Read & Sign the Declaration
To Sign: Send your Name with City, State to: admin@RestoreUS.Org
Nearly a quarter of a millennium ago, our founders set forth a vision. It was a vision of hope. A hope that individuals could lead their lives in liberty and equality. The United States Constitution was the codification of this vision. Later, Webster and Lincoln embodied the vision as they eloquently spoke of the relationship of Government of the People, by the People, for the People, and accountable to the People.
We the People elect this government. If, We the People, no longer have the power to change our Government then a violation of a basic principle of our contract with our Government has occurred.
Our current system has evolved where image has become a substitute for substance, marketing outsells quality, and money trumps leadership. Our elected officials are controlled by interests other than those of the electorate. The real and tangible obstacles which have evolved have made the success of our founder’s vision impossible. Our looming constitutional crisis continues to escalate.#1
Like our founders we state, governments are creations of mankind, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes.#2 Therefore we do not embark on this path recklessly, but at this time we rescind the permission to be governed in the manner prescribed henceforth:
Security
Contaminated ingredients have been imported from China. Tainted pet food has led to the death of family pets. Thousands of pigs, millions of chickens and an untold number of farmed fish may be contaminated with melamine, which is used to make plastics. $29 million worth of fresh or frozen fruit and $131 million worth of fresh or frozen vegetables is coming in from China annually.#3
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths each year in the United States.
The Associated Press reported. the Food and Drug Administration inspectors physically checked 1.3 percent of all imports in 2006, about three-quarters of the amount inspected in 2003. Overall, the U.S. trade deficit is now over $700 billion annually. #4
In February 1997, the FDA proposed mandatory rules outlining “good manufacturing practices” for the safe production of dietary supplements. But more than a decade later, those rules haven't been finalized.#5 Structurally, there is a problem. The FDA’s funding is closely tied to the drug firms asking the agency to approve their products. That puts the FDA under unhealthy pressure to neglect its primary duty: to monitor food and drugs to protect the national health. #6 The 2007 FDA application fees for a product requiring clinical data is $896,200. #7
A nation’s foremost responsibility is the security of its citizens and border control.#8 While we have a rich tradition of welcoming those who wish to enter our country, we now have 12 million individuals who have entered illegally.#9 Immigration has made this a great country and will continue to do so, but repeated efforts by our governors to account for those coming across our border have been unsuccessful.
The port of Los Angeles is typical. Here, 80% of the terminals are run by foreign firms. And the U.S. Department of Transportation says the United Kingdom, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China and Taiwan have interests in U.S. port terminals.#10 Likewise, many of our international airport terminals (Indianapolis, Orlando, Atlanta among others) are managed by British companies. #11
Even our highways are now being sold or leased to foreign firms. The Chicago Skyway, Indiana Toll Road, Trans-Texas Corridor, Dulles Greenway Toll Road in Virginia, Foley Beach Expressway in Alabama, SR-125 in San Diego, Toll Roads in Portland, Oregon all fit this increasing pattern.#12
Further, there is evidence plans exist to create a 10-lane NAFTA limited-access highway running from Mexico to Canada. This superhighway would enable Asian manufacturers to ship containers full of goods to Mexican ports, unload them using Mexican labor, and put them on Mexican driven trucks, which would then be driven into the United States. The goods would then be distributed through a new customs-free port in the U.S. #13
Over 2,400 publicly-owned water and wastewater systems in the United States contract with private firms to provide system operations and maintenance services. Many of these 2,400 contracts are held by domestic firms with a foreign parent. For example, Veolia Water, the U.S. subsidiary of a French firm, serves more than 600 communities and 14 million people through public-private partnerships with local governments, including the nation’s largest water partnership in Indianapolis. In addition, 15 percent of the U.S. population is served by approximately 20,000 private, regulated water and wastewater utilities. Most of these are owned by domestic subsidiaries of foreign firms. #14
The United States Defense Department spends more than $500 billion annually. This represents nearly ten times the amount of any other nation.#15 Our peace time armed forces stands at more than 500,000 citizens. #16 This is in direct contradiction to the framer’s intentions.#17
Rights
Citizens continue to see their rights, guaranteed by the Bill of Rights to erode. From wearing t-shirts to displaying banners, citizens’ rights to express themselves are being trampled. 43 Senators voted for a bill this year that would have required U.S. political bloggers with over 500 readers to register as lobbyists or face criminal penalties of up to one year in jail. It would have also required grassroots causes, many operating on a shoe string as it is, to register and report quarterly to Congress. #18
The Federal government issued a directive restricting the ability of government scientists traveling abroad to discuss global warming, sea ice, and polar bears.#19 Our surgeon general has declared he was censored by the Federal government. #20
On various topics ranging from harm done by local school boards to federal wiretapping of citizens, to protection of the environment, courts are ruling that ordinary citizens “do not have standing” i.e. the right to sue. #21
FBI agents violated several provisions of the Patriot Act. These provisions extended the government's powers in fighting terrorism, but put certain limits on those broad powers to ensure the constitutionality of any efforts to obtain information. Rights of citizens were violated when agents had not even issued national security letters before requesting credit, phone, or bank information. #22
USA Today reported on a National Security Administration (NSA) program in which the federal government collects and stores phone records from all major phone companies. With the exception of one company, every major telephone provider has complied with the NSA's program. The collecting and storing private phone records without a warrant based on probable cause violates a person's Fourth Amendment rights. the police gather phone records in investigations, but suspicion of guilt is involved. In this instance, information is collected and stored without any grounds for suspicion. #23
A White House executive order of July 17, 2007 #24 violates the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the US Constitution. It repeals one of the fundamental tenets of US democracy, which is the right to free expression and dissent.
