The oil spill in the gulf coast has been very tragic. 11 people lost their lives when an oilrig exploded. Since then thousands of gallons for oil has flooded the Gulf of Mexico. An oil spill that has eclipsed the infamous Exxon Valdez spill many years ago. This spill has crippled the industries that relied on the Gulf of Mexico and left many people hurting. Precious swap lands are beginning to fill with oil. Much of the wild life is in danger around the Gulf coast. But the under lying issue here is that we are still desperate to find and drill for oil wherever we can. We rely to much on oil for our energy and this tragic spill should remind us of this and renew our desire to find a better alternative energy source.
We have to see this as our wake up call. We consume so much energy from oil that we have allowed oil companies to drill in nearly every spot they can to suck up every drop of oil. We send billions of dollars over seas to countries that have ties to terrorist groups. We are shocked and angry when oil companies charge outrageous amounts for oil, but we pay it anyway… And now we have paid the price.
We split an atom because we wanted to. We sent a man to the moon, because we wanted to. We have had stunning breakthroughs in science and medicine because we wanted to. Its time we truly want this. Its time we insist on finding an alterative source of energy.
Only when we all speak together and demand this kind of change can it really happen. There are to many companies making to much money from the way things are now. But the status quo must change. We cannot allow companies like BP to pass the blame around and avoid the reality of the situation.
The Obama administration has not handled this situation well either. Democrats are using this situation to push for regulation on oil companies. But they still allow things to stay the same. President Obama speaks out against oil companies but does not put forth the solution we all know we really need.
This is not a time for politicians to say, “I told you so” and bash oil companies. We all have our own opinions about them and this continued rhetoric doesn’t help. How long will it take before someone really pushes for a change in policy? How long will we continue to allow oil companies to operate however they want? This is not a time for arguing and fighting. This is not a time for Democrats to get in better position to win in November elections. This is a time for leadership.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
What can I do for my country?
Just recently I heard the famous quote “Ask not what your country can do for you… Ask what you can do for your country”. I thought to myself, what an amazing sentiment. So I decided to listen to and read President Kennedy’s inaugural address… I have to say that I was completely stunned at the power of the speech and moved by those words.
President Kennedy knew then that the American government was in trouble. He recognized that there were to many people that were losing out to the few. Today, 50 years later the journey that President Kennedy announced our country would start as yet to begin.
Here we are, 50 years later, still fearing a dangerous enemy, still with a world in turmoil, still with soldiers in foreign lands and still with people in this world struggling against the oppression of tyranny. What do we have to show for our progress over the last 50 years?
President Kennedy spoke of the need to reign in nuclear weapons, and since his death we have built up a nuclear arsenal capable of killing every inhabitant of our world.
50 years ago our President spoke of the need for change. Change within our country and change within the world. Now the word change is thrown around as a political maneuver. Politicians today pay only lip service to ideals that once inspired our nation.
Lets start by stating the obvious. We as a country are stuck in the mud and just spinning our wheels. We are not moving forward. We have not fought for the righteous promises we once so boldly made. We have not fought for ourselves; we have only fought amongst ourselves.
We have divided ourselves into groups that tear us apart. Republican and Democrats. White and Black. Rich and Poor. Every year politicians pledge to work together for a common goal. Every year we get just a glimmer of real hope. And every year we are let down. Every year we try to get ourselves out of the mud and ever year we dig ourselves deeper. And every year that goes by is precious time wasted as our suffering goes on.
This time, we the people must truly put aside our differences. We must realize that lashing out at politicians in anger and frustration will not solve the problem. Blaming past or present leaders for the problems we face does not solve them. We have to come together as citizens of America. As citizens of the world and TALK. LISTEN. We have to find the patience within ourselves to find common ground. We have to find the compassion in ourselves to act quickly, lest more people suffer through poverty and ruin.
Our common ground begins with common sense. We all know left from right and right from wrong. I don’t expect everyone to agree and just get along. But I do hope to find everyone strongly supporting their own views and bringing an intelligent argument to the table. President Kennedy said of foreign relations “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” I hope for a spirited debate on the issue at hand and hope that we will not resort to slander and venomous speech.
