Responsibility #90

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=110 BGCOLOR="#666699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04900840erlcjm.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>NATIONAL SECURITY--Structural,Moral,Economic,Domestic,International</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NATIONAL SECURITYStructural,Moral,Econom"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility Contents"><U>Responsibility Contents</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 1"><U>Responsibility #1</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 2"><U>Responsibility #2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 3"><U>Responsibility #3</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 4"><U>Responsibility #4</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id38.htm" 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#57</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id91.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 58"><U>Responsibility #58</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id92.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 59"><U>Responsibility #59</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id93.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 60"><U>Responsibility #60</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id94.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 61"><U>Responsibility #61</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id95.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 62"><U>Responsibility #62</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 63"><U>Responsibility #63</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id97.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 64"><U>Responsibility #64</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id98.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 65"><U>Responsibility #65</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 66"><U>Responsibility #66</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id100.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 67"><U>Responsibility #67</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id101.htm" 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78"><U>Responsibility #78</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id112.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 79"><U>Responsibility #79</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id113.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 80"><U>Responsibility #80</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id114.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 81"><U>Responsibility #81</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id115.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 82"><U>Responsibility #82</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id116.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 83"><U>Responsibility #83</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id117.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 84"><U>Responsibility #84</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id118.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 85"><U>Responsibility #85</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id119.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 86"><U>Responsibility #86</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id120.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 87"><U>Responsibility #87</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 88"><U>Responsibility #88</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id122.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Health Care Letters to President, et al,"><U>Health Care Letters to President, et al, 8/24/94</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id123.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Arguments for Delay in Enactment of a He"><U>Arguments for Delay in Enactment of a Health Care Bill</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Post WORLD WAR IIPost COLD WAR Deja Vu"><U>Post WORLD WAR II--Post COLD WAR Deja Vu</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id125.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 89"><U>Responsibility #89</U></A>   |   <B>Responsibility #90</B>   |   <A HREF="id127.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 91"><U>Responsibility #91</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id128.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 92"><U>Responsibility #92</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id129.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 93"><U>Responsibility #93</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id130.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 94"><U>Responsibility #94</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 95"><U>Responsibility #95</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id132.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 96"><U>Responsibility #96</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id133.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 97"><U>Responsibility #97</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id134.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 98"><U>Responsibility #98</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id135.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Structure of Our Nation is Unsound"><U>The Structure of Our Nation is Unsound</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id136.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ltr. to Editor, 3/19/96, Property Taxes "><U>Ltr. to Editor, 3/19/96, Property Taxes and Education Funding</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" background="04311c00egdysm.png"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Responsibility #90</div> <div> To the People of the United States of America:</div> <bR> <div>      <U>7th postscript, February 1995</U>, <U>Structural Security</U>.  Until a compromise was made, to include a Bill of Rights as amendments, the founding fathers had seen fit essentially, to deal only with the structure of the government in the Constitution.  That structure, as intended and set down in that marvelous document, has been undermined many times in our history, particularly in the last 30 years.  That weakness-from-within, continues under the administration of the 42nd President, the 104th Congress, and the 1994-95 Supreme Court.