Letter To President Obama

President Obama, Congratulations on being re-elected for a second term! My wish is that this country receives a real benefit from your presidency. I do not know you other than the face and voice that I see and hear on the media. That is not a clear picture of who you are because of the bias of the reporting agency or your PR person. I understand that, it's the way of politics. If you have a zit on one side of your face, the camera shows you from the other side. What you say and do is filtered the same way. I do not favor or disfavor anyone because of what they look like or say. I am a reasonably intelligent person and my opinion is derived from what they do. Mr. President, I didn't vote for you in either election. However, I am one of those people who works, pays taxes and does his best not to receive anything from the government. A long time ago I really took to heart what one of my war time heroes said: " Ask not what your country can do for you, ask rather what you can do for your country!" It was John Kennedy. He's long gone but his words still ring true.

Mr. President, I am not one to worry and wring my hands and fear for our future. You are no doubt a well intentioned man. At least that is my hope. Whatever it is I am asked to do as a citizen and it is appropriate, I will do. With that being said, I would like to offer you some words from a lowly voter.
I ask that you carefully look at those things you champion and the reasons for which you champion them. For what you do could hold the country hostage or move it forward as a bastion of freedom.

 You are smart, that's good but knowledge without character is more a weapon than a tool. Are you a man of character?

We have seen how you operate in politics, sometimes the scene was blurred by spin and your principles were obscured. Are you a man of principle?

You enjoy having a good time. We've seen that. A good time is balanced by a good conscience. Are you a man of good conscience?

One area we do not see eye to eye on Mr. President is probably insurmountable. I challenge you anyway. I have heard you many times speak of the re-distribution of wealth in the name of fairness. Wealth without effort or work will destroy this nation and what it stands for. When you re-distribute wealth are you willing to destroy our freedom to do it?

Business is a necessary part of a thriving nation. Business provides us all with an avenue to improve ourselves and pursue happiness. Business without morals will in turn sap the energy of our citizens. Are you a moral person and able to honorably guide the business community of this country?

Science brings us hope and promise and inroads as the future unfolds. You are knowledgeable and can see the benefits of science I am sure. Science must be accountable to all of humanity and not separate from it.

And lastly Mr. President, I understand that on occasion you attend some type of religious services. From what I see you are not overly devout but that is your choice. We all have our preferences as to what we have faith in. That's the freedom America offers isn't it? I know and understand that my choice of worship is bound to bring sacrifice, it is virtually guaranteed. All I ask is the freedom to worship as I see fit not be restricted or forced to go against my beliefs.

Mr. President, you did not receive a "mandate" to carry on any particular idea or approach. You simply won the election by a very narrow margin. Listen to the voters that pay taxes. They are the ones paying the bills for your ideas. That doesn't necessarily mean they voted for you. When they run out of money or get tired of having it taken away and given to those that choose not to work, well Mr. President, that will be a day of reckoning I'm thinking.

Good Luck! God Bless! I will support the good stuff and resist the bad stuff. No matter what you do I am watching. We are all watching. As a voter I will remember how you apply your powers. That's what we do around here. It's not what you look like, it's not what you say. It is definitely what you do! Are you doing it for us?

I'm Joe and I approve this message!

Vote!

Please vote!


It's what we do instead of throwing rocks, shooting at each other and burning buildings.

It's also a way to celebrate the end of political commercials and phone calls until next time.

I read a comment that this is the best time of year to pick out a turkey. Hmmm!

Yeah, please vote. Serious as it is we have much reason to smile.

Voting rights and American history

After being privy to some guys discussing how to cure our country's political problems I felt unschooled in history surrounding our voting rights. A sight popped up during my search for information and my education began. I'm sure that somewhere during my 12 plus years in school and college, some time was spent on the subject of the evolution of our ability to vote. I forgot. Being of this generation much of the concerns of our forefathers escapes me. I am not faced with the British oppression, taxation without representation, Religious persecution, prejudice, constant bickering between parties or any of that other stuff so prevalent back then. The basics of the voting rights were well meaning. Freeholders, or landowners voted. They had vested interest and because of their holding showed they were enterprising and able to make mature decisions. Women didn't vote because the were otherwise occupied with domestic obligations. Most minorities couldn't vote in that, that is the way it was during those times of positioning. Common belief was that someone had to take the helm and carry out the mission. "Too many cooks spoil the broth!" Although exceptions were often made for anyone that was a freeholder, regardless of race. In the beginning religion wasn't much of a factor but after a while Catholics and Jews were refused the vote. It took hundreds of years to refine voting rights to where they are now. Because we are an ever changing landscape of humanity, I am sure those rights will continue to evolve.

In reading up on this subject, taking into consideration all the pitfalls, I wondered what other country offers so much to such a vast collection of differing cultures? I wonder that most likely, because of all those differing cultural approaches to what is considered fair voting rights for all of us, the arguments will probably continue far, far into the future. I find it an interesting subject to ponder as it is critical to our ability to collectively proceed and build a great country. No less than it was back when they wrote the Constitution.

I find it very entertaining to view from a distance how the mistakes of the past provided a complicated set of checks and balances on the road to where we are now. A common phrase says: "The pendulum always swings back!" I can see that. Right, left, middle but always swinging.

Politics and driving

In my usual escape from reality around this time the thought passes through my mind to jump into the race for president. No fooling around with local, state or legislature positions for me. No siree bob! Get right to the heart of the matter by becoming president right off the bat. Why, my ideas would set this country on end and get the citizens back in line. Virtually eliminating unemployment by doing away with unemployment payments. Instead, when a person gets laid off or fired my administration would give them one check for a million dollars. That would be all the benefits they would ever receive from government tax money, forever. If they can't make that work then they would have to move into a government complex where the government would feed, clothe and house them in a government complex of eight by eight rooms. Sorry, no TV, booze, hunting, fishing, sports, personal property or pornography. Just government authorized books and a community exercise area. Continuous psychological evaluation and behavior modification would be mandatory. The idea being that if they can't act responsibly and survive in a free republic/democratic society they would be better served by a socialist/communistic over sear.

