I Have Quietly Watched this Unfold … and now must speak! Part 1

While COVID-19 has unfolded I have mostly, quietly watched.  I have listened to all sides, and I have looked back on history.  The Fourth Turning has a climax.  This is the beginning of it.  We will have economic and social impact from this single event that will impact our lives, our economy and our freedom worldwide.

This blog has sat silent for years, because I walked away from the negativity of politics and totally changed my profession. I became involved in the manufacturing of food.  My company was one of the first affected when the biggest expos, Natural Foods Expo West,

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was shut down in Aneheim on March 3, voluntarily and not by government madate.  With tens of thousands of dollars put into this event by our company and having it cancel the day we arrived from Utah, needless to say, it was quite a disappointment.  So we did what most Americans would do …. we went to Disneyland.

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We were not afraid, and felt good about spending time with our family since our plans had changed and we already had hotels booked and paid for.

We came home and got busy revising our outreach program for our company so we could still have growth in 2020.  And then things just kept getting worse.

I am an eternal optimist.  I try and find a silver lining in everthing.  I watched this video, and I kept trying to decide “is it good or is it bad” that the event was cancelled?  Financially it didn’t seem like it, but I’m trying to see a bigger picture.

I didn’t freak out. I didn’t go to Costco and buy 5 cases of toilet paper. I didn’t even go to the grocery store for 2 weeks. We had enough and everyone was starting to freak out. I thought, “This should pass, and people will come back to their senses.” I was wrong. I was sad. Instead of being a people that govern themselves, I watched people hoarding, and panicking, and becoming totally selfish. Then what happens? Governments step in, and freedom detriorates quickly.

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I found myself having a minor panic attack one day, changing a roll of toilet paper, and decided to head to the stores, while my husband purchased a bidet seat. (Benefits of being married to a plumber)

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What I found was shocking. This isn’t new to anyone by now, but wanted to share for context.

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Following this, Utah and then Idaho experienced earthquakes.

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So where do we go from here? What can we expect, and how do we stay positive and move forward, creating, like we’ve been sharing for decades, to create a NEW FOUNDING. And what does that look like? Who are the leaders? Do we capitulate to the government oversears, or be responsible citizens that can govern ourselves?

I’m not here to say you should or shouldn’t social distance, I’m not here to say I am buying into the media hype, (even though I am not.) I’m here to offer some perspective based on history about where we are in the cycle known as The Kondratiev Wave, specifically The Fourth Turning. This is real, and the consequences are real. But fear is the biggest enemy of all. Fear drives markets, governments, and people into panic buying, and panic restrictions. Do not be afraid. Get self sufficient. Pray for those who are alone or away from their families, or who really are at risk.

For those of you new to this blog, I invite you to back up and read all about the blog posts relating to The Fourth Turning. I will be announcing an online event as well, so we can review The Fourth Turning together in the comfort of our homes while social distancing continues. And here is another blog post to read taking a closer look at the Fourth Turning.

Since these original posts were written decades ago, the timeline looks a bit different since most scholars believe 2008 was the catalyst, and not 2001. So add 7 years to every other part of the cycle, and it puts the Climax at 2020 without a hitch.

This is the beginning of the CLIMAX of the Fourth Turning. If you aren’t prepared mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, it may be a bit harder but not impossible to be ready. Don’t panic. Just get prepared for the days, weeks, months and years of the coming CLIMAX. They generally last between 5-7 years historically.

I invite all who are looking for a message of peace in these troubled times to tune in to a public broadcast beginning tomorrow and running through Sunday of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints General Conference.

Stay Tuned!!! I will be doing an online event shortly. Mark this blog and sign up for the newsletter. This will be an online 2 hour class looking at the Fourth Turning in depth.

Pennies — by guest writer, Jamisyn Smith

The following story was written by a 15-year-old.  Our children are watching.

Pennies

by Jamisyn Smith

How do you get a penny across the room without anyone noticing?  You do it slowly.  You distract. And the people who notice, just call them “crazy.”  You don’t do it all at once.  You do it an inch at a time, and you distract them while you are moving it.

You tell them that there is some crazy disease, or there was a shooting, and then you move it while they are caught up in all the media around it. You tell them that Donald Trump is winning the presidential race, or you tell them Kylie Jenner has had plastic surgery.

Nobody cares about the penny as long as you don’t let them see it move. They are too focused on the things that you let them see.  And the people who do see the penny move, just call them crazy, because then people can sit and make fun of them while you move the penny a little more.

