MLLG

State of the Union 2024

State of the Union 2024

This is my state of the union address

GEORGE NOGA
March 3, 2024

My fellow Americans:

The state of our union is precarious. Unless we take immediate and drastic actions, that heretofore would have been considered unthinkable, to slash spending and cut the deficit, we face an imminent crisis equal to, or likely worse than, the Great Depression. We also face a constellation of geopolitical threats from China, Russia and Iran. Moreover, we must meet these threats when America’s internal divisions seem irreconcilable. But we are out of time and our survival requires bold action.

white concrete dome museum

Our most serious and certain crisis is our spending and debt which has reached a tipping point. We must immediately reduce our annual deficit by $1 trillion. To accomplish this I am appointing a select committee comprised of political leaders from both parties and other prominent Americans. They will have 100 days to propose immediate spending cuts of $750 billion – equal to 18% of all spending except for defense and interest on the debt. The committee also must propose new taxes of $250 billion. Congress then will be required to have a straight (up or down) vote without any amendments on the committee’s plan.

Nothing, other than defense and interest on the debt, is off the table including Social Security and Medicare. Also, I am freezing new hiring of government employees combined with an immediate 15% reduction in headcount – excluding the military.

Concerning geopolitical threats, we will follow John Quincy Adams’ admonition that “America is a friend of liberty everywhere, but custodian only of our own.” We will also observe George Washington’s advice that “The best way to keep the peace is to be prepared for war.” We will support our allies in Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, but they must carry the burden of fighting. If Americans are attacked or taken hostage, we will respond with immediate and overwhelming (not proportional) force. We will maintain our military at such a high level as to deter any possible adversary.

Since the dawn of human history, governments have been instituted among men primarily for protection from violence – both domestic and foreign. America has failed miserably in protecting its citizens from domestic crime. I will take every legal action to stop crime, especially crime involving violence or the threat of violence. Anyone committing violence will be removed from society for at least a period of years. Anyone guilty of a second crime of violence will be removed for a lengthy term.

I will enforce all our laws as required by the Constitution. This means our borders are closed and all illegal immigration will end. I will construct a wall on our southern border and deport those here illegally.

In addition, I will take the following actions.

  • The Federal Reserve will have but one mission, to maintain sound money.
  • I will eliminate all tariffs and trade barriers, unilaterally if necessary.
  • We will become net energy exporters, end the war on fossil fuels and withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords – while continuing research on alternative fuels.
  • I will support universal school choice, the civil rights issue of our time.
  • I will work to privatize Social Security such that everyone owns their account.
  • All regulations automatically will sunset every ten years and any rule promulgated by the deep state with an impact over $25 million must be ratified by Congress.

I close my address by returning to first principles. Governments are instituted among men to protect their rights including to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, this is the only legitimate role for government.

Experience has shown that the sanctioned use of force, i.e. government is necessary to secure our rights. Government therefore is a necessary, albeit dangerous, force that always must be circumscribed, controlled and used sparingly. Government is inherently coercive; it is not about reason, logic or persuasion. It is about brute force. If citizens run afoul of a government diktat, ultimately men with guns will come to take away their property, their liberty and even their lives.

I hereby renew my promise to strictly confine government to its constitutional box and to return America to a nation of free people, free trade and free markets.

Good night. May God bless you, your family and these United States of America.

© 2024 George Noga
More Liberty – Less Government, Post Office Box 916381
Longwood, FL 32791-6381, Email: mllg@cfl.rr.com

MLLG

Constitution Day 2023 – Slouching toward a post constitutional America

Constitution Day 2023

Slouching toward a post constitutional America

GEORGE NOGA
SEP 17, 2023

Our Constitution is 236 years old today, quite an accomplishment considering most constitutions fail within 20 years. The US Constitution is the best charter of government ever to define the relationship between man and the state. It may be the best document ever penned by the hand of man. It is based on a fundamentally correct understanding of human nature and its system of separation of powers and checks and balances is pure genius. Its first three words, we the people, the only ones in supersized script, are breathtaking. In an era of despots and monarchs, nothing was more radical than the notion that all power flowed from we the people.

We The people text
Photo by Anthony Garand on Unsplash

Regrettably, our celebration of Constitution Day 2023 is not one of unleavened joy. Instead, we are slouching toward a post constitutional America. The Constitution is merely 4,543 words on 4 sheets of paper. But alas, the Constitution is not self-enforcing; it requires defenders in every generation as it tends to get diluted over time. Today, the rule of law and equal justice under the law are under siege by progressives who believe the ends justify the means. They weaponize the state to reward friends and to punish political opponents. They attack the Electoral College, Supreme Court, filibuster, Senate and even our first amendment rights.

Progressives attack the Constitution mainly because it makes it slow and difficult to enact change. This is not a flaw of the Constitution; rather, that is its greatest strength. In order for a new law to take effect, the Constitution requires 5 steps.

  1. House of Representatives: Designed to reflect the current will of the people.
  2. Senate: Originally senators were appointed by and represented states; only one-third were elected every 2 years. Senators’ six-year terms (and also the filibuster) were intended to immunize Americans from transitory passions.
  3. President: The president, elected by all the people, must sign any new law.
  4. Supreme Court: Justices, appointed for life, make sure laws are constitutional.
  5. Juries: When laws involve criminal elements, juries are sovereign and may nullify laws by refusing to convict, as they have done numerous times such as with fugitive slave laws, prohibition, anti-war protestors and sodomy laws.

The drafters of the Constitution were extraordinarily well versed in history and had justifiable contempt for democracy, which they regarded as a form of tyranny – like two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. The French Revolution instantly actualized the will of the people; how did that work out? More recently, in the former Yugoslavia, the Serb majority demanded immediate actualization which resulted in chaos, genocide and 140,000 deaths; how did that work out?

The Constitution was designed to make it difficult to pass laws. Our founders believed in limited government and that laws should be enacted only when absolutely necessary, enjoy widespread support and not reflect transient majoritarian passions.

Constitutions are merely words on paper

One nation’s constitution guaranteed freedom of religion, speech, the press and the right to assembly. It provided for the direct election of all government bodies. It promised equal rights in political, economic and cultural spheres.

Another country’s constitution guarantees democratic rights and liberties and the right to vote and hold office. All citizens are guaranteed freedom of speech, of the press, assembly, religion, travel and association.

The first constitution referenced above is from the former Soviet Union; the second is from North Korea. Our American Constitution differs only slightly from those of the USSR and North Korea in promising rights and liberties to the people. However, they all are merely words on paper. If Americans in every generation do not vigorously defend our Constitution, we will end up just like the USSR and North Korea.

A republic if we can keep it

Progressives seek to abolish 236 years of liberty because they believe they know what’s best for everyone and are willing to shred the Constitution to achieve it. The words of the Constitution, no matter how mellifluous, won’t protect us any more than they protected the people of the USSR or North Korea. They are merely words on paper.

Benjamin Franklin’s words are just as poignant today as when he uttered them in 1787. We have a 236 year old constitutional republic, “if we can keep it”. Our beloved Constitution will survive only if we keep it in our hearts and minds and pass that fervor on to the next generation. It is up to us. Happy Constitution Day 2023!

© 2023 George Noga
More Liberty – Less Government, Post Office Box 916381
Longwood, FL 32791-6381, Email: mllg@cfl.rr.com