You signed the Mount Vernon Statement. Now what?

Would spending stop?

Would the dollar rebound?

Would inflation stop?

Would disastrous policies be reversed?

Would damaging laws be reversed?

Would fake stimuli stop?

Would we get our country back?

Would GM and Chrysler be returned to its rightful owners?

Would EPA declaration of Co2 as a "dangerous gas" be reversed?

Would 3.5 million people get their jobs back?

Would "cap and trade" stop?

Would card check stop?

Would health care be reformed correctly through tort reform and across state line insurance?

Would bad politicians from both parties who do not have the country's best interest at heart be impeached?

Would the culprits who embezzeled billions via the fake bank emergency be punished? Goldman Sachs pundits, Paulson, Bernanke, et al.

Would those responsible for the mortgage crisis be punished? Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Tim Gaithner, Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke, Maxine Watters, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid?

I doubt it.

Every great movement has to start somewhere. Hopefully this is one of them.

Along with Ileanas's list I want to add:

will unconstitutional laws be repealed?

Will tax law be reformed so the common person can understand them?

How about Freedom? Will personal responsibility be encouraged? So that law suits wiil NOT be filed over every hangnail.

How about treason? Will those who have failed to uphold their oath be sanctioned?

Will we consider our involvement in foreign wars more carefully?

I seek not for power but to bring it down

My main concern is that group's like the Tea Party maintain a sense of professionalism, and not let itself get viewed as a "bunch of kooks." We have to be for something - not just against something. If we keep focused on our founders principles, and trust in the power of God, I believe we will prevail.

These people also took an oath of office to follow the Constitution. It is time for the states to rebel against federal intrusions. I was reading about nullification rights of the states; it appears to be a great tool for the states. So, our conservative federal level representatives: know this...we the citizens can and should rally our states to nullify your practices if you cannot do them yourselves. To not recognize that the federal level of government has overstepped its authority is to ignor the Constitution. Don't violate our Constitution; use it to curb the intrusions.

A good start, and an excellent statement of principle. Otherwise, though, this is a bit nebulous. What is needed is something more in the form of the 1994 "Contract With America" that led to the retaking of Congress: concrete statements of specific actions that need to be undertaken, that the signers (especially those in elected office) pledge to pursue.

I didn't see anything about national security, illegal aliens, or borders.

We now have the talk, so let's walk the walk.

Were the Constitution to be strictly followed, no listing of “woulds” and “wishes” be necessary. The Constitution restricts the power of all three Federal branches. Not so with “Constitutional Law Interpretations.” The Mt. Vernon action helps pull to the right. The Tea Party movement, if it isn’t absorbed by either of the current corrupt major parties, will also force movement to the right.

Marjean Morton nails a good part of it. A number of the signers have shown a propensity to make "deals with their core beliefs". If "organized" Republicans think they can bring the MA victory and the tea party movement to their big tent, they are preparing to repeat the history of the last republican revolution. Baby with the bath water, might be a very good idea.

There is no clear mention here of either border security OR the closely related problem of run away immigration ,both of which are central to the ability of the USA to recover the culture which is a necessary precursor to CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNANCE. As a result I perceive that those who sign this are not truly serious about the matter.

As Charlie Brown said:

*SIGH*

It would be hoped that when the message is sent to Washington through mass changes in it's elected officials they would get the message that they have been doing it ALL wrong by not following the dictates of the Constitution while governing the Nation. One can than also hope that they will begin dismantling what has become a monstrous bureaucracy that not only cannot be sustained but should never have been created in the first place.

The dismantling should begin with doing away with the massive benefits Congress has given itself. The paycheck is sufficient.

The second should be legislation that prohibits lobbying and contributions from groups such as the AFT, NEA, AFL/CIO WHEN SUCH CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOBBYING ARE NOT A DIRECT REFLECTION OF THEIR PRIMARY PURPOSE.

Thanks for bringing up Charlie Brown, Ronald. Republicans talking about principles is like Lucy promising to hold the football so Charlie can kick it. There is zero evidence the GOP leadership cares about principle or Constitution. If you believe the GOP will make real change if we just give them one more chance, then, come over here and kick this football. I'll hold it still... really!

If you take away the power, the lobbying and corruption stops. If there is no power to lobby for, the sponges and leaches will go away.

There is no need for Campaign Finance Reform or Ethics Reform or Immigration Reform or all the other silly reforms if the Constitution is followed and the Federal Government is limited to the powers it is granted.

I, for one, would hope that a NEW Congress would immediately pass legislation that would restrict contributions given to elected officials or those seeking to become elected from such entities as the AFL/CIO, AFT, and the NEA. The restriction would be that NO contributions would be used to further legislation or government policy except where it is a direct link to their (professional) mission. Needless to say, this would also apply to their lobbying efforts.

Any violation of this should result in immediate decertification of the union involved as well as an immediate determination of malfesance on the part of any official receiving same. Both should also receive severe financial penalties

This country cannot afford to have unions such as these influencing law or policy areas not within their direct purview. The most notable example of this is what SHOULD be taught within the classrooms of our Public Schools as opposed to what IS being taught, from the Elementary through to the Post-Graduate levels. Obviously I am referring to the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. (Please note! These two already powerful unions are in the process of uniting into one, which would become even more able to shape America's future. And not to the benefit of America!)

