Sunday, December 26, 2010

Chicago Politics

Politics in Chicago is a national trite which brought huge talks between people all the time that started before many years. The politics in Chicago is a one party system which dominates the nation when it comes for ruling. But that domination will be democratic political tool that brings all democracy during the election period. This happens all over the world. The politics in Chicago right from 19th century till now has faced many changes. The politics that took place in 1890's was a practice of Republicans who appointed their own group or the followers. Here comes a brief description about the politics in Chicago in various periods.


1907 - 1931


Later in 1913 the women entered in the Chicago politics. This entry of women was brought as a law in Illinois in the year 1913. The Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson thought of appointing a woman for the public welfare work in 1915.

So he decided to appoint a woman who has more experience as the party worker than knowing better about the public welfare. So Louise Rowe was appointed but forcefully resigned in a year due to the kickback scheme that came into existence in the welfare department. None of the Mayor was charged for their illegal works except for Fred Busse who was charged for his illegal work of acquiring the money from the government, distributing jobs and for distributing coal from his own company for getting votes from the people to elect him.

1933 - 1955


In the beginning every Mayor were honest in their work but in later years many of them were charged due to the illegal work they did and due to the failure of taking actions in various department. Likewise Mayor Ed Kelly was charged for his bribery work that he did during the years 1933 to 1947.

Ed Kelly was indulged in kickback schemes and for the bribery actions and later the charge on him was dropped. Later again in the year 1947 Mayor Martin Kennelly was elected. He took actions on several problems like he cleaned the school system completely then brought a modernized practice in the city but failed to take action on the police who were supporting the political influence for many illegal jobs.

1955 - 1983


Later in 1955 the city had a good growth financially and brought many schemes in the welfare of the people and the city as well. Even though many schemes were brought the school system faced many problems forcing the teachers to go for a strike for various reasons. All these problems were due to the funding problems that the Chicago government failed to issue. In 1979 Chicago people elected a woman as the Mayor which bought a revolutionary change in Chicago politics. Jane Byrne was the only woman mayor who was elected by the people of Chicago.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Students' Involvement in Politics

In our world today, students are more and more interested in political issues, thus, it's not uncommon to find some of youths avtively participate in politics. Many students even have expressed loyalty to or enrol themselves in their interested political parties. So how these participations of students can effect the political future and other social issues in the short term and long term perspectives.


 


A primary distinction must be made here between politics as active participation in political movements and the study of political science. The latter is an academic subject and involves the study of the administrative systems of different countries, the formation of political parties, different judiciary systems, etc. Political science, therefore, is a theoretical study of political systems. Politics means the formation of political parties and their active participation in the administration of a country.

This involves organizing political meetings, canvassing for elections and the manipulation of people for political gains.

 


The participation of students in politics has certain drawbacks. The main occupation of students should be the pursuit of their respective courses of study. All their time and energy should be used in this activity. It is only in this way that they can secure their own individual futures and thereby safeguard the future of the nation. Participation in politics means a huge waste of this precious time and energy.


 


Although politics may be beneficial in some ways students would be well-advised to stay well away from politics. Their main business is to concern themselves with studies.

By doing so they can do the most good for themselves with studies. By doing so they can do the most good for themselves as well as for the nation.

 

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Telangana Report Is Political

The 5-member Srikrishna Committee report on the question of a separate statehood for Telangana has come out on the expected lines. There are no suprises in the list of options recommended by the panel headed for Justice Srikrishna. Of the six options, the least favourable, as suggested by the panel itself, is maintaining a status quo. I think, maintaining status quo will again throw the entire region into clashes, arson and bloodshed. The panel has fuelled at the same time the aspirations of Rayalaseema region by giving them some fodder to give a shape to their agitation (that has not begun yet) for a demanding a separate political identity. 

The five intelligent men also gave the people of Rayalaseema an option to either go with Telangana or with Andhra and be part of Rayala-Telangana or Seemaandhra! This is the most baffling option to me.

It reminds me of the British design that gave some 562 princely states of united India an option to go either with Pakistan or join the union of India in 1947, when most of the states naturally thought themselves a part of the country; thereby giving them an option to go separate and nourish their narrow political aspirations, if any. The wise men should have thought otherwise this time around.

To me, the question before the panel was whether a separate state of Telangan will fulfill the needs and aspirations of people living in the resource rich region. The problem of Telangana is the problem of all those, who demanded or are demanding a separate state for themselves. But, instead of focusing on people and the depravity that they have suffered under the present political set up, the committee seems to have acted with an aim to satisfy the political groups that have been nourishing their own ambitions as they have failed to capture power in united Andhra Pradesh.

