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Tag Archives: As I see It

Race for Our Souls


The race is on, now that we have a nominee form each party, the irrelevant, wild and irreverent talk will begin in earnest.  The Trump wagon will now start to race at top speed,  exposing us to so many upcoming and  memorable insults and  inaccuracies. The main words will be “huge, Great and believe me”. Taken in context these words are usually fine but in the context of  speeches to persuade it will get old quickly with people who really listen. This contest is unusual in that one candidate has no political experience and is essentially running on the fumes of several failed also-rans. This is a campaign being pushed along by hate, ignorance and paucity of facts. The Trump supporters are angry at the Government (by extension President Obama) and ignoring the fact that we have a non functioning Congress who they totally ignore as the real cause of many of the issues we face. Consider the fact that Congress is now on a 7 week recess and leaving important work undone along with denial of a hearing for a replacement chief Justice and hoping someone other than a Scamocrat gets into office. Our Dupublican Congress has done no more than obstruct any means to improve the lot of the American people they are so fond of quoting for their own needs. As one of the American people I do not recall telling or asking them to do anything that goes against my interests.

Dysfunction Rule? (Ruins?)


Apparently not enough of us read. After listening to the various delegates at the Dupublicans and the speakers it is clear to me that the major parties are both in a high state of dysfunction which leads to the highly contested races. Each of has an opinion and that is as it should be yet all opinions are not equal in that an informed opinion is better than an uninformed or a reasoned one. This state of reasoning is garnered from more the written word from several sources rather than the unilateral sources available in great abundance via the airwaves  and print. No one source is the ultimate authority but a key to being informed is diversity in sources. I have heard delegates who hate their presumptive candidates in some ways then vote for them based on other perceptions. No one candidate is perfect-again no one candidate is perfect! What is said on the campaign trail is not entirely the truth and often becomes unattainable when in office. We must remember the biggest block in initiating any agenda is 535 members of Congress whose own agendas do not necessarily reflect the needs and desires of the country as a whole. Too many of us listen to what the party leaders(?) say but do not attempt to get the facts. Trade, jobs and equality are all issues that have been glossed over with outlandish and often incorrect information which serves to bolster the party’s agenda. People are angry and angry people often make errors in judgement, these errors are what allows our political establishment to foist Their agendas on all of us. As voters we need to embody the old warning of “caveat emptor” (let the buyer beware), think about this when you make a large purchase and the research you do before committing, then apply that to voting for an elected official at any level.

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Black Enough?


Many people of color have criticized President Obama for not addressing Black issues directly and being more pro black. Thinking about the current Congress, there is no way the President could spend much if any capital on specifically Black issues. Coming into office with an ongoing war and unrest in the rest of the world while some world leaders essentially took a wait and see attitude towards him. Looking at reality not much of his strategy to improve America as a whole came true due to a multitude of reasons or causes if you will. We have an overall innate bias in America which was fueled by many of our elected leaders(?) who rather than do their jobs (legislate for us to makes our lives better instead of feathering their own nests). There are several if not many other barriers to his completion of his agenda that cannot be covered here but to address the Color issue: this is one if not the first President who has made a specific attempt to preside over the entire United States of America which includes all of us no matter ethnicity, religion or race. Remembering that being even-handed in this situation carries great risk because many still cannot get beyond race and other stuff to understand what the real issues are that face ALL of us. Now the spotlight is on seemingly Racially motivated shooting of unarmed citizens and the murder of several law enforcement officers by a mentally unhinged individual. We find our selves in a time when information moves quickly and is often incomplete and by time the real facts are known the wrong information is seen as truth and unchangeable. We can ask a question about being black enough or too black from now on and still not understand or accept our role in government. Our role as voters is to provide for our selves the best government we can by properly vetting the candidates who purport be the best choice for the job. We have become so obsessed with debates as to lose site of what counts in a candidate. The major political parties have used buzz words , sound bites and slogans to sway our allegiance while delivering nothing in return for that allegiance. Until we (all) demand and get good candidates for representation we will have what we have now a media circus with clowns as the main event.

