Dear Heidi, Please Advise: What Makes You A Democrat?
I feel the need to call a massive FAIL. This past week, newly elected Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) made some pretty terse, disturbing statements – not just for a Democrat – but for a “newly elected” official, regardless of party, speaking in the wake of the murder of 20 children and their teachers. In an interview with This Week’s George Stephanopoulos on January 6th, Heitkamp, a freshman on The Hill, had this to say: “I think you need to put everything on the table, but what I hear from the administration – and if the Washington Post is to be…
The Real Gun Debate: POP-POP-POP-POP-POP vs. POP……….POP
Think about the Constitution in terms of the tangible right granted by each Amendment – speech, assembly, worship, speedy trial. Within the 2nd Amendment lies the only individual right that involves a for-profit product. Guns are products. Other constitutionally guaranteed rights are not tied to products, which in our society are regulated, all of them – loans, cars, allergy medication, televisions – many heavily so. Yet, we fail, to the tune of nearly 30,000 Americans per year, with the most inherently lethal product on the market – guns. This discussion should not be, and is not now, about the right…
We Need To Begin Teaching Civics Again
If “we the people” are going to control our government, then “we the people” need to know its structure, how it’s supposed to work, and how it actually does work. Knowledge is power. Too many Americans have relinquished their power. Reclaim yours.
Don’t Call it an Accident: 700 Veterans Possibly Exposed to HIV
More than 700 patients in the Buffalo Veteran’s Administration Hospital may have been exposed to HIV, various forms of Hepatitis, and other blood-borne diseases. A number of news outlets such as ABC, and the Huffington Post have used the word “accidental” in their reports of this recent development. When considering the means by which this exposure has occurred, however, it is clear that a more appropriate word would be “negligent.” A memo released by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs reported that between October 2010 and November 2012, single patient use insulin cartridges were used on multiple patients. Diseases could…
What is the NRA’s Real Goal?
Did you ever wonder if there is a connection between the following two facts? The board of directors of the National Rifle Association consists mainly of gun dealers, gun manufacturers, and others who profit from the multi-billion dollar gun industry. The NRA insists that virtually every crime problem in the country has one solution, more guns, which as it turns out, means more gun sales and even more profits for the gun industry. When President Obama did absolutely nothing about guns and gun violence, the NRA said he was the most anti-gun president in history and screamed “He’s coming to…
Obama Can Solve The Looming Debt Ceiling Crisis With A Mandate
The fight is on. Republicans have made no secret about their intention to use the debt ceiling as leverage for huge cuts on social programs like medicaid, healthcare and social security. With some of them, Ted Cruz, Mat Salmon and Pat Toomey, even going as far as calling for a government shut down of the kind we saw in 95. Their position is clear, they’re ready, and very willing to let the United States treasury default on its debts if the president doesn’t give into their demands. The president on the other hand has also stated unequivocally that he has…
This is America! We speak English- and Spanish, and French, and Chinese, and…
In spite of what you might have seen on the Internet, the United States does not have an official language. Some states have chosen official languages for themselves, but English has never been the official language in this country, because it has never been the only language in this country. Even at the time of the Founding Fathers, there were other languages being spoken in and around the 13 colonies. The Founding Fathers themselves were well-educated and multilingual. People have come- and continue to come- from all over the world to participate in this grand, messy experiment that is the…
Will Tigers Be Around in 2112?
About a month ago, my sister-in-law had a baby girl. I’m thrilled that we have another child in our family, but the birth of Brooke Nicole makes me think a lot about what will happen during her lifetime. More people are living to the age of 100. My grandmother reached that milestone, and the expectations are that people will live even longer in the future. In other words, Brooke, born in 2012, will likely see 2112. Her children will even live further into the 22nd century, and her grandchildren might see 2200. 2112. Rock aficionados recognize the significance of the…
It Must Be Fun To Be A Conservative
Imagine living in a world where you are always right, no matter what. Nothing that happened yesterday could ever affect how you feel today, and all principles work in your favor all the time. The Constitution is a stick you can beat people with, yet nothing in it ever constrains you in any way. Your political doctrine is enshrined in that document, as well as a denunciation of all other doctrines. Why is it so? Because you say it is! Nothing more is needed. This is the fairy-tale world that conservatives live in, where they can say whatever they want,…
The 113th Congress Opens for Business
Just What is a “Congress” Anyway? This is your government. If you don’t take the time to use the resources available, don’t complain that you don’t know what’s going on. Use the links below to find the names of your representatives. Then write a letter about something that’s important to you. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Every two years, Congress reboots. Like a bright New Year’s Day, it’s fresh, and clean, and brief. The 113th Congress assembled on Thursday, January 3 – a day for family and tradition, smiles and handshakes. They’ll return to the backstabbing soon enough. For some reason, many Americans think…
Here’s Why Republicans Have an Advantage Over Democrats
To many people it seems that Republicans have the upper hand on political matters even when they are clearly in the minority. During President Obama’s first 2 years in office, with a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress, a lot of the bills they tried to pass were stopped by a minority of Senate Republicans using the filibuster rule. Even routine matters like the Transportation bill, the Farm bill or raising the debt ceiling, that are normally passed with majority support from both parties, were blocked or held up by Republicans in order to get concessions on other unrelated…
America’s Bargained Democracy
Alison Stanger wrote “knock on the door of the Federal Government in 2009, chances are that you will find nobody at home” in her recently published book One Nation Under Contract. The staggering scope of privatization of our government’s services and duties started by Eisenhower and accelerated with George W. Bush, has created a shadow government that in size has neverbefore been seen in the history of industrialized world. Federal contracting of every imaginable government service, from prisons to census to tallying up our taxes-and many more-engorged the outsourcing-industrial complex in a way that now Americans have virtually next to no…
Corporate Psychopaths, Global Financial Crises, not so implausible
A nascent British Marketing Professor Clive Boddy has been studying the effects of Corporate Psychopaths over the past five years. In November of 2011 he has publicized his findings in his book “Corporate Psychopaths: Organizational Destroyers.” His book presents empirical research that corporate psychopaths can destroy companies, entire industries, even cause global financial crisis. He says people who are categorized as psychopaths, which are approximately 1% of the population, have no conscience or empathy and do not care for anyone other than themselves. And when they advance to executive levels in large corporations it is a disaster waiting to happen….
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