Frank Salvato

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - Frank Salvato - Government - Liberals - President - Taxes

The Idea of the ‘Fair Share’

October 5, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

We’re hearing an awful lot about the “wealthy” paying “their fair share” where taxes are concerned. Pres. Obama and his Progressive and liberal Democrat brethren have perfectly coordinated their talking points to affect a campaign of undefined and reckless class warfare against the productive class, doing so for the sole purpose of political gain. Expectedly, Mr. Obama presents a Janus face: denying out of one mouth that he is utilizing class warfare; demonizing the producers out of the other.

In announcing his new, but all too familiar, deficit reduction plan on September 19th, Mr. Obama said:

“This is not class warfare, it is math…All I’m saying is that those who have done well, including me, should pay their fair share in taxes…We can’t just cut our way out of this hole… It is only right we ask everyone to pay their fair share…We can’t afford these special lower rates for the wealthy. We can’t afford them when we are running these big deficits… Middle class taxpayers shouldn’t pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires. That’s pretty straightforward. It’s hard to argue against that…”

Of course, an honest man would admit that the federal government is spending way, way, way beyond its means. An honest man would admit that the federal government has gone far, far, far beyond its constitutional mandate in providing special interest programs that would be better suited for private sector benevolence organizations. An honest man would acknowledge the fact – the fact – that the federal government, now hijacked by the political correctness of Progressivism, has ventured into social engineering via its “social justice” campaign and departed, to a great degree, from the vision of federal government established by our Founders and Framers.

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The Idea of the ‘Fair Share’”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - Frank Salvato - Government - Liberals - President - Taxes

Framing the Election Before the Progressives Do

September 28, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

There is a great discontent emanating from the Democrat and Progressive base regarding President Obama’s performance, a demographic he desperately needs if he is to succeed in his bid for re-election. Many in the traditional Republican circles, especially the so-called Republican strategists, argue that Republicans could run a teleprompter-reading “animatron” and win in 2012. This is a foolish and dangerous position to espouse but one that should come as no surprise. Republicans, since their first days as a party, have honed the skill of shooting themselves in the foot to perfection. If Conservatives and Republicans don’t wake-up, evolve in their media tactics, get ahead of the message, frame their opponents and mandate the argument before the Progressives do, we could very well find Barack Obama taking the Oath of Office in 2013.

Steve Chapman, no stranger to the Chicago Progressive crowd, wrote in The Chicago Tribune:

“The vultures are starting to circle. Former White House spokesman Bill Burton said that unless Obama can rally the Democratic base, which is disillusioned with him, ‘it’s going to be impossible for the president to win.’ Democratic consultant James Carville had one word of advice for Obama: ‘Panic.’
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Framing the Election Before the Progressives Do”

Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Frank Salvato - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - Nanny State - President - Republicans - Senate - Taxes

Now Is the Time

September 21, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

Unless you’ve been living under a soundproofed rock for the past two and a half years you know that the approval rating for our nation’s politicians is pathetically low. President Obama’s approvals are hovering around 44 percent while Congress’ approval rating hardly shows-up on the radar screen at 13 percent, and rightfully so. Those elected to federal office (and for that matter, the many State houses) have ignored the basic responsibilities of their offices – to represent their constituencies – and have, instead, arrived inside the Washington DC beltway to execute their stations in the best interests of their political parties and associated special interest groups.

Incredibly, some in the political talking-head and spin doctor class try to explain away the dismal approval ratings as repercussions from the maladies of our time; they try to rationalize that the cause of public discontent, where their elected officials are concerned, is more about an unsophisticated and less realistic interpretation of all the bad news emanating from across the world. These contentions might very well be true if it weren’t for the truth of extremely elevated non-approval ratings received by the elected class. President Obama’s negatives are over 50 percent and Congress’ negative rating is at a stunning 83.5 percent. In fact, the only leader not to have a negative rating over 50 percent is House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who stands at 41 percent.

Keep in mind that, traditionally, approval ratings can bounce up and down quite erratically, but once a voter has established a negative view of a candidate it is very hard to flip that view to the positive. It is for this reason that a unique opportunity presents itself; an opportunity that even the doomed politician can use to throw a lifeline to his or her legacy.
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Now Is the Time”

9/11 - Anti-Americanism - Anti-Semitism - Democrats/Leftists - Frank Salvato - Government - History - Liberals - Security/Safety

‘On a Day When Others Tried to Divide Us’

September 11, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

“…on a day when others tried to divide us, we can regain the sense of common purpose that stirred in our hearts 10 years ago. As a nation, we face difficult challenges, and as citizens in a democratic society we engage in vigorous debates about the future. But as we do, let’s never forget the lesson we learned anew 10 years ago — that our differences pale beside what unites us and that when we choose to move forward together, as one American family, the United States doesn’t just endure, we can emerge from our tests and trials stronger than before. That’s the America we were on 9/11 and in the days that followed. That’s the America we can and must always be.”
– Pres. Barack Obama, USA Today, Sept. 8, 2011

Ten year have passed since the Islamist attacks on the United States of America; attacks that killed 2,977 people in New York, Washington, DC and Shanksville, PA. Since that time we have routed the Taliban from their haven in Afghanistan, dispatched Osama bin Laden to the icy deep and lopped off many of the heads of the Islamist terror hydra. We have grown as a people to better understand the dysfunctional relationship that the Islamic theo-political dogma has with Western Culture. And we have done our best to attain closure, for ourselves, for our society and for our country.

But closure can be hard to attain when there are no bodies to bury and no pointed victory over a vanquished foe. And when closure alludes because of unresolved issues we must always re-examine the event; the moment; the realities.

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‘On a Day When Others Tried to Divide Us’”

Anti-Americanism - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Frank Salvato - Government - Liberals - President - Race

Special Interest Racial Incitement at Its Peak

September 9, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

If you thought the class warfare tactic was being used successfully by the Progressive Left to instigate strife between the upper and lower classes in the United States you need to re-examine what you think you are seeing. With declarations by three Congressional Black Caucus Progressives that target the TEA Party, we witness a pathetic attempt by special interest Progressive Leftists to re-package the contrived charge of racism against what is essentially Middle Class America.

Over the past two weeks we have experienced some incredibly caustic declarations by three Congressional Black Caucus members: US Rep. Maxine Waters (P-CA), US Rep. Frederica Wilson (P-FL) and US Rep. Andre Carson (P-IN). All three, evidently, have little respect for their own President who, just after the shooting of US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), called for “toning down the rhetoric.”

On August 20, 2011, while speaking to a friendly audience at a Los Angeles “community summit,” Maxine Waters, a member of both the Progressive and Congressional Black Caucuses in the US House said:
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Special Interest Racial Incitement at Its Peak”

Britain - Budget - Cities - Communism - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - EU - Europe - Frank Salvato - Government - Liberals - Nanny State - Socialism - Taxes

Western Unrest and the Failure of Social Engineering

August 19, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

While the world mainstream media is focused on the unrest that has plagued Great Britain, they are delinquent in reporting on societal unrest elsewhere in the Western world. In Chile, tens of thousands of students staged violent protests, demanding changes in government-funded public education. In Philadelphia, a rash of “flash mob” incidents has forced that city’s mayor to impose curfews for teenagers in several neighborhoods. And in Milwaukee, authorities are investigating a string of mob-like actions involving large groups of predominantly black teenagers near the Wisconsin State Fair, leading one City Alderman to attributing the violence as a sign of “deteriorating African American culture in our city.”

In all of these instances – from London to Milwaukee, Santiago to Philadelphia, one common factor exists: Young people, who have been endowed with a falsely elevated sense of self-esteem, are narcissistically demanding more from a grossly over-extended government entitlement system instituted by Progressives to create a dependent populace. Why would anyone want to create such an unstable and dangerous societal atmosphere? Power.

In its detailed examination of Progressivism, DiscoverTheNetworks.org, states:
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Western Unrest and the Failure of Social Engineering”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Conservatives - Democrats/Leftists - Frank Salvato - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Jobs - Liberals - President - Republicans - Senate - Taxes - Tea Party

The Stunning Demonization of Fiscal Responsibility

August 13, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

Just when you thought the Progressive Movement could be more deeply invested in denial, now comes the absurd notion that somehow, the TEA Party Movement, whose pinnacle tenet is fiscal responsibility; which has devoutly insisted that the federal government cease the practice of spending beyond the tax revenue it gleans from taxpayers, that somehow it is the TEA Party Movement and their affiliated members of Congress who are responsible for the downgrade in the US credit rating by S&P and not the glad-handing spendthrifts of the big government, nanny state Progressive Movement.

“Bottom up, top down…inside out.”

Shameless partisan, Chicago Progressive operative and former senior advisor to Pres. Barack Obama, David “Say Anything, Lie, Cheat and Steal to Win” Axelrod is quoted as saying, “The fact of the matter is that this is essentially a Tea Party downgrade.”

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The Stunning Demonization of Fiscal Responsibility”

Congress - Conservatives - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - Frank Salvato - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - Nanny State - President - Republicans - Senate

Long Live the ‘Boogie’ Man

August 9, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

There is a lot of talk about our politicians today. Some of what I hear is good but a majority of what I hear is awful, as in we’re pretty upset that our elected class has taken to making excuses for not executing the will of their constituents, abdicating their responsibilities only to position for re-election and bolster their political parties. This happens on both sides of the aisle so, no, this isn’t a hit piece on one party of the other. It is a request that elected members of both parties stop, just for a minute, and examine their motives. Just what is the purpose of government; what are you trying to achieve?

In the wake of all of the rancor that surrounded the debt ceiling debate and subsequent legislation – a piece of legislation only eclipsed in poor quality by the partisan posturing that preceded its enactment – one thing has become quite apparent: the United States federal government has moved completely away from “protecting and serving” the American people and has, instead, become an exercise in societal engineering and transformation.

It is an exercise in societal engineering because increasingly we see elected officials unmasked only to be found zealous ideologues hell-bent on making people believe what they believe. It is almost the exact opposite of what representative government is supposed to be. In a true representative government the elected officials actually represents his or her constituents; he or she stands to express the concerns, fears and intentions of those who he or she represents, thus the moniker “public servant.”

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Long Live the ‘Boogie’ Man”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - GOP - Government - Liberals - President - Taxes

Mandating the Future to Kow-Tow to Now

August 5, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

What is being termed a “historic debt ceiling compromise deal,” complete with backslapping and self-congratulations at the highest levels, is being considered by the Senate and the House rank-and-file. And consider they will. With many provisions going against the principles of both the TEA Party contingent and the far-leftist Progressive faction, there is a lot to consider. Significantly, lost in this “grand compromise” are these facts: a) Almost all of the spending cuts trumpeted as victory for the TEA Party Movement come after the 2012 General Election and with the election of a new Congress, b) The agreement does not eliminate deficit spending, rather, it simply lowers the amount of deficit spending, and c) Because the agreement doesn’t reach the $4 trillion mark mandated by the ratings agencies there is still a chance for our nations credit rating to be downgraded.

