“Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” – Harry S. Truman

From:    The 1%

To:         The 99%

Subj:      New Deal 3 Memorandum of Understanding

Dear Sirs and Madams:

It has come to our attention that visionpresident.com has proposed a “New Deal,” an agreement to avoid collapse – what the business world calls a controlled bankruptcy plan.  This written response is intended to define us 1%er’s understanding of New Deal 3.  What follows is our non-lawyer, plain speak, man-to-man statement of understanding of our collective future together.  But first, I feel it beneficial that you hear our perspective, before you hear our terms…

“No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.” – Abraham Lincoln

First, you should know that we are not ashamed of being 1%ers; on the contrary, we are proud of it – for we have worked hard to get here, making many difficult choices and overcoming a multitude of challenges along the way.  In the process, we have come to understand, appreciate, and respect hard work.  Make no mistake, we hold a profound admiration of our hard working middle class – our teachers, our military, our nurses – we treasure the work you do.  In fact, we would like to pay you more, for we fully recognize that it is the middle class which makes America work.

“The most perfect political community is one in which the middle class is in control, and outnumbers both of the other classes.” – Aristotle

We recognize that the middle class in America is shrinking and the wealth gap widening.  We understand that you need more than simply enough to get to tomorrow – you need to support a family, plan for your retirement, help your children to learn and to grow, enjoy time with family, and assist the needy in your community.  And we are more than ready to provide the hard working 99%ers out there with more.  But not with the old New Deal, not with the remnants of a previous generations’ programs, not with a government determined to pay the non-working, provide for the retired, and engage in a “War on Poverty” via government “relief” programs.  These programs no longer encourage a working middle class by combating discrimination and abuses in America; quite the contrary, they abuse and discriminate against the working middle class by encouraging people to leave it and file for government benefits instead.

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” – Winston Churchill

We, the 1%, still whole-heartily believe in the vision that is America – a place where a person is free to excel, encouraged to innovate, and provided an opportunity to live well. But as such, we cannot support our current course.  Yes, we know that trickle-down economics is a failed philosophy, we’ve told you as much.

And yes, we are ready to pay our fair share of taxes, to return to the day where the rich pay a higher percentage than the poor.  And yes, we understand that we have an obligation to use our wealth to support our fellow man.

But my friends, for us to move forward, you must understand that it is not the greed of us 1%ers that is at the root of our nation’s problems, it is the system itself.  This is what you must recognize if you wish to avoid collapse.  We simply will not support a system which continues, in today’s day and age of equal rights, to identify the government as the proper mechanism to provide for the citizenry – for it is not, we have always known this.

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” – Thomas Jefferson

The former Soviet Union, modern day Greece, and a look at our own Welfare State demonstrates that it is time to resume our proper course.  A society which gives its wages to the government and expects the government to provide for the people, whether said government is democratically elected or not, is left with a broken people and a broken nation.  Throughout history, this has been the case.  So make no mistake, we will let this failed philosophy implode before we bankrupt ourselves supporting it.

“The reason why men enter into society is the preservation of their property.” – John Locke

Although we are prepared to handle the financial collapse of our great nation should we fail to reach an agreement with you, we sincerely hope and pray that we can work together to foster a different outcome.

We see the inevitable result of our current course, and we will not be a party to it.  Our current end state is a citizenry reliant on an inefficient, ineffective, and corruptible government, one catering to special interest organizations, one unable to meet its obligations to the people, and one imposing ever increasing taxes on its working and ever increasing debts on its future generations.  Our course of government subsidies for our citizenry will leave us destitute, with a divided nation pitting those who receive government checks set against those who work to provide them.  Our current system is destined for failure, destined for collapse, and we will not support it.  You must vote to end it.

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” – Alexis de Tocqueville

It is the lesson of the ages, and we will simply no longer allow our great country, this noble idea called America, our most-treasured experiment… to fall to the bureaucrats.  We love you, Us, too much to let that happen.  If you wish to plot a viable future together, if you wish to balance our nation’s budget, if you wish for America’s children to have a chance at success, you must abandon the notion that the government provides for the people.

