Florida is certainly not as homogeneous as it
was when I grew up in Homestead in the 1950s and 1960s. There has been a great
alien invasion from foreign countries and from yankeedom. Nevertheless, much of
the original Florida survives in the heartlands of the state, while entirely
different cultures predominate in other areas. Certainly I would love to see
the entire state return to what is was like in the 1950s, but I realize that is
not going to happen. But can Florida be free? And how might we help bring that
about?
Radical political actions would need to be
taken and while I don’t claim to have all of the answers, I do think that there
are some things for which we can strive.
Some goals for making Florida free:
1. Sovereignty and political power need to devolve to the lowest possible level.
Since we already have 67 counties in Florida, we can start with them. The most
powerful and sovereign government should reside in the county -- and it should
be none too powerful. The individual counties can make their own political
decisions; raise their own revenues; and see to the protection of their own
citizens. The character of the counties may differ greatly, from the strong
Latin influence that is now in the South, to the strong traditionalist and
Southern culture in the more Northern counties. Rural Levy County, where I now
live, need not be forced into a mold that might work for the generally urban
and liberal Dade and Broward counties.
2. Dismantle the strong central governments in both
Washington, DC and Tallahassee. The only chief
executive officer that any of us should have to deal with should reside in our
own counties, and he should be directly accountable to the citizens of that
county. Call him a mayor, county executive, county manager, sheriff, whatever. He
should be elected or chosen as determined by the Constitutions of the
individual counties. Such constitutions and forms of government should be
determined by the individual counties.
3. Form a state government on the pattern of the original
Articles of Confederation for the United States. Each county may send a designated number of delegates to
Tallahassee to the State convention. In any case, each county shall have only
one vote in any deliberations. The convention shall only consider things that
are concerns of the state as a whole and which can only be addressed by the
counties in aggregate. There will be no chief executive office for the state,
i.e., a governor. The state can impose no taxes, but may request funds from the
counties, when it is determined to be required by the state convention.
4. There may also be the need to form a miniscule government
on the national level. That too should be on
the pattern of the original Articles of Confederation with one vote for each
state in the national assembly and no chief executive officer for the nation,
i.e., a president. The national government can impose no taxes, but may request
funds as may be required from the states, who, if approved by the state
convention would request them from the individual counties.
The county would be the main and
most powerful unit of governance (and it would ultimately derive its delegated
power from the individual and the family). The county governments would be as
limited as possible, as determined by the citizens of each individual county.
I understand that there are many
things that would need to be worked out and thought through. However, I am
convinced that short of something like this, we are on the path to blood in the
streets. The left already seems hell-bent on bringing this about. I think they
should be careful what they wish for; they might actually get it; and I don't
see how it can turn out well for them. I don’t see how it can turn out well for
anyone.
Without a president; without a
governor; there will be no competition for these all too powerful offices and
the only real government that matters will be local and accountable. San
Francisco can keep on being San Francisco; Miami can keep on being Miami; and
Levy County, Florida can keep on being Levy County, Florida. Why in the
world should liberal San Francisco or liberal Miami have any say at all about how
we live in Levy County?
As Jefferson Davis said in his
inaugural address; “All we ask is to be left alone.” A system like the one
proposed might allow all of us to leave everyone else alone and restore Liberty
for all of us.
Before closing, I will address what might be a common objection: “How
would all the various functions of government be maintained under such a system?”
First, it should be recognized
that most of the things we consider to be “functions of government” today are
totally illegitimate and should not be maintained at all. A system like this
would bring about their dissolution.
The ONLY legitimate functions of
government are to:
1) Protect citizens and their
property from criminal violations.
2) To punish and extract
restitution for any such criminal violations.
3) To protect the citizenry from
foreign invasion.
Most government and government
programs – at every level – could, and should be abolished. Those functions are
best addressed by individuals, families, communities and voluntary organizations.
I’m just throwing this out for
consideration. Hopefully some folks younger and more intelligent than I can
improve on my musings and bring them, or something much better, to fruition.
Free
Florida First advocates for a Free, Independent, Godly, Prosperous, and
Traditionally Southern Florida.
Deo Vindice!
TRUST GOD!
STAY IN THE FIGHT!
NEVER GIVE UP!
NEVER QUIT!
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I know how it can be done. We need the 3rd Parties to unite together against the DNC and RNC. Both the DNC and RNC together account for 40% of the voting population. I would estimate 25% of each of those two parties would leave if a better alternative were available. That would leave both the DNC and RNC 30% of the voting population. However, they each represent a candidate in the general election, so at most, 15% to 20% of the voting population will vote for either one. Now, if 3rd Parties united, say, 3rd Parties held a primary (Libertarian, Green, Progressive, etc.), and the Libertarian nominee won, the allied 3rd Party would vote for that Libertarian nominee in the general election, and never vote for the Democrat or Republican running. That's the first step. Once people are in control of the government again, we can establish local level representation over state and federal ones.
ReplyDeleteEbon, something to consider, but I'm not sure I see how the disparate third parties would ever unite. They are perhaps more separated from one another than they are from the established parties. Though they could perhaps cooperate on some specific policies. I think that the work needs to be done locally and not through the national political system. Personally, I don't see myself ever voting in a national election again.
ReplyDeleteGreg, I understand where you're coming from. The Progressive movement is alive and well covered in the Independent media, and ignored or persecuted against by the Corporate media. There are 3 political movements by Progressives already underway, and plenty of registered Democrats and Republicans are not liking the corporate stronghold over the national political system. Libertarians like Ron Paul are well liked by Progressives, but unlike Progressives, they just want to be left alone, so their sentiments are never heard. If people like you would represent your party and join with the other parties, it could happen. Progressives and Libertarians are much alike. They both want power of representation to come from local grassroots communities. In 2016, ~9% of registered Democrats voted for Donald Trump. Voter turnout for registered Democrats was also very low compared to the last two Presidential elections. Gary Johnson had 1,275,971 votes in 2012, and 4,489,233 in 2016. Jill Stein had 469,627 votes in 2012 and 1,457,222 in 2016. The trend is already moving in the 3rd Party direction. However, the 3rd Parties aren't as organized as the DNC and RNC are. The DNC and RNC are united - it's just not covered by Corporate media. The first step is the 2018 election. We need more Libertarians, Greens, and Progressives in the House and Senate, and not corporatist Democrats or Republicans. Once the general public see that the movement is working, then they'll come around in 2020 to vote. If there was ever a time to make this happen, it's now.
ReplyDelete