THANKS and GRATITUDE for Life & "The Battle for Everything"
Having Thanksgiving and Christmas within 30 days gives us all time to pause, take a breather and an inventory of our lives. It is a time for reflection, family, friends, God, and giving. We are allowed to relax, and just “be” whoever we are at this time of our life.
I miss a lot about friends and family gone on; gone at 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, 33, 40, 45, 50… and beyond. I find myself considering that I will join them in God’s time, and reflective of what everyone living and passed on have meant to me. I consider the smiling faces of the departed, the reunion and “abrazos” for my brothers and sisters, the sweetness of arms around parents, and my heart fills with love and gratitude.
I am looking over my shoulder and living with the end in mind in moments like these; considering all the years gone by. I have become my father, and am very aware how “time flies.” I believe living with “the end in mind” is healthy. It argues the necessity for being “grateful” and causes one to pause and consider his ways when making decisions that have meaning for self and others.
Suddenly “having it all” takes second place to “having you all” in my life; and being who I was born to be.
We are still breathing if reading this, we are probably eating enough, and have a warm place to sleep. There is a lot to be grateful for, (even in scary and tough times for so many) especially if you have lived abroad in a third world or under-developed nation for any time at all. I think about just what we have as Americans...too much here to list in the "gratitude" department but I am especially mindful of those who, in their youth, died in wars, and the living who fought for ideals and their American comrades... I can't tell you how deeply I am touched by heroism and love that men and women freely show in laying everything that matters to them at the altar of freedom.
The American experience is 221 years old since the Constitution had its first birthday. I am 55. That means I have lived 1/4th of our nation’s history. If you are reading this and half my age, I have some good advice. So write me... Or just keep reading my blogs. I promise to be clear and won’t let you down. With all the chaos going on right now, just know America is always well, and will rise above financial, moral, or political chaos, if the dream of goodness, honor, and freedom remains bright in the hearts of its citizens. I believe the dream still does...
The Battle for Everything: If you are over 25, you are getting on into serious life and seeing that life can seem, at times, a “battle for everything;” the trials, loses, and accompanying emotions you experience will make you reevaluate values and beliefs. But, during the struggle there are moments of clarity; exhilaration, friendships, love, is when the bitter past accentuates the “sweet” joys of the present. Gratitude, a smile on the face, and the knowledge that all is not lost is the result. Hard times do not last forever, and broken hearts get compensating relief along the way. Having survived means more, and so does life...
I write tearjerkers; so I am told. I am reminded by Emerson how that really works: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” Emotion, even hard times, allows us to grow and consider what matters most as time so blithely moves on in this modern world of life tugging at us at light speed.
Once in awhile a popular tune really grabs me and speaks of a common theme we all experience. One by the group “Five for Fighting” is filled with sweetness, reflection, and speaks a fundamental truth about how fleeting life is. I wanted to share the lyrics with you as I look back with gratitude for every blessing, for being American, for making it through the many life-struggles, and having hope to continue to make a difference with my, “100 Years to Live.”
“100 Years to Live” from the album, Battle For Everything
I'm 15 for a moment, caught in between 10 and 20 and I'm just dreaming… Counting the ways to where you are.
I'm 22 for a moment, she feels better than ever and we're on fire, making our way back from Mars.
15 there's still time for you, time to buy and time to lose. 15, there's never a wish better than this When you only got 100 years to live…
I'm 33 for a moment, still the man but you see I'm a “they…” a kid on the way, a family on my mind.
I'm 45 for a moment, the sea is high and I'm heading into a crisis, chasing the years of my life.
15 there's still time for you, time to buy and time to lose yourself within a morning star. 15 I'm all right with you. 15… there's never a wish better than this, when you only got 100 years to live.
Half time goes by, suddenly you’re wise, another blink of an eye, 67 is gone. The sun is getting high, we're moving on...
I'm 99 for a moment, dying for just another moment and I'm just dreaming… Counting the ways to where you are…
15, there's still time for you, 22 I feel her too, 33 you’re on your way… Every day's a new day... 15 there's still time for you…
Time to buy and time to choose, hey 15, there's never a wish better than this; when you only got 100 years to live.
Group -Five for Fighting
May you feel God's love and enjoy a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! JMP
FREE ebooks: Go to my website: create an account at my store. Don’t need to buy anything. Test drive the FREE ebook downloads for your computer found in the “History and Freedom” section. They are: US Constitution, Democracy in America, Federalist Papers.
