Enough Is Enough!

I, like most Pennsylvania tax payers I’m sure, am so angry with the judges on the state supreme court that I could spit! My anger is the result of the recent decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reinstate the pay increase for about 1,000 elected and district judges, including retroactive pay of course.
Why have these bombastic, moronic jurists who obviously hold way too high of an opinion of themselves decided to do this awful deed even in light of all the taxpayer outrage? Because they claim that the repeal of the pay-raise by the legislature was unconstitutional. The state supreme court also ruled that the unvouchered expense part of the pay-raise the legislators voted themselves in the dead of night last July is also unconstitutional, however, the state supreme court is not going to require them to repay it! Obviously the good ole’ boy system is alive and well in Pennsylvania and as is usually always the case, the only losers in this whole deal will be the Pennsylvania taxpayers....surprise huh?
So why is the state supreme court demanding their pay-raise back with back pay and not demanding the legislature do the same with their unvouchered expense money? In a nutshell, it is due to the principle of the separation of powers. To repeal their pay-raise, the legislature in essence holds the judicial branch hostage and exercises an undue influence over them. And idiot, moronic "Justice," Ronald D. Castille and four other idiot, moronic judges basically employed the same rationale as the justification for not demanding the pay back of the unvouchered expense money by the legislature. It also deserves mentioning that Justice, Thomas Saylor filed a separate opinion stating that the judges’pay should not have been restored, but he is up for retention next year so we know his motivations, don’t we?
So other than the fact that everyone in politics, whether they are part of the executive, legislative, or judicial branches, is a scoundrel and a crook, what else do we learn from this horrendous decision? Well I get the impression that the state constitution is a joke and so is the separation of power’s principle. If obeying the constitution was that important and an unconstitutional act was that bad, then the judges on the state supreme court would demand that the "unconstitutional" unvouchered expense money be paid back by the legislature. But in fact they are not. So next time anybody does something unconstitutional and are taken to court, they can laugh in the face of the judge and tell him or her to promptly go to hell since the legislature committed an unconstitutional act with impunity.
As for the separation of powers principle, doesn’t the legislature vote on pay raises for the other branches of government? How is it not a separation of powers issue when that vote for a pay-raise for the other branches, but it is when they decide, especially in the face of such public outrage, to repeal that very same pay-raise? I guess it’s really the end result that counts. If it results in more money and/or power to the government, it’s a-okay. If it diminishes their power or decreases their financial security then folks, we have a constitutional crisis.
So readers, let’s give these judges, legislators and bureaucrats exactly what they deserve, our contempt and our rage. There is only two laws we need to recognize and live by and they are: "do unto others as you would have done to you" and "live and let live." Well unless the other person is a judge or politician, or possibly a lawyer.

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Welcome to the United States, we hope that your trip was nice,
But now that you are here, you are required to pay the price.
You see, the land of opportunity does not come to you for free,
Only for the lazy, self-loathing and stupid people is there no fee.

So you are industrious and confident and want to pay your way,
Well then, this will surely be for you an extremely lucky day.
In this nation we worship money, power and prestige,
And to fulfill that insatiable lust, your resources we will seize.

If you have no self-respect, than become a public leech.
But to those who like what they see in the mirror we beseech.
Work hard and attempt to build a life and achieve a dream.
While we with the power and wealth prepare our scheme.

When you begin to prosper and your dreams reach realization.
We will be there to take it away and ensure hopes desolation.
This is the land where hard work and self-reliance are repaid,
With confiscated wealth and the hope for justice betrayed.

The blindfold of justice has since long ago worn very thin.
Now justice comes at a price so high most of us can not win.
Justice is only for the wealthy who with a retainer it is bought..
While we of little resources, a chance for justice comes to naught.

Truly this is a nation for politicians and those with much wealth.
But we that remain can at least be thankful for our good health.
Because just like justice in this country that has gone terribly astray.
Good healthcare for only movers and shakers is the order of the day.

