We discussed the various forms of government and the misuse of the word, “democracy,” to describe our own form of government. Exploring the benefits of our constitutional representative republic provides a clear picture of the brilliant human intelligence it took first to define all the pitfalls of human nature that necessitate government, and then to proceed to craft a document that, if followed, would preserve hard won freedom for generations to come. As we discussed the functions of each branch of our govern- ment, it became evident that much of this information was new to my children, or perhaps had even been previously misinterpreted for them.

We discussed the chain of succession for the Presidency and noted the qualifications for the various levels of legislators and executives as prescribed in the Constitution. We imagined scenarios where a possible replacement for the President, so prescribed, might not qualify for the Presidency. The Constitution makes it very clear that the line of succession depends on these qualifications to make such a replacement valid. We identified a situation in recent history where this line would have been broken because of such a disqualification.

As we discussed the fact that the President of the United States is currently considered to be the most powerful individual in the world, it became clear just what an awesome responsibility rests on the electorate of this nation to choose the very best representa- tives we can find to fill our government. Each step in the process, each person who gains elected office, and each decision they make has an impact on the entire world.

The one fact so often glossed over by the American people who complain about their government, and by all people who find fault with our system of government, is that we have the power to effect a drastic change in our House of Representatives and our Senate every two years. We could completely replace all 435 souls in the House every two years, along with a third of the Senate! Within four years, we can replace the House twice, two-thirds of the Senate once and the executive branch of the federal government in total. Within six years we can finish replacing the final third of the Senate. That, my friends, is "Power" with a capital P.

So, whose fault is it if our government does not represent us? Whose fault is it if career politicians are firmly ensconced in their offices for a lifetime, to abuse the people they represent and the Constitution they are sworn to uphold? Whose fault is it if bad law continues to flow forth from the cesspool that has become our legislature? Our houses of Congress and our executive leaders are answerable to all who transfer our power of government to them–all of us, eighteen years of age and older, are responsible. That reflects badly on the adults in this country who shirk this responsibility by ignoring their electoral duties entirely, or by refusing to educate themselves well enough to perform those duties with intelligence. We wallow in self-righteous victimhood instead of accept- ing the blame for a government gone astray from individual rights--a government that feeds itself on power it shouldn’t have.

Individual rights require the exercise of individual power to protect and preserve them. Our Founders understood this all too well when they laid the foundations of our govern- ment. Strength does not come from weakness of character or dependence on power devolved from benefits not earned, but rather it comes from commitment to a shared vision of the best humanity has to offer. It comes from our refusal to accept that a corrupt govern- ment cannot be changed, and from an acceptance of the fact that we control our government, instead of our government controlling us. Those of us who will not accept responsibility for being the solution to our problems have become our biggest problem.

Each and every individual adult in this country has the power and the responsibility to affect change in our situations, both personally and governmentally. It is time that those who would represent us are forced to face their employers with honesty and integrity, or lose their jobs. They can all be replaced, thanks to the brilliance of our Founders and the clarity of our Constitution. Our public educators are not making that clear. Our govern- ment representatives do not fear us, and they should. Instead of our government fearing the American voters, the majority of the people in this country have fear and contempt for much of our government.

Whose fault is it?

The Socialist agenda in America is clearly geared toward making people believe they should act as a group instead of acting as individuals. Individual learning is not encour- aged in public school (not that our educators will admit it), but instead we find more and more dependence on methods of group learning. Cooperation is not the same as communal compliance. There is a big difference. Standardization does not guarantee excellence, but can actually quell it. Conditioning the individual to accept what benefits all will not guarantee justice, insure freedom, or install good government. If benefit is not earned, it should not be bestowed. If power is not respected, it should not be transferred. If knowledge is not truth, it will render a society powerless to protect itself. Therein lies the evil of Socialism and the best reason to take responsibility for your children’s education.

Empower your children's minds with the knowledge of truth so that they can take control of their future and resist the philosophies that will put them in peril. They will only be victims of their own ignorance if you do not empower them in this way. If they become adults in an America that has abdicated its sovereignty to a fantasy of world government promising peace for the benefit of all, and their individual power has been compromised, whose fault will it be?

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