How do you stop the penny from moving all together?  You don’t.  There will always be someone who is going to move this penny, so you can either buy the lies that are being sold or you can separate yourself from the media and everyone who is caught up in it.

Who cares that “Love wins,” when we are brutally murdering people in another country? Who cares that Bruce changed his name to Caitlyn?  Someone is moving that penny while we bicker about “morals” and “equality.”  Love wins, when we stop invading countries and killing people over money and greed.

     That’s how you move a penny across the room without people noticing.

     If you didn’t get what I was trying to say then you are the person who is more worried about Kylie Jenner than the important penny I call America.

 One side of the room is free and the other side is a confined cell that is so tight you almost can’t breathe, but when it slowly gets smaller you don’t notice, until it’s too late to go back.  

We need to wake up before we are confined in that small cell, and we need to stop worrying about who is winning the Oscars and worry more about who is winning the war on freedom.

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Jamisyn Smith was born in 2000.  She has been homeschooled her entire life and takes a few classes at the high school.  She has four siblings and lives with her parents in Summit County Utah.  Jamisyn has won awards in photography, and writing at the county level.  She has participated in 4-H since 2010.  She loves architecture, fashion design and philosophy.

Exploring the Sub-Conscious Mind — FREE CLASS

Join us, Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.

I have been having such an intense change in myself this year, that I want to share with you some of the things I am learning.  This is an invitation to a free class that will enlighten your mind, and give you control over your sub-conscious reaction.

We will be discussing the keys to tapping into our subconscious, finding the books that will be the most productive to change our mindset.  We will be looking in to The Karpman Drama Triangle, how to recognize it, how to avoid stepping into it, and how to shift to a more powerful place in your life, with freedom instead of drama.

Come to a comfortable discussion.  I will share with you my experience of my dwindling after my run for Congress, and my story of re-birth into a life I am so grateful to have.

Jen McMurdo will be discussing the heart.  How to step into unconditional love, and make the most of your relationships.  She is my partner in Mentoring For Me, and she has a great calming presence.

We also are pleased to announce that Stephen Miller will be joining us and discussing a powerful concept of NOW that has helped so many people get beyond their past, and have a brighter, happier future.

REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED!  Seating is limited.  Please on HERE for your ticket.

Bring your spouse.  Let’s change the world one person at a time.

Best,

Jacqueline

Merry Christmas, Peace on Earth

Merry Christmas.  Peace on earth, good will to men.  I am posting the Facebook status of a man I consider a good friend.  A man who deserves to say the things he is saying.  I leave these words of excellent foreign policy, that closely resemble those of our founders, for you to ponder on this day.  Because what we really want is “Peace on Earth.”

Bruce C Solomon

20 hrs ·

Christmas Eve 2015… Almost fifty years ago I was part of a small group that went out to conduct a pre-emptive strike because we just knew that “Nagoolian” (Bush for North Vietnamese Army) was going to violate the Christmas Ceasefire and we were up to destroying their will and ability to do that. Half way through the ensuing firefight I found myself lying on my back in a 81 or 82 millimeter mortar crater watching their green and our red tracer rounds crossing maybe 18″ above me. Honest!, I was humming “Deck the Halls…” and YES they had violated the ceasefire when we attacked them!

I truly pray that America will tire of finding excuses to wage, participate in, or supply war in 2016. The lines are getting blurrier every day that separates the “good guys” and the “bad guys” but there is no question about which nation contributes the most equipment and lethality to war in the world; it ain’t okay with me that it’s the US of A! We have the ability to end all life if we decided to do that, so does China and Russia. A few other nations have the ability to make a run at ending it all and, best case, make surviving a pretty grim outcome. I think it’s ridiculous to believe that any nation with Armageddon capabilities would attack the US. Hell, “Doomsday Devices” were perfected in the 60 ‘ s and I’m sure have been upgraded continually; if an adventuresome enemy hit any of 50 cities in America once, or any more than one American city…poof! “Hello WW III!” ISIS? I really believe the want a Moslem Caliphate over there and mess with us because we won’t let the Middle East self-determine; the same thing that all Empires have done on their way to the crapper. Pull out, give the bases we built to the nations where we built them in lieu of ANY more “foreign aid” or reparations payments, take our weapons back with us, and make it clear that America is done fighting on foreign soil. Make sure they remember that we are the only nation who has ever used Nukes on an enemy so that IS part of our war strategies so they’ll want to consider attacking us VERY CAREFULLY. The rest of the world can do what they want to do and China and Russia can referee from now on just leave us out of war and conquest. We’re gonna focus on meds and mental health; gonna cure cancer, alzheimer’s, American hunger, crime, addictions, and ignorance. We’ll still be part of the world community, if you want to buy any of our new industry we”ll be glad to sell it (for Shiny Rocks, we no longer value gold it’s become too much of a problem), if you’d rather spend on health instead of hell. But don’t bring war to US or we’ll extinct you. If Americans feel the need to mess around in foreign or warring countries, bodyguarding or building irrigation and wells, and they get killed that was their choice, kill Americans here, we’ll extinct you! Light off any nukes upwind of us, maybe we’ll extinct you…go ahead roll the dice.

