America is in an economic situation far worse than our government is willing to admit.  Although the government reports our national debt approaching $17 trillion, that is a cash-basis number that does not include entitlements.

Our liabilities, including Social Security, Medicare, and federal employee retirement benefits, add an additional $87 trillion to the figure, bringing us over $100 trillion.  That’s more than 550% of our GDP.

Economists are warning that unless we raise our debt ceiling, we will cause enormous harm to the world economy.  I’m hearing people who actually know about this, saying that collapse of the US economy is now inevitable.  Mr. Bernake’s “quantitative easing” was a shot in the arm that we have become addicted to but cannot sustain without further degeneracy.

Ultimately, every problem we have comes from trying to run our lives without God, and America has been very diligent in its efforts to kick God out and welcome Hell in.  Left to our own devices, we have created a mess that we are no longer able to get out of.  I’m inclined to believe those who say that our problems are now beyond human remedy, and not only in the case of the economy.

If the economy does collapse, we should be very concerned about the people who look to the government as their provider.  I have heard people who were on the scene in the wake of Katrina, discussing the rioting and chaos that occurred there.  Similar problems occurred in the ’92 Los Angeles riots and in many other places.  When people develop a dependency upon the government, and believe that the government owes them, but the supply line is interrupted, the result is lawlessness and rage.

If the collapse happens, we will probably need martial law just to maintain order.  I’m not interested in how to protect myself against what is coming:  I’m interested in being part of the solution.  The ultimate solution is for us to admit we screwed up, turn back to God, and ask him for help.  That’s actually easy both for him and for us, if we are humble enough to admit our mistakes, and fixing impossible problems is his specialty.

Here’s an incomplete but sensible prescription for anyone resonating with this:

1. Find God and realign yourself with him.  He has an entirely different economy that cannot be shaken.  And for those who follow him, these will be some of the most exciting times in history.  If you only do this much, you are well on your way.
2. If you love this country, stand up for righteousness, freedom, and life.  Vote and hold officials to high standards.  Demand integrity from yourself and others.
3. Be gracious to people, even if they are your enemies.  We all need to make it through this together.
4. Store up food supplies.  Even FEMA recommends this.  I like these people.
5. Store up some water, and get a good water filter.  I like this and this.  Expensive but priceless.
6. Get extra copies of the Bible and the US Constitution.  We’re going to need to hold this country together, and people will be in desperate need of good advice.
7. If you are inclined and able, get some extra food and water to share with others.

None of this is intended to cause fear.  There are very difficult times ahead, but they can be the best of times for those who are walking with God.  Oh, and pragmatically, there should have been a little more emphasis on this bumper sticker.  I know it was intended to be sarcastic, but it’s actually very profound:

In the midst of your political spats and machinations, closing down national monuments, threatening to arrest veterans, forcing people out of private homes because those homes are on federal land, and barricading national parks to force your way, pay very close attention to the choices you make, because you are badly overstepping your bounds.

You may think that you are in power to advance your standing, your party, or your ideology.  Not so.  It’s called “civil service” because it is supposed to be an act of service to the people, not an act of self-interest or self-preservation.  Anytime you put something else ahead of the best interests of the people, you are out of line, and you need to course-correct or resign your post.

Let me re-establish a few things which you seem to have forgotten:

1. You exist by the leave of the People of the United States.  Turn to the first paragraph of the Constitution, and consider once again that We the People established you.  We can also remove you.
2. Government-owned land is really just land which the people have entrusted to your care.  There are good reasons why we entrust certain things to you to oversee, but don’t forget that in this country, you are simply trustees acting on our behalf.
3. Anytime you think that this country is yours to do with as you please, you are violating your duty and the trust we place in you.  Anytime you act out of something other than love for our country and humility toward the people, you are out of line.

To the Democrats, I say this:  Everyone knows that the current dispute is over the funding of ObamaCare.  Do the right thing and ditch it.  America hates it, Congress and the IRS don’t want to be subjected to it, and the Government has proven itself far too incompetent to be able to manage our healthcare.  Admit defeat in this, and regain a bit of our trust.  The only really big thing that the government handles well is the military, but that’s probably because the military is so full of people who love the United States and are willing to serve it.

I note, with deep annoyance, that the Senate is not taking calls from constituents, the government shutdown serving as a pretext.  The Senate has failed to do its job, has chosen to side against the will of the American people, and now refuses to hear about it.  I dare say that the right of the people to contact their representatives is an essential government service.  What on earth are the representatives doing, if not available to represent their constituents?

The greed of Congress seems to know no bounds these days, and their desire to tax internet sales is clear.  But there’s a little problem with their plan, and it’s called the United States Constitution.  Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 5 says the following:

No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.

How exactly does Congress wish to get around that simple little clause?  Do they even care about it?  They certainly ought to care, if only to honor their oath of office:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

What part of “I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States” and “I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion” did they forget?

Fortunately, their oath concludes by soliciting the help of God, and I am happy to join them in that appeal.  All kidding aside, I am sure that their job is not an easy one, and this is a case where we can help them by simply reminding them of what the Constitution says.

If you would like to contact your Representative or Senators, you can find them through this link, or better yet, reach them through POPVOX.

