"The most significant threat to our national security is our debt," Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, August 27, 2010


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Burdens, burdens, burdens

Pretty interesting fight going on. Some suggest it is the direct result of 60 or 70 freshmen/women new congress electees from the November 2010 election who are causing all the hullabaloo. These newbie’s apparently are driving the republican majority in one segment of federal government to cool it on the spending, the borrowing, the deficits and the debt. But, as you all know the debt keeps rising. Why does it keep rising?

First, let’s look at federal government employment. Just the feds; not the states and the cities and the counties where there is massive government employment. In Washington DC, your capitol, the home of the peoples “of by and for the people” democracy and in its branches around the 50 states, the feds employ about 2,852,000 people as of 2010. That is a record high number! In 2009, it was 2,837,000 and in 2008 it was 2,781,000. These numbers come straight from the feds themselves – http://www.bls.gov/ . In the last ten years, the low point (and it wasn’t very low) was around 2004 – 2006 when the number was 2,730,000. So, since Obama came in the feds have kept adding even though private sector employment declined from a high of 115,606,000 in 2007 to 107,980,000 in 2010. Private sector employment declines about 7,600,000 and the feds add 120,000 to their very high payroll/benefit/pension costing employment rosters.

Pat Buchanan just wrote an article about, among other things, the makeup of this government workforce. You can access the article at: http://buchanan.org/blog/black-america-vs-obama-4797  Here’s a couple of paragraphs from the article:

“Though 10 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force, African-Americans are 18 percent of U.S. government workers. They are 25 percent of the employees at Treasury and Veterans Affairs, 31 percent of the State Department, 37 percent of Department of Education employees and 38 percent of Housing and Urban Development . They are 42 percent of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., 55 percent of the employees at the Government Printing Office and 82 percent at the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency.

When the Obama administration suggested shutting down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants whose losses of $150 billion have had to be made up by taxpayers, The Washington Post warned, in a story headlined, "Winding Down Fannie and Freddie Could Put Minority Careers at Risk," that 44 percent of Fannie employees and 50 percent of Freddie's were persons of color.”

Let’s move on and look at another interesting component of the American scene. This is one of our favorites – lawyers, litigation and: LAW SCHOOLS. For this burdensome topic we turn to the NYTimes. Please read this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/business/law-school-economics-job-market-weakens-tuition-rises.html

This is a classic piece of reporting because it describes the problem succinctly; even has people who are part of the problem admitting to the problem and yet suggests that the problem is going to go on and on. Problems that go on and on are burdens. We are only going to drop a few quotes from the article but we suggest you read it in its entirety. Here goes:

“From 1989 to 2009, when college tuition rose by 71 percent, law school tuition shot up 317 percent. “

“But borrowing $150,000 or more is now a vastly riskier proposition given the scarcity of Big Law jobs. Of course, that scarcity hasn’t been priced into the cost of law school.”

Who do you think the law school students borrow much of that the money from? Three guesses; first two do not count. Yep, the feds. The same gang that employs all the folks in the opening paragraphs of this essay.

Here is the debt of the United States on the day Mr. Obama took the oath of office, January 20, 2009: $10,627,000,000,000.00.  And here is the debt last Friday: $14,343,000,000,000.00.

Up $3.7 trillion in two and one half years; 30 months; never so much borrowed in such a short time. What we get for the debt is the mother of all burdens.

There are many burdens humans encounter in their lives. Perhaps nothing worse than an illness or family travails. But there are self imposed burdens also and debt, perhaps more than any other controllable burden, is highly destructive. Debt is the consequence of other problems and ailments. Too many lawyers; too many government employees; no fortitude to change. Burdens, burdens, burdens. At some point these burdens will collapse unto themselves. Just as too high real estate prices collapse and too high dot com stock prices collapse.

America seems to love burdens. Here are four more:

• New Chicago mayor sends his kids to private schools while city taxpayers get to send their kids to crappy Chicago public schools. Huge burden: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0722-20110722,0,6512124.column

• Chicago suburb of Orland Park has a fire department with 108 employees; 79 of them earned more than $100,000.00 last year. Are the taxpayers of Orland Park nuts to go along with this burden? http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-orland-fire-salaries-20110720,0,1794835.story

• Geithner, on TV this just last Sunday, “One in eight Americans is eligible for food stamps.” ONE IN EIGHT!