Let’s quit buying and selling the old bullshit that America needs to fight wars either for ourselves or our allies; we fought the wars we needed to fight and fought a couple that we should have learned from that we’re more suited to being lovers than tyrants. Ultimately survival is a do-it-yourself project, bullies go looking for trouble and always find it. I love America, I went to war under the American flag, and believe me, I learned! Please go to YouTube and listen to Train, “Calling All Angels”

Merry Christmas, may 2016 be better for all the world than 2015 was, may we learn to live from our hearts instead of our fear, my we rely more on our backs than on our banks, and may God bless America with the remembrance of why he franchised us originally.

War on Drugs, War on Poverty, War on …. Whatever

Photo credit Associated Press

Society often creates wars on things they don’t want, like the “War on Drugs,” the “War on Poverty,” the “Fight Against Illiteracy,” the “War on Teenage Pregnancy,” etc.  Politics are rank with fighting, infighting, figure pointing, and nonsense.

How can any organization or individual proclaiming the desire for change create change, when they are really only focusing on what they don’t want.

While studying Wallace Wattles, The Science of Abundance,  written long before “The Secret” came about, there is a very good explanation about how people create more of what they don’t want when they give it their attention.

Things are not brought into being by thinking about their opposites.  Health is never to be attained by studying disease and thinking about disease; righteousness in not to be promoted by studying sin and thinking about sin; and no one ever got rich by studying poverty and thinking about poverty.

I recently received an email from a fellow 9-12er in another state.  Her goal was to create a rally against Radical Islam.  I thought about what I had been learning.  Her next email was that she didn’t receive many responses.  I certainly hadn’t responded to her idea.  But then I wrote to her.  I explained that if she wanted to create a rally, maybe she could focus on what she actually wants.  Muslims, Christians, Jews, etc standing for Peace.  Uniting instead of dividing.

I recognize that sometimes we have to call things by what they are, but often still focus the wrong direction to eliminate it.  When people focus on the issue instead of the principle, they do not solve problems.  When we looked at the Tytler Cycle earlier in this blog, we recognize that when people focus on the issues it keeps society on the wrong side of the cycle.  When we focus on the principles, we create faith, liberty, and abundance.

The World’s Terminology                      Abundance Terminology

Fight Against Illiteracy                                  Advancement of Wide-Spread Education

Educating Children to Compete                  Inspiring Children to Create

War on Drugs                                                  Creating an Emotionally Healthy Society

War on Teenage Pregnancy                         Empowerment of Virtuous Youth

War on Poverty                                               Teaching Abundance

War on Terror                                                 Spreading Principles of Liberty

Can the world really drive out what they don’t want by focusing on the problem?

In another post, we looked at the schools in my area teaching a class on “White Privilege.”  Read more about that here.  But to sum it up, we cannot teach children they are racist to eliminate racism.  We must teach children how to recognize friendship and similarities. To become inclusive through finding common ground.  By recognizing difference and finding beauty in them.

Recently Mia Love, of Utah, joined the Republican Black Caucus.  I’m not sure what the point of that organization is except to say you are not allowed unless your skin color is black.  How dividing is that?  It isn’t based on anything except how you were born.  It is not on the content of your character but the color of your skin.  This is the polar opposite of what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for.  He didn’t stand “against” the white man.  He stood for ALL men to become better individuals, be judged for what they create and do, not their color of their skin.

Let’s look at what we know.  If you come into a dark room and switch on the light, the darkness is gone.  Can you bring darkness into a lit room?  Can you  extinguish light with darkness?  It only works ONE DIRECTION.  Light ALWAYS dispels the darkness.  Darkness is the absence of light.

