Hijacked!

I am a life-long Republican,

I believe in the values under which our party was founded almost two hundred years ago.  It distresses me that in the past 50 years or so, factions with agendas of their own have managed to hijack the Republican Party for their own corrupt purposes.  They have twisted our core values so much, that in many ways, current GOP leaders are taking positions that are completely in opposition to these very core values.  This is a CANCER in our party that must be eliminated before it destroys our party completely.

For example, our founding fathers specified in the Constitution that Federal Judges would be appointed for life.  This was to ensure that these judges would remain above and outside of party politics, and follow the rule of law when rendering their decisions.  As a check on this power, our founding fathers provided that BOTH of the other branches would have to individually approve EVERY Federal judge before he could take office.  As a further check, all decisions at the highest levels of our courts must be made by a majority from a panel of judges. 

But, right now, we have a candidate seeking the party’s nomination to the House of Representatives, who has stated that, if elected, she plans to try to usurp the checks and balances put into place, and use to improperly the impeachment power of Congress to remove Federal Judges who make decisions that she does not agree with.  Congress was granted the power of impeachment to remove corruption, not enable it!  This is a blaring example of the CANCER that has infiltrated our party and that needs to be excised as quickly as possible. 

WHAT DO I BELIEVE?

Our founding fathers put into place a brilliant system of government, with power divided between three separate branches, complete with checks and balances that ensure that democracy will always prevail and tyranny can never again rear its ugly head. 

But for our governmental to work, we must insist on integrity, unimpeachable ethical standards, and irreproachable personal conduct from all people in government. We need  to demand that honesty be an indispensable requirement of public service. We need to vigilantly root out corruption whenever and wherever it appears.

I believe THAT THE FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SUPPLIER OF HUMAN NEEDS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE.   This is the essence of Capitalism, and is the philosophy upon with our entire economic system is built.  As Republicans, we must protect the FREE MARKET. Government regulation of business is not inherently bad.  Indeed, while we must protect the free market from UNNECESSARY government interference, we must also use the government’s power to prevent immoral businesses from using their size and wealth to inhibit that same free market.

I believe THAT ALL INDIVIDUALS ARE ENTITLED TO EQUAL RIGHTS, JUSTICE, AND OPPORTUNITIES AND SHOULD ASSUME THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AS CITIZENS IN A FREE SOCIETY. I believe that ALL citizens should be encouraged to vote, and we should do everything we can to make the voting process easily accessible to every citizen. I believe that Gerrymandering of any type that puts any race at a disadvantage is illegal and immoral.  I believe that discrimination of any type is immoral, including discrimination by age, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or familial status.

I believe THAT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND BUDGETARY RESTRAINTS MUST BE EXERCISED AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.  We must operate under an overall balanced budget. The government should be extremely frugal when spending the people’s money, and must be able to justify every dollar that it spends.  At the same time, failing to impose taxes at a rate that will ensure a balanced budget during times of economic growth is fiscally irresponsible. The ONLY time a deficit is acceptable is during a national emergency or during times of economic recession. During times of economic growth, such as now, our budget must generate a SURPLUS that can be used to cover any deficits that are necessary during times of economic recession. Taxing power is a necessary evil that must be used fairly and responsibly to ensure that our government can meet its fiscal responsibilities.

I believe THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST PRESERVE INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY BY OBSERVING CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITATIONS.  Our country was founded on the belief that we all have the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s our individual liberties that allows us to exercise these rights. Our Constitution must always be interpreted to ensure that these rights are preserved, not impeded. We shall not tolerate those who attempt to twist the Constitution in order LIMIT the individual liberties of others.

I believe THAT PEACE IS BEST PRESERVED THROUGH A STRONG NATIONAL DEFENSE. This not only includes properly maintaining our military to the highest standards, but ensuring that our State Department should work hand-in-hand with our military to implement a comprehensive, consistent, and clear foreign policy using diplomacy to avoid war, but being ready, willing, and able to back up our policies with force with diplomacy fails.

I believe THAT FAITH IN GOD, AS RECOGNIZED BY OUR FOUNDING FATHERS, IS ESSENTIAL TO THE MORAL FIBER OF THE NATION. Just as our government is of the people, it is the collective moral fiber of our citizens that gives our nation its moral fiber – not the other way around. We do NOT use the government to force our personal religious beliefs on others. It means that we lead our own lives, guided by our own faith in God, to set an example for others. This is why the First Amendment guarantees each of us freedom of Religion. A government that mandates religion in any way cannot guarantee religious freedom. That is why our Founding Fathers made sure that adhering to any specific religion shall never be a requirement to hold public office.

