By Rabbi Nachum Shifren

We are living in an era of insanity! Witness the latest attempt to remake the nature of our country, founded and established on certain principles that have been the envy of the entire world. The latest assault on our country and its values comes in the form of vicious and criminal violence against the Mormon church in Westwood, California

"WE ALL ARE MORMONS!"

In the middle of December 1620 the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, leaving behind the sinfulness of the "old world" to make a "new Jerusalem" in America. Three years later, in November 1623, they had a great feast thanking God for getting them through an earlier famine, and now for a bountiful crop.

What had created the earlier famine and then the bountiful crops? The story is told in the diary of Governor Bradford, who was one of the elders of that early Puritan colony.

At first, they decided to turn their back on all the institutions of the England that had been their home. This included the institution of private property, which they declared to be the basis of greed, avarice, and selfishness. Instead, they were determined to live the "Platonic ideal" of collectivism, in which all work would be done in common, with the rewards of their collective efforts evenly divided among the colonists. Farming was done in common, as well as housekeeping and child raising. This was supposed to lead to prosperity and brotherly love.

"The California courts erred.  In February, they issued a flawed decision that, if implemented, would deny nearly all California parents the right to homeschool their children.  The ACLJ filed a friend-of-the-court brief in May urging the appeals court to protect the right to homeschool and argued that the right of parents to homeschool their children is derived from both the Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment.  In response, the Second Appellate District in Los Angeles upheld the rights of California parents to homeschool their children." --ACLJ

"You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe."

--John Adams, Second President of the United States

This is amazing...President Bush is pushing legislation which deep inside includes a provision to pardon himself and his administration of all war crimes they have committed.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh would pay $7.

The eighth would pay $12.

The ninth would pay $18.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to cut cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.'

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so: The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).

The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20,' declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and  they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

-- David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible

Once upon a time a man appeared in a village and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each.

The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them.

The man bought thousands at $10 and, as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort. He next announced that he would now buy monkeys at $20 each. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.

Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer increased to $25 each and the supply of monkeys became so scarce it was an effort to even find a monkey, let alone catch it!

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50 each! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would buy on his behalf. In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has already collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them to him for $50 each."

The villagers rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys for 700 billion dollars. They never saw the man or his assistant again, only lots and lots of monkeys!

Now you have a better understanding of how the WALL STREET BAILOUT PLAN WILL WORK !!!!

Palestinian Ibrahim Abu Jayab, 24, is seen next to his computer, in his family house in Nusayrat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. A young Palestinian in a Gaza refugee camp is doing his part to get out the vote for Barack Obama. With a little help from the Internet, 24-year-old Ibrahim Abu Jayab is cold calling random American families from his parent's home imploring them to vote Obama.

(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

You might want to warn your kids not to go to houses with certain political signs...

Here are some great resources to find your government representatives:

To find your local representatives, enter your zip code here.
To find your State & Federal representatives, enter your zip code here.
To find your US Congressmen, enter your zip code here.

By Patrick J. Buchanan

Sept. 19, 2008 -- The Crash of 2008, which is now wiping out trillions of dollars of our people's wealth, is, like the Crash of 1929, likely to mark the end of one era and the onset of another. The new era will see a more sober and much diminished America. The "Omnipower" and "Indispensable Nation" we heard about in all the hubris and braggadocio following our Cold War victory is history.

Seizing on the crisis, the left says we are witnessing the failure of market economics, a failure of conservatism.

This is nonsense. What we are witnessing is the collapse of Gordon Gecko ("Greed Is Good!") capitalism. What we are witnessing is what happens to a prodigal nation that ignores history, and forgets and abandons the philosophy and principles that made it great.