As a proponent of liberty and abundance, my goal is to help those of us promoting liberty and abundance to focus on those things.  I have watched as many 9-12 groups, tea party groups, and political groups become negative.  They have stopped standing for principles of liberty, and they have begun fighting against this or that issue.  It will never have the result you want.

Liberty is spread by education.  Abundance is spread by the teaching of abundance principles. Wattles also stated,

The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself.  You can serve God and man in no more effective way than by…the creative method and not by the competitive one.

Change will occur in America when Americans have more to protect, and are not just fed and entertained (bread and circuses).  It is time to raise our fellow-man by not giving them the fish, but teaching them how to make the net (or pole), find the best fishing hole, teach them to fish, and most importantly, teach them how to believe they deserve to catch as many fish as they desire.

If you would like to begin finding your abundance, please join me by being mentored by some of the best. Click here for the MENTOR WEBSITE!

BE THE CHANGE!

 

Ready to take on your life?  Ready to take yourself or your business to the next level?  CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to gain access to a FREE Video series on Financial Literacy.

Want to learn how to Consciously Create in your life?  CLICK HERE to learn more.

Want to schedule me to come and speak at an event?  CLICK HERE.

I am Jacqueline Smith.  I am all about liberty, freedom and abundance.  I am the change I wish to see in the world.  JOIN ME!

 

 

Schooling Gets in the Way of Education

The country has sent their children back to school. But many have not. Things like Common Core are getting many people to re-think education. FINALLY!

Education happens every day, all day long. Schooling, as Mark Twain once said, can get in the way of education.

Don’t forget why we are educating our children. It isn’t because we want them to grow up and be rocket scientists, it is because we want them to be happy productive adults.

I wanted to share a video from Ted Talks, that I think fits well into what more and more homeschooling is doing. It is creating passionate people, with a desire to be happy, and who then can go out into the world and create freedom.

There is a great “Not Back To School Summit” that is free for anyone to attend on-line during September 2014. I will be teaching 3 classes. Today, Sept 9 at 7:30 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time), Saturday Sept 20 at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday Sept 25th. Each class is different. There are many other people involved, including one of my mentors Oliver DeMille.

Come join us this month. HERE — http://www.hecoa.com

Republicans & Democrats Agree

Republicans and Democrats agree.  Even if the caucus system (neighborhood meeting) is not perfect, changing it too much according to many Republicans, and even the Chair of the Utah Democrats, will not be a good thing. Jim Debakis said,

“Maybe the Utah caucus system needs to be changed or revised. Maybe not.  But the recently announced initiative proposal to reconfigure  the way Utah’s political parties pick candidates, is certainly NOT a good idea.”

http://www.utahdemocrats.org/newsletter-letter-from-the-chair

Ask yourself the question, who benefits from the primary?  We can answer that later.

Sure, we need to streamline credentialing and check in.  Knocking an hour or more off the time-frame for the night is seen by a positive for all.  But many of the so-called proposals have not been well-thought out for their long-term consequences.  Gutting the system will be the same as eliminating it.

Why exactly do we have a neighborhood meeting?  Let’s answer the first question, by quoting the LDS Church on this meeting for their answer.  http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-issues-letter-utah-precinct-caucus-meetings

             “Precinct caucuses are the most fundamental grassroots level of political involvement. They are best served by a broad representation of Utah citizens. Those who attend play a critical role in selecting candidates for public office.”

Are many of Utah’s Republican and Democratic voices being heard?  The answer can be seen by the enormous growth of caucus attendance over the last (four) 4 years.  Let’s look at one precinct in one tiny place, mine, in Wanship.  For years when I first moved here, the big secret was the caucus night.  A select few individuals showed up.  They held all of the positions for that precinct; Precinct Chair, Vice Chair, County Delegate and State Delegate were all voted on, or assigned.  You see, only three (3) people ever showed up.  But in 2010 things changed in American politics.  Americans began to wake up, and began to re-energize their ideas of liberty from the days of our founders and beyond.  They started studying the votes of their Senators and Congressman; they started watching their State Legislators with more vigor.  Therefore, in 2010, the people of Utah, came forward, and attended their meetings.  My little precinct had 68 people in attendance.  It mattered, and so, people showed up.  Then in 2012, they did it again.  48 people showed up.  Two years of record-breaking attendance.  And yet, the naysayers of the caucus system cried that no one was participating.

