How It Should Be

If you see a problem, make noise. Not the quiet, whiny kind of noise that we've all been making, but a loud and unified cacophony. Raise hell now or go through hell later. It doesn't matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat. Get ahold of the idea that America is in real danger of changing for the worse forever. Stop sending anti-Republican or anti-Democrat e-mails.
Stop following these terrible people so blindly!

Here are the rules.
No incumbent has the right to re-election.
Nowhere is it written that Democrats or Republicans will be the only candidates to be taken seriously.
The constituion does not proclaim that candidate funding will be the deciding factor during elections.
Do not be influenced by polls, but rather influence them.
You have the right to expect a change when something is wrong.
Do not be distracted by "non-issues".
Contact your representatives and senators. If they do not respond, vote for someone else. They are, after all, your employees (of the people, by the people, for the people).
Jerry Falwell is a moron.

These are the rules for voting like a problem solver. If you are as tired as I am of the same old nonsense, then tell your friends the rules and get on board. I am not asking for you to join an organization. I am not asking for money. I am asking that honest and decent human beings raise their voices for the good of a nation.

And please post comments. Sometimes I feel like I am ranting to empty cyberspace.

Free Money

Well THAT got your attention, didn't it?

Let's talk about free money. The United States of America(land that I love) gives away $27Billion a year in foreign aid (UN Website). That doesn't include money that we loan out. This money is simply given away. Now, I understand that some of this money goes to feed hungry people and vaccinate children, and these are noble endeavors. My philosophy with regards to feeding people in foreign countries is much like my policy with street beggars. I'll buy them a burger anytime, but I'm not giving them money(the root of all crack purchases). I have yet to find any real source of accountability for foreign aid. Simply put, you give me money to feed my kids, all I have to say is "yes, I fed the kids with that", and then you give me more. What kind of program is this?

I have an idea. Let's spend all the money that we were going to give away in '07 on a wall between here and Mexico. What's that? You say a wall won't solve the problem with illegal immigration. Maybe not, but a wall with machine gun turrets and minefields would make a pretty little bump in the road, now wouldn't it?

I understand that we won't really do that, but it could be the back-up plan.

In reality we need to help our neighbors become more industrialized. So why not spend ALL of our foreign aid close to home. Let the UN feed Africa for a couple of years. Let's give $27Billion to Mexico, Honduras, and Ecuador on the condition that they spend all of the money on education and industrialization. I'm OK with a global economy, but for crying out loud, let's bring everyone else up to standard!

If our neighboring countries have a lifestyle comparable to ours, their citizens are less likely to want to come here and work for less. If we were to repeal NAFTA and CAFTA and put serious pressure on Central America to develop a working public education system, we would all benifit. Who knows, in ten years, we might all be driving Honduran cars that run on alternative fuels.

We have to take corporate interests out of the equation for the time being, and really strive to globalize the American Dream. Giving away money with no expected return is simply poor economic policy. With the global political climate what it is today, we need to develop some close ties with the people of Central America, not the corporate interests. If we can help our neighbors become more educated, more industrialized, and more independant, then we should. Its not just good foreign policy, its the right way to do business.

I Love Iraq

We went into Iraq to spread Democracy (like a virus) and freedom. We took down a violent dictator and raised up a new and glorious republic in his place. We shattered the chains of bondage and blah, blah, blah...

Let's tell the truth here. We took out the only completely secular government in the Middle East and replaced it with a Koran based constitution. We found the only government in an Arab nation that made women's rights an actuality, and replaced that government with a power base that considers women little more than cattle.

Sounds like I'm complaining, doesn't it? That's not what we do here...

I have heard time and again on television and radio that "No occupation has ever worked", and the like. I beg to differ. There has never been an occupation without the occasional problem, but several have worked out quite well in favor of the occupying force.
The Romans made an Empire out of occupied lands. The Germans were doing all right in France until those pesky Allies showed up. The most succesful occupation of all time was the occupation of Japan by U.S. Forces at the end of WW2.
We have got to take the term "politically correct" out of our vocabulary, especially when it comes to war. We should have (and still could) occupied Iraq like we meant it. Martial Law in the streets and on the borders. Re-education of the population, beginning with the children. We had no problem taking Native American children from their parents in order to teach them how to be "free Americans". Why not do the same with a bunch of little Arab kids 7,000 miles away. Let's face it, only about half of them will survive to adulthood in the environment we have created there, anyway.
If we were to actually teach the principles behind our freedom to the citizens of Iraq, they would do just as the Japanese did, and accept a better way of life. Once they got their head around the concepts of democracy and freedom, Iraqis would assimilate nicely. If we could simply let go of the idea that everyone thinks like we do(they don't) and force feed economic theory and democratic practice down their throats, we would have a good thing going there inside of ten years. The way things are right now, we'll blow a truckload of money in Iraq for another 5 to 10 years and then pull out with no return on our investment.
We could reeducate the populace, rebuild Iraq as a power platform for our interests in the Middle East, establish permanent military bases, and pay for it all with Iraqi oil.

I know, I know, its all a little too harsh for the average American to handle.

So is going overseas and getting shot at, losing friends, being investigated for being "mean" or "insensitive" to the guy with the RPG, all so we can turn the country over to a group of people who will inevitably turn on us.

One Simple Solution

We are all sick to death of politicians. Let's face it, if it weren't for all the money grubbing, crooked, egomaniacal jerks that are running things, this country would be better off. So let's get back to basics...

First, American government is supposed to be "of the people, by the people, for the people". We are not the subjects of our government, rather they are our employees. Their job is serve the best interest of the populace of the nation. The House and Senate were not established to create a new career field for affluent individuals with law degrees. These positions were created to represent us. I don't know about most of you, but a man who makes $165,200.00 a year doesn't have a clue what my life is like. Factor in the pension that congress gets for life, and it isn't hard to understand why Social Security is in such a mess.

Combine the high cost of living with the lack of true representation, and one can certainly find something to complain about. But we don't complain here. We come up with solutions.

Congressmen make $165,200.00 per year(Congressional website). There are 535 congessmen. The total that we spend annually on congressional salaries is $88,382,000.00. The average annual household income in this country last year was $44,389.00 (Census Bureau Stats). Lets reduce the annual salaries of our representatives in the House and Senate to $44,389.00. This will do two things. It will save the American people $64,633,885.00 per year, and turn our government back into a truly representative body.

If we don't reduce taxes or make any major changes, the money could be pumped into education or various other areas. That will be another topic all together.

I am not claiming that this is the only solution to our current political problem. I am not naive enough to believe that it will ever happen. But wouldn't it be nice?