Treatment / Interactions
Approximately 45 million Americans do not have health insurance of which about 20% are children. More than 60% of uninsured adults with diabetes did not have a health professional examine their feet or have a dilated eye exam. 25% of uninsured adults with heart disease did not see a health professional last year. 59% of uninsured adults with an arthritis type disease had unmet medical or prescription needs. About 30% of all Americans report they did not get a prescription filled because of cost.#25
Approximately half of all personal bankruptcies cite medical expenses as the primary reason. #26
The poverty rate now stands at 12.7% with the bottom 20% having only 3.3% of the aggregate income.#27
As of 2004, the tax code was 54,846 pages. There are 1.2 million paid tax preparers and the IRS employs 100,000 workers. It costs Americans $100 to $200 billion to fill out their tax forms every year. 32 million penalties are assessed each year. #28
According to a Brookings Institute study, unless it is reformed, by 2010 the alternative minimum tax will affect 33 million taxpayers, almost one-third of all individual tax returns. This includes 97 percent of married couples with two or more children earning between $75,000 and $100,000.
Just over half of our eligible citizens vote. The citizens of the United States rank 34th in voter participation among those countries which hold free elections. #29
Currently, software used in election systems remains the proprietary property of vendors. This situation has created a continual problem when anomalous results have been reported and independent experts are denied the ability to review how the systems work. #30
A USA Today / Gallup survey indicated that elected officials are looked upon as being highly trustworthy and ethical by just 17% of those polled.#31
Incumbency rates are now approaching 97%. Gerrymandered districts exist at alarming rates. The 2002 and 2004 congressional elections represent the least competitive races of the post WWII era.#32
The US incarcerates the largest number of people in the world, about two and a half million people. The incarceration rate in the US is four times the world average. The US has less than 5% of the world’s population but over 23% of the world’s incarcerated people.
57% of inmates in federal prisons are there due to drug related offenses.#33 Drug law offenses are expected to exceed 1.6 million persons this year. #34 Nearly $50 billion will be spent on the war on drugs this year. #35
Student surveys report conditions in our public schools which resemble prisons and continue to erode the rights of students. #36 The similarities are striking.#37 Our public education system has become a horror. #38
Each state has sunshine laws which require government records and meetings must be open to the public. But, the Associated Press has reported that the laws are sporadically enforced, penalties for failure to comply are mild and violators almost always walk away with nothing more than a reprimand. Even when citizens appeal over lack of access to information, the government usually wins and keeps public business secret.#39
Press releases from corporations are often treated as factual news. Supposed news stories are nothing more than sensationalistic ratings grabbers. Journalism, advertising and entertainment have merged. #40
Corporations, as the prime economic driver, steer our education system.#41 Corporations, through the benefits they provide to their employees, have become integrally involved in health care services. The funding of scientific studies by corporate interests influences the results of the tests.#42
There are now over 34,000 registered lobbyists in Washington D.C..#43 These lobbyists and their organizations spend over $2.5 billion annually trying to influence elected officials. #44
Each of these oppressions are potentially substantial in nature. Taken together in their sum they are intolerable. Though each could be addressed and solved if given enough resources, the momentum and inertia behind each is daunting. In their sum, they constitute a breakdown of our society and our institutions.