Taxes, of course would be paid by everyone claiming to be a U.S. citizen. Anyone found not to be a citizen or legal resident would have all personal belongings confiscated to help defray the costs of deportation and any excess given to health care for the poor. Taxes also would be a set rate and automatically collected. Thereby eliminating the IRS. The rate would be determined by the least possible costs of running all government services and payment of the federal deficit within one generation/15 years. All local, state of federal spending would be forbidden by law to exceed tax revenue.

Law makers and virtually any government employee connected with the law making process would be required to work every day until any critical legislation was properly discussed and passed. Government shutdowns jeopardizing services or the welfare of our citizens would be against the law and punishable by imprisonment and loss of job. Strict but obviously necessary for the protection of our citizens.

Absolutely no one without proper identification would be allowed to vote. Of course every possible method would be made available free to accommodate any legal citizen to obtain identification. Voting legally should be as easy as walking across the street.

Not one citizen of this country should go hungry, period. However, should anyone receive government assistance to feed their children and that is not being done they shall be held responsible for their neglect. Adequate health care should be available to every citizen also through a series of clinics and government hospitals regardless of ability to pay. That program could be paid for by adopting a policy of selling some of our natural resources which rightfully belong to all of our citizens anyway.

No, as much fun as it sounds I just can't see myself running for any public office. It takes a special person to do that. No, the policies I've mentioned could never possibly be enacted. There are far too many personal issues that they would trample on. About an hour after this posting they will be forgotten and relegated to oblivion. But, during an election year we all think we have an idea or two that would make this a better world and I thought I'd just put these out there. Once something is put on the Internet, it never goes away does it? Who knows where it will go from here. Just like driving, if everyone did what I said to do we'd all get along wouldn't we?

Voting and protesting

I admire those people that stand up for their principles. Protesters around the world are occupying buildings, streets and town squares railing against what they view as oppression. It's not so important whether I agree or not. It is important that they be heard and we all think about it. One of the greatest gifts of civilization, in my opinion is open communication. Civil protest is a form of communication. Good can come of it. I'm not one to occupy anything. I am always concerned about the availability of sanitary facilities and I'm not particularly fond of spending any time in jail either. That's just me. A protest of another kind has always appealed to me. Voting!

There is a phrase that is seen around that makes sense. "Be kind to your enemies, it messes with their heads." Has kind of a nice ring to it doesn't it? It suggests an entirely different type of protest that can be far more effective than occupation. And it's so easy too. Every political party wants us to vote for them. They spend huge, almost obscene amounts of money to bring us around to their way of thinking. It works in instances where someone is leaning in their direction in the first place and occasionally when a voter is on the fence about a particular issue. That's the political process in a nutshell. However, it is predicated on the assumption that many of us do not vote and their followers will overwhelm the others. The idea of voter protest completely messes up that whole scenario. There are hundreds of thousands of loose cannons out there that are fed up with then status quo. Most of them are so disenchanted with the system that they don't bother to vote, they assume theirs doesn't count anyway. They are so wrong!

Because so many people refrain from voting we are operating under the wishes of those that do vote. No sense in complaining because we didn't voice our opinion in the voting booth. The pinnacle of protest is within our grasp. If everyone voted, and I do mean everyone, our leaders would get one huge reality check. Middle income, working class people become so frustrated they simply give up and deal only with survival and trying to maintain a halfway decent life style in a world that chooses them as a tax base to support their own agendas and defines our moral environment according to boisterous special interest groups. Another phrase goes something like this: "All it takes for bad things to happen is for good people to do nothing." Not voting amounts to doing nothing.

I would like to see what the results would be if every eligible person in this country voted. Then we would know which way the culture is going. Wow! Brings special meaning to "The will of the people." Kind of scary but at least we'd know wouldn't we. Until we all vote en mass it will still remain a mystery. Talk about a protest huh?

The importance of my vote

I comment on certain political issues from time to time. Mostly because, at least for now in this country I am free to do so without fear of reprisal from the bureaucracy. I am just a small, almost completely insignificant nit in this huge country. In the scope of things, what I think or don't think probably doesn't matter all that much. At the very least though, its kind of cathartic to vent on those issues. I want to vent right now.

Front and center of all the concerns being jammed through the legislature is, of course health reform. Being simply a concerned citizen doesn't carry much weight regarding the whys and wherefores of this very costly program. What I think won't make a tiny bit of difference. I voted to install in office a politician to take care of such matters for me. I see a problem. In my humble opinion the health legislation that is being voted on right now is weak, accomplishes almost nothing except for a small segment of our society, costly enough to bankrupt our economy and take the control of our health care out of our hands and put it in another bureaucratic department.

Personally I've felt for almost all my life that in this great country necessary health care should be available to everyone without concern for losing everything else in our lives. This murky bill doesn't do that. I am not sure exactly what it does, neither are most legislators. Ear marks and pork are running rampant throughout the paperwork. National health care is far more important than forcing a program down our throats that is, for the most party a show of power by one political agenda or the other. More negotiation and research must be done before we commit our decedents tax dollars.

So, I make this statement. I have one vote, one vote only. I do support the idea of a fair and effective national system of health professionals, clinics and hospitals. However, I will never, ever, ever, vote for anyone that has anything, no matter how remotely to do with the passage of this coca-mamy travesty of a bill. I'm done venting now..............................Joe