Deb Billado: Morality and faith are keys to a limited government

Editor’s note: This commentary is by Deb Billado, chairwoman of the Vermont GOP.

In my message two weeks ago, I spoke of the assault being made on religious liberty. Sadly, many as well have fallen away from their religious beliefs and upbringing while at the same time the nation is in a moral free fall. This was not anticipated by the framers when they constructed the plan and created the founding documents that put into motion a new nation founded on basic God-given freedoms and rights.

No one could have imagined at that time the greatness that America would rise to where every citizen would have the opportunity to build their lives, communities, raise a family, accumulate wealth, own their own home and do that under the umbrella of a limited government that would provide them safety and security. The founders believed that people would remain as they were then: faithful, moral and able to properly conduct their own affairs in a way that was harmonious with their neighbors, so a limited government was all that was necessary to do the basics to keep people safe and the nation secure.

As it turned out, morality and religion were the key elements in the equation of American greatness.  The Attorney General of the United States, Bill Barr, an expert on this history observed that;  “The reason they felt they could grant so much freedom in the Constitution and only provide for limited government was because they felt that religion was there and the people were religious people who could largely govern themselves.”  He echoed what our second President, John Adams reasoned when he said; “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”  It worked because the people were suited for it.

Deborah Billado, chair of the Vermont GOP

Fast forward to today with a nation, once proudly claiming to be a Christian one, experiencing a moral freefall as many have fallen away from the faith they once held so dear. While there are still faithful and moral people, America is rapidly developing into a Godless nation and as one would expect, our Constitution is not working well as a result. Democrat/Progressives have manipulated our government in a socialistic direction free of the values and religious ideology that once were her strength and instead of following the Constitution, they are manipulating it to fulfill their selfish goals of power and control.

This dynamic is true in Vermont. The Vermont Democrat platform reflects the decline in the moral climate of Vermont by advocating for unrestricted abortions that would permit the killing of a full-term baby seconds before delivery. Their platform also urges the passage of a retail sale of marijuana bill in spite of the vociferous opposition of law enforcement, medical and education organizations as well as the scientific medical facts that document the many dangers of cannabis, especially high-potency THC products that can cause psychosis, hyperemesis, brain damage to children, youth and young adults as well as the increased deaths and maiming of people caused by impaired drivers. These big-spending liberals have moved Vermont government so far from the limited model the framers created that it is unrecognizable.  Conservative Vermont Republicans can start the process of bringing us back  to what their intentions were for us but we must get the basics right.

While there are still faithful and moral people, America is rapidly developing into a Godless nation.  Even in Vermont, where most of our picturesque towns and villages have beautiful church buildings with spires bearing the cross that identifies them as Christian, few have healthy attendance and it has been said that Vermont is the least churched state in the nation.

President Adams was prophetic when he opined that the Constitution was inadequate for people other than those that were moral and religious. The most current example of that is the purely political impeachment of the president of the United States. I don’t need to tell you that our president committed no crime, was wrongfully and unconstitutionally impeached by a Democrat controlled House of Representatives who had the power to do what they did, just because they could and would not accept the will of the people in the election. Then Tuesday night, the president stood before those who impeached and tried him and delivered his State-of-the Union message in which he declared; “The state of our union is stronger than ever before.” I listened for ninety minutes as he impressively laid out the successes he has brought to us all over the last three years and his plans to continue them into the future.  I could not help but think that while our economy may be strong the same cannot be said for the moral and religious health of our people.

Until our people regain the spirit that made this country great and until the pendulum swings back, if it ever will, to a time when people were moral and religious, it will be just a matter of time before America, this nation that for over two centuries has served as a light of hope, will cease to exist as we know it and want it to be.

Government cannot make people religious. The framers did not establish a religion and prohibited the government from doing that but at the same time they made it clear in the First Amendment, that the limited government they created should not get in the way of people exercising their chosen religion. While there is still some life in that right, it is up to us all to exercise it.  We need to regain what gave our nation strength and vitality.  We must rededicate ourselves to moral and religious living and teach that to our children.

Image courtesy of Public domain

12 thoughts on “Deb Billado: Morality and faith are keys to a limited government

  1. Deb, good points. I’d suggest broadening your framework a bit to speak of Judeo-Christian morals and ethics. Without Torah, there would be no Christianity.

