Have we learned from the sins of the past? Are we capable of dealing with the millions of displaced people better than we did three years ago? Can we sustain the blow to our economy?
I suspect we will all be emotionally and financially impacted come Tuesday if this storm continues on its current path. But this time, the problems will not be caused by us being unprepared. Katrina was a tragic disaster from start to finish. Our government failed us at all levels. (Can someone explain to me how Ray Nagin still has a job?) Have we learned? I certainly hope so. It looks like the people of the Gulf Coast have.
Three years ago, the governor of Louisiana declared a state of emergency on Friday, the Mayor of New Orleans issued a mandatory evacuation on Sunday morning and the storm hit on Monday morning. Three years ago, hundreds of thousands of people refused to leave or waited until the last minute. That was their choice at the time and it came with tragic consequences. This time, millions have made the choice to leave.
We will find out later this week if leaving was necessary, I hope and pray it was not. But at the same time, I hope we don't look look back, if this is a false alarm, and next time ignore the warning.
God Bless the Gulf Coast,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Historic Friday...
Sarah Palin? Who? What? Why?
I try to keep myself up to speed with the who's who of politics, and until a couple weeks ago, I had never heard this woman's name. In fairness, I will reserve judgement until I can learn more about her. However, these are my initial thoughts...
I believe people vote for the top of the ticket and pay very little attention to the VP choice. However, make no mistake about it, this is bold move by McCain. He seems to be playing offense and defense with this choice.
Offensively, the choice of a woman as a running mate is going to swing some of the Hillary voters over to the McCain side. How many votes it will convert is unknown, but it will bring over some.
Defensively, choosing Palin keeps Obama's dogs at bay. Can they bring up her youth? Not without bringing Obama's youth into discussion. Can they bring up her inexperience? Not without putting a glaring spotlight on his own record. Can they bring up her gender? Not without alienating his base and bringing his race into the discussion.
Above those facts, she is a wife and working mother of five. Her husband is an Native American union worker and they have a disabled child. She seems to be the All-American girl. How do you attack that? I'm not sure it is possible without offending voters.
I will be interested to learn more about this ethics investigation though. I suspect there is not much there since McCain knew about this and still choose her, but I'm sure the media will latch onto this and try to make an issue of this drama.
We certainly do live in interesting times.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
I try to keep myself up to speed with the who's who of politics, and until a couple weeks ago, I had never heard this woman's name. In fairness, I will reserve judgement until I can learn more about her. However, these are my initial thoughts...
I believe people vote for the top of the ticket and pay very little attention to the VP choice. However, make no mistake about it, this is bold move by McCain. He seems to be playing offense and defense with this choice.
Offensively, the choice of a woman as a running mate is going to swing some of the Hillary voters over to the McCain side. How many votes it will convert is unknown, but it will bring over some.
Defensively, choosing Palin keeps Obama's dogs at bay. Can they bring up her youth? Not without bringing Obama's youth into discussion. Can they bring up her inexperience? Not without putting a glaring spotlight on his own record. Can they bring up her gender? Not without alienating his base and bringing his race into the discussion.
Above those facts, she is a wife and working mother of five. Her husband is an Native American union worker and they have a disabled child. She seems to be the All-American girl. How do you attack that? I'm not sure it is possible without offending voters.
I will be interested to learn more about this ethics investigation though. I suspect there is not much there since McCain knew about this and still choose her, but I'm sure the media will latch onto this and try to make an issue of this drama.
We certainly do live in interesting times.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Friday, August 29, 2008
What a speech...
The man is a tremendous orator. You would have to be completely against Obama to not be at least a little inspired by his delivery. His speech writers, on the other hand, either need some help or are deliberately giving him repackaged Democrat talking points from the past several decades.
I wish I could believe some of the things he discussed last night. The problem for me is he has refused to get specific enough. For example, I loved the following segment...
"Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime — by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less — because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy."
I agree with him, we need to close loopholes in our tax code which do not promote growth. However, can you give me just ONE specific loophole that needs to be closed? If there are so many, this must be an easy task.
I think we all agree, there is too much government and there is need for elimination of a number of broken or redundant departments. Can you give me just FIVE programs you have identified already which you will eliminate or improve in the first 100 days in office? With the amount of waste we all know is there, this should be easy too.
If he had answered either of those questions in his speech, I would have been giving Obama a second look today. Because specifics are what I am looking for from a man who is still largely unknown. He is overexposed and celebrated by the mainstream media, but he has submitted himself to very few interviews where he has been challenged about his policies or beliefs. You learn about people by seeing how they react in the face of adversity. Because he only does fluff interviews, we still do not know who he is.
What do I know?
I know he is an American success story. I know he has come from nowhere, against astronomical odds, to national prominence. I know he is a great family man. I know he inspires people. I know he is a tremendous orator. These are all good things.
However, I also know he was a political nobody four years ago. I know he spent 20 years listening to Rev. Wright. I know he calls himself a Christian, yet is and advocate for late term abortions of viable fetus'. I know he was, at a minimum, friendly with, and had fundraisers thrown by, Bill Ayers, an admitted domestic terrorist. I know he has used cocaine. I know by Jeri Ryan airing her husband's dirty laundry during his Senate run, he was given a free pass into the Senate. I know he has been running for President for HALF of his Senate career. I know he has voted the party line almost 100% of the time and has never taken opposition against his party on any major issue. These are all bad things.
I hope Obama gives me, and the American people a chance to get to know him. I am not fan of John McCain, but right now I have to give him my vote. I know who he is. I don't 100% like what I know, but none the less I know what makes him tick, what his track record is and what his motivation is. I know none of these things about Barak.
Will he eventually come around? I suspect if he does not, it will be because he knows his values and motivations are incongruent with most of America. If he does, I'll be interested to learn.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
I wish I could believe some of the things he discussed last night. The problem for me is he has refused to get specific enough. For example, I loved the following segment...
"Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime — by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less — because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy."
I agree with him, we need to close loopholes in our tax code which do not promote growth. However, can you give me just ONE specific loophole that needs to be closed? If there are so many, this must be an easy task.
I think we all agree, there is too much government and there is need for elimination of a number of broken or redundant departments. Can you give me just FIVE programs you have identified already which you will eliminate or improve in the first 100 days in office? With the amount of waste we all know is there, this should be easy too.
If he had answered either of those questions in his speech, I would have been giving Obama a second look today. Because specifics are what I am looking for from a man who is still largely unknown. He is overexposed and celebrated by the mainstream media, but he has submitted himself to very few interviews where he has been challenged about his policies or beliefs. You learn about people by seeing how they react in the face of adversity. Because he only does fluff interviews, we still do not know who he is.
What do I know?
I know he is an American success story. I know he has come from nowhere, against astronomical odds, to national prominence. I know he is a great family man. I know he inspires people. I know he is a tremendous orator. These are all good things.
However, I also know he was a political nobody four years ago. I know he spent 20 years listening to Rev. Wright. I know he calls himself a Christian, yet is and advocate for late term abortions of viable fetus'. I know he was, at a minimum, friendly with, and had fundraisers thrown by, Bill Ayers, an admitted domestic terrorist. I know he has used cocaine. I know by Jeri Ryan airing her husband's dirty laundry during his Senate run, he was given a free pass into the Senate. I know he has been running for President for HALF of his Senate career. I know he has voted the party line almost 100% of the time and has never taken opposition against his party on any major issue. These are all bad things.
I hope Obama gives me, and the American people a chance to get to know him. I am not fan of John McCain, but right now I have to give him my vote. I know who he is. I don't 100% like what I know, but none the less I know what makes him tick, what his track record is and what his motivation is. I know none of these things about Barak.
Will he eventually come around? I suspect if he does not, it will be because he knows his values and motivations are incongruent with most of America. If he does, I'll be interested to learn.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The same ol' Bubba...
I am the last guy to compliment Bill Clinton. He takes, and is given, more credit than he deserves for the peace and prosperity of the 90's. The man should have "Bill Gates Rocks" tattooed on his body somewhere. Without the computer/internet boom and the economic growth it spurred, there are no budget surpluses for Bubba to hang his hat on. Thank you Bill, Gates that is.
As for the peace portion, the Bush 41 presidency had just squelched the Iraq problem, Lybia and Russia were still licking the wounds Reagan inflicted on them in the 80's. Who else would cause us any problems?
There was something about Bubba though. I loved to hear the man speak. I hated his politics, but he was so charismatic and engaging I just had to listen. Last night was much of the same. That man knows how to work a room. He knows how to connect with a crowd. He knows how to pull the wool over a nations eyes.
That is the legacy of the Clinton presidency in my eyes, it was one big charade. He took credit for others work then, and he continues to do the same today. But boy, could that man give a speech.
So, as I sit hear awaiting the Messiah's acceptance speech, I remind myself that words are only words, you are defined by you actions. What had Obama done? Other than giving a bunch of speeches, I'm not sure anything.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
As for the peace portion, the Bush 41 presidency had just squelched the Iraq problem, Lybia and Russia were still licking the wounds Reagan inflicted on them in the 80's. Who else would cause us any problems?
There was something about Bubba though. I loved to hear the man speak. I hated his politics, but he was so charismatic and engaging I just had to listen. Last night was much of the same. That man knows how to work a room. He knows how to connect with a crowd. He knows how to pull the wool over a nations eyes.
That is the legacy of the Clinton presidency in my eyes, it was one big charade. He took credit for others work then, and he continues to do the same today. But boy, could that man give a speech.
So, as I sit hear awaiting the Messiah's acceptance speech, I remind myself that words are only words, you are defined by you actions. What had Obama done? Other than giving a bunch of speeches, I'm not sure anything.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Putting politics aside for a moment...
The historical significance and symmetry of this week is important to note.
Yesterday, while delivering the best and most important speech of her political career, Hillary noted it was the 88th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment's ratification. Today, Barak Obama became the first African American to be nominated the presidential candidate for a major political party. Tomorrow, Obama will give his acceptance speech on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech.
All are important milestones on their own merits. But collectively, they show the ability of America to evolve. You see, we do not need to change America. America, is off course. We need a shift in many policies. But the fundamentals of America do not need change. Americans are strong. Americans are resourceful. Americans are capable of heroic acts of kindness and have the ability to do great things. These three events prove this point.
Can McCain or Obama offer us the leadership it will require to alter our course and steer us back onto the road? Do they have the intestinal fortitude to make the tough decisions and work with all Americans to bring us back together as a nation?
I don't have the answer for that question, but I suspect not. For today though, I choose to focus on these three milestone events and the greatness that is America.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Yesterday, while delivering the best and most important speech of her political career, Hillary noted it was the 88th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment's ratification. Today, Barak Obama became the first African American to be nominated the presidential candidate for a major political party. Tomorrow, Obama will give his acceptance speech on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech.
All are important milestones on their own merits. But collectively, they show the ability of America to evolve. You see, we do not need to change America. America, is off course. We need a shift in many policies. But the fundamentals of America do not need change. Americans are strong. Americans are resourceful. Americans are capable of heroic acts of kindness and have the ability to do great things. These three events prove this point.
Can McCain or Obama offer us the leadership it will require to alter our course and steer us back onto the road? Do they have the intestinal fortitude to make the tough decisions and work with all Americans to bring us back together as a nation?
I don't have the answer for that question, but I suspect not. For today though, I choose to focus on these three milestone events and the greatness that is America.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
If hear the word change one more time...
I may just lose my mind. How much us this change going to cost me? How much is this change going to cost the country? In addition to the financial cost, what will the moral and social cost be? We have problems in this great nation. But just uttering the word change incessantly will not solve our problems. In fact, change with out a good plan can be a disaster. What is the plan? Give me something!
There was a change in Pearl Harbor in 1941. That wasn't good for us was it? Did the citizens of Hiroshima like the change to their quaint town during WWII? How about the change in the New York City skyline in 2001? I know these are extreme examples but they highlight a fundamental truth, change for change sake is not necessarily a good thing.
Here is a good change, how about telling the truth! The social programs being discussed under an Obama presidency will be so expensive he will have to raise taxes. Raising taxes slows the economy. A slower economy means less jobs. Less jobs means more people needing public assistance. More people on public assistance leads to a form of European socialism. Is this what we want?
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Monday, August 25, 2008
Are you kidding me???
Ted Kennedy, who I consider the murderer of Mary Jo Kopechne, is, as I type, being celebrated as the hero of the Democrat Party. Nothing makes me more sick than the sight of his face. How did the convention attendees treat his "heroic" arrival at the convention in Denver? They gave him a tribute and a standing ovation.
This is one of the main reasons why as a younger man I had no respect for anyone who called them self a Democrat. This man's actions directly lead to the death of a young, vibrant woman who was the only child of Joseph and Gwen Kopechne. What was his punishment? He received a six month deferred sentence for leaving the scene of an accident. Outrageous! I guess it was good to be the son of a bootlegger who was in bed with the mob and the brother of a former President and former Atty. General.
How could any decent human being think Ted Kennedy is a good man? He is an alcoholic, murdering sub-human.
Many people site his record in the Senate since the incident to sweep the incident under the rug, almost as if it never happened. Well, I'm here to say it did happen. I don't care what he has done since. Even if I agreed with his politics I would think the same way. Once a killer, always a killer. Is why Ted has always been against the death penalty? He knows he cannot be prosecuted again, right?
Sorry for the rant. I know there are more important issues to muse about, but the moment I fired up my laptop and started watching the convention, he hit the stage.
Gad Bless Mary Jo and God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Change? Biden? Really?
Let me get this straight.
Obama has positioned himself as an agent of change by pointing out the only way to change Washington is to get rid of the establishment and bring in new perspectives.
Joe Biden was elected to the Senate four years out of law school at the age of 29 in 1972 and has been there ever since.
Don't get me wrong, of the Democrats running for President prior to the primary season, I liked Joe the best. Heck, during the debates I was astounded by the number of times I heard other candidates utter the words "I agree with Joe." He is brash, comes off as ego-maniacal, likes to hear the sound of his own voice and has been known to say the wrong things from time to time. Sounds like my kind of guy. Though I don't fully agree with his politics, he certainly does not strike me as an idealogue hell bent on creating a socialistic existence in the US. So, I guess that is a good first step toward taking the crazy out of the Obama campaign.
The real issue here is this move shows Obama for what he is...a politician. Biden is the safe, smart move for someone with no foreign policy experience. He looks the part. He has been on the grand stage before and he is not afraid of a fight. But does Biden represent CHANGE? Hell no. He is the furthest thing from change.
Obama rails on McCain for being in the Senate for the past 30+ years. He points this out to show that McCain is Washington establishment. (I agree with him on this point, by the way.) so why then is it OK for him to tap an equally senior senator to be his running mate? Doesn't Biden share the same scars from being in the Senate for 30+ years?
File under politics as usual.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Friday, August 22, 2008
Once again the candidates do not disappoint...
Apparently America, John McCain has a housing problem and oh boy is Barak Obama happy to tell you about it. If you are not aware, John McCain was asked by the Politico.com how many homes he and Cindy own and he fumbled over the question telling the interviewer he would have his campaign staff get an answer for this question. The reaction was immediate by the Obama folks, how on earth can McCain not know the answer to that simple question?
Obama's stump response was, "I guess if you think being rich is you have to make $5 million a year and you have to think about how many houses you have, then you might think the economy is fundamentally strong."
McCain's response came from his campaign, “Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses? Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people ‘cling’ to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who’s in touch with regular Americans?”
Here we go again. We should all be offended. After all Obama considers himself an agent of CHANGE and he is now running the tried and true political playbook.
Newsflash folks, McCain's wife is loaded. They have a number of investments. True most of us are unable to comprehend owning four homes for our personal use and four to six other investment homes, but guess what? That's what you do when you have money, you make investments. Is this so hard to understand? Real estate had been a great investment until recently, and it will be a great investment in the future. This is a non issue and once again is only a diversion tactic.
As to the McCain response, there is very little substance to it since it is mostly an attack, but he had to respond to the pounce by Barak and his people, so I'll give him a pass here. However, I would be careful with the Rezko stuff. There are plenty of Republican connections to Tony Rezko too, in fact he even raised money to support Bush's re-election campaign in 2004. I know Obama had real estate dealings with him, but its a slippery slope to get on when you can simply bring up Rev. Wright or Bill Ayers who are bigger targets and much more evil individuals.
Don't get me wrong, Rezko is scum, but if you want to color the character of your opponent by mentioning the company he keeps, I would think a racist like Wright or a terrorist like Ayers would make a stronger argument.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Obama's stump response was, "I guess if you think being rich is you have to make $5 million a year and you have to think about how many houses you have, then you might think the economy is fundamentally strong."
McCain's response came from his campaign, “Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses? Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people ‘cling’ to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who’s in touch with regular Americans?”
Here we go again. We should all be offended. After all Obama considers himself an agent of CHANGE and he is now running the tried and true political playbook.
Newsflash folks, McCain's wife is loaded. They have a number of investments. True most of us are unable to comprehend owning four homes for our personal use and four to six other investment homes, but guess what? That's what you do when you have money, you make investments. Is this so hard to understand? Real estate had been a great investment until recently, and it will be a great investment in the future. This is a non issue and once again is only a diversion tactic.
