Frightening!

Saturday I encountered a truly frightening individual!

She came with a happy and friendly countenance. She brought information about a candidate whom she supports. She was willing to converse politely. She was willing to hear the views of another. She openly expressed her views.

So what was so frightening?

During the conversation she expressed her support for her choice in presidential candidates. As part of the discussion I asked whether she liked paying taxes.

Her answer was, "Yes!"

I asked what she thought of the idea of returning to the Constitutional form of taxation that would allow people to decide for themselves how to spend their incomes, using a form of taxation that allowed people to keep their incomes and use their incomes as they believed best. Her answer was that she did not believe that the people should be allowed to make that decision because the people do not know how to use their incomes rightly.

This is an educated woman, an attorney. She is articulate and says that she has read the Constitution and makes use of it in her vocation.

She is convinced that "We the People" should not be understood in the sense that it is used in the Preamble of our Constitution. She is convinced that "We the People" don't know how we need to be governed and that we need to turn over even the decisions regarding the right use of the fruits of our labors to those who know better, namely, bureaucrats.

I was truly shocked by her words. It made me truly afraid for our nation.

As mentioned above, the problem is not a lack of education. In fact, the education that has been forced upon us, often even against our will, other times through cleverly disguised deception, is the cause of this dilemma. We have been educated to accept the economic system that is enslaving our people and stealing away from us our freedoms. We have been educated to believe that government is our savior and deliverer and that more and more power should be granted to it. We have been educated to accept that there are times when the safeguards against government that are clearly established in our Constitution must sometimes be set aside and thus, things like the Patriot Act are now in place and even counted as necessary by many.

So the government continues to move us farther and farther from the safety provided by our Constitution. Our lives are being forced into more and more dependence upon the government, which is carrying us toward global dominionism, from which there will be no place to flee.

Until the Patriot Act is used in abuse of a person, for most people, the individual response, which becomes the collective response, is: "Well, it has not happened to me!"

The same is true of taxation. Until an individual actually experiences personally the devastation that is being wrought by the many forms of taxation, most importantly income taxation and inflation, the common individual, collectively with all other individuals looking only to self, does not allow himself to care.

But then, what do I know and why should I care? I'm only an individual who has established a small business in service to others. I'm only an individual who has tried to provide employment for others, but was forced to stop hiring because of the crushing burdens of the many forms of taxation and governmental regulations and accounting requirements. I'm merely a silly individual who seeks to provide a service to others at the highest level of quality that I know how to provide while also seeking to be as conservative and efficient as possible so as to be able to keep the costs to those whom I serve as low as I am able.

It seems that in our day this is counted as unAmerican. In fact, by some it is even called uncaring and unloving and negative.

As for me, while the government has made it impossible for me to hire people anymore, I will simply help people in whatever small ways that I am able. I will continue to give the best that I have to give for the best price that I can afford to charge. I will defend the Constitution in word and deed. I will continue to count this as the American way, AND I will only vote for those who say and do likewise.

Of course, above all, even when these things are taken from me by those who are "better and more caring" than I, I will continue to preach the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ and will continue to administer the pure Sacraments to those who desire to receive them. This I will do until I am rendered physically unable to continue.