REDEMPTION CODE: Constitution. (with upper case "C.") Go to www.powerthink.com/store
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
HEART and MIND in TOUGH TIMES
AS A MAN THINKETH…In His Heart
Thoughts are things: For 37 years now I have kept a copy of James Allen’s 1902 opus, As a Man Thinketh upon my desk or near it to remind me, “thoughts are things.” The basic premise is this: “We become what we think about. Therefore cultivate thoughts carefully. You will get out what you put in and it will reveal itself in circumstance.” Who can argue that?
Yet argue we do: As “human beings” we are constantly in an argument with our “human becomings.” Passions, desires, worldly distractions often drown a natural child-like voice of the inner man and woman calling to us to “become” something greater than we find our self “being.” The tough part is discipline of the thoughts we allow to just "hang out" in our brain. We habituate thought patterns of worry, and so we naturally "worry" about things we may or may not have control over. We caress the dominant thoughts of unbridled passion, and naturally careless passion manifests itself bringing heartache after the pleasure. We focus upon what politicos have in the way of control over us, and we are dominated by the politicians, our anger, resentment and feelings of helplessness.
We must simply take control of thought so that thought's negative offspring; our actions and circumstance, do not control us. In times such as these, and which are sure to come, we can ill afford "lack of control" and be at the mercy of circumstances thrust upon us.
To simplify, I often tell my kids: "Think good, get good. Think bad, get bad." It is essential to understand that thought is the birthplace of all "action" or "inaction." I add, when giving the good-bye lecture: "Life is already hard enough. Make good choices. They begin here," I'll say as I point to my heart.
SO, what's the answer to control and "thinking good to get good?" Part of the answer lies with the heart, but first...
Back to Basics After a National Election filled with High Passion: I won't stop writing on my feelings for American freedoms I hold dear, just will do it at a different blog location, soon be announced. Politics really isn’t religion and politicians really do not wield God’s power. The faith we practice is one we discover along the way and determine to obey, even formalize with a religious membership in a church. Our church is not the “state” and our God is not a man living in the White House.
May I suggest? Let’s take a step back from all the raucousness of politics and economy to examine the inner man or woman. No one (but politicians) ever promised a smooth road to financial and other securities in life. Even God said to Adam, "By the sweat of thy brow, shalt thou eat thy bread all the days of thy life..." and "Thorns and thistles and noxious weeds shall I plant to afflict and torment man..."
We shall suffer some “equity” losses during life as we go through the storms. Thursday night last, thousands of Southern Californians from the area where I spent most of my life growing up and working, enjoyed sleep in homes that were suddenly and ruthlessly destroyed Friday night. To count, some 800 homes were totally and quickly destroyed from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles suburbs; rich to the poorest, just as certain as a fire-bombing experienced in World War Two European cities wiped out homes and thousands of lives in hours.
Lifestyles were changed immediately. Inner fortitude will carry the day with many, others will suffer almost fatal despair. There is no government "bailout" for the emotions, the losses of personal and cherished possessions (journals, heirlooms, photos, letters, other family history.) Life is filled with unwanted tragedy; often when we least expect it.
I know the sting of personal loss and tragedy is real from many tough experiences, and so I hope to suggest some ways to pick oneself back up after the hard blows; after uncontrollable events or controllable choices in life knock the wind out of us.
Economic firestorms: We are in for an interesting ride. Markets are collapsing to be propped up by "bailouts" from those in government boats full of their own holes. (No one talks much about this; government debtors bailing out the debt-ridden; another topic for another day.) I have experienced multiple financial firestorms in my adult life; unwanted, unexpected, and unforeseen wipe-outs. It has built something in me that I cannot give to others; only share and encourage. "It" is this…
As we think in our hearts, we indeed are. The control of mental thought begins with the planting of good ones in the heart. From the heart a man lives. It is from there life-blood flows to every cell of the body. The brain does not live, nor cause life but only upon the mercy and good-will of the beating heart. IF THE HEART WERE TO STOP, it may yet be transplanted to give life to another. Not so with the brain.
Here is what I am suggesting: Be strong at heart. Have a firm resolve what you will think about, how you will think, and what you will control. Plant it deep within your soul, where the heart resides. The brain will obey firm resolve. It seems a simple formula to change thought habits. Though simple, yet the brain won't give in without a fight. The brain habituates easily, never sleeps, constantly begging for attention, stimulation, and more information to process--it can become like a nagging child always wanting more...
The way to modify brain dominance is with core convictions, firmly planted and created like the ancient King of Israel stated: "As a man thinketh...in his heart, so is he."
Life is a journey and not the destination we think it is. Faith to get you through the tough times is something one must want. Along with faith one must desire change. It doesn’t matter which way the winds of life-circumstances outside our control blow; it matters what the heart believes. Having a deep inner-meaning gives purpose to life, desire to change, and credibility to a brain that really doesn't want its "flow" of thought interrupted by new instructions. The answer to credibility, where the brain is concerned, is the heart offering the instructions...