As to the McCain response, there is very little substance to it since it is mostly an attack, but he had to respond to the pounce by Barak and his people, so I'll give him a pass here. However, I would be careful with the Rezko stuff. There are plenty of Republican connections to Tony Rezko too, in fact he even raised money to support Bush's re-election campaign in 2004. I know Obama had real estate dealings with him, but its a slippery slope to get on when you can simply bring up Rev. Wright or Bill Ayers who are bigger targets and much more evil individuals.
Don't get me wrong, Rezko is scum, but if you want to color the character of your opponent by mentioning the company he keeps, I would think a racist like Wright or a terrorist like Ayers would make a stronger argument.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Dark Knight was awesome in IMAX
Last night I went to go see the Dark Knight in IMAX and there were a couple things that struck me as relevant to talk about. When I got back home and sat down at my computer, I was very disapointed because I was having difficulty getting and keeping a wireless connection. You would think I would have an ethernet cable handy for just and occasion, but no. So, here are my thoughts from a super hero movie...
The first thing I thought about was a quote from Michael Caine's character Alfred. He was telling a story from his past about the motivation of men and made the statement "Some men can't be bargained with, bribed or bought. Some men just want to see the world burn."
Now why is this quote relevant? Well when I look at the state of our world today and I evaluate which of our two major candidates for President is most aware of the fundamental truth expressed in this quote, I become very scared about our future under Obama as our Commander in Chief. If his foreign policy plan is to sit down and talk to irrational leaders who only "want to see the world burn" like Ahmadinejad, we the people are in for a whole heap of trouble.
Another quote that got me thinking was "you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Interesting thought. However, this quote got me thinking in the opposite direction. What we need right now from our leaders is some frank talk about what we need to do as a society to get our country moving back in the right direction. This talk and the resulting action will not be popular at first. In fact it will be seen by a great many as hate speech, but these things need to be said to help lead us back on track.
We need to talk about things like taking people to task for spending their lives on the public dole, the erosion of family values and personal responsibility. No longer alowing things to be run by the politically correct lunatic fringe on the left and right of our society. Not allowing our politicians to be short sighted and forcing them to provide true leadership.
Ask yourself this, how much have McCain and Obama spoken about Social Security, Illegal Immigration, the national debt or our unbalanced budget? Sure, they all get mentioned, but compared to the time spent discussing race/religion, oil companies, tax policy and the housing crisis, these things barely rate.What is the difference in these issues? The things being discussed are flavor of the month discussions. (I do agree though, the energy crisis has been staring us in the face for years and our leaders have refused to deal with the issue.) The issues flying under the radar are ongoing, ever present issues that will be there for the next President or Congress to deal with. Are we going to wait until Social Security becomes a crisis issue before we demand action? I assure you it will be in the next decade if left unchecked. Are we waiting for the Chinese to call in the mortgage on America before we start paying down our debt? Are we waiting for our dollar to hit junk bond status before we do anything about our manic spending?
These issues have to be dealt with some time. Why not now? They won't be talked about in earnest because we don't demand the discussion be had. We would rather hear about how Obama will give us back $1000 tax rebate because energy costs are so high. We would rather discuss why McCain has gone negative with his campaigning. We would rather be told by the media what to do, because it's much harder to think for ourselves. We need to realize there are serious problems that need to be dealt with by serious people and they need to be dealt with now!
Will you start the dialogue?
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
The first thing I thought about was a quote from Michael Caine's character Alfred. He was telling a story from his past about the motivation of men and made the statement "Some men can't be bargained with, bribed or bought. Some men just want to see the world burn."
Now why is this quote relevant? Well when I look at the state of our world today and I evaluate which of our two major candidates for President is most aware of the fundamental truth expressed in this quote, I become very scared about our future under Obama as our Commander in Chief. If his foreign policy plan is to sit down and talk to irrational leaders who only "want to see the world burn" like Ahmadinejad, we the people are in for a whole heap of trouble.
Another quote that got me thinking was "you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Interesting thought. However, this quote got me thinking in the opposite direction. What we need right now from our leaders is some frank talk about what we need to do as a society to get our country moving back in the right direction. This talk and the resulting action will not be popular at first. In fact it will be seen by a great many as hate speech, but these things need to be said to help lead us back on track.
We need to talk about things like taking people to task for spending their lives on the public dole, the erosion of family values and personal responsibility. No longer alowing things to be run by the politically correct lunatic fringe on the left and right of our society. Not allowing our politicians to be short sighted and forcing them to provide true leadership.
Ask yourself this, how much have McCain and Obama spoken about Social Security, Illegal Immigration, the national debt or our unbalanced budget? Sure, they all get mentioned, but compared to the time spent discussing race/religion, oil companies, tax policy and the housing crisis, these things barely rate.What is the difference in these issues? The things being discussed are flavor of the month discussions. (I do agree though, the energy crisis has been staring us in the face for years and our leaders have refused to deal with the issue.) The issues flying under the radar are ongoing, ever present issues that will be there for the next President or Congress to deal with. Are we going to wait until Social Security becomes a crisis issue before we demand action? I assure you it will be in the next decade if left unchecked. Are we waiting for the Chinese to call in the mortgage on America before we start paying down our debt? Are we waiting for our dollar to hit junk bond status before we do anything about our manic spending?
These issues have to be dealt with some time. Why not now? They won't be talked about in earnest because we don't demand the discussion be had. We would rather hear about how Obama will give us back $1000 tax rebate because energy costs are so high. We would rather discuss why McCain has gone negative with his campaigning. We would rather be told by the media what to do, because it's much harder to think for ourselves. We need to realize there are serious problems that need to be dealt with by serious people and they need to be dealt with now!
Will you start the dialogue?
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I'm looking to reduce the work force in Washington...
One of the major issues I have with our government does not directly deal with our politicians or bureaucrats, I have a problem with lobbyists. More specifically I have a problem with the number of lobbyists and the influence I believe they have over our politicians and bureaucrats.
Depending on what set of statistics you choose to believe, there are between 22,000 and 37,000 registered lobbyists in Washington D.C. Said another way, there are between 40 and 70 highly skilled, highly paid, highly motivated and highly persuasive professionals for each member of Congress.
Oh yeah, one more thing, they are highly funded. I have read estimates that lobbyists spend in excess of $2.2 Billion is spent by lobbyists annually to make their point and gain favor of our Senators and Representatives. That's obscene! Lobbyists spend more than $4 million for every member.
Talk about being ganged up on! Ask yourself this simple question, if you were faced with such odds, would you fare much better? I feel I am highly independent and am not easily swayed, but 40 to 1 against on the low end? Showering me with $4 million? I'm not sure I wouldn't crack either. How would you fare?
Now I do realize that the politicians have some blame to share here since they allowed the lobbyists in. But its on us to let them know, the lobbyists have to go.
So then, I think its time we figure out a way to increase the number of unemployed in Washington by 22,000 to 37,000 people. Sorry lobbyists, even if you are doing good, and I am positive some of you are, you need to go! It's for the good of the country.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Depending on what set of statistics you choose to believe, there are between 22,000 and 37,000 registered lobbyists in Washington D.C. Said another way, there are between 40 and 70 highly skilled, highly paid, highly motivated and highly persuasive professionals for each member of Congress.
Oh yeah, one more thing, they are highly funded. I have read estimates that lobbyists spend in excess of $2.2 Billion is spent by lobbyists annually to make their point and gain favor of our Senators and Representatives. That's obscene! Lobbyists spend more than $4 million for every member.
Talk about being ganged up on! Ask yourself this simple question, if you were faced with such odds, would you fare much better? I feel I am highly independent and am not easily swayed, but 40 to 1 against on the low end? Showering me with $4 million? I'm not sure I wouldn't crack either. How would you fare?
Now I do realize that the politicians have some blame to share here since they allowed the lobbyists in. But its on us to let them know, the lobbyists have to go.
So then, I think its time we figure out a way to increase the number of unemployed in Washington by 22,000 to 37,000 people. Sorry lobbyists, even if you are doing good, and I am positive some of you are, you need to go! It's for the good of the country.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Monday, August 18, 2008
Coming up for air...
Now that was a busy weekend. I'm sure I missed something, thankfully the wonders of the internet has enabled me to somewhat catch up.
So, let me get this straight. For the first time since the campaign started in earnest, Obama and McCain shared the same stage and this program was buried on CNN on a Saturday during the Olympic games? Am I missing something here? We are in the midst of the most important election cycle in years, and the candidates first joint appearance is buried? Why?
My guess is it was always intended to be seen by as few people as possible. At least this was Obama's, and the mainstream media's, intention.
He would have been crazy to have accepted this invitation if it could have been shown in prime time during the week. Had it been seen by more voters, he would be in trouble today. Obama, the candidate of change, pulled the oldest political trick in the book but refusing to answer the "when does life begin" question. If you are proud of your stance proclaim it! Don't hide behind this "above my pay grade" garbage. Answer the question! And lets face it, he looked bad more than just there.