Far to much of what isn't factually correct or directly applicable to their primary mission is being disseminated under the guise of "Education" when in fact it is more a form of multi-cultural indoctrination, an antithesis of the historical American values and principles which made us such a great and unique nation.

Educational unions MUST be kept to the confines of what they are professed to be- educators. I speak of this as one who spent a life-time in the field and witnessed the evolution away from that purpose and which has lead us to our current sorry state.

Should you not think these actions necessary, simply look at how what once was the envy of the civilized world is currently performing. Then research how we arrived at this sorry state.

You will find that as the NEA and AFT grew politically stronger and influential, their classroom ineffectiveness grew commensurately. They are dismal failures at what they should be excelling at simply because they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing: teaching.

A fundamental education requires an ability to read competently, write concisely and coherently, calculate properly and accurately, and apply logic and reasoning to problem solving. Though the foundation to proper education, these are NOT the areas our educators are putting emphasis on, thus our failure.

These unions are failing our children and our Nation simply because they are NOT teaching these basic skills nor are they being required to teach them. Instead they are feeding them psuedo skills and psuedo knowledge. And we have permitted them to do so.

We have accepted their excuses, given them everything they said they needed to educate our children, yet they have failed. And continue to do so. All we hear is, "We need more money, smaller class sizes, more out-reach programs." Etc., etc., etc. The cost of educating our failing youth is the highest in the world. The results are among the lowest. This must stop! Until the unions are brought under control they shall continue to fail our children and our Nation will continue to fail.

It must not be so.

Our Congresscritters are mostly behaving as might be expected of very young, petulant children, with no concept of the value of a dollar, or a billion. Like children, they must be taught. So I propose eliminating their salaries and putting them on an allowance, contingent upon their performance of certain duties. The first is, they must do their homework, studying the Constitution and other Founding Documents thoroughly. They should be tested each month and their grades should be reflected in their allowance. If they can't pass the final exam at the end of the year they should be expelled. Let's call this "No Politician Left Behind".

Second, assign them simple tasks even they can handle, like taking out the trash - repealing any and all laws not in compliance with our Constitution and Bill of Rights, as written. Of course this task will take awhile to complete so we must be patient with them here, judging them on their progress and adjusting their allowances accordingly. We must also hold them responsible for policing their ranks and sweeping away their own rubbish.

And third, limit their federal spending to a percentage of the amount of reduction achieved by eliminating Unconstitutional laws. For example, when Congress eliminates the BATFE they would be allowed a set percentage, say 15%, toward the next year's federal expenses.

By this plan it shouldn't take long to regain control of our economy, and our Republic. Oh, and one other thing: if the President reacts to this proposal as would a six-year-old brat, put him or her on an allowance too.

Thoughts from my cave, -WDL

As WDL says:if our Congressional reps want to call themselves servants then why are they making 10x the minimum wage? I say make them truly servants, no pay whatsoever. To Ileana did you sign the statement? and have you remonstrated with your congressional reps. to uphold their oath of defending and preserving the constitution? We need start getting after these politicians and keep reminding them we are watching. Have you sent your politician a pink slip if he/she is deserving of it?

In Michigan we have two,count 'em, two demoncrats in the Senate put there by all the socialist union thugs in the major metro areas of the southeast part of the state and all welfare recipients. I call them and it just goes in one ear and out the other. We need to reintroduce this information to our children and friends in our conversation and start the pendulum swinging the other way. We also need to get after the Republican party leadership and get them on board, specifically tell Mr. Steele to get a backbone and stand for right principle.

HOOYAH!!

Lockaby and Former Educator

All of these comments and those mentionned above all point to what our founding fathers new to be true... that we the people are capable and immensely resourceful in addressing and finding solutions to our problems. Well Said! We can take back our country and make it better than before.

In the Mount Vernon Statement it declares that one will abide by natures god. "The conservatism of the Declaration asserts self-evident truths based on the laws of nature and nature’s God." Natures god is defined as gaia (goddess personifying the Earth).

What about the creator of man the true God. I would like to sign, but for this reason I must decline.

Every one seems to want to change the way the Senate and House operate. I whole heartedly agree. Therefore, the first thing a true Patriotic Constitution following Congress would do is repeal the 17th Amendment. Then the Senators resign and call for the States to appoint their Senators as per Artical I, Section 3, "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote."

Give the States back their rightful representation.

All show and no go. They used the right words, but said nothing about what they would do. I'll show my age when I say "Where's the beef".

One thing many of the commentators who have preceded me need to keep in mind is the purpose of the document. The Mt. Vernon Statement is not a policy statement. It is rather a statement intended to express a core philosophy or set of core principles. Policy statements on a variety of subjects like those referenced above, e.g. illegal aliens, national security, public education, campaign finance, etc. are supposed to emanate from those core principles.

One piece of the problem our nation now faces is the plethora of policy statements issued by various and sundry public figures that are severely disconnected from any solid set of core principles. Much of society is given over to an approach of convenient compromise in which individuals possessing no core principles enact policies based on the way things look at the moment and most often covered with a barely there veneer of "pragmatism" and "getting things done."