Disparity of lifestyle is the child of the disparity of wage,
How is true happiness possible with such a stain on history's page?
Those who at inequity, injustice and suffering turn a blind eye,
Hold within their being a wellspring that has long ago gone dry.

The lack of care and compassion for others is without a doubt,
The result of the innumerable encumbrances imposed from without
By the powerful and elite and by that ruling class of buffoons.
Who because of their wealth and power justice rarely impugns.

Oppression of humanity in any form is a godless and cruel scourge.
But inhumanity intensifies under the pretense of oppression's purge
For tyranny in name and deed is at least an enemy identified.
But tyranny under cover of freedom is an enemy not easily defied.

When we consider the spirit of law to be less worthy than its letter,
Then we've devolved as humans and beasts in the jungle are better.
When will we learn that only when all are free in deed and thought,
Humanities childhood be cast aside and true enlightenment sought.

But alas, I awake to the reality most dismal, discouraging and grim,
That the chance of achieving peace and justice are really quite slim.
Because most of us enjoy the oppression and inhumanity we endure,
For surely if we did not, we would have long ago found the cure.

The ruling class and the wealthy elite in every nation and time.
Have been the minority to those, the social ladder will never climb.
While lack of education and means prevented rebellion in the past,
Today there is no excuse for allowing tyranny and injustice to last.

Perhaps my faith in human kind has been terribly misplaced.
Maybe we really are just poor beings put here to be disgraced
To have our freedoms taken away and our cries for justice denied
Yes, this must be what we want since nothing else we have tried.

I just have but one question, the answer to which still eludes me.
Why is there so much strife and discontent if all is as it should be.
Or do most of us just have no backbone and only want to bitch
While soulless corporate CEO's and politicians keep getting rich.

Since change from the grassroots level is often too little and too late,
The tide of tyranny both political and corporate doubtless will abate.
As we will continue the downward spiral of helplessness and dread,
Till freedom and hope are but memories and justice for all is dead.

Better To Murder Than Commit Insurance Fraud

I am here to attest that there is much to be learned from the commercial media. Not only can you find out which television set has a sharper picture, or which after shave is guaranteed to drive the women wild, you can also garner enlightened knowledge that will challenge your misconceived notions. To what am I referring you may ask. Let me explain.I, like most people I’m sure, always thought that theft was always wrong no matter who the victim of theft was. In other words, whether you steal $50.00 from a millionaire or the regular middle class working man or woman next door, it is still an act of theft. But alas, I was wrong in that assessment. Indeed, the seriousness of the crime is based on the status of the victim, not on the act itself.How do I know this? The other evening while watching TV, a commercial came on about insurance fraud. It showed a woman being arrested for committing insurance fraud and the spot went on to explain that because of this woman’s shameful act, in addition to earning her husband’s consternation, her children rightfully deserve to be picked on at school and her friends had the right to spread nasty rumors about her.I am so glad that I was lucky enough not to be fixing my self a snack or grabbing a glass of iced tea when that spot aired on prime time television or else I would have still held the unenlightened and old-fashioned idea that all theft was equally bad. I also am glad that I saw the commercial because I didn’t realize before that the punishment for the sins of the perpetrator, in this case the mother, could be passed on to her children. I would have never known that it is okay for the kids at school to pick on this woman’s children because she chose to defraud her insurance company!And since I have never heard of this idea in connection with any other charge of fraud or theft, I can only assume that it is only okay to carry out the punishment to extended family members when the theft is against an insurance company. Why couldn’t this mother have chosen to rob the local supermarket instead of the insurance company and saved her poor children this rightfully deserved, according to the commercial, abuse at the hands of their classmates?I was also able to learn something else from that commercial. Not only is theft by insurance fraud more serious than any other theft, but it must also be more serious than rape or murder. Think about it, have you ever seen a television spot that claims that a murderer or rapist’s children should be harassed by their peers? I haven’t.So the lessons I take from that spot are these: one, Theft against an insurance company is worse than any other theft and warrants punishing by their peers the children of the one who defrauded. Two, Theft against an insurance company is even worse than rape or murder because there has never been, to my knowledge, a commercial stating that the child of a rapist or murderer deserves punishment by their peers.I guess it is high time I get with the program and rid myself of the old-fashioned idea that murder and rape may be a bit more serious than theft and also that all theft is equally wrong no matter who the victim is. And also, I need to rid myself of that equally antiquated notion that only the criminal himself or herself should be punished for the crime committed.So, if you ever turn to a life of crime, you should choose to be a murderer or maybe a robber of mom and pop stores, but don’t never commit insurance fraud. Your children will thank you.