Mental Health Problem OR Gun Problem? Really?

I have listened to various politicians and activists push arguments such as “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people”, “We don’t need new gun laws; we just need to enforce the existing ones” and “It’s not a gun problem; it’s a mental health problem”.   But these are not really arguments at all; they are just rhetoric used to deflect the focus off guns.  They are nice sound bites, but do not address the problem and offer no solutions.

“It’s not a gun problem; it’s a mental health problem”   OF COURSE it’s a mental health problem. Sane people don’t walk into schools and start shooting kids.  But that does not mean that we don’t also have a gun control problem.  The two issues are not mutually exclusive.

“Guns don’t kill people; people kill people”.   What a stupid thing to say!   When we say we have a Gun Problem, most people with more than two working brain cells realize we mean that we have a Gun CONTROL Problem. 

“We don’t need new gun laws; we just need to enforce the existing ones”.    For the most part, I agree.  We already have laws prohibiting felons and the mentally ill from possessing guns.  But these laws are not properly enforced.   Universal Background Checks are simply a tool to enforce the existing laws.  They will not prohibit anyone from possessing a gun who is not already prohibited from owning one.

 SECOND AMENDMENT

Like all of our rights, our right to bear arms comes with responsibilities as well.  

The Second Amendment is not absolute.   We already prohibit felons and the mentally ill from possessing firearms, even though the Second Amendment does not state that “the rights of the people shall not be infringed, unless they are felons or mentally ill”.

When the founding fathers adopted the Second Amendment, the musket was the height of technology.  You fired once, then had to take 30 seconds to reload before you could fire again.  It was not possible to use one to rapidly kill multiple people.  

School shootings are not something new.  That has been at least one school shooting almost every year for the past 150 years.  But the carnage inflicted by these shootings has increased as weapons technology has improved.

UNDERLYING CAUSES OF GUN VIOLENCE

Before we can even attempt to solve the gun control problem, we need to look at the causes.  Most gun deaths can be classified in one of four ways:

Criminals using guns to commit crimes.   If we want to get serious about preventing criminals from getting access to guns, background checks have to be universal.  There can be no exceptions.  All it takes is one loophole.  If criminals can buy guns easily at gun shows, that’s just what they will do.  Why even try to buy at a store when they have a ready alternative?  It’s even easier to buy a gun from someone they know who does not have a criminal record.

Crimes of passion; domestic violence; suicide.   These account for the majority of all gun deaths, and most of these are committed by people with no criminal history.  Criminal Background checks alone would not be effective.  This is where waiting periods come in.  A 30-day waiting period would give a person time to calm down or would give those close to him or her time to recognize the crisis and to intervene before it’s too late. 

  

Mass Shootings.  While this is the one that gains the most attention, it is also the one that will be hardest to prevent.  Most of these mass shooters plan their crimes well in advance, often months or even years.  Most have no criminal backgrounds. Waiting periods and background checks may prevent a few, such as the church shooting in Texas, but that was an exception more than the rule.  The only way to prevent these types of incidents is for people to pay attention for warning signs and intervene and/or alert authorities.

Accidents.  These are easily the most preventable deaths.  If one wishes to own a firearm, they have the responsibility to learn how to properly use and store their firearms.  Yet there are no requirements for even the most basic training or education before one is allowed to buy such a deadly weapon. 

This illustrates that there will not be one simple solution.  The ultimate solutions will involve addressing each of the underlying causes, and there will not be one-size-fits-all solution that addresses all of the causes.

Ultimately, we will need to come up with a solution that provides:

1. A way to ensure that felons and the mentally ill do not have access to guns by any means.   This will include  mandatory reporting of all criminal convictions to a central registry.  This registry would also include those deemed mentally ill.  It would also include those who are under protective orders.

2. A process that allows one to appeal his or her placement on this list to ensure mistakes are not made.

3. A requirement that one who does purchase a gun understands their responsibilities to properly use and store their weapons.

4. A waiting period to ensure that violent reactive emotions do not factor into the equation.

Back in November, after the church shooting in Texas, I posted my own ideas on a comprehensive solution.   Read about them here:  http://scottmcmurrain.blogspot.com/2017/11/use-common-sense-people-demand.html