20 Thoughts of an American Who Cares

1. I think hard work and responsibility should be rewarded.

2. I think that there should be fewer programs for helping people without insurance, jobs, or homes because more likely than not it was their own poor life choices that put them in whatever situation they are in to begin with.

Rob Davies, http://www.redbubble.com

3. I think that if we eliminated or suspended these programs, it would force members of the next generation to make better decisions and plans for their lives.

4. I think the biggest problem in our country is not our government, but our national culture.

5. I think the jealousy that many lower and middle class Americans have for the “Rich” is absurd and discourages ambition.

6. I am not a Republican.

7. I am not a Democrat.

8. I think the two party system of government in our country causes much more harm than any one person ever could.

9. I want to see political candidates who are options because of their leadership abilities, not simply because their party thinks they are most likely to win.

10. I could certainly be wrong, and I welcome that possibility with the hope that whoever is right will succeed.

11. I think social programs should exist, but only after our culture has changed for the better. Otherwise, they will continue to be abused.

12. I think all government benefits should require voter registration, if not also participation.

13. I want change that works and I think that involves a swift kick in the rear for most Americans.

14. I think it is sad that many Americans don’t understand how percentages work when it comes to taxes.

15. I think “facts” I learn on TV are spin until proven to be truth through actual research.

16. I don’t tell my kids that everything will be okay because that won’t be the case if they make poor choices.

17. I don’t like that I am supposed to feel empowered by the fact that I went to public school and my parents didn’t pay for my education, yet my kids will likely be criticized for “having better opportunities”. Whatever happened to creating your own opportunities, like I was forced to do?

18. I am hopeful for my children’s future because I focus on teaching them how to be good, hardworking people. They will automatically have a leg up on their peers.

19. I am not raising good kids. I am creating responsible, successful adults who (with any luck) will care about their community, their country, their children, and the future enough to stay informed.

 
20. I am afraid that there aren’t many other Americans like me.

Congressional Lesson: Case for a Third Party

image from politico.com

During the last presidential election, I tried to spread a single point across my personal social circle as well as social media. Everyone seemed to be focused on reelecting President Obama or Governor Romney, but almost nobody was looking at the alternatives. I said it then, and I still say that the two party system of government in our country has the capability of doing far more harm than any one man ever could.

Now we find ourselves in a government shutdown and on the path to “falling off the fiscal cliff.” We want to blame our federal government, but what could we have done differently? Did we not vote our leaders into office?

People are often afraid to commit to any third party often because the simply doubt a third party could ever be as popular or powerful as the Republican or Democrat parties. That is the beauty behind this concept. 

Third parties never have to be the majority in order to be effective. They simply have to be strong enough to make sure no single party has over 50% of the House of Representatives or the Senate.

This scenario would help to eliminate the deadlock that is often associated with party line voting in Congress. It is up to us. We have the ability to change the future for our children and grandchildren. 

What do you guys think?

6 Steps to Building a Better Tomorrow

To everyone that actually cares:

I saw a video on a blog this morning that identified a liberal city councilwoman in Denver who was trying to change the behavior of the city’s citizens. That was the point of the video anyway. It was really a 15 second clip of a woman that said she wanted to put a small tax on plastic grocery bags so people will start using reusable ones instead.

The sad thing is that people actually responded to that message. People get caught up with the petty things in our politics and fail to see the things that actually matter. They let the media tell them what their feelings are because they are too lazy to figure it out for themselves. They think they are too far outside and do not have the wisdom to have an original opinion.

As most of you know, I am conservative. I am only mentioning this to express my lack of bias in this particular case. I am getting sick of the country that I love. I have been a public servant for almost as long as I have been of the age to do so and I think we need a change. This change isn’t going to come from politicians on any side, but from the people.

Change. The word reminds me of President Obama’s 2008 campaign for election. The reason it was successful is because all Americans have a deep desire for something different. He tapped into that beautifully, but the execution has been horrible.

Our forefathers created this “Great Experiment” in hopes that things would be different. They even wanted a change back then, and it was unforeseeably successful. They created a nation that could rule itself with structure.

The President is not supposed to be the most important governing position in our country. When President George Washington designed our nation’s capital, there is a reason that he put Congress on the hill and the White house off to the side. There is a reason that the capital building is the tallest in the district. There is a reason that the President is sworn in on the Capital steps. Our legislature is what was designed to set our country apart from the rest of the world. It has also had a hand in making things how they are today.

The biggest problem is with the political parties. I’ve said it before, and I will continue to say it. No one person can really cause that much trouble for our country. Even so, we are at the mercy of the two main parties for our choice. These days, we aren’t picking the best person possible for any political office. We are only picking out of the two that their respective parties think would be most likely to win. So many of our history’s great leaders wouldn’t even be options today. Instead, we get cookie-cutter candidates who are puppets to the polls and political parties.

