Walter PattersonDo you remember the movie “The Godfather?”
I have seen this movie perhaps a dozen times, and every time it comes on television, I find myself glued to the tube. This movie was a fictional account of a mob family that practiced their nefarious trade in New York City, and later, in Las Vegas, but it is such a fascinating movie.  
Even though the events depicted in the film never happened, they nevertheless, give the viewer an insight into how mobsters think.  I liked the movie so much that I even bought Mario Puzo’s book, and read it.  Usually, the book is better than the movie, but in this case, I rated the movie and the book exactly equal.
But there was a quote in the book that sticks in my brain even today.  It read, “Behind every great fortune, there is a crime.”  At the time I read this quote, I knew that it was sensationalism, but it sounded good.  
Everyone who makes a fortune is not a criminal.  In fact, most people who make great fortunes are responsible citizens.  Examples would be the late Steve Jobs, the Apple Computer founder, and Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft.  These two people had great ideas that the American people were willing to pay for, and consequently, both were able to amass tremendous fortunes.  
There is a force operating among us that is more powerful than any mobster in New York, Chicago, or Las Vegas. If you guessed the federal government, you are correct.  The federal government can take your property (money) through force, and then spend it anyway they like.
Of course, the Constitution of the United States prohibits this, but this is only a small detail that must be overcome – especially for Democrats. Democrats look at the Constitution as an obstacle to be overcome rather than law.
The Constitution outlines 18 powers that are exclusively delegated to the federal government.  These powers are known as “enumerated powers.” Powers not given to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved (given) to the states.
But who cares about the Constitution?  The “Daily Caller” reports in one of its articles that “President Obama will continue to act independently without Congress.” This concerns me. There is supposed to be a wide separation between a republican form of government and a dictatorship.
Never in the history of this country has the Chief Executive made the laws and then enforced them. Strong leadership is one thing, authoritarian rule is yet another.
History has shown us that we have elected liberal Presidents who want to function as the “Godfather.” Rules don’t apply to them. The Constitution was not intended for them because “times have changed,” and “the masses are dumb.”  
Prime examples are Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, and yes, believe it or not, Jimmy Carter, the lone sitting president, as far as I know, who visited Yazoo City and conducted a town hall meeting.
Carter, a peanut farmer by trade, caught the presidential bug after being elected governor of Georgia. He wasn’t a very good governor according to some people that I have talked with, but his ego was such that he perceived himself to be a national Godfather.  Under his administration, the Department of Energy was formed and the Department of Education, both liberal Democrat ideas, and both departments have been and continue to be resounding failures.
No mobster in America has been as creative in extorting taxpayer dollars as the Department of Energy. This agency was formed to make America less dependent on foreign oil, yet today, America is more dependent than ever. The DOE received $35 billion in Stimulus Funds, and today, according to Gregory Friedman, the DOE Inspector General, over 100 criminal investigations are underway and several people have been convicted of crimes involving: a) the submission of false information (lying), b) claims for unallowable expenses (fraud), and claims for inappropriate expenditures (theft).  The DOE received $35 billion of the $787 billion in Stimulus funds.
According to Politico, a liberal publication, this is “greater than their previous annual budget.” The White House, of course, is up to its elbows in many of these activities.  Take Solyndra, the California Solar Panel company.  After taking $535 million in DOE loans, it declared bankruptcy.  What did the White House know, and when did they know it?
Where did the money go?  Don Corleone, the Godfather, would know.  
Anytime a branch of our federal government exceeds its constitutional authority, the results are always bad for the taxpayers and individual freedoms, but good for the politicians who consider themselves smarter than the founding fathers.
Today, the Godfather is envious of the Democrats in Congress. If he could have passed laws that made him rich, he wouldn’t have had to break so many legs.
The Democrats, on the other hand, are simply breaking the bank.