Just Sick of It!

I have an idea. Lets kick out of office everyone who voted for this bailout plan.

Democrats and republicans alike. This includes president bush. Those who voted against this plan did so based on personal principles and honor. Our leaders should not be fear mongering but inspiring. The government needs to lead by example and make it clear that no one should be surviving primarily on credit. No one should be buying things that can’t pay back within a couple years, and the technique of paying credit with credit is ridiculous. Those who voted against this plan basically said that it is more important to fall doing what is right rather than save ourselves by passing something that is wrong.

Yes this is an emergency. However, if something is put in front of congress and the senate, it will stay there until it is a plan everyone can live with. In order to pass a good plan, it takes time and patients. Manny minds that have passed the approval of their constituents must learn, debate and compromise in order for a good plan to pass. corporations and the people must know that they must be responsible with their money and business strategies otherwise they will suffer the consequences of waiting for congress to fix their mess.

There are two main sources of this disaster and neither of them is lack of government intervention and regulation. The two sources of this disaster are corporations not doing the right things with their businesses and people purchasing more than they can afford.  The consequence is that everyone must wait for congress and the senate to pass a plan to fix this mess.

Both conservatives and liberals alike have good reasons to reject this plan. We don’t hire these people to control businesses and get involved with the stock exchange with tax dollars. We hire these people to argue and debate important issues that the constitution allows them to do. I am willing to let them debate and come up with a good plan instead of freaking out of selfishness.

As for my partisan section of this post I would like to mention that if everyone who voted for this plan was kicked from office that would leave more republicans than democrates.

energy: Should we drill of shore or in Alaska and many other places in order to lower the price of oil? NO! Should we force middle eastern counties to produce more oil? NO!

Its time to think of different alternatives to gas and oil. We have been hearing the argument of energy independence for decades. Jimmy carter, a democrat, faced a similar issue and was saying everything we are saying today. I believe completely that we need to get away from oil but its up to the consumer to make the change happen. Everyone is complaining about high gas prices but more people are walking through their neighborhoods and bicycling because of it. Instead of being isolated in our cars, separated from the out side world, and passing the blame to the oil companies and the government we should get a fuel efficient car and a bike. Such a move will force the oil companies to try to get money somewhere els. Oil is bad for our health, bad for our environment, and a risk to our security. If Iran or any middle eastern country decided to stop selling us oil our whole country would be in chaos and we would be forced to invade. Take a walk out side and listen to the birds. When you run into a friend or have a short conversation with a stranger are you going to regret not being in a car. Tell me, how much road rage will you experience? I think we can force the government and the oil companies to realize the archaic days of oil are over!

abortion: When it comes to moral issues like abortion and gay marriage the government should not be able to support or ban anything. I believe it should be left up to individual communities, cities and or states in order to keep large groups of people from getting angry and creating civil unrest. In the process of determining what I think is right and wrong I tried first to find an accurate source of right and wrong. The government is not an accurate source because it can be wrong. The majority vote isn’t necessarily right either because it can be wrong. I decided to choose nature as my source to determine right from wrong, but it should be left up to individual communities, cities and or states to make sure the number of people insulted stays minimal.

social security: The fact that the government is trying to take care of my retirement is ridiculous! if they weren’t taking the eighty dollars out of my check every payday I would arrange to have one hundred dollars directly deposited into a retirement fund or put into a 401k.

education: We need more alternatives to public school. With less people in public schools there would be less issues with money and space and the class rooms would contain better face to face learning. Alternatives are of course private schools, both in class rooms and online, public schools that offer online opportunity’s where parents can help teach their kids instead of relying wholly on some teacher the parent doesn’t know, and home schooling. A combination of all these options would ease the stress on our school system as well as keeping us from relying wholly on the government to educate our children.

Updated 7/15/2008 [ED: Fixed YouTube embed's]
Updated 7/25/2008 [ED: Fixed YouTube embed's]

Just sick of it perfectly sums up the the sentiment of the majority of Americans. The Democrats, Republicans, Independents and Green party members are all disappointed and disillusioned. I personally believe that this is testament to the importance of not relying on the federal government. Never fall for the flattery rhetoric that promises an easy life Barrack Obama, Hillary, Bush, and John McCain have never felt. we need to focus on the importance of individual responsibility. Here are some examples:

Energy: Stop blaming the oil companies and go for a walk every once and a while. I don’t care how expensive gas is because I have a fuel efficient car and a bicycle.

Social Security: The fact that I have been relying on the government to take care of my retirement is absolutely repulsive. If they stopped taking that 83 dollars out of my check I would have 100 dollars directly deposited into a retirement fund or 401k.

Health Care: Its not hard to get health care, and its not hard to have whatever is left over written off or to make a payment plan! I know because I have done it. Conclusion, there is no health care problem!

If these example don’t make sense to you, please comment me.

Sincerely: J Smith

Updated 7/1/2008 [ED: Minor changes and styling]

Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world. I remember an answer which when quite young I was prompted to make to a valued adviser, who was wont to importune me with the dear old doctrines of the church. On my saying, What have I to do with the sacredness of traditions, if I live wholly from within? my friend suggested, — “But these impulses may be from below, not from above.” I replied, “They do not seem to me to be such; but if I am the Devil’s child, I will live then from the Devil.” No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. ( Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I take this as one of the most important things Emerson ever wrote. This quote from one of my favorite writers forces me to look more deeply at the topic of homosexuality. If you asked me of my opinion on gay marriage, I know you would not like my answer. It would seem as though I am dancing around or avoiding the question. However, thats not the case at all. I never claim to know what is right or wrong until the result is made apparent. I can only do the best i can to do all my homework, weigh the pros and cons, determine an adequate source of right and wrong, and then make my decision. Why I am against gay marriage and any other kind of acceptance or support, I want to leave for responding to comments I receive. I will not respect an opinion that has less thought behind it than mine. I have thoroughly looked at this issue from every angle I could. I am not bound by anything but the integrity of my own mind and am willing to change my mind if proven wrong. I pride myself on my open mindedness and fairness, but not if it goes against reason. After the research, the reading, the writing. Looking up the history of homosexuality and its movement, talking with with them and listening to them on T.V., it still remains a decision indefensible through reason. Homosexuality has lasted the test of time. However, the real test doesn’t begin until the whole world is watching. To go along with Ralph Waldo Emerson here, gays are doing the right thing by coming out into the open. They will need to have debate in public, write books, and march down the street. After humanity has thought deeply on the subject, read their books, listened to their debates and observed their character, then, and only then, will the outcome become apparent.

Government is all about drawing lines and creating rules and laws to keep society safe, stable and prosperous. Of course these lines and rules don’t match perfectly with nature, because we, as human beings, don’t know everything, or know if we know anything at all. As we learn when writing the research paper, its not about your decision, but how you came to that decision. I consider the most destructive force in humanity to be compulsive and emotional decisions without sufficient thought. The best argument I have heard from a gay so far is that they feel it in their hearts to be who they are. That is not a good enough reason for me to encourage or support their preference. In the end, The coin will have to be thrown into the pool of humanity and we will have to await the result.

First it was the poor landless white males who demanded there right to vote and participate, than it was the blacks demanding that the line, the rules of discrimination, be removed for their rights. Women were next, than Asians and other minorities, and now gays. What ever the out come turns out to be, who will it be next? The polygamist’s right to several wives? Other peoples beliefs that 14 year olds can be wedded off by their families? Who is to determine these people’s rights and freedoms? I’m telling you, that they will toss their coin into the pool of humanity and humanity will decide. My final answer is that, like Ralph said, everyone needs to be true to themselves no mater what . What is right will be what remains in the end. Where and whenever the end lies.

Why am I seeing this pastor in the politics section and how can Barack Obama ever have attended the sermons of this radical and conceded preacher? This post is a little late because a wind storm caused us to loose power but Let me begin by dissecting some of the comments Wright made at the national press club. “Louis Farcon is not my enemy; He did not put me in chains, he did not put me in slavery, and he did not make me this color”. Now I would like to hear this pastor give a condescending answer to me like he did the other questioners because I did listen to the whole thing and this is exactly where he stopped his sentence. He then backed up, put his hands in the air and listened to the people applaud. My question, although I already know the answer, is who did put him in chains? After reading his biography, I know he was never enslaved himself. Last time I checked this government he disrespects so blatantly is the same one that, because of our system, allowed for blacks to be freed, allowed women their rights, helped save the world from the Germans and the Japaneses during wold war 1 and 2, and is currently giving the Iraqis the chance to have a democracy of their own. Slavery is in the past! I thought we were talking about today’s world in which Mr. Wright has more money and comfort and influence than myself! This Pastor obviously chooses to be divisive and bitter instead of realistic!

I would like to highlight this situation not only because Rev. Write is a whantobe politician, but as an example that religion and politics will always overlap as well.  When asked about his patriotism Rev. Wright basically said that it was the government he is angry at and not America as a whole. According to Wrights own words he said to Barack Obama “if your elected November the 5th I’m coming after you”.  Rev Wright is trying to influence our political system and he has no right to do so because he is not an elected representative.  It is common sense that anyone with a crowd of listeners before them is going to try to make a difference. Rev. Wright can preach all he wants, but he would never be elected as a politician because of his angry and divisive beliefs. Rev. Wright has only one vote just like the rest of us; and thank God for that!

Now as for the church and state  issue, liberals where livid when they noticed how republicans cuddled up to to a couple radically conservative preachers and screamed the church and state issue. This is the separation of church and state argument all over again, but this time its not coming from a conservative white preacher. Church and state will always overlap because our government is not necessarily bared by religious rules; yet, pastors and all religious people are trying to make a good world to live in, just as the government is. Therefore, these two institutions will sometimes come off as allies and sometimes as competitors. Nobody wants the government to be religious and nobody(of sound mind) wants their pastor preaching politics instead of the bible. Rev. Wright spoke about him being a pastor and Barack being a politician but also suggested that it is somehow his job to preach politics in his church. Part of what it means to be an American is that it is the job of every American to be somewhat of a politician. We all should have our own opinions and debate among ourselves about policies that are in our best interests. We should talk to our representatives and hold demonstrations when necessary. Where the difference lies in this case is that politicians are elected by the people and therefore have more power than any pastor. Politicians are given power by the people, not the pastors. If Rev. Wright wants to run for public office I’m all for it! especially since I know he’ll be less successful!

Rev. Wright is an angry, radical, conceded and divisive preacher who Barack Obama should have avoided if he wanted to become president of the united states of America. Although I always believed John Mccain would be better for America, I was very interested in Barack Obama because of the symbolism, his non typical nature, and the possibility of him defeating an entrenched, powerful , and typical politician like Hillary, but this connection, for twenty years, to a radical preacher should diminish his chances. If he is willing to choose a radical paster to wed him and his wife and baptize his children, than he might be willing to choose radical directions for America as well; that’s commonsense.

I believe that my common sense, moderate, conservatism approach to political philosophy is the way to go and liberalism( although good for the little guy) turns out to be more destructive than beneficial. Sometimes the little guy is little for a reason and the bigger guy is big because he/she does the right things and becomes big. Saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” will only cause the aggressor to pick up a stick or stone. If it sounds like I’m talking to children thats because such concepts are common sense. todays generation of teens that are soon to be adults have been raised to take the side of the little guy. when they discover that America is the most powerful country on earth it suddenly becomes cool and popular to regret being American. patriotism is fading so fast I cant find anyone under the age of 20 that is willing to be patriotic in front of their peers. Democrats (who are supported by liberals) want to help the poor by making it easier for them to get money or blatantly giving them our tax dollars for doing nothing. I am poor as I write this but because I live in America I know that a lot of hard work and fiscal conservatism will allow me to work my way up. It is common sense and I have witnessed that most poor people are poor because they are unwilling to do what it takes to progress. Todays society, full of young adults straight out of our school system, is over flowing with whiners who think they are somehow entitled to more money and toys because they are in America. This mentality is all to common and totally unrealistic. It is commonsense to realize that this planet and this country has limited resources; if you want some you have to work hard to get some. Instead of being liberal and falling for unrealistic ideas of equality we need to be MODERATE and try to understand each other. Last but not least, especially in todays world where prices are skyrocketing, pollution is heating the planet up, and we know how important it is to not harm the environment we live in, conservatism takes on a whole new importance. Conservatism to me is about saving money and making safe financial decisions(economy), not over indulging in pleasures or comforts(gas and electricity), accepting that life is hard, trying your best to be responsible, hardworking, and leading by example in order to make a difference. I hope I see more hardworking, patriotic, and money wise kids coming out of our school system in the next couple of years or I will seriously be worried about our future as the greatest country in the world.

Illegal immigration has risen to become one of the top issues of this presidential election. This is evident by all the news coverage and the fact that all the candidates and president Bush have their own plans to solve the problem. The reasons illegal immigration has become a large enough problem to be apart of this presidential race are many and complex, as are the solutions. However, it is my belief that it is well worth the cost of enforcing our laws and strengthening our borders for a more efficient system and safe society. Although immigration has always been an important part of the united states’ economic growth by allowing cheap labor to come in and do the jobs that aren’t being taken by citizens, our system today is full of illegal immigrants living among the legal residents. This combination allows for confusion in population numbers and statistics that are vital for information the government uses to allocate resources and services. There is no single race of people that are responsible and no one border or technique of entry that can be fixed in order solve this problem. Illegal immigrants include anyone who has over-stayed their visas, physically crossed our borders by land sea or air, or ran away from a work place that brought them in. Although Mexicans crossing the border between the U.S. and Mexico make up the majority of the problem, the problem is broader than that. There is absolutely no excuse for the federal government to not be in control of who is here illegally. The supreme court has determined that the governments authority to regulate immigration falls under article 1 section 8 of the constitution, therefore, it is the federal governments’ responsibility. Illegal immigration does not harm only one state or another; it is felt in varying degrees throughout the whole country. Our stressed law enforcement and health care are two important examples of the effects of illegal immigration and these problems need to be fixed by sealing borders and creating an efficient guest worker program.

According to the January 2006 population estimates of unauthorized immigrants report on the Department Of Homeland Security website, “There were an estimated eleven point six million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States as of January 2006. Nearly four point two million had entered in 2000 or later”(1). This many people entering the country must increase the chances of unwanted people such as criminals and terrorists entering the country, and set immigrants up to be taken advantage of in a system they don’t understand. A guest worker program and secured borders are what’s needed to make our society safer and the system we live in more efficient.

I support comprehensive and strict enforcement of our immigration laws along with sealed borders in order to help our law enforcement agencies keep this country safe. My reasoning tells me that if innocent people can cross the border without detection then so can criminals and terrorists.

Criminals entering the country illegally increases the pressure on our police who are all ready busy with our own criminals. Guns and drugs can cross the border with these intruding criminals and with an increased number of guns on the street requesting licensing becomes pointless. Lornet Turnbull, writing for The Seattle Times, mentions in detail some other complex issues police are dealing with from illegal immigration. “Nationwide, state and local law-enforcement agencies are grappling with this very thing— how to deal with a growing population of illegal immigrants and some of the potential local problems that arise, ranging from overcrowded housing to day-labor-site complaints”(seattletimes.com, Local News ). Knowing how many people are here and making them tax paying citizens would help solve these issues. I believe that allowing the police to check for legal status is key to finding all of the people here illegally. The police, as well as employers and hospitals, should have the ability to give all the information and paper work to any illegal alien they find. Eventually most of the people here illegally will have had the ability to become citizens or would have been deported.

Without secured borders however, not only would this plan become an endless task, but we would risk the chance of a terrorist entering to cause havoc as well. So securing our borders is an essential piece to any solution to this problem. Although a terrorist can enter legally, the danger would be dramatically reduced if the person had their background checked for any possible threat. Opponents may argue that enforcing immigration is not worth the cost and effort, especially now that our economy seems to be on the decline. The most recent comprehensive immigration reform bill, that was not accepted by congress, planed on increasing the number of border patrol agents, building more wall near urban areas, installing a high tech “virtual fence” which would use cameras and sensors where a fence would be harmful to the environment, and crack down on employers who hired illegal immigrants. Such an act would not be cheap nor easy. However, I believe that the benefits would outweigh the burden in the not too far future.

Along with easing the stress on our law enforcement and health care systems, making them more efficient; cracking down on illegal immigration by forcing the good, hardworking, immigrants to become citizens would increase the amount of tax revenue the states and government receive, funds would be collected via the fees that are accompanied with the citizenship process, and fines collected for entering the country illegally to begin with. In this process as well, we would find any illegal immigrants that happen to be gang members or other criminals who would be deported immediately, benefiting our police. Without accurate population numbers law enforcement agencies can not know how many police they need to ensure a safe city. By forcing the illegal immigrants who are already here to become citizens and pay taxes, our law enforcement would be better able to cover the amount of people they know are here with an accurate amount of tax money. In the same way, our health care systems, which are obviously stressed, would benefit from such an initiative.

Today it seems everywhere you go and every time you turn on the T.V. you hear something that comes from our troubled health care systems. Advertisements to encourage people to be more healthy and laws such as the helmet law requiring all children to where helmets when on their bike, and lights if they ride at night, all come from the fact that health care is struggling. States across the union are banning smoking at what seems like one area at a time and the seatbelt law is an example as well. All these laws must seem extreme to the eyes and ears of anybody who is educated in American politics and law. The reason theses laws come off as extreme is because of how close the government is getting into the lives of it’s citizens and there is only one reason (too many people without health insurance).

According to the journal of American Physicians and Surgeons “…Any patient coming to a hospital Emergency Department (ED) requesting .emergency. care must be screened and treated until ready for discharge, or stabilized for transfer. whether or not insured, .documented,. or able to pay”. (Ilegal) this is from the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act of 1985 (EMTALA), and I have no problem with it. Where the problem lies is in the fact that there are so many illegal immigrants here that this act becomes counter productive.

Even though illegal immigrants are not the only people without health insurance, the number of uninsured including the illegal immigrants is far too high for our health care system to maintain. If someone is living in this country they must understand the system they live in and know how they can use such things as health care and insurance. Becoming a citizen comes with courses in American history and political science as well as law to enable the immigrants to live a successful life in America. Young legal citizens that just don’t think they need health insurance or want the extra 30 or 40 dollars taken out of their checks add to this problem also and should be looked at, but bringing the illegal immigrants out of the shadows is an essential part if we are to thoroughly fix the problem of illegal immigration.

Through a guest worker program companies would have a legal source of immigrants that have already been checked for gang relations or illnesses. These companies would have procedures for treating any injuries on the job without harming the nations health care system. A guest worker program would help stop people from illegally crossing the border and adding to the problem. In order to clean up the mess we’re in now with law enforcement and health care, a pathway to citizenship is what we need for the ones already living in the country. The federal government will need to find all of these illegals whether at work, in jail, or in the hospital and make sure those three organizations have the ability to start them on the path to citizenship. If an employer, or one of our jails or hospitals discovers an illegal immigrant, the staff will be able to give them the paper work and information they need to become a citizen or the immigrant risks being deported. If we legalized all these aliens by making the process of becoming a citizen easily accessible, we would be better able to allocate tax dollars and resources.

In conclusion, It has been normal policy almost completely throughout American history to bring in cheap labor from other countries as mentioned in vol. 2 of the Encyclopedia Of The American Constitution by Gerald P. Lopez and Kenneth L. Karst on immigration. “… the cheapest labor in the united states has become almost exclusively the province of undocumented workers. An entrenched migratory culture now supplies workers from Mexico and other countries to fill low paying and socially undesired jobs”(951). Although the reasoning behind the necessity of cheap foreign labor makes sense economically, nowhere did the referenced encyclopedia mention the permanent residence of undocumented aliens. Here is were the economic benefits fade away and the only thing left growing is poverty without representation. Not only can these families not be be legally insured they have no representation in the government and can’t vote. This is not the American way and should not be tolerated.

Bringing in people via a guest worker program is fine as long as they are kept within a designated area and recognized. But if they live here like normal citizens then they must be made citizens or deported. Otherwise, all we have done is brought in poor people without the capability or the understanding of how to progress out of poverty according to the American norm. I believe, for the well being of Americans, our economy, and the immigrants, that it is our moral and ethical obligation to make sure everyone is on file and no one comes into this country illegally.

If illegal immigrants live here they need to be able to communicate, debate, and argue their cases at work, in court, and to their government. The American dream is for anyone who will work and want to live a good life. I welcome any number of legal immigrants who want to participate. I condemn any employer or policy maker who does not try to teach and help these illegal immigrants to live the American dream to the fullest. This is why I insist that our laws are enforced and the confusing mess we’re in now, eliminated by enforcing our borders, creating a pathway to citizenship that includes a fine for breaking the law, and creating a viable guest worker program that enables companies to bring in safe immigrants to where they are needed and when they are needed.