</div> <bR> <div>      The major culprit has been the two party system.  It governs for the parties, and the special interests of their necessary (to gain and maintain power) coalitions, rather than the general welfare and national security, as set forward in the Preamble to the Constitution.  If our governmental structure is to be sound and productive, we must elect and appoint people, who recognize that the Preamble is part and parcel of the Constitution, which they swear to uphold.  It must override the Democratic and Republican parties, and any special interest to which they have an allegiance (or which may have contributed to their election coffers).</div> <div>      Would that any politician, aspiring to government service, were aware of, and would govern his career according to, a "truth" spoken over 24 centuries ago.  <I>"But in public life every man is advanced to honor according to his reputation for ability--not because of his party, but because of his excellence."</I></div> <div>      Pericles spoke with authority and experience.  It was during the period of that great statesman's leadership, that Athenian democracy flowered, and the Athenian empire reached full development militarily, commercially, and culturally.  Pericles gave an "exposition of the general principles by virtue of which we came to empire, and of the civic institutions and manners of life in consequence of which our empire became great".  Oh! How we lose sight of the lessons of history.</div> <div>      The quotations are from "The Funeral Oration of Pericles" over Athenians killed in battle.  He went on to say: "It was for such a city, then, that these dead warriors of ours so nobly gave their lives in battle; they deemed it their right not to be robbed of her, and every man who survives them should gladly toil in her behalf."  </div> <div>      Should this not be an oration, for Americans who died in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Cold War, and all our wars and peacetime readiness?  Should not our elected and appointed officials, and We the People, gladly toil for the security of the United States, even at the expense of our special interests, and entitlements. </div> <div>      Publius IV owes his awareness of the Pericles Oration, to the excellent literature collection in William J. Bennett's 1994 book, "The Book of Virtues--A TREASURY OF GREAT MORAL STORIES".</div> <div>      The 11th Congress in its 2nd session, just before the War of 1812, was apparently so concerned about the security of the nation, that it voted (two-thirds of both Houses concurring) to amend and amplify, the last clause of the 9th Section of Article I of the Constitution.  <I>"If any citizen of the United States shall accept, claim, receive or retain any title of nobility or honour, or shall, without the consent of Congress, accept and retain any present, pension, office or emolument of any kind whatever, from any emperor, king, prince or foreign power, such person shall cease to be a citizen of the United States, and shall be incapable of holding any office of trust or profit under them, or either of them."</I></div> <div>      The above is one of the "Proposed Amendments to the Constitution Not Ratified by the States" to be found in the pamphlet "the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America".  The 94th Congress in 1976 directed the printing of 272,500 copies of that document for use of members of the two Houses.  [Also available for sale by the Government Printing Office.]</div> <div>      How times have changed!  Note, that the 11th Congress (with the 2/3s majorities required for proposal of Amendments) approved the severe punishments (of loss of citizenship, and forever ineligibility for government office), for any citizen who might possibly be influenced to act contrary to the national security, through the appearance of indebtedness to a foreign interest. Note also, that the Congress did not exempt itself.  Nor did it exempt Presidents, other elected or appointed officials, or political party candidates and officers.</div> <div>      With clear evidence that the continued conferment of campaign contributions (book advances and royalties, sponsored recreation, and the like), have effectively destroyed our democratic processes; the Presidents, the Congresses, and the two political parties refuse to effectively reform the manner in which we conduct our election, legislative, and executive processes.  This breach in our Constitutional structure has already vastly degraded (and continues to threaten the very sinews of) the moral, economic, domestic, and international security of our nation. </div> <div>      The 11th Congress did not deem it necessary, to specify that a citizen be caught in the act, of returning favors to a foreign power, to warrant the severe penalties of the proposed amendment.</div> <div>      In contrast, the 104th and prior Congresses have failed to set penalties for the return of "pork" to States and Congressional districts, as payoffs for election and reelections.</div> <div>  </div> <div>      In contrast, the 104th and prior Congresses refuse to outlaw, and treat as crimes, the influence buying from Congresspersons, Presidents, and appointed officials, through the mediums of Political Action Groups, and other campaign contributors.  </div> <div>      In contrast, the 104th and prior Congresses (particularly the Senators in their confirmation responsibility), have failed to proscribe the support of the Republican and Democratic parties through patronage appointment payoffs.  </div> <div>      In contrast, the Congresses have refused to thoroughly overhaul its officer and committee systems, to strip them of their powers to frustrate the one member/one vote intent of the Constitution.  Congressional officers, committee chairmen, and committee members are clearly recognized (not as necessary roles for the administration of the complexities of a large legislature but) as power brokers who warrant special treatment. </div> <div>      Proposed solutions to each of the above detriments to our national security have been presented in previous RESPONSIBILITY papers.</div> <div>                     Publius IV</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id127.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility 91"><U>Responsibility #91</U></A></div> <div> Back to: <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responsibility Contents"><U>Responsibility Contents</U></A>  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>