GW put his life on the line and had to watch (and command) many patriots to their death for a cause – a belief – an ideal. After he helped kick British ass off our great land, he then, very reluctantly, agreed to serve as our first President. He came, kicking and screaming, for a second term of office, but refused a third.  What a man!  The guy literally sweat manliness from his pores.

In his farewell speech to the newly formed idea of a nation, he addressed what he thought could be the end of this ideal – political parties. Here are some excerpts of that farewell address (the whole address can be found here):

…I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discrimination’s. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party, generally.

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind, (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight,) the common and continual mischief’s of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

There is an opinion, that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the Government, and serve to keep alive the spirit of Liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in Governments of a Monarchical cast, Patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in Governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And, there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be, by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume…

In short, Washington believed political parties were evil in nature. They were not in the best interest of our country unity and could eventually lead to our downfall.

Ladies and gentlemen…I think we are almost there. If we are going to save ourselves from ourselves, we need a plan…an Attack Plan…

Select the best candidate

The biggest problem today with political parties is they often don’t select the best candidate for the job. The party system is set up to select the best representative of the party to win an election. Oftentimes, who is best for the job is not EVER a consideration.

Imagine if that is how it worked in business? This silliness happens all the time, but if you can’t do the job or don’t have the best person to fill the position, it eventually catches up with the business. It will either go bankrupt or toil in mediocrity until you have someone there who can perform the best.

Kill all the lawyers

Shakespeare said it best in Henry VI, “the first thing we should do is kill all the lawyers.” This statement was uttered by a treacherous revolutionary in his attempt to plan a way to be successful. If they eliminated all who might stand in the way of the rebellion, then it just might work. Even though the phrase was spewed to start a rebellion (not necessarily to restore sanity to every day life), let’s consider the possibilities.

Political Action Committees are the bane of our political existence. Lobbyists spend millions every year to push their agendas on our legislatures. There is almost NEVER a bill passed, a resolution ratified, or a roll-call conducted that doesn’t have millions of dollars given to somebody in the government behind it. Political parties rely on this money to win future elections (and to build extravagant lifestyles).

Absolute power corrupts

Political parties’ sole purpose in life is to get people elected. They are nothing more than fund raising tools to lend support to candidates that have elect-ability that will push forward an agenda that coincides with those that give the most money to the party.

Whew! What a mouthful. But it’s true. Every last word of it. It’s the golden rule that is as old as civilization itself – “those who have the gold, make the rules.” And if you want to make the rules with government, you musts get your guy/gal elected. They must win. Plain and simple. Doesn’t matter if they have the best interest of the country, you, your family, or the safety of its citizens in mind. It is not the job of candidates anymore to do this. It is only about winning an election to push forward the agenda of the donors.

This is extraordinarily dangerous and George Washington knew it. He, like so many other founding fathers, could see into the future of what money and power does to people. It changes the intent of serving the greater good to serving the few who helped get them there. Eventually, they predicted, this would bring down the very ideal of why The United States were founded.

Stop the hatred

I am continually ashamed, but almost never surprised, as to the level of hatred that exists between people of opposing views. The Sean Hannity’s of the world are the scourge of the system. They hate first, belittle and demise second, and seek common ground only as a last resort.

GW had this one pegged. He knew the power and money involved in controlling the process was too big to pass. That political parties were a way to mobilize and influence people to follow along with the program (regardless of right or wrong) in order to land top spots that control the government system.

So, today, there is no interest in the betterment of our country – it is only the betterment of the party. If it is good for the country, then it’s a bonus. The sides have become so polarized to their beliefs, they have lost site of the common goal. And in this blindness, a pure hatred for the other side has been formed. So much so, there is no common enemy or friend in the world today for Americans. There is only which are you – Democrat or Republican? If you are not on my team, you are the enemy.

Make voting a privilege, not a right

The United States was formed on the concept of giving rights to citizens. The Constitution and its subsequent Bill of Rights (first 10 Amendments to the Constitution) galvanized the concept of a US Citizen’s rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The right to vote for elected leaders in our representative form of government is clearly defined.

However, the US Constitution was written prior to political parties being formed. There are no provisions in this document to handle what is clearly a threat to our national security and sovereignty. Political parties have taken the concept of the “right” to vote and made a mockery out of the concept.

Select the best candidate

I decided to revisit this one again as I sit watching Governor Palin take the Vice Presidency candidacy on the McCain ticket for this year’s Presidential election. I can’t help think to myself, is this what McCain really wanted or is it only helpful to get elected?

She may be qualified for the position, although that looks highly unlikely – she is only 2 years removed from being a mayor of a town of 7,000 residents. It is most likely that she is a woman that put her on the ticket. Could she possibly be more qualified than Mitt Romney or Joe Lieberman or Charlie Christ or Mike Huckabee – most definitely not!

Or is it an attempt to woo women voters who were simply voting for Hillary because she was woman? If women voters switch to McCain from Clinton based solely on the gender issue, then my previous notion of making voting a privilege (through some kind of test or other means of earning it) needs to be instituted immediately.

What is really scary about the selection is that McCain met with Palin just once before making his decision on putting her in the second most powerful position in the country if elected. If this does not tell you the process of selecting the best person is all screwed up, I’m not sure what does.

I love the idea of America and all that comes with it. I know George Washington was scared of political parties interfering with that ideal. He decided to never affiliate with one. If George Washington were running for President today he wouldn’t have made it out of the primaries. Then again, GW never ran for President in today’s sense. He was convinced by his peers to serve and lead as they all knew he was the best person for the position. What an amazingly simple idea!!!!

