My Political Viewpoints

How and Why I Became a U.S. Citizen

Being an immigrant (you know, a legal one who went through the entire I.N.S. process!), I have pretty strong political opinions. The reason why is because I left Socialist Europe for the freedom and opportunity that only exists in the United States (Canada and Australia have already moved toward socialism; now with Obamacare we are heading in that direction too). There were things I was seeing as a kid growing up in Holland that I felt internally as just being plain wrong. There were people occupying homes and offices because they were temporarily vacant, claiming that they could stay there as long as they wanted. There were young people graduating and immediately going on welfare because they didn't feel like trying to find a job. There were the 50-60% income taxes. There was the V.A.T. ("value-added tax"), which meant that everything except for food and clothing was excessively taxed. Everybody was forced to be equal in their output, their income, and their productivity. You had 50% of the people going to work to support the other 50% of the people who'd rather get up at the crack-of-noon and go spend the rest of the day at the bar, or watch TV, while collecting welfare checks.

In my gut I knew this was all wrong. I also felt there was no opportunity to excel, to improve myself, to aspire to do what I wanted to do with my life. All I saw that socialism does to a society at large is cause people to do nothing meaningful with their lives. Lives, brains, ideas, opportunities wasted; all because the government wants to have control over people, and making sure that each person is identical to all the others.

When we arrived in Houston Texas in 1980, I saw a completely different country. I saw people being able to do what they wanted. I saw people eagerly getting jobs, some even before finishing school. I saw people starting businesses. I saw people working hard and many long hours. I saw lots of innovation and creativity. I saw people who were just like me! The U.S. Constitution declares that we are all created equal, but what you do after that is entirely up to you! If you want to live on the streets or become a multi-billionaire, it is up to you and you can do either here. We are created equal, not forced to produce outcome that is equal to all others.

I knew I had found my new home! Now, looking back after having been here for 30+ years (I was 15 when I arrived here), I see why this country is different. I also see that (after having lived and spent time in several other countries) Americans who have never lived outside the U.S. for any length of time, do not appreciate what they have here. It baffles me when Democrats talk about wanting their socialism here in the U.S., while other countries are choking under the socialist regimes. Why would any sane person want that for their fellow man? My personal philosophy is, if you want socialism, go to any country in Europe that already has that established, enjoy having most of your paycheck confiscated, and LEAVE US ALONE!

How does the United States of America differ from most other countries? Most countries have some sort of centralized power structure, a Prime Minister, a Monarch, a Dictator, etc. In the U.S. the federal government is a separate and co-equal partner with all the other 50 states (yes, we have fifty states in the U.S., not 57+ as Obama seems to think!). The individual states have given the federal government some power and quite a few restrictions, in the form of the U.S. Constitution. We are therefore a "representative republic" and a true democracy. In a democracy, like you see in most European countries, the people vote and the majority rules (in practice, a majority is seldom accomplished, and so various parties or factions have to work together to form a coalition to be able to gain a majority in their government). The problem with a majority-rules kind of idea is that it can make life difficult for the minority. In the U.S. it is hard to obtain an absolute majority. No tolerance for an absolute ruler, although Obama tries hard to be one.

Where Do You Stand Politically?

The fundamental, high-level philosophical difference between the U.S. Democrats and Republicans is that the Democrats want an out-right, European-style democracy where the majority rules, whereas Republicans want to maintain the system our Founding Fathers set up for us, i.e. a representative republic. If you read actual historical accounts, you'll find that there were plenty of people voicing their opinions at the time of the creation of The Constitution that had similar views to today's Democrats. It is just that our Founding Fathers realized that their ideas would very quickly lead the U.S. to become yet another "Europe".

I have found that a lot of people don't know where they stand politically, even if they think they do. Here's a quick way to narrow down your beliefs:

Many people confuse "Liberal" with "Libertarian". The socialist Democrats have co-opted the word "liberal" and make you think that they are for freedom, liberty, and the right to do what you want. That is not true! "liberal" IS NOT EQUAL to "liberty". As a matter of fact, the exact opposite is true. If you truly want freedom and you truly wish to minimize government's influence over your private life, you must vote Libertarian. If no Libertarian is running for a particular office in which you wish to vote, vote for the constitutional conservative Republican.

Note that not all Republicans are "conservative" and that not all Democrats are "socialist". There are conservative Democrats in office as there are socialist Republicans in office (these are typically called "RINOs", i.e. "Republican-in-name-only").

As and aside, the European "left" and "right" is not the same as the American "left" and "right". European "left" are typically those leaning toward communism. American "left" are typically those leaning toward socialism (the difference between communism and socialism is the percentage of your paycheck the government confiscates). European "right" are typically those leaning toward socialism/fascism, whereas the American "right" are those leaning toward less, and minimal government. These are completely different philosophies. The European "left" and "right" both want to have a very large, centralized government controlling people's lives; one is communist and the other is fascist/nazi. Either way, you are controlled by a large, overbearing government with little to no personal freedom. If you doubt this, look at the Nazi movement; they flag themselves as the "National Socialist" party. They add that they are against capitalism, and on top of that hate all non-white people. The American "right" is about opportunity, limited government, and freedom to do as you wish (constrained by common morals); there is no hatred, no exclusion, no privileged class, etc. It is only equal opportunity for all (not equal OUTCOME for all, as the socialists want). European "right" and American "right" are virtually on opposite sides of the political spectrum.