• And, the most burdensome of all, Geithner again on TV Sunday, “40% of Americans today are born into families eligible for Medicaid.” FORTY PERCENT!!!

A few months ago, McDonalds, of hamburger fame, started a new digital advertising campaign in China. “The focus of this new campaign is the feeling of happiness, and it is aimed at urban Chinese white-collar workers. The campaign’s slogan is 快乐就是0负担 (Kuàilè jiùshì 0 fùdān), which roughly translates to ‘Happiness is 0 burdens‘.” **

“Happiness in 0 burdens.”

You cannot burden the working, taxpaying citizens of any place: state, county, city or country, with the level of burdens described above and expect anything other than malaise, discontent and, ultimately, destruction. Unlifted burdens, much more so than unlifted debt limits, do incalculable damage.

The Chinese get it. The freshmen/women newbie’s get it? Heck, even McDonalds seems to get it?  Who doesn't get it?



** http://adsofchina.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/mcdonalds-china-happiness-is-0-burdens-by-xu-jinglei/

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Democrat Lexicon: Code Words

Code words are usually one to three words used in combination to communicate a catchy but meaningless concept to those who are either unable or unwilling to examine, analyze, measure and manage real concepts based on facts and figures. These words are used constantly by politicians and are used exclusively by your current president, his leaders in the senate and house – NPelosi and HReid. You can also count on hearing many of these words from America’s two failed financial regulators: BBernanke and TGeithner. Here is a brief list of Democrat code words in random order with a brief interpretation offered by TheFundamentals.
  • Living wage = non competitive union dictated wage controls 
  • Collective bargaining rights = taxpayer abusive deal between politicians and unionized government workers 
  • Civil rights = special deals for protected classes; historic vote buying scheme 
  • Shipping jobs overseas = businesses trying to compete under heavy tax/government regulation burden 
  • Government revenues = borrowing or taxes; best if hidden or disguised to taxpayer 
  • Green energy = subsidies for special interest groups 
  • Progressive taxation = scheme to buy votes from expanding group of non taxpaying voters 
  • Protectionism = subsidies for special interest groups 
  • Women’s right to choose = prenatal, legal infanticide 
  • Gay rights = protectionism for special interest group comprising 1% of population 
  • Inflation under control = food and fuel prices soaring 
  • Making investments = uncontrolled/unmeasured/repetitive government spending 
  • Federal control = no one knows what is going on; disaster looms 
  • Doing the people’s work = trying my best to get reelected  
  • Divided government = when the opposition doesn’t go along with your proposal 
  • Shared sacrifice = more taxes on high earners; tax credits for non tax payers 
  • Gun control = scheme to ignore the constitution and diminish "the people's" power
  • Moving forward = same old crap 
  • Great society = political jabberwocky for the civil rights crowd 
  • Shining city on a hill = political jabberwocky for the hard working, taxpaying crowd 
  • New world order = Marxism finds utopia; bureaucrats live high on the hog 
  • Multiculturalism = a recurring wet dream of the new world order gang 
  • Terrorism = killing and injuring children to advance any objective 
  • Terrorists = anyone who kills and injures children to advance any objective 
  • Nation of immigrants = mythology to disguise plans to legalize aliens and get their vote  
  • FEMA = Failed Emergency Management Agency 
  • One man one vote = the ultimate plan for non taxpayers to secure free benefits 
  • Gay marriage = a sodomitic based aberration crafted for 1% of the population 
  • Great public schools = just don't expect me to send my kids to them
  • Saving jobs = political double talk that sounds good; can’t be measured 
  • Putting the people first = more debt on the kids and grandkids 
  • Creating jobs = political double talk that sounds good; can’t be measured 
  • NASA = Pigs in Space wasting billions 
  • Private sector = we hate 'em; we really need them; don't let them know
  • Government regulation = no one knows what is going on; disaster looms 
  • Wall Street = greedy bastards who are not taxed enough
  • Comprehensive immigration policy = vote buying scheme directed toward illegal aliens 
  • Ten year budgets = politicians way of not being around to pay the bills 
  • Global warming = more government subsidies for special interests 
  • Political correctness = a boring abomination; TheFundamentals abhors political correctness
  • NSA/Homeland Security = vast government bureaucracy skirting all the fundamentals of the nation’s founding fathers 
  • Stimulus government spending = unmeasured distribution of government funds to donors 
  • Tax the rich = natural outcome of one man; one vote 
  • Tenure = free pass to sloth; no rules; no outcome measurements 
  • Public servants/workers = oxymoron
  • Privacy rights = government can access everything 
  • Pain, suffering & punitive damages = lawyer crap designed to make lawyers very rich  
  • Same sex unions = same old 1% desperate for community acceptance 
  • Progressive agenda = more government; less independence 
  • Spreading democracy = war using terrorist tactics 
  • Too large to fail = predictable outcome of government regulation overriding market competitive forces
  • Community organizer = limited skill set; can’t or won’t get a private sector job
  • Department, board, commission, agency, bureau, committee, hearing, council = solution avoidance schemes

