Over the Fiscal Cliff

The Fiscal Cliff.
Nothing more needs to really be said these days when we hear those words, and earlier this week a deal was done to (supposedly) avert The Fiscal Cliff, but did they? Four days later, the consensus of independent opinions is no, but they did delay it.
The reasons are obvious-no appreciable reduction in deficit spending relative to the current debt and related interest payments, combined with no large scale changes to our current tax system, or a broad increase of income taxes to everyone actually drawing a paycheck from the private sector economy. What, exactly, they did to "avert going over" this metaphorical cliff outside of raising the debt ceiling no one is exactly sure of. One thing that only non partisan news sources are willing to talk about is the fact that everyone will see a tax increase/pay decrease effective on their first paycheck of 2013 as a result of a 2.5% increase in payroll taxes to cover parts of Obamacare.
Debt ceiling talk currently isn't getting as much "talk time" as it will by the end of the year.
Raising the "debt ceiling" lets Congress spend more money-money we don't have collectively as a nation. The Fed has also announced that it plans to pull back on quantitative easing (printing more money) by the end of fiscal 2013, but when debt ceiling talks in Congress resume again at the end of the year, QE is the only tool our Federal Government has to adjust for more lending and increasing debt loads, but QE leads to a weak dollar on the international markets and rapid fluctuations on inflationary pressures.
The point I'm trying to make clear is this: nothing was actually done to prevent the inevitable from happening-bankruptcy on the part of the US Government within a decade. Raising the debt ceiling just means they plan to borrow more money to pay for things, and there are only 2 ways for them to achieve that: higher taxes (almost double) on everyone working in the private sector, or through QE. We all know the former isn't happening unless Congress actually wants open social rebellion on its hands, but hey, maybe they do...

What (I feel) needed to be done was for Congress, as a whole, to address us a nation and admit to us all that "we've f***ed up", and the only way to fix it is for all of us to take the hit for the next 5 years, during which several major changes in how our taxes are collected, applied and budgets established; and the rules by which Congress and the Federal Reserve are allowed to manage our collective finances. The biggest hurdles in achieving both of these goals would be in repealing the 16th and 17th amendments to allow for a new tax system and the return of states fiscal rights, thereby reducing the influence, power and size of our Federal Government back to Constitutional designs, and relative to the current domestic and international climates once states rights are properly protected again through appropriate appointment of Senators-a process originally designed to guarantee that Senators understood their role within our Federal Government. A role they couldn't do 100 years ago without becoming corrupted, but one that can be done today without that fear so long as the 3rd important change to how our Federal Government operates: the prohibition of all lobbying in Washington D.C. as well as limiting how much in corporations are allowed to donate to any one candidate (I'm for not allowing corporations any rights as financial support of an elected official, but even this watered down idea, I know, is asking far too much)...
There is little question for those who pay attention, that almost nothing was done to avert the financial inevitable in America, and that whatever was done, it wasn't what was needed to be done to avoid the inevitable collapse, financially, of the American Government.

Don't be fooled by short term prognosticators who say that by the end of 2013 our economy will turn around. Not only is this very short sighted of them, but unless they have a crystal ball and have seen that Congress suddenly chops $1T out of our budget and closes all tax loopholes and reductions on non business related spending, raising all of our taxes while fundamentally creating a Flat Tax (something I don't like, but that is better than what we have now), then we've already gone over "the fiscal cliff"-the bottom is just too far down to for them, or any of us, to see-yet. 

Happy New Year! The "world as we know it" didn't end, but it still could.

Happy 2013 everyone! If you're reading this, we made it past the end of days Mayan Calender lol...I can laugh now because, I have to be honest: I believed-up to a point.
You see, I try not to wholly disregard anything, unless obviously irrational, and the Mayan's knew their science. I wasn't so worried that I went to the "doomsday prepper" place a lot of people are now going too because of climate change. No, I just accepted that something climatologically catastrophic could occur in and around Winter solstice 2012. Scientific research revealed several rare astronomical 'alignments' occurring around this time and lo and behold, for those of a logical mind like mine, there was real reason to at least not ignore that something could happen. It didn't and, for now, the civilization as we know it will go on.
Our problem, obviously, was figuring out why the Mayan calender ended when it did. Now, it seems, it ended when it did because the Mayan were simply recognizing that they couldn't realistically "see" that far into the future because so much is possible of happening...