Perhaps the most significant issue in all of this is that for all the talk of not wanting to “kick the can down the road,” this agreement “kicks the can down the road.” Why do I say that? I say that because one Congress cannot mandate a future Congress to do anything. Short of a constitutional amendment that includes triggers that would apply devastating consequences outside the manipulative reach of any future Congress – or the Executive Branch – future Congresses don’t have to honor anything passed by previous Congresses. A perfect example comes in the form a the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, which mandates that Congress must complete its annual budget resolution by April 15th. Even though there is an enforcement mechanism – a punishment for not achieving this goal – in that if Congress fails to pass a budget resolution, legislation that affects budgetary matters cannot be considered, today, the 111th Congress has essentially ignored the law, having been delinquent in passing a budget for over two years running.

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Mandating the Future to Kow-Tow to Now”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - Republicans - Taxes

The Debt Ceiling Is Actually Not the Issue

August 1, 2011 by 1 Comment

-By Frank Salvato

As we tick-tock toward August 2nd, the day President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner have set as the day the Executive Branch will have to start prioritizing expenditures – establishing what programs are covered exclusively by actual tax revenue and not borrowed money, we approach an artificial deadline for a secondary issue created by a much more systemic national malady. Where the news media and elected officials argue, whine and mislead on the issue of raising the federal debt limit ceiling, the debt ceiling isn’t even close to the issue that all inside the beltway, but for the TEA Party, are refusing to address seriously: overspending.

Many on the Left side of the aisle have been caught rationalizing the need to raise the debt ceiling by noting it has been raised 78 times since 1960 – 49 times under Republican presidents, and 29 times under Democrat presidents, an irrelevant attribution due to the fact that Congress holds the power of the purse, not the Executive Branch. In fact, if one wants to split hairs about which party has presided over the majority of debt ceiling raises, and, consequently, which party has presided over the most deficit spending, it would be more accurate to point out that Democrats, from 1960 to 2010, have held the majorities in the Senate for 36 years and the House for 41 years. Ergo, Democrats and Progressives are far more to blame than Republicans for bringing the nation to the precipice of financial ruin.

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The Debt Ceiling Is Actually Not the Issue”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Frank Salvato - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Taxes

Obstructionist Politics: Denying a Vote

July 31, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

Just minutes after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) tabled (read: killed) the second piece of legislation presented by the House to his chamber addressing solutions to the politically manufactured debt ceiling “crisis” – legislation crafted through not only bipartisan negotiations among members of the House, but bipartisan consultation with Senate members – Mr. Reid had the unmitigated gall to infer that Republicans were being “obstructionist.”

As reported in the Washington Times:

“Republicans offered to let the vote happen Friday night, just minutes after the chamber voted to halt a House Republican bill. All sides expect Democrats’ bill will fail too, and the GOP said senators might as well kill both at the same time so that negotiations could move on to a compromise.

“‘We would be happy to have that vote tonight,’ Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republicans’ leader, offered.

“But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid objected, even though the vote would occur on his own bill. He instead said the chamber would have to run out the full procedural clock, which means a vote in the early hours Sunday morning.

“He said he would be willing to move up the vote if Republicans didn’t insist on a 60-vote threshold, which has become traditional for big, controversial items to pass the Senate. But the GOP held firm on that demand, so Mr. Reid said he would insist on the full process, which he said would show the country that Republicans were being obstructionist.”

At a time when the American people are screaming – nay, demanding – that those elected to office in Washington stop with the political positioning and gamesmanship, Progressive Democrat Harry Reid, a man whose approval rating is just 27 percent, whose negatives stand at 53 percent, a man whose last election was handed to him not by the people of Nevada but by the union members of Las Vegas, represents the quintessential example of exactly the kind of behavior Americans detest.

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Obstructionist Politics: Denying a Vote”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Taxes

‘Obamanocchio’

July 30, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

A good friend of mine, David Jeffers of The Aletheia Group, sent out a message last night almost directly after President Obama finished his speech to the American public regarding the debt ceiling. His message was titled “Obamaocchio,” and, in light of what Mr. Obama and his Administration have been telling bankers behind closed doors about this issue, appropriate.

Even as President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner take to the airwaves (as it were) to trumpet that the economic sky will fall if Congress does not reach a deal to raise the debt ceiling; to give the federal government the ability to amass more foreign debt, both Mr. Obama and Mr. Geithner – and their dispatches – have been reassuring the financial sector that they have no intention of allowing the United States government to “default” on its debt, regardless of whether Congress raises the debt ceiling or not.

A senior banking official admitted to receiving “guidance” from the Obama Administration insisting that “default is off the table.” This should be the catalyst for a great deal of anger; anger emanating from those who receive Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments, not to mention anyone whose investments have been held in limbo for all the uncertainty surrounding the debt ceiling issue.
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‘Obamanocchio’”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Taxes

Republicans Have Compromised; Obama Has Not

July 29, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

The Obama Administration, Congressional Progressives and Democrats, and the mainstream media have done a fantastic job of controlling the narrative in the debt ceiling/budget debate. They have hammered home, in an almost Goebbels-esque manner, the false notion that Republicans have not “compromised on their partisan ideals”; that the GOP is, to use their talking point, “intransigent.” This is nothing short of exactly the opposite from the truth.

The fact of the matter is that House Speaker John Boehner, and a majority of the House and Senate Republican contingents, have compromised, and have done so on a major issue: raising the debt ceiling.