In Utah, many showed up to their caucus meetings without a full understanding of the process.  They had a strong agenda to see Orrin Hatch re-elected, since the last time it was to see Bob Bennett ousted.  The job of a delegate is bigger than just one office.  There were many good candidates running in a variety of offices, from Auditor, to Governor, to State Legislator and Utah State Senator, as well as the Senate and Congressional candidates. 

The delegates should only choose to run, if indeed they are going to participate.  This is what sets Utah apart from every other state – the caucus system.  Even when a no name, like me, ran for Congress against the well-liked Congressman Rob Bishop, I had a chance.  (Not a big chance, but a chance.)  The caucus system is the only place in the world that can happen.  And winning or losing isn’t always what makes it so great.  It is the fact that the delegates become very educated in the issues of the day.  Let’s look at the issue in my race, specifically.

The NDAA 2012 was a virtual unknown to many delegates until there was a challenge in the Rob Bishop campaign.  Once the dangers of this bill were made public, many people began to understand our liberty is more important than our safety.  This is a basic tenet set out by Benjamin Franklin when he said,

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

This wasn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, but an issue of civil liberty.

The delegates received letters from Rob Bishop explaining his vote.  I explained why he was mistaken.  This became a national issue, and was even the source of the 13-hour filibuster with Rand Paul.  You see, the little clause known as 1022, and 1023 in the NDAA 2012 language gives the president too much power over our citizens.  Rand Paul’s stance was to get clarification from our president that non-combatants who may be deemed by this language as terrorists could not be fired upon on American soil.  These are our liberties and they are at stake.  Thank you Rand Paul, and our own Senator Mike Lee for standing up for our liberty on this day.  It was nice to have this threat under NDAA 2012 and the Patriot Act brought to the forefront of the American people’s minds again.

Other debates began to emerge as campaigns announced.  School trust lands became a hot topic of the Governor’s race in Utah.  Morgan Philpot and Ken Sumsion each giving their ideas on how best to handle our land.

We heard about social security reform, debt ceilings, the war on drugs, the wars overseas, ending of federal departments, etc.  This is what makes the caucus system work.  People that have very little knowledge of government and the “great debate” begin to be involved in that great debate.  They begin to see that the media (the ones that make the money) aren’t always truthful.  They realize that just being a voter at the end of the day isn’t where the real decisions get made.  They also realize that being a delegate (especially a state delegate) requires a lot of focused time, consideration, and effort on their parts to do their precinct justice in being represented.  Not everyone can do this job.  Not everyone has the time to give to it.  Not everyone wants to do it.  Not everyone is educated in government enough to do the job.  But at your neighborhood caucus you can talk to your friends and neighbors and find out who in your neighborhood is qualified, has the time, and will be fair to all the candidates for office.  Each candidate deserves to be taken seriously and treated with real respect.  Even if you love your representative, the ideas that are brought forward for discussion make the system work that much better.  Citizens become informed directly from their representatives as they vie for votes.

Do not water-down the caucus system with proposals that make it possible for coercion at any level.  The votes need to take place in person.  The votes need to be by secret paper ballot.  The only thing that needs to change is check in.  It should be electronic and quick.

So let’s go back to our original question, who benefits from a water-down or elimination of the caucus system?  The media, and the wealthy.  They win, and you lose.  The people that make radio ads, TV commercials, and newspaper ads win.  They want you, the people, to be persuaded by sound bites.  There is big money in campaigns.  People spend hundreds of thousands of dollars before it ever gets to a primary and then millions at the primary level.  Follow the money.  The primary election does not create a more informed voter, just a voter that has been marketed to the most.

In the Lincoln-Douglas debates, it was hours of discussion on a topic to be rebutted for hours.  We must stop asking our society to make important decisions about the future of our state or country,  based on sound bites.  If we are in a primary mentality only, that is all we have left, and the guy with the most money, most of the time, will always come out on top, principles be damned.  This will end our Republic, and we will become a straight democracy.  Ask anyone who has studied history, a democracy is the first step toward socialism.

Save our caucus system, and maintain our republic.

Less Waste Not Fewer Police Officers — Sign the Petition Now!

Thanks to the Park Record for writing two stories  (one here and one here) on our efforts to get the two recent tax increases in the County on the ballot in 2014.  Sometimes “We the People” must show our elected officials who is boss.  As Councilwoman Elliott pointed out, the tax amounts are relatively small on an inexpensive home.  Motivation behind the referendum was the ease at which the Council moved forward to pass the tax increase, for a few to bear, and the fact the money was spent before the tax was even finalized.