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Obama is Bluffing; Outcome Unpredictable

Let’s look at the cards Obama holds or has been dealt in the last months:

• A big loss at the polls in the midterm election

• A really bad and persistent level of un and underemployment

• Record levels of deficits, much of which has been promoted as stimulus programs to get the economy going. They have failed completely

• Record levels of debt added to an already overwhelming burden on the economy

• A housing correction he inherited that has worsened on his watch

• An Illinois/Chicago politicians tin ear/eye to recognizing the destruction of American business’ competitiveness because of his legislation and programs

• We really need to repeat the previous point. It is incalculable to measure the damage that Obama is doing to America because of his Illinois/Chicago training

• He is now threatening; scaring grandma and feigns self assurance (more Chicago tactics)

• Many states are moving aggressively to balance their budgets and promote wealth creation/ jobs growth. None of this behavior is evident in Washington DC

• External disciplines are building in the form of rating agencies; bond market vigilantes; foreign debt buyers and a large portion of American voters/taxpayers

All Obama has on his side is a sycophantic media: PBS, NPR, NBC, CBS and ABC. This media gang will not face the reality of the above situation. They will not question the man they voted for. But many Americans are carefully watching the destruction of his presidency and are quite prepared to take away the senate and the presidency from his party next year.

Obama is trying to bluff the republicans with this hand. If he succeeds he will be a one term president with a Hoover style legacy. He knows that.

He knows that he needs a drastic sacrifice and frugality program. He just doesn’t have the training or the cojones to lead the process. He knows it deep in his soul (some question this statement and say he follows his ideology.) But he thinks the republicans will blink. They well might; too many of them have spent way too much time in Washington and too little time in America. He watched Richard Daley in Chicago give in to unions; fold on any discipline with the police and teachers; sell off city assets for a fraction of their value to balance the books; let the debt and off the books liabilities build and build and build and still claim preeminence. This is Obama’s thinking; his training. Avoid serious problems; kick the can down the road; never face and correct real systemic problems; stay above the fray. He believes that this approach will work for our country or, at least, for him. He doesn’t realize that our foreign competitors see these weaknesses clearly and bear no resemblance to the weak competition of the Illinois opposition party. Foreign competitors develop strategies to win commercially; win economically; and win in the long term. They build wealth creating economies; America builds its mythology. Obama does not grasp any of what we have just written/said!!!

The republican “leaders” are politicians. They are not leaders. It is a big problem when the opposition thinks and acts like politicians. They vacillate; the hold meetings; they react; they point fingers; they blame the other side. They cannot form a corrective strategy and stick with it. This is the behavior of the politician; not of a leader.

America has chosen a path of spending, borrowing and currency devaluation to implement a political entitlement agenda. It has prioritized a societal, cultural, environmental and political agenda and placed it well ahead of wealth creation, economic growth and good jobs for its citizens. It packages this agenda in mythology and outright deceptions. It pretends it is something it is not. This process is self destructive.

We are on a certain road to failure. TheFundamentals characterizes this road as deficits = debt = destruction. We have also used these pages for years now to describe and analyze the problem and offer sensible and doable solutions. There is no solution besides sacrifice and frugality.

It appears that we cannot grasp the severity of the problem and, therefore, are either unable or unwilling to implement the sensible and doable solutions. If such is the case, we are better off accelerating the financial crisis which will impose its own solutions. The sooner; the better. Obama clearly is the right person to get us there sooner.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

How to Avoid Default

So what’s the big deal? We have a plan; a simple plan.