A radio DJ in NY went to Harlem to see if Obama supporters support him for his policies or because of his race. The DJ asked if they supported specific Obama policies, but gave them McCain policies which differ from Obama's policies. In the cases they highlight, the Obama supporters said that they are going to vote for Obama because of his policies but then agreed with McCain's pro-life and Iraq war stances and even his choice of Sarah Palin for VP.

http://www.bpmdeejays.com/upload/hs_sal_in_Harlem_100108.mp3 (Audio link)

The Posse Comitatus Act generally prohibits federal military personnel and units of the United States National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States.

In 2006, President George W. Bush pushed a Republican-controlled Congress to pass the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, which included a section titled “Use of the Armed Forces in major public emergencies.” This section provided that “The President may employ the armed forces to restore public order in any State of the United States the President determines.” In effect, this bill obliterated Posse Comitatus.

Now, President Bush has authorized an Army brigade to be assigned the new role of dealing exclusively with domestic law enforcement and related duties.

Most of the major ills of the world have been caused by well-meaning people who ignored the principle of individual freedom, except as applied to themselves, and who were obsessed with fanatical zeal to improve the lot of mankind-in-the-mass through some pet formula of their own...The harm done by ordinary criminals, murderers, gangsters, and thieves is negligible in comparison with the agony inflicted upon human beings by the professional “do-gooders”, who attempt to set themselves up as gods on earth and who would ruthlessly force their views on all others--with the abiding assurance that the end justifies the means.

(Henry Grady Weaver, The Mainspring of Human Progress, p. 40-1)

Does it matter to your family if your state legalizes gay marriages? According to this report it will affect every family in the state.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government sponsored mortgage giants who Congress just bailed out, has donated $107,999 to Senator Bob Bennet from Utah since 1989. Only three members of Congress, all Senate Democrats, received more: Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd ($165,400), Senator Barack Obama ($126,349) and former presidential candidate Senator John Kerry ($111,000). The Center for Responsive Politics shows that Freddie and Fannie have given a combined $29.7 million in contributions to national candidates since the 1990 election cycle and spent nearly $200 million on lobbying and campaigning combined. Could their massive lobbying efforts help explain why Congress passed the bailout plan against the wishes of the vast majority of Americans?

Congress.org offers a very nice free email service which will send you an email after each day of Congress on the issues which were voted on and how each of your representatives voted. I highly recommend it.

"We encourage every person and every group who is sincerely seeking to study constitutional principles and awaken a sleeping and apathetic people to the alarming conditions that are rapidly advancing about us.  We wish all of our citizens throughout the land were participating in some type of organized self-education in order that they could better appreciate what is happening and know what they can do about it."

-- President David O. McKay - CR April 1966

From ImMad.net:

Under the guise of the Great Bailout of the U.S. economy proposed by Paulson/Bernanke/Bush (Paulnankebush) and tweaked by Congress, U.S. Government officials and financial companies are working together to steal about $700 billion from U.S. taxpayers to bail out people around the world who freely chose to gamble on the financial industry.  They want to give massive amounts of U.S. taxpayer money to foreign and U.S. investors in, and foreign and U.S. management and employees of, financial companies in and outside the U.S.

Status:  We may be witnessing the beginning of the collapse of American democracy.  The Senate and House passed the Great Bailout against the wishes of 80% of Americans who registered an opinion, with citizen participation being at the highest level in 20 years.  Our next, admittedly long shot, hope is that Bush's advisors help him understand the folly of the Great Bailout and he vetoes it so we are given the opportunity to quickly implement a better solution.  Perhaps the fact that the futures market plunged immediately upon Senate approval, and again immediately upon House approval, will illuminate the issue.  With so little time left, we must work even harder to stop the Great Bailout, so that we can implement a better solution to support the American economy, and restore faith in American democracy.  We will deliver the petitions with updated signature lists to President Bush, as we did to Congress, so keep spreading the word.

http://thirdpartyticket.com/ is a website that is putting together a presidential debate with all of the major presidential candidates-- not just the two main parties that the mainstream media limits the debates to. They need 10,000 people to sign the pledge to donate any amount to the candidate of their choice when they hold the debate. The purpose of this money bomb is to get the attention of the mainstream media. Go to this site and pledge your support for a debate with all of the candidates! The presidential candidates are:

Constitution Party Candidate: Chuck Baldwin
Democratic Party Candidate: Barack Obama
Green Party Candidate: Cynthia McKinney
Independent Party Candidate: Ralph Nader
Libertarian Party Candidate: Bob Barr
Republican Party Candidate: John McCain

Maybe this is one reason why the Democrats are trying to push the socialistic $700 billion bailout plan through Congress so quickly, before the general public learns more. I do not agree with the assertion of this video that John McCain tried to avert this crisis, but I do agree with the assertion that it was the government who caused the current economic crisis.

Dave Ramsey, the popular financial adviser, has a good plan which he calls "The Common Sense Fix":

Years of bad decisions and stupid mistakes have created an economic nightmare in this country, but $700 billion in new debt is not the answer. As a tax-paying American citizen, I will not support any congressperson who votes to implement such a policy. Instead, I submit the following three steps:

Common Sense Plan.

I. INSURANCE

A. Insure the subprime bonds/mortgages with an underlying FHA-type insurance. Government-insured and backed loans would have an instant market all over the world, creating immediate and needed liquidity.

B. In order for a company to accept the government-backed insurance, they must do two things:

   1. Rewrite any mortgage that is more than three months delinquent to a 6% fixed-rate mortgage.
      a. Roll all back payments with no late fees or legal costs into the balance. This brings homeowners current and allows them a chance to keep their homes.
      b. Cancel all prepayment penalties to encourage refinancing or the sale of the property to pay off the bad loan. In the event of foreclosure or short sale, the borrower will not be held liable for any deficit balance. FHA does this now, and that encourages mortgage companies to go the extra mile while working with the borrower—again limiting foreclosures and ruined lives.

   2. Cancel ALL golden parachutes of EXISTING and FUTURE CEOs and executive team members as long as the company holds these government-insured bonds/mortgages. This keeps underperforming executives from being paid when they don’t do their jobs.

C. This backstop will cost less than $50 billion—a small fraction of the current proposal.

II. MARK TO MARKET

A. Remove mark to market accounting rules for two years on only subprime Tier III bonds/mortgages. This keeps companies from being forced to artificially mark down bonds/mortgages below the value of the underlying mortgages and real estate.

B. This move creates patience in the market and has an immediate stabilizing effect on failing and ailing banks—and it costs the taxpayer nothing.

III. CAPITAL GAINS TAX

A. Remove the capital gains tax completely. Investors will flood the real estate and stock market in search of tax-free profits, creating tremendous—and immediate—liquidity in the markets. Again, this costs the taxpayer nothing.

B. This move will be seen as a lightning rod politically because many will say it is helping the rich. The truth is the rich will benefit, but it will be their money that stimulates the economy. This will enable all Americans to have more stable jobs and retirement investments that go up instead of down.

This is not a time for envy, and it’s not a time for politics. It’s time for all of us, as Americans, to stand up, speak out, and fix this mess.

Darrell L. Castle, the 2008 Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Constitution Party, presented the first recovery plan that would cost taxpayers nothing and would restore a sound economy:

Laws, originally evolving out of the New Deal legislation written in response to the great depression, once protected the American financial system. Starting in the 1990’s, in response to intense lobbying efforts by the financial industry, those laws were stripped away. The most important one was Glass Steagall which separated commercial banking from the type of investment work of a stockbroker. Glass Steagall was signed out of existence in 1999 by President Clinton and less than 10 years later the entire financial system is bankrupt. Another law, known as The Uptick rule, prevented companies from crashing due to large scale shorting of company stock. A company’s stock could not be sold short as long as it was in continuous decline. Short sellers had to wait for an uptick in the stock before shorting. The Uptick Rule ended in 2007 just about one year ago.