Mssrs. Hanrahan, Elliott, Robinson, and McMullen (Dave Ure voted no) fail to understand that increasing taxes has a long-term impact on several aspects of our County development. This tax increase comes on top of a school tax increase, and unless the Council balances the budget, we will likely see more County tax increases in the future. Property values normally go down as tax rates go up, because new buyers are reluctant to purchase homes in areas where taxes are increasing. That will discourage companies from moving to Park City, as it becomes a higher cost place to live.  The people of Summit County have had to tighten their belts.  It’s time the County Council do the same.

Here is a picture of a Summit County Truck that is parked in front of the Boot Barn in Evanston, Wyoming where the County employee drove a heavy-duty vehicle at the expense of the County (translated the tax-payer) to Evanston to go shopping. The picture illustrates that the County Council could do a better job of cracking down on waste in their budget before they start raising taxes.

I got a call from Sheriff Dave Edmunds intimated to me that the County was planning to cut a number of his deputies if the tax increase did not go through. As a County, I hope everyone comes out to sign my petition so we can send the message to our tax-and-spend Council to take care of waste before they fire police officers.  We have plenty of places to cut from non-essential services before we take from the “proper role of government.”

Stay tuned to a bit more on this story in the next few days.  The next story just might make your blood boil.

If you would like to help and cannot take around petitions, you can help by sending a check to a PAC helping with this effort to the address below. (This PAC is registered with the State of Utah.)

Citizens for Fiscally Responsible Government, c/o Jacqueline Smith, 1965 S Hoytsville Road, Coalville, UT  84017

You can also contact me by email and I will get you set up to help.  You might even be able to earn some money.  We have a few weeks left to make this happen.

The Perfect Set-Up for Spending

UPDATE (August 24, 2012):  The STAR Forum has gathered some citizens for an application for a Referendum Vote on this tax increase.  Please contact me to help gather signatures of Summit County Voters, so we can show this county council we are tired of tax and spend policies in this county.

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What would be the best way to get a tax increase through?  Can you imagine setting a budget that includes a tax increase, spending the money, and THEN having a final public hearing?  Well, that’s pretty much how it’s done.  And it’s okay under Utah law.

Wednesday, August 15, a number of residents attended the “public hearing” for the tax rate increase on their municipal taxes in unincorporated Summit County.  This tax increase was a 51.7% increase.  This was the second public hearing.  The first public hearing was not well-attended, because it wasn’t until people got their tax notices and saw the increase that they were up in arms.  Let’s just say, the council sees Summit County homes as their money machine.

The council chambers were packed.  It was standing room only.  Chairs were brought in from other areas of the building.  Residents came from all over Summit County frustrated by the seemingly lackadaisical attitude of the council.

For ½ an hour, the council “sold” us their reasons for the tax increase and how important it was for the roads.  One of the main points I got out of their sale was, we held one public hearing and no one was there, so we moved forward and already spent all the money because it was construction time and we had to fix all the roads.  So, this was nothing more than a “dog and pony show” as one Wanship resident put it, and the public hearing meant absolutely nothing.

I personally stood and asked what items were CUT from the budget in order to make up some of this difference.  Were there non-essential services cut?  Were salaries brought down to a level in line with the private sector?  One gentlemen, Mr. Callahan, lauded the work done by the new machines purchased that save us so much money but cost more man hours to run.  I looked up his salary while I was sitting there.  In 2010 this guy made $147,000 per year.  I doubt he’s taken a pay cut, and I’ll bet he’s seen a pay increase since then.  Our county employees are making much better than the private sector, while the private sector has had to tighten their belts significantly.  Please remember council, it’s those private citizens that are paying those public employees’ salaries.

With blank stares the council looked at me, until John Hanarhan stepped in to say that the budget has been cut year over year because of less tax revenue.  While parts of the budget may have been cut, overall, this is not true according to the counties own records.  Carston Mortensen quoted to the council all of their revenues over the last five (5) years or so and it shows either an increase or a leveling of revenue, not a decrease.

