Times they are a changing or are they?

The past few weeks have been spent battling colds, sinus infections and various other respiratory/head ailments but the real aha has been in the classroom.

Cameron is studying American History and we are up to the American Revolution. As I read the text to him, I keep wanting to compare 1765 to 2009. You ask how they compare?

In 1765, British Parliament proposed the Stamp Act to help fund the cost of providing soldiers to protect the colonists. The Stamp Act was a stamp on ALL printed materials, playing cards, legal documents, newspapers, etc.

Now, we know that the colonists did not take kindly to this tax. The tax was virtually never instituted because Patrick Henry led a revolt which had the colonists hanging effigies of the tax collector and the Sons of Liberty led protests across the colonies. I assure you these protests were unlike the one held on 9/12. These protests were highly violent. By the time the tax collectors finally arrived in the colonies, they were too afraid to actually attempt to collect the tax. Score one for the Colonists.

How is this like today? I recently heard that a key white house staffer wants to impose a tax on all electronics sold. Sound familiar?

How can we protest this tax before they get a chance to impose it? The best thing we can do is vote. Vote out the incumbents. 2009 needs to be a key indicator of what will happen in 2010 if things do not change.

The colonists proclaimed "no taxation without representation." In their case, they were not directly represented because, as colonists they did not have a duly elected representative in parliament to see to their needs and wants directly. Today, we are still without representation. Yes, we have duly elected representatives. But, we have been defrauded. This country wanted a change to get away from the unwanted war we are in. The did what we should do, vote the opposite of what we have. Representation to me means that the person serving in congress should do as we ask. Our current representatives are on a power trip to see to their own needs. They are not representing our wants. When only 32% of Americans want this healthcare bill, I think it pretty much tells you that it is not what we want and if you vote for it, you are not representing us. The only thing we can do is vote.

I foresee an American Revolution in our future. The current administration is trying for a transformation. Technically, what we would have is a civil war as it would take place within the confines of our borders, but it will highly resemble the revolution that began 244 years ago. The only way we will win is if we stand up with the Refounders Glenn Beck is asking for and take our country back. Stop being apathetic and tell the administration that this is our country. We are a democracy. A sole democracy, not to be subject to the whims and laws of other nations. No one world government! This is the United States of America, not the United States of the Earth!

I love my country and I see hard times ahead. Here is where we make our choice. Can we voluntarily take the hard times like the colonists did over 200 years ago and set our own terms in an effort to take back the country they suffered for? Or do we let the current government fundamentally transform this nation and we suffer at their hands and their terms? I'll take the former. What will you do?

There may be more posts of comparison as we delve further into the text book.