Congress Shows Contempt for US Citizens at State of the Union Speech

I love watching the State of the Union speech every year. It is the best scripted comedy show around. A copy of the speech is disturbed to attendees before the President arrives so they have time to figure out when they will hoot and holler and when they will stay seated with drawn faces. The commentators will then count the number of people, the number of times, and even the decibel level to determine whether or not the concept has support. I thought we already had a function that served that purpose, the congressional vote.

Last night I was amazed that the politicians, for the first time since I have been watching, truthfully showed their contempt for the American people. In closing the President told of how the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America came to express the forefather’s desire for a populous government. The original declaration contained the phrase, “We the delegates…”. The Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America instead contains the words, “WE THE PEOPLE”.

The president paused after this statement. To his dismay the room was silent. Many our elected leaders were nodding off. Others had their long faces on. I could see their thoughts in their faces, “Why is this idiot reminding the people that they are America. Good grief we already have Lou Dobbs encouraging people to get involved. We cannot have the ignorant plebe actually getting involved in government!”

Let your elected representative know who he/she/it works for and who’s money they are spending to make themselves rich. I am going to send a message with the simple words “WE THE PEOPLE” to each one of my representatives. You can do this too very easily. Congress.Org has the email addresses of all Federal Elected Representatives (House and Senate). They also have an easy to use form that will get to your politician. Let them know that you know who owns America.

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America’s Special Interest require new form of Government

Mr. Obama evidenced the importance of Special Interest groups in the US. In the South Carolina Primary, among Black Voters, he took home 80% of the vote. Such high percentages remind me of rulers like Sadam Hussein who received 100% of the votes of his country. I am not saying that Mr. Obama will kill or imprison Black America if they do not vote for him simply that special interest representation has become the name of the game in the US. The Republican and Democratic parties have become victims of special interest groups pushing the party’s agenda much farther right and left than the population would accept. The candidates have platforms that do not represent Middle America’s interests. The centrist candidates are eliminated in the primary process. The majority of the people do not have a candidate that represents their interests.

Our current form of government was created in very different times when people were spread out over thousands of miles and letters would take months to get from point A to point B. Newspapers published information that often was several months old and the people had no way of getting to know the candidates. Today this is no longer true. The political process happens in real time and Americans are more informed and involved than ever before.

A national discussion takes place on many conceptual issues. The people want one thing and make it known yet the politicians do the opposite to appease their special interests. A recent example is “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” There is no doubt that among Americans there is broad based support to enforce existing laws before taking on Amnesty, Visas and the likes yet the politicians continued to propose law after law against America’s wishes.

It is obvious that our form of Government no longer represents the people or the best interests of America. We should consider other forms of government including Parliamentary Government where more parties could be represented with a Prime Minister who forms a coalition of interests. Middle America would have a voice. If our Government is incapable of representing America then we need to change government. America is not made up of Special Interests and if someone wants to vote for a candidate because they are Black, a Woman, an Evangelist, Hispanic or because they are Muslim then they should have a candidate that represents their interests but for the rest of America who want to elect a President who will protect the interests of most Americans, we should not have our choices limited to those supported by special interests.

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Politicians say one thing in Public and another in Private

Politicians are known to be corrupt. Talking around the truth or just outright lying are considered acceptable language. That was a diplomatic response is the way to characterize a “non answer” or change of subject. At a dinner a correspondent asked a democratic candidate if this candidate really intended implementing the populous policies at the base of their candidacy. The politician, off the record of course, said that this rhetoric was necessary as long as opponents such as Sen. Edwards were still in the race but that these policies would never see the light of day.

What is the point? Politicians know that there is no accountability. Their candidacy is nothing more than a beauty pageant or talent contest. Cry a little here or talk like Martin Luther King there. We could see the elections as a very expensive reality TV show. It is a shame that politicians feel they can say or do anything in order to get elected. It is more important that they feel that they are better equipped, than the American voter, to decide if they are the right person for the job.

Many people like being involved in the process. Others like following politics. For most Americans the elections are a distraction in their fight to survive. When Americans decide that there is a need for change and the attention moves to the elections then politicians should listen.

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IOWA Primaries – Mr. Obama plays the Race Card?

The after vote speeches were a great window into the character and personality of the candidates. I was surprised to hear Ms. Clinton speak as if she and her husband were the patriarchs of the party. I immediate thought that this was truly a fantastic way to look at the election. This new way to talk to the party would also appeal to the independent voters who, like me, cannot vote for someone they do not like. My positive thoughts ended almost immediately as she began her “I, I, I.” After only a couple of minutes of her typical rhetoric I completely tuned her out so I cannot tell you how she finished.

I was looking forward to the Obama speech. He kept us waiting until the others had finished. I was seriously disappointed. He began with this southern Baptist repeating one phrase over and over again as if his speech was on an LP album that had a scratch. Once he began speaking he talked as if he won the Presidential election. The Martin Luther King speech structure seemed both inappropriate and pretentious. Come on Mr. Obama, it’s the IOWA Caucus.

