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    Former Guinness World Record Holder for largest book signing ever, Orrin Woodward is a NY Times bestselling author of And Justice For All along with RESOLVED & coauthor of LeaderShift and Launching a Leadership Revolution. His books have sold over one million copies in the financial, leadership and liberty fields. RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions For LIFE made the Top 100 All-Time Best Leadership Books and the 13 Resolutions are the framework for the top selling Mental Fitness Challenge personal development program.

    Orrin made the Top 20 Inc. Magazine Leadership list & has co-founded two multi-million dollar leadership companies. Currently, he serves as the Chairman of the Board of the LIFE. He has a B.S. degree from GMI-EMI (now Kettering University) in manufacturing systems engineering. He holds four U.S. patents, and won an exclusive National Technical Benchmarking Award.

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American Politics – Right or Left Equals Lost Freedoms

Posted by Orrin Woodward on December 29, 2011

In one corner we have the Right. They claim that America needs a huge military/industrial complex to protect our country. Strangely, in order to do so, it is claimed that it requires military personnel in a hundred plus countries and military bases in 63 of them! Isn’t this a costly endeavor when a nation is going broke? In addition, the military complex provides gun-boat diplomacy (open your markets or else) for large corporations to sell merchandise protected by the military paid for by the shrinking middle class.

In the other corner is the Left. They claim that America needs a bigger government to regulate those greedy capitalist who are exploiting the people. Although I agree with the assessment, the answer – more government power – only allows the greedy business people to buy the greedy government, thus the power to control their markets. Plus the bigger government requires even more tax dollars (similar to the Right and military complex), leaving the citizens reduced to mere serfs at the beck and call of numerous regulations.

What if both the Right and Left were a Hegelian maneuver of thesis, anti-thesis, leading to the inevitable synthesis of larger State power and control, regardless of which side wins an election? What if, in other words, the Right/Left dichotomy isn’t even the real battleground? America was founded on limited government bound by the Constitution to ensure the beast never escapes it clearly delineated powers. Oh how far we have traveled from this ideal.

Today, whether one votes Right or votes Left, what a person actually votes for is less freedom and more Government/Big Business/Banker control. Until the citizens change the framework of the debate for Right/Left to Freedom/Tyranny, nothing will change. Asking money-hungry Government (it takes money to get elected) to regulate money-hungry Big Business is like asking Al Capone to regulate prohibition. History has provided endless examples of the illicit partnering of Big Business and Big Government to feather their nest at the expense of the citizen’s freedoms and pocketbooks – Federal Reserve, Income Tax, Railroads, Savings & Loans, etc.

Let’s change the debate this electoral season. Let’s start asking our candidates how they intend to reduce Big Government. By reducing Big Government, it will automatically reduce the ability of Big Business to buy the power needed to set up monopolies, thus ensuring true free enterprise for the benefit of all citizens. Free enterprise is the only system where the consumer has the choice to vote with his money and support or withhold these if not happy.

Why give government this control when they have proven repeatedly they are incapable of withstanding the bribery of Big Business? Let’s put the power back in the citizens hands where it belongs. Idealist? Maybe, but what is the point of getting involved unless we have ideals to shoot for? Time is short, America cannot continue on its present path of fiscal insanity, power lust, and ethical wasteland forever.  What part will you play in the restoration of the American Dream?

As of today, I am officially no longer a Republican or a Democrat. I am now going under the long forgotten term called American. I refuse to allow our political pundits to divide us any longer. Americans must unite around freedom not fight around force. In my opinion, each citizen has a moral responsibility to stop dividing between the false dichotomy of Right/Left and start uniting around the true division of Freedom or Tyranny. I choose Freedom, how about you? Sincerely, Orrin Woodward

42 Responses to “American Politics – Right or Left Equals Lost Freedoms”

  1. Raymond said

    Amen! One of the things that I love about free enterprise and our TEAM/LIFE business is it’s unique ability to unite and not divide. Left/Right, Democrat/Republican, black/white are all tools of division, and our real adversary uses this foolish to steal the American dream, kill all hope for tomorrow, and destroy lives. I too denounce party affiliations and stand on the side of God fearing Americans that want to fight the good fight of faith.