Looking back on the 2010 Mid-Term Election, those concerned about the fiscal irresponsibility executed by our elected class stated loud and clear, in the only poll that matters – the poll at the ballot box, that we wanted the federal government to employ fiscal restraint. In many cases, those whose names were on the ballot, indicated that they finally – finally – got the message. Even Harry Reid (D-NV), ran on a platform that included support for a balanced budget amendment. They said time and time again, at rallies and fundraisers that they understood that the American people were demanding dramatically reduced spending, an honest effort to reduce debt and an abdication of status quo partisan politics, at least until the country’s fiscal health was on the mend.

Fast-Forward to today.
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Republicans Have Compromised; Obama Has Not”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - Government - Liberals - President - Taxes

If Debt Is the Enemy Then There Are Traitors Among Us

July 25, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

The so-called “debt ceiling default crisis” continues to loom, with enough Progressive-Leftist demagoguery in the air to choke a horse, or, in this case, kill an economy. I roll my eyes at the term “debt ceiling default crisis” because the honest man – an increasingly rare species in federal government – understands that there can only be a crisis should President Obama choose to create one. That said, Republicans, TEA Partiers and Conservatives are in danger of doing the right thing in refusing to enable more debt, but losing the public relations war to what amounts to the traitors among us due to chronic messaging impotency.

According to the Daily Treasury Statements, approximately sixty percent of every dollar gleaned by the US government comes to it in the form of revenue generated by taxes. This amounts to roughly $200 billion a month. Given that the debt interest due per month is approximately $29 billion, even a third grader from an under-achieving inner-city Atlanta public school can deduce that there is absolutely no possibility of the United States defaulting on its debt interest payments. The “debt ceiling default crisis” is not so much; it is a ruse, a canard, a fallacy…it is a lie.

Doing some simple math – again, at a level understood by an Atlanta public school third grader – we subtract $29 billion from $200 billion to find that we have $171 billion a month left over with which to pay off other debts, liabilities and operational costs incurred by the federal government.
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If Debt Is the Enemy Then There Are Traitors Among Us”

Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - Government - House of Representatives - Taxes

The False-Flag of the Debt Ceiling ‘Crisis’

July 18, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

I suppose I will have to come out publicly to ‘east crow,’ as it were. I have often berated the Obama Administration’s assertion that it is the most transparent administration in US history. Evidently it is. You see, I was looking at it all wrong before; silly me. I was expecting the declaration of transparency to be applied to the inner-workings of the Obama Administration, you know, open meetings, accessible information; a transparent process of government. What I hadn’t understood until now is that this wasn’t the context of the declaration at all. The transparency Mr. Obama was talking about in his run up to the Presidency was one of “watch what I can do right in front of your face and get away with” transparency, and we are getting that transparency in spades.

Never before has an administration so transparently and blatantly lied to the American people. Yes, dishonesty, exaggeration and spin have become the standard operating procedure for almost every politician, lobbyist and special interest operative inside the beltway and the 50 government complexes, but the Obama Administration’s degree of expertise in this area is nothing short of Olympian and the perfect example of their proficiency comes to us in the form of the debt ceiling debate.

When President Obama, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid or House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi take to the many media outlets to profess the dire situation our country faces should we not grant this spendthrift administration the ability to incur more debt by raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, they are lying – bald-faced – to the American people; they are creating a crisis where there is none. It’s a simple as that. If you don’t believe me just take a look at the Daily Treasury Statements published by the US Treasury Department and execute some elementary math calculations.
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The False-Flag of the Debt Ceiling ‘Crisis’”

Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - Frank Salvato - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - Patriotism - President - Senate

How Destructively Disingenuous Can They Get?

July 6, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

As if the American public’s tolerance for political chicanery hasn’t been tested beyond the breaking point, now comes news that several shyster Progressives and Democrats are floating the notion that the debt ceiling is – get this – unconstitutional. Far be it from me to ask, but why is it the only time Progressives and Democrats concern themselves with the constitutionality of issues is when its concern their ability to spend money?

US Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) – you remember him, he’s the candidate that Delawareans deemed better suited to represent them than Christine O’Donnell; the one who wrote an article for his college newspaper, entitled “Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist” – is quoted as saying:

“This is an issue that’s been raised in some private debate between senators as to whether in fact we can default, or whether that provision of the Constitution can be held up as preventing default…I don’t think, as of a couple weeks ago, when this was first raised, it was seen as a pressing option. But I’ll tell you that it’s going to get a pretty strong second look as a way of saying, ‘Is there some way to save us from ourselves?’”

Great choice, Delawareans…you should be proud.
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How Destructively Disingenuous Can They Get?”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Frank Salvato - Free Trade - GOP - Government - Jobs - Liberals - President - Regulation - Taxes

Legislating Through Regulations

July 1, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

I have often written about “the bright shiny thing,” an event that is sure to catch the mainstream media’s and public’s eye while, in fact, something much more important is taking place. It is a common practice amongst politicos from both sides of the aisle, but a practice heavily employed by the Progressive Left. Movies have even been made about it. Wag the Dog comes to mind as a perfect, albeit fictitious, example of the execution of a “bright, shiny thing” strategy.

The Obama Administration, having completely annihilated any claim to being a “transparent” government, uses the “bright, shiny thing” strategy with an artful, even if nefarious, prowess, doing so while maintaining plausible deniability. As a life-long student of Chicago politics, to watch this administration employ the “bright, shiny thing” strategy is to watch an exercise in political beauty, even if it is being employed to usurp the founding philosophies of our nation, while paying short-shrift to the United States Constitution.