The elected representatives of, We the People, are not able to represent the electorate.
The information made available to, We the People, is inadequate for making reasoned choices.
The lifestyles imposed on, We the People, does not reasonably allow for the pursuit of liberty without government interference.
These oppressions represent conditions of life which are unacceptable to a free people. The governors who are responsible for allowing these conditions to exist are unfit for governance.
We, therefore, the undersigned citizens of the United States of America, solemnly publish and declare, our pledge to each other to pursue a new path, to implement a re-birth of our founders’ visions from which our nation’s ideals were formed, free from the oppressions this government has wrought upon us.
These changes mandate a Re-Birth of our Constitution.#45 This Re-Birth will alter the way we elect our governors, how we create and execute our rules and regulations, and how we will interact with each other in a humane manner. A foundation for this Re-Birth already exists in the Earth Charter #46 and Libertarian Principles.#47 This Re-Birth will ensure that opportunities will be maximized for each citizen to pursue their life in liberty and equality.
Endnotes
#1 May 30, 2006, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/rushing-towards-a-constit_b_21896.html
#2 Declaration of Independence, http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm
#3 May 21, 2007 USA Today
#4 American Economic Alert
#5 June 3, 2007 San Diego Tribune
#6 12/6/04 Toledo Blade
#7 FDA http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/98fr/E6-12397.htm
#8 Center for a just society, http://www.ajustsociety.org/press/article_ideasinaction.asp?pr=2222
#9 Reported by the AP March 7, 2007
#10 2/23/06 USA Today
#11 3/15/06 Reason fondtn http://www.reason.org/privatization/foreign_management_us_infrastructure.shtml
#12 3/15/06 Reason.org
#13 6/12/06 Illuminati news http://illuminati-news.com/061506a.htm
#14 3/15/06 reason http://www.reason.org/privatization/foreign_management_us_infrastructure.shtml
http://www.americaneconomicalert.org/ticker_home.asp
#15 Stockholm International Peace Research http://www.sipri.org/contents/milap/milex/mex_trends.html
#16 December 20, 2006, New York Times
#17 The Future of Freedom Foundation, http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0409a.asp
#18 http://www.redpills.org/?p=63
#19 NBC.COM http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/1154/2/
#20 7/10/07, Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1034212120070710?feedType=RSS
#21 Order in the Court http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2000/03/28/grynberg-suits/index.html
#22 Bill of Rights Institute http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/instructional/ resources/Lessons/Lessons_List.asp?action=showDetails&id=161&ref=showCatD&catId=6
#23 USA Today, 5/11/06 http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm
#24 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-3.html
#25 Source: Uninsured Americans with Chronic Health Conditions: Urban
Institute and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, using data from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention’s 2003 National Health Interview Survey.
#26 Feb. 2005, Health Affairs
#27 US Census Bureau 8/31/05 http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0831/p02s01-usec.html
#28 US House Representative. http://www.house.gov/garymiller/ReasonsWhyIRSisBroken.html
#29 Electoral Participation Mark Franklin http://www.answers.com/topic/voter-turnout-1
#30 http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=142&Itemid=962
#31 http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061212/a_honest_chart12.art.htm
#32 http://www.emergingdemocraticmajorityweblog.com/spsa/spsa.html
#33 World Inmate Population list - http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r188.pdf
#34 Uniform Crime Reports: FBI http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm
#35 Office of National Drug Control Policy http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm
#36 http://www.alternet.org/story/16305/?page=3
#37 The Prometheus Institute, http://www.prometheusinstitute.net/opinion/jh72806.htm, http://www.newswithviews.com/Turtel/joel.htm
#38 http://www.steve-olson.com/how-the-public-school-system-crushes-souls/
#39 Mar. 10 , 2007 http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2941033&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
#40 Aug. 16, 2006 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/16/national/main1900602.shtml
#41 Infed.org http://www.infed.org/biblio/globalization_and_education.htm
#42 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-01/chb-nsc010307.php
#43 June 22, 2005 Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101632.html
#44 http://www.opensecrets.org/lobbyists/index.asp
#45 Parallel Constitution, OpEdNews.com http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_stephen__060519_a_new_constitutional.htm
#46 The Earth Charter Initiative, http://www.earthcharter.org/
#47 Libertarian Principles, http://www.lp.org/issues/platform_all.shtml