I want the future that President Kennedy promised in his speech. I want it not for myself, but for all Americans. I encourage everyone to write your elected officials. Hound your elected representatives and make your voice heard. If your representative does not support your view, either change his or her mind with a solid argument or become active and campaign against them. Individuals can make a difference. Become active in your local politics. Become active in your state politics. Become active in your national politics.
This Memorial Day weekend we remember every soldier who gave “their last full measure of devotion” for the freedom we enjoy today. We have the right to vote. Use it. We have the right to free speech. Use it. Honor those that have fallen by using the rights they died to ensure.
We need a permanent revolution of common sense. We need to look back to when we were told to “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Individuals can make a difference. Find a way to make yours.
President Kennedy knew then that the American government was in trouble. He recognized that there were to many people that were losing out to the few. Today, 50 years later the journey that President Kennedy announced our country would start as yet to begin.
Here we are, 50 years later, still fearing a dangerous enemy, still with a world in turmoil, still with soldiers in foreign lands and still with people in this world struggling against the oppression of tyranny. What do we have to show for our progress over the last 50 years?
President Kennedy spoke of the need to reign in nuclear weapons, and since his death we have built up a nuclear arsenal capable of killing every inhabitant of our world.
50 years ago our President spoke of the need for change. Change within our country and change within the world. Now the word change is thrown around as a political maneuver. Politicians today pay only lip service to ideals that once inspired our nation.
Lets start by stating the obvious. We as a country are stuck in the mud and just spinning our wheels. We are not moving forward. We have not fought for the righteous promises we once so boldly made. We have not fought for ourselves; we have only fought amongst ourselves.
We have divided ourselves into groups that tear us apart. Republican and Democrats. White and Black. Rich and Poor. Every year politicians pledge to work together for a common goal. Every year we get just a glimmer of real hope. And every year we are let down. Every year we try to get ourselves out of the mud and ever year we dig ourselves deeper. And every year that goes by is precious time wasted as our suffering goes on.
This time, we the people must truly put aside our differences. We must realize that lashing out at politicians in anger and frustration will not solve the problem. Blaming past or present leaders for the problems we face does not solve them. We have to come together as citizens of America. As citizens of the world and TALK. LISTEN. We have to find the patience within ourselves to find common ground. We have to find the compassion in ourselves to act quickly, lest more people suffer through poverty and ruin.
Our common ground begins with common sense. We all know left from right and right from wrong. I don’t expect everyone to agree and just get along. But I do hope to find everyone strongly supporting their own views and bringing an intelligent argument to the table. President Kennedy said of foreign relations “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” I hope for a spirited debate on the issue at hand and hope that we will not resort to slander and venomous speech.
I want the future that President Kennedy promised in his speech. I want it not for myself, but for all Americans. I encourage everyone to write your elected officials. Hound your elected representatives and make your voice heard. If your representative does not support your view, either change his or her mind with a solid argument or become active and campaign against them. Individuals can make a difference. Become active in your local politics. Become active in your state politics. Become active in your national politics.
This Memorial Day weekend we remember every soldier who gave “their last full measure of devotion” for the freedom we enjoy today. We have the right to vote. Use it. We have the right to free speech. Use it. Honor those that have fallen by using the rights they died to ensure.
We need a permanent revolution of common sense. We need to look back to when we were told to “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Individuals can make a difference. Find a way to make yours.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TIMES_SQUARE_MIRANDA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-05-09-14-22-19
The following is based on the AP article above.
America is under attack. I don’t mean to be an alarmist, but at this point I don’t think I’m telling you anything new. The recently attempted bombing in Times Square, Christmas eve a man attempted to blow up a plane flying into Detroit. Further back, the tragic September 11th attacks. America has always had enemies, but in recent times, those enemies have brought their terrorism to our country. Its difficult to understand all of the different ways this has effected us, but as we try to defend ourselves against an unorthodox attack, we are faced with the challenge of how to allow our system of government to process the legal side of protecting us from this new threat.