After reading the statement, there is only one portion that I would have written differently. The final sentence of the third paragraph reads, "The federal government today ignores the limits of the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant." The statement implies that the Constitution itself has limits, which, properly understood, it does not. The Constitution limits the undertakings of the federal government. My statement would have been something along the lines of "The federal government today ignores the limitations imposed on it by the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant."

The Constitution's author, James Madison, wrote Thomas Jefferson on 8 February 1825, these words concerning the supremacy of the Declaration of Independence over our nation's Constitution: “On the distinctive principles of the Government...of the U. States, the best guides are to be found in...The Declaration of Independence, as the fundamental Act of Union of these States.”

It disturbed me to see the primary foundation of America, pronounced in the opening paragraph of our Founding Document, omitted from this "Statement." In order to restore the "American Way of Life" for our descendants, American citizens, those who are also citizens of the Kingdom of God, must begin to honor and obey their Lord's call to become the Salt & Light they are called to be as “ambassadors” for their King, by preaching not only John 3:16, but what Jesus admonished in the same breath through verse 21. Many are also only “preaching” 1 Timothy 2 but not 2 Timothy 4. The indicators of this revival will be America's overall stance on establishing the boundaries for how “Rights” are to be “entitled,” according to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" (I.E. Abortion & Marriage). This is not 1776, when America was permeated with Biblical moral virtue. America is currently permeated with "progressive political correctness," which requires relinquishing Biblical moral virtue. In order to restore the Republic as our Christian Founders intended, requires the core Biblical foundation which was the motivating factor in how America's Founders confronted EVERY issue, whether social, fiscal, national, or international.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" The 'Contract With America' was actually formed and promulgated over two hundred years past! It was named the Constitution (Of the United States of America). Why is it necessary to constantly relabel the tenets written, and John Hancocked to establish the Republic? Improvements, refinements were required.

Thus the Amendments. Some not so good for the concept of a Republic. A square offers a firm support. A sphere does not. Keep grinding the corners of a square, and it is soon a sphere. Which supporsts little, except the very few that can cling to an upper surface. We, the People,are responsible for installing leaderes. And required to remove those that prostitute their office. It is not mutiny to remove Captain Queeg. It is responsible behavior! Required by that same Constitution. Let's do that; Requie responsible behavior according to the Constitution. That is all that is necessary---immediately remove those who become Captain Queeg. Term Limits, please!

Well I thought I'd wouldn't get to hear it but Robert you finally nailed it on the last entry..TERM LIMITS for ALL in congress. That means the senate and the house!

The last thing the Founding Fathers meant for us to have was professional politicians and it's the last thing we need, with them being beholden to almost EVERYBODY!

We need a whole new crowd in Washington!

We need TORT REFORM!

We need TERM LIMITS!

We need to be able to buy insurance ACROSS STATE LINES!!

And I think the all of you signing this should also sign the Manhatten Mandate as well. Most of you will be glad you did. Go to www.manhattenmandate.com It's there.

Dee Dee

This document needs the signatures of everyone in Congress who wishes to be re-elected in 2010.

Who is getting signatures of those Senators and Representatives who will SWEAR to uphold these Declarations?

Then who will publish the list of Congresspersons who have sworn to live by these Declarations?

Nothing in Washington will change until "We the people" force congress to make the following changes..

1. Term limits(Term after term after term is how these individuals gain their power)

2. The rules by which congress conducts it's business (i.e. the attachment of unrelated admendments to major legislation...costing us millions or in some cases billions of tax dollars)must be changed.

3. The way congress conducts business outside of congress (i.e. contracts, special research projests, unnessary congressional junkets, ect.)

4. An outside agency to oversee the personal conduct of congress (if a police officer is under investigation for a crime they are placed on suspension until cleared or fired upon conviction. Why should the lawmakers be held to a lesser standard? They have proven over and over their inability to police themselves.

5. Earmarks must be abolished completely! Not one dollar of taxpayer money should be spent without going through the entire legislative process!

6. Lobbying should be aboulished in Washington and in all political areanas..States, counties!

7. The monetary allocation system for government must be changed. The current system is designed to be wasteful. i.e. If a dept. requests and recieves X amount of funds for their budget, then, does not spend all of those funds, the following year, whatever their budget is will be cut by the amount they did not spend the previous year! This does nothing but create waste. We must go to a system which rewards and stimulates govermental thrift. This is our money congress is throwing away!!

This is not all that needs to be done, but it's a pretty good start!

Dumb ole country Boy Stafford

P. S.

In regard to Term Limits..I do not believe that our Founding Fathers either wanted or forsaw that our government should be run by professional politicians. As these were the same for which brought about the revoulation. Hence, in my opinion, senators should be limited to one(1) term and congressmen should be limited to two(2) terms. Neither of which could again serve in either house for a period of less than ten(10) years. This would strongly curtail the "Professional Politicians," their cliques and long term power structures. This would also give our government a continuos flow of new blood and hence new ideas.

From the ole country boy, Stafford