by Mark West | Feb 10, 2017 | Constitution, Democrat, Donald Trump, Enemy, Illegal Immigration, Islamic Terrorism, Judges, Liberal, Liberty, Political, Refugees, Republican, SCOTUS, Terrorism, Tyrany, We the People
Our nation has been deeply divided for some time and that division is growing even deeper. Much of this division has occurred because our political leaders have untethered our laws, policies and regulations from the law of the land, our Constitution.
But as bad as this rejection of our Constitution has been by Congress and the President, We the People have still possessed the ability to hold our politicians accountable to our founding document and principles, every two or four years.
But there remain two threats to the rule of law beyond the Executive and Congressional branches. One obvious. Another not so.
In many banana republics around the globe, cruel and unjust dictators are oftentimes deposed via a military coup d’etat — an armed overthrow of a government. It’s interesting to look at the meaning of this French word. According to Wikipedia, coup d’etat is sometimes translated as “blow of the state” or “hit of state” but the literal translation is “stroke of the state” — as in the wiping or stroke of a sword.
To date our nation has never faced a military coup d’etat. This first threat, while a potential, has never been considered a likely one in our Constitutional Republic.
A Judicial Coup d’etat
The second threat though, is not only a real one, but this week it was realized. No shots were fired. No swords were drawn. But as the definition of coup d’etat makes clear, a “blow to the state” took place when unelected citizens in black robes thumbed their nose at the Constitution and law and figuratively arrested America’s duly elected President, placing legal handcuffs on the authority he clearly possesses.
The Ninth Circuit Federal Appeals Court circumvented well established law and precedent that affirmed the authority of President Trump, in his position as Commander in Chief, to administer the immigration laws of our land. One such law, the Immigration and Nationality Act, states in Section 1182(f):
“Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate”
The net effect of the courts decision was that these three unelected judges wrestled the authority for the safety of our citizens from Trump with the stroke of a pen. Sixty-three million citizens elected Donald Trump to protect our nation from a clear and present danger stemming from the loose and dangerous refugee immigration policies of the Obama Administration. The danger posed by radical Islam has been unleashed time and time again in Europe and America over the last couple years. But the court’s decision undermined a duly elected President and left him powerless, for all practical purposes. At least for the time being.
With the stakes growing ever higher, and the willingness by the left to embrace whatever tactic they can devise to block Republicans from governing, rest assured that nothing will be left off the table. Whether it’s the riots and violence in the streets as I wrote about earlier this week, the abuse of long established rules in Congress, or the seizing of authority by the judicial branch that it does not possess, there will be no end to the intimidation, abuses, and other nefarious activities by Democrats and their allies.
And it will only grow worse as unelected and unaccountable men in black establish their superior rule… from the bench.
by Mark West | Feb 1, 2017 | Conservatism, Democrat, Donald Trump, Illegal Immigration, Liberal, National Debt, Political, Refugees, Republican
This week, with the talk of many in our nation focusing on Trump’s latest Executive Order, which temporarily halts refugee resettlement, liberals and their funded activists are up in arms and taking to the streets. Even some Republicans are raising concerns over both the content of the EO’s and the way in which they were implemented.
However, lost in all the turmoil is one aspect of our nation’s refugee program that is seldom discussed but should be of great concern to anyone who has ever worked through a budget, whether in your family or business. Here’s one thing we can all agree on. If your budget doesn’t have a surplus or at least balance, then you look closely at the line items of your spending, with an eye towards either reducing your expenses and/or increasing your revenue.
So I thought it might be helpful to understand the fiscal impact of our refugee resettlement program on our nation’s budget. As we look at that cost, we should remember the points made in my previous article about The National Debt. Specifically, our nation’s spending is creating over a half-trillion dollar deficit every year. Additionally, in another of my articles, $10 Trillion New Debt, we are projected to average nearly a trillion dollars in deficits every year over the next decade.
Given these alarming multi-trillion dollar deficits, it’s safe to say that America has no excess funds to allocate. PERIOD. This fact should be weighing heavy on the minds of our political leaders. But the truth is that you never, ever, hear them speaking of the fiscal impact of the 85,000 refugees that were brought into our country last year; or the 50,000 that Trump’s policies would continue to bring in annually.
