Frost nipped noses

It’s been a busy few days around the old homestead.  Winter’s frosty fingers have been brushing our necks, so the outside water pipes are all covered in warm fuzzy stuff and lined with heat tape.  No matter how hard I try, the animals will not accept the fact they can’t have fresh water because the pipes are frozen.

Talking to them is like listening to Barack Obama.  Lots of words, no flesh and bone.  Of course, it’s still difficult to accept the 9-9-9 theory.  At least some of those people are talking economics not bible thumping.

If we get the Wall Street sitters to force changes in corporate oversight law and election campaign finance law, and the Tea Partiers to force reductions in the federal spending and federal obesity, we might end up living back when living in this country was more than side-stepping poverty.

Patty and I have cut, split, and stacked slightly more than three cords of wood, which will force the propane dealers to look elsewhere for their tithe.  Heating an ancient (1978 model) when the wind blows and the thermometer holds steady at 20 below, ain’t exactly easy.  It’s become an art around here.  All our large windows, on the office, living room, and master bedroom face south, so on those nice sunny days we get lots of help.

Lots of help is what many of the politicians talk about, but rarely attempt.  Why should federal contracts mean more than existing businesses when what we’re attempting to do is create jobs.  Jobs in the private sector are far more meaningful, from a purely economic standpoint, than those created to rebuild infrastructure, which by their very meaning, end when the job is done.

Back to it now.  Corn stalks need to be cut and stacked, chicken coops need their annual cleansing, and the goats have knocked their water trough over again.  As always, read good books and stay regular.  Ta…

Our Next President? Who?

The question many of us will have to answer next November is whether or not we want a born-again Christian in the White House.  I’m of the opinion, at least at this moment, that I don’t, and there are several reasons for my thoughts.  Primarily, I think, it’s because I’ve never held a discussion with a BAC that the subject hasn’t been brought up.  Whether discussing a business proposition to planning a camping trip, every decision is based on that person being a BAC.

I want a president whose first thought isn’t from the stand point of a BAC, but rather, from the position of the leader of the republic.  I want the president to think first of the consequences of 1776, of the formation of the republic, and of the enactment of the constitution.

We see in the news pages everyday what happens when theology overwhelms rule or law.  We find it in Muslim countries in which their own Koran is deciphered in fifty different views to Christian countries torn apart by the exact same bible the two sides swear by.  Think Ireland.  Rabid Catholics, evangelicals, Shiites, and Jews all have the exact same philosophy; do it my way or you’re wrong.

The United States of America is not a Christian country.  Those that wrote the Declaration of Independence called on God, everyone’s God, for there were as many sects then as now, as many religions then as now, but all calling on the same God, just not the same church.  I believe that an Evangelical in the White House would be making decisions based on being a BAC rather than being an American, and that would bring as much chaos as we’ve seen in the Arab and Persian countries this year.

As the leader of one of the strongest and richest countries in the history of the world, his first responsibility must be to the republic, which is made up of many Christian sects, Muslim sects, Jewish sects, don’t forget Hindu, Buddhist, and on an on.  A polyglot of religions, sects, churches, beliefs, philosophies.  Oh, and there are some that simply don’t believe.

I believe our next president must be prepared to lead the republic as a whole, and not make decisions based on a radically narrow point of view as is often voiced by born-again Christians.  Using examples from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, the president should be able to do what is best for the republic.

And, while we’re at it, all the current crop of candidates and wanna-be’s, let’s start talking about the economy, about oversight of International Corporations, about fairness in the tax code, and about government programs that have become more than obese through lack of oversight, and get religion out of the debates.

Take a chance and read a good book, and always, stay regular.

Coming Together

Some of the polls being released dealing with the upcoming presidential election seem to indicate that, at least on the Republican side of the picture, the crazies are being set aside for those that want to talk about the state of the nation.  One thing that certainly needs to be discussed is the findings of a poll recently released that indicates that the vast majority of our citizenry has negative thoughts about where we are, where we are going, and who is going to get us there.

Sometimes, a large majority can be upset by a single issue, but in the case of this particular poll, there was discontent with congress, with the president, with the courts, and with just about everything dealing with life in America today.  Taking a few seconds to think about it, it is completely understood.  Members of Congress no longer represent the people that elected them, the president, not just this one, mind you, is far more interested in personal recognition than leading those of us that can be led, and the courts seem rather busy making law.

Our schools rarely teach what used to be called civics, so too many people today are not aware of how our system of government works, or why.  Local governments have more control over your money than the federal government.  Taxes collected by county, city, and state far exceed what the feds take.  And, the president doesn’t have much to do with any of that.  Those that only vote in presidential elections have no concept of who takes most of their money.

In a recent city election in Las Vegas, less than fifteen percent of those eligible voted, meaning that just a couple of hundred people were able to decide who would hold the purse strings for a population of more than two million.

There is a tremendous uproar within the Republican hierarchy about the Teaparty and the new representatives in Congress who say they represent that party.  The liberal wing of the Democratic party, led by Pelosi and Reid, is incensed over the Teaparty, and those that voted for those representatives are delighted.  Those representatives elected as members of the Teaparty are among the very few that can call themselves representatives of the people that elected them.  While their political philosophy may be rather narrow in scope, it has resonated with force.