It matters what the mind accepts. It matters “what we want to become” no matter how hard an economy, how bad a relationship is, how tumultuous the experience in body or spirit is; whatever we "think in our heart" will either become our stumbling block or path to final victory.
So how can I share something very hard earned? This is a “book pitch” I guess. Might sound crass, but no margin = no mission. It is about the mission of this gift to me, written with no income and no resources to fall back upon. One of the greatest blessings of my life, and a journey of immense spiritual growth...came as a result of losing everything years before the present financial crisis; which will cause others to experience what I have just passed through. I needed to have the pain to offer some solutions and do my mission in writing. so I share it with you.
Visit my website www.powerthink.com and buy the “2 for 1” of my latest paperback; the advanced reader edition of AS A MAN THINKETH…In His Heart. I want you to go on a journey with me to Ilfracombe, England where I met James Allen, who died in 1912. Go with me to a cottage on “Lamp Hill Lane,” far away from all the noise going on in our world. Stay there for awhile with me and discover “Power Thinking.” Share the free copy with a family member or friend. Spread the word that real "change and hope" is but a "thought in the heart" away...
IF I had not had everything taken away one more time just recently: well, this book would not have been produced. Good can come out of a dark night IF it comes from the heart… Take courage and take heart!
James Michael Pratt
www.powerthink.com
Thoughts are things: For 37 years now I have kept a copy of James Allen’s 1902 opus, As a Man Thinketh upon my desk or near it to remind me, “thoughts are things.” The basic premise is this: “We become what we think about. Therefore cultivate thoughts carefully. You will get out what you put in and it will reveal itself in circumstance.” Who can argue that?
Yet argue we do: As “human beings” we are constantly in an argument with our “human becomings.” Passions, desires, worldly distractions often drown a natural child-like voice of the inner man and woman calling to us to “become” something greater than we find our self “being.” The tough part is discipline of the thoughts we allow to just "hang out" in our brain. We habituate thought patterns of worry, and so we naturally "worry" about things we may or may not have control over. We caress the dominant thoughts of unbridled passion, and naturally careless passion manifests itself bringing heartache after the pleasure. We focus upon what politicos have in the way of control over us, and we are dominated by the politicians, our anger, resentment and feelings of helplessness.
We must simply take control of thought so that thought's negative offspring; our actions and circumstance, do not control us. In times such as these, and which are sure to come, we can ill afford "lack of control" and be at the mercy of circumstances thrust upon us.
To simplify, I often tell my kids: "Think good, get good. Think bad, get bad." It is essential to understand that thought is the birthplace of all "action" or "inaction." I add, when giving the good-bye lecture: "Life is already hard enough. Make good choices. They begin here," I'll say as I point to my heart.
SO, what's the answer to control and "thinking good to get good?" Part of the answer lies with the heart, but first...
Back to Basics After a National Election filled with High Passion: I won't stop writing on my feelings for American freedoms I hold dear, just will do it at a different blog location, soon be announced. Politics really isn’t religion and politicians really do not wield God’s power. The faith we practice is one we discover along the way and determine to obey, even formalize with a religious membership in a church. Our church is not the “state” and our God is not a man living in the White House.
May I suggest? Let’s take a step back from all the raucousness of politics and economy to examine the inner man or woman. No one (but politicians) ever promised a smooth road to financial and other securities in life. Even God said to Adam, "By the sweat of thy brow, shalt thou eat thy bread all the days of thy life..." and "Thorns and thistles and noxious weeds shall I plant to afflict and torment man..."
We shall suffer some “equity” losses during life as we go through the storms. Thursday night last, thousands of Southern Californians from the area where I spent most of my life growing up and working, enjoyed sleep in homes that were suddenly and ruthlessly destroyed Friday night. To count, some 800 homes were totally and quickly destroyed from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles suburbs; rich to the poorest, just as certain as a fire-bombing experienced in World War Two European cities wiped out homes and thousands of lives in hours.
Lifestyles were changed immediately. Inner fortitude will carry the day with many, others will suffer almost fatal despair. There is no government "bailout" for the emotions, the losses of personal and cherished possessions (journals, heirlooms, photos, letters, other family history.) Life is filled with unwanted tragedy; often when we least expect it.
I know the sting of personal loss and tragedy is real from many tough experiences, and so I hope to suggest some ways to pick oneself back up after the hard blows; after uncontrollable events or controllable choices in life knock the wind out of us.