IRS Needs To Be Held Accountable

I’ve been thinking lately that there is a bit of a double standard with the way the tax system in the United States works. Okay, it’s not a little bit of a double standard. In fact it is the epitome of double standards, but I though I’d try to begin my essay on a more positive note. Okay, I guess when we are discussing taxes there is not positive note, so I might as well not even try to sugar coat what is as bitter and twelve hour old coffee.
The double standard is this: we are required by the IRS to provide proof of every source of income we have. We are required to provide a completed W2 form from our employers and also to furnish all interest payment information. Additionally, they demand that we itemize our deductions such as mortgage interest or child care. If we have business expenses, we need to provide receipts of those as well. All of this is required to make sure that we don not receive any deductions that we do not deserve and also to ensure that every dollar earned by us is accounted for and taxed. Yes, the IRS goes to great lengths to make certain that nobody keeps more of their hard earned money than what the IRS deems is their just due.
And as we all know, once our money is in their possession, they will fight tooth and nail to make certain that the money stays with them. Anyone who has ever tried to get any assistance from the government knows about all the red tape that needs to be cut through in order to get a pittance for
assistance. In fact, the only time the government is generous with our money is when it comes to paying itself. All politicians have to do is vote themselves a pay increase and there it is, no strings attached.
Well, I suggest, no I demand that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. I demand that before I file my taxes, I want the IRS to provide me with the same thing that they demand of me. I want to see an itemized list to account for every penny of my tax dollars. What percentage goes to defense? What percentage goes to social programs, to salaries, etc? I mean, with the present system, do we really know what our tax dollars are spent on? It is only fair, since we have to account for every penny earned and every deduction taken, that the government should be required to furnish the taxpayer with an itemized list of where every penny we are taxed goes to.
Now, while the IRS has the muscle of the entire federal government behind it to enforce compliance on our part, we may feel that we have no muscle power of our own. Actually, Thomas Jefferson would disagree with that assessment. Remember that the author of the Declaration of Independence and our third president wrote that governments are instituted "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." That is quite a bit of power indeed! We as citizens of this country do not need any more power, we just need to realize and exercise the power that we already have.
So when the IRS, sends you their tax forms with the reminder that you must file before April 15th. Send them your own little reminder that you will not be filing your taxes until they furnish you with an itemized list to account for every last penny they stole from you. Now, I’m sure the IRS will not take too kindly to this, but that is because the giant which is we the people, has been asleep and as a result the IRS has gotten a little too arrogant and power hungry like the rest of the government and has forgotten their place in the dichotomy of freedom. The sleeping giant must awake and put the IRS back in its proper place.
Let’s make this April 15th be a day of dread for the IRS instead of we the people. It sounds like a nice change doesn’t it?