The end of the laws protecting the American public from unscrupulous speculators disguised as bankers caused changes in the way our banks do business. The banks decided that simple banking, that is loaning money at interest, was not profitable enough so they began investing in risk paper. This changed them from banks into something akin to casinos. Now that the gamble has finally failed these new casinos are asking the American taxpayer to pick up the tab for their greed and excess.

Now all this risk paper, known in the financial world as “the derivatives market” is collapsing. Derivatives are not stocks or bonds or anything else substantial. They are simply paper derived from other paper such as futures and options. Futures and options are exchange traded derivatives, but the largest group of derivatives is not even traded on the exchanges. These are called “counterparty derivatives” and consist of such things as collateralized debt obligations, mortgage backed securities, and credit default swaps. It is estimated that total derivative exposure of the financial system is between one quadrillion and one and a half quadrillion. A quadrillion is 1000 trillion. To put that in perspective, the entire GDP of all the world’s countries in 2007 was approximately 60 trillion. GDP is basically everything that is produced for sale. The American people are now being asked to shoulder the risk of the entire derivatives market and if they do, 700 billion will prove to be a drop in the bucket.

The rapid increase in the price of fuel during the last year is a good example of the destructive nature of the derivative market. Much of the price increase was due to speculation in futures especially by Goldman Sachs (Henry Paulson’s company) and Morgan Stanley. These companies, it is believed, are responsible for about 50% of the speculative price of oil. What that means is that every time we buy gas we subsidize the parasites who feed off us so they can continue their existence. We are now being asked to accept increased taxes to cover their losses.

Now that this mess has been created, what should be done to resolve it with the least amount of pain for the American People?

1. All failed and at risk financial companies, not just those we constantly read about, should be seized by the F.D.I.C. (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) and put into involuntary Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. The money people have on deposit would carry the same FDIC guarantee as before so there would be no need for panic. The Chapter 11 trustee would examine the assets of these institutions and all derivative paper should be discharged in bankruptcy. The American people should not accept one penny of risk for derivative paper. The real assets such as mortgages on residential real estate should be separated and foreclosure should be indefinitely frozen. The at risk mortgages, whether subprime or not, could be written down to the current value of the property and re-amortized for a payment the homeowner could afford. The mortgage could then be returned to the bank for service or referred to Fannie and Freddie if the bank did not survive Chapter 11.

2. The Federal Reserve Banks should be seized by Congress under Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution. The FED banks could survive as Clearinghouse banks but the Federal Reserve that has robbed the American people for 100 years would cease to exist. The debt owed by the American people to the FED banks would be discharged in bankruptcy. Congress would take monetary policy from the FED and would simply stand in place of the FED through a monetary board. The FED credit computers would be transferred to Congress who would issue new credit (money) because under our present system 97% of all money originates as credit. This new credit would keep the system going and prevent collapse. It could all be done without interest and without debt. The backs of the international banking cartel would be broken forever and the American people through their elected representatives would control monetary policy i.e. money in circulation, interest rates, and credit availability.

3. Glass Steagall and the Uptick Rule should be returned. Speculation in the futures markets of essentials such as fuel, food, and medicine should be banned or at least have a punitive tax say 50% attached.

4. The Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Trustee would immediately move to seize any assets taken by the CEO’s and Boards of Directors from the bankrupt companies during the prescribed time period. No bankruptcy system would allow the CEO of the bankrupt company to keep hundreds of millions as in some of these cases. At the same time, the U.S. Attorney should be directed to examine the process for criminal sanctions where laws have been violated.

In conclusion, this plan would return our monetary system to the American People and ignite a new wave of prosperity and liberty. Every crisis presents opportunities if we only look for them. This is an opportunity for the American people to throw off the yoke of debt bondage that has enslaved them for 100 years and gain direct control of monetary policy through representatives answerable directly to them. No particular philosophy has been respected or spared in this plan. I am more interested in saving the system for the American people than I am in respecting anyone’s philosophy of money or government. This is intended to be a simple, easy to understand, explanation of our banking crisis with a Constitutional solution.