This does not augur good for the people who have genuine hope with attached to the creation of Telangana. They may well be on the path of their brethren in Uttarakhan, Jharkhand and neighbouring Chhattisgarh, where people are still deprived even after ten years of the creation of states they fought for. The Committee led by a former supreme court justice should have focussed on these issues to expose the detrimental political designs of the rulers or potential rulers. Rather, it has supplied various groups six bags of political fodder to masticate. It has also created confusion among the protagonists of separate Telangana as to what to do? Which option to go for? 

To sum up, the Srikrishna committee has not delivered what was expected of it. It seems to have dealt with the political tug of war both in New Delhi and Hyderabad.

http://sindhustan.blogspot.com/

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Cutting Through the Politics

Politics in the workplace is a fact of life. If you don't like it, get over it, or quit. Organizations are made up of people and nobody is perfect. People see from their perceptions and often have conflicting goals and objectives. Because of these factors, it's inevitable that politics will surface in companies of all sizes making it important for aspiring executives to understand that building cohesive working relationships is essential for anyone looking to advance. Here are a few tips to help with managing the political part of being an executive.


Budget time for relationship building. Politics does not mean sucking up. It means taking the time to cultivate interpersonal relationships with key people inside the organization. People promote people they know, like, and respect. Taking the time to get to know the players in the company allows them to get to know you and allows you to learn what's important to them.

Communication is key!

Interact with the different departments and identify the key people. This does not always mean top management, but individuals with the reputations for getting things done.


Learn to give in order to get. People who are good at building relationships understand that being an advocate for others is important in the relationship building process. People who are only interested in themselves are less likely to develop contacts willing to help them.


Be proactive and seek out other people. This may be much more difficult for introverts who feel more comfortable working alone, but it's important. Don't think the communication game many of us have played in grade school isn't alive and well at most companies. People see from their perceptions and have differing agendas.

Talking to key constituents allows you the opportunity to gain information while also helping control how people perceive you.

Develop coalitions in the workplace. Effective leaders have the ability to rally people behind their mission and objectives. Understanding the viewpoints of others through coalitions makes it easier to lead.


Be sincere in your relationship building efforts. Be a phony and nobody will trust you. Demonstrate that you actually care about people and begin building trust. Listen to those you work with each day. Empathy is important. It enables you to understand and appreciate the values and feelings of others.


Managing politics is about working with people. Successful people skills means good communication skills and high emotional intelligence. Master these skills and learn that they're also useful in networking, business development, recruiting, and employee retention.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Political Corruption?

Lobbyist should have the right to make signs, march and protest. Outlaw a lobbyists and corporate contributions to political candidates, it should be possible? Is it really the Corporation's fault for a corrupt government? After all, if you do not play the game in Washington, DC and support through political contributions the political infrastructure then you will be slaughtered by your competition.


 


It is a sleazy world of politics out there but that is the reality of the current situation. If we disallow corporations to make political contributions and force all the corporations to deal in the free market on a level playing field that would make our corporations more efficient and due to free markets this would be better for customers and consumers as well. Of course we would have to deregulate as well.


 


If corporations do not give money to corrupt politicians then only wealthy politicians can run for office, as who else will fund them.

Only those who have a big war chest can win an election because they can overpower common sense with mass media advertising. And if corporations cannot donate money to political campaigns fanned the media will own the world because they will decide, who gets elected by giving them more airtime.

 


There is a huge problem in the world with corruption and unfortunately it permeates our own government. The United States of America is the greatest country ever created in the history of mankind and although it is the most fair it is still corrupt.


 


All governments are corrupt and the United States government is just the least corrupt.

But we still need to recognize the fact that it is not perfect. Unfortunately there's also no perfect solution. However I ask you to think on this political and philosophical thought for a moment and consider this in 2006.

 

Saturday, November 13, 2010

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Saturday, November 6, 2010

Women in American Politics

The role of women in the history of politics in the U.S has undoubtedly been increasing over the years. A lot has been done by women themselves in this regard. Women have actually proven that they are not lesser beings intellectually. As a matter, if one were to look back to the time when politics was a no go zone for women, one might even wonder; how did people even survive? Women have a natural predisposition to nurturing due to their motherly instincts; something that is absolutely necessary for the good of any country, and indeed for the whole of humanity. As we speak, women in the U.S. hold several high offices. There are more women in the congress and the senate today, than at any other time in history. However, one question that one might ask is; can we do better? Are we ready for a woman in the ‘big seat?' That no woman has ever occupied the great office in so many decades in the history of the states is a very worrying thing.

