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Political Philosophy for Michael A. Burns
Candidate for |
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The following statement is a political statement I have developed over the last several years. While some of the issues addressed specifically relate to the Federal Government, it clearly defines my political beliefs that would be applied at any level of government! Political Statement I believe everyone possesses the "unalienable right" to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as declared in the Declaration of Independence. Life begins at conception and ends when one's body ceases to function. Liberty is the freedom to make choices for one's own life. The pursuit of happiness is the ability to seek those things that bring meaning and happiness to one's life. We must protect life, preserve liberty and permit the pursuit of happiness. To protect life, we must change this culture of death. We must recognize that if one's body ceases to function due to the act of a human, whether consensual or not, and it is not the consequence of some action we have taken, such as capital punishment for a capital offense, then that act is "murder". To protect life, we must value life. To preserve liberty, we must strengthen the 1st, 2nd and 10th Amendments to the United States Constitution that have been weakened over the years by liberal "interpretations" of those specific amendments. The 1st Amendment begins with the words, "Congress shall make no law". The intent here is clear. The framers wanted to ensure that the citizens of this country were never silenced in the public square by acts of Congress, whether it was religion, speech, the press or the right of assembly. However, the Courts have "legislated" where Congress was not allowed by "silencing' religion, classifying smut, vulgarity, and acts of degradation as protected speech and limiting the right to assemble. As well as the Courts actions, we have politically motivated groups that have successfully defined "appropriate" speech as "politically correct". Any speech not deemed "politically correct" by these groups is defined as "hate speech" and an indication of some "phobia", fully supported by the liberal press and politicians, thereby silencing those who do not want to suffer such ridicule. The 2nd Amendment ensures that the citizens of this country, the militia, can arm themselves, not solely to protect themselves from others, but also to protect themselves from a tyrannical government. Those who promote "gun control" ignore the latter. They have forgotten that England, and more recently, the Nazi's, tried to disarm the populace in order to control them. Ultimately, the effect of gun control will leave the law-abiding citizens of this country defenseless, not only against the criminals, but against a tyrannical government as well. The 10th Amendment reserves the powers not specifically granted to the Federal Government to the States. However, Congress has repeatedly used the "carrot" of Federal Funds to "encourage" the States to follow the "recommendations" of Congress. In other words, Congress blackmails the States into submitting to their direction. To preserve liberty, we must reverse the anti-liberty ways of the Federal Government. To permit the pursuit of happiness, we must eliminate the barriers that limit one's options. Everywhere we turn, we find one regulation after another, one barrier to success after another. Each of these regulations usually requires the payment of a fee or tax. Most of the regulations attempt to "prevent" wrongdoing, yet wrongdoing still occurs. The actual effect of the regulations is the stifling of entrepreneurship and business. To permit the pursuit of happiness, we must allow each individual the freedom to pursue their happiness. All of these points identify the same problem; the Federal Government - the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches - has become too involved with everyday life. Everywhere we turn, we find a hurdle presented to us by the Federal Government. The strength of this Country lies with the people, not the government. Let us return the power to the people! |
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