We are faced with a second attempt coming at Congress by Thursday, October 2nd, to get a bailout bill through the House of Representatives. So today and Wednesday, October 1st we need to cause a cry that Congress can not fail to hear from We the People.

Apparently, the House Majority Leader used the H.R.3997 bill as the vehicle for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. This bill was defeated today 228-205. You can see how your representative voted at http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll674.xml.

"Gentlemen, I have had men watching you for a long time, and I am convinced that you have used the funds of the bank to speculate in the breadstuffs of the country.  When you won, you divided the profits amongst you, and when you lost, you charged it to the bank.

You tell me that if I take the deposits from the bank and annul its charter, I shall ruin ten thousand families.  That may be true, gentlemen, but that is your sin!  Should I let you go on, you will ruin fifty thousand families, and that would be my sin!

You are a den of vipers and thieves. I intend to rout you out, and by the eternal God, I will rout you out."

-- President Andrew Jackson, discussing a Bank Renewal bill with a delegation of bankers in 1832

Yesterday, September 22, Congressman Ron Paul publicly gave me his endorsement for the office of President of the United States. In his blog at the Campaign for Liberty web site, he said, "I'm supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate." (See the complete statement)

Obviously, I could not be more delighted and honored to have Dr. Paul's endorsement. I called him last evening and thanked him personally. And now I want to thank him publicly.

I am fully aware that Dr. Paul was under considerable pressure from various groups that were actively soliciting his support. I can honestly say that I never lobbied Dr. Paul for his endorsement. He knew I would be thrilled to have it, but I have too much respect for Ron Paul to be so presumptuous as to expect him to endorse me. I completely understood his neutrality. He has strong ties to both the Libertarian and Constitution parties--not to mention the obvious fact that he is a ten-term Republican Congressman with much support from the Republican Party in his home district.

I was happy to support Ron Paul during the Republican primaries, because I believe in the same principles. I personally campaigned for him in several states and in this column. And I asked (or expected) nothing in return. In fact, I have stated this publicly, time and again: if Ron Paul had won the Republican nomination for President, I would not be running. I would still be supporting Ron Paul.

I am running for President because the Republican Party rejected Ron's Paul's message of constitutional government, fiscal responsibility, and non-interventionism. Therefore, someone had to pick up the mantle and carry this message into the general election. The Constitution Party asked me to be their standard-bearer in order to bring this message to the American people in November. So, here I am. And now, Ron Paul's endorsement is further substantiation that the message of constitutional government will not die in 2008. The American people still have a real choice instead of the big-government, globalist, interventionist, "big box" party candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama.

Ron Paul's message is my message; Ron Paul's fight is my fight.

I want to return America to constitutional government. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." (Amendment X) I believe that, and will govern the Executive branch of the federal government accordingly.

My sworn oath to the Tenth Amendment means I would dismantle the Patriot Act and restore law enforcement to the states and local governments, where it rightly belongs. Yes, this includes the so-called "war on drugs" and the so-called "war on terror." No more warrantless searches and seizures. No more eavesdropping on Americans' phone calls, or collecting Americans' emails, or spying on American citizens without court order and oversight. No more stripping Americans of their constitutional rights in the name of "national security." In addition, I would use every power and authority vested to my office to preserve and protect the right of the people to keep and bear arms. And, yes, I will immediately restore Posse Comitatus. As President, I want to protect America from Washington, D.C., as much I want to protect it from foreign powers.

I will also take the words of the Declaration of Independence seriously, where it states, "That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States." This means the day I am sworn in as President of the United States, the New World Order comes crashing down! The NAFTA superhighway is dead. The North American Union is dead. I will work to eliminate NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT, and the WTO. The FTAA is DOA. I will not expend tax dollars for the support of the United Nations.

