America's core is NOT rotten, the USSR's core was, right from the start.  America's core is the Declaration of Independence, and from that root, all the rest has grown.  If we no longer nourish the Tree of Liberty, it will wither.  The core of American independence and Liberty is not rotten.  We simply have to defend it from being chopped down for firewood.  Socialism has a rotten core, it is a tree that bears no fruit — it's very premise is to reap the harvest of others.  

I wonder how MLK would respond to today's 'people of color' (i.e. colored people) demanding segregation from whites in their schools...  This is what it has come to.

Read the article.  It is a review of a study 'The Internal Debts of the United States.'  It doesn't sound like it's written by a communist, quite the opposite.  The issues raised are as clear as day, written in the time FDR was racking up debts to the Moon.  The only way he could do that is with fiat currency and taking gold out of circulation.

Yes, the destiny of the free republics were settled with compulsory education — unfortunately that destiny is now servitude.  Compulsory education was not to help form fresh philosophers and thinkers or independent minds.  It was based on German compulsory education to produce obedient workers.  Only through the compelled content that teaches the young that they are beholden to government authority and require permission to work, required to hand over 1/3 of one's earnings or face imprisonment, and now much more — complete disempowerment of the individual as a sacrifice to a political class.  Most of today's successful entrepreneurs dropped out of schools — schools cannot teach that. ;-) 

Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration of Independence called for the end of slavery.  The Southern States would not sign the declaration with the slavery clause, so it was taken out as the cause was for Independence from the English monarchy and required unanimous consent from the colonies.  Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson all made compelling arguments to keep the clause in, knowing that slavery was inconsistent with the Liberty they sought for all people.  Jefferson's slaves were inherited as property already being used as collateral, he could not buy their freedom.  Had the slavery clause been included, those slaves would have been freed.  So, that's 'wasup with that'!

Socialism began with the communist movement — basically the monopoly of labor to hold commerce at ransom and prevent competition.  Job security at the point of a gun.  Labor unions have a sordid history of racketeering and are organized like mafiosa. It's just another form of theft and intimidation.  Because of labor unions, the fields of medicine and law have been hijacked and now operate with impunity while being treated as 'experts' and 'authorities' as effective monopolies.  As a result, medical and legal costs are enormous.  Natural medicine and the common law have been practically eliminated from schools, and are quite literally 'illegal' to practice.  It's actually the 'institutionalism' of Americans.

Excellent distinction between the American republican form of government with the Constitution being a charter for the government, whereas European (and the new Iraqi) Constitutions are declarations of the State as the supreme power and the people subject to regulation — they have no inalienable rights, you won't find that phrase anywhere else.

The difference between a library and a school, is that in a library I may study what I wish, in a school, I am 'taught' and have no choice in the subject matter.

I don't say 'Happy Holidays,' I say 'Happy Holy Days!' because that is what it means. The 2 weeks surrounding the Winter Solstice have traditionally been 'holy days' for millennia, and a time of celebration for many cultures and religions.

Merry Christmas to you both!

Yes! ;-)

The birth of a free America was borne of the Declaration of Independence.  These first sentences are the basis of all the rest, the truthful foundation of the free nation.  A war was fought against those that claimed Americans as their serfs.  The Americans defeated their oppressors and reclaimed their rights.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

— Declaration of Independence

These are America's roots from which the Constitution sprung.  These are the principles upon which the nation is built and the liberty of the People respected and protected.

Historically, the image of the Crown has been placed on coinage — the Queen's image is found in every British commonwealth's currency.  American coins previously had 'Mind Your Business' engraved instead of 'In God We Trust'.  The image of lady liberty replaced the images of the king.  I suppose In God We Trust was added when the images of presidents were put on coins to make the distinction that Americans do not have a ruler other than Nature's God as is asserted in line one of the Declaration of Independence.

There is a need to keep church and state in their separate jurisdictions, BUT the state cannot keep separate the People from the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God, which are the founding principles of American's freedom and security.

I find that most of those that complain about lack of separation between church and state, are in favor of empowering the state as a deity itself, to whom all are beholden.  The state becomes the church and politicians demi-gods to whom we must obey.

You're not wrong! ;-)

Need the context ...

The Spirit of Liberty is the essence of America, it is its very life.

Spoken in the heydays of American prosperity.  With spiritual decline, prosperity followed.  Americans must remain true to its founding principles.

College isn't the place to go for ideas.

~ Helen Keller

How did people educate themselves before tax-supported schools?  How did people provide for themselves day after day without government subsidy?  Are you not willing to trade anything to learn something from someone else, or is that some sort of 'right' or 'entitlement'?  Americans were nearly 100% literate in the late 18th century — how did that happen without government?  Libraries were Jefferson's idea for promoting the education of the people.  If Congress has been chartered with regulating commerce, they certainly could have treated education as the business that it has always been, rather than a public service.  The churches established schools — all the Ivy League schools were seminaries.  

It comes back to the issue of personal responsibility — the socialists, statists, authoritarians, you name it, have a responsibility problem, they play the blame game, and never does the finger point to themselves.  Libertarians take their personal responsibility seriously, they take responsibility for the condition and quality of their lives, they blame themselves for their misfortunes, and rely on themselves to solve their problems.

You want the truth?  You can't handle the truth! ;-)  If you want the truth, you'll have to seek it out, willing to face one's own cherished beliefs veiling what's really so.  The truth does not need subsidy, fictions do.  It takes a lot of energy to broadcast a narrative to distort or hide the truth, once it stops, free thought takes its course.  Do you wish to harmonize with Nature or dominate it?

