Observations©

By Donald S. Conkey

Date: September 29, 2011 - # 1139 - Title:  Continuing to learn – “line upon line” (750)

When does one stop learning? Never, if you want to survive! This is why I titled this column “Continuing to learn – line upon line.” We live in an ever changing world, and to stay abreast of this ever-changing world one must, regardless of age or gender, continue to learn. And that can be a challenge – a stumbling block for many people.

            But perhaps the greatest challenge freedom loving Americans, of all ages, face today is learning what freedom is, the source of that freedom, and how to stop the efforts of the Progressive Party from destroying that freedom by destroying the foundational documents America’s freedoms are founded in; and changing America from a republic, where the source of government is in “We the people” to a socialistic/communistic form of government where all power resides in the ‘elite’ and the people become mere subjects – not free individuals.

But learning requires not only effort but desire. And without desiring to learn and making the effort to learn mankind will wander in the wilderness of ignorance and often end up slaves to their own ignorance. I began my quest to understand America’s republican form of government in 1983 following my first open heart surgery. In the ensuing 31 years I have read, studied, and pondered Will Durant’s eleven volume History of Civilizations, fascinating; most of Plato’s books, satanic; all of Skousen’s book’s on ‘The Making of America;” and the real source of our freedoms – the Bible many times, especially those sections dealing with how governments self-destruct, or how God destroys evil nations.

            And that desire to learn more about America’s republican form of government continues. Last week Glenn Beck had David Barton, president of Wall Builders, and perhaps the most knowledgeable man in America today on the “intent of the Founding Fathers” on his program. I took notes, and then went back and watched it a second time – and then said WOW. I learned that there is a major difference in the placement and meaning of two words “promote and provide’ when they are associated with the term “general Welfare’ in the Constitution. The Founders declared in the Preamble one of the missions of their new republic was to “promote the general Welfare” not “provide” for the “general welfare” as used in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Progressives, and the courts, according to Barton, have used the word “provide” to take America down the road of self-destruction via trillion dollar debts and bankruptcy.

   The second learning experience occurred while reading the September issue of Imprimis (free at Hillsdale.edu, now with 2 million readers). It was Dr. Edward J. Erler’s talk, titled “The Constitution and Limited Government” to a Hillsdale seminar last May in Dallas that caused me to say WOW again. Every American, especially Tea Party members should download this talk and incorporate it into their efforts to restore the principles of freedom embedded in America’s foundational documents by the Founders.

            They will learn, as I did, that Dr. Erler used a new phrase to define what America has become, an “administrative state,” replacing our republican form of government. He describes the administrative state with these words: “The administrative state, of course, always seeks to extend its reach and magnify its power. … If there are to be limits on the burgeoning administrate state, they will be political limits imposed by the people in the ordinary course of patrician politics. The advent of the administrative state poses the greatest challenge to limited government, because it elevates the welfare of the community – whether real or imagined – over the rights and liberties of individuals. The task today is to confine the federal government to its delegated powers. …” He then gives several examples of the ‘administrative state’ and how it is replacing America’s original form of republican government.

  He defined the “confederal (not in my dictionary) form of government” advocated by the Anti-Federalists. He states that “large governments must be compatible with limited government. He tells how the threat of revolution by the people, as described by Jefferson in the Declaration is a “constant reminder of the sovereignty of the people.”

            After touting the Tea Party he closes with an admonition to them with these words: “The Tea Party will have to learn, however, that the task today is not to weaken the power of government – it is to confine the government to the exercise of its delegated powers.” 

            Continue learning and then get involved in your government – your freedom depends on it.