Economic firestorms: We are in for an interesting ride. Markets are collapsing to be propped up by "bailouts" from those in government boats full of their own holes. (No one talks much about this; government debtors bailing out the debt-ridden; another topic for another day.) I have experienced multiple financial firestorms in my adult life; unwanted, unexpected, and unforeseen wipe-outs. It has built something in me that I cannot give to others; only share and encourage. "It" is this…
As we think in our hearts, we indeed are. The control of mental thought begins with the planting of good ones in the heart. From the heart a man lives. It is from there life-blood flows to every cell of the body. The brain does not live, nor cause life but only upon the mercy and good-will of the beating heart. IF THE HEART WERE TO STOP, it may yet be transplanted to give life to another. Not so with the brain.
Here is what I am suggesting: Be strong at heart. Have a firm resolve what you will think about, how you will think, and what you will control. Plant it deep within your soul, where the heart resides. The brain will obey firm resolve. It seems a simple formula to change thought habits. Though simple, yet the brain won't give in without a fight. The brain habituates easily, never sleeps, constantly begging for attention, stimulation, and more information to process--it can become like a nagging child always wanting more...
The way to modify brain dominance is with core convictions, firmly planted and created like the ancient King of Israel stated: "As a man thinketh...in his heart, so is he."
Life is a journey and not the destination we think it is. Faith to get you through the tough times is something one must want. Along with faith one must desire change. It doesn’t matter which way the winds of life-circumstances outside our control blow; it matters what the heart believes. Having a deep inner-meaning gives purpose to life, desire to change, and credibility to a brain that really doesn't want its "flow" of thought interrupted by new instructions. The answer to credibility, where the brain is concerned, is the heart offering the instructions...
It matters what the mind accepts. It matters “what we want to become” no matter how hard an economy, how bad a relationship is, how tumultuous the experience in body or spirit is; whatever we "think in our heart" will either become our stumbling block or path to final victory.
So how can I share something very hard earned? This is a “book pitch” I guess. Might sound crass, but no margin = no mission. It is about the mission of this gift to me, written with no income and no resources to fall back upon. One of the greatest blessings of my life, and a journey of immense spiritual growth...came as a result of losing everything years before the present financial crisis; which will cause others to experience what I have just passed through. I needed to have the pain to offer some solutions and do my mission in writing. so I share it with you.
Visit my website www.powerthink.com and buy the “2 for 1” of my latest paperback; the advanced reader edition of AS A MAN THINKETH…In His Heart. I want you to go on a journey with me to Ilfracombe, England where I met James Allen, who died in 1912. Go with me to a cottage on “Lamp Hill Lane,” far away from all the noise going on in our world. Stay there for awhile with me and discover “Power Thinking.” Share the free copy with a family member or friend. Spread the word that real "change and hope" is but a "thought in the heart" away...
IF I had not had everything taken away one more time just recently: well, this book would not have been produced. Good can come out of a dark night IF it comes from the heart… Take courage and take heart!
James Michael Pratt
www.powerthink.com
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
TRADITION, AMERICA, VALUES
ELECTION EXPECTATIONS & TRADITIONAL VALUES
My Vote: It’s been one week. I voted against the man who won, and voted for the VP on the ticket of the man who lost. Outside of that I confess to nothing. Goes to show when you can’t be passionate for the leader of your side on fundamentals, how hard it will become for voters to push him to the finish line in to first place.
I wasn’t passionate because I feel the conservative movement is dead. I have a hard time mingling my vote with those who want to “reach out across the aisle” to people who want to cut your hand off. (Not cynicism, just reality) I don’t vote for “compromise.” I, like the liberals who won the election, want to vote for the “win" and the "winner” because we believe in the values he/she stands for. I voted against the other side because I don't believe in their track record or rhetoric. So much for that.
Liberals and Conservatives in America. We need each other. It clarifies things and gives feeling of empowerment when we can state our views. Opposition can be forceful but doesn't need to be nasty. We are empowered through the vote. Some of us believe in "change" because we want to get back to fundamentals that have proven reliable, and some want "change" because of a new vision for an old recipe...in spite of the fact those recipes have poor records on rising to their promises.
“Change” has always been the “raison de vivre” for the left and liberals, and often because it is more exciting (less boring) than substance. I believe in action. I love action, but "action for action sake" may take one down a road with a predictable dead end.
Liberals experiment, Conservatives stick with values and virtues that have a proven track record. Liberal ideology seeks to re-invent failed social experiments as if experimenting enough will finally “fix it”; whatever “it” is. A mature person does not believe in “change” for change’s sake; "change” without definition of what that means.