Print enough cash and pay off all the debt.

At least all the debt in the form of US bonds and notes that permit early redemption at the option of the issuer

The issuer is uncle Sam.

If we do this we no longer have a debt issue

Sometimes this essayist wonders why these guys who think they are so smart with all their eastern college degrees can’t just find an easy solution.

Here how you do it.

You give everyone with a US treasury bond/note a 30 day option to redeem their bond/note.

They can get cash at the local currency exchange (Illinois only) or bank or grocery store or apple store or Macy’s. Not Wal-Mart and Target because a lot of their crap is made in China (see the fine print.)

If they don’t turn in their bond/notes in the 30 day period then they will get paid off just as they would have otherwise. So, no default.

All we are doing is just accelerating the painful process that we have been doing month by month for years now. We borrow and print and borrow and print and when your bond comes due you either get more borrowed money or you get recently printed money. We’re just going to do it in 30 days and then we can move on; don’t worry about debt limit; granny gets her social security check; Obama voters don’t have to get jobs in the private sector (well not quite, see below) and food stamps and ethanol flow freely.

Now the smart money will grab the cash and then everyone will have pockets full of cash but the cash will have a small restriction on it. What’s that you say? The cash says, “Good only for products and services “Made in USA” until November 6, 2012.”

Now why that date you say? Well that’s when our courageous president will be asking for your vote. We figure if we do this plan, things will be booming by November 6, 2012. So he will sign it. His party will support it for the same reason. Well what about the republicans you ask? Cripes they are the ones who own the bonds. Are they going to say no to getting repaid? We don’t think so.

Now there is one of those unintended consequences to this deal. And it’s a good one. When we are all done with this little program/scheme we are not sure if a lot of foreign countries will want to buy anymore of our bonds which is a good thing. But we shouldn’t need it because we will be back to making everything we need here. Everything will say, “Made in USA”

No more Chinese crap.

Win win win win win.

Obama gets reelected. Debt is paid off or down big time. Lots of jobs in the new American based manufacturing plants. We stick it up the heines of our foreign competitors and Sarah Palin can ride off into the sunset on an American made motorcycle (hopefully.) Ron Paul can retire (Praise the Lord) and Newt and the loverly Callista can travel to more exotic places finding high caloric treats for the former speaker. We will miss Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain. We hope that those two will be the nominees in 2012.

Oh someone just asked about the big names on the democratic side. Well, we see big benefits there also. Barney Frank can move to New York and get married to Neil Patrick Henry. Lady Gaga can replace Hillary at state; and Bono can take over homeland security. With our budgets balanced we can move troops into Syria, Iran and Burma to start the much needed process of instituting democratic governments. Watch out North Korea and Venezuela. You’re next. New World Order here we come. Yippee.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Measurable Objectives

“Affordability”

“Sustainability”

“Reasonableness”

“My team is dedicated”

“Were not backing down”

Straight from NASA administrator Charles Bolden on a Sunday TV program. His lexicon is the language of the bureaucrat. Highfalutin; no measurable metrics as to cost or accomplishments. All we know from Mr. Bolden is that he qualifies to run any government agency because he has mastered the vocabulary of mythological, unmeasured vagueness. What is missing from his key words describing the mission of his government bureaucracy? What concept does he not even address when he talks about the future?

Measurable objectives.

If you spend billions what do you accomplish?

Building for the future? Dedicated team? Sustainability? Not measurable objectives.

Keeping America first in space? Well, that would at least be consistent with the superlatives that come from politicians and bureaucrats. You know them:

• Best medical system in the world. Ignore that it costs 2-3 times more than any other developed country with no: none: nada improvement in lifetime expectancy. As a matter of fact America’s life expectancy trails most.

• Best education system in the world. Well, not really. Just read the objective evaluations. We trail almost all the key developed and developing countries.

• Best military in the world. Probably true but that doesn’t mean we can go anywhere in the world and accomplish our military objectives anywhere in the world. As a matter of fact, we can’t. It does mean we can defend ourselves and that is and should be the number one mission of our military.

• Most powerful economy in the world. No. No longer.

• Largest exporter in the world. No. We haven’t held that measurable objective for years. We are third and declining.

