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Tag Archives: Observation

What The Words mean.


The definitions below should be looked at closely and remembered when the so called representatives of the “American People” come to call (usually election time). Taken in context we are not the power behind the throne so to speak. We tend to blame the President for everything because our local electeds tell us to. If we are the power then we need to become n  more informed about the process of governing including the tax system beyond the annual  April “tithing”. Without taxes the country, state and local governments cannot function. How those funds are spent is the bigger issue. First look at what we pay our electeds- These are the people who enacted a law securing their pay with cost of living increases. Their health benefits are better than most. The cost to keep them in Washington or the state capitol is paid by our taxes. Now before picking up the pitchfork, understand that in a unified front voters can change all of that. First step is vote them out or give them a good scare but if we voters do not step up these electeds will continue the practice of putting us in the barrel. Pay particular attention to the last synonym.

re·pub·lic
/rəˈpəblik/
noun
noun: republic; plural noun: republics
a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

de·moc·ra·cy
/dəˈmäkrəsē
noun
noun: democracy
a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
“capitalism and democracy are ascendant in the third world”

synonyms: representative government, elective government; More
self-government, government by the people;
republic, commonwealth
antonyms: dictatorship
“a multiparty democracy”

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Condescending Bastards


Congressional seat fillers who are considered leaders are no more than the “Washington establishment”. So  who are the real leaders? The large donors!. These  representatives continue to do nothing after the election. They have some how decided that the American people they so boldly cite regularly without permission or support are backing their actions or lack of. It is unfortunate that too many of us (voters) fail to understand that we have allowed these seat fillers to continue in office based on what they said they have done or what they say they will do. The idea that what they have or have not done is not always public is more unsettling since many times the very items they support are only supported because of add ons that favor their positions. These add ons are what is commonly known as pork or ear marks. as voters we accept these add ons whether they benefit us or not since most of the time we are not aware of them. The elections we experience that are so expensive and unproductive (as I see it) are no more than a beauty contest with some of the same vapid styled statements. Each rally, town hall or speech is designed to the audience of the area. People flock to these events to hear what they want to hear rather than what needs to be said (not Trump style). Considering that many American voters do not or will not read  what is happening in the government (Local, State or Federal), the Elected officials do what they must to stay in office and make friends for later. This type of kinship benefits them more than us. Each visit to their home State or area of representation is no more than a perfunctory act to be seen for future recognition(election time). With a serious look at politics one can easily determine that save a few,  the “electeds” condescension is a slap in the face of the voters.

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WE Have To Do It


This election has shown how little we know about the election process and the effects of media coverage on our judgement of the candidates. Yes many if not all of us are angry or upset with how Government is run but unfortunately we are placing our hope for change in the wrong place. Reading more about the current seat fillers in Congress and in State legislatures will do more to improve our political system than the person who is elected to the top office. The National head is important but Congress is more so in that they stop or screw up more legislature than the President. Looking back at the decision to not support or even look at the Affordable care act and promising to defund , replace  or make something new has been an ongoing issue that has cost the voters more money and in some cases poorer service. The idea that they (Congress) will not even consider a replacement for the empty seat in the High court when there are issues that affect us all is unforgivable and has nothing to do with the Presidency but everything to do with the proper running of the country. The decisions made in our names are not necessarily decisions we asked for or wanted but we allowed it by not speaking up (this involves reading and listening to real news). Our Congress has overtly and covertly injected Racism in our politics while abdicating their responsibility as legislators. These are the people we have voted in over and over again and complained when nothing changes. The key to good government is the vote and we the “American People” control that. We would be well advised to remember that this country was founded by and on the backs of immigrants from all of the known world (even as far back as tens of thousand of years). We upon arrival in this country displaced the Native Americans almost to extinction and are just recently acknowledging their place as citizens of this country. Overall as a country we are still the destination for many other visitors from the rest of the world as temporary and permanent residents no matter what the current rhetoric indicates. A quick note on immigrants as related to terrorism: the average time before any immigrant can get into the U.S. is 5 years (of vetting), of course there are and probably will be the few that sneak in and get away with it but overall our borders are reasonably tight. We get up in arms when we hear about the bad ones but we did not ask for them or allow them in. There are homegrown bad actors from all citizens naturalized and native,these are people who would do what they have done or will do no matter where they live. Our obligation is to read and understand how the world works now and pay less attention to talking heads looking for acclaim as knowledgeable when their goal is their personal gain.