PRESERVING VALUES: I have liberal friends. I have liberal family members. We debate. I just disagree on the direction that will be best for America based upon the past evidence, present circumstances, and probable future if we choose to obey principles that work versus experimentation.
“Conservative” comes from the word “conservation,” which means to “preserve.” I prefer to “preserve” American values, not ‘re-create.’
Not guessing: It really isn’t a guess on my part when I make these statements. History is in on socialism, for example. It hasn’t worked well. It stifles creativity, kills dreams, not to mention people. Tyrants and autocrats have failed somewhere near 100% when they employed it, and democracies have fared no better. The reason is simple. Government becoming the “Super Nanny” dehumanizes the individual; taking over personal responsibility, the traditional role of religion, and even family, to create utopia. And the kicker? It actually takes money to do this. You really want to invest? The cultural elites who back this stuff never feel the pain of the people who suffer from the stuff. They look out for each other. So...
Where does the money come from? Not a money tree. It comes from taxes which, deducts, takes away, robs, incentives from private business--the engine builders of economy, killing job growth, which jobs pay our bills until killed by over-regulation and high taxation, which puts the citizenry in a position of asking the government for a pay-check, which gives the socialist government the power they seek, until there is no more money and the people revolt...etc., etc. Let's list all the great socialist governments whose citizens controlled by fear and guns finally gave up on the Marxist dream and bolted to capitalism:
Former Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Chechslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania,...to name a few. Let's ask those who remember the post WWII 45 years of socialist repression, "IF" we should adopt even 1 percent what they went through... You know what the answer will be. The Berlin Wall fell and the truth of socialist glory was exposed. Present day socialists long for that kind of lost power, believing it just wasn't done right.
Successful Socialism? Socialism can’t be invented to work successfully unless success is defined by some low-level economic equalizing of all incomes and living standards.
>Think “gray apartment buildings.”
>Think “trash heaps.”
>Think no heating, poor sanitation.
>Think long lines for doctor's visits, dying from illness unnecessarily.
>Think food, gasoline, medicine, water, "rationing."
>Think third world countries...
I'm not kidding. I’ve seen it, and I’ve lived in it. I am NOT guessing about the results. Should we just keep trying until it does work?
So until something else becomes clearly preferable to that which really has worked, I feel strongly about “traditional values” being the ongoing answer for America. That means “equal rights” for all to succeed, fail, have a voice, vote as they please, and live the ideal life they choose. The evidence is clear that it has worked. It has built a beacon of hope and prosperity unlike any country or empire that ever existed in human history. And all this in 230 years.
Traditional Values and America: In 230 years versus the previous 5,000 years of recorded history, we have gone from handcarts to space travel, from letters to email, from speed of oil lamp to “speed of light” in all areas of endeavors. The founders of our country believed in economy, no debt, progress, individual improvement, freedom of speech, freedom from state religion, freedom to explore, grow, live and breathe the exhilarating air of progress where men and women choose their leaders; where we govern the governors.
I am a “traditional All-American” who believes in the values of the Founding Fathers, the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and especially appreciate that we can have opposing views. Opposing views, like market-place competition vs. regulated commerce, clarifies things, helps us formulate opinion and action. Finally...
HIGH EXPECTATIONS. There are high expectations, set by the Presidential election. The winner has promoted “change we need” and “hope,” and promised in his victory speech “We will get there…” Wherever “there” is. I have chills up and down my spine, but not for the reason the immature who buy empty rhetoric as facts may be feeling.
One thing is sure. The higher the bar is set, the higher the expectation and the harder to satisfy those who buy-in to the dream. We are already half-way to full socialism. Will the promoters of "change" be able to fulfill the promises of "hope?" New national leadership can’t fall far for those of us who don't understand the rhetoric of non-defined change, and yet do understand dead-end hope-filled infatuation with a promised and coming socialized culture.
We accept his win though. We do not expect him to change things for the better unless he can formulate and articulate an actual reason and plan with substance, that departs from the present and past policies of failure. We hope he will govern with wisdom and intelligence and not as his chief strategist Ms. Jarrett said he would on a weekend talk-show; that he would,"...be ready to rule from day one."
For a FREE COPY of the US Constitution for your computer, go to my website www.powerthink.com/store and choose the History and Freedom category. Select US Constitution, Democracy in America, or The Federalist Papers (all three are available for free) and go through "check out." You will supply a "Redemption Code" when prompted. The code is: Constitution. (Be sure to upper-case 'C' - it is case sensitive.) Please feel free to share with others.
More coming on AMERICAN VALUES...
James Pratt
My Vote: It’s been one week. I voted against the man who won, and voted for the VP on the ticket of the man who lost. Outside of that I confess to nothing. Goes to show when you can’t be passionate for the leader of your side on fundamentals, how hard it will become for voters to push him to the finish line in to first place.
