Reclaim America as the Land of Free

The time has come for all good men (and women) to come to the aid of their country.

We are witnessing the repeat of history, a pattern as old as civilization.

"Yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction." (82 B.C.)

"For as their laws and their governments were established by the voice of the people, and they who chose evil were more numerous than they who chose good, therefore they were ripening for destruction, for the laws had become corrupted." (30 B.C.)

Historian Edward Gibbon on the fall of Athenian democracy said, ‘In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted security. They wanted a comfortable life, and they lost it all — security, comfort and freedom... When the Athenians finally wanted not to give to society, but for society to give to them... When the freedom they wished for most — was freedom from responsibility... Then, Athens ceased to be free.’ (D. Ray, The Four Freedoms, 2010,) (600 A.D)

We must unite, not only amongst ourselves but preach the truth of American independence from the rooftops. This is a call for an embargo against our own complacency and quiet tolerance of entertainment, media and education.

The Total Power of One

A few days ago I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Fred Holden, Author of "Total Power of One in America" hosted by Joe Sabah.  I've been thinking about it since.

The message was clear: speakers and teachers should be certain to utilize their influence to promote responsible citizenship.

A litany of topics and approaches were suggested.  Yet, it seems as though in some measure the message fell on deaf ears, and I have been wondering why.

Of the many things offered, it was the Eight dangerous illiteracies that caught my attention because it resonated.  My years of observation and research had come to the same conclusions. 

The eight can be condensed to four critical illiteracies: Financial (few of us know how to employ principles of prosperity regardless of circumstance), Political (few of us understand that we are to protect the Constitution and our rights by our elections), Economic (few of us understand the ramifications of economic policy--short term and long term), Business (few of us understand the principles that generate business success and how to differentiate business success from greed).

It is therefor incumbent upon those who do know to tactfully, tastefully yet boldly remind the rest of us what we all know in our hearts to be true yet forget in currents of daily living.

Why would a speaker or an author be reticent to take up that mantle?  Is it because we are so conditioned to avoid any social discussion about these topics that we bristle at the mere mention of them?  If not, why then would an author write or a speaker speak?  I ask you.

What's in a name?

Whether they are called communists, socialist, fascist, imperialist, liberals, progressive or what ever, it makes no difference.  What matters is that in the end the object is the same: the subversion of freedom and independence.

They may take a different tact and woo people to their cause with platitudes of noble purpose.  It must be understood that the ends do not justify the means.  For the means are what determine the ends.  The ends are not the the objective that is so earnestly being sought.  That is just a way-point.  The ends are what the endeavor makes of us along the way.  That is where the true devastation lay.

Freedom can only be had by a moral and responsible people.  An amoral people cannot be free.  A dependent population can not be free.  Any movement, no matter the name, that replaces responsibility with security, that exchanges amorality for standards of civility, will go the way of all civilizations who have attempted to do so in in the past.

We as a nation must set and maintain standards by which to live.  Do not mistake tolerance for promoting.  Do not mistake freedom for irresponsibility. Do not forget for one moment that, while you can do what ever you want, you cannot be absolved the responsibility for your choices.  No, America is free because enterprise and morality promotes freedom.  Any endeavor to the contrary undermines it, no matter what the name.

Sears - An Exeplairy Corporate Citizen

By law companies must hold jobs open for reservists who are called to duty.  Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in their salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.  They are to applauded.

Announcing The Four Freedoms!

In commemoration of Independence Day, I am delighted to announce the publication of The Four Freedoms available at Amazon.com.

The Four Freedoms is a story about a man who discovered the wisdom of the ages and applied it in his life to create success beyond his imagination.

It was written for those that have a yearning for freedom--freedom from bad habits, freedom that prosperity brings, freedom from misery, and the freedom to be happy in relationships and in life--for those who have an innate sense that there is something more but just cannot figure out what it is.

I hope you enjoy it.

The Art of Networking

“Networking is the art of making and using contacts. It is the single minded persuit of useful contacts at every convention, seminar and neighborhood barbecue. And today networking is exploding. It is changing the way we do business and the way we socialize. Some people say it is purely a pragmatic technique but the true networker knows it is more. The true networker proposes a new outlook. Previous societies considered every stranger an inherent threat. To the networker, every stranger represents an opportunity, the chance to find prospects, reach targets or meet friends.”

As timely as this article seems, it may interest you to know that it comes from the August 1985 issue of Success. Yes, 1985. Twenty-five years ago!

Yet twenty-five years later I find that people are clamoring for networks and yet repeatedly disenchanted with them. It begs the questions, "Why?" and "What can be done?"

Permit me a suggestion. If our networking seems fraudulent, difficult or unfulfilling, perhaps it is due to intent. If everyone at an event is of the mind of “what’s in it for me” then everyone is taking and no one is giving. The result is a networking vacuum.

Networking is, by defenition, connecting. Connecting requires giving. Try instead to see how much you can give–referrals, advice, introductions, useful information–any kind of value add. Les Brown says that the universe hates a vaccume. In order to get you have got to give. The more you can give the more will you get back. Conversely, you cannot recieve if both hands are busy holding one to what you have.

Your Brand and You

According to Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide and author of Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands, the magic is simple and sincere-literally.

On the one hand, brand is about connecting with customers on an emotional level: intimacy, sensuality, and mystery that results in loyalty beyond reason.