  2. WOW!! Orrin this is awesome!! Thank you so much for helping people (myself included) understand why choosing right or left is both equally taking away from freedom. I am officially hopping on the band wagon of being an American and fighting for freedom! I hope this idea spreads like wild fire across the US for this election.

    How would you recommend someone to start educating themselves to be prepared to vote as an “American” for this up coming election? Any words of wisdom about this?

    Thanks for all that you do and represent.

    God Bless!

    • Greg said

      The political philosophy that most closely aligns with the concepts of freedom (protection of the individual against government), free enterprise, and the original intent of the Constitution is the libertarian point of view. There is only one candidate on the landscape with this viewpoint (Ron Paul), and you can see how he has been constantly vilified by the press. He can’t even run under a Libertarian Party banner because of the entrenchment of the 2-party system in America, and has had to pose as a Republican to obtain office.

      At this point in America’s history, at the national level, voting is mostly an exercise in irrevence. One of the only roads back to sanity is to education the populace to the realities mentioned by Orrin. However, it is a very long, ardous road, especially since the government controls the very means by which most become “educated.”

      I’m not trying to seem overly pessimistic, just trying to point to realities. It takes more than idealism, more than Tea Party rallys, to make the kind of change that will really pull America back up from the brink of collapse toward which she is rapidly approaching. Do some research – start at Cato.org, mises.org, and lewrockwell.com.

      There are no quick fixes – and no single election will make much difference, at least for the foreseeable future. But PLEASE join the movement to move America back to sanity! Just be prepared for an uphill slog for the rest of your life.

      • Wildtarg said

        I could hardly be more in agreement with you, Greg.

        “One of the only roads back to sanity is to education the populace to the realities mentioned by Orrin. However, it is a very long, ardous road, especially since the government controls the very means by which most become “educated.”

        I’m not trying to seem overly pessimistic, just trying to point to realities. It takes more than idealism, more than Tea Party rallys, to make the kind of change that will really pull America back up from the brink of collapse toward which she is rapidly approaching.”

        Now Hear This:
        “Unless a people remains educated and informed, it is idle to expect the continuance of civil liberty, or the capacity for self-government.”
        -Texas Declaration of Independence

        And might I point out that Texas was the only state to voluntarily join the union as a sovereign country through due process, so they might know a thing or two themselves about liberty and government.

  3. Right on! Completely right on! I love when Chris Brady said, “People say to me, ‘You must be a Republican…’ NO I’M NOT, I’M AN AMERICAN! And that’s way more important!”

    Thank you Orrin, fantastic post, I will share it a lot! ;^)

  4. Great information Orrin. Ironically I had forwarded some information on the Hegelian Dialetic to some family members of mine the other day. Simply stated the best way to overcome the progression of the Thesis/Anti-Thesis/Synthesis experiment we have all been led into is to simply quit fighting their war and playing their game. I really believe that this battle has been ongoing since Eden and that Satan is looking for the synthesis of Good and Evil. The great thing for us is that Evil doesn’t exist as defined without the absense of Goodness, so we must take heart as long as Goodness exists Evil cannot and there is no debate there. That is the great thing about Life and the goal of reaching a million households. That much goodness will have an exponential effect and will help to save millions of folks the World over from this Hegelian apostasy.
    God bless and thank you for all that you do.

    • derek said

      Good comment I wish more knew about the dialectic process and how it relates to Biblical revelation.

      • You can plug the Hegelian Dialetic into a web search engine and get some good information. You can also do a parallel search on the Communist worldview or Communist dialetic. Good luck and God bless.

  5. Kristine said

    Never heard it said better- we need to a start having the right debate! Tyranny vs freedom!! Now people can start focusing on the real fix not this fake war of political sides!!! awesome post!!

  6. Robert Brandimarte said

    Right on Orrin, Former Georgetown professor-Council of Foreign Relations Historian Carroll Quigley writes in his book “Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time”

    “The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to the doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can “throw the rascals out” at any election without leading to any profound or extreme shifts in policy.”