Of all the "new" years, this one is shaping up to be something no one has ever seen before. I really wish I could say this was going to be a good thing, but unfortunately, you have to be deaf, blind, and naive to not notice what is happening around the world (much more, locally to you): between the never ending and always increasing debt loads of nearly all industrialized nations on the planet; social upheaval seemingly everywhere and in every socioeconomic segment of society; and middle eastern tensions at an all time highs, the social, cultural, and economic situations around the globe are nearly all on the proverbial cliff.
But I don't like to dwell on negatives, even for as many as can broadly be seen (especially at the beginning of the year, jeez), I'm tired of that. I'm about solutions, and have been for more than a decade now. The negativity and bickering has to end among us if we are going to move forward as a species and society...
I try to read as many international daily news sources as I can on a daily basis. It's not as time consuming as some may think, so I manage to get in at least a couple every day (plus any local sources from where I have lieved in my life) within a reasonable amount of time. Everywhere I look, I see serious turmoil relative to one of those 3 issues. It's so obvious to me what is occurring-globally-that the only thing wrong about any predictions of the end of the world on 12-21-12 was the date.
If you read my blog regularly, then I take you for someone with the ability to put yourself in another's shoes-to see multiple perspectives of things: with that in mind, look around you at the culture and society you see, hear, smell, etc. What does this tell you? What direction are things in general heading in around you? Is this the reality you want for you, and the generations after you, to grow up in? If yes, then move on to something else, if not, then how do we fix it?...
This is where I am in my thoughts as we head into 2013 and beyond.
If you take a serious and honest look at the world around you, to be honest (again), it's scary. Everything seems to be unstable-from personal relationships to local governments to "market" fluctuations, no where can stability seem to be found. But for myself, I can't think about that. I can only think about how to fix it, and yes it can be fixed, but only through the collective will power and foresight of all of us. It will take sacrifice and hard decision making (ask the poeple of new Republican governors of Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida who can't argue w/the results those governors have had in turning around those states). No one likes to make sacrifices, but if we can all see the light at the end of the tunnel, and know there is a purpose to it, then there is no reason for us to not work towards that goal. This is best done is smaller regions and with populations under 25M, which makes America the best fit for at least attempting the fixes needed to turn around the direction our society, as a whole, is heading.
In the past, I've posted many (not all) of my own ideas for fixing some of the problems we face in America-most of which I see represented globally as well; in the 2 years since I last wrote regularly on my blog, I've seen few ideas to fix any single one of our problems, much less multiple of them, and all have been doomed to failure at the beginning due to their lack of public/private partnership and inherent burdensome government bureaucracies. As a result, our civilization is where it's at: closer to the Mayan's prediction, than not.

The Sandy Hook shooting

If not for my absence in writing on my blog, this would be just another of the long list of mass murders since Obama took over as President of our country that I would feel obligated to comment on. I'm not trying to say that all of these incidents (at least 6 since he took office, off the top of my head) are a result of his presidency, however, I will say that they are a direct result of the current political, social, and economic climate within our country-one which has been perpetuated and promoted by our 2 party system for much longer than my life time; but it is only now that the internet is a huge factor of communication in our lives that I, or anyone else, can rightfully point to the political climate, and the economic and cultural environments it creates here, as being a direct and primary contributor to the number and extreme nature of the most recent of these acts of mass murder which have permeated American news cycles for much of the last 15 years (since Columbine).

My position regarding most matters always starts with personal responsibility-taking control and 'owning up' to the decisions we individually make, whether good or bad. My ideology doesn't neglect the importance of cooperation between ourselves to create an ordered and functioning society, but at the core of my Individualist philosophy is the willingness to constantly re-evaluate personal, and broader, positions as times and society change. The events at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14th, to me, represent a direct reflection of the current condition of the broader American culture: fractured and on the verge of cracking-just like the young man did on the morning he committed these unspeakable acts.

The problem in America isn't one of guns or violence, the problem is within ourselves, our culture, and our beliefs.

For decades we have seemingly gone out of our way to dismantle the fabric of what used to make America the greatest nation on the planet. This tearing down of what makes us American's includes making good decisions, taking responsibility for those decisions (for the good and bad) and living with the consequences without fear of further government involvement (unless a felony was committed). Over the last 50 years, government and most of society, has run from these ideals, preferring to have the federal government 'tell us' what we should do and how we should do it, with just about everything, instead of providing us with multiple options fix or address the issues we face. 

The mother of Alex Lanza was obviously one of the people caught in the middle of this ideological destruction of what makes us Americans: she clearly wanted to help her son (she would go so far as to take him to gun ranges with her so as not to leave him alone where he could possibly harm himself), but didn't know how to help him outside of some sort of self implemented familial controls, which she (apparently) received little  to no help with from her oldest son, ex husband, or the system she used to teach in. Left to her own devices, and access to what is unquestionably a broken mental health system in our country, the only thing that surprises me about these incidents is that they aren't happening with even more regularity…

Our problem isn't guns or the potential violence they bring-it's our society. 

It is clear to any rationally minded person that American society is broken at nearly every level and in every aspect. Today, Americans are divided more than we have been since the Civil War (it seems), and the 2 party system which pervades throughout all levels of our government takes an active role in keeping us that way.

But, of course, we don't want to talk about our problems in build up to solutions: solutions to our problems are strictly prohibited by our government-especially the Federal Government. After all, if government empowered us to make good decisions, and had in place programs to help you get off government programs, instead of enslaving you to them, then maybe American culture wouldn't be so self destructive, but then government wouldn't have very much to do, would it?

Pot's big win means huge implications for all

On the positive side, for me, of the events on election day 2012, was the broad legalization of Marijuana in the states of Washington and Colorado…

When my home state of Michigan legalized Medicinal Marijuana in 2008, I said then that the Marijuana legalization movement would be the one to "force the issue of states rights" to the forefront of national politics. Thanks to the "Fiscal Cliff" (snicker) and the recent tragedy in Connecticut, the issue has stayed hidden, but simmering, in the background of broader political discussions.

Here in California, where I now live, what happened in Washington and Colorado was discussion number 1 following the elections. Everywhere I went in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, the legalization of the Marijuana in those 2 states seemed to be at the top of everyone's minds-for, or against…

I, of course, have been for legalization since I first tried the plant just before turning 19. After becoming a weekly recreational user in my early 20's I discovered, by coincidence, a very positive health benefit from it's usage: a 'fix' for the migraines, persistent headaches and related insomnia as a result of a severe childhood head injury I had. I have since had reinforced to me that my medical need for Marijuana is very real, and very necessary. I'll be honest and say I have no real idea of what dosage I should be taking. Through trial and error I've narrowed it down to twice a day of what in California is known as "2nd shelf" strains of Marijuana. Needless to say I have my medical recommendation for Marijuana in California, and I am legal and legit for it's usage, but what happened on election day has a lot farther reaching implications than just it's medicinal value to society…

For me, the first thought after I learned that both states had passed legalization of Marijuana  was "What's the Federal Gov't going to say?". My 2nd thought was "What's the Fed Gov't going to say when Canada comes complaining about its loss of hemp exports to the US because the Hemp industries in Washington and Colorado have nearly replaced Canada's exports to the US (will take at most 2 yrs)?" My 3rd thought, which should have been my 2nd, was "What are Idaho, Nevada, Montana-all the neighboring states, going to say/do?".

As of (this writing), it's looking like the entire West Coast of the US could broadly legalize Marijuana within the next 6-8 years, with at least a 3rd of the states east of the Mississippi joining them-potentially within the same time frame. The social ramifications-as large as they are-pale in comparison to the potential economic and ecologic benefits the legalization of Marijuana will bring to all of those states: Biodegradable plastics-the kind you can use as fertilizer-could become the norm in carry out containers and plastic bags used at grocery stores and fast food places. 

Hemp could replace cotton as the fabric of choice in winter clothing. Ethanol production will increase 100 fold within  6 months; oil as engine lubricant could be replaced by the oil extract of hemp plants for many high performance engines. 

The productivity and efficiency of our Agricultural sector will increase by at least 30%, with year round crop productivity and increases in product yields.

On the public side of the economic equation is the policing, judicial and corrections systems.

