The Ideal President

About the Author

Bryan Hyde is a husband, father of 6, truth-seeker, teacher, writer, speaker, and stirrer of pots. He has been a local radio commentator and writer in Southern Utah for the past 16 years.

Bryan can be heard on the Perspectives morning show on Fox News 1450 AM 93.1 FM. The opinions stated in this article are his and not representative of St. George News.

Email: bryanh@stgnews.com  Twitter: @youcancallmebry

Copyright St. George News, StGeorgeUtah.com Inc., 2012, all rights reserved.

 

Working in the media, I’ve covered every general election for the past 24 years.

The pre-election hype from both parties is always the same: “These are your only choices. You have to choose one.” And yet, somehow, regardless of who wins, the size and costs of government predictably metastasize and freedom declines.

The current two-party system has made an absolute science out of promoting the illusion of choice minus the possibility of anything actually changing. If you doubt this, just consider the ridiculous contrived reasons for which people say they hate one candidate or the other in the presidential race.

Two-party groupthink encourages political theater and nothing more.

Yet, when someone refuses to follow the herd, the system’s supporters, in a classic case of psychological projection, accuse the non-compliant of succumbing to narcissism and self-aggrandizement.

How dare someone think outside the box when there is political power at stake and legal plunder to be done? But wouldn’t a vote that perpetuates such a system constitute an admission of surrender?

I thought about this as I took advantage of the opportunity to vote early this week. As I participated in the high sacrament of our civic religion, I had an epiphany about how to make my vote count like never before.

Over the years, I’ve often written in the names of good, honest, and wise men and women who I felt best represented the principles of good governance. But for the first time, I added a name that I had never before put on the ballot – my own.

This year I wrote myself in for President. And here is why I did it.

Whether I win the presidency or not, I’ll be spending the next four years bringing about some serious, and long overdue, changes. I plan on bringing about a number of sweeping reforms that will measurably make this nation a better place to live.

What’s more, I will accomplish this without adding a single dime to the already bloated federal budget. I will not be borrowing money to achieve my goals. Reducing or completely eliminating debt will be my top priority during this time.

My presidential policies will promote peace, friendship and commerce with all, while carefully avoiding entangling alliances with those who thrive on conflict. I will maintain the ability to effectively defend life, liberty, property and sovereignty, but this will not require having to exercise dominion over others.

I will place greater emphasis on shoring up education, health care, agriculture and wise use of energy. I will promote increased independence from outside resources and greater self-sufficiency. Aid for the truly needy will continue on a strictly voluntary basis, but there will be increased emphasis on community service.

I expect these improvements to cultivate an increased degree of patriotism and love of country. They will demonstrate to all who have eyes to see, that the promise of America still exists and thrives.

Be honest. Do my reforms seem too idealistic?

If I were suggesting that these policies should be applied to the nation generally, I’d have to agree. But when applied to myself, as an individual, they are completely within the realm of possibility. Living within my means, paying off debt, tending to my greenhouse, and strengthening myself intellectually, physically and spiritually are all things I can do.

That’s why I chose to vote for me.

I have absolute say over every single reform listed above because I have absolute influence over the individual for whom I voted. Each of my policies will have a real and measurable impact on my own life as well as a positive effect on the lives of those around me.

Whether others sign off on these reforms or not, does not hinder my ability to pursue them as I choose. And they won’t cost you a dime nor will they infringe upon any of your rights. I’ll take full responsibility for making them happen.

My happiness will not be dependent upon making change through politics or exercising dominion over others. Best of all, I will not have wasted my vote on a two-party system that has only its own best interests at heart.

Grumble about how I’ve thrown my vote away if it makes you feel better. But it’s what we do after we’ve voted that determines whether we’ll ever see real improvement.

 

 

6 Responses

  3. Thank you for your article Bryan. I understand your frustration and glad to know you are working hard to do the right things. It’s good you have a venue to vent your own grumblings. These are hard times for freedom lovers. But with God, nothing is in vain. Peace & hope & love. ~Ruth

  4. Discussing the ideal president you seem to stray too far into idealism. I admire, and will even join you in the commitment to make America better in our own stewardship areas. But I will also do as our founders wanted, vote for a representative who I feel will do the things I cannot do, but need to be done. God bless us all and God save our republic (with all our help).

  5. Bryan
    Great article. My mother lived during the time of FDR’s presidency. Her life on the family farm was pleasent. Pleanty to eat. Their cow gave enough milk to share, make butter and even cottage cheese. Self Reliance should be taught in our schools. But No! they teach that government is the answer to the very same problems created by its massive reach into our lives. Agencies of the government have increaed in size and power. Presidents have become more like dictators than American Presidents. An old friend who served with the Hitler Youth told me that he “is seeing the very same things arrise that brought Hitler into power”.
    Totalitarianism is back:
    Self Reliance in our homes.Self Reliance in our State would keep Washington from carrying out their agenda.
    Getting out of the United Nations and the United Nations out of the United States would clear the way for building a better America without outside communist influence. One built on Christian ethics: One built on the rule of man. We have a choice.