The power to make a change has always been with the citizens, but we have either been too afraid or too ignorant to do so. I challenge all of you with this:

1. Demand that your respective political party give you better representatives for your needs.

2. Demand that your peers stop focusing on silly little jabs at the opposition.

3. Tell Fox News and MSNBC to start giving you unbiased news that actually matters to you.

4. If any of the above is unsuccessful, have the courage to look for alternatives.

5. Encourage the people you care about to do the same.

6. Encourage your children to become hard working, self-sustaining adults that are true to their word and their families.

We can make the changes that we have been looking to our political leaders to make. After all, we are the ones who put them there. The power is ours. We need to stop complaining and do something about our situation. They might be the board of directors, but we are certainly the shareholders in this organization.

Make them Legal! Why not?

wilsoncenter.org

Many of you have been following the “gang of eight” and the new immigration bill that is making its way through Congress right now. I have been trying to read the details of the bill from both sides, just to make sure I am getting as much of the information as possible. I find that I have to do that these days in order to cut through the political bias that the media pours on us.

Getting back to the topic, I want to provide a little bit of my personal back story on this issue. As many of you know, I am conservative. That said, my initial reaction shouldn’t be too much of a shock to anyone. I was completely appalled by the idea of making all the illegal immigrants legal, which was the main focus of the bill from the start.

Eventually, I took the time to really think about what that would mean. The biggest argument for immigration reform is that the illegal immigrants weren’t paying taxes, yet were draining from our budget through social programs and the prison system. Don’t get excited at that last remark. I didn’t come up with the idea.

So it finally dawned on me – the illegal immigrants would become legal and have to pay taxes. Isn’t that a success story? Doesn’t that solve the biggest problem? The only other major issue I can think of is the sudden saturation in the market when it comes to low income jobs. I am no economist by any means, but if more people are making more money and putting it back into the economy, isn’t that a good thing?

If the illegal immigrants become legal and have the ability to make more money for their skills, couldn’t that bring the trades back? That is an issue that I have been passionate about for years.

What do you guys think? This is only my analysis of the bill when it comes to the legalization process. As I find time, I will try to pick through the other parts of the bill.

- BCS

Link Between IRS "Scandal" and Obamacare... Really Guys?

photo from netrightdaily.com

Until now, I haven’t said anything about the Internal Revenue Service issue going on right now because I haven’t really had an opinion. What they were doing was clearly wrong and someone should be punished. Obviously, the key leadership who really ordered or influenced the headache that was served to Tea Party political groups will not be tried or punished. We have scapegoats for all that. Unless the people being questioned have real political ambitions, I seriously doubt they would take it upon themselves to play in the political game of thrones.

Now we have conservatives like the Minnesotan representative, Michelle Bachman, trying to tie the IRS issue with Obamacare. Suddenly, I have an opinion on the matter.

First, I want to apologize to the Associated Press about my comment on their Twitter post “GOP hoping scandal over IRS will grow to include Obama's health care law”, where I claimed that it was the most ridiculous thing that they said yesterday. I thought at the time that it was just a liberal political stunt, aimed at making the members of the GOP look silly. Thank you, Ms. Bachman for stepping up and taking that responsibility head on.

If any of you didn’t know, my political views sway to the left.  

I don’t like Obamacare. That said, the supposed tie between the IRS “scandal” and Obamacare is Sarah Ingram, who used to be the commissioner of the tax-exemption department of the IRS. In December 2010, she was laterally transferred to head the Affordable Care Act office, but has openly indicated that she worked both positions until 2012.

photo from riehlworldview.com

I did some research on the topic because I didn’t understand what the IRS had to do with Obamacare. I found out that the IRS is responsible for collecting income information from their tax activities and forwards that information to the people who enforce Obamacare.

I really don’t see that much of a link, other than she now collects income information and forwards it. I think this tie is a stretch, at best. So far as I can see, the position she holds doesn’t have much influence on Obamacare legislation. She was simply in charge of formulating and executing a plan to deal with the legislation.

This example comes to mind: I am in charge of an organization’s computer helpdesk. Corporate releases a new information security policy that states all systems will be scanned weekly for personal photographs and my supervisor asks me to find a feasible way to make the requirement happen.

Later on down the road, it is suspected that someone on the helpdesk has been stealing company-owned computer keyboards and an investigation ensues. Someone who doesn’t like the corporate security manager or their new security policy sees that I was in charge of the helpdesk and also worked to make sure that the corporate security policy was executed as ordered. They try to formulate a link between the stolen equipment and the security manager in order to attack them.

photo from georgiapoliticalreview.com

Am I getting this all wrong? Even though I find value in following politics, sometimes it just makes me sick. 

Now the Tea Party is suing the IRS for maltreatment. I’m not surprised about this and I don’t think it is really a story. The only reason I am mentioning it is because the media thinks it adds more drama to the situation. If anyone else was put through the ringer in this way, they would probably sue as well.  I would if I could afford the legal fees.

Let me know what you guys think. I always welcome feedback, even if it contradicts my opinion.

- BCS