Courage and the Census
Courage and the Census
Within the next few weeks, we will all be getting our census forms. Many millions of our tax dollars have been spent on stupid commercials and other advertising to get us to understand the importance of filling them out. The main point of all of them is that if we don’t fill them out, we won’t get our share of government goodies. That is wrong on so many levels but it is indicative of how government, and way to many people, view government-as the repository for everything good we get. The only constitutional reason for the census is to correctly apportion representatives. To do so the government needs to know only how many people live in a particular area. It does not need to know my race, religion, income, number of toilets or any of the other questions it asks beyond “how many people live here.”
What we have in our current census form is an obvious, blatant, unconstitutional government intrusion. Not that there aren’t a multitude of other examples. In another month our taxes are due. But the census is here now, today. A government form asking for information the government has no constitutional authority to ask for. Are you going to give it to them? What are you afraid of? If we do not refuse to cooperate with this intrusion, when will we stand against this government and finally refuse to participate in their incessant push for more power and control? If the vast majority of people in this country decided that the only information they were going to give this government was a head count in their household, what would they do? They can’t throw us all in jail. They could fine us but what if we refused to pay? Again, they can’t throw us all in jail. There are three branches of government that are supposed to check and balance each other to protect our liberty. If they refuse to do so then it is “we the people” who must stand up en mass and say “NO! you may not do that.” “NO! That is unconstitutional.” “NO! My rights do not come from you and you may not take them or my property.” Sure, there are a few million government employees but there are three hundred million of us. We outnumber them and they only have the power we willingly grant to them.
We have stood up and protested, we have marched, we have complained, we have called our representatives, e-mailed, and petitioned but when we lose, we resign ourselves to the new status quo. Why? Why should we let them have their ill gotten gains at the expense of our liberty? Why should we continue to participate in their schemes that continually limit our freedom? Why do we continually allow them to steal our money to finance their totalitarian agenda? It is time we stopped tacitly endorsing their wins by accepting their new rules and regulations. It is time we refused to acknowledge their illegitimate authority. They have neglected, broken and trampled our contract. Why do we still consider ourselves under obligation to defer to their authority? The census is just one more intrusion. Just because they send out the form does not mean we have to fill it out. Just because they vote away a little more freedom does not mean we have to give it to them. When does it stop?
There is a lot more coming down the road. The national ID card is in the news again. This will give the government total control over our lives. If we allow our liberty to be reduced to what the government puts on a card, it is over. Will we stand up then? Will we refuse to get it even though it will mean we may lose our job or be unable to access our bank account? That is a bit harder, isn’t it. But if we can’t refuse an intrusive form from the Department of Commerce, what makes us think we will stand up and refuse to give the FBI or Homeland Security our personal information for an ID card? What about health care? Will we refuse to participate in their system and will there be health care workers who have enough courage to serve the people and not the government? What about when they come to put your approved, government controlled thermostat in your home or they come for your fishing poles or guns?
Every time we let them get away with it, every time they intrude over our objections and we go along with it anyway, they are emboldened. If we all fuss about the census and do it anyway, they will figure the ID card will be easy. If the ID card is easy, then each new restriction it will bring will be even easier. We are desperately holding on to the last vestiges of our freedom. It is time to stop simply trying to defend what is left and go on offense. The census may seem a small thing or it may seem a big thing. Perhaps you’ve never refused to cooperate with the government before. It is time we started because for too long we have been cooperating in our own destruction.
Within the next few weeks, we will all be getting our census forms. Many millions of our tax dollars have been spent on stupid commercials and other advertising to get us to understand the importance of filling them out. The main point of all of them is that if we don’t fill them out, we won’t get our share of government goodies. That is wrong on so many levels but it is indicative of how government, and way to many people, view government-as the repository for everything good we get. The only constitutional reason for the census is to correctly apportion representatives. To do so the government needs to know only how many people live in a particular area. It does not need to know my race, religion, income, number of toilets or any of the other questions it asks beyond “how many people live here.”
What we have in our current census form is an obvious, blatant, unconstitutional government intrusion. Not that there aren’t a multitude of other examples. In another month our taxes are due. But the census is here now, today. A government form asking for information the government has no constitutional authority to ask for. Are you going to give it to them? What are you afraid of? If we do not refuse to cooperate with this intrusion, when will we stand against this government and finally refuse to participate in their incessant push for more power and control? If the vast majority of people in this country decided that the only information they were going to give this government was a head count in their household, what would they do? They can’t throw us all in jail. They could fine us but what if we refused to pay? Again, they can’t throw us all in jail. There are three branches of government that are supposed to check and balance each other to protect our liberty. If they refuse to do so then it is “we the people” who must stand up en mass and say “NO! you may not do that.” “NO! That is unconstitutional.” “NO! My rights do not come from you and you may not take them or my property.” Sure, there are a few million government employees but there are three hundred million of us. We outnumber them and they only have the power we willingly grant to them.
We have stood up and protested, we have marched, we have complained, we have called our representatives, e-mailed, and petitioned but when we lose, we resign ourselves to the new status quo. Why? Why should we let them have their ill gotten gains at the expense of our liberty? Why should we continue to participate in their schemes that continually limit our freedom? Why do we continually allow them to steal our money to finance their totalitarian agenda? It is time we stopped tacitly endorsing their wins by accepting their new rules and regulations. It is time we refused to acknowledge their illegitimate authority. They have neglected, broken and trampled our contract. Why do we still consider ourselves under obligation to defer to their authority? The census is just one more intrusion. Just because they send out the form does not mean we have to fill it out. Just because they vote away a little more freedom does not mean we have to give it to them. When does it stop?
There is a lot more coming down the road. The national ID card is in the news again. This will give the government total control over our lives. If we allow our liberty to be reduced to what the government puts on a card, it is over. Will we stand up then? Will we refuse to get it even though it will mean we may lose our job or be unable to access our bank account? That is a bit harder, isn’t it. But if we can’t refuse an intrusive form from the Department of Commerce, what makes us think we will stand up and refuse to give the FBI or Homeland Security our personal information for an ID card? What about health care? Will we refuse to participate in their system and will there be health care workers who have enough courage to serve the people and not the government? What about when they come to put your approved, government controlled thermostat in your home or they come for your fishing poles or guns?
Every time we let them get away with it, every time they intrude over our objections and we go along with it anyway, they are emboldened. If we all fuss about the census and do it anyway, they will figure the ID card will be easy. If the ID card is easy, then each new restriction it will bring will be even easier. We are desperately holding on to the last vestiges of our freedom. It is time to stop simply trying to defend what is left and go on offense. The census may seem a small thing or it may seem a big thing. Perhaps you’ve never refused to cooperate with the government before. It is time we started because for too long we have been cooperating in our own destruction.
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