    The two major parties pretend that there are differences but in the end the same policies go forward. God Bless

  7. Patrice Caldwell said

    Thank you Orrin for continuing to shed light on where our country is headed. Your leadership writtings are so greatly needed to educate Americans. Your caliber of writtings are like the Federalist Papers and inform us of what Americans need to do to keep freedom. How blessed we are to have such an astute leader leading the charge to a million people!

  8. Mike Inman said

    Bravo! I am tired of the political discourse that obscures the main issue, will we gain back our freedom. I too am an a American.

  9. Orrin,

    Great post! 3 years ago i went ‘independent’ but I like ‘American” even better! Interestingly there is one more topic along these lines I have struggled with but had since made peace with. This concept of I am an ‘Indian American’ or ‘Mexican American’ etc., The problem with this is that it again alienates us from why we need to be ‘American’ which is the only way to unite the very differing arguments people give. Coming as an immigrant in 1987 and learning what it means to be an American(like the founders did), I have actually grown to love my birth country India. I see India as a potential place where ‘true’ American ideals like freedom, free enterprise can thrive better than any other place I know. But not until I understood and became an American, I could not develop this true love for my birth home in India. Prior to that it was very chauvinistic, macho, prideful ‘my india’ which only alienates and not unite. Thank you for leaders like you and PC members of LIFE, TEAM that by telling me the truth in love demonstrated and wanted me to become an ‘American’. I received my citizenship in 1994 but I became and ‘American’ years later. I am proud to be an ‘American’.

  10. Perfect timing perfect point … now if you would only run in the next election! Our country needs a few men or women to stand up and take the lead but they must lead with Character Integrity and Honor without these qualities we are just watching the decline sway even further back. I cannot think of a better man who displays these qualities than Mr. Orrin Woodward!

  11. Jim Clark said

    One of the best analogies I’ve read in a long time about the way we have divided our nation, our States and ourselves.
    If the United States ever borrows money from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to keep this nations economic future going by controlling us through Debt,
    America and it’s Constitution will cease to exist because Free Enterprise will have Died.

  12. Kevin Hamm said

    Orrin,

    Right on! What I love about LIFE is that it encourages the individual to focus on himself/herself in order to become a person of influence and then become the change that they want to see in society. Focused pursuit of the intricacies of what you just shared while remaining a person with no influence, a burden of debt, broken relationships and no faith will likely lead to an empty pursuit. God has a purpose for each one of His children and becoming a person that can lead a community of people will certainly play into that purpose. Thank you for setting an example all along the way. I look forward to freer days that will enable more scholarly work such as you have demonstrated.

    Kevin Hamm

  13. Juleen Ray said

    Right on Orrin!!! Thank you for getting this information out to the people.

  14. Orrin,

    Well spoken.
    I continue to read and re-read The Creature from Jekyll Island. The discussions in this book should be taught in every school in America.
    To understand the founding of our Country, the role of the Constitution, how the Federal Reserve and fiat money have destroyed the very equity we as citizens work our whole life to build is quite revealing.

    Until the public understands basic principles of Freedom and Free Enterprise we will continue down the path of bigger and bigger government.

    As you indicate, time is short and I pray we can rise to the cause to restore our country to the once great nation it was.

  15. Captain Bill Howard said

    The whole political spectrum is not unlike a trip to the store to buy tuna fish. There are eight different brands with all kinds of fancy packaging and labeling, but when you open the can, therein lies the same old stinky fish. No matter how you dress it up, the product is the same.
    God Bless!
    Capt. Bill

  16. agreed

  17. Chad Sutkay said

    Orrin,

    I truly hope to read further posts of this content. Perhaps it is the birth of the “American Party” that is on the horizon. I couldn’t agree more, it’s as if there is a giant game of tug of war going on and unfortunately in this case both sides somehow end up in the mud. I support less government and more freedom. God bless and thank you for posting this. – Chad S

  18. “As of today, I am officially no longer a Republican or a Democrat. I am now going under the long forgotten term called American.”