“A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.” – Thomas Jefferson

In this century’s New Deal, we will accept a tax system designed to target us 1%ers for the overarching limited government necessary to promote our society.  We will support legislation and tax code simplification that eliminates tax breaks for us, as well as encourage smart government regulatory bodies to provide the necessary check to our capitalist nature.  Our businesses will bid on competitive government contracts to provide energy, infrastructure, and societal advancements for us as a whole, but not for individual government handouts or mandatory government programs.  All government expenditures should be investments in our future, programs that potentially pay for themselves, not taxes to provide government backstops and entitlements to certain segments of the population.  Government can invest in our youth and unemployed by promoting job training, advanced education, and proven work programs.

“Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job.” – Barack Obama

In this century’s New Deal, the government must again be removed from the charity business, eliminated from the retirement planning business, and extracted from the drug subsidy business for the elderly. This is a part of the deal some of you 99%ers may think you don’t like, but you will find America is stronger as a result.  Medicare, Social Security, all Government Defined Benefit Retirement Programs, and all government welfare programs are eliminated.  Bankruptcy style court proceedings will be used to determine the payout to those who have had their wages garnished for years, to those who have spent their lives as public servants expecting a government pension, and any other creditors claiming liens on America’s future.

“It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes.” – Thomas Jefferson

Going forward, America will offer no future obligations other than the debt determined in court proceedings.  Going forward, all federal employees, to include Congress, military personnel, and any government entity, will be enrolled in a private sector retirement program that pays as it goes into a citizen owned and managed retirement account.  These will be regulated by the government, but not guaranteed by the government… the people… our unborn.  Going forward, each generation will be responsible for ourselves.

“There are no easy answers but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” – Ronald Reagan

Those who work hard will find that they have enough to provide for their well being, save for their retirement, support a family, and have money left over with which to assist the elderly, disabled, and struggling in our society.  The elimination of the government programs designed to “help” us will, in fact, help us.  We will find that we are all better off when the common man is allowed to live independent of government, rather than forced to pay into a government system designed to provide for his well being.

“I’m a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more.” – Barack Obama

The private sector can provide unemployment insurance for those who wish to purchase it.  The private sector can and does provide retirement plans and elder care health plans.  The government can and should regulate these industries – that is its purpose after all, to regulate – but that is the extent of its role here.  The government should create a fair and just business environment, ensure workplace and environmental standards, and punish those who deceive, manipulate, and try to operate outside of the law.  It should not, however, attempt to raise more taxes in a vain effort to continue to promote a failed political vision.  Defense of our community, regulation of our industry, and investment in our future – Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – this is the full extent of what the government should do for the people.

“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” – George Washington

So that’s the New Deal 3 as we understand it:  Social Security, all Government retirement programs, and Medicare are ended via a lump sum payout to contributing parties, as determined in bankruptcy court, of some amount that our society can possibly afford.  Government Medicaid, Housing, and Welfare Aid is ended, and all charity will be left to the private charities, many of which we 1%ers have already started.  If you cannot agree to this, then We 1%ers will be forced to let the impending bankruptcy occur.  Your pyramid scheme of borrowed money that is tied to nothing more than the paper it is drawn on will be allowed to run its course…  and then we will try again with your grandchildren to develop a sustainable society.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” – Ronald Reagan

My fellow Americans, we hope you will accept our offer at increased taxes on us 1%ers to balance our budget.  But you must couple this tax increase with the shared understanding that government is not meant to ensure that everyone, regardless of work history, health condition, or age is “taken care of” by the same government that polices, taxes, and administers the aid.  Such a system will never work – we are $16 trillion into the midst of this truth, and time is running short.

“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.” – Leonard Bernstein

Take these charitable and unquantifiable responsibilities out of the hands of Government.  Agree to limit it, as you know in your heart it must be.  Let the government set a fair playing field, let them regulate Us, let them inspect Us, but let not their police confiscate our hard-earned monies to pay for unsustainable health, retirement, and welfare programs, particularly when these programs aren’t even being paid for as part of a balanced budget.  My brothers and sisters, let us continue to grow as One Body.  Let us get through this downturn by re-embracing the notion of an honest day’s wage for an honest day’s work – a square Deal.  Do that, and we can once again work to encourage a vibrant middle class and a better America.

“The middle class is teetering on the brink of collapse just as surely as AIG was in the fall of 2009 – only this time, it’s not just one giant insurance company (and its banking counterparties) facing disaster, it’s tens of millions of hardworking Americans who played by the rules.” – Arianna Huffington

With heartfelt love for you, our country, our world, and our future,

The 1%ers