All of our current political issues boil down to one question: What is the role of government?

It is the persistent and instructive Locke vs. Rousseau question: Do our rights come from God and celebrate the individual, or do they come from the State and celebrate the group? Locke argued the former, formidably. Rousseau argued the latter, with brilliant intellect.

However, speaking as one who does not have a Mensa-level IQ and cannot safely navigate a simple calculus problem, I nonetheless am smart enough to know that government should  play a limited role,  that solutions should be sought from family and  all corners of the community prior to government ordinance.

 In short, government should always be a last resort and  never a reflexive first response.

Think of how stark this current administration stands in relation to such a concept. In every attempt to solve a problem, the Obama administration has offered only Big Government solutions, without so much as a nod to the pioneering spirit that launched this nation and allowed it to prevail  and prosper. This administration never considers how the landscape of free markets or the nature of communities has, repeatedly, satisfied the problems they endeavor to leave to Bi9 Government.

Indeed, they oddly hold suspect the attributes and underpinnings that have made the United States a beacon of freedom in a world of dictatorships and subjection.

One might assume that the argument against big government would be obvious and not require such  intellectual effort in a day when individual states are going bankrupt and where our  government must now humbly request funding from countries who, at best, are a ‘distraction’ to human rights.

It is challenging to remind people of history and how we arrived at  our current situation. In matters of governance it is instructive to remember that all powers granted to the federal government originally came from the states.  Yet today is seems that states are punished if they do not follow the mandates laid down by the ‘thoughtful’ leaders in D.C.

 Is that what The Founders intended?

Today we are witnessing a massive expansion of the federal government, often conducted through the execution of  arcane laws which have been broadly misinterpreted and in spite of an overwhelmingly disapproving electorate.

When have you seen the current administration encourage,  or even acknowledge,  the brilliant role small business plays in our economy?

If one presupposes that “the bigger the government the smaller the citizen” (Dennis Prager) is true, then our collective voices ring more silent with the passage of each new and massive federal mandate.

So again I ask,  what should the role of government be? Should the individual concede to the group? If so what does that mean for personal liberty and freedom?

Democracy and free markets are an  American hallmark. With a nod to the professorial class, we are a “Representative Republic”, with an active electorate, yes, yes.  Describe it however you wish.  But consider that today, those nations which have a positive GDP are those which have embraced capitalism, even as we shrink from the mere mention of it. Throughout the world, leaders of countries whose economies are growing  have more in common with Reagan than Stalin. Socialism is so very 20th century.

But here in the United States, where it all started, we are regressing. At the helm is a President, a novice to governing,  who believes we are what is wrong in the world.

Expect taxes to increase, liberties to decrease and the further diminution of the individual.

If you believe that the role of government is to provide for a subsistent and safe life for all citizens, so be it. But be warned that such “cradle to grave” thinking renders tepid the dreams of inventors, obviates the entrepreneurs and provides roadblocks to all who dare pursue their dreams.

If you choose government as a solution, be warned that a brave new world is neither.

Until 2012.

Lady Libertas had a Patriot on the ground in Boston at the Tea Party Express today who snapped some shots of the Lefties, Trolls and Baiters that will be coming out in force to meet the Tea Parties.  Lady Libertas can only hope that paying all of these baiters sucks plenty of money out of the OFA War Chest – they must be so proud to be serving the Obama Administration by waging war on Americans across this country.

Various posts in the blogosphere and development of new websites like crashtheteaparty.org in the past few weeks have alerted us that the Left is getting ready to take things to the next level to make Tea Parties and attendees look bad and feed the bias of the Mainstream Media.  The developer behind crashtheteaparty.org has been exposed a middle school teacher – see below for further information.

In typical Alinsky fashion, the Left figure that if racism and violence do not exist, then they will create it.  Be Warned, Patriots – these lefties, trolls and baiters are looking to incite reactions from all of us, whether emotional, verbal or physical.

Lady Libertas has some photos from the Boston stop on the Tea Party Express today and a sneak peek into the Left Agenda for tomorrow … We must be aware, calm and take lots and lots of photos.  We cannot take the Bait … Let them be exposed for the Trolls that they are!

Lady Libertas will have Patriots from all over the country calling on Monday on Truth & Liberty for the radio show.  If you would like to be included – let me know!