The Fiscal Impact
There are several reports that I’ve studied about the cost of the refugee program. But the report from Center for Immigration Studies is in my view the most complete, and the excerpted facts below reveal the disturbing fiscal impact of our nation’s refugee program:
America’s Generosity
America has a long tradition of caring about those beyond our own shores. Whether it’s sacrificing our own young men and women to bring freedoms to some distant land, or offering aid and relief to those less fortunate than us in remote areas of the world, our actions reveal our heart. And ours is a generous one.
But there is a fundamental principle of charity or generosity, and it is that one can only give from what one has. In order to give, one must possess. And to possess, one must be fiscally wise, if not conservative. For too long America has not only been fiscally liberal, but worse, we have been irresponsible and foolish. We have feigned generosity to those less fortunate, both here and abroad. But that “generosity” has come at the expense of enslaving our children, grandchildren and future generations with an indebtedness beyond a level ever known to any prior society throughout history.
Consider for just a moment the example of a family of great wealth. The resources the parents own and manage are significant. But despite their assets and current income, their outflow far exceeds their inflow. But to subsidize their obsessive spending, they begin to mortgage their assets, rather than scrutinizing their spending. This continues over the course of many years. Soon, the amount of indebtedness surpasses their own income, future income and even the value of their assets themselves. What was once presented as a tremendous opportunity to pass on a legacy of wealth and good to their children has become a matter of horror and great indebtedness. And why? Because the leaders of this family were unwilling to face the reality that their spending spree over the course of many years completely depleted their resources and enslaved those they loved the most.
America is like the family above. And those “parents” are our political leaders as well as those of us who continue to give those same leaders the reins of our nation, election cycle after election cycle. On this one issue, refugee resettlement, what is meant for good by many, is in fact contributing to a reckless cycle, year after year, of mounting more and more debt, to the point that someday it will all come crumbling down. And those refugees that we intended to help will be enslaved along with our own children, to an indebtedness that will burden their lives in such a drastic and oppressive manner.
Were Americans of all political persuasion thinking through this matter logically and without their political biases, these numbers would cause our populace to take to the streets to demand our political leaders put our fiscal house back in order. But I don’t expect such sanity to prevail, given the highly fractured and partisan age we live in along with the apathetic attitude of citizens.
But at least now YOU know that there is another aspect to the refugee crisis that no one is mentioning. And it’s greater than the humanitarian aspect, or at least it should be, given our own fiscal crisis that few are willing to confront.
The only question now is will you care? Will you demand of your elected officials that they rein in our spending, both in the refugee resettlement program and across all areas of our government? And will you share these facts with others?
by Mark West | Dec 22, 2016 | Campaign 2016, Democrat, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Illegal Immigration, Liberal, Media, Political
Over the last several weeks the media has been consumed with the Russian hacking story, suggesting that the nation that has been our adversary for the last century somehow sabotaged our free elections and contributed to the defeat of Hillary Clinton by Donald Trump. Of course, the Clinton camp and its supporters have been pushing this story since Hillary’s defeat in November.
Everyone should be concerned about allegations of our elections being corrupted in some manner, whether that corruption comes from a nation state or from some other sinister effort. But it is the height of hypocrisy when certain groups become incensed when their candidate loses but they dismiss electoral malfeasance when their side wins. By certain groups, I am referring specifically to liberals, Democrats, and their willing supporters/accomplices, the main stream media.
First let’s address what the specifics of the Russian “hacking” episode actually was. There has been a steady drumbeat of reports from media sympathetic to Hillary Clinton, inferring that the Russian hacking interfered in and impacted the results of our election. To be clear, there is no evidence that any potential hacking changed the outcome whatsoever. Furthermore, the hacking was not in any way related to voting machines or anything that occurred on election day.
The incident in question stemmed from the hacking by Wikileaks of emails accounts for a number of Democratic leaders, including the Democratic National Committee. Those emails, leaked months ago, exposed the sinister efforts of leaders in the Democratic party to undercut Hillary’s main challenger, Bernie Sanders. But the media, rather than focus in on the corruption of the DNC and Hillary, chose to focus on the actual hacking event itself. So Hillary gets a pass, but a foreign entity doesn’t. And consider that had Hillary won, the wrongdoing by the Democratic party would have gone literally unchecked by nearly every main stream media outlet.
