"Fortune is ever dead... so I struggled.
"I lost every battle, for the resources were scarce.
"Thus, I mustered what I could.
"With an arid land, I learned to nourish it.
"I grew the grasses, I spread the decayed flesh
"And the dead vegetables, and the ashes burnt off my weeds.
"When the waters were dry, I dug down and found springs.
"When my house drooped, I found the mighty Ash and built it back again stronger.
"When there was no Ash, I searched ten miles for the mighty tree
"And I found its samaras and planted them, making my own forest to harvest.
"God did not smile on me.
"My every plan failed. But I strove and would not curse Him.
"I had no money. I had every plan fail, and every friend walk away.
"All who helped me, even those who took pity, their assistance failed, too.
"I was alone. When I sat down for play, to play the game,
"My hand was the worst hand.
"But, soon I began to win.
"With my crushed fortune, I took what was losing,
"And strove ahead of most.
"And then, came Providence's smile.
"And with fortune and know how, I began to smash my enemy to pieces."

I received my talent from my master---
It was a good price. He said, "Invest."
So, I took to music, and used the talent
To learn my song, and played for the feeble.
Then, I bought a store of wisdom, and proved
My master were King, and told all to submit.
Then, I took my talent, and used it
To invest my body, which I wrought;
At the end, how many talents did I make?
I studied Music, Wisdom, and my Body sweat
And my body bled, and my eyes watered.
Also, my wisdom was kept in the bank---
Thus, I compounded my interest.

I scored Advanced at Reading and Writing

I

Reading Thomas Paine's philosophy, it is hard to discern if there is any truth. But, here is the Common Sense of 2026.

11.

Societies first begin, as settlements. You see in the Scythians, they travelled long distances to arrive in Ireland, and you see the Pilgrims travelled long distances to settle in America. Yet, humanity has Laws already born into them. It is unalienable from us, that our inborn conscience declares that there is right or wrong.

In the age of Mesopotamia, they constructed Laws such as the Lipit-Ishtar or Hammurabi's Code, which explain the Mesopotamian origin of our Holy Scripture. That such laws appear and explain books like Leviticus or Genesis. That humans need law, that is to no doubt. With or without God---as there are nations that don't believe in God---there is a Law imprinted on the human imagination. Many failed apologists appeal to this fallacy, that humans do not know right from wrong without God, but in fact, God could not judge humanity unless they actually did. At least, that was the theology of my Youth, when the religion has all but disappeared recently.

Thus, Law is to be constructed based on the principles of Property, of Safety, of Relationships, such as Theft, Murder and Adultery are three sins, according to the Bible, and it is self evident to be so. And as it should be, as obeying this law, creates felicity and harmony among the people.

III.

Thus, we are in an age where Presidents and Congress authorize too much control, and authority, leveraging against the people their peace. Whether Democrat or Republican, it does not matter, they both enact laws that are not safe. They destroy our property, destroy our relationships, and destroy our livelihoods.

Congress is paid unfathomable amounts of money, through trades and things that would get any Businessman put in prison. In fact, that is the one law that continually gets upheld by all Americans, is censures against Insider Trading. And is the only law, according to America, and the only enforceable one. That and holding a child to the bride price.

This began, with the 27th Amendment, where Congress raised their salaries, and thereby gave themselves permission to profit off of the office. When I have witnessed with my own eyes, the instant devaluation of our country's ethics. Immediately, as soon as that law passed, was when the country changed, and began to be decadent.

IV.

Therefore, Congress should get paid only the salary they earn from the office, and no more. And the President also. And Judges, Lawyers, and Public Officials, also. And shall have no other funds beside their solitary income, until they get out of office. This means, that money they launder through charities will be illicit, and money they get paid for campaigns will be illicit, too. And they can own no Stocks, and own no businesses, and have no foreign or alien currencies, until their time in congress or officiating is over. As that is the decadence in our country, all other problems follow from that one solitary issue. 

My personal experience with [the reason Evangelicals don't like Constantine], isn't due to the Da Vinci Code, but a long string of Protestants, who thought the Catholic Church was Antichrist. You see that in Anabaptist writings all the time from 1500 onward. Foxe's Book of Martyrs doesn't just have Protestant Martyrs, but dialogues about the Catholic atrocities in the Americas, India and Africa. That just comes with the territory of Protestants. Just like Catholics think Protestants have no true authority to teach, or give communion. It's just bad blood.

But there really is persecution of Christians. In Foxe's book of Martyrs he talks about economic persecutions, too, which Christians are increasingly becoming the victim of. Mail Fraud, objectors within Government not doing their paperwork, investigations by Police, gaslighting from neighbors, HR departments not hiring due to online content or reputation. It's becoming real, friend. Try not to blame Christians for the very real suffering they're experiencing, and don't gaslight them, saying it's not happening. Some people need those followers, too, to have food on their table. In this economy, that's practically a large portion of people's livelihoods, something like 4,000,000.

That's also how the church was persecuted in Thyatira, not with torture, death or imprisonment, but they denied them access to the public economy. Because they wouldn't tolerate the Woman Jezebel.