If you share my values and are a voter in the state of Virginia, please consider supporting the following candidates:

• Ken Cuccinelli for Governor
• E.W. Jackson for Lieutenant Governor
• Mark Obenshain for Attorney General

Virginia is a major battleground state in the coming election, and state governors are presently some of the best positioned people to push back against federal government overreach.

For those who value life, liberty, and religious freedom, I believe that these candidates have solid credentials.  Some say that we are entering times that will demand the same kind of leadership, patriotism, and sacrifice that the Founding Fathers exhibited, and I do believe that.

If you are a Christian, but you do not vote, please consider doing so.  Voting is one of the ways we can uphold our values, be salt and light, and protect our religious freedom from assault.

Wisconsin is another state that will face a major electoral battle.  If you are a voter in the state of Wisconsin, please consider supporting Scott Walker for Governor.  I believe his record clearly demonstrates his courage and values, and his success in turning around the Wisconsin economy is a tangible measure of his governance.

I am proud to be a member of The Oak Initiative, an organization established about three years ago with the following mission statement:

“to Unite, Mobilize, Equip, and Activate Christians to be the salt and light they are called to be by engaging in the great issues of our time from a sound biblical worldview.”

Around that same time The Oak Initiative applied for 501(c)3 tax-exempt status with the IRS.  The IRS has still not acted on the application.  As of July 30, 2013, the IRS claims they are processing April 2012 applications (a 15 month lag), but that hardly explains the lack of action on a 2010 application [source: The Oak Tree].

In light of recent revelations about the IRS discriminating inappropriately on 501(c)3 applications, it isn’t too hard to imagine why The Oak Initiative might not have fallen within their good graces.  For one, The Oak Initiative is a fervent defender of the US Constitution.  For two, The Oak Initiative has repeatedly spoken out on issues which the Government would rather hide:  Government mismanagement and fraud, Sharia, Benghazi, ObamaCare, abortion, the attack on traditional marriage, the 2nd and 4th amendments, Fast and Furious, the demonization of Christians, veterans, and others.

But the IRS is not allowed to apply the law based on their preferences.  Just like Lois Lerner, Director of the IRS Exempt Organizations, is not allowed to plead the Fifth Amendment to cover up what her organization did.  In short, The Oak Initiative is exposing many of the problems that need to be corrected in our country.  If our Government is threatened by that, they have clearly forgotten that they are of, by, and for the People, and that they answer to us.

I call for justice to be served, and for the Government to correct its ways.  The longer they continue to work against upstanding Americans who love our country, the more they will find me pushing back.  I was born a free American, I intend to die that way, and I will not be silenced.

Our Founding Fathers were quick to acknowledge that without the direct involvement of the Church in Government and the military, there would never have been a United States of America.  No wonder those who hate our country do their utmost to keep us out of those realms.  I hope they don’t expect us to just roll over and die.

The Johnson Amendment to the US Tax Code is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment.  Sorry, folks:  The Tax Code does not trump the United States Constitution, for the simple reason that the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land.  Every one of our elected officials ought to know that, given that they are bound by oath to support it.

Our president and his allies don’t get the American people:  They know what polls reveal, that the more we learn about ObamaCare, the more we collectively hate it.  But they persist in thinking that this is a marketing problem, and that ObamaCare just hasn’t been properly sold to us.  So far, so bad.

This is where the story takes a really disturbing turn, and where president Obama’s administration thinks it appropriate to train our children to sell ObamaCare to their parents.  $36 million federal dollars of taxpayer money being spent in California to sell us something that we loathe.

But the really damnable part is indoctrinating our children to push the President’s ideology.  This is a fundamental violation of the premise of education:  That we teach our children for their own benefit, to help them mature and develop into their own selves, and not into our propaganda arm.

Mr. President, step away from our children.  When leaders resort to manipulating children, it’s because of values and principles that cannot stand on their own, but must be artificially propped up.  You are venturing into the footsteps of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, and that is a badly misguided course of action.  Nobody expects you to be perfect, but we do expect honesty, integrity, and the humility to admit when you’re wrong.  I expect those same things of myself.

My recent letter to my Congressman and Senators about the abject failure of ObamaCare.  I should probably have been a little kinder:

Have I badgered you recently about ObamaCare? Are you aware of the recent CNBC poll showing that 51% of small businesses have frozen hiring because of ObamaCare, and another 38% have scaled back plans to grow their business? Of the 51% who have frozen hiring, 19% have already reduced their workforce.

Small business is the lifeblood of the economy, and ObamaCare is killing it. And that’s on top of all the other horrendous things about this political pipe dream. I wonder whether Madam Pelosi has now had a chance to find out what’s in the law. (Of course not, because the IRS and HHS aren’t even finished writing the regulations yet.) Nobody is arguing against improving our medical and insurance systems, but this is not the way to do it, and the arguments for retaining ObamaCare are overwhelmingly political in nature. That same CNBC poll shows 52% of those polled believing that their quality of healthcare will go down because of ObamaCare. On top of that, ObamaCare has already seriously harmed religious freedom in this country, and I won’t even touch on the wrongness of the IRS being charged with enforcing ObamaCare.

Sir, this is an opportunity for you to do the right thing. America hates ObamaCare and doesn’t want anything to do with it, and polls show that the more Americans learn about ObamaCare, the less they like it. Your constituents need you to represent their views before the Federal Government: Put ObamaCare to death, and let’s begin developing legitimate healthcare reform.

Properly addressed and signed, of course.