Why did McCain accept knowing this would be seen by a small minority of voters? My guess is that McCain was just happy to finally get Obama to show up to any type of forum, so he just accepted whatever he could get. I believe he wanted to show us a small piece of what we are missing because of Obama's decision to pull out of the ten town hall style debates he had previously verbally agreed to participate in.
What a shame we will miss out on these town hall debates. If Obama were truly interested in change, I think sticking to his word would be a good place to start. We know politicians don't keep their word, but if you are truly an agent of change, isn't it high time for some frank discussion? Please Barak, take McCain up on his "anytime, anywhere" pledge and give the country what we want. What could you possibly fear. You are the Harvard educated, well spoken one. He is the military brat with PTSD. How can you possible lose?
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
So, let me get this straight. For the first time since the campaign started in earnest, Obama and McCain shared the same stage and this program was buried on CNN on a Saturday during the Olympic games? Am I missing something here? We are in the midst of the most important election cycle in years, and the candidates first joint appearance is buried? Why?
My guess is it was always intended to be seen by as few people as possible. At least this was Obama's, and the mainstream media's, intention.
He would have been crazy to have accepted this invitation if it could have been shown in prime time during the week. Had it been seen by more voters, he would be in trouble today. Obama, the candidate of change, pulled the oldest political trick in the book but refusing to answer the "when does life begin" question. If you are proud of your stance proclaim it! Don't hide behind this "above my pay grade" garbage. Answer the question! And lets face it, he looked bad more than just there.
Why did McCain accept knowing this would be seen by a small minority of voters? My guess is that McCain was just happy to finally get Obama to show up to any type of forum, so he just accepted whatever he could get. I believe he wanted to show us a small piece of what we are missing because of Obama's decision to pull out of the ten town hall style debates he had previously verbally agreed to participate in.
What a shame we will miss out on these town hall debates. If Obama were truly interested in change, I think sticking to his word would be a good place to start. We know politicians don't keep their word, but if you are truly an agent of change, isn't it high time for some frank discussion? Please Barak, take McCain up on his "anytime, anywhere" pledge and give the country what we want. What could you possibly fear. You are the Harvard educated, well spoken one. He is the military brat with PTSD. How can you possible lose?
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Friday, August 15, 2008
Support the Jimmy Fund...
One of the first news stories I read today was about McCain raising $27 million in July. That is a staggering amount of money, and it still lags far behind the Obama fundraising machine. I plan on giving a full account of my thoughts the outrageous capital spent to get politicians elected, but for today I ask if you have it in you budget to spare a few bucks, please go to www.weei.com and make a donation to the Jimmy Fund. As of noon, when I lost the signal heading north to Bangor, ME, they had raised $2 million since 6 am yesterday. Their goal this year is $4 million before midnight, so please help if you can.
Why am I in Bangor, ME? Well, this weekend my brother's directorial debut "A Call to Action" http://www.iclips.net/acta.php is screeening at the Bangor Film Festival on Friday. Saturday is our 18th annual family golf tournament and Sunday is my father's 60th birthday party. Happy birthday Dad! Thank you for always being there to support us. I love you.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.org
PS- I know a number of you have been requesting a comments section below each blog entry. I am working on a resolution to that functionality as we speak and hope to have it up in the next week or so!
Why am I in Bangor, ME? Well, this weekend my brother's directorial debut "A Call to Action" http://www.iclips.net/acta.php is screeening at the Bangor Film Festival on Friday. Saturday is our 18th annual family golf tournament and Sunday is my father's 60th birthday party. Happy birthday Dad! Thank you for always being there to support us. I love you.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.org
PS- I know a number of you have been requesting a comments section below each blog entry. I am working on a resolution to that functionality as we speak and hope to have it up in the next week or so!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Hill gets her roll call...
Obama must be sick of this. If he weren't a socialist hell bent on destroying the free market and taxing us back into the stone age to support his social programs, I might feel bad for him.
Hillary has successfully gotten him to scream Uncle and her delegates will be alowed to voice their choice in an open roll call at the convention. The Messiah and Clinton are on record as saying this act will help unify the party and heal the wounds from a brutal primary process. Will it? I can see their argument. I'm sure this will bring some of her supporters back into the fold.
Here is the problem. 39% of the voter population is Democrat and 31% is Republican. By my math that leaves 30% of the country Independent. I'm not saying anything new that the Independent voter will decide this election.
So, though it matters to Barak he is able to bring most of Hillary's supporters back into the fold thru this show of "unity," I believe the Independent voter will, to Obama's chagrin, react negatively to this image. It is in the best interest of Democrats to unify, so this gesture is really unnecessary. Do you really think Clinton supporters will vote for a Republican? Seriously.
However, this gesture to the Independent voter will show anything but unity. A roll call where the vote is virtually split shows you are together? A near 50/50 split of the delegates will look the furthest from united. Divided is a much better term for what the Independent voter will see. This will be the indelible image from Denver to the Independent voter. As an Independent voter why would I vote for someone who cannot even get the full support of their own party?
Couple this with the Edwards scandal, and Barak must feel like he is being submarined by his own party at every turn. Like I said, I almost feel sorry for him.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Hillary has successfully gotten him to scream Uncle and her delegates will be alowed to voice their choice in an open roll call at the convention. The Messiah and Clinton are on record as saying this act will help unify the party and heal the wounds from a brutal primary process. Will it? I can see their argument. I'm sure this will bring some of her supporters back into the fold.
Here is the problem. 39% of the voter population is Democrat and 31% is Republican. By my math that leaves 30% of the country Independent. I'm not saying anything new that the Independent voter will decide this election.
So, though it matters to Barak he is able to bring most of Hillary's supporters back into the fold thru this show of "unity," I believe the Independent voter will, to Obama's chagrin, react negatively to this image. It is in the best interest of Democrats to unify, so this gesture is really unnecessary. Do you really think Clinton supporters will vote for a Republican? Seriously.
However, this gesture to the Independent voter will show anything but unity. A roll call where the vote is virtually split shows you are together? A near 50/50 split of the delegates will look the furthest from united. Divided is a much better term for what the Independent voter will see. This will be the indelible image from Denver to the Independent voter. As an Independent voter why would I vote for someone who cannot even get the full support of their own party?
Couple this with the Edwards scandal, and Barak must feel like he is being submarined by his own party at every turn. Like I said, I almost feel sorry for him.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
My first criticism...
I received the following, unsigned, comment earlier today and figured I'd share it with you all...
"If you want to debate something, debate the purpose of using God BlessAmerica after every post. What's the purpose of it really? Will god bless America ifyou don't say it? Why not god bless the earth? What's the purpose of omitting therest of the world? What exactly would gods blessing do to America if he had actuallyblessed it? It's a hollow statement that's overused by the corrupt politicians youtalk so admirably about, and it's being used no differently here.
You don't seem to be thinking outside the box, and your rants are mostly side-steppable. Someone told me I'd be interested in this blog but it looks likethey were wrong. You take the form of being "outraged" but you still only have avery narrow perspective.. or a least, not a incredibly informed one that wouldwarrant a blog."
To the author, thank you for your comment. I have been waiting for someone to write me on this exact issue. I only wish you would have included an e-mail address for me to respond to you in private with some clarifying questions. Since I was not afforded this opportunity, I hope you will allow me to make some assumptions on your comments.
I assume you take issue with the term "God Bless America" because you believe it's use infringes on your Constitutional right of Freedom of Religion or because you believe the statement is US-centric and implies that the rest of the world is to not be blessed.
Let's deal with the first possibility. The First Amendment of the US Constitution contains both the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause with regards to Freedom of Religion.
The Establishment Clause stops government from passing laws to establish an official religion or endorsing one religion over another. This clause keeps the government from telling you WHAT to worship. Courts have ruled this clause accomplishes a separation of church and state.
The Free Exercise Clause stops the government from interfering with a person’s practice of their religion. This clause keeps the government from telling you HOW to worship.
In my opinion, the phrase "God Bless America," if uttered by me or if printed on our currency, does not come close to establishing or endorsing any specific religion. How could it? The phrase is deliberately vague. Our founding fathers were very smart. Now if I said, "Please Catholic/Jewish/Muslim/Hindu God Bless America" or any other similar phrase, things would be different.
America is populated by people of many religions who believe in God or a higher universal power. In fact the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life recently conducted a poll of more than 36,000 adults focusing on Americans' religious beliefs. You know what the results were? 92% believe in God or a higher power, 5% don't believe and 3% don't know. Interesting?
To the second possibility, you would need to view these words in a very narrow way to believe this phrase is asking God to bless America and no one else. When you say "have a nice evening" to a co-worker before leaving the office, does that mean they are the only one who is able to have a nice evening? Of course not. So why then is it an issue if I say, as an American, "God Bless America?" I am not saying bless us and curse everyone else am I?
Finally, to his or her second paragraph...Geesh, I have only had this blog up and running for a week and a half. The only thing I have ever written before is a screenplay that is still unfinished ten years after I started writing. I have my ideas and my views and I want to get them out in cyber-space to generate some discussion and thought. If you don't like the content and you are truly passionate about government reform and making America OF, FOR and BY the people again, write a guest blog, I'll publish it with your approval and get people talking. More important, get people thinking, this is why I started this blog to begin with, to get ME thinking.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
"If you want to debate something, debate the purpose of using God BlessAmerica after every post. What's the purpose of it really? Will god bless America ifyou don't say it? Why not god bless the earth? What's the purpose of omitting therest of the world? What exactly would gods blessing do to America if he had actuallyblessed it? It's a hollow statement that's overused by the corrupt politicians youtalk so admirably about, and it's being used no differently here.
You don't seem to be thinking outside the box, and your rants are mostly side-steppable. Someone told me I'd be interested in this blog but it looks likethey were wrong. You take the form of being "outraged" but you still only have avery narrow perspective.. or a least, not a incredibly informed one that wouldwarrant a blog."
To the author, thank you for your comment. I have been waiting for someone to write me on this exact issue. I only wish you would have included an e-mail address for me to respond to you in private with some clarifying questions. Since I was not afforded this opportunity, I hope you will allow me to make some assumptions on your comments.
I assume you take issue with the term "God Bless America" because you believe it's use infringes on your Constitutional right of Freedom of Religion or because you believe the statement is US-centric and implies that the rest of the world is to not be blessed.
Let's deal with the first possibility. The First Amendment of the US Constitution contains both the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause with regards to Freedom of Religion.
The Establishment Clause stops government from passing laws to establish an official religion or endorsing one religion over another. This clause keeps the government from telling you WHAT to worship. Courts have ruled this clause accomplishes a separation of church and state.
The Free Exercise Clause stops the government from interfering with a person’s practice of their religion. This clause keeps the government from telling you HOW to worship.
In my opinion, the phrase "God Bless America," if uttered by me or if printed on our currency, does not come close to establishing or endorsing any specific religion. How could it? The phrase is deliberately vague. Our founding fathers were very smart. Now if I said, "Please Catholic/Jewish/Muslim/Hindu God Bless America" or any other similar phrase, things would be different.
America is populated by people of many religions who believe in God or a higher universal power. In fact the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life recently conducted a poll of more than 36,000 adults focusing on Americans' religious beliefs. You know what the results were? 92% believe in God or a higher power, 5% don't believe and 3% don't know. Interesting?
To the second possibility, you would need to view these words in a very narrow way to believe this phrase is asking God to bless America and no one else. When you say "have a nice evening" to a co-worker before leaving the office, does that mean they are the only one who is able to have a nice evening? Of course not. So why then is it an issue if I say, as an American, "God Bless America?" I am not saying bless us and curse everyone else am I?
Finally, to his or her second paragraph...Geesh, I have only had this blog up and running for a week and a half. The only thing I have ever written before is a screenplay that is still unfinished ten years after I started writing. I have my ideas and my views and I want to get them out in cyber-space to generate some discussion and thought. If you don't like the content and you are truly passionate about government reform and making America OF, FOR and BY the people again, write a guest blog, I'll publish it with your approval and get people talking. More important, get people thinking, this is why I started this blog to begin with, to get ME thinking.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
FDR's New Deal...
I was driving thru and economically depressed area of Hartford on the way to an appointment and my frustration with the status quo began to grow again. You should have seen how many people were outside, on the streets and, most importantly not working in the middle of the afternoon.
It didn't seem to me like these folks were on injured or independently wealthy. So why then, are they home in the middle of the work day? Could it be because our "leaders" have empowered them to do so? Empowered is a poor word choice, encouraged is better.
Asses this situation. You are a hard working individual with few marketable skills who works 80 hour weeks to still struggle to get by and put food in your family's mouths. Your neighbor is a disabled alcoholic receiving SSI who lives with his baby's mother receiving section 8 housing, food stamps and other forms of public assistance. Who is better off? Who has the better quality of life? Who is the roll model for many in our inner cities and rural areas? Is it the hard working individual or the one on the public dole?
The sad fact is that the one on the dole is better off. Working 80 hours a week is tiring. Trust me, I used to do it. Shouldn't the hard working individual be given an incentive to work so hard? Shouldn't the individual on the dole be given an incentive to get a job? I think so. In fact, I know so.
Here's is what I propose. No free rides! Simple right? If you are given a check from the government you need to work for that benefit. If you are unable to find work, we will find you a job. I do not care if you do not want the job we give you. There should be no trash on the side of the road, no graffiti on building walls, no infrastructure in disrepair. If you get a check, you go to work. If you are unable to do physical work because of age or disability, I'm sure our government needs people to do data entry or filing. If you get a check, you go to work. If you need child care, guess what, I just found a job for someone. If you get a check, you go to work.
What incentive is there for someone to better them-self if we give them a check to sit on their backsides all day doing nothing? Shame on the politicians for not seeing this. If you get a check, you go to work.
If you don't like the job we give you, better yourself, go get a marketable skill and find yourself your own job! I have a problem with a number of the social programs and reforms brought on by the New Deal, but when it comes to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), FDR got it right. (Lets face it, if you anger the unions, you probably got it right.) The CCC was a work relief program for young men from unemployed families during the Great Depression. Why did this ever go away? Wouldn't this be a good program for people on the dole today? If you get a check, you go to work!
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
It didn't seem to me like these folks were on injured or independently wealthy. So why then, are they home in the middle of the work day? Could it be because our "leaders" have empowered them to do so? Empowered is a poor word choice, encouraged is better.
Asses this situation. You are a hard working individual with few marketable skills who works 80 hour weeks to still struggle to get by and put food in your family's mouths. Your neighbor is a disabled alcoholic receiving SSI who lives with his baby's mother receiving section 8 housing, food stamps and other forms of public assistance. Who is better off? Who has the better quality of life? Who is the roll model for many in our inner cities and rural areas? Is it the hard working individual or the one on the public dole?
The sad fact is that the one on the dole is better off. Working 80 hours a week is tiring. Trust me, I used to do it. Shouldn't the hard working individual be given an incentive to work so hard? Shouldn't the individual on the dole be given an incentive to get a job? I think so. In fact, I know so.
Here's is what I propose. No free rides! Simple right? If you are given a check from the government you need to work for that benefit. If you are unable to find work, we will find you a job. I do not care if you do not want the job we give you. There should be no trash on the side of the road, no graffiti on building walls, no infrastructure in disrepair. If you get a check, you go to work. If you are unable to do physical work because of age or disability, I'm sure our government needs people to do data entry or filing. If you get a check, you go to work. If you need child care, guess what, I just found a job for someone. If you get a check, you go to work.
What incentive is there for someone to better them-self if we give them a check to sit on their backsides all day doing nothing? Shame on the politicians for not seeing this. If you get a check, you go to work.
If you don't like the job we give you, better yourself, go get a marketable skill and find yourself your own job! I have a problem with a number of the social programs and reforms brought on by the New Deal, but when it comes to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), FDR got it right. (Lets face it, if you anger the unions, you probably got it right.) The CCC was a work relief program for young men from unemployed families during the Great Depression. Why did this ever go away? Wouldn't this be a good program for people on the dole today? If you get a check, you go to work!
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Monday, August 11, 2008
It's 3 am...
Not really, but with the Russian aggression against Georgia still in full swing, it makes me think. What would be the presidential reaction be if it were McCain or Obama? We know what happened under Bush. His administration has completely mismanaged his relationship with Putin which has led to a resurgence of KGB like activity in Russia. Putin is an evil dictator and Medvedev is his lap dog, and under the Bush administration, nothing was done.
Would either candidate have handled this situation better? We will never know, however I can make an educated guess that making appeasements, like an Obama administration is likely to do, would result the same as Bush's appeasements. McCain is on record as saying he sees the letters KGB when he looks in Putin's eyes, so my guess is that he would not appease the Russian Prime Minister.
Why does this matter? Well, if we care about keeping ourselves safe in the world, I think we need to asses the willingness of our leaders to make difficult stands protect us from harm. Which candidate is more willing to act? Ask yourself this...In the middle of this international crisis in the heat of a national campaign, who is acting more like Bush? Isn't Obama on vacation? I'm just saying.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Would either candidate have handled this situation better? We will never know, however I can make an educated guess that making appeasements, like an Obama administration is likely to do, would result the same as Bush's appeasements. McCain is on record as saying he sees the letters KGB when he looks in Putin's eyes, so my guess is that he would not appease the Russian Prime Minister.
Why does this matter? Well, if we care about keeping ourselves safe in the world, I think we need to asses the willingness of our leaders to make difficult stands protect us from harm. Which candidate is more willing to act? Ask yourself this...In the middle of this international crisis in the heat of a national campaign, who is acting more like Bush? Isn't Obama on vacation? I'm just saying.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Upon further review...
Apparently I should have given a little more thought on my stance that the Edwards scandal doesn't matter. I received a number of e-mails on that issue alone, and upon further review, I agree with may of you, it does matter. There we two major themes of why people thought the issue was worth discussion.
First, as one e-mailer eloquently pointed out, "Edwards, though largely irrelevant as a candidate, matters greatly as a symbolic representation of today's politicians in Washington. He is one of many extremely wealthy, privileged, dishonest, corrupt (individuals) that we Americans entrust with running our nation. That is a horrific truth which needs to be changed."
Excellent point. Is this how we see our "leaders?" According to Rasmussen Reports, yes. 33% approval rating for Bush. (46% strongly disapprove.) 9% approval rating for the Democrat led Congress. (52% think they are doing a poor job.)
Yet despite these poll results, it is looking likely the Democrats will capture more congressional seats in November and are perhaps poised to have super majorities in both houses! The thought of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid being able to advance their agendas unchecked is my personal ninth circle of hell.
The second reason people thought this Edward's scandal is important is because it is taking mainstream media focus off Obama. Barak needs the mainstream media fawning over him to keep his momentum. Couple this scandal with Clinton's possible request for a roll-call vote at the convention later this month, and the Messiah is having a bad week.
That being said, I have changed my mind. This story was an important one.
Another set of e-mails took aim at Jack McGlone's guest blog, some thought he was right on, others thought he was a bit extreme or just plain wrong. I guess his opinion accomplished exactly what I expected it would...it got people thinking. Thanks again Jack. Even though not everybody agreed with your point of view, you got people to talk and think about your points. You gave us all the gift of thought.
If anyone else would like to submit guest blogs, just send me an e-mail. I will post them and hopefully your notions will cause people to consider their own opinions. The only thing I ask is that the submissions discuss some aspect of government or political reform. I promise not to edit content, even if your points are at odds with my own.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
First, as one e-mailer eloquently pointed out, "Edwards, though largely irrelevant as a candidate, matters greatly as a symbolic representation of today's politicians in Washington. He is one of many extremely wealthy, privileged, dishonest, corrupt (individuals) that we Americans entrust with running our nation. That is a horrific truth which needs to be changed."
Excellent point. Is this how we see our "leaders?" According to Rasmussen Reports, yes. 33% approval rating for Bush. (46% strongly disapprove.) 9% approval rating for the Democrat led Congress. (52% think they are doing a poor job.)
Yet despite these poll results, it is looking likely the Democrats will capture more congressional seats in November and are perhaps poised to have super majorities in both houses! The thought of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid being able to advance their agendas unchecked is my personal ninth circle of hell.
The second reason people thought this Edward's scandal is important is because it is taking mainstream media focus off Obama. Barak needs the mainstream media fawning over him to keep his momentum. Couple this scandal with Clinton's possible request for a roll-call vote at the convention later this month, and the Messiah is having a bad week.
That being said, I have changed my mind. This story was an important one.
Another set of e-mails took aim at Jack McGlone's guest blog, some thought he was right on, others thought he was a bit extreme or just plain wrong. I guess his opinion accomplished exactly what I expected it would...it got people thinking. Thanks again Jack. Even though not everybody agreed with your point of view, you got people to talk and think about your points. You gave us all the gift of thought.
If anyone else would like to submit guest blogs, just send me an e-mail. I will post them and hopefully your notions will cause people to consider their own opinions. The only thing I ask is that the submissions discuss some aspect of government or political reform. I promise not to edit content, even if your points are at odds with my own.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Taking the night off...
I am bushed...helped a friend move today.
I was listening to the podcast of Bill O'Reilly's show from Monday earlier today...I guess someone else is paying attention to the value of the dollar with regards to oil.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
I was listening to the podcast of Bill O'Reilly's show from Monday earlier today...I guess someone else is paying attention to the value of the dollar with regards to oil.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Friday, August 8, 2008
Today I received an article written by John McGlone. So, in the interest of open discussion and generating thought, I have decided to post it with the author's permission. Please give us your thoughts.
God Bless America,
Erik
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
PS- Today the dollar was up, oil was down and stocks were up. Interesting.
PPS- No, I do not care to discuss John Edwards. He does not matter.
God Bless America,
Erik
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
PS- Today the dollar was up, oil was down and stocks were up. Interesting.
PPS- No, I do not care to discuss John Edwards. He does not matter.
Meaningful Reform-John McGlone Guest Blogger
The problems in the United States today are legion. It is safe to say that none of the branches of government are functioning as they were intended. Our liberties, rights and protections are being eliminated, the country is being looted, national debt is sky rocketing, poverty is rapidly expanding, health care quality is diminishing while the costs are astronomical and rising, the destruction of the environment is reaching catastrophic levels, we no longer live in a democracy, the U.S.A. is owned and operated by the Fortune 500, religious zealots are moving closer to their goal of creating an American theocracy and we engage in wars for the benefit of the oil industry and military industrial complex. Government of the people, by the people, for the people has perished from this earth.
How can we change all this? How can we repair the damage? How can we get on the right path? We can't until the political processes change.
The first step needs to be the replacement of the electoral college system with a national election that ensures the principal of one person one vote. The electoral college has always been one of the founders' mistakes, which at best was a flawed elitist system that never guaranteed majority rule.
Then the primary system needs to be changed. There is no fairness in allowing a few small states to decide the candidates for the whole country and this system is less than likely to provide the best candidates. We need a single national system, with candidates for president and vice president running independently, that allows the entire country to participate in the process and results in the two top vote getters in each category being the candidates unless there is one candidate with a clear majority of the votes.
Voting is seen as a right and a privilege but voter turnout is shamefully low. Voting should be viewed as a citizen's obligation and be mandatory. There is no value in citizenship without responsibility.
Private financing of political campaigns must be eliminated. This will always result in politicians being controlled by those wealthy contributors with special interests like the petroleum and health care industries. Public financing and management of the campaigns are essential but the money must not be distributed to the candidates. It needs to be used to pay for designated forums which are scheduled during a campaign season not to exceed three months and available equally to all the candidates.
Campaigns must deal only with the issues, have truthfulness as a requirement, with candidacy revocation for lying or dirty tricks and no advertising to be allowed by candidates or advocacy groups. Honest, open elections are absolutely essential. There must be a tamper proof voting system capable of being easily audited.
Franklin and Madison among other of the founding fathers feared the factions created by political parties and what they do to a country and their fears have proved to be well founded. There is no role for political parties guaranteed in the constitution, but now we need to take the step of eliminating them. Also, members of secret societies cannot be candidates nor be appointed to government positions.
Six year terms for Senators are too long, especially for those who turn out to be mediocre or incompetent, and should be changed to four year terms; while the term of two years for Members of the House of Representatives is too short in most instances to prove one's capabilities and needs to be lengthened to four years.
The legislative processes also need to be improved. Professional lobbying has to be banned and replaced with open forums to obtain input for new bills and to change existing ones. The accepting of gifts or favors of any kind should be considered a felony offense. The ability to add riders and earmarks to bills, secretly or otherwise, must be eliminated as well as any means to add pork barrel or items not pertaining to the bill.
There needs to be real accountability, fiduciary responsibility and merit reviews for these elected officials with severe punishment for breaking laws and abusing the public trust.
Lastly, all members of Congress have to devote fifty percent of their time in their respective districts with constituents learning about what is working, what isn't and what needs improvement. They need to also maintain their permanent residences within their own districts and temporary government housing should be provided for them in a government owned complex in Washington DC.
How can we change all this? How can we repair the damage? How can we get on the right path? We can't until the political processes change.
The first step needs to be the replacement of the electoral college system with a national election that ensures the principal of one person one vote. The electoral college has always been one of the founders' mistakes, which at best was a flawed elitist system that never guaranteed majority rule.
Then the primary system needs to be changed. There is no fairness in allowing a few small states to decide the candidates for the whole country and this system is less than likely to provide the best candidates. We need a single national system, with candidates for president and vice president running independently, that allows the entire country to participate in the process and results in the two top vote getters in each category being the candidates unless there is one candidate with a clear majority of the votes.
Voting is seen as a right and a privilege but voter turnout is shamefully low. Voting should be viewed as a citizen's obligation and be mandatory. There is no value in citizenship without responsibility.
Private financing of political campaigns must be eliminated. This will always result in politicians being controlled by those wealthy contributors with special interests like the petroleum and health care industries. Public financing and management of the campaigns are essential but the money must not be distributed to the candidates. It needs to be used to pay for designated forums which are scheduled during a campaign season not to exceed three months and available equally to all the candidates.
Campaigns must deal only with the issues, have truthfulness as a requirement, with candidacy revocation for lying or dirty tricks and no advertising to be allowed by candidates or advocacy groups. Honest, open elections are absolutely essential. There must be a tamper proof voting system capable of being easily audited.
Franklin and Madison among other of the founding fathers feared the factions created by political parties and what they do to a country and their fears have proved to be well founded. There is no role for political parties guaranteed in the constitution, but now we need to take the step of eliminating them. Also, members of secret societies cannot be candidates nor be appointed to government positions.
Six year terms for Senators are too long, especially for those who turn out to be mediocre or incompetent, and should be changed to four year terms; while the term of two years for Members of the House of Representatives is too short in most instances to prove one's capabilities and needs to be lengthened to four years.
The legislative processes also need to be improved. Professional lobbying has to be banned and replaced with open forums to obtain input for new bills and to change existing ones. The accepting of gifts or favors of any kind should be considered a felony offense. The ability to add riders and earmarks to bills, secretly or otherwise, must be eliminated as well as any means to add pork barrel or items not pertaining to the bill.
There needs to be real accountability, fiduciary responsibility and merit reviews for these elected officials with severe punishment for breaking laws and abusing the public trust.
Lastly, all members of Congress have to devote fifty percent of their time in their respective districts with constituents learning about what is working, what isn't and what needs improvement. They need to also maintain their permanent residences within their own districts and temporary government housing should be provided for them in a government owned complex in Washington DC.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Oil crisis or spending crisis?
As you can probably imagine, I have a problem with the mainstream media. I'm sitting here with a splitting headache watching more news coverage on how our economy is being negatively effected by oil prices. Alright, we get it. Oil is expensive. The problem I have is that the media refuses to deal with the root cause of why oil is so expensive.
Can anyone explain to me why I have yet to see any of the major news agencies report on the effects of a devalued dollar on the cost of a barrel of oil?
I did a Google search and could not find even one story from a major news outlet on this issue. I did find one in Car and Driver though. Are you kidding me? ABC, CBS and NBC are unwilling or unable to discuss this issue, but Csaba Csere from Car and Driver can?
It was interesting, he discussed in his article in May that the Euro was worth roughly 82 cents in 2000 and a barrel of oil was $30. In May the Euro was worth roughly $1.60 and a barrel of oil was $130. A barrel of oil has more than quadrupled in price since 2000 in dollars. At the same time, the price of a barrel of oil has only doubled in Euros. In other words, if our dollar had just maintained parity with the Euro over the past 8 years, we would be paying about $80 per barrel and gas would be less that $3 at the pump. This would still not be cheap, but a major improvement over $4 gas.
Now why is our dollar so devalued? Simply put, our government spends too much money. If we don't demand our leaders balance their budget and start to pay down our debt, the dollar will continue to plummet in value. We are $9,000,000,000,000 in debt. We are in debt to the tune of $30,0000 for every man, woman and child in this country. Guess what? Its time to discuss this problem folks!
God Bless America,
Erik
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Can anyone explain to me why I have yet to see any of the major news agencies report on the effects of a devalued dollar on the cost of a barrel of oil?
I did a Google search and could not find even one story from a major news outlet on this issue. I did find one in Car and Driver though. Are you kidding me? ABC, CBS and NBC are unwilling or unable to discuss this issue, but Csaba Csere from Car and Driver can?
It was interesting, he discussed in his article in May that the Euro was worth roughly 82 cents in 2000 and a barrel of oil was $30. In May the Euro was worth roughly $1.60 and a barrel of oil was $130. A barrel of oil has more than quadrupled in price since 2000 in dollars. At the same time, the price of a barrel of oil has only doubled in Euros. In other words, if our dollar had just maintained parity with the Euro over the past 8 years, we would be paying about $80 per barrel and gas would be less that $3 at the pump. This would still not be cheap, but a major improvement over $4 gas.
Now why is our dollar so devalued? Simply put, our government spends too much money. If we don't demand our leaders balance their budget and start to pay down our debt, the dollar will continue to plummet in value. We are $9,000,000,000,000 in debt. We are in debt to the tune of $30,0000 for every man, woman and child in this country. Guess what? Its time to discuss this problem folks!
God Bless America,
Erik
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Does it really matter if the candidates "go negative?"
If I see another news report discussing the negativity of our political campaigns I think I may scream. Two things. Do we think this is new? Does it matter?
Negative attacks are as old as our nation. It is up to us to decide what is relevant and what to believe. I'm sure George Washington was bashed although he just led our nation to victory against the British. If he wasn't exempt from negative press, why should McCain and Obama have an expectation of exemption? This is way our founding fathers wanted it to be. Freedom of speech and the press were so important to them they ware listed in the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Another thing, I don't believe that Obama pointing out McCain was in Congress for 26 years while gas prices have gone from under a buck to $4/gallon is negative. Nor do I believe that McCain pointing out Obama become the biggest celebrity in the world is negative. Both points are fact. Neither is important to the issues, they are complete spin, but both are true. Can facts be negative?
Do these "negative" adds mean anything? Unfortunately yes. They take us away from real issues and important discussions that need to be had. Our voters are so terribly uninformed that they grab onto these adds like they are gospel. We live in a nation that has become so uneducated most of us cannot connect the dots. George Carlin once asked us to think about how stupid the average person is, and then remember half of them are dumber than that! Scary?
What can we do? We can educate ourselves and our circles of influence. If we are successful in doing so, it would be significantly tougher for spin doctors to throw garbage our way for us to digest. Read history books. Read newspapers that both agree and disagree with your perspectives. (I read the NY Times, CNN.com and MoveOn.org daily.) Open a dialogue with a friend, family member or even a complete stranger. Make education a priority in your life and maybe things will start to turn around.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Negative attacks are as old as our nation. It is up to us to decide what is relevant and what to believe. I'm sure George Washington was bashed although he just led our nation to victory against the British. If he wasn't exempt from negative press, why should McCain and Obama have an expectation of exemption? This is way our founding fathers wanted it to be. Freedom of speech and the press were so important to them they ware listed in the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Another thing, I don't believe that Obama pointing out McCain was in Congress for 26 years while gas prices have gone from under a buck to $4/gallon is negative. Nor do I believe that McCain pointing out Obama become the biggest celebrity in the world is negative. Both points are fact. Neither is important to the issues, they are complete spin, but both are true. Can facts be negative?
Do these "negative" adds mean anything? Unfortunately yes. They take us away from real issues and important discussions that need to be had. Our voters are so terribly uninformed that they grab onto these adds like they are gospel. We live in a nation that has become so uneducated most of us cannot connect the dots. George Carlin once asked us to think about how stupid the average person is, and then remember half of them are dumber than that! Scary?
What can we do? We can educate ourselves and our circles of influence. If we are successful in doing so, it would be significantly tougher for spin doctors to throw garbage our way for us to digest. Read history books. Read newspapers that both agree and disagree with your perspectives. (I read the NY Times, CNN.com and MoveOn.org daily.) Open a dialogue with a friend, family member or even a complete stranger. Make education a priority in your life and maybe things will start to turn around.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Its Interesting...
When I made my first post to this blog three days ago I was wondering specifically about two things. First, I wondered if I would feel better getting some thoughts down in writing. Second, I wondered if there were others out there who were frustrated for the same reasons.
Well, I do feel better because there are others out there, equally frustrated and with something intelligent to say. A friend of mine who I have not spoken to in years wrote me about the lack of foresight and initiative from our leadership with regards to global problems.
His e-mail got me thinking, the true purpose of this blog is to talk about the issues, how they impact our lives and what our "leaders" our doing to impact those issues to better our existence. I know what issues are important to me, but please send me and e-mail with the issues you all feel are important to discuss. I am always excited to learn about different perspectives and hope you all will honor me with your opinions, even if you feel I will disagree.
By the way, the Market was up 300+ points, oil fell below $120 and the fed held pat on rates. This is a good day, but make no mistake about it, poor leadership got us into this mess and we have a long way to go. It is now on us to impose our will on our "leaders" and reminding them that this is a government OF, FOR and BY the people.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
PS- If you are not following this story already, please take time to read about a situation in San Francisco that is out of control. Sanctuary cities must be dealt with soon or we all may end up like this.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/20/MNK011MAFR.DTL
Well, I do feel better because there are others out there, equally frustrated and with something intelligent to say. A friend of mine who I have not spoken to in years wrote me about the lack of foresight and initiative from our leadership with regards to global problems.
His e-mail got me thinking, the true purpose of this blog is to talk about the issues, how they impact our lives and what our "leaders" our doing to impact those issues to better our existence. I know what issues are important to me, but please send me and e-mail with the issues you all feel are important to discuss. I am always excited to learn about different perspectives and hope you all will honor me with your opinions, even if you feel I will disagree.
By the way, the Market was up 300+ points, oil fell below $120 and the fed held pat on rates. This is a good day, but make no mistake about it, poor leadership got us into this mess and we have a long way to go. It is now on us to impose our will on our "leaders" and reminding them that this is a government OF, FOR and BY the people.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
PS- If you are not following this story already, please take time to read about a situation in San Francisco that is out of control. Sanctuary cities must be dealt with soon or we all may end up like this.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/20/MNK011MAFR.DTL
Makes you think...Author Unknown
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner.
The bill for all ten comes to one-hundred dollars. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men, the poorest, would pay nothing;
The fifth would pay one dollar;
The sixth would pay three dollars;
The seventh seven dollars;
The eighth twelve dollars;
The ninth eighteen dollars.
The tenth man, the richest, would pay fifty-nine dollars.
That's what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by twenty dollars."
So now dinner for the ten only cost eighty dollars. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes.
The first four men were unaffected. They still would eat for free. But what about the other six, the paying customers? How could they divvy up the twenty dollar windfall so that everyone would get their "fair share"?
The six men realized that twenty divided by six is 3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would end up being "paid" to eat their meal.
The restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same percentage, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
The fifth man paid nothing, the sixth man pitched in two dollars, the seventh man paid five dollars, the eighth man paid nine dollars, the ninth paid twelve dollars, leaving the tenth man with a bill of fifty-two dollars instead of his earlier fifty-nine dollars.
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the twenty." declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth. "But he got seven."
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man, "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got seven times more than me."
"That's true!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get seven dollars back when I only got two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They were fifty-two dollars short.
The bill for all ten comes to one-hundred dollars. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men, the poorest, would pay nothing;
The fifth would pay one dollar;
The sixth would pay three dollars;
The seventh seven dollars;
The eighth twelve dollars;
The ninth eighteen dollars.
The tenth man, the richest, would pay fifty-nine dollars.
That's what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by twenty dollars."
So now dinner for the ten only cost eighty dollars. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes.
The first four men were unaffected. They still would eat for free. But what about the other six, the paying customers? How could they divvy up the twenty dollar windfall so that everyone would get their "fair share"?
The six men realized that twenty divided by six is 3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would end up being "paid" to eat their meal.
The restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same percentage, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
The fifth man paid nothing, the sixth man pitched in two dollars, the seventh man paid five dollars, the eighth man paid nine dollars, the ninth paid twelve dollars, leaving the tenth man with a bill of fifty-two dollars instead of his earlier fifty-nine dollars.
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the twenty." declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth. "But he got seven."
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man, "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got seven times more than me."
"That's true!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get seven dollars back when I only got two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They were fifty-two dollars short.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Links
- In case you want to read about how a tire gauge can save us money at the pump. http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1829354,00.html?cnn=yes
- Story on Nancy Pelosi interview on ABC's "This Week" from Sunday. http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/08/03/stephanopoulos-pelosi-why-no-or-down-vote-drilling
- Story on Barak's Strategic Petroleum Reserve policy shift. http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/04/obama-ad-windfall-tax/
Have you put air in your tires today?
Before I get into my rant I would like to thank all of you who have had such encouraging words about the site. There is much functionality that needs to be improved, but with your help I'm confident that we can make this site better and reach the audience we need to hear his message.
Since I blogged on Obama, oil and tax bribes yesterday, I was going to shift attention to McCain some of his policies. However, when the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party makes a announcement that he is going to call for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to be tapped to the tune of 70 million barrels just days after saying that we just need to put air in our tires to solve our energy problem, I felt compelled to talk on that.
The SPR has been amassed over several decades to protect us against cataclysmic events, such as Hurricane Katrina. It is there to be used when the country is in dire need; in serious trouble. I understand that $4 gas is a problem that must be dealt with, but at this point that price has not reached crisis level. I for one am unwilling to accept that cheaper gas is worth putting the security of this great nation in peril. In fact on July 7 Obama himself, in opposition to Speaker Pelosi, was quoted as saying "I have said and in fact supported a congressional resolution that said we should suspend putting more oil into the strategic oil reserve but the strategic oil reserve I think has to be reserved for a genuine emergency."
What "genuine emergency" have we faced since July 7? Oil futures were at $141 then and the are $121 today. I would think that trend represents something quite different than a "genuine emergency."
The only "genuine emergency" I see here is that Obama is now running Nancy Pelosi's playbook! God help us all.
God Bless America,
Erik
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Since I blogged on Obama, oil and tax bribes yesterday, I was going to shift attention to McCain some of his policies. However, when the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party makes a announcement that he is going to call for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to be tapped to the tune of 70 million barrels just days after saying that we just need to put air in our tires to solve our energy problem, I felt compelled to talk on that.
The SPR has been amassed over several decades to protect us against cataclysmic events, such as Hurricane Katrina. It is there to be used when the country is in dire need; in serious trouble. I understand that $4 gas is a problem that must be dealt with, but at this point that price has not reached crisis level. I for one am unwilling to accept that cheaper gas is worth putting the security of this great nation in peril. In fact on July 7 Obama himself, in opposition to Speaker Pelosi, was quoted as saying "I have said and in fact supported a congressional resolution that said we should suspend putting more oil into the strategic oil reserve but the strategic oil reserve I think has to be reserved for a genuine emergency."
What "genuine emergency" have we faced since July 7? Oil futures were at $141 then and the are $121 today. I would think that trend represents something quite different than a "genuine emergency."
The only "genuine emergency" I see here is that Obama is now running Nancy Pelosi's playbook! God help us all.
God Bless America,
Erik
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Legalized bribery?
I'm watching CNN this morning (don't worry, I'll watch Fox News Sunday later) and they are running a recent Obama speach on the economy and taxes. He said that if he is elected he will put $1000 in the form of a "emergency energy rebate" in the pockets of 95% of Americans. Interesting. I don't know about you, but I could certainly find a use for that $1000. Better still, he plans on paying for this "rebate" by taxing the windfall profits of oil companies!
One problem, this sounds like Obama is trying to buy my vote. Is there any other way to look at this proposal. The Messiah is outright telling 95% of the population if they vote for him he will give you $1000. Does anyone else have a problem with this?
Sure, nobody likes the oil companies and we need to get a handle on our energy policy. I get it, $4 gas is a problem. However, if we do not question this tactic, what's next?
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
One problem, this sounds like Obama is trying to buy my vote. Is there any other way to look at this proposal. The Messiah is outright telling 95% of the population if they vote for him he will give you $1000. Does anyone else have a problem with this?
Sure, nobody likes the oil companies and we need to get a handle on our energy policy. I get it, $4 gas is a problem. However, if we do not question this tactic, what's next?
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Saturday, August 2, 2008
First post!
Well, here goes nothing. Or something. I'm fed up. I am sick of federal, state and local government politicians and bureaucrats advancing their agendas at the expense of most of the citizens of this great nation. I think it's high time we do something about our defective government. If you bought a defective product from a business would you keep it and say "oh well?" Definitely not. You would either return it all together or exchange it for a product that will do the job.
Returning our government officials and politicians is not prudent, practical or possible. Exchanging them is necessary. The founding fathers gave us the best system of government ever established. However, our officials have corrupted this great system and have put all of our futures at risk.
In the coming weeks/months/years I will be building this site and blogging with the intention of educating us all to the damages of our officials and politicians. My goal is to create enough voter support to cause all sitting incumbents to lose their next election and exchange them all. Maybe then they will see we are serious about making sure they execute OUR agenda, not THEIR agenda.
If you disagree with my views, it is your right and I would enjoy the debate if you would honor me with the opportunity. If you agree with my views and have perspectives to add please send them to me.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
Returning our government officials and politicians is not prudent, practical or possible. Exchanging them is necessary. The founding fathers gave us the best system of government ever established. However, our officials have corrupted this great system and have put all of our futures at risk.
In the coming weeks/months/years I will be building this site and blogging with the intention of educating us all to the damages of our officials and politicians. My goal is to create enough voter support to cause all sitting incumbents to lose their next election and exchange them all. Maybe then they will see we are serious about making sure they execute OUR agenda, not THEIR agenda.
If you disagree with my views, it is your right and I would enjoy the debate if you would honor me with the opportunity. If you agree with my views and have perspectives to add please send them to me.
God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com
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