• A manufacturing powerhouse. Sure we are compared to most. But we have slipped badly against our key competitors. Without a powerful manufacturing base America will fall into the inconsequential world situation that most all European countries (except Germany) have obliviously attained. Manufacturing economies cannot rest on past performance.

So, let’s make a simple point out of this essay. It is long past time for America to develop an economic policy that supports a strong wealth creating, economic growth, jobs developing economy. Our focus must be on a strong economy. Not on spreading democracy; not on attracting immigrants for which we have no jobs; not on instituting entitlement programs that must be funded via debt and currency dilution. In other words, not on NASA concepts. NASA follows the mythology that politicians blather about our medical system or our education system or our hoped for export situation. Mythology is meaningless. Political/bureaucratic pandering and nonsensical code words designed to capture one more election are a key component of the economic failure of this country. We are having our collective fat fannies handed to us by both developed and developing countries that have, in place, strong wealth creation and economic growth programs and policies.

America’s job creation problem is not a short term fix issue as it is being described by the republican candidates for the coming presidential election. The party in power and their leader from the failing state of Illinois, don’t even want to talk about the growing problem on their watch. Why? Because the only solutions are opposed by their constituency.

So, what does a system of governance that focuses on strong wealth creation/economic growth programs and policies look like:

1. Lower taxes on business and wealth creating activities
2. Drastically lower spending on all government programs, subsidies and bureaucracies (25% immediate; more to follow). All means everything; no exceptions. Future legislation must establish measurable objectives being met or it is not funded. All future legislation must be have defined termination dates no more than four years in the future
3. Gradual tightening of entitlement programs qualifications and payments (5% immediately; more to follow)
4. Tort reform which holds the loser in any civil/criminal action responsible for all costs; elimination of all federal class action lawsuits; very low limits on any non economic damages; eliminate all protected class legislation
5. Massive disclosure requirement on any lobbying effort and a complete elimination of any former government paycheck recipient from any form of lobbying activity (K Street needs to become an anti-American concept)
6. Serious immigration policy – physical removal of all illegal aliens; work permits for specific job categories
7. Federal right to work legislation; elimination of mandatory union membership
8. Medical system revisions: cap on all senior reimbursements; co-pays for all procedures; charity/government assistance for those who cannot afford co-pays
9. Federal criminal legislation must be abandoned. State governments must be in charge of criminal prosecutions
10. Term limits for all federal elective positions

Too much you say. Not doable. A lot of Americans are sitting on their fat fannies voting every two/four years for hope and change. Meanwhile, the country slips further and further behind our principal and growing foreign competitors. If you are not willing to sacrifice now, today; you may just as well vote for hope and change. It is the same as praying for a miracle to lose weight while waiting for your super sized meal at the local fast food outlet.  At least you can measure (your waist line) the result of that meal!

Friday, July 8, 2011

American Political Irony

Wouldn’t it be something if the actions of the republicans, which are so vigorously opposed by Mr. Obama and his party, turn out to be the very cause and catalyst of Mr. Obama’s political survival? How’s that for political irony?

Well, it is not as farfetched as it may seem and TheFundamentals doubts that this very possibility; this very scenario, is being missed by the strategists for Mr. Obama and his party. They can actually oppose the cut backs and the frugality efforts and the opposition to tax increases in any form; oppose them vigorously, in order to appear intellectually and ideologically connected to the many special interest and protected groups that make up their voting base while knowing that it is these very republican positions that offer the best likelihood of an end to the current American economic malaise and the too high unemployment numbers and the wallowing real estate market.

It is apparent to a majority of Americans that postponed corrections are just more painful than facing corrections as they occur. Avoided corrections are a double whammy on the economic scene. If you try to fight a corrective process you extend it and if you fight it with debt producing activities such as those America has followed now for many years, you end up burdening the revival with the interest and repayment obligations of the debt. All of these consequences were diligently addressed on these pages in years past. We apologize for and abhor our lack of influence in these matters but we will always persist because try as hard as the politicians and the special interest and the protected groups do; the fundamentals, in the end, prevail.

So, Obama fights cutbacks but knows he needs them. He fights tax increases but knows he does not wish to be burdened with the tax increase label in November 2012. He actually wants cut backs and does not want tax increases. But he has to posture. He must appear to be on the side of his special interest groups; his protected classes; his community organizers; and all those who fight the greed of big business and Wall Street and the well to do and those other citizens who, occasionally, create jobs.