From a different angle, but with the same resounding force, are those that are marching on Wall Street and demanding that government once again represent them, not those that spread joy by way of dollars and power.  The two forces, Teaparty and Anti Wall Street, are political opposites working toward the same end.  One, wanting less government that represents the people, the other wanting less government intervention by big corporations, and more representation by the people.

And the leadership of both major parties isn’t listening.  Take the extreme out of the Teaparty and the Anti Wall Streeters, and you have a political force that could change the face of Washington, for the better.

Read a good book lately?  Please do, and stay regular. Ta.

A National Religion? No!

Old Ben Franklyn fought most of his life to keep organized religion out of what became the constitution of the United States of America.  He and others, such as Thomas Jefferson, fully accepted the concept of God, but were adamant in keeping “churches” out of government.  Now, we have too many people demanding that this country proclaim a national church, which is forbidden by the constitution.  Sarah Palin is out, now we need to get Bachman and Perry out, along with others demanding a state church or religion.

The purpose of specifically denying a national religion is to give every religion an equal opportunity to exist; to give every citizen the right to his or her belief.  Freedom of religion means just that: our government cannot tell you which religion, if any, to belong to.  There are hundreds of religious sects in Christianity, and in Judaism, and in Mohamedism, and on and on.  The purpose of a religion is to draw people together, create a moral atmosphere that is designed to make one a better person, and to worship a god.  Those that believe should not be pitting their beliefs against all the others, and that is exactly what happens when a state religion is created.  If you doubt that statement, have a chat with your local, friendly representative of the Taliban.

Some people don’t believe in gods, others become raving maniacs during a discussion on religion.  In our country, both have every right to believe the way they do, and no government agency can tell them otherwise.  Let’s keep it that way.

As always, read good books and stay regular.

Thoughts on Elections

This will not be an election year to remember, I’m afraid, unless of course, you relish mean people spitting vitriol through forked tongues.  While many millions of Americans are looking for a leader, those coming forth as job seekers do not match the requirements as advertised.  One job applicant doesn’t believe in science and would rather lead a theocracy than a democracy, another, already in office, has proved a limited ability to lead, even within his own party, while others stumble about eschewing platitudes on everything except what’s important.

It’s the economy, stupid.  Those fabulously wealthy international corporations that spill their products across our mega box store aisles, most labeled “made in China”, are not led by average American taxpayers.  In many cases, they aren’t led by Americans at all.  The CEO and COO might be American, the but the board of directors would be multi national in most cases.

I don’t hear the president talking about this.  Instead, I hear him saying we can put people back to work by creating government projects.  I don’t hear any of the republican candidates talking about this, either.  It’s a government failure that created the economic melt down, we sure don’t need more government to correct the problem.

Which leads us back to the start of this circle.  Where are those that are leaders?  In Congress we have politicians that call themselves legislators.  What we need are men and women that call themselves representatives.  We don’t need more legislation, what we need is more representation.  In the Army, the first thing a young officer candidate learns is the phrase “follow me”, and right now, I wouldn’t follow any one of the people wishing to be our next president.

In any thorough investigation, one must follow the money, and in the case of political intrigue, money leads us to the leadership in Congress, state capitals, city halls, and local precincts.  The laws that exist at state, local, and national levels for supporting candidates are filled with enough loop holes that the International Space Station could flutter through with little difficulty, and our judicial system has seen to it that those loopholes remain in effect.

For instance: Corporations are looked on the same as an individual.  The courts have declared that corporation should have the exact same First Amendment privileges as individuals, so when a candidate recently said, “corporations are people,” he wasn’t far off the target.  The election laws are such that a non citizen cannot contribute to a campaign, but a multi national corporation with headquarters in hundreds of cities around the world can.

For instance: How many corporations are tied directly to the coal industry?  And how many corporations are tied indirectly?  You do the math, and then think other industries, such as nuclear energy, automobile manufacturing, banking, and on and on.  With that kind of money behind you, you can say, with a smile, “there is no warming of the atmosphere.”  But, like most in congress, you’d be more apt to just ignore the whole mess and talk about religion.

Politicians have been on the take from the time the word was first used, and for many, they are taking legally.  That doesn’t make it right, and it’s that point that needs to be changed.  President Eisenhower warned us a half century ago about the dangers of a military-industrial cabal, and he just didn’t go quite far enough.  The concept of incredibly strong and wealthy international corporations were just coming into view at that time, so while we ignored the warnings of the military-industrial marriage, we also never saw the dangers of international corporations.

We need to take away the opportunity to purchase a vote in congress, in state legislatures, in city hall, county commissions, and local precincts.  That’s what a leader would be discussing in this coming election, because that would allow for the small business owner to once again hire needed employees, would necessitate mega corporations to do their business in America, not China, and would bring the economic crisis to a rapid end.

To Lead: To direct, as going before. (Webster’s New World Dictionary)  It’s past time for someone to stand up and say, “Follow Me.”

Until next time, read good books and stay regular.