UtopianStates Blog

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’
Ronald Reagan

I don’t believe in a government that protects us from ourselves.
Ronald Reagan

People don’t start wars, governments do.
Ronald Reagan

Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.
Ronald Reagan

The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away.
Ronald Reagan

The government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Ronald Reagan

To sit back hoping that someday, someway, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last–but eat you he will.
Ronald Reagan

Coersion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him.
Ronald Reagan

History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.
Ronald Reagan, Address to the Nation, Jan 16, 1984

Don’t be afraid to see what you see.
Ronald Reagan

I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I’m in a cabinet meeting.
Ronald Reagan

If you’re afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again.
Ronald Reagan

“The people have not created this disaster in our economy; the federal government has. It has overspent, overestimated, and over-regulated. It has failed to deliver services within the revenues it should be allowed to raise from taxes. In the 34 years since the end of World War II, it has spent $448 billion more than it has collected in taxes — $448 billion of printing-press money, which has made every dollar you earn worth less and less. At the same time, the federal government has cynically told us that high taxes on business will in some way “solve” the problem and allow the average taxpayer to pay less. Well, business is not a taxpayer; it is a tax collector. Business has to pass its tax burden on to the customer as part of the cost of doing business. You and I pay taxes imposed on business every time we go to the store. Only people pay taxes, and it is political demagoguery or economic illiteracy to try and tell us otherwise.

The key to restoring the health of the economy lies in cutting taxes. At the same time, we need to get the waste out of federal spending. This does not mean sacrificing essential services, nor do we need to destroy the system of benefits which flow to the poor, elderly, the sick and the handicapped. We have long since committed ourselves, as a people, to help those among us who cannot take care of themselves. But the federal government has proven to be the costliest and most inefficient provider of such help we could possibly have.

We must put an end to the arrogance of a federal establishment which accepts no blame for our condition, cannot be relied upon to give us a fair estimate of our situation and utterly refuses to live within its means. I will not accept the supposed “wisdom” which has it that the federal bureaucracy has become so powerful that it can no longer be changed or controlled by any administration. As President I would use every power at my command to make the federal establishment respond to the will and the collective wishes of the people.

We must force the entire federal bureaucracy to live in the real world of reduced spending, streamlined function and accountability to the people it serves. We must review the function of the federal government to determine which of those are the proper province of levels of government closer to the people.

The 10th article of the Bill of Rights is explicit in pointing out that the federal government should do only those things specifically called for in the Constitution. All others shall remain with the states or the people. We haven’t been observing that 10th article of late. The federal government has taken on functions it was never intended to perform and which it does not perform well. There should be a planned, orderly transfer of such functions to states and communities and a transfer with them of the sources of taxation to pay for them.

The savings in administrative overhead would be considerable and certainly there would be increased efficiency and less bureaucracy.”

“In recent weeks there has been much talk about “excess” oil company profits. I don’t believe we’ve been given all the information we need to make a judgment about this. We should have that information. Government exists to protect us from each other. It is not government’s function to allocate fuel or impose unnecessary restrictions on the marketplace. It is government’s function to determine whether we are being unfairly exploited and if so to take immediate and appropriate action. As President I would do exactly that.”

“In recent months leaders in our government have told us that, we, the people, have lost confidence in ourselves; that we must regain our spirit and our will to achieve our national goals. Well, it is true there is a lack of confidence, an unease with things the way they are. But the confidence we have lost is confidence in our government’s policies. Our unease can almost be called bewilderment at how our defense strength has deteriorated. The great productivity of our industry is now surpassed by virtually all the major nations who compete with us for world markets. And, our currency is no longer the stable measure of value it once was.”

http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/government/
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Ronald_Reagan
http://reagan2020.us/speeches/candidacy_announcement.asp

Unifying Ideals are those that 90 percent would agree on.
~
Democracy: We want it to work well.
Capitalism: We want it to work well.
Justice: We want it to work well.
Government: We want it to work well.
Jobs: We want lots of good paying jobs for the able, and at least one job for everybody.
Taxes: Zero taxes, zero debt and zero unemployment would be perfect.
War: Hell
American government: Not perfect.
Lawyers as leaders: Not perfect.
American Law: Not perfect.
~
The question is, how to we achieve the above?
~
The answer is that we have to gravitate to the vicinity of people having these asymptotes. We have to use the internet. You get enough people on a site, and then you select leaders AND follow them – you let them lead.
It doesn’t cost anything to have a leader.
You don’t have to pay a leader.
You don’t have to obey a leader.
You can have more than one leader.
You only have to be interested in your leaders and be in the vicinity of a leader.

Find out the truth.

The defense has cost the family a million dollars. Donate.