Lady Libertas Salutes Everyone for Tax Day Tea Party 2010 that are out in body and spirit to support our country!

Tomorrow is a big day and Lady Libertas has faith in the amazing patriots across this country.

Hold the Line.  We have come so far and we cannot give it up to moonbat baiters!

Further Information on the owner of the Website – www.crashtheteaparty.org:

More…

What many pundits miss when considering the 2012 election cycle  is the 800-pound elephant in the room: Obama now has a resume.

What made Obama so special, his aura of invincibility and the great message of Hope and Change that he repeated at every whistle stop on his two-year campaign for the presidency, has been pierced by the needle of reality. There will be no Styrofoam Greek Columns in 2012. His will not be a new face on the scene in 2012.  His promises of post-partisanship will ring fraudulent following four years of hyper-partisan governing.

In 2012, Obama will be what Conservatives have known all along: a misguided liberal full of promises but lacking the skill sets necessary to deliver. America will see Obama as a charismatic anomaly whose shelf life was exceeded and who will no doubt still be blaming his predecessor for his current problems. America will know that Obama is an ideologue who appears to have more in common with our enemies than he does with the American people.

Obama will run as a vunerable, out-of-step candidate in 2012. This is a critical point because his Conservative opposition, whomever it may be, will be campaigning on proven formulas for economic growth, not glossy, air-brushed visions of how things ‘could be’. His opposition will drive home over and over the record of Obama, and in doing so Obama will be forced to wage two simultaneous campaigns: One with his opponent and one with his poor record.

In short, the Obama “mystique” will be gone, the electorate will have woken from its long slumber in the poppy field, and hard questions will be asked. Obama will be forced into numerous and frequent question and answer sessions where he will not be able to hide behind his teleprompter. He will look human and, at times, unable to sufficiently answer questions posed to him.

The job of the  GOP candidate will be to effectively illuminate Obama’s poor record, portray Obama as wistful and ideological and, ultimately, put forth the argument that America has spent way too much time in the shallow end of the pool and that it’s now time to get back to the business of putting America back on track.

Obama’s Achilles heel will be his own resume.

Clear, decisive ideological lines have been drawn across the American political landscape since the election of President Obama. Something about our current President has caused more public dissent and agitation than any election I can recall.

At first these lines in the sand knit themselves together with the organic yarn of concerned neighbors holding small rallies. Those modest but critical early efforts were the precursor to the now famous and very influential Tea Party movement.Numbers grew. There were town hall meetings repeated across the country which pitted concerned voters against their elected officials who lost their way in a manner reminiscent of an earlier, simpler time, and with just as much passion.

Still, against overwhelming opposition by the American people, health care reform was forced through, as was the government’s full and complete takeover of student loans, with much more damage on the way.These events follow the takeover of automotive companies, the banking industry and now, while government employees suffer from a 4% unemployment rate, the country is suffering a 17% unemployment rate.

The polls consistently and without exception show a level of anger among the electorate I have not previously witnessed. With respect to health care reform, even Bill and Hillary Clinton dropped the matter entirely and moved toward the political center when public opinion unequivocally showed that the American people did not want such legislation. During that time, the publics distaste for national health care was but a shadow of what it is today.

But that was over a decade ago. This current administration, operating on the simple and completely incorrect notion that well-educated acadmics know better than the average, unwashed citizen and, moreover, that this group of elite liberals must drag the unwashed masses kicking and screaming into the 21st century where government goes from being large to omnipotent, where the sheer force of a liberal agenda, finding itself in a brief pocket of time where they control the House, Senate and administration, can muscle through laws and mandates that, even on a cellular level, are antithetical to what has made this nation so great.

So what’s next for Conservatives? I am so impressed and full of pride at the work my fellow Patriots have done over the past year, and I want to suggest a few bullet points regarding where we need to go next.

1. Conservatives need to make the effort to read, listen to and support their fellow Patriots who are producing quality blog posts, internet radio broadcasts, etc. If you have a website or blog, you need to link to like-minded blogs and weave the stitch tighter. In short, support those among us who are trying to make a difference. Avail yourself of modern technology. Do your part and support those who are doing theirs.

2. Use Twitter to share important news of the day. Use Twitter to share links to the colums  written by your fellow Tweeps and Patriots. We must knit ourselves together, get to know one another better, and put the larger purpose above any single, personal goal.