True democracy ensues from convictions of the intellect. It must flow from the heart. Now if no woman has ever reigned in the states, can we say that we have reached the threshold of democracy yet? Is it true that the top job belongs to the boys? Here we look at the trends of women involvement in the politics of the United States and whether these trends point to a ‘happy ever after.'
Women in Politics

To have an idea of where we are, we must critically re-evaluate our past. We must put aside all irrational decisions made in the past, in order to come up with a country that future generations will celebrate.


A major irrationality that prevailed in the past was the thought that women could not vote. This was informed by the patristic thinking of the early days. Perhaps nature is also to blame in this unfortunate thing. This is because politics in the past were not a simple contest. It sometimes became bloody, and of course women were ‘weak.' One thing that men succeeded in doing for a long time was convincing women that they are inferior. The biological structure was at the service of men. This has informed decisions in political lives of many, not just in the United States but in the whole world.


If the rights of individuals are dictated by gender, someone is likely to be exploited. The rights of women for a very long time, until recently actually, were limited. Men had decided that only they could determine who ruled America. Of course not all men were allowed to vote, only men who were white (Hughes and Paxton, 2009). As a matter of fact even this came through an evolution. At one time it was only aristocrats, who of course were white, who had these rights.


The battle for a place in society for women has been a long one. It had already started in the reign of Jackson Andrew. Women during this time had begun fighting for their rights (Hughes, 2007). Even though in many ways they didn't succeed at the time, they at least were allowed to express their concerns. This set the stage for what we have today; women with a voice. At the time women were fighting for rights such as the ending of slave trade, the right to determine themselves, the right to some freedoms, and the end of property as a requirement to vote. Women succeeded in ‘death sentence as punishment for rape.'


Elizabeth C. Stanton wrote what she called the Declaration of Sentiments in 1848 which was echoed as a major step towards equality. This was actually informed by the disparities in the declaration of independence, and was thus seen as a great achievement for women (Karlson, 2002). The people who championed these causes were mainly women.


During World War I, women got a taste of employment, albeit a better one, because many of them found jobs in the military. When war was dispensed with, women were back to their old roles of taking care of families. Those who could still found jobs were given lower salaries than men in the same jobs. This was tough for women, and for the first time, women wanted some fairness (McGerr, 1990). A movement that was founded to address the issues related to women was already up. Women eventually succeeded in getting the Equal Pay Act set in 1963. From then on everyone was supposed to be treated not on the basis of sex, but on what one could do. It was not so long ago when there existed facilities like hotels, clubs and other organizations where women were excluded. Blacks were also excluded. While giving his acceptance speech, President Barrack Obama gave an example of this when he mentioned that less than twenty years ago, his father was not allowed into a restaurant because he was black.


This faced severe opposition and criticism. Strikes and protests became common within women circles. Eventually places like these were made common to all.


In 1971, an important chapter in women's political space was opened. This was the year that the organization for women's political affairs was founded. The National Women's Political Caucus was meant to ensure that women got enough education in order to have an equal ground in political endeavors. The organization does through workshops, and fundraising for women candidates. This organization is also responsible for ensuring that the best female candidates go through into leadership positions in government.


Despite the granting of the voting right in 1920, the voting trends were all in favor of males. Only in 1994, did we have more than two women in the Senate; a clear indication that women have really had a long unrelenting struggle. In the congress the story was the same.


In the elections that saw Barrack Obama elected president, there were two key women in those campaigns: Hilary Clinton, and Sarah Parlin. Clinton attempted to run for the top job, and she got incredible support one must say, considering the previous male dominated voting trends. This is an indication that many Americans have already changed their perceptions about women. It is quite possible actually, that in the next polls, a woman candidate will be given the mandate to lead this mighty nation. A lot of ground work still needs to be done for this to be realized though.


Amazingly, women form over fifty percent of all voters. Why do they not produce a female candidate and give her their support? Are women quite convinced that they can actually lead? Why did they not vote for their own? (Center for American Women and Politics, 2009)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The Global Warming Politics

The Global Warming Politics have involved many different political debate, policy designs, and legislation involving the science of global warming and the response to global warming. The war of political words has involved many different governmental bodies, scientific organizations, and special interests groups. Most English speaking countries have supported the action to help limit global warming. The predicted effects of global warming are way too much to pass by which is why the governments of many countries have combined forces to help stop global warming. The war on global warming is an endless battle. The possible outcomes are frightening so we as people must help as much as possible.