Over the last 20 years, a rough average of 750,000 people a year are arrested for misdemeanor possessions of Marijuana nationwide. On average, it costs police departments $4500-5500 just to arrest someone. Include booking that person into the county or city jail, and the cost jumps to as much as $7500-10k. Equating how much it costs jails and the courts is nearly incalculable, but lets say that Marijuana arrests account for 10% of all misdemeanor crimes in the country, the savings nationwide will be in the $B's...

These are a but a few of the many effects Marijuana's broad legalization will have on America economics; the legal, social and cultural ramifications are nearly incalculable  but we now know that teen usage of pot declines in states that legalize for medicinal usage or where they decriminalize possession of small amounts of Marijuana. The point is that just by legalizing pot, 20 and more states could potentially turn around their current economic situations within 2 years. Not only could they do this without a penny from the Federal Government, but the people who gave the permission for the states to have these laws are flipping the proverbial bird at Washington D.C. (I do wonder how many realize that) and, in particular, Congress as a whole.

In sum, what Washington and Colorado did by legalizing Marijuana was force the broader issue of states rights-the same rights Obama tried to trample with Obamacare, but failed when the Supreme Court caught on (yes, it "passed", but it can't be implemented without being refunded). This battle won't go away anytime soon-unless there is going to be a sudden awakening and realization within our government that the people are awakening to what "states rights" means...Needless to say, I'm not keeping my fingers crossed. 

I'm never silent: My return, what I've been doing and some thoughts about the re-election of Obama.

Years ago I discontinued my blog for a number of reasons: first among them being some of my international readership. I was surprised at how well my ideas and writings were starting to take off internationally, but nervous about large readerships from countries known to be current political enemies of my native country. This made me nervous because, though my intentions are pure, I know how words-particularly passionate ones-can be used for bad intentions.

I was also disappointed in a lot of ways…

I felt I had a clear message: one of individuality; opinion based on fact and a respect for another's opinion where the facts are either unclear or support multiple positions. I took no 'partisan' sides when it came to politics-pointing out the good things politicians were doing, as often as the bad. Given our media climate, this is difficult (to put it mildly), but I felt I tried. I tried to also be clear that communication and understanding were keys to finding a common middle ground for everyone (i.e. globally) to stand on and share in, but as time went on, the world I around me, as well as the broader one portrayed on TV, continued to disappoint me. Combined with a renewed focus on my career, the decision to discontinue my public, but often personal, writings was an easy one.

The time since I last wrote with any regularity was well spent: I created and implemented a 2 year plan to relocate to pursue my radio career again; purchased and read several more philosophical, political and economic works; and, of course, paid close attention to what was going on locally, nationally, and internationally in politics and economics. I was never silent, and interacted and discussed many things and topics with people, blogging regularly at times on several active local news sites and even appearing on a local radio show or 2. And, despite the long term financial obligation of a career move, I managed to visit a couple of theme parks.

That 2 year plan took me 3 years, however, and the path was, as expected, not as easy as I would have liked, but I got to where I wanted to be. I relocated where many other, even more profitable, opportunities are available to me and when the time came for me to make a decision, I chose the best available to me. So far, though it's not in the radio industry, it has served me well and I have few regrets. I'm not giving up on my ambitions in radio-I came too close once, and I intend to get there, and finish, again-but that is put on hold for now.

My new career change will hopefully afford me the time to write again. How much time, I am unsure (I intended this blog to be published shortly after the elections), but I intend to return to sharing my ideas as often as I can through my blog…

Obama's re-election was disappointing, but not surprising to me given his primary competition. I would like to hope that the nation's economy will survive another 4 years of this president, but I have my doubts. My preference, as it specifically relates to taxes, has been and always will be a radical shift in the overall approach to taxation in our country. An approach that would cause chaos in the short term (less than 18 months), but predictable and controllable in most ways. Unfortunately, not enough people can balance their check book, much less know how taxes effect economics or the finer points of the cost government operates at to society.

For those who don't know, a simple way of looking at it is like this: for every job created in government, 1.2 jobs are lost in the private sector. The ratio for dollars spent (gov't vs. private sector) is similar and varies depending who you go too to get your data, but they all agree that it's more expensive for society, currently, to invest in government, instead of the private sector.

Government is supposed to know this, and react accordingly, but it doesn't (for a lot of reasons). To be 'profitable' to society, all Government has to do-from an economic standpoint-is not spend more than it takes in. This doesn't mean that Government still cannot provide all of, or most of, the services so many of us expect it too today, but no one has ever queried 'how' this should be done (at least not publicly or that I've heard of within Congressional sessions). Today, around the world, the common solution seems to be to 'throw bodies and money' at the problems, with out care or direction. This creates unnecessary bureaucracy, which clogs the system, increases operating costs, and worsens performance; which also leads to loopholes for manipulation by the wealthiest of us, creating unnecessary and unwarranted class warfare in Democratic societies, and a global mistrust of governments in general due to their obvious failures against their ever increasing tax burdens and costs…

All of the aforementioned I say because Barack Obama, to me, represents the culmination in America of a well crafted and designed plan to gut capitalism and limit the idea of 'free enterprise' to owning barely profitable retail outlets, local distribution networks, or small manufacturing plants. It's a plan that I could see forming during the later years of Clinton's administration, all through Bush's administration (despite 9/11), and clearly through Obama's presidency. Upon more research and thought, it occurred to me that it can all be traced to the implementation of the 16th and 17th amendments in 1913 to our Constitution: reactions to perceived losses of power of 'workers', to those who were in charge.

Perpetuated by a willing 'public' education system, and our media (until the internet)-our 4th branch of government-the idea that 'the man' didn't care about you has prospered and grown. But instead of creating 'social progress', it has created segregation and class warfare around the world: intentionally pitting the employed, against the employer, instead of creating a sense of unity and self worth and respect between them. Along the way it has egregiously dismantled the thing that defined American's as Americans: our Bill of Rights.

I've hinted at, implied of, and spoken directly to the Bill of Rights as it relates to defining what being an American is many times, in many ways, and on many platforms (including my blog). In school, I was taught something different about the Bill of Rights than what their writers intended. The Bill of Rights was glossed over, and it was pointed out often that many parts of it had been disputed in many ways since their adoption. What I wasn't taught was that they are 'all or nothing', because that is what the founders wanted; I wasn't taught that by accepting the differences in all of us that our Bill of Rights exposes, and respecting those differences even though we disagree (because we have the right to disagree in our country), that this would bring us strength of cultural unity. I wasn't taught that our Founders believed that this is what would evolve America into the greatest nation on earth-not it's economic power. All of this I had to learn on my own, by finally questioning what people were saying when they said "the Founders meant" this or that when something didn't fully make sense to me. I've studied the Federalist and Anti Federalist papers; I've read many of the supporting works and papers by Adams, Franklin, Jay and Paine. I'm no expert, but I know much better than 90% of us do (and 99% of politicians it seems) what "The Founders" really meant with our Bill of Rights, and the size and structure they intended our Federal Government to be, and why it was structured the way it was. I say was because the 16th and 17th amendments are the only 2 which fundamentally changed the powers and structure of our Federal Government. It wasn't until 1913 that anyone ever considered the idea of taxing incomes as being 'ok' in America-after all, it was for that reason that we faught Revolutionary War; it was also at that time which the Democratic Republic that Franklin is credited with warning us to keep, was all but destroyed and the 10th Amendment-our protection for our Individual Rights-has been under attack ever since.

When the framers of our government added the Bill of Rights, it was the greatest compromise among men ever created. For the first time ever a group of men with wildly different backgrounds and interests agreed that they would no longer care, or cast dispersion's on another simply because they were protestant instead of Catholic; no longer were we going to tell each other how to live by taking from you before you actually have it (taxing incomes); no longer were we going to allow government to be the only ones empowered with self protection; no longer were we going to let others speak for us, no longer were we going to stay silent: we could all speak our minds, even if we disagreed, we could all still have our say. No longer were we going to be guilty before we are presumed innocent...What we have lost-or maybe never learned-was the respect we should have for each other when we exercise our rights. For the better, and worse, of us, the Bill of Rights is an all or nothing proposition: our disagreements regarding them, the Founders hoped, would lead to social evolution through mutual understanding of each other's differences. Sadly, we now know that 220 years later, that hope was sadly misplaced.

We American's were given a great gift in our Bill of Rights and not only have we disrespected that gift, by re-electing Barack Obama (or any partisan official) we are also proving that we were aren't ready for them.

"Lame Duck Congress"-how lame.

Since the elections a little over a month ago, the term Lame Duck Congress has been used a lot lately. For those who don't know, it's simply a metaphor used to describe a Congress that is seeing a large turnover in membership, making the exiting members not exactly interested in doing their job properly, and more inclined to be a part of the problem instead of being a part of the solution(s). Lame Duck Congresses generally get little, if anything, done and more often than not, they do harm but delaying sometimes much needed and important legislation on their way out...

This term, and the way, and reasoning behind, how these Congress's act bothers me greatly-as it should all Americans. How do you think you would look if, you were given a 60 day notice of termination of your job, and you decided that, since you were getting fired anyway, you weren't going to even try to do your job for that last 2 months? Worse yet-what if you decided you were going to deliberately get in the way of others trying to do their jobs? Not only would you most likely be fired out right, and immediately, but you would (and should) have a snowballs chance in hell of finding employment relatively soon after. I mean, who wants to hire an employee that is going to bail on them as soon as the proverbial chips are down, and make the situation worse by doing your best to make everyone still working there, have as much difficulty as possible? But this is exactly how our elected officials act, and think, when in the situation of not being reelected to another term in office-they simply don't care, and, instead of being adults about it, they go a step further and deliberately try to impede, or kill, all legislation which they are working on in the last 2 to 3 months of their last term. Not only is it bad, and childish, politics, but it sends a message to the nation as a whole which gives the general population the sense of entitlement that they can act the same way when in similar situations-instead of trying, and persevering, they just give up because "politicians are allowed to do it, why can't I?".
To me, this is the not only the reason, but the substance, behind how the entitlement class grew to the proportions it has over the last 40 years.
Members of a "Lame Duck" Congress need to grow the hell up. They need to do their freaking jobs to the bitter end, and do them well, and justly-as the people who originally elected them to office expect. If they don't, then they deserve every bit of anger and loath the citizens of our country (and especially those who first voted for them) can dish out on them.
And the excuse of "since I'm leaving, my say doesn't really matter anymore-especially since whatever I approve of now can all be changed by those coming in" never has, and never will, fly with me. That is a cowards, and poor mans, way of thinking; and it can be directly attributed to the current state of our nations culture and economic situation...

I digress...The whole thought disgusts me to no end. In my opinion, the only thing lame about a "Lame Duck" Congress are the actions of those exiting members who, by their actions, show just how pathetically lame they are.

The "Tea Party effect"

(The combination of a busy month, along with some writers fatigue (not to be confused with writers block), lead me to take a month away from posting on my politics/philosophy blog)...

Was anyone really surprised by the election results earlier this month? I know I wasn't, and all of my friends who I had warned that this would happen, came around to apologize to me afterwards for thinking I was off my rocker that the Tea Party could have the impact which they had.
I make secret about my differences with the Tea Party: I side with their general position on the Constitution, and their economic ideologies, but I take great issue with their insistence on bringing religion-specifically Christianity-into every one of their positions, and as the basis for many of their arguments. But, like the Tea Party or not, you have to respect them for the much needed change which they are bringing to the political climate here in America. Whether it is a change that will be beneficial to our country is yet to be seen, but it is a change which we needed decades ago-that of the people dictating to Congress, and not the other way around...

The truth of the matter is that state and nationally elected leaders had grown corrupt, complacent and entitled to their positions. Many had become what the founding fathers of our Constitution warned us against-Aristocrats. They ran on their name recognition alone, and nothing more. They presented no real ideas for fixing the plethora of problems our nation faces, while lining their pockets with special interest dollars. In sum, they were the problem.
This months elections proved that the Tea Party had struck a cord-particularly among registered independents; and even though Democrats managed to get most of their entitlement class out to vote, they were not match for the masses of Independent voters who agreed with the Tea Party in that the problem with national politics was the career politicians who obviously had no ones interests at heart, except their own. Fortunately, for all of us, the effect of the Tea Party carried only so far as to cause wholesale changes in the House of Representatives-where we saw the greatest turn over in representation since the Great Depression. It is in the House where most of the problems with our national politics reside, and it was in the House where the Independent voters had the greatest impact-knocking out nearly every incumbent seeking reelection (too bad Nancy Pelosi couldn't have been sent packing, but you can't win them all). Had the Tea Party effect carried into the Senate, I would have some serious reasons to be just as concerned about the direction our country was heading into, as I do now about the direction is it already heading down. Luckily, the Independent voters got it right, and, for the most part, only made wholesale changes to that branch of our national legislature which is meant to represent us-the people...

My only hope is that the Tea Party doesn't let this success go to their heads.
I hope they keep their grass roots status and pay homage to those which they owe their recent electoral success too-the Independents. I hope that they stick to their guns, so to speak (no pun intended), and stay on those whom they helped elect to stay true to their campaign words of adhering to the will of the people.
I also hope that they are willing to drop their religious positions in their politics. If they are willing to do these 3 things, then the Tea Party is, in my opinion, exactly the force of will and passion our nation needs right now to turn our country around.

A letter to Americans

As we prepare to vote in the coming week all across our nation, I would like all Americans to consider what it is that makes us all "American": It is not bipartisanship. It is not Democrats vs. Republicans, or Liberals vs. Conservates. It not entitlements or governmental control and influence in every part of our lives.
It is individuality and peronsal liberty from governmental involvement in every aspect of our lives; the strength of the human spirit to persevere; and the desire to earn a modest to luxurious living through hard work, and the dedication and determination it takes to succeed. These are the qualities which define America, and they are the qualities we should all look for, when possible, as we choose this next wave of people to represent us all in Congress...

It is time for us to take our country back-back from the corruption in corporate America, and, especially, back from the corruption and ignorance that plague our national and state governments.
For too many decades, too many of us have sat idly by, choosing not to participate in society other than by simply getting up and working every day: these people haven't voted, they haven't taken an active role in the raising of their kids, they haven't even taken an active role in their own lives except to survive until the next day-caring not one bit about what the day will look like so long as their own self destructive needs are met. It is too these people-the ones who believe that they can have no effect on "politics" and society in America.
It is to you, this "silent majority", who I am reaching out too.
Vote.
Express your opinion.
Let our current Congress people, and the newly elected ones, know that you will no longer stand idly by. That you will be heard. That you will be respected. And that you will no longer be trodden on and/or ignored because a select group of special interest groups, lobbyists and corporate interests are subverting your liberty via their influence over our elected leaders.
This is not a call for rebellion or separation, it is a call for you to take your respect and your liberty back as Individuals and members of our national and local societies by your choice.
It is time you are heard. Your country, and your fellow citizens, need you to speak, or else there may not be anything left for us to stand up, and speak for.
RR

A Letter to Liberals

There was a time in my life when I considered myself one of you-a "liberal", but it didn't take me long to realize just how anti liberal modern liberals really are.
As I...matured...I grew to understand your particular ideology more, and realized that, as a whole, Liberals really have no clue what being a Liberal-by political definition-actually means. Personal liberty and responsibility, individuality, independence, small government, the freedom to keep what you earn, all these things mean nothing to you. Liberalism, to you, means nothing more than standing opposite of Conservatives...
Conservatives believe in the 2nd amendment, but you believe that guns, not people, kill people; therefore the 2nd amendment is outdated and needs replacement or a massive alteration...
Conservatives believe in less taxes, but you see all Conservatives as being the top 10% of all income earners in our country; therefore, you see cutting taxes as only being for those that would affect the "evil rich"...
Conservatives, due to their religion, do not believe that homosexuality should be treated equality by all laws; Liberals, believe it should be, but, instead of supporting the rights of each state to determine such things-as the Constitution designs-you would have the Federal Government force the nation to allow something which many people morally and ethically oppose...
Conservatives believe in earning financial equality through hard work, and creating an economic system which allows for that; Liberals believe that everyone is entitled to financial equality...
Conservatives believe that a greater, intangible, power known as "God" has ultimate control over everything; Liberals believe that the more tangible power of "Government" should control everything...
As a group, you propose no economic solutions to our nations problems that do not include the Federal Government as the primary solution; you propose no solutions to our cultural and societal problems which do not include Federal legislation; and you propose no solutions to our growing welfare and national debt problems, than to have the Fed print more money to throw at them...
Even worse, about your ideology today, is that the lack of National pride and cultural identity America has today can be directly attributed to you. Over the years you have demonized American culture and having pride in our nation by focusing on the flaws of our past and making Capitalism out to be a engine of greed which only a few are able to take advantage of, at the expense of others.
The only thing which can be loosely considered "liberal" about your ideological beliefs are the positions you take regarding issues like the environment, animal rights, and issues of equality in society-positions which most would support you on if you weren't so willing to toss logic aside and go to such idiotic extremes that you take unrealistic positions which you expect to hold everyone too expect your leaders.

You, just like Conservatives, fail to understand human nature at its core. You fail to understand that human nature is firstly the individual, and secondly the member of society. You see people as just the opposite: humans are firstly members of a society-one mandated and controlled by government; and secondly, that society allows us to be individuals-but only under terms which that society says are acceptable.
That time when I considered myself a member of your ideology is, of course, now long behind me-it is nothing of it used to be, and nothing of what I thought it would be-an ideology that would back and support my individuality; protect me from "big brother"; and support me in my pursuit of financial and personal liberty.
No, I see your ideology for what it truly is, which is little more than Socialism-an ideology which is a known destructor of, not just the individual, but societies as well.

A Letter to Conservatives

It may be arrogant of me to say the things I'm about too, but someone has too-someone has to be willing to point out your flaws...
You see, there are many people just like me who would support you, who would be on your side, but you just can't give up the religious rhetoric, can you? Why can't you state your positions without always having to bring "God" into the picture? Why, when you refer to America, and "American" ideals, does it always have to be "God and country", or the "Christian American" ideals? Are you even aware that such talk is completely hypocritical to the positions you hold regarding our economy and the Constitution? And that it parallels you in not so subtle ways to the theocratic dictatorships which dominate the political structures of the countries which are our sworn enemies?...

This is what I mean: you support the Constitution-as it is. This is a position which, easily, the vast majority of Americans would support if not for your apparent disregard for the 1st amendment. You know that amendment, don't you? You know, the one that guarantees a separation of church and state? This is important because, based on your religious rhetoric, you would have it otherwise. Based on the things your ideology says, and the basis for the moral positions you believe all Americans should have, if you had your way, Christianity, and its bible, would be the basis for all legislative policy at the national level. Not only is this contradictory to the Constitution, but it also contradictory to your position on the economy.
You believe in as few regulatory controls over our economy as possible-another position which the majority of Americans would support. The problem is that Capitalism is the greatest vehicle ever created, by which people can achieve the most personal liberty possible. This includes exercising personal choices, like lifestyles relating to sexual orientation and other religious belief systems-both of which you don't approve of because of your religious views.
Even worse, you don't stand out against the more radical of your believers, in most cases, you choose silence. You refuse to comment, or properly disassociate yourself from the religious fanatics of your belief system that would bomb abortion clinics, label gays and lesbians as something other than human beings, or would otherwise threaten physical force on those who aren't "in line" with your religious beliefs.

Don't you understand that, just as you believe that the federal government has no right to tell you how to live your life; has no right to dictate how much of your income you should have to give in taxes; has no right attempting to legislate every aspect of American society and culture; that you don't have the right to tell anyone what to believe or how to believe in what they do, just because you disagree?
What of the greatest things about America is that we actually have the right to agree to disagree. In fact, part of your ideology supports that position-except when it comes to your religious views, views which you, for some inhumane reason, believe should be the basis for all legislation in our nation.
In no way am I implying that you should not have the right to exercise your religious beliefs, but I will stand against you attempting to force those beliefs on those who would disagree, at the point of a political, and legislative, gun.
You claim to be for the Constitution, and to be supporters of Capitalism-2 aspects of American culture which promote individuality and independence, and yet your religious beliefs make you appear otherwise. Your religious beliefs cloud your judgment and breed their own form of individuality crushing collectivism. If you can only see that you must separate your personal beliefs, from the legislative guidelines proper for our Federal Government, just as the Constitution is built to do-limit the reach and power of our National Government-you would find many more Americans calling themselves "conservative", as opposed to standing by and shaking their heads at you in disbelief and disgust over your obvious hypocrisy...

You, just like Liberals, fail to understand human nature at its core. You fail to understand that human nature is firstly the individual, and secondly the member of society. You see people as just the opposite: humans are firstly members of your society-a society based on religious principles; and secondly, that society allows us to be individuals-but only under conditions that your society says is acceptable.
Stop dragging your religion and morality into every issue, and stop letting Liberals drag you down to their level of ignorance and they will be easily exposed, and you will have much greater support from Americans than you do now.