Self-governance is a big, grand picture.
The goal is to change the way Americans think about government. Do we prefer unemployment checks over actually working? Do we dig into getting back to work in this economy? Can America get back to self-governance?
If you strive for that goal and want to make significant headway, passing the Convention of States resolution is one metric. Our goal is to grow the grassroots to the point where they drive the narrative in the state.
Florida patriots who work at small businesses need to realize business owners are like servant leaders. They depend on staff that wants to work, not on government unemployment.
One thing has been made clear during this pandemic: social services have a legitimate place in our society. When people are between jobs, having a security net is important.
However, there is something that should alarm anyone: the current condition of unemployment payments. Taking into account the state unemployment amounts already established and adding $600 a week from the federal government (effectively an extra $31,200 annually), the government is paying many people $45,560 or more a year to not work.
Like Florida, most states cap unemployment before a year. But what if states and the federal government decide to extend the amount of time the checks are given? What's the message being sent to these workers? What incentives do they have to go back to work when things return to normal?
An increase in taxes to pay back this money is all but guaranteed to happen. Will Florida vote to add employment taxation at the state level? Federal taxes will absolutely go up for everyone, especially if this is a prolonged pandemic. At what point do the masses of unemployed workers decide they want to vote for the people who will keep paying them to not work?
Let's take a look at a recent example. Jamie Black-Lewis halted pay for the 35 employees (including herself) at Oasis Medspa & Salon in Woodinville and Amai Day Spa in Bothell when nonessential businesses in Washington closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
She managed to secure two PPP loans of $177,000 and $43,800, so that she could get her employees back to work. When she held a virtual meeting to explain to her employees that she was going to start paying them again, she expected them to be elated that paychecks would resume in full even though the staff, primarily hourly employees, couldn’t work. She got a different reaction.
“It was a firestorm of hatred about the situation,” Black-Lewis said. They were incredibly angry, because they were making more money collecting unemployment benefits than their usual paychecks.
“It’s a windfall they see coming,” Black-Lewis said of unemployment. “In their mind, I took it away. I couldn’t believe it,” she added. “On what planet am I competing with unemployment?”
I'm not saying what is being done with extra money as a temporary measure is an attempt to socialize America, but it is going to be tempting to some. In a society where a sense of entitlement runs rampant, I fear the balance will be tipping in the wake of this pandemic.
I'll leave you with a quote to ponder, while so many people are being very prudent about keeping their hands so clean.
"I can say the willingness to get dirty has always defined us as a nation, and it's a hallmark of hard work and a hallmark of fun, and dirt is not the enemy." -Mike Rowe
Our Aspirational Goals
- The people organize and restore representative government as defined in our written Constitution.
- Restore a culture of self-governance in America.
- Inspire a political and spiritual awakening in America.
Our goal is to grow the grassroots to the point where they drive the political and cultural narrative in the state. It is a big, grand picture. The goal is to change the way Americans think about government.
Become a Volunteer and choose a role to start your journey toward self-governance.