The most noticeable change because of global warming politics occurred on December 11th 1997 with the creation of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol from the international Framework Convention on Climate Chance that intends to help reduce greenhouse gases that causes change in climate.

The Kyoto Protocol became into effect on February 16th 2005. Since late 2007 one hundred and seventy five parties have ratified the protocol. However, only thirty six developed countries are actually required to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to the levels required for each country in the treaty. There are three other countries that are predicted to participate soon.

While the global warming politics have made major improvements in the war against global warming there is still much more to do. The Labor party in Australia has ratified the Kyoto Protocol however it just went into effect in March of 2008. The Liberal Party government of Canada has ratified the protocol.

New Zealand's Labour government of Helen Clark ratified the Kyoto Protocol. The Labour Party of the United Kingdom has also ratified the Kyoto Protocol. In the United States Bill Clinton's Democratic Administration has signed the Kyoto Protocol. Many democrats have support a number of the bills that mitigate emissions. However, The Democratic Congress has never voted on whether or not the United States is bound to the treaty.

The global warming politics have long debated whether or not global warming is really all that dangerous. Many countries are fighting to take strong action against global warming. Others have disputed the scientific consensus on global warming or simply refuse action to mitigate global warming. In February of 2007 surveys discovered that ninety five percent of the forty one Congressional Democrats agreed that Earth's surface is warming because of man made problems while only thirteen percent of the thirty one Republicans who were surveyed agreed. Skepticism about global warming includes many newspapers in the United Kingdom and a few in Canada.


The global warming politics battle on to determine what to do to stop carbon emissions. While the United States has never officially agreed to be required to reduce emissions one hundred and ninety five cities in the United States have committed to reducing carbon emissions to seven percentages below the levels of 1990. That is over fifty million Americans committing to the cause. California, the world's sixth largest economy, committed in 2005 to reducing the emissions of 2000 levels by the year 2010. It is estimated that by 2020 if California's automotive standards were implemented nationwide drivers should save up to twenty six billion dollars a year.


The global warming politics are always debating and trying to implement new methods of stopping global warming. The nasty after effects of global warming almost always end with death and destruction. If it is true that we as humans are the cause of global warming we must do all we can to help the governments stop or at least delay global warming. We must take action before it is too late. Many skeptics believe that the effects of global warming will one day lead to the end of the world. Whether or not that is true nobody really knows. However, with such a shocking statement being said we must work hard along side the politics to prevent that from ever happening.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Independent California Political Parties

With voter frustration in California at an all time high, citizens have begun to look at what else is out there other than the two mainstream California political parties.  An independent California political party can offer something outside of the normal and outside the control of special interest groups.  An independent California political party may just be the remedy for this ailing state that is being chocked by gridlock and selective representation.  This past November election had several independents run for California Governor. Here are some options out there to consider during the next elections.
 
 
Libertarian Party. The political platform of the Libertarian Party favors minimal government in both business and the private lives of citizens.   They promote relatively unregulated markets, support strong civil liberties, and individual property rights.  The party is big on fiscal responsibility and never spending more than the state takes in.  They are in support of large scale government cut backs including reducing pensions, scaling back social services, and laying off of various types of state workers.
 
 
Green Party. This California political party platform consists of grass roots social change without the involvement of special interests and corporate money.  There is a strong commitment to environmental justice.  They promote ecologically sound principles when it comes to basic living as well as business development and state infrastructure.  Their economic polices focus on decentralized government with an emphasis on community based economic development.  The party is a major proponent of renewable energy and the promotion of the new California “Green Economy” where they favor government incentives for such businesses.
 
 
American Independent Party.  The party is heavily faith based and believes in constitutional principles and social conservatism.  They rally around tight immigration control, rights to bear arms, same sex marriage, pro life policies, and home schooling. Their business policies revolve around building a local manufacturing and production base that will reduce reliance on foreign imports.  They feel the average California has been long over taxed and propose major tax reform that will significantly reduce state income tax. They also feel that the California state legislature should function as a part-time entity.
 