I wasn’t passionate because I feel the conservative movement is dead. I have a hard time mingling my vote with those who want to “reach out across the aisle” to people who want to cut your hand off. (Not cynicism, just reality) I don’t vote for “compromise.” I, like the liberals who won the election, want to vote for the “win" and the "winner” because we believe in the values he/she stands for. I voted against the other side because I don't believe in their track record or rhetoric. So much for that.
Liberals and Conservatives in America. We need each other. It clarifies things and gives feeling of empowerment when we can state our views. Opposition can be forceful but doesn't need to be nasty. We are empowered through the vote. Some of us believe in "change" because we want to get back to fundamentals that have proven reliable, and some want "change" because of a new vision for an old recipe...in spite of the fact those recipes have poor records on rising to their promises.
“Change” has always been the “raison de vivre” for the left and liberals, and often because it is more exciting (less boring) than substance. I believe in action. I love action, but "action for action sake" may take one down a road with a predictable dead end.
Liberals experiment, Conservatives stick with values and virtues that have a proven track record. Liberal ideology seeks to re-invent failed social experiments as if experimenting enough will finally “fix it”; whatever “it” is. A mature person does not believe in “change” for change’s sake; "change” without definition of what that means.
PRESERVING VALUES: I have liberal friends. I have liberal family members. We debate. I just disagree on the direction that will be best for America based upon the past evidence, present circumstances, and probable future if we choose to obey principles that work versus experimentation.
“Conservative” comes from the word “conservation,” which means to “preserve.” I prefer to “preserve” American values, not ‘re-create.’
Not guessing: It really isn’t a guess on my part when I make these statements. History is in on socialism, for example. It hasn’t worked well. It stifles creativity, kills dreams, not to mention people. Tyrants and autocrats have failed somewhere near 100% when they employed it, and democracies have fared no better. The reason is simple. Government becoming the “Super Nanny” dehumanizes the individual; taking over personal responsibility, the traditional role of religion, and even family, to create utopia. And the kicker? It actually takes money to do this. You really want to invest? The cultural elites who back this stuff never feel the pain of the people who suffer from the stuff. They look out for each other. So...
Where does the money come from? Not a money tree. It comes from taxes which, deducts, takes away, robs, incentives from private business--the engine builders of economy, killing job growth, which jobs pay our bills until killed by over-regulation and high taxation, which puts the citizenry in a position of asking the government for a pay-check, which gives the socialist government the power they seek, until there is no more money and the people revolt...etc., etc. Let's list all the great socialist governments whose citizens controlled by fear and guns finally gave up on the Marxist dream and bolted to capitalism:
Former Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Chechslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania,...to name a few. Let's ask those who remember the post WWII 45 years of socialist repression, "IF" we should adopt even 1 percent what they went through... You know what the answer will be. The Berlin Wall fell and the truth of socialist glory was exposed. Present day socialists long for that kind of lost power, believing it just wasn't done right.
Successful Socialism? Socialism can’t be invented to work successfully unless success is defined by some low-level economic equalizing of all incomes and living standards.
>Think “gray apartment buildings.”
>Think “trash heaps.”
>Think no heating, poor sanitation.
>Think long lines for doctor's visits, dying from illness unnecessarily.
>Think food, gasoline, medicine, water, "rationing."
>Think third world countries...
I'm not kidding. I’ve seen it, and I’ve lived in it. I am NOT guessing about the results. Should we just keep trying until it does work?
So until something else becomes clearly preferable to that which really has worked, I feel strongly about “traditional values” being the ongoing answer for America. That means “equal rights” for all to succeed, fail, have a voice, vote as they please, and live the ideal life they choose. The evidence is clear that it has worked. It has built a beacon of hope and prosperity unlike any country or empire that ever existed in human history. And all this in 230 years.
Traditional Values and America: In 230 years versus the previous 5,000 years of recorded history, we have gone from handcarts to space travel, from letters to email, from speed of oil lamp to “speed of light” in all areas of endeavors. The founders of our country believed in economy, no debt, progress, individual improvement, freedom of speech, freedom from state religion, freedom to explore, grow, live and breathe the exhilarating air of progress where men and women choose their leaders; where we govern the governors.
I am a “traditional All-American” who believes in the values of the Founding Fathers, the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and especially appreciate that we can have opposing views. Opposing views, like market-place competition vs. regulated commerce, clarifies things, helps us formulate opinion and action. Finally...