Our Constitution written more than 200 years ago was not formed for the specific threats that we face today. And while over the years we have reformed and slightly redefined the rights of liberty that we enjoy, we again need to come together and redefine those rights again, so that we may protect ourselves and have a clearly defined legal system to handle those who would bring their terrorism to our shores.
One of the main purposes of the Government is to protect its citizens. We have come together as a Nation, to pool our money and resources so that we can all be covered under the umbrella of protection that our Government was formed to provide for all citizens.
And we have established rights and liberty for all of our country’s citizens. We have established due process, rights to a speedy trial and we have established the right against unreasonable search and seizure. We have the right against self-incrimination and the Supreme Court has ruled that we must be informed of our legal rights before police officers or other legal authorities can question us. This is all well in good in 1966 when the Supreme Court handing down this landmark ruling. But over time as a society evolves, the laws that govern that society must change with it.
Attorney General Eric Holder has suggested that the law regarding Miranda Rights should be re-examined to fit into the our modern era. However this suggestion brings more questions than answers. This is an issue that many people will feel passionately about, but there is one thing I think most of us can agree on: Our current legal system is ineffective in handling terrorists.
We have The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation charged with investigation and apprehension of these terrorists. And while many arguments can be made that they aren’t capable of handling the entire task, that is what we have and that isn’t the focus of my post.
The argument for changing Miranda rights or making some type of exception for those classified as terrorist is this; With the right to remain silent and not be questioned by authorities without legal council, many other people are put in danger of a coming attack that a thorough interrogation may discover. Threats against the peace of our society are taken very serious and we will not stand for the coddling of terrorist suspects while the rest of us are in danger.
The argument against any adjustment is a very solid one too. Simply put, every citizen is guaranteed unalienable rights that have been spelled out in the constitution. The right to unreasonable search and seizure, the right to a speedy trial and the right against self-incrimination. Given to much power, our government, or any government will abuse that power. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. If we allow out rights to be eroded a little bit now, what is to stop them from being eroded a little more in the future?
I would love to hear from everyone about his or her opinions on this matter. Which side are you on? Do you have a solution in mind? Lets talk about this and see if we the people can come together and discuss the matter and even if we can find a solution. Because as we can all agree, we need a solution.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Campaign Finance
“As Public Campaign states in its report called ‘The Color of Money,’ it is an indisputable fact of our political system that those candidates and laws favored by wealthy contributors usually prevail over those would-be backers who cannot afford to give such large sums of money.”
- Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), February 13, 2002
"There is a very radical measure which would, I believe, work a substantial improvement in our system of conducting a campaign, although I am well aware that it will take some time for people so to familiarize themselves with such a proposal as to be willing to consider its adoption. The need for collecting large campaign funds would vanish if Congress provided an appropriation for the proper and legitimate expenses of each of the great national parties, an appropriation ample enough to meet the necessity for thorough organization and machinery, which requires a large expenditure of money. Then the stipulation should be made that no party receiving campaign funds from the Treasury should accept more than a fixed amount from any individual subscriber or donor; and the necessary publicity for receipts and expenditures could without difficulty be provided."
- Theodore Roosevelt, 1907 State of the Union Address
"Money! It is money! Money! Money! Not ideas, nor principles, but money that reigns supreme in American politics." - Sen. Robert C. Byrd (N.Y. Times, 3/20/97, at A26
Campaign Finance Reform desperately needs to be addressed. It needs to be addressed by our elected officials, by our federal government and by we the people… Campaign Finance is a large part of an ancient and archaic section of politics that has never been truly addressed.
“If money is the root of all evil, I’d like to be a bad bad man” – Huey Lewis and the News.
It is unfortunate how the system we have silences most Americans today. Voices do not speak with passion and patriotism. Today they speak with dollars and cents. Today our politicians cannot afford to listen to those with reason and common sense. In the business of politics a politician can only hear the voices of those who can afford to donate the maximum amount to their campaign. But is their donation, truly a donation? Or is it the purchase of political favor?