  2. Those who covet uncontrolled power have distain for, and fear of, all those who have more than they. Religion and its support of an all powerful God or spirit is the last hurtle which they must overcome to achieve their quest. Destroying the concepts of religion and morality reinforces the power of the state. But there can be only one all-powerful. Choose wisely!

  3. Morality and Faith are keys to a limited government, from what I have seen in Vermont’s
    recent history, morality is long gone and they wonder why we have problems with crime,
    drugs, suicide.

    As far as Faith, that went out the door with the signing of H.57 and the killing of the unborn
    Vermont children, and yes our Governor signed this bill into law ……..what a useless POS.

    Oh, yeah Vermont’s Senator ” Socialist ” Sanders stated the abortion will help with global
    warming, and this idiot wants to be President …… God Help Us !!

    Vermont should hang its head in shame.

  4. Unfortunately morality is a word and concept foreign to the leaders in the legislature in Montpelier. Why do I say that? One only has to pay attention to priorities espoused by the leadres and their followers.

  5. It’s our underlying problem for sure. Even Yuri Bezmanov who speaks so matter of factly, says at the end of his discussion, the way back, how to stop subversion from within is to bring back God, yes Jesus Christ and the timeless teachings.

    If you aren’t experiencing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, Love, joy, peace….and the six other benefits you’re headed in the wrong direction. Change your mind, change your direction the water is fine!

    Sadly most of the churches have been infected by social justice babble than teach the gospel, which is of course a major effort on the part of those subverting our citizens, tear down the church. Interesting times for sure.
    You cannot be racist if you follow Jesus. Sex is saved for marriage, you’ll be hard pressed to find a church stating these simple truths today.

    • Neil, I heard a great sermon by Dr. David Jeremiah on the prophecy from the Book of Daniel and it is so relevant to this whole conversation. Would hope people would take the time and listen to the truth of the decline of America and the World and what it means in the long run. There is good news in this if people would just listen and heed it. https://sermons.love/david-jeremiah/4502-david-jeremiah-the-colossus.html. Just 26 minutes long, the video tells how our government situation here in Vermont and governments elsewhere will end and what will replace them. We have already seen the fall of great empires, Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman, and there is one more kingdom to come, the likes of which the world has never known.

      • Interesting video, first time hearing him, soft spoken. One of the things they also say is to respect authority because God put them in place and he can change their heart quicker and to his desire, that he has a plan, that we don’t know, can’t fathom and he can take the awful and make it good. He doesn’t want us fighting, that is of this world. When the spirit is within us, we get to experience, Joy, Love and Peace.

        This has taken me some time to digest.

        The world only offers us

        1)Hate 2) Despair 3) Anxiety
        4) Impatience 5) Rudeness 6) Evil, 7) Unreliable 8) Abrasive/Harsh
        9) Undisciplined

        This pretty much explains the Vermont landscape. It certainly describes both political parties within our state.

        When we get our next governor, it would be wise for us to support him. We should support the one we have now. I vehemently disagree with some major things he has done, said and is currently saying. We are as a state being destroyed, from our focus on the wrong things. From our idea we are “Vermont Strong”.

        “Vermont Strong” which only displays our ignorance in thinking we Vermonters (people) have all the answers, that we humans have the wisdom. We come into this world messing ourselves with no knowledge. We’ll mess up this state with our own arrogance, and we’ll leave messing ourselves yet again.

        There is hope. We only need to change our minds. Love, Joy and Peace await our state and people. Will we be graced with a new spirit? I pray for that. From a practical standpoint, we can assured that the wisdom we are handed can help us navigate this fallen world. We’d be wise to change our minds. TGBTG

        • I believe the calling to politics is a worthy cause, established by the authority of God, and I agree that we should respect and obey our leaders to a certain extent. But I am reminded by Peter in Acts 5:29 that it is God who we must obey and not man. When we have people running for high offices such as governor, senator or house member, I cannot respect or obey that they would do things that are injurious to the people in violation of their own oath of office. To authorize the killing of full term babies only seconds from delivery by abortion saying it is a woman’s right or to legalizing for sale a danger and addicting drug, cannabis, that in high-potency products does kill and main, by causing psychosis, worsening schizophrenia, causing other illnesses, and leading to violence, suicide and death on the highway by impaired drivers, I must fall back on what Peter said that the most important thing is that we must obey God not man.

