I often wonder where the bravery and spirit of state's, and especially individuals' stand in regard to their actual rights.  It seems, that I'm not the only one who would like to see a re-enabling of our rights as states and individuals and a removal of the Federal Government's jack boot on backs.  The feds have done everything from remove opportunities to build out infrastructure at state cost, expand passenger rail service, encourage higher standard for automobile exhaust, and more.

Yeah, that's right, the Federal Government.

While reading this article I stumbled into some events I did not know of and found it almost shocking in a refreshing sense.  In the article Walter E. Williams writers, "Eight state legislatures have introduced resolutions declaring state sovereignty under the Ninth and 10th amendments to the U.S. Constitution; they include Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington.

There’s speculation that they will be joined by Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Nevada, Maine and Pennsylvania."

Really?

Seriously?

Americans are growing a set again and stepping up to bat for their rights?!  It can't be!  I'm impressed.  As one state proudly proclaims in its motto, "Life free or die!", New Hampshire is staying true to its motto and constitution as was written long ago in that state, "That the several States composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their General (federal) Government; but that, by a compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States, and of amendments thereto, they constituted a General Government for special purposes, delegated to that government certain definite powers, reserving, each State to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self-government; and that whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force."

These types of acts, we need, desperately in this country now.  Especially in this time of weakness we need to protect and to act out in our best interests state by state, individual by individual to prevent further encroachment.

The Federal Government through blackmail, mostly by threatening to remove highway funds, has held states by the noose for so long many can't remember when states actually had access to and notions of independence.  Then of course, there is barely an individual alive today that can clearly remember liberty of the scale and expanse of the past.  In a mere decade or two, there definitely won't be a soul left.  We need to take it back so that we can have a new generation know and live in true liberty.

Of course, I am pessimistic yet hopeful.  Maybe we can regain ourselves and our choices for ourselves again.

Maybe.

So, Now that it is over and we can move on with the catastrophe of the current United States there are things I'm curious about.  What's the plan of attack, when are the troops coming back, when is the tax cuts and tax increases?  Obama is President and I'm somewhat happy with that, which is a lot coming from my Libertarian views of Freedom and Liberty.  He seems far more aware of these concepts than the last 3 Presidents by far.  I also wonder if he'll be more akin the the market philosophy of Clinton, Reagan, or will he actually tread new ground?  I hope with a dreaded fear it isn't toward more nationalization and monopoly via Government manipulation.  Well, one can hope right?

Anyway, on the other political fronts.  I noticed some of the measures I was rooting for passed and some didn't.  Kind of par for the course.  The biggest thing is that there is basically no way to pay for the levies that were passed except to raise taxes.  Not sure if anyone has checked around Oregon, but we're already WAY THE HELL UP THERE in the tax range.  We don't have a lot of disposable income left.  We lose at least 45% of our earned income as it stands, we can NOT afford much more of a tax increase.  If you don't understand how we lose that much, PLEASE, research it and figure it out, explain it to others, expand and spread the knowledge of the income tax joke.  There are already several tax increase lined up just with the existing legislative changes from expiring tax laws.  For anyone in the top 50-60% income bracket (i.e. if you make over about 60k) YOU are going to see a tax increase in Oregon.  Even with Obama's tax break, if it goes through, we'll be seeing somewhere between 1-5% of our money disappear into some type of levy or tax measure.  Somehow the city and state will have to fill these gaps.

The Positive Things

Amid these concerns, there are some ABSOLUTELY HUGE POSITIVE THINGS about Obama.  Here's my list.

1. He speaks clear and concisely when giving a speech.
2. He can actually communicate his ideas and thoughts to the audience and others he is speaking to.
3. He actually knows American History and has an understanding of things that far exceed our last couple Presidents.
4. He already has a positive reputation and view among other nations throughout the world.
5. He will no longer cause the United States to be laughed at nearly as much as we have in the last 16 years (Yeah, you read that right, Clinton didn't help us out too much on being the laughing stock of the developed nations).

So with that, I'm off to do what I do, and be a productive citizen and contribute to the economic activity of the region.