The Obama Administration’s use of the “bright, shiny thing” strategy has been one of subtle consistency. Shortly after Mr. Obama’s election, then-Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, was quoted as saying,
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Legislating Through Regulations”

Budget - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Frank Salvato - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Republicans - Senate - Taxes

Greece Is the Word

June 26, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

Greece, the cradle of democracy, is experiencing chaotic violence at the hands of Socialists and anarchists. That country’s Socialist government has come to a moment in time – like most Socialist and Marxist enterprises – when the system has failed. The promises of the Nanny State and prefectorial centralized government have come up empty and “the people” are angry as a result. Of course, “the people,” the ones who, today, are refusing to realize that you can’t bleed a turnip, are exactly the ones who are to blame for the situation they are in. If the citizenry of the United States of America isn’t careful and willing to make some painful adjustments, economically, we may be starring this future directly in the eye.

Today, We the People – we Americans, stand at a moment in time when a very hard decision needs to be made; honestly, the fate of the nation rides upon it. We can either follow the path of the Socialist Greeks; the path that has led them to national bankruptcy, debt and that nation’s unenviable position as the fuse for a global economic chain reaction that would send the world into the depths of an economic abyss the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Great Depression, or we can feel a good deal of pain in the form of sacrifice so that our country might continue to exist for future generations.

At this crossroads, We the People find ourselves confronted by some very uncomfortable questions. Are we willing to push ourselves back from the “feed trough” of government dependence? Are we willing to embrace self-imposed personal responsibility, charity and self-reliance? Or are we too uncaring of our nation’s well-being that greed is somehow justified; too narcissistic to abstain from the too easy to attain government entitlement; too self-absorbed and addicted to the “I’ve got mine, to Hell with you” machinations of the Progressive “Me Generation”?
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Greece Is the Word”

Congress - Constitution - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Salvato - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals

It’s About Personal Responsibility

June 17, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

Weiner-mania: if the story weren’t so infuriating and sad – and such a damning commentary on our society – it would be laughable. Alas, here we stand at a moment in time when a sitting US congressman – a newly married, sitting US congressman – felt it was “okay” to take pictures of his erect penis and send them – unsolicited – to much younger females. And if that weren’t bad enough, we are led to believe that it is appropriate to have a “discussion” as to whether this idiot should resign or not. Of course he should resign! To believe otherwise is to engage in moral relativism and – contrary to what the Progressive Movement believes – that is a bad thing.

All one has to do to divine whether Congressman Weiner’s actions were as unacceptable as I feel they were, is to consider this singular point. If your daughter was to receive an unsolicited photograph of an erect penis from a man more than twice her age, a photo accompanied by salacious and suggestive comments, would that be acceptable to you? If you say yes then you have some terribly troubling issues that you should seek help with immediately.
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It’s About Personal Responsibility”

Conservatives - Elections - Frank Salvato - GOP - Government - Iowa - New Hampshire - President - Republicans - South Carolina - Texas

Choosing Our Own Candidate, What a Concept

June 11, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

As we approach the true beginning of the 2012 election cycle, the Republican slate of candidates is starting to take shape. Many among those who count themselves as Republicans hold great hope that 2012 will bring to an end a four year reign of irresponsible spending on social engineering issues that – if not by design, almost certainly on purpose – has led our country to a place of fiscal insolvency, national insecurity and diminished stature around the world. But regardless of who finally rounds out the slate of Conservative, Constitutionalist, Libertarian-leaning and Republican candidates in the official Republican field, we are still hobbled by a primary election process that frontloads the results to the Democrat and Progressive advantage.

Each year, the many candidates that vie for a position on the slates of the challenging parties to the incumbent party spend a great amount of time in the states of Iowa and New Hampshire. This reality includes any potential Republican and/or Conservative candidates, and yes there is a difference. But this reality, the reality of the cyclical trek to these two states begs a question, exclusively for those who stand opposed to the expansion of government, the decline of the Constitution and American sovereignty, and the advancement of Progressivism:

Why do Conservatives vying for the GOP nomination subject themselves, the party and the GOP constituency to the results, before all others, from two states that have traditionally voted for the Democrat in a majority of the presidential contests of the 20th and 21st Centuries? How does that divine the best candidate for the Republican Party?
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Choosing Our Own Candidate, What a Concept”

9/11 - Afghanistan - al Qaeda - Barack Obama - Christianity - Constitution - Democracy - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Egypt - Frank Salvato - Government - Hamas - Hezbollah - Iran - Iraq - Islam - Islamofascism - Israel - Jews - Lebanon - Liberals - Libya - Osama bin Ladden - Pakistan - Palestinians - President - Saudi Arabia - Society/Culture - Taliban - Terrorism - Western Civilization

The Mistake of Global Democratization

June 2, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

We are hearing a great deal about a budding “Democracy movement” spreading throughout the Middle East. Many are calling it an “Arab Spring.” The belief is that after centuries of totalitarian oppression, the Arab street is suddenly pining for more freedom; rebelling against the elitist ruling class of kings, emirs, despots and tyrants. This is most likely true for a great number of those filling the streets of Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Bahrain and myriad other Middle Eastern, predominantly Muslim nations. But there is a less than honorable component amongst the rebellion that simply waits for the “right” to a democratic vote. Contrary to how the idea of a move to Democracy presents, in the volatile Middle East there are elements in play that could make it a move in the wrong direction.