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Gowdyism


The Dupublicans are at again, the recent expenditure of 7 million dollars (our money)  on an investigation in to Hillary Clintons Emails on top of Benghazi is ridiculous. This reminds me of the McCarthy hearings which bore no fruit and cost a ton of money. The chairman of the committee (Trey Gowdy) has spent money on this in spite of having no concrete information and being told there is no criminal issue. The FBI has determined that there were issues but no legally pursuant issues. The Dupublicans are in pursuit of some kind of ban on the Scamocrats candidate having access to classified information but they are supporting a loose cannon (quite reluctantly) who will have access to sensitive material. Apparently we (America) are still in a pre civil war mindset where people of color, women, other religions and ethnicities take a backseat to traditional “white” people. These  are commonly called “haters” but unfortunately we as voters have elected so many of them to represent us (at least  some of us). If you are a Racist then that is your choice (or option) to live with. If you are the person who thinks your religion is the best, your heritage is the best or your race(?) is the best then you are more a bigot than Racist (which is a bit different). If we continue to elect people who carry these biases into an elected office, then we have failed as a free people. Our elected officials should reflect ALL Americans while leaving the personal  biases out of the process. Our laws should be as neutral as possible with an edge of humanity. The Constitution which is often quoted out of context is a living document which means it has the ability to change with the times not at the will of an interpreter’s personal views. If we as modern citizens do not pay attention to the people we elect prior to voting for them we will continue on a path of poor government. Bear in mind that News outlets are not necessarily the whole story nor are the words of elected officials, that leaves the research to the individual which is as it should be. Remember we incarcerated millions of American citizens out of fear and panic, we imported and setup former Nazis while denigrating native-born Americans.

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The Real Term


Every news report and taking head keeps repeating the words “gun control”, this indicates some sort of activity affecting firearms. The real term needs to be related to the real issue which is the people who apparently are outside the norm and who own and use firearms in a bad way. This bad way includes robbery, murder (in any form) and threats by legal (mostly) firearms owners. These individuals are and should be the focus of any law that involves the ownership of firearms . The NRA takes a broad stroke on this issue whenever it takes the stage but their rationale is purely self serving and designed to garner support and funding (incidentally the NRA does not have the broad member support they purport to have) . Our Congress is looking at potential election blowback by standing up to the NRA”s deep pockets and under informed voters . If an elected official is truly a statesman or representative then they should be able to get the correct information on an issue and decide from that their course of action. It is unfortunate that this is an event that does not happen because of party lines , fear of voter anger and the loss of big donations. I have never found anyone so far that given the truth cannot have a discussion about an issue. This is not to say that disagreement cannot occur but a sensible discussion is possible. The general public has become so angry with the Government because our legislators want it that way so they can paint themselves as friends of their constituents. If the 535 were really interested in the welfare of the country and “the American People” (who they cite so often) then our current state of division would not exist, the NRA would wield no power to influence and perhaps we can arrive in the 21st century politically. The issues that we the American Voter can change are: .

1.Dump the 2 party system

2.Stop believing the same lies year after year

3. Keep in mind all newly elected people will become tainted by the current sitters so get rid of the old ones first!

4. Ask for things that can be changed for the betterment of ALL Americans

Remember taxes are what allows the government to function and the changes need to be to the tax structure but with a dose of common sense and in a reality mode.

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Once Again


The recent hype over gun control measures shows how little our 535 seat fillers do for us. The Dupublican majority is holding the legislature hostage until they (hope) a like minded President arrives. With the apparent candidate plowing through the country with absurdities as speeches and the leadership scrambling to figure out what to do about him, with him or about him, the “American People” they are so fond of citing have a non functioning Congress. It should be crystal clear that we “the American people” need to insure a change in Congressional leadership. It doesn’t matter that each state may have a productive representative, what matters is that the current leadership is so anti “American people” that it can’t even pass or discuss common sense legislature to protect us from violence. Thank you NRA, super PAC’s and other anti “American People” supporters. I will offer again the path to better government: elect legislators who are for us and not looking for a free ride as a member of Congress. “Our Congress” has been a failure for over 15 years, the real Congress members have all but died or retired and we are left with the power hungry ne’er-do-well. This situation has been exacerbated by the election of a non white President, which in reality should make no difference if the Legislature was really interested in the welfare all of the “American People” that they so often quote (as if they asked us all our opinions). As voters our responsibility is to ignore all political rhetoric, government speak and the high sounding phrases and get the facts before re electing anyone to Congress. We can no longer afford to be single issue  or poorly informed  voters.

