Our Goals
Americans want answers to questions like:
Why should we believe or trust in American leaders or laws?
Why, for the first time, are a generation's prospects worst not better?
Why do we even have a debt and deficit?
Why are we paralyzed?
How did we become spectators?
Do we have choices and what are they?
Are there basic issues we can all agree on?
Why even try?
Americans, again, need to have the common goal of harmoniously managing our society. 
To do this we must believe in ourselves, trust in others and build positive experiences. 
Our 200 year old experiment in self government is faltering. 
Current generations, who are the stewards of these noble principles, are not participating.
Renaissance 200 sees it's role as providing simple, understandable programs and services that will encourage all of the current generations to participate in our republic.
We see several solutions, all predicated on demonstrated grass-roots efforts that show Americans have had enough. They want to determine their future and reshape this country, but don't know where to begin or who to trust.Before any worthwhile change can occur we need to pause and develop an understanding of how we got here. We propose a different perspective - to look at each past generation's challenges and their resultant legislation.  Their actions have accumulated into the collective legacy of our laws.  We need to connect the individual occurrences and see if they're conflicting, excessive or useless.  Then, and only then, can we truly understand how to streamline and make beneficial changes.
Our goal is:
To help Americans understand the access process and eliminate unnecessary roadblocks;
To fill a recognized void by acting as the conduit between research Non Profit Organizations (NPO's) and U.S. citizens; and
To conveniently provide this wealth of information via this electronic medium.		We at Renaissance 2000 firmly believe that studying the founding documents; understanding the perspectives the founders had; and understanding the events which caused each generation to enact legislation, will help us see how our present course has veered away from the genuine simplicity that started and successfully guided this country for the first 100 years.  Once we identify this, we can map out strategies to simplify and control the "necessary evil of government", (Jefferson's words) so that it once again becomes a minor functioning part and not a major dominating part of our lives.
This information would change our frustrations into positive and effective results. It would - if made available on a national scale - help untangle the confusion that currently paralyzes many people and consequently our country.
We don't want to recreate any activities currently provided by others.Easy access to information is the first step in encouraging a rekindling of abilities and becoming effective participants in this successful but faltering self-government process. 
America's greatness is the actualization of lofty human principles.If you believe that it takes a village to raise a child, then also believe it takes active citizens to successfully operate within our democratic republican  society. 
We need to believe that we can eliminate the impediments that divide and paralyze us. 
Each generation has preserved, protected and passed these cherished principles to following generations.America again can be a place where family is the most important focus, where individual responsibility and accountability are taught and encouraged, where morals and values are again respected and where benevolent trust rules our judgment.  We know these goals and visions are within our power to achieve because we can see them before us and feel them within us.
The Scenario
Americans over the last 100 years have fallen victim to the incredible pace of industrialization and legislation.Suffice it to say that we have allowed a very complicated and convoluted scenario to evolve and it's now outwardly faltering.  An overwhelming amount of regulations has caused Americans to lose respect for the legislative process and lose track of the law itself. 
The general mood of many citizens today is pessimistic. Many have withdrawn, developing what appears to be a totally apathetic attitude.  We contend that these outward appearances mask a profound sense of confusion; a loss of hope.
Renaissance 2000's founder has spent many years observing the current society and pondering its effectiveness. We've become like the proverbial river which has been continually polluted over many years and has now reached such a toxic level that it no longer supports life. On the surface it still looks like a river, but now it poisons and kills rather than nurtures and grows.
Americans have been lured away from fundamental beliefs and practices which worked. As generations have passed the torch, the flame has dimmed more, until today where the memory and fire necessary to carry on the traditions of awareness and involvement to self govern are flickering. Up until recently, family was the essence of our society.  Family has lost that importance and now seems to be an intrusion into our professional careers.  Technology has gone from servant to master.  Somehow we've confused technology for service. 
In our headlong quest to service the technological monster we've created, we're sacrificing the essence of our purpose, a better place for ourselves and our children.Today, many citizens think they are the only one who don't understand this complicated mess called society and government.  Each is constantly bombarded with "information" they can't comprehend.  They feel embarrassed to admit they just don't understand.  Well, it's time for every citizen who feels the slightest bit patriotic to stand up, admit this looks like a mess, admit they don't understand it and commit to reshaping this country into a simpler, more fulfilling place to live and raise a family.

