Month: June 2015

Secrecy breeds corruption and tyranny, while openness and transparency breed Liberty. Especially in matters of governance.

Which would you prefer?

This is a simple question because it is a very straight-forward idea.

Give yourself this test:

Do you want Secrecy or Transparency, when…

1. Reviewing car repair options with your mechanic?
2. Discussing possible treatment options for cancer?
3. Going over your taxes with your accountant?
4. Buying a new home, car, laptop, loaf of bread or pound of beef?

 

Obviously, each of us values openness and transparency. Why then, is the American public so complacent about the secrecy imposed by the President, House and Senate when they are attempting to legislate far-reaching and corporately focused global trade agreements?

Americans have been purposefully kept in the dark regarding the multi-faceted impacts of the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP, Trade Deal).  The myriad of agreements falling under the TPP will impact all of the above mentioned items. Not only your purchases of bread, beer, and beef but also your car, cancer treatment options and the price of your mechanic.

The US House and Senate are complicit with the Obama Administration in these “routine” machinations of darkness at the federal level.

Last week, the US House passed (H.R. 644) the ‘Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015’’ as an amendment to a bill known and entitled – ‘’An Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend and expand the charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory.’’

Does this make sense? Let me try to summarize: The House passed an IRS bill about charitable tax deductions which magically gets an entirely new (236 page) amendment that is a separate Act of Congress.

Is this open, honest and forthright?

We have sent these men and women to Congress to protect our Liberties and America’s sovereignty above all else. Have they abandoned their oath of office and responsibility?  Be assured Congress is trampling our future.

With regard to the details of  TPP, there is actually little to no information available.  Julian Assange, founder and publisher of WikiLeaks, is trying to get the information discovered and published. He wants to raise $100,000 (through crowdsourcing) as a reward to anyone who reveals the entire TPP text (all twenty-nine chapters). Today, WikiLeaks has only five chapters online.

(Note: Don’t be afraid to read these documents. They are available online. Your web-browser may issue a “security warning” which will make you feel like you are doing something “unsafe” but this is part of the lie that liars tell.  The TPP information that is available will not destroy your laptop or shatter world peace. Instead, it may help stop the White House along with the cowards in Congress.)

We have heard this Administration brag that it is, “the most transparent and ethical administration in history,” then why the secrecy?    House Republicans are no better. Remember, in 2011, their own pledge was to “restore trust” by giving all Representatives and citizens at least three days to read bills before any votes would be taken.

In reality, transparency is not their goal, power is.

Openness and transparency are abhorrent to tyrants. Their power and corruption grows more readily under the cover of darkness and misinformation.  This is why, if you have written or called your Congressman asking for details about the TPP, the answer was cloaked in obscurity.

The Patriot Post reveals the depth of secrecy:

“[It’s] So secret that, even if you’re a member of Congress and want information, you have two choices: You can attend a classified briefing that requires you to leave your staff members and cell phone at the door, or you can amble down to the basement of Capitol Visitor Center for a read. Again, one’s cellphone must be surrendered. And only one section at a time is provided, with someone watching over you as you read. If you take any notes they must be surrendered prior to leaving. After you leave, you are forbidden to discuss any aspects of the bill in public.

“On the other hand, here’s a list of 605 “cleared” corporate insiders who have been granted access for some period of the nearly 10 years of negotiations on this pact that have been taking place. Insiders who represent pharmaceutical companies, Hollywood studios, Wall Street, car and oil companies, and other corporate interests.”

All this time you and I have been thinking of trade in terms of commodities like barley, beef and bananas or ,manufactured products like cell phones, cars and cameras.

The truth is these agreements are designed to harvest the rewards of American prosperity to further socialist economic pursuits. (See more in Part II)

Our founders had a different idea. They believed in limited government. Their focus was on lowering the burdensome nature of taxes while allowing citizens the liberty of engaging in free, open and prosperous markets. They believed in private enterprise from families like yours and mine. They lived and died fully invested in the defense of their grand experiment.

