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politics as usual: Prepare for the Best Election Money Can Buy - 01/12/12 05:01 PM
As the candidates flood the airwaves exaggerating their accomplishments and deriding their opponents, voters should prepare for the best election money can buy. While 2012 may herald one of the most important elections in our nation’s history, with the potential for a change of the Presidency and major victories/defeats in both the House and Senate, the outcome won’t be determined by an informed electorate, but by the number of dollars spent.

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politics as usual: Regardless of Who Wins the Debt Negotiations, Americans Lose - 07/27/11 08:08 PM
While the media seem to love the political theater surrounding the debt negotiations, the truth is: Neither political party is proposing to do what is necessary to restore fiscal sanity to our nation’s budget.  Regardless of who wins the debt negotiations, Americans lose.  Both parties have offered budget cuts, but the reality is that neither has proposed legitimate reductions that would actually lower the deficit during the next decade.  In order to ensure acceptance of their so-called cuts by their bases, both sides are holding firm on certain provisions in order to pacify supporters and secure reelection. 
 
The reality, which … (24 comments)

politics as usual: A Radical Proposal - 07/22/11 05:06 PM
As the political rhetoric heats up in advance of the 2012 election, politicians on both sides of the aisle are wasting OUR time playing the puerile games of partisan politics when they should be seeking solutions to the serious problems we face.   We shouldn’t have to put up with the politics of politics . . . but we do.  While I’ve voted in every presidential election—11 of them—since becoming eligible in 1964, in each one I was faced with the dilemma of selecting the least objectionable “politician.”  I don’t want any more politicians.  I want a statesman, a leader who will … (12 comments)

politics as usual: Earmarks or Just Plain Pork? - 11/13/10 06:10 PM
The issue of earmarks is once again at the forefront, and the opposing sides are gathering their forces and arguments. Most see it as an issue that should have already been decided. You either believe it to be a benefit or see it as a scar on the political process; there’s little gray area in between.
 
While most politicians are quick to point out that “pork-barrel” spending, aka: “earmarks” is only a tiny fraction of the budget, what they fail to acknowledge is that the only way to get spending under control is to chip away at the budget in … (19 comments)

politics as usual: I’m Sick Of It: A Negative Inquiry Seeking Positive Results - 09/18/10 10:17 PM
While some refuse to participate in “partisan politics,” far too many have chosen it as their canon. A quick review of the daily newspaper or news channel will confirm a biased media that seems intent on maintaining a divided citizenry. However, unless we can impartially analyze both our problems and ALL potential solutions, it will be impossible for our economy to recover and our country to return to its former greatness. I’m sick of partisan politics!
 
I’m sick of it when our elected officials seem more intent on crushing their political opponents than addressing the critical issues facing our country. … (24 comments)

politics as usual: Some Fascinating Numbers - 12/29/09 04:25 PM
Here are a few interesting numbers and facts I recently discovered. I think they should cause us to question the both the direction our country seems to be headed as well as the priorities we seem to have either selected or which have been thrust upon us.
 
The list, known as The Carper's Index provides some fascinating reading for those who enjoy factoids.
 
I’ve shown some of the more glaring ones below:
 
Wall Street bonus pool estimate for 2009: $140 billion
Combined budget deficit estimate for 50 states in 2010: $142 billion

Ratio of bank failures … (18 comments)

politics as usual: Who Will Announce That The Emperor Is Naked? - 11/16/09 06:41 AM
In Hans Christian Andersen’s famous tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, two weavers promise the Emperor a new suit of clothes that would be invisible to those who were unfit for their positions or stupid. Upon donning the nonexistent clothes, the pompous Emperor, fearing to appear incompetent, refuses to admit that he could not see them, and his aides marveled at of the beauty of the fabric.
 
I find a correlation between the fairy tale and the current attempts of the administration to convince us that their efforts to stem the tide of recession and joblessness are working. And Congress, bureaucrats, … (42 comments)

politics as usual: Are We Hacking At Branches? - 10/12/09 02:42 PM
After more than a year of the Great Recession, many are pointing fingers at politicians, bankers, Wall Street tycoons, lobbyists, and at their neighbors for making financially irresponsible decisions. And what have we gained? Little of consequence.
 
Many seem to believe the problem doesn’t lie with us, but with a vague and indeterminate “them.” Few are willing to take personal responsibility for the nation’s problems and find it much easier to lament their plight, throwing up their hands in defeat. But they fail to acknowledge that: No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood.
 
Neither … (22 comments)

politics as usual: Banks May Be Dangerous, But An Unaccountable Government Is Worse - 08/06/09 12:53 PM
With the government spending billions to keep banks from failing while doing little to help the average American, we may wonder what’s going on. Newspaper headlines regularly demonstrate the political power still held by Wall Street and the banks. In my view Thomas Jefferson had it right when he said:
 
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people … (17 comments)

politics as usual: This Bubble MUST Burst - 05/31/09 01:03 PM
With all the discussion about the “housing market bubble” and the ensuing collapse of the financial markets, we’ve come to accept bursting bubbles as a bad thing. After all, the bubbles irrationally created in an effort to capture billions of dollars in securities that few understood, wrecked havoc with our economy.
 