On the other hand, brand is a “sacred promise” about improving customers lives. The way in which a company commits to improve customers lives becomes the hallmark of the company. It permeates every facet of communication and and guides every decision of the company.

It starts with a positioning statement which identifies target audiences, hones in on competitors, and pinpoints the businesses most compelling benefit. From this the promise can be formulated.

How clear is your company’s mission statement?

In the B2B world the most important things that set your company apart from the rest are offering reliable customer service and close relationships.

Coca-Cola is the premier example of fullfilling both in their branding. Changes in packaging and marketing have always included “being happy, always sociable, and always part of the local community.” These emotional promices are what have given Coca-Cola their edge–simple and sincere.

The Threat of Socialism Then as Now

Steve Jobs Commencement Speach

Steve Jobs knows something about creating financial freedom. Hear his advice to Stanford University's graduation class of 2005.

Education and the "Whole Man"

Here is a disturbing quote upon which I only just stumbled.

"Two respected German historians looked out on the carnage after 1945 in search for meaning, one from within the country, where he had spent his entire life of eighty years, the other from the safer refuge of the America to which he had been driven. Both had token pride in their native culture and its achievements; both now stood in horror at the sight. The older man, Friedrich Meinecke, called the sight before him "The German Catastrophe" and in Gordon Craig's felicitous phrase offered the following explanation: "the emphasis upon power at the expense of spirit has corrupted the values of the people and stunted their political growth." 1 The younger historian, Hajo Holborn, later Sterling Professor of History at Yale, allowed more time to pass before offering a more expansive but similar analysis. While paying attention to the role social conflict had played in paving the way for Hitler. Holborn placed a major portion of the blame elsewhere:

The actual decline of German education goes far to explain not only why so many Germans voted the Nazis into power but also why they were willing to condone so many of their subsequent crimes. German education hardly dealt with the "whole man"; it chiefly produced men proficient in special skills or special knowledge but lacking not only in the most primitive preparation for civic responsibility but also in a canon of absolute ethical commitments. Although the churches provided this for a good many people, and to a greater extent within the Roman Catholic Church than within the Protestant Churches, the number of Germans who looked to the church for guidance was limited. The higher philosophy and the humanities of the period were largely formalistic or relativistic and did not produce a firm faith. In these circumstances it was inevitable that so many people fell for cheap and simple interpretations of life and history, as offered by the racists. To young people in particular this proved an irresistible temptation. 2 "(excerpted from Education, Moral Values, and Democracy: Lessons from the German Experience by Douglas F. Tobler Fn, BYU Studies, vol. 28 (1988), Number 2 - Spring 1988 .)

Add to that the following:

"The purpose of the foundation [the General Board of Education] was to use the power of money, not to raise the level of education in America, as was widely believed at the time, but to influence the direction of that education....The object was to use the classroom to teach attitudes that encourage people to be passive and submissive to their rulers. The goal was--and is---to create citizens who were educated enough for productive work under supervision but not enough to question authority or seek to rise above their class. True education was to be restricted to the son and daughters of the elite. For the rest, it would be better to produce skilled workers with no particular aspirations other than to enjoy life." (G. Edward Griffin in The Creature from Jekyll Island, (copy write 1994. Thirteenth printing: June 2002) on Rockefeller's General Education Board, founded in 1903.)

Even if Griffin were wrong is his assertions of motive, we must look long and hard at the current result. The recent financial collapse can in good measure be laid squarely on the shoulders of a populace as described in that last sentence. We are the product of our own making. The question should be what are we becoming and is that okay? History shows us where the present course will lead.

If we cannot manage to rally behind a unifying force, we will have only ourselves to blame for the inevitable.

1. Gordon Craig, Germany, 1866-1945 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978), 763. See also Friedrich Meinecke, Die Deutsche Katastrophe: Betrachtungen und Erinnerungen, Dritte Auflage (Wiesbaden: Eberhard Brockhaus Verlag, 1945), 161 and passim.

2. Hajo Holborn, A History of Modern Germany, 3 vols. (New York: Knopf, 1969), 3: 813.

Prosperity

"Our prosperity as a nation depends upon the personal financial prosperity of each of us as individuals." --George Clason

On Socialism

Glen Beck plays audio of Sec of Agriculture Ezra T. Benson on his meeting with Khrushchev

On Socialism

Financial Freedom

Financial freedom or financial independence is what most people call retirement. That is finally having the resources to live without working. The reality is that most people today reach retirement age without those resources in place. There are no more golden parachutes, no more pensions, and social security is a bigger oxymoron than the term military intelligence.


People must realize that retirement is an individual matter. It cannot be left to fate or to chance. It must be planned for and worked toward deliberately and meaningfully. To do so means to live on less than you earn and to do very deliberate things with the rest.

There is only one thing you can do with the money you intend to save: invest it.

There are only three investment vehicles: Stocks, bonds and real estate. (The money you bank is invested by the banks in these vehicles and they keep most of the earnings. Mutual funds are mostly stocks and bonds)

The Millionaire Real Estate Investor is a book compiled as a how-to through interviews with hundreds who are expert in the field.

Those who become adept at the principles of creating "real" wealth for their retirement find that they may amass the resources they need well before they reach 65.

We are teaching financial freedom workshops centered around the principles in this book.

Join us to learn the principles of financial freedom, the value of real estate as a vital part of your portfolio, and be introduced to your full service investment team.

For more information email facultas@The4Freedoms.net or phone 303-683-0462.




The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller