in July denigrating Islam.

-The US Libyan Embassy was set on fire and the US Ambassador and three members of the Consulate Staff were killed. Members of the Obama Administration claimed that this was a spontaneous reaction to the YouTube movie despite the fact that Rocket Propelled Grenades were involved and everybody else seemed to be convinced that this was a preplanned terrorist revenge attack coordinated to take place on September 11. After eight days, White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, acknowledged it was “self-evident” that this was a terrorist attack. Nevertheless, the Administration is still claiming it was tied to the YouTube movie. What is interesting is that in the second Presidential Debate on October 22, 2012 President Obama said unequivocally that he had stated this was a terrorist attack during a press conference in the Rose Garden on September 12, 2012, one day after the attack. And now, on October 23, 2012 an email from the State Department to the White House Situation Room has come to light stating as it happened that the attack was by a terror group. Earlier requests for additional security were denied and then later during the attack there were three unanswered calls for help. Can it get any worse? And finally, wouldn’t the Obama Administration be offering more information if it made them look better?

-President Obama appeared on the David Letterman TV Show and yet was too busy to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, to discuss the inexorable progress by Iran toward the successful development of nuclear weapons. The US has refused to “red-line” Iran which would define a point beyond which action would be taken.

-The risk of an interrupted oil supply is increasing exponentially. It is becoming obvious to everyone that the United States must move quickly toward domestic energy independence. The adverse consequences of our failure to do this have been horrendous both domestically and, in particular, with respect to US foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere. And yet … and yet the Obama Administration continues to refuse to approve construction of the Keystone XL Canadian oil sands pipe-line. Shall we wait until the Canadians decide to sell the oil to the Chinese? A report on the potentially enormous oil and gas resources of the 1.5 million acre ANWR area of Alaska was submitted in 1987 to Congress by the Department of the Interior. No action has been taken. Drilling leases on federal lands are not being approved. What are we waiting for?

President Obama continues his uninterrupted campaigning and the US Congress is on the verge of a long recess. Shouldn’t Americans feel completely justified to be outraged by the lack of response to the now obvious deterioration of the United States both domestically and abroad? Are US political leaders aware of the risk and real danger here? They are playing with fire and acting like the man who was asked for the definition of Ignorance and Apathy. His response was, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” As for help from our Allies, remember, the first reality of geopolitics is anarchy. All countries will never fail to act in their own self-interest.

Americans should be asking ourselves one simple question, “Are things getting better or are things getting worse?”. And we should be asking a more difficult question, “What am I prepared to do about it?” . How long can we continue to say, “I’m too busy”, “It’s not my problem”, “I’m not interested”? Are we just going to wait for the 29th day?

The United States (July, 2012) is on the brink of a divisive conflict between the Public Sector and the Private Sector (politically defined as “the middle class vs. the super-rich”). These two sectors have a quasi-symbiotic relationship. The Public Sector provides protection, regulation, infrastructure, and a safety net. The Private Sector finances the Public Sector by paying taxes, and creates jobs and wealth through innovation and risk-taking which is what enables it to pay taxes. The Public Sector hurts itself by being too onerous because that results in lower tax revenue. There is a limit to the alternative of borrowing and increasing the National Debt which occurs when lenders will simply refuse to lend. If and when that day comes, all of us will suffer far beyond our worst nightmare.

The reality is the Private Sector, not the Public Sector, is the goose that lays the golden eggs. Cripple the Private Sector, or the people who expand the Private Sector… and no more golden eggs. The creative spark of the unencumbered, entrepreneurial individual mind, whether in the form of the wheel, the telephone, or the computer, lights the path to prosperity. The rest is just window dressing. To say otherwise will never make it so.

One indication of the confusion about the free enterprise system is the controversy which has erupted in July, 2012 about the contribution of small business to the economy. What the small businessman does that employees and government do not is he (or she) takes a risk. If it works, he is successful; if it doesn’t he can lose everything. This is the essence of the free enterprise system and I am disappointed that nobody, Democrat or Republican, has mentioned it.

We have reached a tipping point as a result of the collusive relationship between politicians and unions, and misleading accounting practices – politicians have been promising higher pension and medical benefits to public employees for decades in exchange for election support by their unions. These benefits have been massively underfunded raising the specter of city and state bankruptcies. At the national level, the tipping point may be the actual cost if Obamacare is implemented, or simply waiting too long to repair Social Security and Medicare.

The very real threat of “A house divided against itself cannot stand” in this looming tragedy is because
half of us pay income taxes … and half of us don’t,
a few of us are wealthy … and most of us are not,
something which is ripe for unscrupulous political manipulation in an election year. And watch out for what Socrates said, “When the debate is over, slander becmes the tool of the loser”.

We have had a glimpse of the future in Greece and even in the State of Wisconsin. This is becoming a life and death struggle between concentration of power and distribution of power, between coercion and enlightened self-interest, between tyranny and freedom. It is time for all of us to take a stand one way or the other or get out of the way. Be wary of four fatal errors: 1. Everything will be resolved satisfactorily even if we do nothing; 2. This is really a struggle between the rich and the poor; 3. The Public Sector is the goose that lays the golden eggs; 4. A tyrant will be kind and generous to us.