Sally Elliot when on to say they have not wanted to let people go in such a tough economy, and so they have cut budgets by attrition.  WHAT?  This is such a horrible way to handle the public’s money.  No one wants to let people go in their business.  When the construction business took a turn for the worse, that’s what we had to do.  These were people with families, and mortgages.  It eats me up inside to let someone go, but the survival of the company has to be considered, just as the survival of the people of the county must be considered.   Either a few people were let go or the whole thing goes down.  Here is the problem with the “ruling class” thinking of the council:  They think that it’s okay to “keep people” because they can just raise your taxes and mine to make up the difference.  It matters not at all to them if YOU “need” these people to work for YOU.  Or have they forgotten, that YOU are paying the bills?

John Hanarhan and Chris Robinson simply quote Utah code to say they complied by having a public hearing.  I pose a question to my council:  Is it good practice to comply with the law and simply ignore the public, or is it a better practice to be responsible with the public’s money and be sure the public is heard when their money is being taken through legal plunder?  Speaking of roads, Granite did most of the road repair.  The road in front of Chris Robinson’s home was done, even though it wasn’t due for repaving yet.  And imagine that, money found it’s way into Chris’s election fund from none other than Granite.

Then Bob Jasper, the county manager, actually said it was either the roads get fixed with a tax increase, or the roads get fixed and we lose services from our Sherriff’s department.  Really?  These kind of scare tactics are tired, and old, and we simply don’t buy it anymore.  Either you won’t be safe, or it’s for the children.  Can’t the council come up with something new?

I have no respect for Bob Jasper’s position.  I didn’t vote him in, and neither did any of you.  This position is the rubber stamp of the council.  He doesn’t answer to the people, only to the council.  Also, for a guy who’s running our county, I for one would like to be able to vote him out if needed.  The recommendation to “spend the money” during construction season before a final hearing shows me where his allegiance lies, and it isn’t with the people.  Also, I can’t tell you how many times Sally Elliot, looked over to the county manager, or the county attorney for help with her answers.  Sometimes she even verbally said, “help me.”

Cuts can be made everywhere, and in a $47 million budget, I’m pretty sure we could have trimmed more than half of this “needed” money from someplace else.  Friends of Animals, where Claudia McMullen is making quite a chunk of change is supported by our county tax dollars.  Is that necessary, or should the funds be coming from private sources?  If FOA is saving the county money, maybe the county should look at privatizing the Animal Control and get their monies worth.

There is money that can be saved even in the Sherriff’s office.  We (the tax payer) replace vehicles not on time in the field, but on mileage.  All of our officers are taking their vehicles home and many do not live in Summit County.  Summit County has the highest paid wages in the state of Utah, and our prisoners are the highest paid prisoners in the state.  (Don’t even get me started on the prison pay.)  But this is just one department and it is an essential one.

[Since this article was printed I received a call from Summit County Sherrif, Dave Edmonds.  This issue of driving vehicles home, after studies have been done, actually saves the county money when officers are assigned a vehicle, because they tend to take better care of their vehicles.  Also, we need to remember that there are essential services and non-essential services.  Our county is spending WAY TOO MUCH on non-essential services.  We can put this tax on as a referendum, and then help the county council cut non-essential services to balance their budget.]

While I’m sure the people on the county council are well-intentioned, they are misguided, and I believe do not understand the proper role of government, nor the great responsibility that comes with handling the public treasury.  I need to be clear that one council member did NOT vote for this tax increase.  That was Dave Ure.

I bet most of the people that pay taxes in Summit County would be okay with a much more streamlined government in this county.  Fewer so-called perks, and more appropriate government, where government does what it is supposed to do, instead of being everything to everyone.  Then we could ease the tax burden on our county’s citizens.

The Constitution Hanging by a Thread?

It has been a long time since I have posted anything.  However, today is the first day of a New Year.  We have so much to be grateful for in this country, but we also have much to be wary of as well.  Today, a bill (HR 1540) goes into effect.  This is the NDAA or National Defense Authorization Act.  This one bill is over 500 pages, and quietly passed into law.  Click here for a link to the bill.

This is anything but an exhaustive article, but I want to hit a few points, so take the time to read this briefly and then dig deep and find your own answers. 

Today, I would dare say, our Constitution hangs by a thread.  I am reminded of the phrase attributed to Martin Niemöller,

“First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.  Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.  Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.  Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.” 

This statement was first published in 1955 in a book called, They Thought They Were Free.  How many Americans watched the ball drop, celebrated with friends, played games and got drunk last night, and thought they were free?  I know that I enjoyed the night with family and friends alike.  However, I have no illusion that I am as free today as I was yesterday.  I still live in the greatest country on earth.  I still have more freedoms than most people have ever had, but they are dwindling quickly, and I am watching.