Can you blame the politicians thought? Politics has become less about public service and more about business. A politician must raise tens of millions of dollars in order to run for election or re-election in even a congressional race, much more if a Senate or Presidential race. In 2008 politicians spent more than 5.3 billion dollars on federal elections. Where do you think that money came from? You? Me? I donated a grand total of $50 in 2008. So the rest came from you, right? No the average personal donation was less than $100 in 2008. The majority of money came from special interest groups and lobbyists.
It is here that the voices of a few are able to speak louder than the voices of the many. A politician who needs as much money as possible to get or keep their office, you have to pander to those who will give you the most money. And as such, this is a severely broken system.
In 240 years we have come from the best and brightest our country had to offer leading our country, to the best fund-raisers that the free market can find. The best and brightest are in business for themselves today, just trying to survive in a system that would only exploit them if given half a chance.
I am not amongst the best and brightest. I am not a special interest group. I am not a wealthy corporation. I am a citizen, with certain unalienable rights. I have a voice, and that voice is not for sale. I have one voice with one vote. And I will not be ignored.
For to long we the people have allowed our politicians to be controlled by the money of a few. So I state again, Campaign Financing cannot just be reformed. It must be blown up and built anew. The system in which we elect our representatives must have its foundations in the will of the people. Our politicians must speak to the people and the people must be able to speak in their own voice.
There are many ideas to fix campaign finance. Same good, some great. Together we the people need to lay out our expectations and ideas. How do you want the system to work? We need to discuss, debate and find the way for our government to work best for all of us.
- Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), February 13, 2002
"There is a very radical measure which would, I believe, work a substantial improvement in our system of conducting a campaign, although I am well aware that it will take some time for people so to familiarize themselves with such a proposal as to be willing to consider its adoption. The need for collecting large campaign funds would vanish if Congress provided an appropriation for the proper and legitimate expenses of each of the great national parties, an appropriation ample enough to meet the necessity for thorough organization and machinery, which requires a large expenditure of money. Then the stipulation should be made that no party receiving campaign funds from the Treasury should accept more than a fixed amount from any individual subscriber or donor; and the necessary publicity for receipts and expenditures could without difficulty be provided."
- Theodore Roosevelt, 1907 State of the Union Address
"Money! It is money! Money! Money! Not ideas, nor principles, but money that reigns supreme in American politics." - Sen. Robert C. Byrd (N.Y. Times, 3/20/97, at A26
Campaign Finance Reform desperately needs to be addressed. It needs to be addressed by our elected officials, by our federal government and by we the people… Campaign Finance is a large part of an ancient and archaic section of politics that has never been truly addressed.
“If money is the root of all evil, I’d like to be a bad bad man” – Huey Lewis and the News.
It is unfortunate how the system we have silences most Americans today. Voices do not speak with passion and patriotism. Today they speak with dollars and cents. Today our politicians cannot afford to listen to those with reason and common sense. In the business of politics a politician can only hear the voices of those who can afford to donate the maximum amount to their campaign. But is their donation, truly a donation? Or is it the purchase of political favor?
Can you blame the politicians thought? Politics has become less about public service and more about business. A politician must raise tens of millions of dollars in order to run for election or re-election in even a congressional race, much more if a Senate or Presidential race. In 2008 politicians spent more than 5.3 billion dollars on federal elections. Where do you think that money came from? You? Me? I donated a grand total of $50 in 2008. So the rest came from you, right? No the average personal donation was less than $100 in 2008. The majority of money came from special interest groups and lobbyists.
It is here that the voices of a few are able to speak louder than the voices of the many. A politician who needs as much money as possible to get or keep their office, you have to pander to those who will give you the most money. And as such, this is a severely broken system.
In 240 years we have come from the best and brightest our country had to offer leading our country, to the best fund-raisers that the free market can find. The best and brightest are in business for themselves today, just trying to survive in a system that would only exploit them if given half a chance.
