This book strives to explain how a free people are more than able to provide for their own needs infinitely better than any conceivable government program. Within its pages I unveil my "One-Eight, One-Nine" plan to Empower People through Restrained Government. It's a two part plan which addresses both the function and finance of the federal government by insisting upon adherence to existing Constitutional provisions. Government leaders fear it. "One-Eight" deals with function. It refers to Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution which specifically enumerates the powers authorized to be performed by congress. The plan seeks to awaken the people of the United States to the enormous benefits to society derived from our extremely limited Constitutional government, and insist that the federal government adhere to and honor its specific enumerated duties. We accomplish this task by educating ourselves and monitoring those we elect to office to ensure they follow the Constitution. Those which don't must be voted out. "One-Nine" deals with financing. It refers to Article 1 Section 9 which specifically states that money may only be drawn from the federal treasury to pay for enumerated Constitutional functions. All spending outside this authority is unconstitutional. Implementing the Constitutional provisions of "One-Eight, One-Nine" is achieved through my "Negative Baseline" program. Current policy automatically increases annual spending on non-Constitutional programs through baseline budgeting. My "Negative Baseline" instead reduces this spending causing all non-Constitutional spending to simply fade away. Contrary to popular belief, I discuss how the reductions will be relatively painless. Unneeded federal employees, as well as those dependant on the federal government, will be enthusiastically absorbed by a revitalized free market. The only way to solve our nation's problems is through an educated electorate desiring

EMPOWERING PEOPLE

My Line in the Sand Empowering People Through Restrained GovernmentBy PETER KONETCHY

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Peter Konetchy
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-4797-9

Contents

One Peter Konetchy.................................................................1Work...............................................................................4Marriage...........................................................................6Building Our House.................................................................12Core Values........................................................................28Religion...........................................................................31Two: Why I'm Running for the Senate................................................32Three: Problems....................................................................50Education..........................................................................57Energy.............................................................................58Housing............................................................................59Economy............................................................................60Social Security....................................................................61Health Care........................................................................62Immigration........................................................................63Epa................................................................................64Baseline Budgeting.................................................................65Four: Solutions....................................................................66Proper Role of Government..........................................................70One-Eight, One-Nine................................................................75Negative Baseline Budget...........................................................78Take Effective Action T.E.A. 2.0...................................................87Five: Issues and Amendments........................................................90Constitution or Treaty.............................................................92Parental Rights Amendment..........................................................95Unconstitutionality of the Committee of 12.........................................99Balanced Budget Amendment..........................................................102The Human Life Amendment is Bad Law................................................105Marriage Amendment Weakens Marriage................................................110Federal Right-To-Work..............................................................115National Popular Vote..............................................................117Debt Ceiling.......................................................................121Enforcing Immigration Policy.......................................................124Six: Positions.....................................................................127Constitutional Greatness...........................................................128Abortion...........................................................................130Debbie Stabenow Supports Partial-Birth Abortion....................................132Balanced Budget....................................................................134Commerce Clause....................................................................137Free Enterprise—The Engine of a Free Society.................................140Education: Problems and Solutions..................................................143Energy Independence................................................................148Fairness Doctrine: Equates to Government Censorship................................154Health Care........................................................................157Problem: Over reliance on Third-Party Payments.....................................161Problem: Health Insurers Providing Poor Service....................................164Problem: State Mandates and Limitations............................................167Problem: Excessive Legal Costs Related to Health Care..............................169Solution: Free Market Principles...................................................172Federal Unemployment...............................................................177General Welfare Clause.............................................................182Global Warming: Fact or Fiction?...................................................184Immigration: Legal and Illegal.....................................................187Legal Reform: Loser Pay is a Great First Step......................................190What is the "Best" Social Safety Net for Society?..................................194I Support the Right to Keep and Bear Arms..........................................197The Fallacy of the Separation of Church and State..................................199Social Security: Fixing a Broken Program...........................................202Liberty and Taxes..................................................................206Term Limits—Good or Bad?.....................................................210Seven: The Konetchy Plan...........................................................214Eight: Zhanna's First-Hand Account of Life in the Soviet Union.....................217Introduction.......................................................................217About Me...........................................................................220My Parents.........................................................................221School Years.......................................................................223Pictures...........................................................................225Teachers...........................................................................233Freedom of Speech..................................................................235My Favorite Holidays...............................................................237Free Health Care...................................................................239The Internal Passport: Serfdom, Soviet Style.......................................241Three Socialist Myths..............................................................243Shopping...........................................................................254Getting an Apartment in the Soviet Union...........................................256Public Transportation..............................................................263How My Father Bought a Car in the Soviet Union.....................................265Soviet "Rice Fields"...............................................................268Insider look at the "Perestroika"..................................................272My Family History..................................................................281Conclusion.........................................................................291Appendix...........................................................................294The Constitution of the United States..............................................294Response to the IRS Regarding the Filing of Tax Returns............................324Letter to the IRS..................................................................328Galveston County: A Model for Social Security Reform...............................330The Success of Chile's Privatized Social Security..................................334

Chapter One

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