As I’ve considered the sudden concern by Democrats and the media over election tampering or illegal activity, I’m reminded that these are the same people that have ignored or scoffed at other blatant scenarios that are unquestionably impacting elections, and regularly resulting in illegal votes being cast on a growing scale. Here are just a few of the more obvious examples of the utter hypocrisy of Democrats and the media regarding the integrity of the electoral system:
Voter Registration
Democrats have consistently resisted any idea of requiring voters to register. Contrary to their allegations though that voter registration is a malicious scheme by Republicans and conservatives to disenfranchise voters, particular minorities, the truth is that registration is designed to protect the integrity of our electoral process. Why is it we never hear complaints by Democrats, the media or other organizations about the reality that government issued ID’s are required to travel, cash checks, check into a hotel, or to even visit the White House. But when one of the foundations of our Constitutional Republic, the voting booth, is at issue, Democrats put up a level of resistance not known since the 300 Spartans at the battle of Thermopylae? (As a little reminder, comedian Ellen DeGeneres was recently barred from entering the White House because she failed to bring along her ID, as she noted in a recent tweet.)
Sanctuary Cities
Presently, the cities in America that are known as sanctuary cities are under the control of Democrats. To be clear, a sanctuary city is one where the city’s officials ignore federal law and shelter illegal aliens from federal prosecution. So as you weigh the sincerity of Democrats’ outrage over the Russian hacking scandal, consider that these are the same folks and Party that not only routinely defy the law and enable illegal aliens to remain immune from federal prosecution, but following Trump’s election, many Democrat officials in sanctuary cities have doubled down on this illegal tactic. Of course, the tactic is ultimately about the following issue, which directly undermines our electoral process.
Voting by Illegals
While there is no evidence that Russian hacking resulted in any votes being defrauded, there are numerous reports that voting by illegal aliens is occurring. While the numbers vary widely, with some alleging that as many as 3 million illegals voted in this most recent Presidential election, it should not matter if there are 3000 or 3 million. Yet, whenever the topic of illegals voting is raised, most liberals and Democrats brush it aside as far-fetched or unthinkable.
Consider this though. For every illegal vote that occurs, one legal vote is marginalized. So if you arrive at the polls at the same time as an illegal voter, and you both sit down in voting booths adjacent to each other, it’s highly likely that your vote, particularly if you are a conservative, was just cancelled out by the illegal in the booth next to you. Yet, many Democrats not only turn a blind eye to any such happenings, but they knowingly enable it.
The Popular Vote
If the allegations that Russian hacking impacted the results of the 2016 Presidential election really held any merit, then there’s one statistic that should totally discredit the theory. Democrats have been quick to continuously howl that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, suggesting that Bill’s wife was really the choice of the majority of Americans. In so doing, Hillary, the media, and her supporters have sought to infer that she is the pick of Americans.
The fact that Hillary won the popular vote would suggest that the Russian hacking was a failure. Had they succeeded in their quest to enable a Trump win, the popular vote would have turned in Trump’s favor. Yet it did not. But why confuse people with the truth? Instead, liberals, bolstered by the “public outreach” arm of their party, the media, have repeated the lie of the Russian hacking story with such consistency and deceit, that once again, many of the American people have bought their lie, hook, line and sinker.
Big Lies
It was Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, who said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Democrat leaders have learned this strategy well enough. And the sad truth is that most Democrats are not really concerned about maintaining a fair and honest electoral process. Rather, they are merely interested in insuring that whatever strategies they can use to gain an unfair and even illegal advantage remain intact.
by Mark West | Mar 1, 2016 | Action, Constitution, Donald Trump, Freedom, Illegal Immigration, Leaders, Life, Marriage, Political, Religious Liberty, Taxes
As I’ve begun to share with folks that if Donald Trump becomes the Republican nominee I will NOT vote for him, the standard response I hear is: “if you don’t vote for Trump you are voting for Hillary!” The intent with such a statement is to either 1) shame or coerce me into voting for Trump or 2) demand that I fall in line with the party nominee.
I find it ironic though that as Republicans have grown increasingly upset over their party and its unwillingness to live by its own principles, many are now embracing a man whose track record is the antithesis of the foundational values of the Republican party.
Contrary to the shallow argument that “a vote for anyone but Trump is a vote for Hillary,” one should consider this truth: A vote for Trump is actually a vote for Hillary. You might find your head swimming after that last statement so hang on and let me explain.