 
Historical Perspective
The United States, from its very inception, has been a unique country.To date, America has endured three major economic shifts, going from agrarian, to industrial and now to a service oriented society.  Our focus recognizes these national economic shifts, social adaptations, generational needs, new technologies and far-reaching information presentation methods as major factors which have dramatically altered our current society.
It started with abundant natural resources, strong agrarian roots and a strong belief in God and Christian ideals.Our concerns are twofold; the last 100 year's accumulation of generational legislation and the effect this accumulated legislation is having on current generation's abilities to be productive, contributing and participating members of this society.
This country, while being carved out of the wilderness, developed the most far-reaching framework for human interaction ever conceived. The U.S. blueprint was conceived and actualized by some of the greatest minds every assembled less than 180 years after the first permanent settlement at Jamestown, Virginia was established.  The revolutionary generations produced the ideals which still rank as the most forthright doctrines to guide any civilized nation.  Since then, generations have been told how fortunate they were to live in America.  Their own personal experiences made it believable or not.
The first 100 years were rocky. Generations, up until the 1830's, questioned if this new self-government experiment would last.  It took that long for people to believe this type of government would work. Through the 1890's, generations endured natural disasters,  monetary collapses, depressions, a civil war, immigration and state conflicts. 
What evolved was a belief, spurred by elected representatives, that government could solve their problems by mystically provide that balance. Each generation faced particular challenges, with good times creating complacency and bad times producing changes and new laws. Industrialization produced struggles that showed the need for more balance between big business and workers.   Government abuse grew through the 19th century culminated in a major overhaul of government in the 1890's to eliminate corruption.  It's taken another 100 years but we're back to excessive government intrusion, excessive regulations and corruption.
Now, ironically we are in the same battle as our forefathers, but this time it is self-imposed.Over the last 100 years we have condoned gross misrepresentation and excessive taxation.  This sad state of affairs was not created by another nation, but by our collective shortsightedness and apathy, mostly during times of relative prosperity.  We think another 100 year overhaul is in order.

 
The Constitution
The genius of the founders is evident in their legacy to us of the Constitution.Overall they understood and focused on the one constant that we, the descendants, would also always deal with - regardless of the advances or environment in which it would be applied.  Their understanding of this single element is what makes these documents so enduring.  That issue is human nature.
They consistently warned against letting rule makers operate without supervision.Much of the writings surrounding the creation, refinement and ratification of the Constitution concerns balance; to manage the normal human tendencies regarding abuses of power.  These men knew all to well that without constant balance and oversight, positions of power could corrupt individuals to the detriment of their constituents. 

The entire constitutional thought processwhich is a cornerstone of our Constitution, is trust.		A strong moral character, one founded in a commitment to do the right thing because it was the right thing as taught by the golden rule was promoted.  It reflected a citizenry willing to shoulder the responsibility of self-government, willing to devote the time to achieving the consensus necessary to live in harmony.
Citizen participation was through the vote.By giving each person a vote, they knew it would be hard, if not impossible, to create long-term, socially and economically detrimental situations. They understood the adage "you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time".
By creating this unique democratic republic they understood that enough balance and supervision would be exerted to keep the lust for power and control in check. Sadly, over time, less people stayed involved and our founders worst nightmare has happened, government controlling its citizens.

 
The Government
Government has evolved from people we know helping us to strangers dictating to us.Over the last 100 years lawmakers, far removed and with party oriented intentions, have been modifying and adding to the body of rules in an attempt to further define these well crafted and balanced principles.  This includes everything from constitutional amendments to personal gain legislation. Under the guise of betterment, each generation's politicians contributed to the maze which has become our burdensome and nonproductive government.
It has created an "us against them" mentality.While decreased efficiency is the predicted outcome of any government, it currently exists to the point of absurdity in the U.S..  The net result today is an absolutely huge government system comprised of convoluted rules and regulations which currently wastes unimaginable sums of our money. We currently are the recipient of so much state and federal lawmaking that it is destroying the fabric of our society, the citizen's will to participate.   It is imperative that we stop this onslaught of essentially useless laws.  Their only effect now is to further deaden civic response.

