End of the Year Observations

End of the Year Observations

The end of 2012 is near and I'm overwhelmed by all the stupidity that is flying around the United States.  Here are a few examples of what has occurred and my subsequent opinion.

1.  Our country is headed for a "fiscal cliff" and our elected representatives can't come to an agreement on how to avoid this financial calamity, act as adults and run the country.  The Democrats and Republicans argue over every small, insignificant point, as Americans and the rest of the world view our government as ineffective, stalled and allowing the United States to suffer.

At the same time, the US Senate voted on a resolution to "ask" the Village Voice (a New York City newspaper) to remove the Adult Entertainment section from its' content.  Apparently, the Senate is concerned that this specific portion of the Village Voice is nothing more than advertisements for prostitution.

Are you telling me that the Adult Entertainment section of a newspaper is more important to discuss and vote on, instead of trying to fix the huge problems of our country?  Is this why we elected these officials (over and over and over)?

Our country is so polarized that any movement towards a center-based and sensible solution is fought with such hatred that no movement is the result.  I don't care what people think, but we must make some changes that are necessary.

Hike the Social Security age from 65 to 67 over a span of 5 years.  We can cut the military by one aircraft carrier, one fighter squadron and 10,000 troops and still be the strongest nation on Earth.

Taxes on incomes over $400,000 will provide some relief to the national debt, but we must also eliminate loopholes that allow companies to pay nothing at all.  General Electric had an income over $10 billion in 2011 and paid nothing for corporate taxes.  That is plain crazy, but legal under the current tax code.

2.  The tragedy in Newtown Connecticut was horrific; the deaths of 20 children and 6 adults clearly indicates the country must do something to slow down the occurrences of such massacres. 

It doesn't happen in just Newtown, but all over the country.  Since the Newtown massacre, over 100 other Americans have been killed by guns.  

I am not advocating for taking guns from Americans, or trying to eliminate the right to bear arms...all I want to do is explore ways to slow down this violence.

How did America react to this tragedy?  With an explosion of rhetoric about how guns don't kill people, people kill people.  The National Rifle Association (NRA) wants an armed guard in every school.  How many armed guards are needed in a large high school of 4000 students?  1, 5, or 20?

At the same time, the NRA backs political measures to cut, cut, cut the Federal budget.  How can we place armed guards in schools, while cutting the budget so drastically?

The South Carolina legislature passed a bill this past week allowing school teachers to carry concealed weapons in the classroom. This is one of the stupidest things I have heard in my life.

We read in the newspapers how stressed out teachers are due to class sizes, unruly children, low pay and more...and now these over-stressed teachers can carry a gun in the classroom?

How will the NRA react, if one of these armed, over-stressed teachers go berserk and takes it out on the students?  What's the answer to that...another armed guard, watching the teachers?

I don't know the answer to this problem, but can't we as a nation, have a discussion to find common ground and attempt to protect all of our citizens, adults and children, a bit better?

3.  The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that an employer can fire an employee for being "too irresistible"...are you kidding me?  A dentist in Iowa hired a woman 10 years ago and after this extended period of time, he decided this woman was "too irresistible", he terminated her employment with him.  The case went to court and the dentist was told that his actions were legal.  Sounds more like sexual harassment, (or sexual denial) to me.

This story generates so many questions that need answers.  such as...if this woman was so irresistible, why was she hired in the first place, 10 years ago?  Did the firing have anything to do with the fact that the wife of the dentist found personal text messages between the female employee and the dentist?

Since the was an office dress code, why wasn't the female employee adhering to the dress code?  According to court documents, the female employee wore her "scrubs too tight and in a provocative manner".  Why didn't the dentist tell the female employee to buy larger scrubs for the office?

Then the final straw occurred when the Iowa Supreme Court allowed the termination for being "too irresistible".  

Come on...with no record of counseling to the female employee about her dress, or any mention in her work record of sub-standard performance, this sounds like a disgruntled wife telling her husband to fire a female employee that may cause problems for her marriage.

 

This wasn't a firing over being too irresistible, this was the result of a jealous wife, ridding herself of a potential opponent for her husband's attention (and money).  The entire situation could  have been resolved in a better way.

That's the main problem in our country....everyone reacts, yells and screams, but no one wants to sit down, find common ground and act responsibly.

The Time for Action is NOW!

The Time for Action is NOW!

Like most other Americans, I am not pleased by the results of the 2012 election.  I am not speaking about the re-election of President Obama...I'm upset with the blind re-election of the career politicians that brought America to this point in time.

Presidents come and go, that's a given, but when we continue the careers of politicians that have their own personal agendas (think continued re-election), we are making the decision to keep our country from moving forward.

For example, think of those politicians in office that have careers spanning more than 10, 20 or even 30 years in office.  Do you know how many presidents we have gone through in that amount of time?

The late Robert Byrd, from West Virginia, served over 57 years in office, that is at least 7 presidents during his tenure.  Or the late Strom Thurmond from South Carolina...he was in office for 47 years...does anyone believe these people were in touch with average Americans, after being career politicians all their lives?

We have Senators and Congress members that are currently serving terms in office that have been there for over 30 years...none of whom have really done anything , except get re-elected and continue to accrue benefits, pensions and votes.

I hear it all the time..."we need change in Washington", so why are we being idiots and re-electing the same people all the time?  That's not change, that's insanity, as defined by Albert Einstein, who said, "if you continue to do the same thing all the time, yet expect a different result, that's insanity."

I am suggesting that we begin a citizen advocacy group that provides Americans with a voice in making "real" changes in Washington DC by ridding ourselves of any and all elected officials after a maximum of 10 years in Congress and 12 years in the Senate.  Of course, I believe this line of action should apply to all levels of elected officials.

There would be several immediate benefits from this philosophy.  First, we would rid ourselves of the parasites that use elected offices for their own gain.  How many millionaires are in Congress making themselves richer? 

Remember, only recently Congress voted not to allow themselves to gain from inside financial information, and even that backfired when the wording of the resolution excluded family members from this action.

Second, we could save millions over time by having the level of benefits and lifetime pensions reduced.  Did you know that a member of Congress only has to serve a minimum of 5 years before qualifying for a lifetime pension paid for by our taxes?

Most importantly, is instead of having candidates run for office that want to make a career in politics, we would find real leaders wanting to serve and do what is good for the country. 

Nearly all current office holders (at any level of government) want to stay in office as long as possible; none of which believe their effectiveness erodes after a long period of time.  These politicians have the mindset that they have a "lifetime" in office to work to make changes.

If we had elected officials that knew their time was limited in office, they would understand the real need to make effective change within a specified time period.  We would have leaders that want to make changes in positive ways, instead of "kicking the can down the road" every 2 years.

Of course, this is only the initial step in trying to make positive changes in Washington DC.  We need to push for "common sense" solutions on all problems.

At the moment, the country is facing a "fiscal cliff" due to the stupidity of career politicians in Washington DC.  We need to find ways to balance our budget...the operative word is "balance".  This is the type of solution we need to utilize.

The president wants to raise taxes on those who make over $250,000 per year, the Republicans do not want any tax increases, everyone accepts that spending must be reduced, but no one agrees where to start...there is plenty of room for "balance".

I see no reason why the eligibility age for Social Security shouldn't be raised to 67 over a span of years.  This is a no-brainer and anyone that is against it doesn't want true reform.

I see no reason why we can't raise the limit from $250,000 per year of income to at least $500,000 before higher taxes are enacted.  This would reduce the number of small businesses that would be adversely affected by the lower standard of $250,000.

I don't see any reason why we can't give up a battleship, an aircraft carrier, and about 10,000 troops from the military, or how about a reduction of foreign aid to the dozens of prosperous countries we still send money?  This step alone could save well over $100 billion dollars a year and over $1 trillion over 10 years.

I am going to attempt to start an advocacy group for these, and other, common sense solutions for the United States.  Only by acting as a group with one voice, can we make real changes in the way our government (at all levels) operates.

At the bottom of this blog is a Feedback button.  If you have comments, thoughts or suggestions for me, please press the Feedback option and leave your comments.

As I continue down this road, I hope to empower  hundreds, then thousands and more Americans into working together for "real" change.  Remember, change is in the hands of Americans and we must begin to use it effectively.  Otherwise, we can only blame ourselves.

It's Time for 'We the People' to Act

   It's Time for 'We the People' to Act

Several years ago, a group of Americans banded together and formed the Tea Party.  I don't believe I need to go into what the Tea Party stands for or their affect on American politics.  In a short period, the Tea Party has played a profound part of American politics within only a few years.  I applaud the Tea Party for their ability to develop such a large voice within the political community in such an abbreviated time.

Now it's time for others to do the same thing, but follow a different path.  I believe there are millions of Americans that want this great country of ours to move forward, without the extremism that besets the other major political parties.  I believe we can establish a community of Americans that seek a common ground with all concerned and push forward with an agenda that provides fair and balanced approaches to the problems of today.

I am not trying to start a new political party; one that selects their own candidates for election, tries to persuade voters through "facts" that are skewed and uses fictional scare tactics on the public to garner votes.

I am trying to gather enough Americans that want to work together and find sensible and common ground solutions to the vast differences that are holding back the United States from moving forward.

The Tea Party started this exact same way and their approach to gathering strength and size was remarkable.  It told me that the majority of Americans want more choices, the majority of Americans want progress in solving our national problems and the majority of Americans are tired of how Washington works.  This tiredness allows engaged Americans to present new ideas, procedures and opportunities to the millions of Americans that feel our national problems are beyond our ability to affect change.

My proposal is to establish a "common ground initiative" for Americans to review and determine if our new thoughts, ideas and opportunities make more sense than what our political leaders are willing to do for our country.

For example, I believe most Americans want term limits, and a Federal, state and local pension system that is equal to what is offered to the millions of American military members that have served our country.  No more of these pension plans that profit politicians for doing nothing while in elected offices.

Everyone is screaming about the deficit and raising taxes on the richest of Americans.  We must see through all the rubbish being thrown at the public and determine what is the expected result...are we trying to raise taxes on wealthy Americans out of spite because they make more than 98% of us, or do we want to actually reduce the deficit?

Raising taxes sounds politically savvy, but if you allow deductions to continue, the revenue raised through increased taxes slips through our fingers like trying to hold water in our hands...can't be done.  We need to find a common ground for this problem and develop a solution that the majority of American believe is fair, balanced and a real fix to a specific problem.

Perhaps a workable solution would be to have a "sliding" scale on tax deductions.  If you make more than $500,000, you are allowed a smaller percentage of deductions than a person making only $40,000 per year.  I'm positive that Americans could find a way that helps to resolve this problem, reduce the deficit and be considered fair for all concerned.

Everyone is screaming about the need to cut entitlements and I agree with this philosophy, but there are ways to work on this problem without making major changes that will scare millions of Americans.

Forgive me for being blunt, but I think raising the age for retirement for Social Security benefits should be raised.  Currently, we can claim "early" retirement at 62, or scheduled retirement at 65 and if we put off retirement to 67 or even 70, a person can receive over 100% of their anticipated benefit check.  This doesn't make fiscal sense for the country.

If there must be an "early" retirement age, raise it to 64, then have scheduled retirement at 67 and there should not be any procedure to provide more than 100% of your retirement benefit.  This simple move would save hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 20 years...isn't this what we are trying to achieve?

Over the years, there has been discussion of having a "means" testing method in order to determine whether or not, wealthier Americans should receive Social Security upon retirement.

The argument that if someone pays into Social Security, they are entitled to receive Social Security...hogwash.  When Social Security was devised, it was meant to be a "safety net" for those Americans that needed assistance to survive daily life and associated costs.  Does anyone really believe that a retiree that is receiving over $250,000 a year from other income really needs that Social Security check?

As for those people receiving a Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), we need to reform several aspects of that payment.  Many people receiving SSDI are drug addicts, which infuriates the general American public. 

Instead of being angry, let's have these identified individuals  be drug tested on a recurring basis to ensure our money isn't paying for drug habits.  If someone tests positive for drugs, their SSDI is cancelled for a minimum of 6 months and they must pass a series of drug tests before re-instatement to the SSDI program.

As for those who receive SSDI for medical and other physical reasons, a simple reassessment every 2 years should provide a method to assure us that receipt of SSDI for these individuals is warranted.  In the spirit of full disclosure, this would affect my own family members, but I believe it is necessary, fair and would save more money than it would cost.

Over time, the money spent on SSDI would be reduced significantly.  There are those people that will worry about these drug addicts being homeless, without any way of support, and to those people I would say...come up with a better method to combat drug usage and addiction.

Of course, there are dozens of other entitlements that must be reviewed and reconsidered in order to bring down our dependence upon government entitlements.  What is necessary is to remember that there are millions of Americans that use these entitlements in order to survive on a daily basis. 

I do not believe I have all the answers or even understand the questions, but there has to be a sensible start to changing the way we operate as a country and government.  What we have in Washington is broken and won't be fixed unless 'We the People' act.

Of course, I believe we can make significant strides towards a working government by throwing out all elected officials that have been in office for 10 years or more.

I'm looking for ideas, thoughts, comments and suggestions on how we can begin to organize as a nationwide group and work to save our country from politicians.

We Have More in Common Than You Think

We Have More in Common Than You Think

The 2012 election is over and the winners and losers are already squabbling, which tells all of us that the next 4 years will be no different than the last 12 years.  Yes, it's always the same...nothing substantial is accomplished by Congress.  Why?

It's because 'We the People', keep re-electing the same idiots over and over again.  These so-called representatives of the American population have no fear of losing their positions, when statistics prove the 96% of incumbents are re-elected.  Therefore, instead of working for their constituents, these elected officials do whatever is necessary to keep them in office.  This includes using any type of scare tactics necessary to rile up the general population.

These scare tactics work...that's why our country is so polarized.  Every time either a Democrat or Republican uses a scare tactic, we fall for it, become enraged at whatever is being shoved down our throats and start developing resentment, anger and hatred for targeted people, regions or income brackets.

According to the media, the differences dividing our country are so vast, we have become a nation with 2 distinct philosophies on how to run the country.  I heartily disagree.  

Both camps of political philosophy, at the individual American level, actually agree on most matters affecting our great nation.  The trick is to find common ground and develop a working and suitable solution.  This can only be done at the grass-roots level because no political party will do what is right for America...they are only concerned about getting re-elected.

For example, a large majority of Americans believe term limits should be imposed on all elected officials.  There is no plausible way, we will get politicians to write legislation to kick themselves from office.  

Since the majority of Americans agree on term limits, then grass-root activists must develop and present a solution to this obstacle that prevents term limits.  This is easy...vote anyone, and I mean everyone, out of office if they have been there for more than a prescribed time.

Senators should only serve 2 full terms (12 years), then vote them out.  Congress representatives should be in office no more than 10 years, then vote them out.  Once politicians understand they will be gone after a specified time, you will be amazed at the difference in their actions while in elected office.

The large majority of Americans agree that our elected officials are "pampered", while in office...and they are.  From low level elected officials to the top of the Federal government, our politicians are the "upper crust" of American society.  This must stop.

I spent 20 years serving our country in the United States Air Force and only received a pension worth 50% of my pay at the time of my retirement.  For Congress, you are eligible for a pension after only 5 years in office and the maximum percentage can reach over 200% of their pay, after serving 30 or more years.  After serving 20 years, a member of Congress can receive a pension over 100% of their pay.  This is absurd, unfair and too costly.

If you want to learn more about the Congressional retirement plan, please go to:

http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30631.pdf

Why should there be a pension plan for members of Congress (or any other elected official) that equals or exceeds their pay while in office? 

If you read the Congressional retirement plan, it starts out at a minimum of 80% of the last 3 years of pay...after only 5 years!!!

I'm 100% positive that the majority of Americans are against this pension plan for Congress.  Of course the only people who can make a change to this system is Congress...never going to happen.

Again, by voting out everyone not later than 10 years, this problem is reduced; therefore cutting costs and eventually ridding ourselves of the entire pension plan and associated costs.

I believe there are numerous topics that affect each American that the majority of voters agree on...but we don't organize around these common ground topics, instead we take sides as dictated by political parties that always have an agenda that does not take into concern the opinions of most Americans.

It is now the time to begin organizing, gathering support and making choices that will benefit America; not continually hurting us.

Not for lemmings: Another 2 Years of Stalemate - It's All About Penis Size

Not for lemmings: Another 2 Years of Stalemate - It's All About Penis Size

Another 2 Years of Stalemate - It's All About Penis Size

Here we go again!  The elections are over and for 24 hours, the talk in Washington DC was about "working together to solve the problems of the Nation".  What a crock!

Now it's been 10 days since the election and everyone is drawing a line in the sand about what they (any and all elected officials) are willing to do and not going to do to fix the country.  It's not about doing "right from wrong", it's about who has the bigger ego (penis size).

Just like the perception that many men drive fancy cars as a part of "penis compensation", the back and forth crap in Washington DC and all other political levels should be considered the same as when some egotistical person drives a fancy car.

Now it's all about the "fiscal cliff".  This fiscal doomsday came about because Congress placed 12 people in a room for 8 weeks to determine a path to get out of the financial mess of our country.  The so-called fiscal cliff was put in place as a last resort, believing that none of the 12 Congress members would allow this fiscal cliff to occur and would work to map out a workable solution.  It didn't work, and now what we used as a last resort will occur in less than 6 weeks.

If 12 Congress members couldn't work out a solution in 8 weeks, what makes anyone, from the President to the lowest elected official, think this problem will be solved in less than 6 weeks.  Let us not forget that Congress granted itself 10 days off for Thanksgiving, plus 3 weeks for Christmas and New Years...so much for having time to work together.

We must also remember that over 96% of incumbents were re-elected by us....'we the people' that have the power to make change, but we gave up our rights to these elected idiots.

Yes, 'we the people', could have sent a powerful message to Congress by ridding ourselves of the folks that created this calamity.  Instead we developed the same attitude and ego of our elected idiots.  Even at the individual voter level, it was all about penis size.

The fiscal cliff will happen, no matter what Washington DC does for the problem.  Most likely it will be a short term fix, as it has been for the past umpteen years, and the problem will worsen.

So what do 'we the people' have to do?  We must rid ourselves of these idiots that just worry about penis size!  All they care about is re-election and we are like lemmings by falling for their crap every 2 years. 

If we rid ourselves of every Congress member (including Senators) that have been in office 10 years or more, you would see some fantastic cooperation among the new members of Congress.  

It's not about Democrat or Republican...it's about ego.  Does anyone honestly believe that raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans will create more jobs?  Every member of Congress would be affected by this plan and how many new jobs would each of these idiots create for America?  

If John Boehner is correct, by not raising taxes on wealthy Americans, more jobs will be created.  Hey John, how many jobs have you created by having lower taxes?  the same goes for Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Eric Cantor.  Nothing but hypocrites. 

Does anyone really believe that raising the minimum age to retire to 66 or 67 is going to kill the country?  Come on, most people know already plan to work beyond 65 because they have to continue to have a better income than Social Security.  So why the stiff resistance to this change by politicians?  You guessed it...penis size.

If we have a stated age requirement for people to retire, shouldn't that also apply to politicians? We do not need politicians in office for 20 or more years and being over 70 years old.  How can these people understand what is affecting the country, when they are more concerned about staying in office, building up their retirement accounts and dragging their oxygen tanks through the halls of Congress.

If my thinking is correct and individual Americans, including you and me, are more concerned about "drawing a line in the sand" wouldn't it be logical to vote these idiots out of office?  By telling Congress and all other elected officials that 'we the people' aren't going to follow their crap any more, doesn't that give us the biggest penis?

We don't need to drive sports cars, or have "bling" dripping off our bodies, or flash around a lot of cash to prove ourselves...all we have to do is rid ourselves of any elected official that has been in office more than 10 years.  That is what it will take to have the biggest penis.

President Obama is a "communist". Really?

It's only been a week since the election and instead of seeing a surge within the country to work together, there are large sections of the country that are doing everything they can, not to acknowledge the majority.

Even some "defeated" elected officials will not concede and allow the country and their constituents to move on.  Are the perks and privileges of power so strong that these defeated officials refuse to accept reality?

This is a good example of why our country is being torn apart, why we continue to have problems and will keep ourselves in a mindset of decline for the coming years.  There are members of my community that have gone so far as to call President Obama a "communist".  How does this help the country?

Granted, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but ask this...doesn't this opinion cause continued division within the country?  Let's stop generating personal hatred towards our leaders and work together to find ways to resolve our problems.

If you want to call President Obama a communist that's fine by me, but what are you willing to do to cut health care costs?  What are your thoughts on reducing the deficit?  

One more thing...why is Congress considering cuts to programs that assist the low income folks, but not cut programs that provide tax breaks to the rich?

The Republicans say that by giving tax breaks to the rich, the additional money will create jobs for all Americans.  How many extra positions will the millionaire politicians create?

The majority of elected officials at the Federal level are millionaires in their own right.  how many of these millionaire politicians stay awake at night thinking..."Hey, the government just saved me an extra $100,000 a year, I'm going to create jobs."

Do you think Kobe Bryant, Drew Brees, Jennifer Anniston, Denzel Washington, Tom Petty, Taylor Swift and others are worried about being taxed 2% more than they are now?

I think it's time for all Americans move together to find ways to fix the problems facing our country and name calling isn't doing a damn thing.

We Are the Only Ones Who Can Make Changes

We Are the Only Ones Who Can Make Changes

Everyone complains about all the problems in our great country, but we are also allowing these problems to continue by re-electing the same officials time and time again to offices at every level of government.

There are politicians that have been in elected office for 10, 20, 30 years or more and will stay in office as long as possible to amass their post-politician fortunes.  There are entire families that are either elected to, or appointed to government positions and stay there forever, yet are the same people that block any real reform at all levels.  Why?  Because necessary reform would mean an end to their draining of our country.

A large portion of our country, workers do not have automatic pensions, where you can earn more in retirement than when working on-the-job, yet most "public" employees have generous pension plans that are the envy of anyone.  While Americans have to live-and-die with stock market gyrations affecting their 401k retirement plans, "public" employees are guaranteed specific cost-of-living raises, pension contributions and other perks that are paid by taxpayers.  Enough!

For example, if a military member serves 20 years in service to our country, went to war several times and endured horrible situations, that person will receive a 50% pension, based upon the last 3 years of military pay.  Once retired, any cost-of-living allowances (COLA) must be voted and approved by Congress.

If a US Senator serves 20 years in the Senate, they receive will receive as a minimum, 80% of their pay when they leave the Senate.  The percentage may go as high as 200% of their pay as they remain in the Senate more than 20 years.  The COLAs for these "retirees" is automatic.

A member of Congress is eligible for a retirement pension after only 5 years in office.  This is a fact.  Go to:  http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30631.pdf  to read this yourselves.

This means that after only 5 years of doing nothing, a member of Congress receives a pension that someone in the military has to work 20 years.  Enough!

On of the main problems is that we continue to re-elect the same people to power positions over and over again.  These people make the rules that provide themselves with the luxuries only a few of the American public can achieve by working all their lives.  Enough!

Do I have all the answers?  Of course not, but I believe there are millions of Americans that have ideas, commitment and courage to make their voices heard and help steer our country in a different direction.

I am suggesting that a citizen groups around the country be formed and dedicated to correcting some of these problems that inevitably weaken our country.

My first suggestion...vote out any elected official, at any level of government, after serving 10 years in that office.  There are some situations where this can't be done, such as US Senators...but they can be dumped after 2 terms (12 years).

If you believe this idea has merit, please send me feedback by using the Feedback button at the bottom of this page.  nothing will ever change in this country, unless we initiate the change.

I will continue to use this forum to make my voice as loud as possible because it seems only the loudest are heard and achieve any change.

Thank you for listening.