The consequence of Free Trade is that individuals that can do everything extremely well are unemployed and can’t get a job doing anything. Thus you see the engineer and the PhD bagging groceries or driving taxi cabs. Free trade was supposed to engage those with specialties that can do things more productively. However, it has backfired with exactly the opposite result. Those with specialties are now collecting unemployment, social security, and disability compensations.

Forgive me for that tirade. You can find more logical arguments disassembling Free Trade arguments at the following link.

Disassembling Free Trade Arguments

The conclusion of the given link:

At one time, Edward Leamer exhorted our profession to “take the con out of econometrics.” He wasn’t exhorting economists to stop doing empirical research, or even to do it in a particularly di¤erent fashion. Rather, he was exhorting them to be forthright about what could be claimed about the research, e.g., that it was a “speci…cation search.” Trade economists should do likewise: they should be forthright about what and what not economic analysis has to say about the desirability of free trade, and they should be forthright about the epistemological basis of their policy advocacy of free trade.

The only valid argument in favor of ‘Free Trade’ is that it will make a bigger pie.

But who will have that bigger pie? Not this generation of American workers. They are being sacrificed to make a ‘bigger pie’ for stock holders and workers of other countries.

Theory predicts that eventually there may be a ‘bigger pie’. Or maybe not . But it will not be shared by the American manufacturing worker.

Sectors of the population are not hurt in a perfect or utopian society. This would not happen in a Utopian State or it would not be utopian.

During the 150 year era before we threw open our market to the tax free entry by producers of the world, we were a nation of high tariffs. Laws passed during virtually the entirety of the history of the United States were designed for a country of tariffs.

Unions, taxes and Child Labor laws would NOT be feasible or even possible in a nation without tariffs as they would increase the cost of manufacturing. America wasn’t designed to compete with the world to have the lowest price products. America was designed to have the best jobs and the best chance to own your own business.

Free trade means either the destruction of America or completely rewriting all the laws to make us competitive.

Americans foolishly thought they could compete with the world in every way. The Bible aptly states that “Pride goeth before a fall”.

America perhaps could have competed with the world if she didn’t give away her technology. Had we kept robotic technology in this country, we could have kept manufacturing in this country. Then we could have been competitive.

Manufacturing jobs are fun. Owning your own business is fun. Engineering is fun. Giving therapy to people as they do in Scientology is fun. Being a professional athlete or movie star is fun.

Being a lawyer, politician, judge or policeman would NOT be fun for me; my ethics would be compromised. Furthermore, they are boring. Owning stock is boring. Paying taxes is boring. Watching TV is usually boring. The United States of America is boring even when it is not failing.

America should rebound from this latest recession. We have borrowed sufficient money to do so. We have thrown gas on the economic fire. We must take this next economic upturn to re-institute tariffs or America will go into a recession from which it shall never recover. America will be owned by others. America will be taken over and all useless Americans bussed away to parts unknown.

Each of us can conceive our own perfect nation and society. Try for a moment.

My conception of Utopia is a place where there are no defects in the economy, the democracy, the system of justice, or the goals and direction.

A perfect society is, by definition, one that is free from defects. Perfection does not imply the infinite. We can’t all own or control the universe. We have to share and control the universe as perfectly as possible.

A perfect society would have strong quality control. The quality of government would be perfect and the people should be in good mental and physical health. All should know the one correct way to communicate and the symptoms of the hundreds of incorrect means of communication.

Furthermore, my conception of Utopia is that of a fun place to live.

The happiest people I’ve known have been the hard working poor. The most miserable people have been the ones that have won mega millions without a purpose. The flip side of the mega millions winners are those with a great purpose and no money.

My Utopia is a City State or Nation that is structured so that all may own their own small business, earn money in their favorite sport or art, and even change careers in mid life.

Owning your own business and being able to use your intellect and skill to make it grow is more fun than having that same money invested in a stock and letting others play the game.

My Utopia is a place where a hard working person can earn his own home and live within his means.

In most developed nations, it takes a salary of $50,000 a year to provide a minimal life style for a family of four. Rent and home ownership is expensive. Transportation is expensive. Medical care is expensive.

It doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t have to squander national resources to give people material excesses. We only have to provide housing that is warm and dry and food that is nutritious. It is possible to feed a family of four for ten dollars a week.

Viable and frugal socialism should be provided for those with minimal wealth. The emphasis should be on having them live within their means. A special path should be provided to allow them to prepare themselves for a job.

My Utopia is a place where natural rights are protected.

My concept is that natural rights are those rights a person would have if there were no government or criminals. These natural rights include the right to live, breath, have sex, own property, and have a job sufficient to provide minimal shelter, food, clothing, education, and medical needs.

