Kevin A. Ranson : ThinkingSkull.com

There’s been a lot of political talk as of late: who believes what, who wants what, and who’s doing what to whom. I’ve had some college, traveled the world on the US Navy’s dime, and have made my name in the work force through the development of the Internet. I believe my point of view in both US and world politics is as important as anyone else, and also I feel that something is very wrong. Here’s why:

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.

Every American should know this, the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence. Everyone should be allowed to live; everyone should be free. And to me, “the pursuit of Happiness” implies that the United States government in no way should prevent any citizen from reaching to better themselves. I also feel it does not, however, imply that everyone should get the same as what everyone else has, that there is a minimum requirement.

Write a book, start a company, fulfill a need, earn a profit, and buy stuff. What’s more American than that? But there seems to be a movement to demonize “the American Dream” (own your house and retire debt free to live out your life as you wish.) How dare you succeed where I fail? Because there is no “fairness” clause in the declaration, only the right to pursue a better share. Failure is knowledge; try again or try something else.

I believe in a strong military to protect these rights. Failure to show the strength to protect something is an invitation to having it taken from you; ask any bully on the playground where he got all that lunch money from. As a world superpower, the fact that America is not bent on conquering the globe (as the British Empire once did) should speak volumes, although we probably should police the world only when called in or directly threatened.

On a side note, guess what the first thing to go is when you cut military spending? Soldiers raises and their families benefits. If there are less bombs and bullets, that means military families are already suffering. I’ve worked military supply; I’ve seen how this works.

In polls, I’ve read that other countries declare that America is the country they hate the most, but it is also the country they wish they could have been born in. It seems intuitive that others want what Americans already have, and it is now becoming evident that it can be lost at the stroke of a pen fair easier than at gunpoint.

Whether you believe in the invisible creator in the sky or not, the idea of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness is worth fighting for. I wasn’t an economics major, but I know the difference between an income and an expense. A call center (providing customer support) is always an expense because it produces no income, just like a government. It needs to be as small and efficient as possible to do its job cost effectively, allowing more revenue to be freed for expansion and sales.

Some things being done and suggested right now in the name of “boosting” the economy won’t work, and it’s simple to see why at this level. Taxing only the most successful companies actually taxes EVERYONE… because any price increase or tax obligation will be passed on to the consumer. If a company can’t afford to raise the price and meet a government imposed obligation, they can go out of business and take all of those jobs with them. To boost the economy, lock in the current tax base so smart companies and entrepreneurs can make actual business plans today that will still work tomorrow.

But what about everyone who CAN’T strive for more, that CAN’T better themselves? When others needs help, charity is when you have extra and CHOOSE to help those less fortunate. Sadly, there are people who think YOU should help whether you want to or can afford to. When the government decides to take your money only to give it to others who don’t produce anything, its called tyranny (even for a very admirable cause) and people have died all over the world to stop it, even declaring their independence from such a government… and that’s where we came in, folks.

Please discuss.