Each and every day we hear the misnomer that the United States of America is a Democracy. We hear it from the average man on the street, the mainstream media and even from those we have elected to office. But the fact of the matter is this: we are not a Democracy. We are a Constitutional Republic. A thorough and convincing exhibit of the facts surrounding this reality is presented in Notes on Democracy: And the Republic for Which It Stands. The fact that this issue is even in need of address is a scathing commentary on the constitutional illiteracy of the American electorate and serves as a sobering reminder that, often times, what sounds good – what “feels good” – isn’t always as it presents.

The distinction – between the benefits of a Democracy and a Constitutional Republic – is incredibly important, and while some describe our nation as a Democracy in an error of ignorance, others – some with schemes of political opportunism – do so with a nefarious purpose and bad intentions.
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The Mistake of Global Democratization”

Budget - Capitalism - Constitution - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - Free Speech - Freedom - Government - Jobs - Judges - Law - Liberals - Regulation - Taxes - The Law

Creating Poverty Through ‘Social Justice’

May 19, 2011 by 1 Comment

-By Frank Salvato

We have been hearing a lot about “social justice,” during the tenure of the Obama Administration. From Eric Holder to John Holdren, Lisa Jackson to Van Jones to President Obama himself, the goal of social justice appears to be at the forefront of Mr. Obama’s agenda for the country. But while the term sounds innocuous enough, the goal itself is quite sinister and the road to getting there creates havoc and waste but for the chosen few.

A recent San Francisco Chronicle article proves this point beyond doubt:

“San Francisco’s much-heralded ‘social justice’ requirements for city contracts are costing local taxpayers millions of dollars a year in overcharges, according to workers in departments ranging from the Municipal Transportation Agency to the Department of Emergency Management.

“In one case, a Muni worker said the city paid $3,000 for a vehicle battery tray. Such parts can be found online for $12 to $300, depending on the type of vehicle…

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Creating Poverty Through ‘Social Justice’”

al Qaeda - Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Frank Salvato - Islam - Military - Osama bin Ladden - Pakistan - President - Society/Culture - Terrorism - Western Civilization

The Bin Laden ‘Get’: It’s Called Doing Your Duty

May 9, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

(Ed’s note: I was away during the week of bin Ladden’s long-awaited demise. So, that means all the folks that sent me pieces on bin Ladden are way late. I apologize for that, but there was no help for it as I was unable to post much during last week. Today will be for the several bin Ladden posts I couldn’t get posted.)

Osama bin Laden is dead, killed at the hands of the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), commonly known as “DEVGRU” and informally by its former name, SEAL Team Six To be certain, justice has been served where Osama bin Laden is concerned. The murderer of the victims of September 11, 2001 – and myriad other innocent victims and military personnel – will stand in judgment for his actions, now answerable to a much higher authority. Make no mistake; this is a good thing, a very good thing. But it is a singular “thing” – a singular component in a much larger and more serious issue.

Pres. Obama took to the airwaves on May 2nd, shortly before midnight, and declared,

“Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaida, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children… at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.”

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The Bin Laden ‘Get’: It’s Called Doing Your Duty”

Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Salvato - Government - Liberals

When Politics Damages the Constitution

April 29, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

The issue of eligibility where the federal government’s Executive Branch is concerned is not one of politics; it is not, in any way, shape or form related to the so-called “birther” issue. The issue of presidential eligibility is one that addresses the protection of our citizenry’s fidelity to the United States Constitution. Yet many disingenuous political operatives – who put the well-being of their political parties or special interests above honesty and good government – and many pundits, editors and producers – unwittingly or otherwise – have seen clear to blur the lines between the “birther” issue and an honest movement to affect the closing of a loophole unforeseen by our Founders and Framers.

With the stunning news that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer had vetoed legislation that would have required a candidate for the Executive Branch of the federal government to provide first-source prerequisite materials proving his or her satisfaction of Article II, Section 1, of the United States Constitution, one of the more promising doors to protecting unqualified candidates from accessing the federal ballot slammed shut.

In her letter to Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams, she wrote:

“I do not support designating one person as the gatekeeper to the ballot for a candidate, which could lead to arbitrary or politically motivated decisions…I never imagined being presented with a bill that could require candidates for President of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth to submit their ‘early baptismal or circumcision certificates’ among other records to the Arizona Secretary of State. This is a bridge too far.”

Gov. Brewer then went on to tell FOX News’ Greta Van Susteren:

“…you know, bottom line is, is that I just have to call them as I see them. And it doesn’t help Arizona. This bill is a distraction, and we just simply need to get on with the state’s business.”

There are two fundamental and monumental flaws to Gov. Brewer’s rationale for making such a political decision where the well-being of the nation is concerned:

1) If, in fact, the legislation was to be a distraction, the “distraction” would have already taken place in the form of debate on the issue. The “distraction” – if you can call enacting legislation that would have simply asked candidates for the highest office in the land to prove their eligibility – had already passed. The noise surrounding her veto caused more of a distraction – and, incidentally, more animosity among the Republican base (allegedly Brewer’s base) – than if she would have simply signed the legislation into law.

2) The proposed law outlined a series of documents for certification as having been presented for satisfaction of USC Article II, Section 1 including either a long-form birth certificate or two or more other permitted documents, including an early baptismal certificate, circumcision certificate, hospital birth record, postpartum medical record signed by the person who delivered the child or an early census record. The Secretary of State would only be charged with certifying that the documents were real pursuant to criteria set forth by the issuing states. There is little if any discretion at all to float the charge of “gatekeeping.”

Truth be told, Governor Brewer, who many thought to have been above the fray of “oh please let me be re-elected” politics, especially in light of the stand she took against the dismal performance of the federal government regarding border security, has proven herself to be either just another cowardly politician or at an intellectual level that doesn’t allow for her to understand the “Little Nikita” constitutional crisis that currently exists.

Before and over the course of the 2008 presidential cycle, researchers from our organization, BasicsProject.org, came to the startling conclusion that while the prerequisites for holding the office of President of the United States are set forth in Article II, Section 1 of the United States Constitution there is no mechanism for enforcing or verifying a candidate’s satisfaction of those requirements.

Article II, Section 1 specifically states:

“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

Yet, nowhere in the US Constitution is there authorization for a mechanism to assure that Article II, Section 1 is satisfied; there is no constitutional mechanism in place — either in the original document of in any of the amendments — that requires a candidate for the office of President of the United States to file documents proving his eligibility to hold office.

This can be explained in part for the Framers intention to recognize the sanctity of the rights of the States to not only allocate their Electoral College votes in a manner they see fit, but to craft the process by which their ballot totals engage the federal election process. It is for this reason that each state’s election authority must certify elections before the federal electors are dispatched to cast their votes.

In addition to there being no mechanism in the US Constitution:

  • The Federal Election Commission is charged, exclusively, with regulating and enforcing election campaign finance law. The FEC’s domain does not include verifying the eligibility of the candidates per Article II, Section 1 of the US Constitution.
  • County and sub-state level election authorities routinely abdicate the responsibility of vetting POTUS and VPOTUS to their respective state election boards and commissions.
  • The only verification process that State Boards of Election and State Election Commissions execute is to require a Statement of Candidacy, a loyalty oath, a receipt for filing a Statement of Economic Interests (not required for federal office or political party offices) and a set of completed nominating petitions. When contacted by our researches, each and every election board and commission responded, some through their legal counsels, that the entity responsible for vetting the eligibility of their nominated candidates are the political parties themselves.
  • A search of both the Republican National Committee and Democrat National Committee websites turned up no information about how either of the party’s executive committees vets their proposed candidates. Further, no information about either of the parties 2008 candidate’s eligibility qualifications was accessible through their organization’s official websites. Phone calls querying their process were not returned.

A law – state or federal – that creates an enforcement mechanism for Article II, Section 1 of the US Constitution is a protection that every American – and every elected official – should be able to agree upon. Yet, time and time again, elected officials in state after state, from both sides of the aisle, prove beyond doubt that they choose opportunistic politics and a healthy fear of the smear-mongering mainstream media and special interest groups over protecting the Constitution and the citizenry of the United States.

We the People have been told we have no standing to bring forth lawsuits on constitutional grounds regarding questions of eligibility. And our elected officials have routinely abandoned us, abdicating their responsibility to protect and serve not only the people but the very Constitution that empowers the basis for the American form of government. If our elected officials — at every level of government — refuse to stand up for the US Constitution (a founding document which each and every elected official has sworn an oath to uphold), then what, may I ask, is the citizen’s recourse? Where is the negative aspect of requiring a candidate for the highest office in this land to engage in satisfying requirements set forth by our nation’s Founding Documents?

It is irresponsible for the many disingenuous political operatives, pundits, editors and producers to skew the facts where the public’s perception of this issue is concerned. But more egregious is the reckless irresponsibility and political gamesmanship being displayed by those elected officials who have a rare opportunity to secure the sanctity of the United States Constitution.

It is time for the statesmen to emerge from the ranks of politicians. It is time for leadership and a devotion to good government over politics. It is time for each and every elected official to answer this question: Are you first a statesman or are you simply a miserable politician?
____________
Frank Salvato is the managing editor for The New Media Journal . He serves at the Executive Director of the Basics Project, a non-profit, non-partisan, 501(C)(3) research and education initiative. His pieces are regularly featured in over 100 publications both nationally and internationally. He has appeared on The O’Reilly Factor, and is a regular guest on The Right Balance with Greg Allen on the Accent Radio Network, as well as an occasional guest on numerous radio shows coast to coast. He recently partnered in producing the first-ever symposium on the threat of radical Islamist terrorism in Washington, DC. His pieces have been recognized by the House International Relations Committee and the Japan Center for Conflict. He can be contacted at oped@newmediajournal.us

Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Salvato - Government - Judges - Liberals - Wisconsin

Winning ‘Thuggly’

April 8, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

One of the most important elections in recent times took place in the state of Wisconsin. It wasn’t for president, governor, senator or Congress, and it wasn’t in pursuit of a recall, although where certain State Senators are concerned there are grassroots efforts afoot to do just that. It was for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This singular election could very well serve as a barometer for the 2012 General Election; a barometer that, at the very least, gauges the raw coercive power of national and international labor unions in local, state and federal elections…that and, perhaps, election fraud.

Truth be told, many times, in states where judges are elected, ballots can be cast without the electorate really knowing anything about judicial candidates. In fact, many conscientious voters most often have trouble divining from what political ideology a judicial candidate emanates, given the fact that judges are supposed to be non-partisan advocates of the law over politics, the critical words here being “supposed to be.” In reality the idea of a non-partisan elected judge is pure fiction, but for the incredibly rare instance. The occasion of the race in Wisconsin is not such a case.

The lead in the race for the seat currently held by incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser has vacillated. Early Thursday April 7th, Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg held a 204 vote lead over the incumbent, with 99 percent of the vote counted. Late Thursday, Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus reported votes that should have been counted weren’t reported to The Associated Press on Tuesday due to “human error.” The error gives Prosser a 7,500 vote lead, should it stand-up to the canvassing of Wisconsin’s 72 counties prior to certification.
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Winning ‘Thuggly’”

Anti-Americanism - CIA - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Frank Salvato - Government - Liberals - President - Security/Safety

No, No, No! No More Gorelicks!

April 7, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

With all the absurdities in the world, with all the absurdities coming out of the Obama Administration, perhaps one of the most jaw-dropping, one of the most egregious, one of the most spectacular, is the notion that the person who single-handedly erected “the wall” between the US intelligence and US law enforcement communities – the wall responsible for facilitating the attacks of September 11th, 2001, Jamie Gorelick – is being considered for the position of Director of the FBI. What intellectually challenged Progressive operative could have possibly thought this was a good idea?

FBI Director Robert Mueller, who has come under scrutiny by those who study radical Islamism for his less than intensive examination of Islamist radicalization within the United States, is set to conclude his tenure in early September of this year. This puts the Obama Administration in the position of having to nominate a new director, not only to execute the post in a post-September 11th era, but to execute it for a post-Obama administration, as well.

To put it bluntly, the Director of the FBI has to have the courage to stand-up to bully ideologues the likes of Attorney General Eric Holder and Senior Presidential Advisor Valerie Jarrett. A Director must put the idea of law enforcement and investigation above all else. And as we have learned through the events of Watergate, sometimes the Director must thoroughly absolve himself of all political loyalties in the pursuit of justice in the name of and for the American people, his or her true employer.
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No, No, No! No More Gorelicks!”

Anti-Americanism - Anti-War - Barack Obama - Democrats/Leftists - Frank Salvato - Government - Liberals - Libya - President

While Obama and the West Talk…Tyranny Kills

March 22, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

Muammar Qaddafi – Qaddafi, Gaddafi, Ghaddafi, Gadhafi, however you spell the tyrant’s name – has to be the only beneficiary of the cruel hardships being felt by the Japanese people in the wake of the horrific and historic devastation of Japan. As the world turns its collective eye toward aiding a genuinely venerable people in their time of need, Qaddafi has taken the initiative to double-down on his efforts to extinguish all opposition to his reign of terror, forty-two-plus years running, in Libya. That he is able to do so serves as testimony to the uselessness of the United Nations and the gutless demeanor of leadership in the West.

Before I begin let me state that the people of Japan are most deserving of global attention and aid in this, their most dire of times. That they persevere through the unimaginable chaos in a way that knows no looting, no incivility, that they can maintain order and discipline in a time where other cultures descend into narcissistic bedlam, stands as a testament to their culture. The world, each and every country – no matter their strength of military or wealth, should take notice of the quintessential definition of a civil society. May God take them, in their time of need, into his embrace.

But as we look on in awe at the strength and performance of the Japanese people, unadulterated evil can be seen in the hearts of men, and weakness can be found in the leadership of nations founded on principles that demand the protection of and facilitation to freedom and liberty for every man, woman and child, anywhere and everywhere on the face of the planet.
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While Obama and the West Talk…Tyranny Kills”

Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - GOP - Government - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - Republicans - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Unions - Wisconsin

Government Shutdowns and Death Threats… Bring It On

March 19, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

Maybe you’ve heard this one. What do you get when fourteen Democrat Senators go AWOL from their jobs in Wisconsin? You get fiscal responsibility, the tools to balance an out-of-control budget and a boatload of evidence that the Progressive Left is prone to violence and thuggery over process. Thank you very much and goodnight. Be sure to tip your waiters, waitresses and bartenders on the way out. You’ve been great.

Seriously, does anyone else find it abhorrently hypocritical for Progressives and Democrats to proclaim an abdication of process in the Republican’s out-maneuvering of them on the issue of limiting – not eliminating – collective bargaining rights for public-sector union employees, especially when their own national leadership just jammed Obamacare down our throats? Wasn’t “deem-and-pass” an abdication of “the process?” Weren’t behind closed door meetings used to craft Obamacare; meetings where Republicans were excluded in total, an abdication of “the process?” Wasn’t the democratic “process” abandoned when lawmakers were given a 2,700 page piece of legislation and less than 72 hours to absorb its content?

Spare me the tears about “abandoning the process”…and if you’re a Wisconsin Democrat and a State Senator, dry your eyes in Illinois. Elections, as the Obama Democrats have espoused, have consequences. Remember Mr. Obama’s “I won” and “You can ride with us if you want, but you’ve got to sit in the backseat” comments?
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Government Shutdowns and Death Threats… Bring It On”

Budget - Conservatives - Constitution - Democracy - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Federalism - Frank Salvato - GOP - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - Republicans - Scott Walker - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Unions

A Republic, If You Can Keep It

March 11, 2011 by

-By Frank Salvato

When Benjamin Franklin emerged from Independence Hall in Philadelphia at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he was approached by a Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia. It was then and there that she asked the now famous question, “Well, Doctor, what have we, a republic or a monarchy?” It is said that Dr. Franklin, without hesitation, said, “A Republic, ma’am, if you can keep it.”

By definition, courtesy of Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law, a Republic is “a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law.” In other words, and to paraphrase without deviating from the definition’s intent, a Republic is a system of government where the ultimate power lies with the people; that power executed by way of elected representatives who are responsible to those who elected them and according to the rule of law.

The United States of America is a Republic, a Constitutional Republic. By this it is meant that we elect representatives who execute government per the rule of constitutional law, the United States Constitution being the ultimate and exclusive basis for that law.
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A Republic, If You Can Keep It”