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No More


No More sound bites, buzzwords, catch phrases please! These snippets do  more to obscure and obfuscate the facts than an outright lie. It appears that the media and the people who write or invent these snippets seem to think that the readers are unable to understand a complete thought or sentence. The politicians for years have hired writers who in their push to grab headlines write like ad writers (no offense). Ad writers express ideas to get your attention as they have a limited time to get your attention (often seconds). This writing method has  crossed over to political writers who through the attention grabbing style of writing tell the public nothing but hint at something which leads to speculation and self-definition based on innate biases. Apparently truth is not as comfortable as a lie (we should recognize that as we have been hearing it from legislators for years). It is unfortunate that telling lies and  shading the truth has become the order of the day for many folks running for office. If your message cannot stand alone then perhaps it’s not a good message or its incorrect according to public sense. The electronic age has brought us to the point of receiving these  targeted messages seemingly forever. We see them online when we do anything, on the tube, in movies and on and on. We need to smarten up and recognize what we are receiving daily in the most innocent ways. Our electronic devices may just be our worst enemies.

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Hard To Find Justice


The path to justice has many side roads, yet these side roads have travelers who through their various views do not see the clear path until the unthinkable happens, then it is still difficult for them to see that their destination is the same. These divergent beginnings often do not immediately allow for a connection which could  lead to a unified front bringing about a permanent and just solution. Even when the sides agree there is still the original anti part of the agreement which colors the known facts and evidence. This applies to many areas such as Politics, race relations, religious issues and human relations. Let’s have Justice for all or justice for none, there is no middle ground. 

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Eye For An Eye


I just had cataract surgery on both eyes ( one at a time), results are very good. I would like to commend the staff in recovery and surgery as well the Surgeon. The staff at the Springfield clinic are all great and always  do a great job. My little issue with the clinic in general are the surveys you get after a visit or procedure. This survey appears to one of the many designed to provide information to the administrators or higher-ups who may or may not be  medically trained. These surveys in my opinion are useless in that they do not directly relate to the staff involved in the procedure so I have decided not to reply to them. A survey to get general information is kind of useless as there is no specificity on the staff. In this case there should be some questions or opinions related to the individual parts of the surgery. The surgery consists of a receptionist who checks you in, verifying who you are and why you are there (she or he already has this information on-screen in front of them but this is part of the check system). After that you see another  check in person who also verifies who you are and why you are there along with who is there with you. At that time the person with you receives a pager so they can be notified  when you are in recovery. Next  you see  what I call the prep nurse who again verifies who you and what you are there for. At this point you are outfitted with the remarkable and appropriate hospital wear (you know-the open back gowns that everyone loves), insert an IV line if required. Again all information is verified. This seems like a lot of  informational repetition but suppose at any point this was not done, things could go really wrong! Next up an anesthetist who verifies who you and what you are having done while telling you what state of consciousness you will be in and that some will be there to monitor your state at all times, this includes your oxygen levels, BP and the effect of the anesthesia. The surgery, well you usually do not know what’s happening there but consider that you wake up in recovery (a good sign) and some of the same questions come around again. Once you are fairly lucid you are offered a drink and perhaps a snack until you completely aware of what’s going on around you and where you are. After everyone is sure you ae able to understand what is happening you are allowed to leave. The next day you will receive a phone call asking how you are. None of these areas are covered on the “survey” which makes the survey in my opinion a waste of paper, postage and not much use in evaluating the real story, that is the story of the staff who actually  take care of you before, after and during your short stay.

You Never Had To


Americans who are what I call regular people are the Americans who grew up white may or may not understand the following statement: “You never had to face discrimination due to skin color so you do not understand what it’s like”. The reason for this is that you as normal people are color blind and are reminded sometimes of color or ethnicity when it is put before you. This is not a failing  but more a lack of exposure to the issues  that face non white Americans. We all hear and see the same news and information from the same sources generally but there are pockets of information on both sides that would enlighten and unite us all as Americans. The title “American” should be worn with pride by all of us and unfortunately we have allowed our leaders to keep an implied or even specified difference between us aside from the natural differences inherent in all humans. These implications are what has allowed the rise of the Donald Trumps as viable candidates for the Presidency of the United States. Those of you old enough to look backwards a number of election cycles will understand that our two-party system is flawed and too often do produce the best leaders (not necessarily the President) via the Congress. The real problems in a Democracy is  weakest when  the people we elect to serve are allowed to remain too long in office and then cross over the private sector to further influence the lawmaking process. Our true power as voters is to forget the hot button issues and buzzwords such as Race, religion and citizenry but to look at the long serving legislators who so easily use “the American People” as a reason for not doing their job. If you were able to get a straight answer from any of them you would find that they have not asked too many of “the American people” for their opinion. This is a classic case of “when I want your opinion, I will give it to you”. Our focus as “Americans” is to begin the process of reasonable assessment of our legislative leaders at the State and Federal levels and ignore the reality show atmosphere of modern politics. Beware of the man behind the curtain.