[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 113 (Friday, July 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1932-E1933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE BURLESON DECLARATION
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HON. CHET EDWARDS
of texas
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Madam Speaker, to honor the request of a group
of citizens from Burleson, Texas in my district, I rise today to enter
into the Record the following resolution:
The Burleson Declaration
When, in the course of human events it becomes necessary
for ``we the people'' of the United States to remind our
federal government of it's constitutional limits, duty
demands that we communicate our grievances and petition for
redress under the First Amendment of the United States
Constitution.
We begin by reaffirming the core values on which our
forefathers founded this Constitutional Republic.
We hold these truths to be self evident--that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights our forefathers instituted a
limited federal government which derives its just powers from
the consent of the governed--but the history of our Federal
government is one of continual over-reaching beyond it's
constitutional mandate to secure domestic tranquility,
provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare
and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our
posterity.
We are therefore peaceably assembled here in Burleson,
Texas on this April 15th, 2009 to demand that the Federal
government immediately cease it's abridgement of the People's
rights, and the state's rights.
We call on our District 17 U.S. Representative Chet Edwards
to read this our petition for redress on the House floor so
that it may be entered into the official record of the House.
We call on our U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John
Cornyn to enter our petition into the Senate record. We call
on President Barak Hussein Obama to veto all legislation and
desist from Executive Orders which contravene the will of the
people herein expressed.
Whereas, the encouragement of private and public debt by
the federal government has brought America to the brink of
financial devastation, and has made us a debtor nation;
Whereas, history proves government spending has never
succeeded in curing an economic downturn, but rather serves
only to deepen and prolong it, snowballing debt for future
calamity;
Whereas, government takeovers of banks and financial
institutions move America ever further from the free-
enterprise principles that have brought the nation prosperity
for 233 years, and bring it closer to Socialism;
Whereas, bailouts of private corporations represent a
counterproductive response to what is, essentially, a
government-induced crisis, and effectively make the President
the CEO of private corporations;
Whereas, the current level of irresponsible government
spending is bankrupting this country, burdening our children
and great-grandchildren with never-ending debt, and making
the United States a servant to lender nations such as
Communist China;
Whereas, redistribution of wealth by government for the
purpose of achieving ``social justice'' is immoral and a
proven failure:
We hereby demand an end to all further ``stimulus''
spending, corporate bailouts, ``earmarks,'' pork projects,
welfare programs, higher tax rates and attempts to
nationalize industries. We reject socialism, no matter how it
is packaged. And we pledge to hold accountable any and all
elected officials who continue to pursue this course that is
rapidly leading America to ruin. We remind the government
that we are guaranteed a Republican form of Government in the
constitution. (Article 4, Section 4)
We hereby petition Congress to repeal the Emergency
Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 which unconstitutionally
delegated to the Executive Branch the spending decision of
700 Billion dollars. We call on the government to immediately
divest itself of GM, AIG, and all private corporations, and
to provide an exact accounting of all TARP funds spent to
date. We demand the repeal of H.R. 1106, which forces
American families pay the mortgage for those who received
loans they did not qualify for.
We petition Congress to repeal the Omnibus Appropriations
Act of 2009 (H.R. 1105), and that the budget bill under
consideration be killed which has a net tax hike of $1.35
trillion.
We petition Congress for passage of H.R. 450 the Enumerated
Powers Act, to require Congress to specify the source of
authority under the United States Constitution for the
enactment of laws, and for other purposes.
We petition Congress for a final end to the death tax which
effectively double taxes every citizen's income and usurps
our right to transfer wealth to our posterity. This abridges
our constitutional right to be safe in our effects, papers
and property.
We reject the cap-and-trade energy tax, which Candidate
Obama admitted would ``cause electricity rates to
skyrocket.''
We reject the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 which
will force onerous certification and inspection requirements
on family farms and could make private vegetable gardens
unlawful and turn the farmers market into a black market.
(H.R. 875)
We reject the deceptively named Employee Free Choice Act
which takes from the American worker the right to privately
ballot whether to organize labor, or not, and makes them
subject to union intimidation and bullying. (H.R. 800)
We reject the so called ``Ted Kennedy Serve America Act''
which forces our youth into involuntary servitude and
subjects them to years of indoctrination. This is a violation
of the 13th Amendment to our constitution which abolished
slavery and involuntary servitude except when duly convicted
of a crime. (H.R. 1388)
[[Page E1933]]
We reject all encroachment upon our 2nd Amendment right to
keep and bear arms. An armed populace is the greatest
preservative of the Republic against tyrants. We reject all
attempts to limit access to ammunition. We reject the
reinstatement of the Failed 1994 Gun and Magazine ban.
As Ronald Wilson Reagan has said: ``There are those in
America today who have come to depend absolutely on
government for their security. And when government fails they
seek to rectify that failure [by giving] government more
power . . . at the expense of the Constitution. . . . in
their willingness to give up their arms in the name of
safety, they are really giving up their protection from what
has always been the chief source of despotism--government.''
We reject government run Health Care which would give
bureaucrats the power to ration health care. This leads to an
Orwellian society where government ultimately decides the
time and circumstance of every citizen's death.
Finally, we reject the current `Create a Crisis' method of
controlling the people of the United States. As Texas
Congressman Ron Paul correctly stated, ``Whenever something
terrible happens, people reflexively demand that government
do something. This impulse almost always leads to bad laws
and the loss of liberty.''
We say that we do not trust in the Nanny-state, we choose
instead to believe in the Constitution, in our fellow
Americans, in the free enterprise system, and in our God.
To these principles we pledge our lives, our fortunes, and
our sacred honor, and witness our determination by our
signature affixed below. We demand that our elected
representatives make it their highest priority to address
these grievances or face certain expulsion from office, and
we strongly suggest they add their signature to ours.
Signed in Burleson, Texas, April 15th, 2009 by WE THE
PEOPLE.
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