          That joy you speak of will only come when people give their hearts the way they should to Jesus and follow him. Even governors can do this but without it they will make unGodly decisions and we are not to obey those.

          • Agreed. I don’t plan on smoking or aborting, they are not wise. Do we tear them down and make our state and party non-functioning because of this? David, the most loved was not without sin. I can’t say I liked the idea, but I’m submitting my self to his wisdom.

            By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

          • Bob, Very much enjoy the conversation,, thank you.

            We are being framed by lies, we fall for the same trap. They tried to frame Jesus,, no luck, he only exposed their corruption. To a lesser degree, same with Trump.

            A kind word, here’s a thought to break open the dialogue and dysfunctional dance we have going on in our state.

            a) Would governor be open to funding and making easy adoptions, for those who make mistakes? My hunch is yes. Those who oppose this would reveal themselves. It’s win win for everyone.
            b) Planned Parenthood has not moved the needle on unplanned pregnancies in Vermont from the 50% needle for decades. They use most of their money for PAC, political influence. Perhaps the Governor since we are short money in the state could direct the money that goes to the PAC to go to the teachers retirement fund.
            c) What the current legislation presents is women do not have babies inside them. They have a POC (product of conception), to which only the woman can make the determination, only upon fully leaving her, that this is a baby. Their claim has horrific implications for those who clearly know at 6 months there is a baby inside them. Their declaration states medical institutions, the state and any man is not responsible because it’s a POC, not a baby. Their words not mine. This is horrific anti- woman, anti child legislation on the planet.

            Expose their lies, by exposing what they said and do. The people can plainly see. It gets us in the right direction.

            It will put the chaos and arguing in the correct arena, where it should be, with those that made up these stupid laws, the internal fighting will bring them down, not us.

      • Kings 1 and 2 talk about nations, leaders, states who fall from Grace. they repeat it over and over. Sadly I didn’t get the repetition and the major theme by myself, thankfully others before me explained it.

        There is a recipe for success, for states and countries regardless of the form of government, though I’d say ours is best. What is the focus? Is it our own thoughts? Who’s your daddy, who do you follow?

        While there is hope in the final days, no question. We also have a choice, if you choose wrong, just look what happens in Kings…..buh bye. There is a reason why some countries DO NOT allow the bible in them, it exposes lies, educates people on the truth. Do you see a nation where the people prosper without the bible? Are the rules of those nations fat and happy and the people in despair?

        Our most pressing issue in Vermont is pride, foolishness and ignorance, hopefully these are of my past, they should be for our state too.

        • I received a message from a law enforcement friend in Canada who said, “There is something I cannot understand about your country Bob. MCCabe, Comey, Bolton, Brennan and Clapper all would have signed an Oath of Secrecy. That does not cease once they leave office. Therefore they all should be subject to charges under the Official Secrets Act for leaking information.”

          The problem is that government can’t seem to control those who have no respect for our founding Constitution and the control it was to have over those entrusted to making the laws and enforcing them. The rule of law is broken. Horribly broken and no president will be immune in the future from political impeachment when he/she is of the opposite party of those holding Congress.

          No president will ever be able to rely on conversations at any level. Transparency at such a level is lunacy and will result in paralysis. Nothing can be done, not even properly defending our country.

          Our Constitutional form of Republican democratic government is now broken and can’t be fixed. It was a beautiful thing with the properly working three branches but with unscrupulous immoral power-driven people who worship that power and control perverting it, it is incapable of working. As aptly pointed out by the head of our VTGOP, President John Adams said that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” And now that they have damaged it, it can’t be fixed by itself, through its words and intentions of the founders. It was Adams who also said “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.” He was the second president of the United States and he has proved to be a prophet for that is just what we have and are experiencing today. America is broken and probably can’t be fixed without a revival orchestrated by a higher government from above. We must be close to the end of times! This is a time to celebrate because of that closeness, but it is also a time of urgency when all people, including our chosen political leaders, need to make the right choice.

Comments are closed.