My Alien Abduction Experience

I have put my days of skepticism behind me regarding the existence of aliens and have joined the ranks of those, like the callers on the Art Bell talk show, who fervently believe. Why the sudden change from alien agnostic to true believer you may ask. Because my friends, I have become part of the chosen few. That’s right. I have experienced an alien abduction.
It was a very surreal experience indeed. One of the things I was most taken with was that they did not look like the stereotypical aliens of science fiction. They looked like us. They told me that they had just acquired the capability to reach and observe us and I must say that it appears the aliens have acquired the majority of their intelligence concerning the human race from our various media outlets. And it seems that from what information they have obtained and from their own lifestyle experience, their prognosis for we earthlings is foreboding to say the least. You see, they told me that we suffer from a serious condition or illness of humanity that threatens our very survival.
Amazingly, they didn’t have much to say about our care or lack thereof for our planet. It seems that our poor stewardship of the planet is only a symptom of the condition. In fact, they were convinced that any damage done to our planet could be repaired quite speedily and a return to its previous pristine condition would be quite easily attainable if we first cured the illness of humanity.
I asked them what this illness of humanity was and why we hadn’t discovered it on our own. They told me it was because we are a blind race. They asked me why we believed it was a sanctioned right for a child to bully and harass other children. I was dumbfounded at this accusation, who said that children had a right to bully and harass other children? Who sanctioned this behavior? I had never heard such a terrible thing. Surely they must be mistaken.
That is when they showed me a television commercial paid for by the insurance commission stating that if one commits insurance fraud, the child of the one who defrauded the insurance company with a false claim can expect to be harassed in school.
"But you must understand," I told my abductors, "the child’s parent defrauded the insurance company out of a lot of money."
I tried to explain to them how important money and wealth are to us, especially in the civilized west. Doesn’t the insurance commission have the right to protect its investments? Besides, a harassed child will be okay in time. He or she will soon forget. But the money that the insurance company lost, that’s gone! After all, quite a bit of money was spent on lobbying to pass laws that seem to make robbing an insurance company many times worse than robbing a mom and pop store or local supermarket and to make produce those advertisements. So with all that at stake, of course it makes sense that theft should be punished in degrees. And if the mom and pop store think that the child of the person who robs their store deserves to be harassed in school, well they are just going to have to cough up some hard cash and lobby to make theft of a mom and pop store more of a major crime than it is.
They began to explain too, that we do not value life enough to have it last. Again I needed their enlightenment to understand their esoteric wisdom. I had always believed that we value life very highly. Their response is that what we really value are money and power, not life. They explained that qualified theft was considered worse than murder.
"Surely you are mistaken," I replied. "Murder is a worse crime than theft and what in the world is qualified theft?"
They explained that we celebrate the work of murderers by making their evil exploits into major motion pictures and book deals. We enjoy seeing the atrocities committed against others while we comfort ourselves that it didn’t happen to us. We need enemies in order to feel important and self righteous and we need war to perpetuate the myth that world peace can only thus be attained and in order to keep the fires of patriotism stoked. As if patriotism cannot be celebrated in the absence of war.