3. We must win over, as much as possible, the opposing side. I was once a liberal, and thanks to people like you I was converted and have become a player in this fight to keep America’s core values in tact. So it can and must be done. Reach out to those who offer diametrically opposed viewpoints. Use a little humor and finesse. Preaching to the converted means you end up with the same number of intellectual soiders as when you began. 

4. Every Patriot should be emailing and calling their local representatives weekly. Make it routine. Place it high on your priority list. A constant onslaught of feedback from Conservatives to their representatives can go a long way.

5. Read the Bill of Rights, The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”. Know your argument better than your opposition knows theirs. Fight with facts, not insults. We all know that their prescription for change ends in bankruptcy and a failed nation. But if you do your reading you’ll be that much more convincing.

The current administration is on a spurious and anti-free-market End-Run, gearing up to pass as much partisan, socialistic legislation possible before the mid-term elections shift the political balance once again, preventing the further arrogant use of arcane legislative loop-holes. By knitting ourselves together tightly, interacting with each other beyond what we have done, supporting our fellow Patriots and their media efforts (blogs, websites, Internet radio programming),  we will have a tremendous impact.

What can You do? Subscribe, listen, write to those websites that are doing the heavy lifting. Keep in mind we are still a center-right country, and know that by building friendships, reaching out to the unconverted and staying on message will go a very long way to positioning ourselves for November.

Keep the faith.
“

Lady Libertas would like to to take today, Easter Sunday and a Holy Week for the Jews, to reflect on American Exceptionalism and what it means to us in the weeks and months ahead.

There is no doubt that the past year has been a long one and alot of work.  The American People – tired of the expansion of overreach of the Federal Government with bailouts and policies causing taxpayer fatigue – came together in the past year under the Tea Party and other Conservative Activist banners like 912.

“Taxed Enough Already” is the modern day emanation of “Taxation with Representation”.  We are Americans first – we want limited government, lower taxes and the freedom of opportunity.  We like to wave flags, remember our Heritage as a Nation and honor Our Founders.

We believe that the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation are some of the most radical documents in the world.  We also believe that these documents have formed the base of the most Exceptional country in the world and they are as relevant today as when they were written.

Freedom is in our DNA.  Americans escaped the rule of a Tyrant to come to this dangerously beautiful land.

For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.  John Winthrop, “City Upon a Hill” speech, 1630

Americans built one of the most unique political systems in the world.  We fought the Empire of Great Britain and survived a Revolution to win.  To Win and To Succeed and become a Beacon of Freedom for the entire world.

What then is the American, this new man?…He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. He has become an American by being received in the broad lap of our great Alma Mater. Here individuals of all races are melted into a new race of man, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world. Americans are the western pilgrims. (from “Letter III,” 1782 by J. Hector St. John De Crevecoeur)

Americans have formed a culture that makes us Unique and identifiable as “American” everywhere we go.  The Values and Spirit upon which America were founded still hold firm today.

• “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Declaration of Independence
• “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.” George Washington
• “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.” Thomas Jefferson

We are Americans not Socialists.  We have an American Work Ethic not a Socialist work ethic.

We are unique and NOT WILLING to be absorbed into the cattle call of Socialism.  Nor are we willing to have our  government violate the Will of the People to advance an agenda that undermines American values and the American way of life “for our own good”.

Freedom is the Freedom of Opportunity.  The opportunity to make what you will of your life and success to be as you define it and achieve it.

Freedom is not the government mandating a redistribution of wealth, introducing Socialist ideals and expanding government into every nook and cranny of the American people’s lives.

Today, we break bread with our families and friends.  We meditate on Renewal and Resurrection.  We rally because tomorrow is a New Day … Our Day.

Leave behind the accusations and lies of the past week.  Forge your anger into chains of determination.

We are Americans.  We are Exceptional.  We are here to take our country back.

Lady Libertas wishes all of you a Blessed Easter Sunday and Holy Week.  Hug your families tight – We fight for them!

Spread Liberty.  Remember in November.  We begin again!

See the land, her Easter keeping,
Rises as her Maker rose.
Seeds, so long in darkness sleeping,
Burst at last from winter snows.
Earth with heaven above rejoices…  ~Charles Kingsley