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Blog Summary (in part): Apportionment among the states was chosen by the Framers as the most equatable way to preserve the Republic, collect taxes, and a few other things. Many people today argue that apportionment was the Framers “foul-up in the core of the Constitution”. A better understanding of The Founding Fathers time and the entire Constitution proves otherwise. Below I will attempt to lay out their case, and at the same time show that the 16^th and 17^th Amendments ought to be repealed (a very, very long read, but a must to understand RIGHTS YOU HAVE LOST).

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For the most part, the people that I talk with on a daily basis are worried about inflation. The prices of everything people are buying is going up. Gas , groceries, and entertainment just to name a few. People are starting to have to make tough choices where their money is concerned. But inflation is not always a bad thing, for example inflation can cause wages to to up in the form of cost of living increases.

 This weeks blog is a response to a question that came up over at Blargen Blog. I made a comment to the effect that silver is truly the only Constitutional form of money. In order to keep this blog somewhat short, I ask that the readers to allow some assumptions: 1) strictly speaking, I believe, if the Constitution doesn’t authorize a power, then our government cannot do it. 2) The Constitution through articles and amendments trump statutes – in other words even if Congress passes a law, if the Constitution does not authorize it, it cannot be done. I’ll go into more detail on these later.

 After finally sitting down to write the blog post below, I get an e-mail stating that this blog has been named as one of The Top 100 Civil Liberties Advocacy Blogs. The list is comprised of several different subjects dealing with civil liberties and Brad’s Weekly Constitutional Blog is the first one under the category Constitutional Issues and Supreme Court.

 The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay should have access to the American civil court system and have guaranteed civil liberties under the U. S. Constitution. While in Rome, President Bush responded to the ruling stating “We’ll abide by the court’s decision, that doesn’t mean I have to agree with it.” Also citing national security needs, President Bush suggested that more legislation may be needed to close this security gap.

In 2005, Congress passed the Real ID Act requiring every state and U.S. territory to have a standardized drivers license. States will have control over what the licenses look and feel like, however a small magnetic strip, not unlike credit cards only smaller, must be somewhere on the license. In order to receive one of these new Real ID cards, one must prove citizenship and residency with multiple documents. In 2005 the cost was estimated to cost the states and territories around $100 million and so far Congress has allocated $40 million for the implementation of the Act. The original deadline for states to come into compliance was supposed to be this coming Monday May 12, 2008, but most states have been granted an extension. Illinois was granted an extension until December 31, 2009. When the states are in compliance with the Act, individuals will still have time to get their new license. Individuals born on or after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to obtain a Real ID by Dec. 1, 2014, while those born before will have until Dec. 1, 2017.

For Sale:

PROPERTY FEATURES – LAND:

• Land of Opportunity - no more
• Area: North America, Sea to not-so-Shining Sea

  Topography: Plains, Mountains, Wooded, Some Waterfront

  Utilities Present: Electric, Gas, Water

  Schools: Public and Private

IN DEPTH DESCRIPTION:

A once proud country with diverse cultures and races. Environment needs some elbow grease and TLC. Many possibilities exist with the property, or did at one time. All the infrastructure is in place, but not warranted. Close(d) schools nearby. Will sell as whole, but prefer to divide and sell piece by piece slowly and painfully to the worst special interest group. Property sold AS IS.

No Taxation Without Representation” - A famous quote from Colonial America that we all learned as school children. But the quote is not “No Taxation”. Many feel that was what they meant. However, a brief review of history will show differently. For many, many years prior to the Declaration of Independence and through the first year of the Revolutionary War, most colonist were looking for reconciliation. It is true that taxes were a major rift between the King and colonies, but taxes were the secondary issue. The main issue was that the colonies were not allowed any representation in British Parliament. The King and Parliament could, and were, levying taxes on the colonies who had no say or recourse for injury. Our Founding Fathers, immediately after winning independence started to levy taxes. Monies were raised to pay off the war debt, set up the judiciary, providing for defense, etc.

I just learned about Veriplate Advanced License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system from ndi technologies. This, and other similar systems, is a computer/camera system marketed to police departments and national security agencies throughout the world. The gist of this set up is several cameras are set up in a patrol vehicle which are hooked up to a computer. The cameras are capable of reading a few thousand (the actual number is dependent on the vendor software) license plates an hour. The computer is updated regularly with files from the DMV and other sources for know plates that have offenses against them. The system is most often used to identify known stolen vehicles, drivers with suspended licenses, uninsured motorists, and outstanding tickets. Although, any number of other things can also be look for, as long as the information can be tied together with a license plate.

Every year I re-certify in CPR and First Aid. Recently, the number of chest compressions to rescue breaths was doubled. Keeping the blood flowing to the brain was more important than the breaths. Now, today it has been announced that the rescue breaths are not needed at all. It seems a percentage of people didn’t like the thought of giving an unprotected rescue breaths to a stranger, so they would just not start CPR. Also, a few others have been unable to accurately tilt the head back to give a correct rescue breath. Experts have stated, in adults, it is very rare to restart a heart without it being shocked. Now all one needs to do is call 911, then start chest compressions until help arrives.