HIGH EXPECTATIONS. There are high expectations, set by the Presidential election. The winner has promoted “change we need” and “hope,” and promised in his victory speech “We will get there…” Wherever “there” is. I have chills up and down my spine, but not for the reason the immature who buy empty rhetoric as facts may be feeling.
One thing is sure. The higher the bar is set, the higher the expectation and the harder to satisfy those who buy-in to the dream. We are already half-way to full socialism. Will the promoters of "change" be able to fulfill the promises of "hope?" New national leadership can’t fall far for those of us who don't understand the rhetoric of non-defined change, and yet do understand dead-end hope-filled infatuation with a promised and coming socialized culture.
We accept his win though. We do not expect him to change things for the better unless he can formulate and articulate an actual reason and plan with substance, that departs from the present and past policies of failure. We hope he will govern with wisdom and intelligence and not as his chief strategist Ms. Jarrett said he would on a weekend talk-show; that he would,"...be ready to rule from day one."
For a FREE COPY of the US Constitution for your computer, go to my website www.powerthink.com/store and choose the History and Freedom category. Select US Constitution, Democracy in America, or The Federalist Papers (all three are available for free) and go through "check out." You will supply a "Redemption Code" when prompted. The code is: Constitution. (Be sure to upper-case 'C' - it is case sensitive.) Please feel free to share with others.
More coming on AMERICAN VALUES...
James Pratt
Saturday, November 1, 2008
SUPER POWERs & WHO WE TRUST
SUPER POWERS, POLITICOS and ELECTIONS
The political machines of two dominate parties in high gear, we are days from electing our "future." The candidates are all making promises, thick enough if spread beneath their feet over the average lake in your neck of the woods, they could literally walk on water. Politicians are asking for power and would have you and I trust them. They offer “God bless America,” just enough to make you feel they really mean it. Some do, of course. But that’s not the point.
Much is made of the United States, Russia, and China as “Super Powers.” The difference lies in which country honors the real “Super Power.” Other countries such as Iran, North Korea, seek weapons in order to “join the club.” “Joining the club” of political Super Powers through political and military might isn’t the way it works. It's about people, their will, and what they grant in the way of power that makes a nation great.
The point is this. The people of a nation must govern their leaders and insure that those elected officials remember who is the REAL Super Power. When that check and balance of people governing elected officials, and God acknowledged in public and private freely, along with freedoms established by a Constitution guaranteeing such rights, the term “Super Power” begins to have real muscle.
It’s simple really. The United States of America was the only place on earth, when first established, where the RIGHT to worship God according to the individual dictates of the conscious was a primary protection. The founders, including my ancestor Lt. William Pratt who settled in Massachusetts and then Connecticut in the 1640's, came to this land for religious and economic reasons; in a word "Freedom."
Every other country on the planet was either secular in nature or ruled by a strong central figure coupled with a “State” authorized religion. Belief in “super powers” was often highly controlled. Not much has changed unless…
You consider the great debates resulting in the Constitutional Convention (1787) and the resulting document deemed sacred to Americans for over 200 years. Every time I look at a US minted coin and see, “In God we trust…” I hear a prophetic Isaiah of Israel (Isa. 42:1-3) who must have foreseen our day. We know what happens when faith is persecuted and prosecuted. My paternal ancestors fled England in search of “Freedom of Faith” – to be who they wanted to be, worship as they wanted to worship, build a society in the fashion of their ideals based upon individual effort in collaboration with others of the same desire.
More moral freedom always encourages personal and community growth and greatness. Openness to faith and the promotion of the moral compass inherently found in faith creates not only individual character, but the character of an entire nation; resulting in “Super Power” status.
Mantras of Change: Beware of those who find it necessary to change a successful formula, or tweak it with ideals and social experimenting that has a track record of failure and oppression. All one needs to know is found in the reading of history, and where failure is concerned, a study of political change in the 20th Century.
Take God out of the ‘Super Power” and you have a hollow inside with an outer shell of bellicose rhetoric, some angry men and women guiding a nation on their own, mixed with intercontinental ballistic missiles, and self-worshipping ego-centric “follow me” attitudes the size of the title “Super Power.”
The Autocrats: Chairman Maos, the Castros, the Stalins, Hitlers, Pol Pots, dictators small and large come and go. While tens of millions have died under their power faith lives, and their memory is one of contempt. Heaven forbid we ever elect one...
China, Russia, and other supposed “Super Powers” will never rise to the level of greatness that their people as individuals aspire to until they learn the lesson of faith in a power beyond themselves, and power beyond theirs to control. As long as the human spirit yearns for faith, the bands of political control may never contain it.
