First Campaign Promise

I think I should start off by saying that I believe that our current federal government - and I mean all branches - have strayed from the original intent of the U.S. Constitution, and that it will take more than just one person to bring it back under control. But it only takes one person to start the ball rolling. I would like to be that person, and as President I aim to do just that. I submit to you the following promise, well actually four promises:

1. I promise that as President, I will put any piece of legislation that crosses my desk up against the articles and amendments of the U.S. Constitution to determine if we, as the Federal Goverment have the power to even address the issue at hand, let alone pass a law on the issue. The U.S. Constitution specifically lays out those powers that each Branch has to govern, and anything that isn't specifically called for in the Constitution shouldn't have a law to govern it.

2. I promise that as President, I will ensure that any action taken by the Executive Branch does not cross or violate any of the Bill of Rights. The rights of the individual citizens, as well as the rights of the individual states, were thought of as being paramount by our founding fathers, that they should be protected by any means possible. Too often, the Bill of Rights is seen as areas that the Federal Government should actively govern, but our founding fathers evisioned that the Bill of Rights should be an area over which the Federal Government should stay away from, period.

3. I promise that as President, I will evaluate all departments and agencies of the Executive Branch to make sure that they uphold the articles and amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Any department or agency that doesn't support these goals will be reformed, replaced or eliminated.

4. I promise that as President, I will work hard to limit the influence of the United States Government to only the United States of America and its direct territories. I understand that being one of the most powerful nations in the world makes it easy for us to exert our power over other sovereign nations. We can use our power constructively, working with other nations through our trade agreements and treatise. I feel that our military forces should only be used to defend the property and citizens of the United States, and that it should only be used offensively if our nation, its property or its citizens are in eminent danger of being attacked.

Well, this is a good start. I invite comments, questions and discussions on these items, as it is the only way you to get to know me, and more importantly, for me to understand the will of the people I would like to serve.

Thank you,

Earl Kinsley
Candidate for President

Welcome!

This is my first post to the brand new blog, KinsleyForPrez08! As the name says, I am kicking off my campaign for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. Since I do not feel compelled to join any particular politcal party (Republican and Democrats are too federalistic, Reform and Green Parties are never taken seriously, and Libertarians and Constitutionalists are just considered wackos), I plan to run in the general election as an independent candidate.

My campaign platform really revolves around freedom in this country, or the lack thereof. The federal government has little-by-little taken away pieces of our rights to live free and happy over the last 216 years, and in the last dozen years it has gotten exponentially worse. I believe that our government has infested every part of our lives, including parts that the U.S. Constitution and our founding fathers specifically prohibited them from interfering with. I want the American people to be able to take back control of the federal government and loosen those reigns that it has over us. I want to scale back the enormous federal budget (now standing at $2.568 trillion, yes trillion) to the point where the government spends money on what it should be, AND NOTHING ELSE. I want to work on paying off the gargantuan federal debt (as of yesterday, $7,842,026,166,045.39 or $26,705 per U.S. Citizen) by never, ever spending more than we collect from the taxpayers, and by collecting on the debt owed to the United States by persons, corporations and foreign nations. Finally, I want to alter our foreign policy and reduce our military presence in the world. The United States is a strong nation and as such can contribute much to the world economy, but not by invading third world countries and bullying our allies in the name of "democracy". We should lead by example, by participating in the United Nations (not acting against it), supporting the European Union (not undermining it) and pushing forth treaties that will encourage democracy through diplomacy (not through military force).

In the coming weeks and months, I will post here with additional thoughts and ideas on my campaign, and eventually, unveil my campaign website where I will be able to offer more details on what I will do if elected President. In the meantime, please email me your comments and questions. I will read them and respond either personally or via this blog.

Thanks,