 
Policies and Money
The following review of policies and money epitomize the problem with government today. They show what a lack of interest and participation will create.  While politicians are responsible for their actions citizens are equally as responsible for condoning their actions.
Policy wise, our decline started with the Progressive Movement, mostly identified as between 1890 and 1920, which basically believed that more government control was the solution to their current problems.This pendulum swing was created by the first major economic shift, from agrarian to industrial, and the flexing of industrialist's power.  Greed, power and immigrants unsettled the society; created political abuses, and spawned the "us against them" mentality; all culminating with the enactment of several major amendments and laws.
This produced two significant Constitutional changes.The 16th Amendment regarding income tax, (ratified February 3, 1913) substantially deviated from the original limitations outlined in the Constitution.  This expanded tax was "us against them" in action.  It was sold to the American people as a tax against a very small group of rich industrialists and started uncontrolled growth of the government.

The 17th Amendment (ratified April 8, 1913) regarding selection of Senators was, more "us against them" and was the most significant single power shift toward massive federal government.  We wonder if those generations understood the far reaching effects this amendment would have over the next century: in unbalancing the Congress, negating direct state representation in the federal government, and centering all control in Washington, D.C.?


The 1930's Great Depression brought New Deal policies.		14 pieces of costly legislation were enacted.  The New Deal spawned Social Security, now a major budget drain, and marked the beginning of big government in America. 
Big government is defined as one which imposes itself into significant portions of our daily lives.The Fair Deal after W.W.II was a continuing version of more and bigger government "help" policies.  The 1960's Great Society programs enacted 18 sweeping pieces, two which may be key factors in bankrupting our society, Medicare and Medicaid.  Current National Health Care proposals are a continuation of the philosophy that government must manage things for you.
Monetarily, our country has always had debt. The Revolution cost $75 million, but the post revolutionary generations paid that down to $38,000 by 1835.  The Civil War left the U.S. with a $2.4 billion debt, but this was also steadily paid down.  The next notable period was W.W.I incurring $24.2 billion.  By 1940, the Depression surged the debt to $43 billion.  W.W.II started the current debt chain.  By 1945 the debt was $258 billion, escalating through the postwar boom period to $533 billion by 1975.
1981 was significant because, for the first time in our history, our outstanding debt surpassed $1 trillion dollars.Undaunted our mis-representatives effortlessly doubled that amount to $2 trillion dollars of outstanding debt by 1986.  Spending recklessly, it only took until 1990 to top $3 trillion dollars of debt and 1992 to top $4 trillion dollars.  Sadly this insane spending will continue because much of it is tied to social program policies which were ill-conceived generations ago.
We, each one of us as Americans, is responsible for repaying that money.To put these astronomical numbers in perspective; the 1975 debt was $2,475 per capita,, the 1993 portion is $17,200 for every man, woman and child.    A final significant comparison shows that the total 1975 debt of $533 million equals our current annual interest payment.
The debt issue is significant.Current and future generations of Americans, not the Congress that spends the money, are responsible for the debt and we aren't even remotely close to controlling the spending:
Government, in and of itself, is useless - but necessary - for people to live in harmony.This reflects the underlying problem inherent in government, which reinforces our founder's warnings.  Government's only purpose is to promulgate continuity and harmony among the states. 
At it's best, it decreases the efficiency of the participating states. 
This was and still should be viewed as an acceptable price, but it must be limited to this. 
Government should not be autonomous and compete with it's citizens. 
A government without such limits is what we have today. 
It is destroying the ability of the states and their citizens to enjoy the life envisioned by our founders.