To remain a SUPER POWER we in the United States must rule the leaders. We grant them the “power” to manage the greatest nation ever conceived in mortal history. The sacred document organizing our United States was agonized over by a group of wise men who began their deliberations with prayer each day during the summer of 1787. The Founding Fathers looking beyond their day and into ours, knew that absolute power corrupts absolutely. If we get back to the genius inspired principles of balance of power, free market economics, (Adam Smith, author Wealth of Nations, was the Founder's hero...available at my website www.powerthink.com)along with freedoms of faith and others guaranteed by their concensus in the US Constitution, our position as a people and a country will remain blessed and secure.
“In God We Trust” and “God Bless America” are located on coinage and through the written and spoken word. To the degree they are genuine and heartfelt we will remain a free nation and Super Power.
James Michael Pratt
www.jmpratt.com
The political machines of two dominate parties in high gear, we are days from electing our "future." The candidates are all making promises, thick enough if spread beneath their feet over the average lake in your neck of the woods, they could literally walk on water. Politicians are asking for power and would have you and I trust them. They offer “God bless America,” just enough to make you feel they really mean it. Some do, of course. But that’s not the point.
Much is made of the United States, Russia, and China as “Super Powers.” The difference lies in which country honors the real “Super Power.” Other countries such as Iran, North Korea, seek weapons in order to “join the club.” “Joining the club” of political Super Powers through political and military might isn’t the way it works. It's about people, their will, and what they grant in the way of power that makes a nation great.
The point is this. The people of a nation must govern their leaders and insure that those elected officials remember who is the REAL Super Power. When that check and balance of people governing elected officials, and God acknowledged in public and private freely, along with freedoms established by a Constitution guaranteeing such rights, the term “Super Power” begins to have real muscle.
It’s simple really. The United States of America was the only place on earth, when first established, where the RIGHT to worship God according to the individual dictates of the conscious was a primary protection. The founders, including my ancestor Lt. William Pratt who settled in Massachusetts and then Connecticut in the 1640's, came to this land for religious and economic reasons; in a word "Freedom."
Every other country on the planet was either secular in nature or ruled by a strong central figure coupled with a “State” authorized religion. Belief in “super powers” was often highly controlled. Not much has changed unless…
You consider the great debates resulting in the Constitutional Convention (1787) and the resulting document deemed sacred to Americans for over 200 years. Every time I look at a US minted coin and see, “In God we trust…” I hear a prophetic Isaiah of Israel (Isa. 42:1-3) who must have foreseen our day. We know what happens when faith is persecuted and prosecuted. My paternal ancestors fled England in search of “Freedom of Faith” – to be who they wanted to be, worship as they wanted to worship, build a society in the fashion of their ideals based upon individual effort in collaboration with others of the same desire.
More moral freedom always encourages personal and community growth and greatness. Openness to faith and the promotion of the moral compass inherently found in faith creates not only individual character, but the character of an entire nation; resulting in “Super Power” status.
Mantras of Change: Beware of those who find it necessary to change a successful formula, or tweak it with ideals and social experimenting that has a track record of failure and oppression. All one needs to know is found in the reading of history, and where failure is concerned, a study of political change in the 20th Century.
Take God out of the ‘Super Power” and you have a hollow inside with an outer shell of bellicose rhetoric, some angry men and women guiding a nation on their own, mixed with intercontinental ballistic missiles, and self-worshipping ego-centric “follow me” attitudes the size of the title “Super Power.”
The Autocrats: Chairman Maos, the Castros, the Stalins, Hitlers, Pol Pots, dictators small and large come and go. While tens of millions have died under their power faith lives, and their memory is one of contempt. Heaven forbid we ever elect one...
China, Russia, and other supposed “Super Powers” will never rise to the level of greatness that their people as individuals aspire to until they learn the lesson of faith in a power beyond themselves, and power beyond theirs to control. As long as the human spirit yearns for faith, the bands of political control may never contain it.
To remain a SUPER POWER we in the United States must rule the leaders. We grant them the “power” to manage the greatest nation ever conceived in mortal history. The sacred document organizing our United States was agonized over by a group of wise men who began their deliberations with prayer each day during the summer of 1787. The Founding Fathers looking beyond their day and into ours, knew that absolute power corrupts absolutely. If we get back to the genius inspired principles of balance of power, free market economics, (Adam Smith, author Wealth of Nations, was the Founder's hero...available at my website www.powerthink.com)along with freedoms of faith and others guaranteed by their concensus in the US Constitution, our position as a people and a country will remain blessed and secure.
“In God We Trust” and “God Bless America” are located on coinage and through the written and spoken word. To the degree they are genuine and heartfelt we will remain a free nation and Super Power.
James Michael Pratt
www.jmpratt.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
