II. FORWARD -
“Start with the End in Mind”
There once was a radio spoof on the nursery rhyme, “Little Bo Peep”. It was a sarcastic ditty that began something like this:
“Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and doesn’t know where to find them.” Well if she has lost her sheep, of course she doesn’t know where to find them.
“Leave them alone and they will come home – wagging their tails behind them.” And where else would they wag their tails? -- in front of them? Perhaps they would-- if they came home in reverse.
Unfortunately, it seems that those in Congress, those who are leading the exploding scope of the executive branch, and many of those in the judiciary, have come home in reverse – wagging their tails in front of them-- and frequently, at the rest of us.
They have acted in reverse to common sense, reverse to the common good, reverse to the founding principles of limited government and limited national indebtedness, and reverse to the ideals of sacred honor and Divine Wisdom.
While we might assume that the sheep in this famous nursery rhyme made it home safely, the current political and economic climates of the United States are facing different, sobering realities. Over the last 100 years, an ever more powerful and progressive (liberal) government has lost its way. Simply put, a burgeoning government has implemented perverse policies and broken its promises to the American people. As a result, America’s venerable status as the greatest nation on Earth is suffering great harm.
In 2011, the federal government had lost $14 TRILLION. Even more stunning was the notion that the people running the country had almost no idea where the money went, and officials were content to believe that it was acceptable to "leave them alone and they (IOU’s) will come home" (to roost) waging despair behind them for someone else to deal with.
With all due respect to Little Bo Peep, it would, nevertheless, be unfair to her to compare her to a federal government whose members seemed to believe that they were in charge of sheep that would put up with this kind of insanity forever. However, in 2011 and 2012, “Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard” and when “We the People” got there and the cupboard was bare, the 28th amendment sent them all home (with term limits) – wagging their pork-barreled tales (and forked tongues) between their legs.
In Search of George Washington (The Story of the 28th Amendment) is a futuristic flashback that chronicles the year that “We the People” took charge and redefined the spirit and the mechanics of how the nation’s business would be conducted and what the new roles of the government officials were in the new framework. True to Habit #3 of the #1 best seller by Dr. Stephen Covey entitled Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, the perspective and the setting of the book takes Dr. Covey’s advice to “start with the end in mind”.
Set in 2013, In Search of George Washington is a flashback to the unbridled chaos that befell the American people in 2011 and 2012 as the direct result of 100 years of progressive (liberal) government. More specifically, it discusses the fiscal and moral irresponsibility that, in a stunning downward spiral, dragged down the spirit of a proud nation with it. Out of the nightmarish fiasco that was a runaway central government came a miracle that took place seemingly overnight.
The scope and breadth of the uprising by “We the People” was breathtaking.
The powers in Article 5 vested in the original 1787 Constitution for altering government through the adoption of a Constitutional amendment were absolutely appropriate, and “We the People” grasped firmly onto the wisdom and foresight that stemmed from that Divinely inspired heritage. The precursor of the 28th Amendment, The Balanced Budget Amendment, although it was a noble effort, failed in its bid to neutralize the out of control, unholy alliances of unsavory lobbyists, power brokers, and politicians who succumbed to the lures of virtually every kind of power and corruption imaginable.
The Balanced Budget Amendment garnered approval in 32 states in the proposing stage, but this ambitious attempt to recapture our economic footing fell two states short of the 34 states needed for proposal. However, the advance work and some of the ideas of that effort would mushroom into something vast and far-reaching. In fact, it would become the springboard for a “juggernaut amendment” to tame a “juggernaut government”.
It was an amazing story of a house cleaning –and a sweeping senate, executive and judiciary cleaning to boot. More importantly, it set the tone for another revolution for the ages by re-establishing that the concepts of freedom and liberty need protecting from an internal, tyrannical government just as much as they do from potentially destructive foreign threats. In a broad sense, the basic question was reminiscent of historic debates between states’ rights and Federalists’ visions of the future. However, in this time and in this story, the states and “We the People” reclaimed usurped powers, realized new powers and took the lead, the momentum and “the day” to rebalance the scales of power. In the process, rugged individualism resurfaced, a spirit of honor and duty returned to the forefront of the American collective conscience, and compassion, connection and empathy were bindings that were real, close-knit and lasting.
Most critically and thankfully of all, it was a time of acknowledging the accomplishment of the masses. It was the celebration of the fact that the time had come and gone when vast, impersonal, politically correct, governmentally conceived and perpetuated programs were entities of a bureaucratic government whose members feigned compassion for the people who elected them. These crumbling dinosaurs were replaced, nixed, buried and burned into the pages of history for future generations of proud, patriotic Americans to learn from.
History was, again, alive, and the lessons were fresh on the minds of Americans again. Limited government, effective government, frugal government and "government" spelled for a good reason with a little "g" - those were the simple lessons of government in the four pages of the Constitution. "We the People" was capitalized for a reason by the founders everywhere it was inserted in the Constitution. "We the People", "Freedom" and "Liberty" - those were the exemplary and enduring legacies of America.
Just like in Colonial times, George Washington’s larger- than- life leadership resurfaced for another seemingly impossible revolution and another seemingly impossible resetting of history’s course. His visage was as large in death and across the space and time continuum as it was in life, and it rose again to meld the historic with the contemporary. His spirit resurrected the wisdom of America’s founding generations and their hope that what they were bringing to the human race was proof of this simple, profound truth
Man could rule himself.