 
Problems
From our perspective, the problem is to understand and effectively streamline the accumulated legislation developed over the past 100 years by the prior generations.In stepping back and gaining an overview perspective, the problem becomes easier to see, yet is still a challenge to remedy. This requires becoming knowledgeable about what each generation of Americans added to our current bureaucracy. 
We must develop a perspective that charts and holds to a course of simplification.This compares what was created, to what is essential, tempered by what impact it'll have in the future.  We also must deal with election guidelines for the people who want to represent us.  This means a minimum competency for office holders, no different than guidelines used everyday in corporate America.
The problem with the national government today, is that it's a monopoly.It unfairly competes with its citizens regarding goods and services. Monopolies, by the Justice Department's own rulings, are illegal.  To stop this, we must develop the same resolve our founders had to understand the best intended role of government. We must assess our needs, remove the national government from the position of sole provider of many services and return many oversight responsibilities to the states.
We must return government to its original intended purpose of federal overseer of collective state policies.The original intent was for laws to start at the state level.  When enough states recognized the need for national consensus then the discussion progressed to the federal level.  What we have now is truly the tail wagging the dog.
Another problem is that life in this country, over the last 100 year period, has developed at a pace which strains our ability to cope with it.Early generation's lives reflected a common sense approach to situations; they primarily dealt with issues in their geographic area; with individual and local community needs that directly affected them.  Their relative isolation, especially when compared to the life-style of an average American today, allowed them to manage their affairs comfortably.  News about others was scant and deemed not their business.
In the last 100 years, technology has  disrupted our long-term ethnic and cultural legacy.It has created a situation where material gain has outweighed values.  When we eagerly abandoned our agrarian society, which was our identity, and pursues an easier life-style, we allowed our interest for new and better to erode our belief in tried and true.
Technological application was inevitable and it created a sharp rift between the "HAVES" and the "HAVE NOT's".As communications technology - primarily the telegraph, telephone, radio and television - reached out across this country, it caused two significant things:
Expanded the effective size of the community;
Desensitized people by exposing them to much more than they could deal with.
Thus we began our running battle with technology for control of our lives.
Change always creates turmoil.As technological changes came more dramatically the gap widened.  Technology has, in fact, progressed at such enormous rates that many Americans today cannot comprehend the scope of information and technology available.  We are marketed to so heavily that the effect has been a total shift of our focus from moral to material; so now what you have is more important than who you are.
Human reaction is inevitable.The current generation's reactions range from tuning out and ignoring much of what happens around us to reacting violently to it.  These are very disturbing scenarios, but understandable - when we consider the constant media bombardment.  But does ignoring all this or reacting violently make it slow down or go away?  Obviously, the answer is a resounding NO!!
Today our stress is evolving into anger and rage.For several years we've used the expression "seething anger" to describe the undercurrent which pervades many aspects of our society.  It manifests it's ugliness sporadically and in many ways.  It is a giant red overload flag.
This all distills down to two simple facts.Americans do not believe in the system as it now exists, and they do not believe much of anything they hear or see.
Over the last thirty years, we have been "sold" everything that affects us.Thankfully as generations age they start to resist the constant selling and start searching for more experienced solutions.  We are currently experiencing the maturing of the Baby boomers generation which we know will have a profound, positive effect on correcting these problems.