Good decision making is based upon an accurate assessment of the best available knowledge. This is a simple concept and it is easy to demand from Congress. The more we know and understand, the better our odds of making good choices.

We do this in our private affairs daily using every opportunity to negotiate the best deal. We use store coupons, attend Fabulous Friday sales, and return soda cans for nickels.  When it comes to public affairs we need to exercise the same diligence. The destruction of our national sovereignty and economic prowess is of greater importance.

“[I]f you are negligent or inattentive, the ambitious and despotic will entrap you in their toils, and bind you with the cord of power from which you, and your posterity, may never be freed.”   – Cato I, New York Journal,  September 27, 1787

As I mentioned in Part I,  the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP, Trade Deal) is a secretly engineered scheme that unashamedly supports centrally planned economies.

In this article, I have pulled an excerpt from the TPP which I will use to illustrate this globalist agenda. This portion highlights healthcare where pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers and public health entities will be jockeying for positions at the public trough.

Given the poor performance and rising costs of Obamacare, what will happen when Congress allows the President (via the TPP) to wedge his insatiable bureaucrats deeper into your wallets and future health decisions.

The following excerpt from the TPP showcases the socialistic tenor of the entire agreement. I chose this example to emphasize 1) a subtle call for universal amnesty, and 2) global pharmaceutical insiders don’t like the notion of transparency. (Neither does President Obama .  Below is an excerpt from Chapter 10, regarding pharmaceutical products and medical devices. (All annotations, mine)

The first bullet (#1 in red) is the nail in the coffin for opposition to universal amnesty. It paints a false picture of your individual health as a public good that is government’s a-priori commitment. The phrase, “for their nationals including citizens and the public” translates into “everyone, regardless.”  You and I, as citizens, are included but also included are illegal aliens, undocumented workers, and everybody else. In other words, everyone by “treaty” will gain access to entitlements at the public trough.

The second bullet (#2 in red) highlights the recommended striking of the word “transparent.” This is because some numbers (xx) of participants oppose that concept in favor of the idea of impartiality.  Meaning, in effect, they won’t be judgmental, but they want to remain secret!

The third bullet (#3 in red) is a strategically placed “or by” clause which digs a hole large enough to swallow the American Dream. The two ideas presented on either side of this “or by” clause are entirely incongruent. These ideas don’t even belong in the same class.

The first concept represents the American ideal – the notion of competitive markets. The second is a statist, collectivist, or socialist ideal – the desire for centralized control and management.  The language which says, “or by adopting or maintaining procedures that appropriately value” simply means that, “price controls are fine, as long as government maintains them.”

This ought to tell you what the Republicans in the House and Senate think of free-markets.

Apparently, neither House is worried about defending your rights to Life, Liberty and Property as Constitutional intentions mandate. They are more interested in catering to large-scale moneyed interests while placating the public with empty noise about helping Americans get “jobs.”

The two major political parties have fallen victim to a devastating worldview – Statism – the belief that only through government force and coercion can society function properly. They have come to believe that if they can get control of the steering wheel, gas pedal and radio buttons on the federal machinery the US will prosper.

Our founders had a different idea. They believed in limited government. Their focus was on lowering the burdensome nature of taxes while allowing citizens the liberty of engaging in free, open and prosperous markets. They believed in private enterprise from families like yours and mine. They were fully invested in defending their grand experiment with their lives, fortunes and sacred honor.

Good decision making is based upon an accurate assessment of available knowledge. This is a simple concept and it is easy to demand from Congress.

The more we know and understand, the better our odds of making good choices. This happens when we purchase our cars, homes and daily bread.  In fact, “full disclosure” laws exist to help people become informed citizens so that they can participate in the marketplace. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was designed to allow citizens to participate in self-governance and to keep government in check. Yet, the Obama administration has set the record for censoring government files by denying access to nearly 50,000 requested documents.

Take pride in self-governance. Demand openness and full disclosure from the men and women who are serving on our behalf.

We must not allow this federally sponsored takeover of America’s open markets and prosperous industry under the cheap excuse that nations must compromise their traditions, principles and heritage in order to work together.