Qualified theft is just an extension, they explained, of our need to objectify others worth rather than value them for their inherent worth as human beings. It is because of this process of objectification that we can view theft in degrees of wrongness rather than objectively wrong at all times. That, they explained, is how we can state that wrongness of theft is gaged by the value of the victim of the theft. Consequently, it is more wrong to steal from an insurance company or large corporation than it is from a small business. Indeed, for some, theft is completely lawful. For politicians, credit card companies and businesses that have a market completely cornered theft is semantically disguised as taxes, fees, interest rates and price gouging. And those of the least value in the dichotomy of human objectification are the majority of us. Those who work every day to try and make ends meet and support our families. The end result is, the higher the perceived value of the person, the lower, or non existent the level of victimization. The lower the perceived value of the person, the higher the level of victimization.
I was beginning to understand what they were trying to tell me. We do ascribe worth of other people not by their inherent value as humans, but based on what they can do to enrich us, either monetarily, psychologically or emotionally. But, how do we cure this illness of humanity? They had a few suggestions.
First, they said that we’ve need to get rid of the big lie. I asked for an explanation. The big lie they told me is the erroneous belief that humanity is fallen and evil. They explained that this lie has been perpetuated, especially in the west, for some millennia and has been used to by both organized religion and governments to not only keep humanity intellectually and psychologically enslaved, but also to make them believe that they deserve nothing less than that enslavement. They said that we misunderstood the message of the serpent in the creation myth. The serpent was a symbol of the shedding of innocence which was the only way to achieve self determination and thus full personhood. Additionally, we can only progress peacefully as a race if we change our dualistic thinking patterns. We must realize that all of creation is one. Dualistic thinking about reality does not just create a fractured universe, but it fosters a sense of a fractured humanity and the consequent us against them mentality. This causes alienation from God, others and even ourselves.
When we begin to have a reverence for all creation, the aliens explained to me, we will begin to heal ourselves and our relationships and eventually our planet. I will now endeavor to view all of creation as one and I will no longer believe that humanity is fallen or evil. Because we are not fallen and evil, we are not in need of coercive government so much as a persuasive and guiding one. And because we are component parts of one reality rather than separate entities, we should not be viewed as objects of potential monetary gain, but respected and valued for whom we are as vital parts and co-creators if you will, of the continually unfolding fabric of reality.
I must admit that this made sense to me and surely did seem like just the kind of revolutionary and progressive idea that would save and harmonize humanity. It made me feel sad for those stuck in the prison of believing that coercion is the only way to keep peace and that the justification for the coercion is the lie of humanity as evil and fallen.
"But surely there is much evil perpetrated on humanity by humanity," I asked. "Is it possible that your assessment of us is incorrect?"
They explained that it is because humanity had taken a wrong turn at the axial age. I asked them to explain. They told me that prior to the axial age which was a 600-year span of time beginning around 800 B.C.E., humanity was primitive and innocent. They were wanderers and gatherers with survival and escape from hunger as their primary concern. But as humans began to develop self-awareness they also began to consider their mortality and reflection, learning and urbanization became something to be attained. Now this development from the primitive to the reflective is not a bad thing, they informed me, but in fact a blessing and a necessity to becoming fully human. However, with this new awareness, came varying interpretations as to the meaning of it. And that is where the fork in the road was encountered.
Humanity now had a choice, do they use this new awareness to reach common goals and to motivate all humans to attain greatness, or do they fear the awesome responsibility that this new knowledge empowers them with, and decide that only a select few can have the privilege of its acquisition and utilization. Sadly, fear won out and suppression of knowledge was the child of that fear. A child that grew into maturity and lives yet today.