    Best Regards.

    Gene F. Danforth
    Danbury, N.H.

Krislyn Elliott & Lauren Swanepoel

Krislyn Elliott and Lauren Swanepoel act more like sisters than moms as they take really slow walks through the woods together, looking at and taking pictures of every plant they see & wishing they could remember their names and uses more thoroughly. They also like concocting herbal teas, salves, tinctures and strange drinks.

Krislyn is from Utah and has loved learning about plants since an unusually cool high school biology teacher took his classes on neighborhood botany walks. She has always been fascinated and constantly amazed at the power and beauty of plants.

Lauren is from South Africa, she and her family emigrated to Utah almost 10 years ago. They have fallen in love with the area and know more about this state & the great places to explore here than most Utah natives.

We both feel strongly about taking care of our families with natural methods and the abundant medicine we have growing right around us. We are trying to learn as much as we can about our magical local plants and are looking forward to sharing some of our favorites with you.

William DeMille

Director of Georgic Develeopment

William DeMille is a lifelong vegetable farmer. He studied Horticulture and Agronomy at Northwest Missouri University, Maryville. He holds a certificate in aquaponic engineering and production from Cornell University, NY, and another from GrowHaus Aquaponics in Denver, CO. He also studied soil regeneration and is a graduate of Dr. Elaine’s Soil Food Web School. He is the Director of Georgic Development for The Center for American Legacy Studies.

William is a farm consultant establishing several agricultural startups since 2005 in Missouri, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada and he currently manages 2500 acres of grassland for the Ruby Mountain Foods Company.

His latest venture is a market gardening school called Georgic Revolution where he teaches a 17-week course onsite in Nevada covering soil health and vegetable production without the use of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc. and where he operated a soil lab.

William lives with his wife Vernie in the snow capped mountains of Northern Nevada.

Lloyd Nelson

World Renown BD Expert

Lloyd Nelson has been practicing the art of Biodynamic (BD) Agriculture for over twenty years. He is a BD preparation maker, builder, artist, farmer, arborist, BD educator & consultant. He is co-founder of Biodynamic Source – a Colorado based non-profit specializing in high potency BD preparations – and he owns and operates a Biodynamic spray, fertilizer and consultation service. He has worked with small and large scale farms, vineyards, and orchards to transition to sustainable Biodynamic land management and Demeter BD Certification.

Vern Cox, PhD

Educator

Vern Cox is married to Joyce Christensen and they have 8 children. He has 3 earned degrees, a BA in psychology, and both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy.

He has had a diverse and interesting career that started with the Bureau of Land Management, followed by a stint as a Learning Disabilities teacher, and finally a marriage and family therapist, working his way up to executive director of the High Country Counseling and Resource Centers that served two counties in Wyoming.

Dr. Cox served for several years on the board of a charter school. Dr. Cox remains heavily involved in his community and the home schooling movement.

He has extensive background in marriage and family counseling, having held a number of administrative positions during his first career. He holds a BA in Psychology and both a Masters and PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy. He lives with his wife and several married children on their multi-generation farm in Southern Utah.

Joseph Lofthouse

Educator

Joseph adopted the principles of landrace gardening in response to the harsh growing conditions in a high-altitude, short-season, desert garden. Instead of relying on expensive poisons, labor, and materials to coddle the plants, he encourages genetic diversity, cross-pollination, and survival of the fittest, allowing the plants to adapt themselves to the current and ever-changing ecosystem, thus simplifying gardening and seed saving. Joseph is the author of Landrace Gardening: Food Security Through Biodiversity and Promiscuous Pollination. Joseph loves eating, farming, swimming, hot-springs, sunbathing, bird-watching, running, yoga, leggings, kilts, playing guitar, singing, and living habitually barefoot.

Dan Brooks

Educator

Dan Brooks was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. During his first career, he spent 20 years working in and managing high-end restaurants and golf courses including extensive banquet/special events services and ice sculptures.

For the past 23 years, Dan has been a successful entrepreneur and family business owner in Las Vegas. He and his wife have 4 children and 11 grandchildren. He serves as a trustee for The Center for American Legacy Studies.

Shanon Brooks, PhD

Director

Shanon Brooks is the director of The Center for American Legacy Studies, an institution dedicated to helping families embrace and incorporate the Five American Ideals; Georgics, Liber, Providence, Public Virtue, and Liberty into their lives and communities. America exists because of Americans. Americans are the beneficiaries of a peculiar culture and way of living.

Over the past 75 years, that culture and way of life have been lost. Restore that culture and Americans will rebuild America to once again be worthy of John Winthrop’s 1630 admonition, “For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.”

Brooks has been a leader in alternative higher education for over 30 years, and is the author of two books: AMERICAN: Killing the American Dream and A Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens.

Dr. Brooks is a veteran of military service in the United States Submarine Fleet and holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration, a Master’s degree in education, and a Ph.D. in constitutional law.

He and his wife Julia reside on the 80-acre conference facility of The Center for American Legacy Studies.