I had already heard the Huckabee and Edwards speeches and I expected a message about the American people. I thought he would recognize the difficulties this country is facing and talk about how he intended to lead us to a better future. I expected him to explain how we are going to achieve the things we hope for instead we had the Sunday afternoon sermon. While he used the word hope it was merely a stage prop. He began with the Jesse Jackson rhetoric (nothing against Jesse Jackson). I did not know this was an election about race issues. I thought we were trying to elect a President of the United States. I support many of his ideas because they are good but there was something that I did not understand about his motivations. Perhaps it is this Rainbow Coalition influence that explains the lack of continuity in the message.

Huckabee presented an inspirational speech. I do not think religion has a place in government so I cannot be excited about his victory. At the same time, his speech was good. He spoke of unity, future, of love and moving toward the future as a people. I would not vote for Mr. Huckabee but the content of his speech was right on. If he were to win the Presidential election I would not see it as a negative.

Edwards is a long time politician. By definition corrupt. He is exactly what I think needs to eliminated from Washington. His message was inspiring and his process was clear. I am entirely skeptical but his message was exactly what this country needs. He acknowledged the problems we are facing. He did not imply that the government would fix things. He recognized that the American people are the ones who would be required to sacrifice to return this nation to its great status. He did not use the word "Hope" over and over again but did present a vision of hope for a better world for our children.

Unfortunately all of this is just rhetoric. I have not seen one of the candidates really taking on the issues. I would be much more convinced of a candidate’s intentions if they were to procure the release of the two border agents imprisoned for doing their job protecting America.

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US Government’s Economic Policy ravages US markets – Financial Stocks Tank

The piper has come for payment. In August the Fed bailed out their buddies in the major US financial institutions. After years of speculating in credit derivatives the collapse of the housing bubble threatened the existence of most financial institutions. Instead of requiring the institutions to write down their bad positions the FED pumped in almost $1trillion in liquidity and piloted the purchase of Country Wide Financial, the poster child of bad lending practices, by 4 major banks utilizing funds lent by the Federal Reserve to these institutions. The FED lowered interest rates even though real inflation is through the roof. This was a really bad move but right in line with the disastrous ideology of Reaganomics.

The US dollar has been losing value for the past 5 years. A country’s currency can be seen as shares representing the country’s equity. Just like shares if you spend more money than you earn the currency diminishes in value to represent the new economic reality. If a company creates more shares the value of existing shares is diminished. If the company pays a dividend it receives a higher valuation. The dividend for currency is interest rates. A company may also receive a higher price if the future outlook for earnings (retained equity) is positive. The dollar has devalued because of the current account deficit, budget deficits, artificially low interest rates, and the lack of faith in the United States as a going concern.

The US has eliminated internal production of goods and services. The US only produces 20% of the goods it produces. The US is completely dependent on countries that do not have our values or our product safety laws. The excuse is for cheap labor but the reality is that products may be produced using materials and processes banned in the US. If a worker dies, well, “C’est la vi.” That glue is not available well GHB will do just fine for a child’s toy. The shipping costs are offset by cheap energy produced by high polluting processes. The US cannot complain about quality or the producer will stop shipping goods and stores in the US will have empty shelves. The economic impact of Free Trade at all costs is a reduction of middleclass jobs, lower wages across all segments, and a migration of wealth from the middleclass to the upper class.

The US lives on a smoke and mirrors “Service Economy”. US corporations have become nothing more than marketing companies. Research and Development, Intellectual property, quality workmanship are no longer important. We now make money without working. Wow! Experienced and educated professionals are the latest in the outsourcing scheme. In countries where University is free the PHDs abound and corporate America wants a piece of these low cost professionals. We are now emptying the US production machine, basis of any country, of the last remaining resource, educated scientists, engineers, and top managers.

Corruption is widespread in both Government and Business. Taxes are a cost of doing business. Corruption is a hidden tax on the economy. Corruption is paid for by the collective while the benefits are limited to the parties involved. Corruption is considered a victimless crime. This is like saying that dumping toxic waste into the watershed is a victimless crime. There are victims it is just harder to find the direct correlation. Corruption affects everyone in the country. It reduces GDP just a higher taxes or high interest rates. It causes the loss of jobs. I consider governmental corruption up there with mass murder because the economic effects are felt by rich and poor alike. This in turn results in people not being able to pay their bills, have homes or sometimes even eat. Corruption should carry a mandatory life sentence and lobbying by corporations should be made illegal.