Where Do I Stand Politically?

I am a constitutional conservative who votes Republican with a strong preference for Libertarian. And, yes, I consider myself a member of the millions of "Tea Party" members! And, no, I am not a racist; I welcome immigrants, as long as they arrive here legally. If they are illegal, they must be caught and deported! Period! No whiny excuses, no amnesty, no mercy, no exceptions! Political asylum is acceptable, because we are the land of the free. If someone want to come to the U.S., he or she is more than welcome, as I was welcomed, but he or she must do so through the legal channels that have been set up by this country's laws. To come here illegally means that they don't respect the laws of this land, which means that they don't love this country for what it is, which means that they are not an American at heart. And, for me, that is ultimately what it boils down to: does the person love America. If not, they shouldn't bother coming here, and if they are already here, they should leave a.s.a.p.!

We are all looking forward to peacefully overthrowing the U.S. communist dictator regime in November 2012. December 3, 2011 was a sad day in American History with the loss of Herman Cain as a presidential candidate. Similarly, a sad day on January 5th, 2012 when Michelle Bachmann quit. My prayer is that both of these individuals will have a fantastic position in the new government starting in January 2013. At this point in time, I have no preference for any of the remaining Republican candidates. All are big-government Republicans, with the only exception being Ron Paul. I like Ron Paul for everything he stands for, except foreign policy. His ideas are just plain naive and dangerous. Bill Clinton made us look weak in the enemies' eyes, and George W. Bush fixed that. Obama has once again made us look extremely weak (with his bowing to foreign leaders and supporting terrorist Islamic nations), that we cannot afford another weak foreign-policy president next. At this point I'd vote for Newt Gingrich in the primaries, but come November, I am voting straight-ticket Republican. I fell for the third-party trick with Russ Perot, which lead to Bill Clinton's second term, and I'll never do that again. Libertarians should not be a third party, but rather continue to infiltrate the Republican party. Let's make it, once again, the party of free-thinking conservative, Constitution-loving Americans.

If, or when, retired Lt. Col. Allen West runs for the Presidency of the United States of America, he can count on my vote!

My Favorite Political Quotes

Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States, in a speech in 1924:

"One of the rights which the freeman has always guarded with most jealous care is that of enjoying the rewards of his own industry. Realizing the power to tax is the power to destroy, and that the power to take a certain amount of property or of income is only another way of saying that for a certain proportion of his time a citizen must work for the government, the authority to impose a tax upon the people must be carefully guarded... It condemns the citizen to servitude."

Christine O'Donnell (September 17, 2010):

"They don't get it. We're not trying to take over our country; we are our country."

Alexander Hamilton in the first paper of The Federalist (contrast that with Nancy Pelosi's "we must pass this bill to find out what's in it"!):

"The consciousness of good intentions disdain ambiguity."

From a Weekly Standard article visiting Mitch Daniels, Indiana's governor, he is quoted as saying,

"Never take a dollar from a free citizen through the coercion of taxation without a very legitimate purpose," he said in an interview last year. "We have a solemn duty to spend that dollar as carefully as possible, because when we took it we diminished that person's freedom." When you put it like that, overspending by government seems un-American.

A 2007 Texas A&M University contest winner gave the following definition of "Political Correctness":

"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a piece of turd by the clean end."

Founding Father John Adams:

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931:

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

When told the reason for daylight savings time the Old Indian said,

"Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket."

Poem found on John Coolidge's wall (father of President Calvin Coolidge):

A wise old owl lived in an oak.
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why can't we be like that old bird?

My Favorite Political e-mail

Grey-Haired Brigade


(b.t.w. this is not what I look like)

They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire. Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.

In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.

We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam. We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield. We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America, we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner, America, and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America .

Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.

It was mostly the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress. You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Cool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.

Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey-Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like, but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren. So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."

 - Author, Anon. Grey-Haired Brigade Member

My Favorite Political Multimedia

Obama Burning Constitution (painting)
Krista Branch - "I Am America" (video)
Krista Branch - "Remember Who We Are" (video)
Victoria Jackson's video (fantastic!)
Facts of "global warming"
Right Face! Taking Back America
Repeal Obamacare
How did the main stream media become so left-wing biased?
D.J. Ductape (videos)
We The People (video)
Cartoons
This is the reason why we must eliminate or severely restrict any form of welfare!
See who spent $50,000 on Obama!
The Truth About Islamic Crusades

Some Last-minute Thoughts

The number one cause of poverty?... progressive liberals and their policies. Just look at Detriot, Atlanta, Buffalo, St. Louis, Newark, and New Orleans; all run by progressives 100% of the time since 1965! Don't take my word for it; research it yourself.