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Party of Lincoln?


Party of Lincoln? Listening to all of the rhetoric from the left and right, the major parties along with the oddly phrased support of  the major party’s support of their frontrunners has given me a reason to dig deeper into past , recent and potential future issues from each. While I  identify as independent, I will vote Scamocrat more often than not. The Dupublicans track record from the last flip during the Civil war and the more recent flip during the Roosevelt years has shown up the “party of Lincoln” moniker to be just another buzzword. The Dupublicans have  more influence on the economy and American life than the Scamocrats. Each party has their share of blame but it appears that the “Dupes” are complicit in actions that are still having deleterious effects. The Dupes were prime movers in the Privatization of the educational finance system which has brought us to the huge cost of education and the financing of that system. The Financial crisis while not a direct factor was a part of the now disastrous educational finance mess. See blog dated earlier today. The “Party of Lincoln” is just another way to pull the wool over the eyes of the voters. Our political system is broken (for us) and the only repairmen are the voters. It is wise to remember that politicians lie for a living and we hear it every day. How can someone who makes 100K plus annually no matter what shape the Federal finances are possibly convince anyone who really works for a living understand what that everyday person is dealing with. American people are the government by way of the vote and the Congress needs an overhaul.

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Do Not Call Registry


Most of us are aware of the national “Do Not Call Registry”. This was supposed to stop the unwanted calls from sellers, promoters and scammers. The registry was great at first now in the electronic age we live in, it has become ineffective. I have found that most cell phones have a method of blocking these calls and I suggest you use it. Some of us who still have land lines may have a phone set up that also has this feature. I was made aware of this recently and saw that the system I have has this feature. It has worked better than the do not call registry. If you still have a landline look at the instruction book that came with your system you may have a tool the allows you to block these calls. Another option that helps is a phone message that screens some calls. Do not use a message that gives your name, phone number or states whether you are home or not. Simple message example: ” This call is being screened. Leave a message – no message, no call back”.

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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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Foot Health


This article supports my opinion of “Flip-Flops” which I believe are the worst type of footwear and should be banned which will save many visits to the E.R. for foot and ankle injuries. I have seen the huge summertime purchase of inexpensive “flip flops” for summer ware and not just for beachwear and showers. These “ankle breaking, foot injury producing ” pieces of foam rubber and other elastic products have captured the American foot as the summertime foot wear. There are more expensive models however the nature of the beast is not changed by better manufacturing and is just a better grade of foot injuring footwear.

Flip-flops are not your friend.
“When I was pregnant, I wore flip-flops often because they’re so easy to slip onto swollen feet. But they’re really not meant to be worn all the time: They offer no arch support. Plus, your leg, toe, and foot muscles have to work harder to keep them on, which could make tendons tight and lead to pain that will affect your lower back. I encourage my friends to wear more supportive shoes whenever they’re doing a lot of walking or standing – you don’t want to put on flip-flops for an all-day trip to the amusement park – and to do foot and leg stretches to counter any tightening. My favorite is a runner’s lunge: Stand with your hands against a wall and your feet about 12 inches from it. Step back with your right foot, then bend your left knee, keeping your back leg straight and your heel firmly on the ground. Hold for 20 seconds, and repeat on the other side.” – Suzanne Badillo, clinical program director of the Women’s Rehabilitation Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

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Demagogues, Witch hunters and Charlatans