I contend that a person’s track record will always reveal the truth of who that person is and it will predict how that individual will act in the future. In the case of a politician, his words should be carefully examined and compared, with great skepticism, against his actual record. So when it comes to Donald Trump, let’s see if my theory holds any truth: that a vote for the Donald is in fact a vote for Hillary. Below are more than 30 examples where both Trump and Hillary are identical in their views on a number of key issues:
Of course there are areas in which their records diverge but when one considers the myriad of consistencies in the positions of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the only conclusion I can come to is that Trump is no conservative. But even worse, the man is a faux Republican. If ever there was a RINO (Republican In Name Only), Trump is such a candidate, but on steroids. Truthfully, Trump is simply a liberal democrat who has deceptively embraced the Republican label, with nothing to justify his conversion.
Over the years I’ve heard the following statement made about those professing to be Christians: “If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you as one?” Perhaps though we should modify that statement slightly and apply it to Mr. Trump as follows: “If Donald Trump were put on trial for being a Republican, would there be enough evidence to convict him as one? Or would the evidence suggest he is something else, say a liberal progressive Democrat?” Follow the evidence and you’ll have the answer.
There’s a verse of Scripture that states, “By their fruits you will know them.” In the case of Donald Trump, his fruit of over 50 years is well known and if we are willing to objectively examine it, there can be no question as to his liberal bona fides. But will Americans care? We shall know soon enough… but it may be too late.
by Mark West | Feb 16, 2016 | Constitution, Faith, Freedom, Illegal Immigration, Leadership, Life, Marriage, Obamacare, Political, Religious Liberty, Taxes
Cruz, Trump, Rubio, Carson, Bush, Kasich? What’s a conservative to do? Who is the right pick? How can one determine which politician to trust?
As I’ve thought about, studied and researched each of these candidates, I’ve certainly seen strengths and weaknesses in all of them. But at the end of the day, you and I can only pick one for our preferred nominee (assuming you’ve already ruled out the two socialists in the other party). So what is the best way to winnow out the candidates who are either not who they say they are or are ill-equipped to lead our nation back to our founding principles?
Over time, what a person does will accurately reveal who they are and what they value. As the saying goes, “you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” So if one is willing to be objective and truly evaluate a person’s track record, one can very safely predict the future actions of that person. At the end of the day, when we are faced with difficult decisions or stressful scenarios, we will all default to the core of who we are. And so it is with all six of the remaining Republican candidates for President.
If we understand this truth and are willing to objectively apply it, we can rationally mark off those candidates whose track records will not live up to scrutiny. Of course, it will also require us to set aside our own biases, preferences and even the temptation to believe what they claim. But what do we value most, simply being told what we want to hear, or searching for truth and acting out of reason versus emotion? Consider this. When you go to a doctor, would you trust one who is charismatic, handsome, and/or winsome, but he does not tell you the truth of your illness, choosing rather tell you what you want to hear?
So as I evaluated the remaining candidates, I have done what I’m suggesting you do as well. I evaluated each of these candidates, and slowly, deliberately and comprehensively, I concluded that Senator Ted Cruz is the candidate whose track record is the most consistent and verifiable over the course of the last 30 years. While not perfect, Cruz is not simply a “campaign conservative” but rather he is the consistent conservative.
I write this article for two reasons. First, I’m seeking to provide those who are still struggling to select their candidate with some of my reasons for selecting Ted Cruz. And secondly, to encourage others who might be supporting a different candidate to at least reconsider their choice.
The Constitution
If there is one document that separates us from every other nation in the world, it is our Constitution. Our nation’s founding document contains not only the principles that created the most exceptional nation in world history, but it established a form of government that has enabled We the People to govern ourselves through men and women who were to remain accountable to the People. Because of the greatness of this document and the role it is meant to play in constraining the passions and mischief of men, the reverence and allegiance any politician reflects to this document should be of paramount importance to all Americans.
This perhaps is one of the greatest strengths of Ted Cruz. During his years as a teenager, Ted Cruz memorized the Constitution, and its values have guided his political views and ideologies throughout his entire adult life. His years in front of the US Supreme Court as Texas Solicitor General led to many victories for the Constitution on matters that are foremost to conservatives including the 2nd Amendment, US sovereignty, and religious liberty.
Life & Marriage
In an era when the biblical values of life and marriage have been under extreme attack, Ted Cruz has been a stalwart voice to support life and defend marriage. As the murderous policies of Planned Parenthood have been exposed, Cruz has continued to call for the defunding of this organization that profits from the taking of innocent life.