As the elitism of special knowledge developed, so developed the hunger for power and its corollary, greed. But how could suppression of knowledge be accomplished on the great unwashed? Make them believe they are evil or fallen and that as a result, incapable of making good decisions on their own. It was a perfect plan and it worked for centuries and it has set humanity back and lost them so much time, the aliens explained to me.
"But even if we had chosen the ‘correct’ road during that watershed axial age, perhaps we still would not have advanced to your status of higher knowledge and mutual love for each other," I replied.
They responded that although there would always exist the possibility of choosing the wrong path, it would be less likely after having received and accepted the enlightenment that all is part of one wonderful creation. They explained too that there are no biological reasons why we could not have attained their current status because all the constituent elements of the universe are everywhere the same. This, I thought helped to explain their similarity in appearance to us. They explained that they had the time needed to develop the technology required to reach Earth because they have been able to increase their life span to an average of one thousand years because, believing they are all one, have used their resources for mutual aid and to develop cures for disease and technology to share their discoveries, not to develop weapons to make war or ideas to enslave.
I asked them how people were made to believe the lie and succumb to the enslavement of coercion and knowledge suppression. They said it was a twofold plan. Religion was developed to perpetuate the myth of human evilness and that a plan of salvation was required. Governments were instituted to coerce people. But as these organizations grew, the need for revenue created the necessity of taxation.
"Do you mean that government and religion are bad?" I asked. They said that they are not wrong in and of themselves. But because they are used to perpetuate the lie, they had become destructive and self-serving early on and have only served to increasingly fracture humanity and thus develop more governments and religions to war with each other.
"What about God?" I asked. "Does God exist or is God a myth as well?" They explained that God indeed exists, but God is ineffable and only able to be understood in symbol. Human language, indeed all language, cannot describe God, but only the subjective experience of God. Mathematics also cannot describe God. Art and music, they asserted comes the closest, but still falls short. They said that humanity has done a great disservice to God be trying to explain and describe the essence of God, and have thus created only false gods and further fractured humanity and alienated us from the true One. They explained that we have also inappropriately added to God’s description a pronoun and thus created a "divinely ordained" sexism and its consequential misogyny and sexual inferiority. Additionally, we have created a special of "chosen" people of God and have thus created a "divinely ordained" nationalism and its consequential hatred, racism and genocide.
They told me that both our current institutions of government and our religions, indeed our erroneous concept of God , are all the result of our penchant to view reality as a duality rather than a unity. Humanity as evil rather than co-creators. Government as coercive rather than persuasive. When we change our view of reality, we will begin to work toward the mutual benefit of the human race, not just our race.
We will no longer be so wrongheaded, as the insurance commission is, that we would ever say that our children deserve to be picked on because their parent committed insurance fraud. Because you see, to take from anyone is to take a piece of the human spirit and to cast it to swine. All are of value, not just the wealthy, the politicians, or the CEO. And we are not a fallen race in need of salvation from without, but a race whose salvation lies in changing our thinking and our priorities.
And when we do, we will be truly blessed and redeemed, not by the god "up there" but by the God within the tapestry of creation itself. The Real and the One.

