2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #190 "THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY"

     Demonstrably since the time of FDR the presidency has usurped to itself or been abrogated by Congress increasingly large amounts of power.  As such, in many ways, it has been turned into an Imperial Presidency.  But we should all be reminded that we do not have a monarchy in this country.  Instead we have a democracy based upon the Separation of Powers as expressly set forth in our Constitution – and this works for the benefit and protection of us all.  Thus a president should not be able unilaterally to send our combat troops into war in places like Korea, Vietnam, Serbia, Panama, Somalia, Iraq or Afghanistan.  Similarly, President Obama should not have been able unilaterally to change our laws to keep “Dreamers” from being deported.  And President Trump should not be allowed unilaterally to impose tariffs, withdraw us from treaties, or stop the practice of awarding citizenship to people solely because they were born in this country.

        Regardless of whether we agree with the decisions made by our presidents or not, we should insist that the Constitution be followed. (I happen to agree with President Obama about the “Dreamers,” and also agree with President Trump that people born in this country should not have automatic citizenship – but I still strongly object to the procedures used by them both!)  Congress should be involved before we change our laws or treaties, and before we go into battle on an extended basis.  And if the interpretation of the 14^th Amendment is to be changed such that people who are born here are no longer determined automatically to be citizens, a test case should be brought in our federal courts, eventually leaving it to our Supreme Court to make that interpretation.  Congress has allowed these usurpations to happen because not enough of the individual members want to take the political responsibility for the various outcomes.  But if they don’t act within the Constitution, they should be replaced by others who will.

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Fake news report:  Recently a reporter was interviewing President Trump, and asked: “I know that your name is Donald J. Trump, but what does the ‘J’ stand for?”  The response:  “It stands for Jenius.”

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2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #189 "LIBERTY IN IMMIGRATION"

      I, through no effort of my own, was truly blessed to be born in the United States of America.  Many people who were not so fortunate have sought to come to this country to pursue a better life for themselves and their children, i.e. to pursue the American Dream, just like me.  And they should be allowed to do so!  That means that, after a meaningful background check for such issues involving criminality, mental health and possible terrorist sympathies, anyone who can show that they can support themselves should be allowed to live in our country and do so.  And if they can support their families they should be allowed to bring them along.  BUT, no welfare is attached – except for truly emergency medicine, life-threatening situations and for the education of their children.  This would, in effect, be a legal guest worker program, almost identical to the “Bracero” Program we employed successfully many years ago.  We have profited from the immigration of such hard-working people throughout our history, and it is also a matter of Liberty. 

     We could give each of these people a non-counterfeitable Orange Card, maybe matched to the iris of their eyes, that would show them to be here legally.  That would allow them to cross back and forth across our borders, get drivers licenses and car insurance, rent housing and more likely result in them paying their taxes just like all of the rest of us do.  However, and most importantly, we must prosecute any employer who hires anyone who doesn’t have citizenship or a Green or Orange card!  Thus, since no welfare would be attached, if they couldn’t support themselves, they would likely be forced to move elsewhere. Accordingly, this program would be fairly straightforward to enforce, and there would be no need to build a wall to keep people out.  

     So why has this not happened?  Because, although many high-ranking Republicans have given lip service to changing away from our present failed system, they love the cheap labor, and don’t want to give it up.  And many high-ranking Democrats love the idea that many people will come into our country and eventually vote for Democrats.  So they also give lip service for change, but don’t want to change the system either. And the proof of that statement is clear, because if they had actually wanted to change away from this failed system, they would have done it – years ago!  In the meantime, literally millions of people are suffering under the present system.  This simply must change!

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Discouraging Quotation for the Week taken from an old Somalian Proverb (and we wonder why there are somany problems in that area of the world):          

"Me and my clan against the world; me and my family against my clan; me and my brother against my family; me against my brother."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

By the way, these columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray@wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY #188: “NO FREE LUNCH”

It was Milton Friedman who coined the slogan “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”  And this is exemplified by the following story that was recently sent to me, which is: Once there was a chemistry professor in a large college who had some exchange students in her class.  One day in class the professor  noticed a young male exchange student who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt. When she asked the young man what was the matter the student told her he had a bullet lodged in his back.  He had been shot while fighting communists who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist regime.  In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, "Do you know how to catch wild pigs?"  The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke.  The answer is that you catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground.   The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free corn.  Then, when they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming.   When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. So you continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side.  The pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, and then you can slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom.  They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught.  But soon they go back to eating the free corn.  They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, and quickly they begin to accept their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening in America.  “The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops, welfare, medicine, drugs, etc., while we continually lose our freedoms - just a little at a time.  And then, in not so long a period of time, we are captured.”  So all of us should always remember that there is no such thing as a free lunch!  Dr. Friedman also gave us another eternal truth when he said that we get more of what we subsidize, and less of what we tax.  And the truth is that today we are subsidizing entitlements, victimization and even laziness, and taxing success.  So what are we getting more of?  Does this concern you?  It certainly concerns me.

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Quotation for the Week: “I know that God will not give me more than I can handle.  I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.”  Mother Theresa

By the way, these columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray@wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty!