Politics

Ads, propaganda, and blowhards are flooding the airwaves with bullshit about which person would be better for the job of president, or which party should have control to guide our nation forward.

I doubt any politicians will read this but here are some things we need to do to make this a better country:

 

·         Everyone whose income is over 75K a year should pay a flat rate of income tax.  Yes we can still give tax credits for kids, retirement, and so on but it all starts out even.  I guess if you have to have levels those from 50K to under 75K should pay a smaller percentage but under 50K shouldn’t have to pay anything – they already aren’t making it.
·         The political employees (Senators, Presidents, Congressmen, etc) all get the same retirement as the rest of us – Social Security or private paid for by their own funds not tax payer funds.
·         The old and infirm, the veterans –these groups should be cared for.  I don’t care if they live for 20 years or 50 years and need the care.  They aren’t able to do for themselves anymore and in some cases have stood the line defending our country.
·         Women are equal to men.  Gender does not make a difference.  If we have to do a fair wage thing – let’s do it.  No one should be discriminated against and women still are.  The government should stay out of the woman’s health care issues.  If people want abortion to stop then they better figure out ways to fix the problem of unwanted pregnancy – not get in the business of individual women.  This may mean that we have better adoption laws, better access and distribution to birth control and we EDUCATE.
·         Marriage is a union – it is a contract that shouldn’t matter whether the two parties are of the same gender or not. 
·         Corporations are not people.  All funds for campaigning should go into a central fund and be distributed evenly amongst all the candidates – so if there are 10 people running for a position and a million bucks were donated for that position – each candidate gets the same amount.  Attack ads should be banned.  Ads should be solely about what the candidate believes and wants to do. 
·          Education is KEY to eradicating poverty.  This doesn’t necessarily mean every kid has to be shuffled into college.  We still need plumbers, welders, electricians, and other crafts that require hands on training.  If you are on aid from the government – unemployment or welfare – you have to further your education in order to better place yourself.  We need to support that.
·         Don’t get into wars.  Okay if someone is threatening the US – really threatening not some bogus BS – it is okay to fight but there are almost always better solutions than going to war.  If you want to put our young people into harm’s way you better have a damn good reason for it – not some fantasy WMD myth.

I’m sure there are more things but these are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head.  As a politician, I expect you to be on board with these things.  If you aren’t then I have to figure out whether you are worth voting for.  I don’t’ want a President that dismisses half the country (even in a speech meant for a targeted audience).  I want a President who is going to try to serve the country as a whole, who will represent the US in a positive light, and who will be able to make the tough choices.  I want representatives who are going to listen to my opinion on all issues and only make decisions after they have listened to their constituents not based on an antiquated religious belief system which subjugates half the population. 

I am tired of all the BS ads and lies being told.  If you can’t open your mouth and speak the truth – then don’t open your mouth.  Mostly, I want all the damn political crap to be done.  My absentee ballot came and I’m going to fill it out, send it back and be done with it.  I can only hope the rest of the people in the country really think about what direction we want to go – forward into the future or backwards into an era that is long dead and shouldn’t be resurrected.

Kleptocracy

According to A.Word.A.Day the meaning for this is “a government by the corrupt in which rulers use their official positions for personal gain.”

When I saw this I thought – oh so that is what we are living in now.  We no longer have a democracy which is supposed to be a government led by the people for the people.  We have career politicians who seem to be more interested in lining their pockets than in doing what is best for our country or state.

I don’t claim to know what is best for the entire country or state; however, I do know that the way things are now is not working.  People aren’t working.  Poverty is up.  Education is down.  Debt is up both on the personal level and the governmental level. 

Somehow we have moved from having politicians who took up the office as a way to help the American public to politicians (at least those who get the most press) who think they are gods or untouchable and can do whatever they please.

These politicians need to remember they are there to serve the American public and it should be an honor, not be a way to make a profit for yourself or your cronies.  George W Bush, though not the first, certainly made this his priority.  His rule certainly was the downfall of a number of things but this I think is one of the core issues. 

Public awareness of the issues needs to be increased and well thought out plans need to be put into place to help us move from the disastrous place we are to the good place I know we can get to.

Political Beliefs

I just read an article that expresses how I believe.  It isn’t about a party it is about a belief system.  It is about helping those who are unable to help themselves.  It is about empowering as many people as possible.  It is about good education.  It is about everyone – EVERYONE – having equal rights.

I don’t understand how people can look at the bullshit put out by the current Republicans in Wisconsin and think oh hey – this is good for all of Wisconsin.  It baffles me how people think turning down money from the federal government that will create jobs, bring in tourism, and take us forward is bad for Wisconsin. 

How can people think that taking nearly a billion dollars from education is going to improve the educational system?  How is collective bargaining going to balance the budget?  How is removing senior care going to help our society?  How is defunding Planned Parenthood going to improve our standard of living? 

None of these things are going to work or be good for Wisconsin.  We will become one of the WORST states to live in instead of one of the best.  We currently have good schools here.  Do they need help?  YES… where are the innovative ideas?  Well they are sitting on the sidelines because the conservatives don’t like change – unless they propose them. 

How does providing free birth control cause abortions?  Oh yeah – it doesn’t.  It does in fact prevent unwanted pregnancies, which in turn puts a stop to abortions.  This, however, is not really the goal of taking away Planned Parenthood.  It is a matter of trying to keep women in their place by keeping them pregnant and poor. 

In a great number of cases, men – or should I say sperm donors – do not stick around for the rearing of the the child.  They in fact are missing.  Instead of blaming single mothers for everything wrong in our society, perhaps we should be looking at the men in our society.  Why do we accept dead beat dads?  Why do we allow the fathers to walk away from their children?  Please don’t give me that bullshit about men are meant to spread their seed and it being a genetic imperative.  We are allegedly evolved, intelligent humans.  There are things that are supposed to set us apart from the animals like our intelligence. 

Here is a tip to the Pro-Lifers – you want women to stop having abortions.  This is your goal.  Then make it so there is NO stigma to giving a child up for adoption.  Then make it so a woman is not penalized in her work and her PAY because she has to take time to have these babies.  Make sure there is free, safe, and good birth control out there.  Educate EVERYONE about how to prevent pregnancy without expecting them to not have sex.  Really that doesn’t work.  Make the fathers step up and be responsible for their offspring.  Ultimately give the woman back the control of her own body.  In most cases women will choose what is best for them. 

What sparked this rant?  Well here is the link to the article that started it all.  I’m a liberal.  From the looks of former liberals it seems I’m in good company…
http://hubpages.com/hub/When-Did-Being-A-Liberal-Become-A-Bad-Thing

Roller Coaster Life

I feel like I’m on a roller coaster.  I was upset yesterday because I looked at my school account under financial aid and it said no financial aid for 2012 (meaning Fall 11 – Spring 12).  I thought I wouldn’t be able to go back to school.  I was disappointed. 

I called the financial aid office to see why and if there was anything I could do about it.  I got a young woman who confused the hell out of me.  I asked questions and she couldn’t answer them.  I quickly realized she didn’t have any idea. 

Fortunately, I am persistent.  I got the name of the woman I needed to talk to and emailed her questions.  This morning I got her response.  She cleared up a lot of my confusion and informed me that as a Special Student (no comments here from my smart ass family and friends) I need to be going for a degree not just taking classes.  All I have to do to qualify for financial aid is have my advisor email her some information. 

Today, I emailed my advisor and set up an appointment.  We discussed a little of what I want to do.  Tonight after I had time to go through things, I emailed her a list of questions. 

It seems like I’ll be able to go to school.  I’m excited about it and hope that I can do what I want to do.  I’ve gone from being disappointed yesterday to excited today.  Tomorrow who knows what I’ll be feeling…

Money and Politics

It seems like lately all I’m doing is worrying about money and politics.  Politics are definitely driving the concern about the money situation.  Gas is nearly 3.50 a gallon.  This definitely affects my budget.  It is one of the biggest sections of my budget.  I know that as the gas leaps up in price the less likely I am to go anywhere.   Certainly with the unrest in the middle east this is not going to go away anytime soon.

The unrest at home isn’t helping either.  Work – because I work for the state – is difficult because everyone has really low morale.  It is like there is a blanket of despair covering the employees.  I know I’m not the only one worrying about money and where we are headed with this budget repair bill and the budget proposed by Walker. 

It very much concerns me that he wants to trash our educational system.  Now don’t get me wrong – I’ve said for years it needs revamping.  From a parents perspective I don’t see it fulfilling the needs of our children.  However just pulling out nearly a billion dollars isn’t going to make it better – it will in fact make it worse. 

Wisconsin I believe is second in the nation for its educational system.  Yes it needs work – but don’t most things.  Generally if you get teachers together – they are pretty smart and willing to look at ways to improve things.  Ask what can be done.  Ask what are some ways to cut costs without hurting the children. 

Unfortunately I don’t believe Walker knows how to do that.  I think he has his agenda and to hell with anyone who doesn’t agree with him.  Sadly that only works for dictatorships – last time I looked Wisconsin isn’t a dictatorship – wait – maybe it is now…