    Very powerful article Orrin. Thanks for the post.
    Steve Leurquin

  19. praise for your post Orrin! I am in the boat with you. In Wisconsin we are going through the Gov. Scott Walker re-call campaign, funded by the unions, and it has divided the state. True to your post, big business- unions, has spread controversy, fear, untruths all under the guise of patriotism, to maintain their power. I am thankful to be a part of the LIFE business which is focused on distributing truthful information to the public. May God’s favor continue to bless your journey to accomplish His purpose here on earth.

  20. Thanks for the article, Orrin. I’ve felt this way for years, but only recently have I been able to realize why. It’s always refreshing when people actually discuss truths and principles instead wasting time on polarizing that do nothing to move this country along. Hopefully the American people will stop attacking each other and figure out that the real culprits are the ones in power trying to take away our freedoms.

  21. Bill Eder said

    Right on Orrin:
    My Dad has been gone for sometime now. Your words echoed his words spoken years ago
    when I was a much younger man. It’s been over fourty years that Dad said vote for the best
    candidate not the party. You and the TEAM have renewed these words. You can number me
    as American as well. Blessings to you and the TEAM for the coming New Year.

  22. Amen Orrin!!! Great post! Thanks for sharing all the truth that you do! I was woken up to virtually all the truth shared in this post about 6 months before the TEAM came into my life. It was a scary 6 months as I didn’t know what could be done to rectify these problems other than to tell as many people as I could what I had found out. Now, especially with LIFE, we have the perfect vehicle to inform ourselves & others of these truths and many more while having the option of building the best business in history. This will provide the fuel for the grassroots change necessary for the Freedom Shift that is to come!

  23. CaptainT said

    Orrin,
    Thank you for posting such a powerful piece! The Hegelian Dialectic has been used for a long time as a process to move America from a Judeo Christian foundation to a reckless and a Godless reality. As Team marches on to a million people, more will be able to hear the truth and start applying and changing – this fires me up! We are going to restore the republic by God’s grace!

  24. Dave Rempel said

    Orrin,

    Absolutely fantastic article. Thx so much for always posting these things. I’m canadian but essentially goes the same for us. Its great to hear truth on these topics. Thx again Orrin.

    Dave

  25. Lipi said

    Hi Orin this is an universal truth u mentioned and thank you so much for a new dimension in your writings. I really want to make you a request to touch this type of issues some times because its all relevant in growing up business society and the young leaders. thanks again

    Lipi

  26. Kenny T. said

    Amen, Mr. Woodward! It’s time to break the paradigm!
    You have been saying exactly what a certain Texas congressman has been saying for years! Please check out http://www.ronpaul2012.com. Time to restore the Constitution!

    • Bryan said

      Yes Kenny, Ron Paul is the only viable option we have had in a long time. As you point out, he has been saying these things for years, and his voting record in Congress is right in line with the ideals put forth by Mr. Woodward. God bless America in 2012.

  27. Tim McNeil said

    Amen and Thank You Orrin!

  28. John Kroon said

    I too am an American. I am fed up with both the Republican and Democrat parties. I am also a strong proponent for impeachment of judges who turn over the will of the people in the votiong booth. Bring back rule by the Constitution. Well said Orrin.

  29. Heidi said

    Hi Orrin, I read in a history book to the kids today – “In an adult’s lifetime in Colonial America, the average adult listened to about 15,000 hours of Biblical exposition by the clergy. Their influence on public opinion was equivalent to what is held today by the modern media. If we ever hope a restoration of the American Christian Republic, political educational efforts such as these must once again become a regular part of the clergy’s weekly responsibilities in their churches.” – America’s Providential History by McDowell and Beliles.
    A previous section in the book said the clergy in Colonial America held weekly teaching meetings on Thursdays and the legislature actually consulted them more than anyone. Now – obviously Team and LIFE are not a church, but the people of God are His Church – and the Team and LIFE leadership are taking up the torch and repeating history. Thanks for all you do, Orrin and Laurie. Heidi

  30. Joseph Buffenmeyer said

    I have read what you have said and I have been reading the book Freedom Shift. There is another man who is saying the same things that you are saying he is Texas Congressman Ron Paul he is running for US President and this time he has a very good chance. Check out his web site please. http://www.ronpaul2012.com. In the Freedom shift book it says one of the producers is a statesmen. Ron Paul is a statesmen not a politician.