But there exists a bubble that must be burst, a bubble with the potential to destroy both our economy and our way of life, a bubble that, for decades, has been inflating to its bursting point. Just as a balloon cannot forever expand, the envelope that surrounds this bubble … (9 comments)

politics as usual: What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate - 05/20/09 05:59 PM
The line from the classic Paul Newman film, Cool Hand Luke, describes our situation perfectly. “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” We have failed to communicate with our elected leaders; or more appropriately, they have failed to listen. We say one thing, “Health care costs are out of control, help us,” and the politicians hear, “Let’s develop a trillion-dollar health care program.”
 
We didn’t just ask that they throw money at the problem. We asked that they do something to fix it, to help make it less expensive and more accessible. Developing a trillion dollar program is … (9 comments)

politics as usual: American Dream or Nightmare on Main Street? - 04/05/09 07:41 PM
For more than a century the American Dream has revolved around housing, and our ideal picture of the perfect family always included their own home. But the current financial crisis seems, for many, to have turned their dream into a blood-sucking vampire, bent on destroying the very foundation upon which their dreams were built.
 
Has the dream of home ownership been nothing more than a fairy tale, an expectation built upon a false assumption, as in the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” when everything works out just right in the end? Is our dream now being crushed on the rocks … (80 comments)

politics as usual: Yes, I'm Mad, and I'm Not Going to Take it Anymore - 12/18/08 09:06 PM
I’m mad at politicians who have no vision;
Who confuse partisanship with leadership;
Who sell their souls for a few pieces of silver;
Who manipulate the system for their own benefit;
Who have stolen not just our money but our trust in government.
 
I’m mad at Wall Street tycoons who rob, cheat, and steal;
Whose only concern is their own wallet;
Who corrupted a marvelous free-market system and
Transformed it into a den of thieves.                                                  
 
I’m mad at corporate leaders, who look to short-term gain, 
And drive once-great companies into bankruptcy;
Whose only concern is the size … (13 comments)

politics as usual: An Open Letter to President-Elect Obama - 12/06/08 05:35 PM
I know that you asked to be elected President, and that you worked very hard to achieve that goal. You recruited some of the top political advisers to assist you and created the most dramatic and successful political campaign in history. But now that you’ve grasped the brass ring, does it still hold the glitter, the attraction it once did?
 
I understand that it’s impossible to back away from this task, and I do admire your initial efforts in surrounding yourself with some of the top financial minds in the country. Our nation faces one of its greatest challenges of … (8 comments)

politics as usual: TURN OFF THE TV - 11/05/08 01:38 PM
Okay, the election is over and about half of the country is unhappy with the results; some are downright angry. The pundits are already describing all the potential negative scenarios. Talking heads across America will search for new villains and will continue to hawk their views of how we’re going down the wrong path. How did we get to this point and how can we return to the UNITED States of America? 
 
We’re a country divided and have been for more than a decade. The election of 2000 just put us over the edge. Just as then, today one party … (10 comments)

politics as usual: Regardless of the Winner, This Election Won't Bring Change - 10/29/08 03:14 PM
So what does the future hold for us? Next week we’ll have a new president and perhaps a further transfer of power to Washington. How will that change our lives?
 
To begin with, the stock market will probably provide some excitement as it projects the policies to come in the next four years. As always, predicting the moves of a market that has shown to be so fickle that even the experts are left scratching their heads. Once the initial shock has worn off, I suspect that the market still has some value to lose in response to our declining … (7 comments)

politics as usual: Why not stay Home on Election Day? - 10/29/08 11:17 AM
Why don’t we all stay home this November 4th? Half of the country hates one candidate; the rest hate the other. What’s the use? Regardless of who wins, half of the country will be upset or angry. As soon as the election is decided, the media will immediately begin hounding whichever candidate wins, and will expose their every gaff. Night-time comics will ridicule the winners and half of us will laugh, reveling in the insults.

We’ll be bombarded by news reports hinting at the new leader’s wrongdoings, cronyism, stupidity, arrogance, and inability to solve the country’s problems. Opposition leaders will … (6 comments)

politics as usual: American Revolution - 10/25/08 02:33 PM
I’ve lived in our great country for more than half a century, and I’ve seen change—dramatic change. I’ve watched as neighborhoods became little more than groups of houses, shelter, but nothing more. Those inside knew nothing of the people around them, and cared less. I’ve seen our inner cities become drug-infested, crime-ridden cesspools where fear is the only common denominator. And, I’ve watched passively, without action—for what action could one take? Sure, I’ve complained that it was better before, but what was better? And, if it truly was better once, is it possible to return to values that no longer seem … (3 comments)

 

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