Religious Liberty
As Christians in particular come under greater attack in our nation, Ted Cruz has been a steady and consistent supporter of religious liberty. Cruz successfully defended the public display of the Ten Commandments and the words “under God” in our nation’s pledge before the SCOTUS, kept the cross standing at the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial, defended Hobby Lobby against Obamacare’s contraception mandate, and so much more.
Repeal ObamaCare
Senator Ted Cruz stood alone in September 2013 in his 21-hour marathon anti-Obamacare “filibuster.” While several other Senators chimed in, Cruz’ has remained the foremost voice in repealing Obamacare seeking to replace it with “common sense health care reform that makes health insurance personal and affordable and keeps the government from getting between Americans and their doctors.”
Illegal Immigration
In 2013, Ted Cruz led the fight in Congress to defeat the Gang of Eight amnesty bill, which would have extended amnesty to over ten million illegals. Democrat Chuck Schumer (D) and Republican Presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio were the key sponsors and spokesmen for the Gang of Eight bill. One of the bill’s most outspoken critics, Senator Jeff Sessions credited Cruz with the ultimate defeat of the bill saying, “I believe without the vigorous opposition from Ted Cruz, this bill very likely would have passed.” The Cruz plan to stop illegal immigration includes securing the border, restoring the rule of law, and reforming immigration to protect Americans.
Abolish the IRS / Replace with Flat Tax
The Cruz simple flat tax plan would establish one flat 10% tax rate for individuals with a postcard being used to file one’s taxes. A family of four would pay no taxes on their first $36,000 of income. Additionally, the business flat tax would abolish the corporate income tax and payroll tax, and replace them with a 16% tax. The death tax, Obamacare taxes and more would also be eliminated. The IRS as we know it would be abolished.
Defeat ISIS & Secure our Nation
Believing that America is an exceptional and unique nation, Ted Cruz has proposed a six-point plan that would position the US as a shining beacon, to exert world leadership, rebuild our military, defeat ISIS, protect the homeland, and rip up the Iran deal. American Spectator recently stated, “Cruz presents a well-thought out, foreign and national defense policy based on the original, Reagan conservatism. One that focuses on advancing America’s security interests around the world, not on sacrificing American lives and treasure on replacing foreign dictators… birthing new democracies, or building jobs and prosperity in foreign lands.”
Appointment of Supreme Court Justices
Justice Scalia’s death over the weekend has highlighted the strong likelihood that up to four Supreme Court Justices could be replaced by the next President. Given the razor-thin 5-4 decisions that have been rendered on issues as foundational to our nation as religious liberty, abortion, 2nd Amendment and more, the judicial philosophy of the next President’s is critical. Ted Cruz has praised Scalia for his efforts in “returning the focus to the original meaning of the text (of the Constitution) after decades of judicial activism.”
Stand Against the Washington Establishment
Ted Cruz, while only one of 100 Senators, has consistently stood firm for the values he campaigned on, and this has frequently exposed the political schemes and corruption by congressional leaders in both parties. While the Washington establishment has rejected Cruz for his principled stands, this firmness of conviction will bode him well were he to lead from the Oval Office in 2017 as he continues to stand with the People vs. the Establishment. His Five for Freedom plan would eliminate the IRS, and the Departments of Education, Energy, Commerce, and Housing and Urban Development.
Man of Faith
Too many politicians speak of faith, but their walk and particularly their policies are at odds with the faith they claim. Ted Cruz not only professes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but his walk aligns with one who is truly a Christ follower. The policies he pursues are ones that both affirm the values of our Constitution while respecting the values of his faith. Hundreds of faith leaders have examined Cruz and have endorsed him for President. At the same time, though Cruz has been quick to acknowledge he is not running as “Pastor in Chief.”
In closing, America is at a seminal moment. We are at a crossroads. The choice we make in 2016 will determine whether we will travel to a point of no return, leaving forever the Judeo/Christian principles of our founders. Will we embrace a candidate who quickens our base emotions or uses eloquent phrases, or will we examine the candidates’ track records to validate whether their talk matches their walk? We may not have another chance. This could be our last opportunity to restore the Constitution, the rule of law, and to call on God’s mercy and grace as we seek to restore our Constitution and the Creator to the rightful place in our nation. I pray you will join me in prayerfully supporting Ted Cruz for President.
Photo courtesy of DonkeyHotey. Used by permission.