    Joseph Buffenmeyer
    Lebanon, PA

  31. Hershall said

    I totally agree that the party system we’re currently ‘under’ is broken. I don’t believe in Democrats or Republicans. I don’t believe in lobby groups and polling results. But I’m tired of the us versus them rhetoric in the discussions of politics from the Team stages. If we believe in community then we have to embrace and relate to other movements. I’ve never heard you guys talk about the kind of “left” that I’ve always identified with. You paint the left with the same radical brush that Fox news paints us. We believe in the power of a community to help get where they want to go. We believe in the combined talents and energies of lots of ideas and inputs. We believe it takes a community to raise a child. We believe your food should come from near by and in season. We believe that we are all stewards of the planet we’ve inherited and we’ll be leaving as our legacy to future generations. We believe no one should be left behind but that doesn’t mean that they should be carried along. We believe that pooled resources offer public institutions economics of scale that make a lot of sense. We think that those who earn more are better equipped to contribute than those barely getting by. But through the equality of opportunity we’d definitely rather see more people do better on their own which eases the burden on the top earners. The history of post WWII growth in the middle class demonstrated that our beliefs are valid. The rise of the new economy in the 70’s has buggered it up since.
    Democratic government is supposed to be the representation of the people’s voice and not the voice of corporations. Corporations are run by people and should be held accountable. We need governments for that. That’s us the people! Government is not supposed to be out there somewhere. It’s supposed to be in us and of us and should be working better than it does. I think we are on the same track but with a focus on different whistle stops.

    • Hershall, I am neither right nor left, so I listen and learn from all points of view. My reading is eclectic enough to gather in many different points of view which is why I said I am an American, not republican or democrat. I think if you hear Chris or myself, you will see that we support people keeping the majority of their income and communities solving their own problems without the overwhelming government interventions currently practiced. thanks, Orrin

  32. Mary Mazur said

    Thank you Orrin for having the courage to speak the truth and to lead the way of desperately needed change in this country. The time is now! So blessed to follow your leadership!

  33. Jim said

    The relevance of this posting is even greater today some 2 years later. Clearly the lines have been drawn. As we seek to change the course of this country we are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that the acknowledged process of change is also in control of either the Left or the Right, Republican or Democratic party. As much as possible we should live at peace with all Men as this is a scriptural principle. We must however direct our prayers and our understanding toward a path that will allow us to change the processes, people, and institutions that have been chipping away at our freedoms for way to long. Indeed in the 2 years since this post first started, I would say the chipping has turned into gobbling up. We are indeed at the dawning of a new era in our history and we must stand for Freedom as defined by the Holy Scripture, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you Free”. Do not back down or shrink back from the responsibilities that have been laid before you, but have faith in God and march forward with your hand in the hand of our true Commander in Righteousness and Freedom, Jesus Christ. Blessings today.

  34. Cynthia Hickerson said

    Not a Libertarian either I am an American. I don’t agree with some of what Rand Paul is saying and feel he is flip flopping to pander for votes…it is very important that the candidates have integrity and stand by their beliefs and that is how I will make my decision. Being honest to me having morals and integrity are what I am looking at. I was a supporter of Rand but have seen him flip flop with my own ears. Right now I am liking Ted Cruz…besides both the GOP and Democrats hate him he must be doing something right!!!

  35. Titi Woki said

    It is time Orrin, it is time for the lies that have so long been peddled by the left and the right to be laid bare! Corporate welfare and end endless bailouts to mega monopolies has not helped preserve our liberty..neither have the massive social programs that were all touted to ‘help the middle class & the poor’ done anything but destroy everything in their wake! Our petro chemical military industrial complex has done nothing but trash the good character of our nation in the eyes of all the lands that they have trodden! It is time to elevate the conversation beyond the donkey and the elephant, they have both done quite a lousy job – As for me and my house, we will fight to preserve liberty for the individual by pursuing free enterprise and by learning the true principles that under guard freedom – Thanks for leading the charge!!
    Titi

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