This or these United States: an important question


“Our nation is the United States of America, not the United Government of America… Unlike the European countries, the United States was not founded on monarchs but on the people, not from the top down but from the bottom up. Jonathan Krohn

The above quote by fourteen-year-old author Jonathan Krohn points out two issues: what powers and rights do individual states have in contrast to federal power? And, what are the similarities between the Tea Party movement of 2010 and the independence movement of 1776?


First, throughout our history there has been a fundamental battle over states versus federal government power. Are individual citizens of one state only citizens of the whole country?


Two examples: can Arizona have a law within the confines of their state that citizens elsewhere find offensive? Or, can New Mexico allow persons Without Legal Status in the United States to have identification documents (driver’s licenses) and have those documents be valid throughout the nation?


Second, the similarities of 2010 and 1776 are that while national leaders have influence and some guidance, the real fire in the belly for both now and then came from the bottom up. In our Revolutionary War and today in the Tea Party rallies there are people who otherwise never get involved with government issues. In both instances these people became mad at leaders who were not listening and that anger propelled forward the bottom up movement.


The founders of our country both the intellectuals and the people on the street were worried about tyranny. King George was not listening to the American Colonists much like many people feel the United States Congress of the last two years ignores citizens.


All government is on a continuum of Tyranny at one end where the government is all powerful over citizens or Anarchy where the government is so weak that citizens must take over roles of their personal defense, education, health and welfare. Neither complete Tyranny nor Anarchy is desirable, rather, somewhere between the two points is the question of each election.


The founders of our country wrote the Constitution to severely limit the power of the federal government. It is the rule book for the government, not the citizens. It tells the government what it can and cannot do. Over time power has concentrated in the federal government to where we are on the brink of Tyranny with the government. In just the last year 60% of our economy has been taken from private control and put in government control.


Our Constitution has only been amended twenty-seven times. However, the way government ran two hundred years ago and now suggests that over the last seventy years our Constitution has become a constitution in name only. It has been “interpreted” rather than amended into something that our founders would not recognize.


I find this Tea Party Movement fascinating though I am not a member nor have I gone to any of their meeting. Still, I read and think carefully about the emotions that are prevalent now and were in the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. The Tea Party movement is an honest movement that is finding itself through local and state meetings. It is not a federal movement yet.


One lesson we can take from the Tea party: if I want to speak to my state and local leaders, I can do so almost any day. Often I see them in the local market. I sat with a local senator for several hours this last month discussing something important to me.


Contrast that with the five national leaders of our state of whom I have only met one. The power of the citizens is state centered. New Mexico’s national delegation is unreachable. They have political “concerts” where you can go and shake hands but not really express your feeling at length. In fact, last summer the raw emotions expressed by some citizens confused and alarmed members of the national delegation so much that they limited contact with citizens.


Local leaders know that when they anger citizens they will see and talk to those people morning noon and night. I support a more states rights and less federal power approach to our country.

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Hungary Adds to Euro Woes

First it was the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain) that started to bring the Euro down. Now Hungary, the former Sovet block member, appears to be slipping towards the entitlement spending and borrowing abyss. Read more:
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NMSU Athletics to Cut Budget?

It would seem that the NMSU Athletic Department has a couple of choices. Find ways to raise revenues or.......cut expenses.

It is a familiar problem for all private businesses and increasingly these days for government entities. Read more:

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Learning About the NM Governor Candidates

NMPolitics.net does a great job of delving into the first charges lodged by the Diane Denish (left) campaign in her new television ads. What Denish is saying about her Las Cruces-based GOP rival Susana Martinez can be seen on videos. Read and view here:

Of course there is much more to the story than the statistical figures used by the Denish campaign to attack Martinez. Part of the story is simply the attack itself.

Independent voters are likely to be cringing in anticipation of the eventual response from Martinez who first must recharge her campaign finances (see earlier post on huge Denish funding edge). Will Martinez decide for an in-kind response and attempt to explain just how lousy Denish is? Time will tell.
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Pictures are Worth a Thousands of Words

The flood or horrible pictures and stories associated with the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico continues. Read more:
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Border Security Discussions to Continue

Federal officials will head to Arizona soon to follow-up on a meeting between Arizona governor visit to the White House yesterday. What might be next? Perhaps a Blue Ribbon Commission to study the problem for a few years? Read more:
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Wall Street - Capital Raisers or Edge Seekers?

There has been a technological race going on with Wall Street for years.

Has it been a race to help the private sector raise capital for promising business propositions? Is it a race to develop systems that more efficiently deliver government securities to investors? Hardly. Many of the supposed functions of this critical segment of the economy (Wall Street brokerage houses) are a side show. Instead proprietary trading departments are busy pouring many millions of dollars into the design of incredibly sophisticated computer systems that simply help these firms extract valuable split second information. In the end these functions can improve their firm's ability to carve dollars out of the financial system through high speed trading activities.

Is this a capital raising function or a fancy description of high tech frontrunning?
Read more:
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