 
The Result
The result of all this is that we now have vastly different family, community and social structures.  The biggest casualty of these wholesale changes is also the most enduring and fundamental reason for being on this planet, the family. 
We have created, knowingly or not, a society that is damaged and a country that is faltering. Outside interests, however relevant or valuable are preoccupying us all while technology controls us.  We have become distracted and depleted, essentially bankrupting ourselves.
We are morally bankrupt.Two generations ago we stopped teaching fundamental family and American values.  Perhaps the older generations didn't realize that just being an American wasn't enough, that basic values needed to be taught and reinforced. This precipitated the decay of the family which we feel is the root of all our personal and social ills. 
Today the question is "Will I get caught" not "Is it right?" Like a cancer rooted in our body, this is spreading to various organs and is destroying us.  We must recognize this deadly social malady and deal with it immediately.
We are socially bankrupt.The current victim mentality is the latest version of "us against them". Various groups are using this to try and place themselves ahead of others.  This is creating a very destructive erosion of the melting pot; that somehow their group's demands should be recognized above the societies needs.  While the fundamental building block of any society is it's various groups, the perspective of group need being identified above society's is detrimental.
American Society is unique because it combines separate groups, espousing positive moral convictions that openly commit to a common good and recognize that certain group rights take second place to society's rights.This is, as Stephen Covey says, taking the final step in becoming a mature society by recognizing our interdependence on each other.  Interdependence is the acceptance that coexistence requires not compromising group values, but placing those values in such a way as to promote, not impede, the good of all.
We are financially bankrupt.The most visible result is that government activities have economically burdened us so that we cannot responsibly live our lives anymore.  The family unit has been sacrificed to fund the runaway expectations and costs of this "new" American government.  The unrealistic "solutions" that have been laced together over the last 100 years have created a suffocating financial situation.
The Budget Surplus is a hoax.The boldness of the two major parties is evident in the current shameful promotion of their accounting mispractice.  To enhance their status and further lull the American public they have condoned a practice that would put you or me in prison. 
They have included all the off-budget items in the current budget cycle.That means all the receipts from the Trust accounts (such as Social Security, Unemployment, Highway, etc.) are included in the current budget.  If you included your 401K retirement in your current operating budget, the IRS would prosecute you.  Besides the President has a fiduciary responsibility to properly manage these accounts.
The constant barrage of rules and taxes accumulated over the last 100 years is having a choking effect on the U.S. today.Picture this.  The U.S. is like a giant tree standing mightily in the forest of nations.  Slowly vines begin to creep up the tree.  At first, the vines are inconsequential.  They cannot damage the tree or penetrate the thick bark.  Left unattended the vines, after many years, reach the branches.  Now, they are plentiful and strong enough to alter the growth and ultimately the health of this great tree.  These lowly vines given the chance to grow unchecked, can become so burdensome that they can actually kill the tree.  It has taken many years, but like the river and the tree, we are now quickly feeling those effects.  It reflects in people's attitudes; the despair in their eyes; the hopelessness in their actions; the lack of focus on their tomorrow's.

 
The Solution
The simple solution is for us to nurture awareness, support understanding and encourage participation.The genius of the principles on which this country was founded can also be ours - if we choose to participate.  For the reasons given, our country's condition today demands that the current generations deal with a very serious problem.
This is the proverbial family homestead in Virginia, built by our ancestors.Although throughout it's life maintenance was needed, several generations only do ordinary upkeep, while a few will need to do extensive refurbishing and upgrading.  Think of our task as the latter.  That is our solution.  Study the original blueprints.  Tear out the years of patching and accumulated "temporary fixes", in other words, carefully yet thoroughly rejuvenate this grand old house.
Thankfully this is not a call to arms.Renaissance 2000 is soliciting you to become involved in educating yourself; to participate in the management process which considers the value and necessity of the 100 years accumulated bureaucracy that burdens this country and you today.  The only physical labor needed is a willing brain and the only arms needed are one, left or right - your choice - and of course, a mouse and a pen. 
At this point our task is to redirect our values.  Please do not ignore it any longer.We see a golden opportunity to use some of the experienced management talents, who are available and aware of our dilemma, to create a management advisory team that can assist with this large and important task.  The Grace Commission report, compiled almost 20 years ago, is a great place to continue from.  They identified - clearly and graphically -  the problems and solutions, from a private sector efficiency standpoint, that need to be addressed and corrected.
If you want to see significant changes to the current system, please make a commitment and become involved.Our only purpose is to assist you in developing a better understanding and regaining control over our country. 
Remember, those in control today do not want a change.We, the ordinary citizens are going to have to take control back, they will not give it to us. We can - and must - peacefully but firmly take back our God given right to control our lives and destinies.
Talk with your family, tell your friends, start creating the base necessary to promote these changes.If only 5% of eligible voters participated in our programs, that would make a core group of approximately 10 million people promoting common sense, efficient government.  That's 1 in every 20 people.  Are you the 1 that recognizes the problems, understands the need, but is reluctant? Our organization and programs are the answer.
Support Renaissance 2000.Our goal is to streamline the present system into something manageable using accepted, current methods.  Cleaning up the tangle of bureaucracy created over the last 100 years would be a wonderful legacy for our heirs, the future generations of Americans.

Return to Home Page