Downsizing And Cancer

Have you ever considered that American companies that leave this country and go set up shop elsewhere such as Mexico or Singapore, in order to obtain cheaper labor are a lot like cancer?
There really are several parallels between the two.
The most obvious is the dread and fear we have of both. Just like when cancer strikes, when a person is faced with losing their job due to downsizing and or because their company decides to stop producing products here in favor of production over seas, the employee is faced with the uncertainty of how they will survive. How will they pay their bills and keep their family fed? They wonder what their chances are, especially if they are older, of finding employment with the same level of pay they have been used to. Many facing unemployment in this manner have even required counseling and medications due to the anxiety it causes.
Another similarity between a diagnosis of cancer and this type of job loss is the anger. After fear and disbelief have run their course, anger begins to take their place. The cancer victim wonders why he or she has been dealt this blow? Perhaps they have never smoked a day in their life. They don’t drink excessive alcohol and try to watch their diet and exercise. But, despite all their efforts, their body has decided to turn against itself and produce and reproduce rouge cells to overtake the good cells.
Not much differently, the person faced with losing their job asks the same question. Maybe they have been a loyal employee of that company for decades. Maybe they are just a few years away from retirement. Maybe their work and attendance record is superb. Perhaps in the past the company even demanded mandatory overtime from them. Now the company determines they can save money by making their product in Mexico and this employee, this human being who gave their life to the company is now seen as nothing but a liability to be gotten rid of.
Still another similarity between cancer and job layoffs is apparent arbitrariness of it. Just like cancer doesn’t discriminate when it strikes, so companies do not discriminate or care who is left behind when they close shop in the United States. Both the hard working, loyal employee and the goof off are left to stand in the unemployment line. Layoffs, like death, has become the great equalizer. Funny how we were all taught as children that if we play by the rules and behave we will have success. I now believe that is just a way to instill fear in people from the very beginning while they are still impressionable in order keep them under control as they age. I say that because playing by the rules does not guarantee you success. Cancer strikes people who take care of their bodies just as often as it attacks those who don’t. And job layoffs due to downsizing strike the loyal and the loafer as well. Why? Because the employee and his or her loyalty and hard work or the lack thereof are not even on the table when a company executives decide to downsize. The only thing on the table is how much money can be saved and how much profit can be gained and the employee be damned. So, next time you tell a small child that if they are good and follow the rules they will have success, make sure they know that only applies to successfully crossing the street in one piece by following the rule of looking both ways first, not for keeping a job when they grow up.
Perhaps the most illusive parallel between cancer and job downsizing is that in addition to the harm they inflict on their victims, they are chaotic and ultimately self defeating in nature which makes them irrational. Cancer is parasitic and is only able to grow and spread by feeding off the victim. But once the person dies, the cancer dies. That is the only thin comfort that one who has seen cancer ravage a loved one can cling to. The killer has died with its victim.
In a less obvious and indeed longer term way, job downsizing will ultimately "kill" the very company that chose to take the shameful path of abandoning their employees. Consider the whole economy as a body and employees as healthy cells. The treasonous companies that betray their employees and leave the country that sustains them are the cancer cells. Just as more and more cancer cells destroy the healthy cells, more and more layoffs leave less employed and more unemployed or under employed it their wake. Just as the body becomes weaker as more good tissue is overtaken by cancerous tissue, so our economy becomes weaker as more people become unemployed and unable to purchase goods, etc. Finally, like the cancer victim, our economy succumbs and so do the treasonous companies who left the country to save a few bucks because nobody will be able to afford their products. And while we mourn our lost livelihoods, we celebrate the demise of the greedy companies that took the easy road to short term profit and long term death.
Interestingly, there is also a parallel between chemotherapy, the most common treatment for cancer and our government. I am not, nor to pretend to be a doctor, but I’ve known enough people stricken by cancer to have learned that chemotherapy destroys good cells in the process of trying to destroy cancer cells. Parenthetically, I have never understood why, at a time when the body is being ravaged by the horrible disease of cancer, the treatment prescribed should be so destructive to the body and its immune system. It seems very counterproductive to me and may be why chemo has such a bad track record at ultimately healing cancer victims. Or maybe I just don’t understand the process correctly. But, alas, back to my illustration. Government intervention into the whole corporate downsizing phenomenon is about as effective as chemo is in ultimately curing cancer. Why is it? My guess is that the government receives major contributions from these companies. Think about it, it isn’t your small mom and pop companies that downsize. It’s the big corporations, many of which are big contributors to the political machine.
Anyone who is familiar with my writings knows that I am a big proponent of individual rights and against government intrusion into our lives. But corporations are not individuals. It’s interesting, for a government like ours presently, that just loves to regulate and pass laws, why haven’t they outlawed American companies moving out of this country?

Driving, Privilege Or Right?