The mayor in Las Vegas, Mayor Oscar Goodman, pushed through an ordinance last year that made it illegal to give money or food to the homeless. Oscar is awesome.

Oscar is famous in Vegas for defending the Mob, as their attorney, during the golden years of Vegas. His connections to organized crime are well known, so who am I to argue with him on his new law? You da man, Oscar. It’s your world and we are only visiting, brother. Can I buy you a drink?

(As a sidenote, I’m not a heartless SOB. I am big believer in charity and giving to the needy. I give when I can to needy groups and help others who are less fortunate – with my money and my time. This article is about chronic panhandlers.)

If you don’t live in Vegas, though, your city may have a different view on this issue. I can guarantee you public officials don’t like the idea of panhandlers any more than I do and there is some ordinance on the books, probably not enforced all that well, against the beggars. It’s not always politically correct, though, to say bad stuff or round up the homeless.

However, if you have to do your own enforcing of the local laws, you need a plan…an Attack Plan.

If you have time, buy what they need for them.

Want to sort out the professionals from the truly needy? Simply ask them what they need and you will be happy to buy it for them. If you have the time, do it. The beggars who are looking to buy a coffee or soda, will gladly take your compassion and time to heart. If they take you up on your offer, you better perform though. Nothing worse than punking out the honest, needy people after getting their hopes up.

The professional panhandlers will give you the same answer every time: 1) I need money for the bus to get back home, or 2) My car ran out of gas and I just need to fill up my tank. Don’t EVER fall for these. It is always bunch of crap and giving them money is like giving crack to the crackhead. When they scoff at your suggestion and say you’re a jerk, follow these steps…

Call out the professionals for what they are…

Punks. They are scamming, conniving, worthless pieces of crap that Oscar completely knows how to deal with. Be careful, though. Unless you are Bruce Lee (which you’re not because he’s dead) or are carrying some kind of heat, things can get ugly quick. In that case, find a bar, take him in there, and then follow these steps.

Get approached by enough panhandlers over time and you will be able to tell the difference. Even if you get it wrong and call out some poor fella just looking for a doughnut, you will still feel just fine. You followed your instincts and listened to your gut which is all you can do. Remember, the professionals are called professionals for a reason.

Be the alpha dog.

Ever watch The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic? You should. The guy is the, freaking, man. There are so many similarities between humans and animals, it’s crazy. When he has a dog that comes at him barking and growling, looking for a mid-afternoon snack of your fingers or a chunk of you’re a$, he simply takes a couple steps towards that dog and stares him down.

Humans, just like animals, can sense weakness and timidity. If they are aggressive, trying to get something by using intimidation, they will sense your being scared or taken back and be even more aggressive. If they sense weakness, they will pounce on it as an opportunity.

Nip this in the bud immediately. If a panhandler comes at you aggressively, stare them down, look them in the eye and let them know you mean business. Your generosity or lack there of, is COMPLETELY up to you and it will not persuaded by a bully or psycho. If they think you are sane and will succumb to their tactics just to get rid of them, let them know they are messing with the wrong hombre…

Ask them to come to church with you.

Want to let them know you are on the edge as much as anyone? Want to communicate you took all your crazy pills this morning and are ready for just about anything?

Tell them you will help as long as they come to your church and pray with you.
Tell them you will need 3 forms of identification before collecting their tickets.
Tell them you see the snakes, too. And if the crab people would just stop laughing for a minute, you could hear the crying of chipmunks much better than before the accident.

Whatever it is, have fun with those overbearing panhandlers that just won’t take no for answer. After all, if you aren’t having fun, it’s not worth doing…

Teach them features and benefits.

The first rule of successful sales is to be able to handle rejection. Think about these folks and how much they get rejected on a daily basis. If only they had some proper training in delivering the message of features and benefits, they would make killer salespeople.

Some experts say NEVER give them money – even the ones that are truly needy. I have done it before though, since I was able to sort out who was really needy and who was playing me. But if you really wanted to follow the advice of the experts and not give money, then teach them how to sell. It will be giving the gift of life to someone who needs a break. Features and benefits…Features and benefits…

I gave your money to that guy over there.

When they ask you for some spare change or money, and you know you are staring down a professional, then tell them you just gave all your change to the other guy who just hit you up. Tell them you normally give a little to each so everyone can buy their cigarettes, but the other guy was just too pushy and didn’t care about his fellow panhandlers.

This should give you a small window for a quick exit. Take the opportunity to walk away quickly, but if you are really interested to see how it all shakes out, take a peak behind you. The best case scenario is that he leaves you alone and goes to the next person. However, in rare instances, he will believe you and decide to go claim his share from the other beggar. It could get interesting, but remember, don’t break you stride.

I don’t really encourage this one for the faint of heart. There is no telling what could happen, and if you are not Bruce Lee, well, you know.

Don’t have time…God bless you and stay safe.

When all else fails, you have to be honest with the panhandler and tell them you don’t have the time, money or energy to deal with them right now. It might actually be the best alternative all together. Honesty is important and being honest should get them to stop.

OK, maybe not, but still, you are honest with yourself and simply don’t want to deal with them right now. Tell them that God loves them, you love them, and you want them to be safe out there. You will do your best to help out the next time. In all fairness, things are tough and people need help.

Manliness in this area can be a struggle. You want to be charitable and helpful, but what is the right answer? People need tough love at times and at other times, truly need charity. In any event, your first goal is to protect/provide for yourself and your family. Once that is safe, then you can do whatever you want in these situations.