I am not amongst the best and brightest. I am not a special interest group. I am not a wealthy corporation. I am a citizen, with certain unalienable rights. I have a voice, and that voice is not for sale. I have one voice with one vote. And I will not be ignored.
For to long we the people have allowed our politicians to be controlled by the money of a few. So I state again, Campaign Financing cannot just be reformed. It must be blown up and built anew. The system in which we elect our representatives must have its foundations in the will of the people. Our politicians must speak to the people and the people must be able to speak in their own voice.
There are many ideas to fix campaign finance. Same good, some great. Together we the people need to lay out our expectations and ideas. How do you want the system to work? We need to discuss, debate and find the way for our government to work best for all of us.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Just getting started 5//4/2010
I want to talk for a little bit about the creation of our country, the documents that our founding fathers put into place and compare it to our country now. My intent is not to create a situation where people will blast each other back and forth for their beliefs, but I want to create a forum for healthy debate. I think individual people are smarter than we are given credit for. A discussion of ideas and perhaps together we may find ways to agree on politics.
It was Patrick Henry who famously said, “… give me liberty or give me death”. We have come so far from these morals that our founding fathers and earliest patriots held very dear. It was men and women with who put state and country before themselves that paved the way for us today… and perhaps we have strayed from that path just a bit. Right and Wrong doesn’t have a gray line down the middle. People knew then, just as we know now the difference between the two. However today we have found “wiggle room” between the two sides and to many live within it. We all watch as people justify their actions with technicalities, high priced attorneys and absence of law. Common sense tells us that many of the large US financial institutions were wrong to set up and destroy the American economy for their personal gain, but they find legal technicalities and blind spots to avoid criminal prosecution. There are to many other scenarios to mention, but my question is, why do we allow ourselves to be taken advantage of by these few people?
Our Constitution begins with the famous words “We the people…” This doesn’t mean “we the Republicans” or “we the Democrats”. It doesn’t mean “We the lobbyists” or “we the special interest groups”. And it certainly doesn’t mean “we the rich” or “we the self-righteous”. It means and says “We the people of the United States…” every one of us is included in this historic statement of freedom and every one of us is protected by the rights guaranteed within. And we are all responsible for our country’s path for the future. Two Hundred and forty years ago average people did not have a say in how a country was run. People had no protected rights and they did not have the voice that we are able to speak with today. It is the responsibility of every person to use the voice that many died to ensure. Living in a country that was founded on the supporting the individual for in search of domestic tranquility we must all participate in the further development of our great nation.
“…In order to form a more perfect Union…” Our founding fathers were really something. They knew that they weren’t going to get our government perfect on the first try. They knew that that the future will hold changes and that our country would have to adapt to these changes. Our Constitution is a living document in that we have the ability to change things to adapt to the 21st century. We should be able to recognize the spirit of a law written and not force a thousand lawyers to develop intricate language to try and cover every aspect.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” So lets let common sense kick in for a minute here. We all have the right to Life. That can be interpreted pretty broadly, but common sense tells me that we all have the right to live our lives in a way that we see fit. We all have rights guaranteed in The Bill of Rights, but more than that, we all have the right to judge what is best for ourselves, we have the right to decide how to live our own lives. No one can tell us how to think or what to feel. While we all should value our own morals and honor our religion, we have to respect one another and not force our beliefs on everyone. All we can do is try and respect one another, even if we don’t agree, even if we don’t like the way someone dresses, worships, talks, looks or their history. “…All men are created equal…” Our government can accept nothing different. And who are you to judge someone as undeserving of this treatment. Even if you disagree with someone, find the compassion to understand him or her.
And the last part that I want to talk about is this: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.” Our founding fathers once again recognized that things would change with time. They understood that what they set up more than two hundred years ago could become obsolete some time in the future, and not only urged us, but instructed us to change to government to fit the times.
In a time where many people have their own interests in mind, we the people must find a way to set aside our differences and do what’s best for our country. We owe it to ourselves and our children to ensure that our government is still of the people, by the people and for the people. May we find our way in times that trouble us, and may we give hope to those follow.
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