"Educate to liberate, indoctrinate to subjugate."  That's a keeper!

I think, therefore I am.  If I don't think, I am naught... ;-)

It is truly a privilege to learn from the experience of others.  Civilization is built upon the recording of experience for reference by others.  If the knowledge is not a result of experience but based upon theory without corroborating evidence, that knowledge might serve as a stumbling block to learning what is actually so.  If I want to learn how to play the guitar, I have to actually play it — another person who does not play the instrument cannot be learned from. A teacher is supposed to be someone who has mastered something and helps others aspiring for the same mastery or better.  For that, the student happily compensates the master as a fair trade.

Our children started out with Montessori schools, and the programs are awesome.  It is a superior education method that lets the child progress at their own pace, with older students coaching them along the way.  Grading is done differently — a subject is 'introduced' and complete once it is 'mastered.'  Students are taught in Kindergarten cursive handwriting in a handheld sandbox.  All the schools materials are hand-made by parents, teachers and students alike.  It was a good model for when we homeschooled the children and later started a little school with other parents.  Once multiple families were involved, it got a little messy, but it was ours, and we ALL learned a great deal.  You will never get 100% consensus of opinion, even with good and honorable people.  We are all very different in interests, abilities, purpose, yet we all live and work together.  Making that work is what it is all about.

These leftist talking points rarely get exposed as the prejudicial newspeak that it is.

#1. Palin's husband supports State sovereignty, she does too. No, this is not treason, it is a fact — all US States are sovereign states.
#2. Believes that Creationism should be taught in Science class along with Evolution.  RBE, I'm sure you have learned both theories in your education, why should not all theories of the origin of humankind be included in educational programs?  Should not the Sermon on the Mount be taught as well as the Four Noble Truths?
#3. Doesn't "believe" in Global warming.  And this is a sin?  You don't believe in God because there is no proof.  If one has to 'believe' then it is just another religion.  Global warming has been occurring since the end of the last Ice Age — without 12,000 years of Global Warming civilization would not exist.  Why do YOU not acknowledge the 100,000 year Ice Age cycles based upon actual proof, not climate models?
#4. Tried to get books banned from the library and then took out revenge on anyone who opposed her.  Maybe, but I believe it had something to do with the LGBTQ agenda, as the schools have become safe spaces for transgender indoctrination.
#5. Is viciously anti-environment and has opposed every environmental objective.  It depends — the environmental movement is actually an anti-capitalist, socialist movement that uses environmental policies to disempower free enterprise and impose authoritarianism upon land owners.  This has been openly admitted by UN officials.  The entire climate change hoax is for this very purpose.
#6. Is a far-right wing HOLY ROLLER Pentecostal. These are one removed from snake handlers and are dangerous proponents of no church/state separation.  ;-)  Palin appears far-right because you are far-left.  Separation of church and state does not mean that government representatives may not express or exercise their form of religion or lack thereof.  Stop trying to read into existence that religion is a threat to a republican form of government.  Once again, RBE, you take on the role of authoritarian, judge yourself above others, and try to separate the premise from the charter.
#7. Palin is against abortion, you are for it.  So what?  Why are you a eugenicist?  That's socialism (the Nazi's were famous for it.)
#8. Has been (and I believe still is) viciously anti-gay.  I don't think so.  Palin is not anti-gay but is against the progressive increase in the gay agenda in schools.  Once again, 'authorities' stand in between children and their parents, pushing untried medical solutions on impressionable minds.
#9. Was a major supporter of the "Bridge to nowhere" before she was against it.  Big deal, things change.
#10. Abused her power as Governor by having a trooper fired for a family fracas.  Possibly, but not a biggie — there isn't a trail of dead bodies like with the Clinton's... who would agree with everything you said above. Think about that!
#11. Believes the Iraq invasion by the United State was divinely inspired by God.  So?  Shall we go through the list of all the things YOU believe as an atheist? 

RBE, you seem to have a problem with anyone else's 'beliefs' but your own 'faith' is sacred.  You would be a model Christian if you could only come to terms with Nature's God.  ;-)

Public services unions running the education system from Kindergarten through University were formed shortly after the Fed was established.  As a result, the content has been modified to best promote the new world order of statism and American subservience to a globalist world order under the banking cartels.  The universities were taken over a long time ago by cultural Marxists to rile up the youth to tear down their country.  The war for liberty and independence is eternal.  If you think we have won it, you don't even know you are in bondage.

Waffler, your groupthink is showing.  'We' are the People.  There are people in Congress, but not ALL the People.  And because only a few people are representatives in Congress, the government cannot claim to be the People.  The People are the People, and the government is a very small subset of the People.  People in government frequently refer to themselves as the People rather than representatives of the People.  This is how they justify power grabs — 'hey we are the People so it is our right.'  The fact is, government officers and employees are beholden to reams and reams of regulations that the People are not subject to.  Because of the power and the risks being put in the hands of the government, they must observe strict rules — they are not permitted to do just anything.  Too often, government employees attempt to place those restrictions on the People themselves because they do not make the distinction between the free choices of the People versus the limited powers granted to government.

What a bunch of Leftist disinformation.  Maybe get your sources from somewhere other than the state-run propaganda machine  PBS (from the Left, of course).