Image via Wikipedia

I belong to many different “groups” on Facebook.  There are many disccusions…usually trivial and meaningless, but sometimes the debates are very interesting.  I am saddened by the educational dead zone that exists.  Yes, many know some facts, and many know the rhetoric on the left and on the right, but many are blind to the duplication of history that is being performed right before their eyes.  At least, some of them.  They trust their government.  They trust that human nature “could never” do something like happened to the Jews during WWII.  But it has begun, in the same manner as it did then, and many other times in history.  You remember the saying, those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  One of our Utah Representatives, Rob Bishop, was a history teacher.  Has he forgotten the lessons he taught?  Because it appears he saw no problem with this bill. 

Let’s not repeat history, let’s make history.  Let’s be the first nation in the history of the world to not fall into tyranny, but liberate ourselves once again the individuals in America from a tyrannical Federal Government, that believe our rights as American citizens can be tossed aside for a little safety.  We do this not by violent measures, but by a strong state government that is unwilling to allow the Federal government to overreach its jurisdiction within our state.

I am not a Rachel Maddow fan, but this clip illustrates that this is not a left / right issue, but an issue of civil liberties that should alarm all of us.  It is not R’s vs. D’s.  It is us (the people) against the tyranny of a much-too-large Federal government and it’s overreaching powers and authority.  The blame I place is not on the Democrats, because the Republicans control the House.  It does not sit entirely on Obama’s shoulders, however, he signed it without a veto as he should have. 

 

You can see how your House representatives voted click HERE.  Three of Utah’s representatives (Jim Mattheson –D , Rob Bishop –R , and Orrin Hatch of the Senate – R) decided your rights as an American citizen no longer deserved the protection granted in the Bill of Rights.  What does the Oath of Office mean to people?  Does it mean anything?  Do they understand they are not there to protect us from would-be crimes, but to protect our rights and liberties?  How long will the people of Utah allow their representatives to disregard their oath?   We have many Republicans running against Jim Mattheson in the 4th district including two of my favorites, Carl Wimmer and Mia Love.  We have a few candidates considering Orrin Hatch be “called home” namely Dan Liljenquist and Chris Herrod.  Also, Tim Aalders has talked about running, but is not official as of late.  But who is challenging Rob Bishop?  No one!  Really?  He goes unchallenged, and that causes me to believe Utah is fast asleep at the wheel, or they think Rob unbeatable.

Montana is doing something about this, and I hope Utah will join in the fight with them.  It’s time to re-call these men for violating their oath.  See the Montana article HERE.  But in order to be like Montana, we will need a very strong governor that will push hard against the Federal government. So far, Gary Herbert hasn’t been that guy.  Our individual liberty demands that our state sovereignty be strengthened.  We have a few candidates that have stepped up to run against Utah’s governor, namely Morgan Philpot and Ken Sumsion.

I’ve had people say to me, “Come on this will never affect YOU.”  Well, this bill, hasn’t had time yet, but it’s predecessor, The Patriot Act already has.  Rachel Maddow brings up the movie “The Minority Report.”  Please read my post on that subject here called Guilty until Proven Innocent.  For I have felt the sting of The Patriot Act myself, and wonder what would possess my Federal Government to suddenly see me, a mother of five, as a terrorist?  And yet, I was questioned because of the Patriot Act as if I was one.  If I have no right to trial, no right to a lawyer, no right to even know my charges, then what hope would I ever have of liberty or freedom in this once great country? 

Do you see how slippery the slope is when we trade essential liberty for a little temporary safety?  In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “we will have neither, and deserve neither.”

Other articles you may like peruse from Forbes and the ACLU and a few that talk about why this is a very real threat: 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/12/05/the-national-defense-authorization-act-is-the-greatest-threat-to-civil-liberties-americans-face/?mid=569

http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/president-obama-signs-indefinite-detention-law

http://theintelhub.com/2011/12/17/crushing-the-disinformation-surrounding-indefinite-detention-of-americans-under-the-ndaa/

http://www.infowars.com/president-obamas-ndaa-signing-statement-i-have-the-power-to-detain-americans-but-i-wont/

http://www.naturalnews.com/034538_NDAA_American_citizens_indefinite_detainment.html?mid=56

Since this was published, Ron Paul has asked for section 1021 to be repealed….