Michael1942's Blog

After pondering the discussions on Illinois concealed carry, there have been many opinions some poorly thought out and some not. The legislature in its normal fashion is considering the subject in the media instead of in the halls of the legislature. While we as voters “say” we want to look in on their proceedings, we really never see the real work as it is not done in public sessions. The issue is more what to charge for this licensing, how to use the funds derived from that fee than who will administer the training along with what the training will consist of. I see two options that are possible for training: 1. the sheriff departments and police departments all have access to shooting ranges and could easily accommodate moderate size groups for this purpose. I am sure these agencies could benefit from any fee charged. 2. We have the Illinois State Rifle Association which has  range or access (they train members all year) and they could use the funds.
The key is stop campaigning for office and do the work required by the office. This concealed carry is not as big an issue as the played out in the media. All that is needed is  involvement by law enforcement, the Illinois State Rifle Association and then input from firearm owners. Many firearm owners do not intend to carry at all times but would like to have the option and are not against a reasonable fee but not a hosing as has happened in other licensing imposed by the state.

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In considering the past 10 years of elections and campaigning, I have come to understand that the individual citizen of voting age is for the most part grossly under informed. The Scamocrats and Dupublicans have fallen into the ” sound bite” style of campaigning. The campaign managers are not much more than advertising executives. If we are willing to consider it, we have bought or considered many household products, cars, entertainment and even prospective mates due to advertising.  Can we think about who and what has been put before us to sway our votes, can we think about the outright lies and innuendo presented as fact? If we can consider or think about any of this, then we have the ability to reason! To put a finer point on this, the political establishment has one objective and that is to stay in office, this desire is fueled by the tacit OK of the voters and the massive financial assistance from special interests. I am sure not enough people will actually read this or perhaps consider the long term effects our poor or ill considered past voting choices. Voting from the heart should only be 1% of our choices, the 99% should be the record of the people we are voting for and this record should not be in microcosm! I  will often hold publication of a blog post for as long as I feel necessary to insure my message is clear but the political climate is so full of subject matter that I can hardly keep up. We as voters are beset on all sides by special interests, outpourings by the assorted political parties and factions who do not act in our best interests so  “Caveat emptor” applies.

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The title of this post denotes my confusion about the people we have elected (without a second thought sometimes) to do the work of governing. A statesman by definition (Wikipedia):A statesman is usually a politician, diplomat or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career at the national or international level. A politician:A politician, political leader, or political figure (from Classical Greek πόλις, “polis”) is a person who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making. A Manager: One who directs a business or other enterprise. b. One who controls resources and expenditures. Given these definitions who do we have doing our work? I have tried hard to determine what  type of folks we have elected. It appears to me that  all of the political infighting, out fighting and media coverage has  shown that we have the equivalent of entertainers with the same weaknesses and not so many strengths. The only people these elected officials seem to want to make happy are their big contributors and special interests. We have seen and heard endless coverage on taxes, immigration, firearms and healthcare but few of them have stepped up to say enough!, let’s get back to representing our constituents. This would be a watershed moment ( we will never see it). These issues are important and should have been addressed in a prudent fashion without the media coverage and speculation. We voters are partly responsible because we demanded to have cameras in the House and Senate but the proceedings are not what is reported in the media. Meanwhile the Lawmakers used our hue and cry as a means of campaigning for our votes and issuing statements designed to sway our votes against our own interests and for theirs. Thus  the question becomes: What do we have? Statesmen, politicians or managers? I  believe we have none of the above.

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Since you took over Sear Holdings which includes among other entities Kmart stores, the Sears Brands along with Kmart have gone south by the quickest route you could muster. The Craftsman Brand now has the reputation of being :”Crapsman”, There have been no upgrades in the local Kmart stores since?. It is sad that most updated and best looking rooms in at least one of the stores are the bathrooms. This is just the tip of a seeming Titanic size iceberg, the stores appear to be in constant reset with nothing completed, it appears more like  a overstock and end of run sales operation. The sales tags are confusing with as many a 3 sale tags with different end date on an item. The overall sense of the workers appears to be impending doom. It takes an investment of money and time to turn a company around, not continuing cuts to worker benefits and hours (that has not worked in your favor so far). I am sure you believe you have done what is correct but can you look in a mirror and say that with conviction? If you feel you can then the Sears and Kmart brands are destined for extinction along with the thousands of workers associated with them! Thank you for scrapping more jobs due to ineptitude.

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I read many op-eds in several publications, during those reads, I see the them of people who spend little time beyond their daily paper or local news (and the radical elements therein). I initially want to respond to the writers but since the media that printed the piece does not print many of my opinions (unless it suits them) I continue to write this blog and hope the 10 readers I have will spread the word.

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Today I heard a statement by a Dupublican committeeman that stated: “we need credible candidates”.  This appears to be forgotten by our Government. Why have the major political parties fielded candidates who were less than credible? Were these candidates ever credible or did they become credible on paper after becoming candidates? Remember many ” credible candidates” proved to be otherwise when looked at closely (usually by the other party or other sources). I believe the credibility comes from our (voters) personal opinions sometimes based on our personal biases which are often skewed by ignorance and lack of  current or cognitive information. The challenge for voters is to pay little attention to the media blitzes, flashy advertising and politi-speak that arrives ahead, during and after elections. In this country we have the right to speak out even if we are wrong and suffer no ill effects for it but that right (freedom) ends when it is truly slanderous and criminal in nature. The past elections and beyond have many Americans still castigating the current administration while giving the previous one a pass. We should all remember the saying” LEST WE FORGET”

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