EQUAL UNDER THE LAW
SEPTEMBER 2011
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson was tasked by his colleagues to pen our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. The statement above, taken from our Declaration, has become one of the most famous lines in our history. Unfortunately, I often find that people wrongly think that the line is from our Constitution; even more disconcerting is that many also think that it is treatise on social justice rather than a strike against the divine right of kings.
Jefferson did not believe that all men are equal in terms of talent, ability, attractiveness etc. First off, that would make for a pretty boring world. We all do not look like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt; we can’t all dunk like LeBron James nor sing like Frank Sinatra or Aretha Franklin. Jefferson did not believe that his use of the word “rights” meant “entitlements”.
An individual has the right to go out and earn a house, a car, or whatever their heart desires, not an entitlement to it. We are all not equal. However, we are all supposed to be equal under the law.
The divine right of kings is a doctrine that gave power and legitimacy to a certain chosen few. Nobody has power over the Monarchs; the King is not subject to the will of his constituents. Only God can cast judgment on a king, therefore any attack on the king can be viewed as a blasphemy. In my opinion, a bastardized version of the divine right of kings has returned. It has taken the form of crony capitalism and the politically connected. The rules and laws of the land do not apply to them or are written specifically for their benefit. These same modern day royals entrench their power using the age-old technique of divide and rule.
Divide and rule is a technique used by Caesar and Napoleon in gaining and maintaining power by dividing ones constituents into smaller groups that have less power. Some of the elements used to implement the technique involves: Creating or encouraging divisions among subjects in order to prevent alliances that could challenge the sovereign. Aiding and promoting those who are willing to cooperate with the sovereign. Fostering distrust and enmity. Encouraging meaningless expenditures.
The following are some recent examples in support of my thesis.
The Wall Street Journal reports that, “In his latest attempt to save jobs and keep businesses in Connecticut, Governor Dannel Malloy announced $20 million of incentives to keep UBS AG’s flagship trading floor and other operations in Stamford. Over the past eight months, his administration has doled out more than $120 million in tax incentives and forgivable loans to companies such as insurance giant Cigna, sports broadcaster ESPN and TicketNetwork to fuel their expansion and hiring.”
General Motors, after getting a sweetheart taxpayer bailout that will never be repaid to the taxpayer, also received another slick handout that for some reason doesn’t warrant any press coverage. General Motors gets a pass on $45.4 billion in taxes on future profits. The tax-loss carry forward provision that allowed for this break usually goes away when there is a bankruptcy and change in ownership…obviously not in this case.
As of September 2011, not a single executive from any of the major investment houses has paid any fine, done any time for their involvement in the dot com fiasco, or the credit crisis. Not a single executive from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac has gotten so much as a slap on the wrist for manipulating facts, blowing up the mortgage giants and costing the taxpayers billions. In the rare instance that a case is made against any of these holier than thou executives it ends with a verdict where the defendant neither admits nor denies wrongdoing, the firm pays a fine and all is forgotten.
General Electric was given tens of millions of dollars in stimulus grants (tax-payer money) from the Obama administrations 2009 stimulus package. General Electric earns over $156 billion a year in revenue and has fired over 20,000 people since getting taxpayer money.
The Federal Government has allowed for a certain select group of companies, unions and municipalities an Obamacare waiver allowing them to ignore certain parts of the law. For example: McDonalds and other companies received waivers from a requirement to up the minimum benefit covered by insurance. Talk about irony, the United Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers, both of whom enthusiastically supported passage of Obamacare; have requested and received waivers from Obamacare. Farewell and adieu to the 14th amendment of our Constitution and equal protection under the law.
President Obama, during the debt ceiling debate, called for the elimination of a tax break for corporate jet owners. The elimination of that loophole would achieve less than one-tenth of 1 percent of his target for reducing the federal deficit. Aside from going after the tax break, the president also chose to lump those jet owners with people that make $250,000. Do you know anyone that makes $250,000 and owns a jet? The president stated, “I think it’s only fair to ask an oil company or a corporate jet owner that’s doing well to give up that tax break…I don’t think that’s real radical.” The Wall Street Journal wrote in response, “Asking private-jet owners to give up tax breaks may not be that radical. And it probably would be supported by the vast majority of the nonjet-owning voters. The problem is that most of the people that would be subject to the higher taxes the president wants aren’t likely to be private-jet owners.” On a side note: That corporate jet tax break was part of Obama’s 2009 stimulus package.
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George W. Bush stated in his January 2002 State of the Union address stated that his “axis of evil” consisted of Iraq, Iran and North Korea. I stated in 2007 on my Watchdog on Wall Street Radio Show that I too have an “axis of evil.” Mine consists of our Washington politicos, the too big to fail investment firms along with other crony corporations and the mainstream media. The troika works tightly together to further each other’s needs to the detriment of ours. You can decide whose axis is a greater danger in the day-to-day lives of the American people.
The members of the axis are our modern day royals. Whether it is tax law, regulations, or our justice system; they craft it, they own it and are above it. These same people use the word “equality” like a sword to slice and dice Americans into separate classes of of victimhood. This is the antithesis of what Thomas Jefferson eloquently stated in our Declaration of Independence.
In the George Orwell novel Animal Farm, the animals had seven commandments to live by. The most important rule being the seventh; “All animals are equal.” Eventually, certain animals became corrupted by their leadership position and power and the seventh commandment became, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
Maybe we should do the same? At least we would be being honest.
Banjo Shelly Connecticut Offers UBS Millions to Stay Wall Street Journal 8/24/2011
Smith Randall & Terlep Sharon GM Could Be Free Of Taxes For Years Wall Street Journal 11/3/2010
Lucas Fred Obama Administration Gave GE $24.9 Million CNS News 10/11/2010
- Spiering Charlie Stimulus Includes Tax Break To Promote Private Jet Sales Washington Examiner 6/29/2011
- Editorial Staff Obama Calls People Earning $250,000 a Year Jet Owners Wall Street Journal 6/29/2011
- Rubin Richard Corporate Jet Benefit Gets Six Obama Mentions, Aids Little in Deficit Cuts Bloomberg 6/30/2011
- Olson Kyle Union Pushes For Obamacare Then Is Granted Waiver Big Government 10/8/2010
- Perren Jeff McDonald’s Obamacare deal Violates Rule of Law Big Government