This, folks, is a game. It is a charade. You can take it to the bank. Obama will settle the debt; the deficit; the tax issues – he will settle them all. He has no choice. They are the key to his success. The last thing the foolish Obama/Reid/Pelosi/Bernanke/Geithner team wants is an extension of their failed policies. How’s that for change and honesty?

The real question is how far and how deep and how successful will the republicans be in extracting their goals. But even that question is not worth a lot of analysis and study to determine the answer. Why? Because the battle is being won in state after state and every time one of those states shuts down or diminishes a union bargaining issue or increases the contribution to or eliminates an excessive pension program; every time the republicans in Ohio or Florida or Wisconsin or New Jersey or Minnesota accomplish a correction; move their state toward fiscal responsibility; stand up to Mr. Obama’s special interest groups and his protected classes; every time this happens, Mr. Obama wins. He and his gang are trying to time it as well as they can so that the economy picks up; employment rises; unemployment falls and tax revenues start to rise coincident with the elections of 2012. Will they succeed? Will it matter? Who knows? It’s not that far away so don’t waste too much time on those questions either. Right now, most thinking Americans see through their deceptions. And redemption does require a bit of self awareness.

Now, if we could only get Gwendolyn Ifill and her gang of Obama sycophants at PBS and the entire NBC news crew to grasp this situation we could look forward to a big political upheaval in late 2012. Don’t count on it. That gang is still reveling in the 2008 election results. In the meantime, please remember that politics not only makes strange bedfellows, it ain’t always what it seems to be.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

The American Mind: Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson is a "founding father."  He was born in 1743 in the American colony of Virginia.

In 1776, he was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Age: 33.

In 1779, elected governor of Virginia. Age: 36.

In 1785 appointed Minister to France. Age: 42.

1n 1789, appointed Secretary of State in George Washington’s first  administration. Age: 46.

In 1796, he became Vice President due to his second place finish in the presidential election. John Adams won. Age: 53.

In the 1800 election he redeemed himself and became President. Age: 57.

The following summary of his presidency is quoted from: http://sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/tjefferson.html

“Federalist leaders remained adamantly opposed to Jefferson, but the people approved his policies. Internal taxes were reduced; the military budget was cut; the Alien and Sedition Acts were permitted to lapse; and plans were made to extinguish the public debt. Simplicity and frugality became the hallmarks of Jefferson's administration. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) capped his achievements. Ironically, Jefferson had to overcome constitutional scruples in order to take over the vast new territory without authorization by constitutional amendment. In this instance it was his Federalist critics who became the constitutional purists. Nonetheless, the purchase was received with popular enthusiasm. In the election of 1804, Jefferson swept every state except two--Connecticut and Delaware. Jefferson's second administration began with a minor success--the favorable settlement concluding the TRIPOLITAN WAR (1801-05), in which the newly created U.S. Navy fought its first engagements. The following year the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which the president had dispatched to explore the Louisiana Territory, returned triumphantly after crossing the continent. The West was also a source of trouble, however. The disaffected Aaron Burr engaged in a conspiracy, the details of which are still obscure, either to establish an independent republic in the Louisiana Territory or to launch an invasion of Spanish-held Mexico. Jefferson acted swiftly to arrest Burr early in 1807 and bring him to trial for treason. Burr was acquitted, however.

Jefferson's main concern in his second administration was foreign affairs, in which he experienced a notable failure. In the course of the Napoleonic Wars Britain and France repeatedly violated American sovereignty in incidents such as the Chesapeake affair (1807). Jefferson attempted to avoid a policy of either appeasement or war by the use of economic pressure.”

In 1819, he founded the University of Virginia. Age: 76.

On July 4, 1826, at the age of 83, Thomas Jefferson died.

If you wish to know the mind of America, it is a good idea to read a bit about the character and the being of those who created it. This man, Thomas Jefferson, deserves to be studied and embraced. He, as much as any human being, formed the mind of America. This entire website could be dedicated to his accomplishments and his wisdom and his fundamentals. Of the latter, this essayist finds this simple thought to be first among many:

‘It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world. ‘

Jefferson did not live for politics.  He served his community and his nation.  He asked that his grave stone reflect only the following: “author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia”