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Monthly Archives: May 2011

Almost One Nation


The Pentagon has twice as many restrooms as necessary. When it was built, segregation was still in place in Virginia, so separate restrooms for blacks and whites were required by law.
Since then the civil rights bill of 1964 was passed, most of the country has a reasonable mix of blacks and whites in an assortment of jobs and careers.That all seemed to fall apart when an unknown Senator from Illinois began the quest for the Presidency of the United States. Since assuming that position in an historical election the President has been assailed from all side on his policies,birthright and presumed religious preference. It is certainly easy to offer unfounded, pejorative ideas about the Commander in Chief but these ideas unfortunately are still based on old pre civil war perceptions. This country is awash with fiscal problems due to the poor practices of long term Federal and local politicians who have allowed their self appointed elitist attitudes. These erstwhile “leaders” and presentatives have continued under the guise of working for the people have lined their own pockets with semi golden parachutes in the form of retirement, automatic pay increases and more than generous medical coverage (these are perks given to themselves in laws enacted by them). Meanwhile the so called leaders are constantly on the airwaves espousing their pro or con stances in the name of the people while accomplishing nothing more than getting media coverage.When their “bosses” (the voters) finally realize the true basis of their service , things will begin to change then there will the accountability and our employees will understand who they really work for. We as Americans are under the thumbs of lifetime politicians who follow the “squeaky wheel” line of thinking while using the oil of our economical resources for their own enhancement.

How to Fix Congress.


The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971…before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land…all because of public pressure.
This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011:

1. Term Limits.

12 years only, one of the possible options below..

A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.

The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!

Opinions


The Opinions regarding the pension games, medicare cuts are just more indications why we need political reforms. The Scamocrats and Dupublicans have all at one point led us down the garden path. Look at this scenario: If you owned a business and discovered you had a dishonest employee, would you keep them on the job? We the voters have over 700 employees at the state and federal level who are dishonest yet we still have them on the job. Isn’t it time we got some new employees?

Elevation


During the course of a week I use elevators several times a day. I have observed what I call “elevator behavior”. Apparently elevators are designed to move at a certain pace and that pace has some effect on the passengers much like “G” forces on a roller coaster or any carnival ride( generally most people go on these rides for the rush of adrenalin created by the thrill of the ride’s motion). In an elevator there is nothing to see except the other passengers and the floor number display. That seemingly lack of activity save a slight movement of the car apparently makes people impatient. Each time some one exits the car and clears the door, one of the passengers immediately pushed the their floor button to accelerate the closing of the doors (although that action has no effect on the rate of closure). The two buttons that affect the doors closing are the door open and door close but their function is to do just that in case the normal closure time changes or in case someone wants to hold the door open for another oncoming passenger. Aside from this elevators are designed to pick up passengers going up or down, once the lowest or topmost floor is reached, the car then reverses its action. Some elevators are programmed to go to a “park” floor (this is a floor that the car comes to a stop and holds until called for). Modern elevators are computer controlled to allow the most efficient movement of passengers. Pushing the buttons multiple times for up or down will not speed the elevators motion as the initial call will not change once the initial signal is sent (pushing the up or down button will not negate the travel of the car!) Each day I see many people aggressively pushing the buttons in the idea that the device will respond quicker that its normal action. Then there is the upward gaze at the floor display showing where the car is at the moment, this “number” gazing seems to give comfort to some and aggravates others but in the end the car will arrive at its destination in a very reasonable time if passengers move in and out of the car as efficiently as the unit itself operates. Let’s talk about elevator manners for a moment. When entering a car with other people I move into the car, push my floor button and step into the car and out of the door way or in some case if some one enters the car when I do, I push my selection and ask about theirs, then push their desired floor. Unless the car is close to capacity I try always to move clear of the door to enable the exiters to access the door with as little effort as possible. If I am the only passenger when I reach my floor I move to the center of the door and at the front edge as to make a quick exit so that any waiting passengers may enter easily. If the car has several passengers I move to door as my floor comes up to again allow easy exit for myself and easy entrance for anyone waiting. There are no written elevator rules of use That I am aware of but I observe the ones I have outlined above and maybe some others will also.