There are many more natural rights that support the above including non illusory rights and means to control and participate in government.

My Utopian concept is that the only right of government is to protect the rights of their citizens.

In math and engineering courses, we’ve extrapolated curves both forward and backward.

Extrapolate backward from the SC findings giving police the right to avoid the 4th amendment in the instances of “hot pursuit” and “exigent circumstances”.

Your extrapolation will end up at invisible amendments such as:

IVa. You have no rights when any policeman suspects that you have just committed a felony.
IVb. The purpose of the fourth amendment is privacy rather than to protect rights of the accused.
IVc. A policeman only needs to make a statement that sounds like “probable cause” in order to justify violating of a citizen’s fourth amendment rights.
IVd. A citizen can’t use self defense against an unjust arrest by a police officer.
IVe. The rights of government employees are senior to the rights of the citizens.
IVf. A police officer cannot be prosecuted for violating the fourth amendment.

QED: The SC has invented false amendments

One plausible solution for the economy would be to use tariffs to keep the trade deficit zero +/- 5%. Just general tariffs that would increase or decrease slowly at perhaps 5% a year would work. All countries should do this.

Countries should reduce the tariffs by 5% every year their trade deficit is balanced.

The US economy roared along for 170 years with 40% tariffs.

Any tax revenue generated by tariffs could be used to eliminate corporate taxes. They don’t produce substantial revenue anyway. There could even be a negative corporate tax for those corporations that increase their manpower.

Webster defines Utopia as follows:

Main Entry: uto•pia
Pronunciation: \yu̇-ˈtō-pē-ə\
Function: noun
Etymology: Utopia, imaginary and ideal country in Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More, from Greek ou not, no + topos place
Date: 1597
1: an imaginary and indefinitely remote place
2often capitalized : a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions
3: an impractical scheme for social improvement

We at UtopianStates emphasize the second definition: A place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions. We believe that governments and social conditions can only be improved by first determining the ideal. It’s not important that we can’t totally reach the ideal. The important concept is that we use the ideal as a goal so that we can chart our course. Knowledge about what is real or perfect is the only way that any government, leader or politician can chart a viable course for his group.

Some people see perfection as having a billion dollars or winning the gold medal. This is an illusion. True that those would be perfect goals to achieve, but they go beyond perfection. With another reference to Webster:

Main Entry: per•fec•tion
Pronunciation: \pər-ˈfek-shən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English perfeccioun, from Anglo-French perfection, from Latin perfection-, perfectio, from perficere
Date: 13th century
1: the quality or state of being perfect: as a: freedom from fault or defect : flawlessness b: maturity c: the quality or state of being saintly
2 a: an exemplification of supreme excellence b: an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence
3: the act or process of perfecting

We at UtopianStates emphasize definition one for defining Utopian perfection. A perfect society therefore is free from fault and defects; it is flawless and mature. The UtopianStates therefore constantly looks for faults and defects and strives to eliminate them. It isn’t sufficient to cause stress to some inhabitants in order to improve the situation for others. Causing one defect to eliminate another is not a viable solution. Nor is it sufficient to get the approval of the majority and the leaders. Any solution must be perfect for all the people.

The wealthy have the right to own property and earn money that is proportional to their risk, effort and skill. Others with lower effort and skill still have the right to food, shelter, clothing and a job without life threatening stress. Living frugally does not imply that a person has to be unhappy. Some of the happiest people are those that live frugally with limited resources.

Those obsessed with power, superiority and domination, apart from any role playing for mutual amusement, should not join the UtopianStates.

The UtopianStates strives to create a society where all can have equal fun living on this beautiful planet. The UtopianStates does NOT socialistically distribute the wealth. The UtopianStates endeavors to socialistically distribute the fun and enjoyment of life. Life should be a celebration. Life is wonderful.

WAKE UP CALL: TEXAS GOV. BACK RESOLUTION AFFIRMING SOVEREIGNTY
Tue Apr 14 2009 08:44:54 ET

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry joined state Rep. Brandon Creighton and sponsors of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 50 in support of states’ rights under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.”

Perry continued: “Millions of Texans are tired of Washington, DC trying to come down here to tell us how to run Texas.”

A number of recent federal proposals are not within the scope of the federal government’s constitutionally designated powers and impede the states’ right to govern themselves. HCR 50 affirms that Texas claims sovereignty under the 10th Amendment over all powers not otherwise granted to the federal government.

It also designates that all compulsory federal legislation that requires states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties, or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding, be prohibited or repealed.

Developing…

Secession is good in that it allows states to compete with each other. America needs intra-state competition to become strong enough to once again compete sucessfully in the world. I think every state should become independent of the federal government. It would probably be advantageous for the states to pay for a common airforce and navy.