Furthermore, I will take my oath to the Constitution seriously, when it states that one of the express purposes of the federal government is to "repel Invasions." This means we will secure America's borders, because the illegal immigration crisis is more than mere immigration: it is an invasion, and I will stop it! Even if I have to send the U.S. Army to the borders, we will put a stop to this invasion of illegal aliens. I will also aggressively prosecute those employers who knowingly hire illegals. And did I mention that my first day in office is Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean's last day in prison? I will personally open the prison doors and restore to these men their freedom. I will also give them their jobs back (with pay), if they want them. And one more item on this point: my first day of office is also U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's last day on the job.

I also share Ron Paul's concerns for the way the two major parties have allowed the United States to become a meddlesome, interventionist, nation-building empire for the sake of satisfying the greedy machinations of international bankers and power-hungry politicians. I will not only bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, but also from most of the other 130 nations that currently house U.S. forces. I will end foreign aid. I will get the U.S. out of NATO. It is past time for the European states to defend themselves. It is time for us to stop sticking our nose in every other nation's business and start taking care of the United States. The Warfare State will kill us. Global empires are not sustainable. I repeat: global empires are not sustainable. If history teaches anything, it teaches that.

Furthermore, the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war is over, when I become President. Because I will take my oath to the Constitution seriously, I would never send troops to invade and occupy a foreign country without a Declaration of War by Congress. In dealing with rogue terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda, I will seek letters of Marque and Reprisal from Congress, which would give me the authority to use whatever special and/or private forces are necessary to seek out and destroy those who desire our hurt.

And even though I am a born again Christian (as is Ron Paul), I would take my responsibility to protect the religious liberty of every American seriously. People have the right to worship God (or not worship God) according to the dictates of their own conscience. Whether one is Baptist, Catholic, Mormon, or agnostic, people have the right to practice their faith as they see fit. I am absolutely dedicated to preserving religious liberty. Religious tyranny is as evil as political or social tyranny. And, as I will be no man's slave, neither will I be any man's master.

I also share Ron Paul's commitment to the sanctity of life. When I become President, I will use the bully pulpit of the White House to press Congress to pass Dr. Paul's Sanctity of Life Act, which would overturn Roe v. Wade and end abortion-on-demand. On this topic, the GOP is especially hypocritical. The Republican Party controlled the entire federal government for six years and did nothing to save the life of a single unborn child. Saving unborn babies from the abortionists' scalpel is more than rhetoric with me, however.

Another area of agreement with Ron Paul is my philosophy of economics. Dr. Paul has been predicting the current financial meltdown in this country for years. And when all is done, the current bailout being proposed will do more harm than good. The problem is, America's leaders have rejected sound money policies for years, and the chickens are coming home to roost.

As President, I would seek to overturn the 16th Amendment, eliminate the Internal Revenue Service, and disband the Federal Reserve. I would lead the charge to return America to sound money principles. I would seek to reduce federal spending to constitutional levels by eliminating those same federal departments that Newt Gingrich promised to eliminate in his Contract with America back in 1994 (and then failed to do). I would seek to eliminate the Departments of Education, Commerce, Energy, etc. I would demand that Congress pass a balanced budget and that we stop deficit spending.

Neither John McCain nor Barack Obama will do any of the above. If he were President, Dr. Paul would do it, however, and so would I.

Needless to say, I am both humbled and honored that Ron Paul would place enough faith in me that he would endorse me for President. I can think of no higher compliment to my candidacy. I here and now publicly thank him for this vote of confidence. I know my Vice Presidential running mate, Darrell Castle (a former Marine Corps officer and Vietnam veteran), joins me in inviting all of Dr. Paul's supporters to help us take the message of constitutional government into the general election on November 4. Thank you.

"Latter-day Saints as citizens are to seek out and then uphold leaders who will act with integrity and are wise, good, and honest...we urge you to register to vote, to study the issues and candidates carefully and prayerfully, and then to vote for and actively support those you believe will most nearly carry out your ideas of good government."

 -- Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, September 11, 2008