Collusion between politicians and Corporate America has distracted resources from internal infrastructures. Lobbying is legalized bribes. In any other developed country the activities of lobbies would be considered criminal. In the early 90s Italy went through a cleansing process eliminating entire political parties and incarcerating corrupt politicians. The activities were no different than our politicians taking vacations (or the many other perks) on the corporate dime. Italy has since maintained a stable government, reasonable growth, and contained inflation. It would be valuable to discuss the pros and cons of corporate lobbies. It is a good thing that citizens can petition their government for change. It is a bad thing that corporations can petition anyone considering the fact that corporations are not citizens. Corporations have one objective: to make money and the corporation is often misused to further an individual’s greed such as a CEO that makes hundreds of millions of dollars.

Our system is on the verge of collapse. We need to make changes to the underlying system. The problem is grave. The difficulties we are current facing have been brewing for thirty years and cannot be overcome with a change in interest rates or throwing money at the problems. Change will not come without sacrifice but it is time to pay the piper because the piper will always get his due. Our politicians have no vested interest in change. They are more powerful and receive higher compensation than any time in history. To start to fix the problem we need to change the players. We need real working people in Congress. We need a President who represents us and will think about his country before he thinks about his legacy or other personal gain. We need an individual who is not a politician, someone who actually works for a living (or would if he had a job left). Perhaps one of the workers from middle America who has seen his job outsourced or the scientist who cannot pay his university loans because wages for professionals have been trending downward.

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Senate Amnesty Bill goes for Vote – The Dream Act

Yesterday, I wrote about how the Spanish speaking news channels in Dallas had been talking about Amnesty to be granted by the end of the year. I had not seen any information regarding this in the English Speaking news, newspapers or on the Blog sites. I was curious about how they could be so sure there would be Amnesty by the end of the year. Well the Spanish, mostly illegal community, is more informed than US citizens. Tomorrow the Senate will vote the Dream Act. This legislation is appropriately named because it is not the American Dream but because it is the Mexican Dream.

The real problem with all of this is the total disconnect between our politicians and the American Citizens. All of these actions are an attempt to create a North American Union. Our politicians do not represent us, WE THE PEOPLE. This is our country. If our politicians will not represent us we must dispose of our politicians.

Perhaps it is time to change our entire political system. It was designed when WE THE PEOPLE were scattered across this great country without means of communication and transportation. In the Internet world there is no reason why every bill cannot be put to a public vote or some type of semiannual vote on the congress. Should the major portion of the population believe that Congress is not acting in the best interest of the country then the government could fall and new elections be required.

This would be democracy! If this is not possible we should at least eliminate this arcane system of electoral votes, districts, and parties. Let your politicians know that your thoughts about how they represent you. Remember a government is the face of the people. Does this government represent who you are?

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Elections 2008 - Another Non Event

The 2008 election season is about to begin. The American people are asking for change resulting in one of the largest field of candidates in decades. The problem is that they are simply variations of the same old, same old. Barak Obama, who was seen early as new blood. Sold out to corporate America and the amnesty groups. Oh well, money is thicker than blood…

The month of August and the first days of September have brought to light some of the downside of Cowboy Capitalism and Reaganomics. The financial markets have taken a “negative tone” as they were surprised that the economy sucks, that people are making less than before, and generally WE THE PEOPLE are concerned about our future. Well boys, wake up and smell the manure. Obviously different news stations are giving a different spin, according to which party they have decided to support, as are all the news anchors. Shouldn’t these “Professionals” be independent?

The market is still fine, sitting firmly above 13,000 and the “smartest guys in the room” are trying to blame the new congress, the old congress the President, the rhetoric from the front runner to be our future president. None are coming out and saying, “We were wrong. We need to change. We need to create a better future for our children and, perhaps, leave something for them.” I know that will never happen. To accept that one is wrong they first must have a functioning brain and then, what seems to be most lacking in those in public view, honesty.

This is best expressed by a common belief, “Our politicians will never make the hard decisions. They will never Fess up to their misdeeds and tell the American People that they have embezzled our nations wealth and sold our children into slavery. The only thing that matters is that things go along rather well and any crashes are someone else’s problems…”

Many are now saying that I am too pessimistic. Hillary will be different. It will be Bill all over again. Things will change. Ben Stein most appropriately expressed the reality of American politics.

When asked, “Will Hillary Clinton as President create a more populous government?”

Ben vehemently expressed, “C’mon, what an idiotic question. Hillary is so into corporate America for financing that she couldn’t change anything even if she had an inkling to do it. Which she does not.”

The elections of 2008 are another non event. Our politicians will become more corrupt. Our government will take more money in taxes and provide fewer services. The Dynasties are alive and well. The economy will continue to suffer. More Americans will lose their jobs while unemployment will remain stubbornly under 5%. Fewer people will have health insurance and more Americans will be working homeless. CEOs will continue to make $100 million salaries while their employees cannot afford to put food on their table.

Tags: Government Politics Recession Corporate America Finance Illegal Immigration Economy Reaganomics

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