It has become clear to me that many current and past well known figures in politics and the public eye are not who they purport to be. We have over the years been enthralled or distracted by seemingly larger than life figures who have turned out to be less than most of us ordinary people. We have had Jim Jones (Jonestown) who induced hundreds to commit suicide or be murdered , Senator Mc Carthy who sent the nation on “red” witch hunt and ruined lives, We had Several Evangelicals who fell from grace after information on their personal and financial misdeeds came to light, we have had several Federal legislators ousted and imprisoned over  official and personal misdeeds. Years ago in the 1600’s we had the “Salem Witch Trials”. All of these things have to do with people who took upon them selves the mantle of  leadership under the guise of administering justice and religious right. Our current political climate appears to be running in the same vein. We have a congress lead by Right wingers who without our explicit consent doing what “they” want and ascribing it to the “American people”. We have a leading Presidential aspirant with unknown affiliation or motivation who has excited the angriest (gullible?) elements of the country into a mob who are covered with a blanket of hate for anyone not like them in mindset and skin color. This is the same type of mass sentiment that created the witch hunts ala Salem and the McCarthy eras. It is of great concern to me that the media coverage no matter how the middle of the road is flavored and often overshadowed by  the extremes of the right and left of center outlets. With all of the truth being available not enough people avail themselves of it and become entrapped by the Demagogues, witch hunters and charlatans whose sole purpose is to incite discord which in turn hides their own agendas which do  include the good of anyone but themselves and their cohorts. Remember the following Names: Joe McCarthy, Dennis Hastert, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, Spiro Agnew, Jim Jones, Cotton Mather, Tom Delay and many others. They have all been (or are currently)  high in the public eye and (or will fall) fell after their true nature or purpose is exposed. If we become and remain vigilant we will be wary when the lies sound like the truth according to someone with a high public profile.

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The Media As A Tool


The election onslaught is at once informative and confusing. This is possibly due the types of media coverage we see and hear daily. The information age is squarely upon us and becoming more dominant. With this being the situation we all need to spend more time reading the fine print. While the reporting is usually competent often the employer of the reporter has a say over what is reported and how it is reported, which leads to misinformation. Free press is no longer free in the sense of the honest presentation of  information. Each news maker uses the media as a tool to present their views as fact when often there is an underlying agenda which is not necessarily in the best interest of the country or public as a whole. All elections have become popularity contests espousing whatever it takes to maintain or gain an elected office. Once in office the script is flipped and their “agenda” in enacted. Notable script flippers: Mitch McConnell, Darryl Issa, et al. Gaining a position of power is the way these people can make changes that benefit them and their ($) backers. They selectively give interviews or statement to the press to further or start an issue which again does not benefit us as a whole. This selective blurbing takes attention away from the real issues and at the same time hides their real work. We have had a dysfunctional Congress for many years and we keep electing them because they promised to do something but that promise has always been preceded by innuendo and lies that appear true and honest but are a slimy as the underside of a rock. Since the Congress has spent no time actually doing what they were elected to do, shouldn’t  we make an effort put someone else in their place?

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Trump’s Empowering Effect


 

Apparently Donald trump can unite. He has so far united all of the worst elements of our society. Recently a teacher in Ohio commented on  an African themed prom dress, stating it was “tacky”. Looking at the photo, I see nothing tacky about it, if nothing it is tasteful and well done. Unfortunately this shaming was attempted by a Caucasian teacher who if asked is possibly a Trump  supporter. This is just one of the Racist, biased and generally anti anyone who is not a hater supporters that Mr. trump has empowered in his run for the Whitehouse. These are the same people who tend to blame all of the woes of the world on others who are not like them. All of us have our likes and dislikes but those are tempered with a smattering of rationality. Now the NRA which is quite radical has endorsed a man who at one point was a staunch anti gun advocate, what does that suggest as a Presidential hopeful? Is Donald Trump the “Great White Hope” or just another opportunist who will sway with prevailing winds leaving someone else to do the heavy lifting? Unfortunately his ties to the current Dupublican party makes the party look more radical than it really is. It is bad enough that we have a Congress that has made no progress in running the country and providing the services we elected them to do but now we have a possible fop ascending as the front-runner for that party. We have the opportunity to make changes in both case but we need to pay attention to who we elect to the Congress along with who we elect to the Oval office. It is within our (voters) power to change not the politicians.

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