Patrick Henry impressionist Harry McKay recites the line in Henry's "Give me liberty" speech: Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself guilty of treason toward my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly things." Indy Deliz has no hope when it comes to federal and state legislators standing up for the citizens they're sworn to represent. "When you have people who are supposed to be for the Constitution stabbing you in the back, who's going to stand for you," he said Saturday at S.C.'s first Patriot Expo.

Deliz, of West Columbia, said he's frustrated that many people can remember Michael Jackson's time of death, but don't know anything about the Cap and Trade bill that passed in the U. S. House of Representatives last Friday. The bill will give the federal government the power to tax individuals' carbon emissions if it passes in the Senate.

Deliz represents the 9/12 Project, a group that focuses on the nine principles and 12 values that they say embody principles and values America was founded on. The group is one of more than 25 groups that joined the expo to share their solutions.

Jon Davenport of Columbia with featured speaker Peter Koenig. Jose Correa, the former campaign office manager in Columbia for Ron Paul's presidential campaign, headed the event.

Correa wrote an email he has come to understand over the past few years that our government's intended purpose was to serve the people, but that his purpose has been perverted. "People have become the servants to an unaccountable, big central government," he wrote. "We are working harder than ever and keep less of the fruit of our labor by extreme taxation and a fragile economy."

The event's speakers think one of the greatest problems is the debt, a problem that affects every level of society from individuals in Columbia to the state and federal governments that borrow and loan money in such forms as economic stimulus funding. It's a problem that featured speaker, Peter Koenig thinks has spread around the globe.

Thomas Moore (l) with Joe Kilpatrick of Rock Hill, S.C. The borrower serves the lender

A Swiss native, Koenig served for approximately 30 years as a World Bank economist, where he specialized in water resource management. In a previous interview Koenig said he learned early in his career with the bank that it deliberately indebted developing nations rich in natural resources. But that he stayed at the bank because he hoped to do some good on his own.

The problem with the bank lending to nations rich in oil, gold, and other natural resources, said Koenig at the expo, is that it places demands on the country that keep it from accessing those resources.

Peru is one example of a poverty- stricken nation rich in natural resources. One of the World Bank's borrowers, Peru has one of the world's largest gold mines, the Yanacocha mine. Yet 70 percent of people in the capital city, Lima, live below the poverty level, according to World Bank statistics that Koenig shared.

The world's top nations fund the bank's loans, according to Koenig. Earlier this month, lawmakers approved a more than $100 billion war bill to fund military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Included in the bill was funding for the International Monetary Fund, a sister organization of the World Bank.

"All of this is done behind our backs," said Koenig. "Money is just printed, then handed out, and then it suffers a debt."

To Koenig, the solution is to avoid organizations like the World Bank. He points to several South American countries that have undergone revolutions and repaid their debts to the IMF.

Patrick Henry impersonator, Harry McKay also thinks "the borrower is servant to the lender." He quoted the Bible verse in Proverbs after he delivered the renowned, "Give Me Liberty" speech.

And S. C. native, Thomas Moore said that citizens frustrated with their level of liberty have more power than they may think. Moore once served as a Pentagon official in the Reagan administration and a member of the U. S. Senate Armed Services Committee under Strom Thurmond.

How to stop serving the lender

Moore told the group of about 200 ways they can influence flawed government, but the influence has its limitations. Instead, he thinks citizens disappointed by they system of governance should focus their effort on understanding the power of their consent. Getting out of debt, exercising alternatives to public education, and growing food are a few of the alternatives Moore mentioned.

Today, Moore heads the Southern Institute for Sustainable Living, a nonprofit organization that started two years ago with a plan for teaching people how to raise their own food and providing starter heirloom seeds.

Moore also pointed the crowd to its Southern roots, touting S. C. leaders like Andrew Pickens and Francis Marion. "You need to remember that you're a South Carolinian," he said, "you need to remember who your forefathers are."

Co- organizer for the event, Chappell Dew is planning to remind S. C. residents about its state and national founding fathers at a November Patriot Expo in Myrtle Beach. Information will be announced at www.patriotexpo.com.