Is driving a motor vehicle a privilege or a right? It’s been debated many times in the past and I guess I’ll take this opportunity to throw my own two cents in. Let me preface my comments with this illustration: our world is in a constant state of flux. Like the ancient philosopher Heraclitus stated, "everything flows, nothing stands still." Let me give an example from more modern times. Fifteen years ago a cell phone was considered a luxury. The only people who really carried cell phones were business executives and the like. While I might not go so far as to say that a cell phone is a necessity today, it is certainly more than a mere luxury. Almost everyone from every age and walk of life carries a cell phone with them everywhere. Indeed, they have saved many a life when someone in danger and otherwise unreachable was able to call for help on the trusty cell phone they carried with them. Even computers have joined the ranks of ubiquity and are almost as common in homes as a television set, or should I say television sets. My whole point is that what are considered as luxuries and necessities are in constant flux as time and technology progresses into the future.
It is my belief that whatever is a necessity is also a right. Food, clothing and shelter are universally recognized as necessities and therefore a right where life is considered a sacred right. Many consider medical care to be a right as well. If we value human life, then anything that is a requirement to maintain that life is a necessity and therefore should be considered a right, not a privilege. Certainly most everyone would agree that driving a motor vehicle is a necessity to maintaining human life. Driving is necessary in order to purchase food, unless you are fortunate enough to live near a supermarket. Driving is necessary in order to purchase clothing. In order to visit your doctor you need to be able to drive. And unless your job is within walking distance, in order to hold employment you must be able to drive. It should be quite obvious that driving a motor vehicle is in fact a necessity for the vast majority of adults in this nation. Without the ability to drive; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness today would be a difficult task indeed.
The ideology that driving a motor vehicle is privilege is an antiquated idea that should be tossed into the dung pile of obsolescence. Today it is a necessity and therefore a right!
Now unfortunately the powers that be have a vested interest in perpetuating the outdated idea that driving a motor vehicle is a privilege instead of a right. Why? Three reasons come to mind, two of which are self-serving and small. One which seems legitimate and genuinely beneficial.
The first reason is money. As long as driving is considered a privilege granted by the government, it can be taxed and is thus a guaranteed source of annual income for the state. In Pennsylvania every motor vehicle owner pays $36.00 per year for a ridiculous sticker to put on their license plate so all can see that they have paid for another year of driving "privileges." Additionally there is the renewal fee every four years for our drivers license. So, you see, to declare that driving is a right risks the guaranteed income that comes from taxing privileges. Clothing is not taxed, most food is not taxed and neither is medical care taxed. These items aren’t taxed because they are necessities, not luxuries. Rights, not privileges. Politicians therefore will not back down easily from the progressive and enlightened idea that in this day and age driving must be considered a right.
The second reason why government is not likely to toss their closed minded idea that driving is only a privilege is because it empowers them. Two things that politicians love and will fight tooth and nail to hold on to are money derived from taxing the masses and the usurpation of power over the people. As long as driving is considered to be only a privilege, it can be revoked. And of course if our driving "privilege" is revoked, we will be required to pay handsomely to get it back. If driving a motor vehicle was recognized by the political machine as the right it is, it could not be revoked, even money/power hungry politicians shy away from the idea of taking rights away. Also, it couldn’t be taxed since rights aren’t taxed. But politicians with dollar signs in their eyes and the need to maintain power over others to compensate for their own weaknesses, insecurities and impotence will continue to take the low road and we will continue to suffer for it. Brotherhood, equality and self-determination are ideals too lofty for greedy and power hungry politicians because they require very little of their interference into the lives of the people.
There is a third reason the government wants to keep driving as a privilege is because it is a great and serious responsibility to drive a motor vehicle. I do not believe that any thinking individual would argue the seriousness of driving, but that does not mean it should not be considered as a right. Most people, myself included, support the idea of testing to obtain a drivers license. Rights without responsibility will produce chaos and driving a motor vehicle is indeed a great responsibility. I would even support requiring driving "refresher" courses for drivers with more than two at fault accidents. In fact, I contend that most of us take the responsibility of driving more serious than the politicians do. Think about it, when you are involved in a traffic violation or accident, what happens? You get fined and possibly get points added to your driving record. Isn’t it so obvious that it is all about money and not improving ones driving skills?
We must lead the way because those who claim to be leaders are derelict and seem incapable of embracing the enlightened idea that self-determination is the only way to harmony and peace. Remember, the government derives its power from the consent of the governed. That is us folks. We actually have the power, not them. If you believe that driving should be a right, then claim it as a right and tell your Senators and Congresspersons, both at the state and national that you are taking back control of your life and destiny.
I am a law abiding citizen. I have never murdered, raped, stolen or otherwise caused harm to my fellow human beings. I obey the laws of nature and of civil society. Laws intended to protect me from myself, empower others over me or impose financial hardship on me, I treat with the contempt they deserve and do not recognize that they are legitimate laws at all. All of this I can proclaim with a clear conscience and with the highest degree of patriotism. Indeed my idea of patriotism demands it.
The only way that true personhood and character can be developed is if the person is free in mind, body and spirit. Only then can they become fully human and fully responsible for their destiny. A government that hinders this process of becoming is indeed an enemy to humanity and freedom.