Net Neutrality Under Attack

 The below linked editorial by a member of the FCC regarding net neutrality briefly explains the impact of the pending vote by the FCC. It is important for everyone who uses the internet to understand that their access is being sorely threatened by the action proposed that will affect the Internet providers ability to limit your access to the internet. Get the word out that the gutting of the current regulations will allow providers to charge as much as they wish and control unfettered access to the Internet.

Rapid Fire Legislation Cheats Everyone

Shortchanging Us Through Our Elected Voices

The crafting of the Graham-Cassidy “healthcare” bill demonstrates the epitome of how the checks and balance system built into our democracy is being unreasonably exploited and distorted to the electorate’s detriment. The legislators that are resorting to gamesmanship to simply place a check mark on an agenda must be urged to perform in a fashion consistent with how our government is designed to function. The American people are victim to an evolution of the lawmaking process that, if allowed to continue, will make the checks and balance process unrecognizable and totally dysfunctional. Lawmaking is being done in a secretive process initiated by a few select members to include only the agenda of the authors. The legislation produced by this process is then placed on a ridiculously short time schedule that prohibits the comprehensive review and debate/comment by rank and file legislators built into the legislative system. The lawmakers are then asked to vote on the bill before the review of the Congressional Budget Office (a non-partisan entity) has been published. How could a responsible elected official vote on legislation that hasn’t been properly vetted?

The idea that something as important as health care reform is being ramrodded by a handful of our elected officials is shameful. Why is it so important to usurp the process of bipartisan committee development; evaluation by the Congressional Budget Office and debate and approval by both houses of Congress prior to sending it to the President?  Departing from the typical program for creating or modifying any legislation is suspect and should be challenged by the voters who put the lawmakers in office.

We, the American voters of all political persuasions, need to provide loud and boisterous objection to this repugnant process that is taking all control away from us by the secretive methods being employed to “reform” government involvement in our lives.

Healthcare is just the tip of the iceberg with respect of how we are being shortchanged by our elected representatives. This method is being increasingly employed in almost every important legislation and must be stopped to allow the electorate the voice they deserve and should demand of the lawmaking process.

Donald Trump, School Yard Bully

How ashamed all American citizens must be of our President who addressed the World as a school yard bully (“our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been”). Providing taunting nicknames; threatening to destroy North Korea; and espousing demeaning descriptions (parts of the world are “going to hell”) that are only some of the tawdry highlights of his blustery address to the United Nations. The thoughtfully engaging use of our language to describe “rogue regimes”, “loser terrorists” and “Rocket Man on a suicide mission” must have really pained the hearts and sensibility of the American people while losing the respect of the members of the United Nations and the World.

To quote from a September 20, 2017 LA Times editorial, “In a way, Trumpism is the polar opposite of the U.N.’s spirit of shared responsibility and its belief in multilateral solutions to the planet’s problems”.

Seriously, we are losing stature as a world leader and pioneer in a democratic system that works by the rhetoric and actions of Donald Trump. When will the American citizens rise with one voice to demand changes in the approach this man brings to the international stage that will ultimately affect every aspect of our lives. Donald Trump is diminishing our international stature with his childish thuggery and blustery rhetoric. He needs to answer to the American citizens for his actions and either conform to presentations that represent the American national mores or be taken out of the leadership role he clearly can’t perform with the dignity required to be an international leader.

Charter School Advocate Board President Cheated His Way Into Office

Another insult to the democratic process with a pro-charter Board President cheating his way into office. The charter movement drains public funds to line the pockets of bureaucrats. This insult to the voting public requires immediate removal of this individual and sanctions to prohibit him from ever gaining elected office again. Until we, the people, stand strong against such egregious insults to the democratic system our public institutions will fall prey to such miscreants.
Please follow the below link for more information.

http://enewspaper.latimes.com/desktop/latimes/pnum=1&edid=ab44584a-08b4-4ad9-a351-a0dcd37c3038

Real Action to Put the US Economy on a permanent road to recovery.

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:

"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just

pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more 

than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible

for re-election.

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, e-mail, 

cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year

or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to

a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask

each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will

have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed

around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2012 

1. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no

pay when they're out of office.

2. 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. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all

Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.

Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and

participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the

American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void

effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this

contract with Congressmen/women.

Congress 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. Don't you think it's time?

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

If you agree, pass it on. If not, delete.

You are one of my 20+ - Please keep it going, and thanks

Share

Misstated or Lie

The recent rash of mis-representation by those either in public office or vying for political office make me ponder why the media complex refuses to address bald-faced lying and chooses to repeat the euphemisms being used to mask the fact that lying is lying no matter how it is colored to be otherwise.

The lies presented by senators,  public office hopefuls and professional athletes apologizing for "mis-representing" or "mis-stating"  military history, infidelity, political indiscretions for personal gain and other significant falsifications that have been euphemistically  labeled should be an affront to all.  Bill Clinton lying about his infidelity with Monica Lewinsky, George W. Bush exaggerating his military service during the Vietnam War and  manufacturing a WMD threat from Iraq, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Elliot Spitzer, professional athletes and  various other senators and public servants who have been shamed by discovery of indiscretions for which lies were fabricated are some prominent examples. The current presidential advertising campaigns are rift with half-truths and outright lies by both sides that continue unabated.

The use of euphemisms to cover lies is not an acceptable substitute for calling out those who participate in such dishonest and despicable misrepresentations. Let us purge our government of the liars who have loose regard for the truth and refuse to elect those liars who desire public office.

Faith Based Government

Faith Based Government

 (Written July 2006 during Geroge W. Bush's presidential term)

I have faith in the pure ideals of our forefathers who felt that our elected officials should not forward an agenda based on personal beliefs and morality, but an agenda based on the common good of all of those who place them in the seats of government. The biased representation of the electorate to favor those persons with a particular social agenda is an abomination to the great minds that drafted the Constitution and Bill of Rights. These fundamental canons of this great nation’s promise of freedom, liberty, justice, opportunity and happiness for all are being severely threatened by our elected officials at every level of government.
The suggestion that the Christian conservative “God” based “faith” is the best solution for governing the masses is an insult to those of differing opinions and the founding principals of this great nation. Forwarding a conservative, religious, intolerant agenda is an affront to the free thinking individualism that made the USA a world leader in tolerance and true democratic process.
The current conservative regime that governs our great country would have us believe that social improvement for the masses is seeded in the religious beliefs of the minority. Funding provided to “faith-based” groups for aid to the poor and destitute opens the door to the wholesale propagation of narrow religious ideals to those made vulnerable by the lack of basic essentials such as food, clothing and shelter. Public funding to religious groups is a clear violation of the constitutional provisions mandating the separation of Church and State that protect individual freedom of choice. These same “faith based” groups that receive the social program funding are preaching political agendas to their congregations under the guise of furthering the salvation of mankind.
 It is as wrong to attempt to legislate morality as it is for the nations’ religious institutions to preach politics from the pulpit.