Capital Punishment


The abolishment of the death penalty is making the rounds again. To be clear there are some crimes that rate the death penalty. To keep a person incarcerated for 20 plus years due to endless appeals and other activities is no deterrent to some else committing capital crimes. Often receiving a life sentence offers a better life for the offender than their victims, their families’ and many other citizens who live at and under the poverty level. The real way to approach this is to have all of the correct and legal information to prove the guilt so that the punishment fits the crime, limit the appeals based on new information that is relevant. If after a designated time no new pertinent information is brought forth then apply the death penalty. The key is a proper trial with all of the pertinent information, a proper psychological profile and then a jury that represents the public. The financial problems of the state are only exacerbated by keeping death row candidates locked up for their lifetime. The last thing is do not make a public spectacle of the trial as if it were a “TV judge show”

The Dirt of Politics


To prove a point, we have had several high profile Government figures whose actions and words created chaos and ruined lives based on what they and their constituents thought was proper for us , the American public. We have survived, J edgar Hoover, Senator Mc Carthy, Newt Gingrich and R.M. Nixon along with others not so well known, yet we still fall for the same old lines and follow like Lemmings to the sea. In a time when our major focus should be on what our Congress is doing in the line of moving the country forward we are being assailed with half truths and speculation by our elected Congress who to a man and woman are seeking to wield power in the legislature but not for us, the voters. It takes less energy to tell the truth than to fabricate information about an opponent or situation that serves to capitalize on our biases which only serve their interests. Are we all so shallow that it only takes a semblance of truth to get our attention? The political spectrum is a lot narrower than we know and an aspirant for a position will use what ever is necessary to gain office then work the agenda that best suits their needs.

Concealed Carry


There were several opinions regarding the Concealed Carry law in Illinois, all of them made the proper assocations regarding the proposed restrictions as where concealed carry is allowed but our erstwhile Governor is apparently having none of it. Mr. Governor if you were to open your mind and eyes you could understand that there are many unlawful concealed carries occurring daily throughout the state. This “criminal carry” has been in effect before FOID cards. The folks who dutifully renew their FOID card are not the problem, the unlawful carriers are. All of the legal FOID card holders are at a disadvantage as none of us have personal policemen at our beck and call. You sir have a cadre of bodyguards that we the voters pay for yet you deny the legal card holders equal protection. Why should we support you when you seemingly have no regard for our safety. I would urge you to reconsider your anti Concealed Carry Stance and allow the people who voted you to be safe. Keep in mind that not one of us is against additional training in fire arm safety as many of have had some training before this and we practice safe handling each time we touch a firearm. To be succinct “We deserve to be safe too!”

No Thanks


Why do we “Thank” politicians for doing the work they were elected to do? These “public servants” paid huge amounts of money to get our votes and assured us repeatedly that they are the best choice. When I see an opinion from a citizen praising an elected official “getting a job done”, I have to consider that this completed deed was a happy coincidence and not the hand of the elected official. Most public works are already on the table to be done but sometimes the worst projects can be pushed to the top of the list. Politicians are not omnipotent (even though they appear to be) and can only do what the budgets allow and no more. They can cajole the various agencies to consider a project and hopefully have it moved up in priority but no more than that. Elected officials cannot work miracles, they are limited to projects in the works and budgetary constraints but they will take credit whenever possible.If any thanks is due it is only for ensuring that projects are placed in the pipe line to completion.

Autocrats?


The People we have elected to represent us in Local, State and Federal offices have continually voted one way or another in our names but not necessarily on our behalf. When it come to taxes, reducing funding for some agencies and projects they never, ever reduce their own pay and office perks. This issue has been brought up before and is quickly quashed, why should we continue to elect people who do not share our pain to some degree? This type of behavior is bordering on monarchism and we are not a monarchist country. This country was built on freedoms not enjoyed in other parts of the world and our Legislators have transformed the government into multi faced autocracy without our consent yet with our tacit approval. Term limits are the keys to controlling this outrage and we the people are the only ones who can do it. We do not need a group to do it, we just need to start at the next election whether it’s local or Federal. Remember the Legislatures have been in place through several leaders up to and including the President so my thinking is : who really is at fault?

Blago Part 2?


I had hoped for some semblance of progress after the election of Pat Quinn to the office of Governor, apparently I was wrong. The current seat holder while seeming somewhat more trustworthy than his predecessor still has some shadow areas. This new seat warmer still commutes between Chicago and Springfield , not using the locally provided living facilities. Most of the business of the office is conducted in Chicago and now with all of the budget cuts we are still looking to “borrow” money to pay the states bills. The new wrinkle is the potential veto of the concealed carry law, Governor if you look at reality, anyone can carry a firearm now with or without a Foid card or Concealed carry permit. (keeping Law enforcement out of the mix). Any rational citizen that follows the rules and adheres to them as far as training will not be brandishing firearms because they can! The proposed law has reasonable limitations that reasonable people will follow. Any aberrations to the law would occur with or without the law. So I ask the question do we have a Governor or an extension of “Rod”?