 
Peace and Freedom Party.  As a California political party that emphasis worker rights, the party supports democratic socialism that offers an economic partnership run by state owned enterprises and private companies.  Social justice is heavily tied to work rights and regulation on economic exploitation.   They also promote a strong social safety net along with social services through the increase or corporate taxes.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Historical Political Quotes, Contemporary Political Crises

A little quiz on quotes relating to politics in America, try to figure out who said it and when they said it:

1) In reference to why political parties have lost the confidence of the public: "Their machinery of intrigue, their shuffling evasions, the dodges. the chicanery, and the deception of their leaders have excited universal disgust, and have created a general readiness in the public mind for any new organization that shall promise to shun their vices."

2) Also in reference to why political parties have lost the confidence of the public: people "saw parties without any...difference contending for power, for the sake of power. They saw politics made a profession, and public plunder an employment. They beheld our public works the plaything of a rotten dynasty, enriching gamblers, and purchasing power at our expense."

3) "It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except for Congress."

4) "The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employees, the special interests.

An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy."

5)"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies."

6) "An election cannot give the country a firm sense of direction if it has two or more national parties which merely have different names but are as alike in their principles and aims as two peas in a pod."

Great quotes, all of them. Unfortunately, it seems as if we are living everyone one of them today. The interesting thing is that these quotes are quite historical, not contemporary:

1) According to the Real Politics website, this quote was from the book, "The Origins of the Republican Party" by William E. Gienapp and the quote is dated from 1855. The New York Times called it "dodges", today we call it "spin doctoring." The Times called it "universal disgust," we call it having Congressional approval ratings around only 20%. The Times called it "chicanery", we call it a variety of names including earmarks and outright corruption. It is remarkable how closely a quote from 155 years ago captures the nightmare we are living through today with our political class.

2) This quote is also from the Gienapp, also from 1855, and it appeared in the New York Evening Post. This also captures our current state of political affairs. We also see most of our politicians vying only for power, not for the opportunity to make the country better. With their high salaries, great benefits, many, many perks, our current day politicians fit the Post's description that politicians "saw politics made a profession, and public plunder an employment." Without term limits, our politicians see being elected not as a service to the nation but as a life time job. And their gerrymandering Congressional districts, rigging campaign finance laws, and handing out taxpayer dollars as earmarks allows them to ensure perpetual re-election, regardless of the quality of their work.

3) This third quote is from Mark Twain and is obviously well over a hundred years old. However, even back then he realized that the power allocated to politicians many times results in outright criminal behavior. Congressmen Traficant, Jefferson, Cunningham and other Congressional politicians have served time due to their corrupt and unlawful behavior while in office. How many former Illinois governors have either served prison time, are currently serving time, or are aggressively trying not to serve prison time? Charles Rangel and Maxine Walters, two current members of Congress, are likely to face a House Of Representatives trial within the next few months on ethics and corruption charges. The House ethics office has investigated or is currently investigating potential crimes by other members of Congress. The more you list out what has happened to our contemporary politicians, you marvel at how right Mark Twain may have been way back when.

4) This quote is from Woodrow Wiilson who said it early in the last century. At that time, he realized the influence that non-voting entities can and do have on government functions and corruption. Wilson called them "special  interests," we call them lobbyists.

5) My source attributed this quote to Groucho Marx and is likely more than fifty years old also. Back then, even comedians like Groucho recognized that politicians were not any good at identifying the root causes of problems, if a problem even existed, and then putting together a coherent, efficient and cost effective plan to solve that problem. Our politicians are no different: 
Nixon declared War On Drugs in the 1960s and we are no closer today to having a coherent national drug strategy and policy than the day he declared war.
Carter muddled through the oil crises in the 1970s and we are no closer to having a coherent, national energy strategy and policy than we were when we waited in long lines at gas stations.
Reagan identified the problems with public education with a Presidential Commission in 1983 and 27 years later, U.S. public schools badly trail many, many other nations in the education of their children.
Clinton presided through numerous terrorist attacks including the first World Trade Center bombing and the African embassy bombings and never came up with a coherent terror defense policy and strategy, resulting in the death of almost 3,000 Americans on 9-11.
Over the years over 10 million illegal aliens have come across our borders with no politician able to come up with a coherent immigration strategy and plan.

Unfortunately, Groucho was right back then and he would be right today if he saw the incompetence of today's politicians.

6) This last quote is from Franklin Delano Roosevelt and is at least 65 years old. When you really come down to it, are the Republican politicians much different from the Democrats? Sure they pick their friends and identify their enemies, e.g. Republicans are generally pro-life and pro-guns while Democrats are generally pro-choice and anti-guns. But when you look at their records, neither party has accomplished much of anything positive over the past fifty years. Just look at what we listed above under Groucho's quote: no solutions to the drug, immigration, terrorist, public school and energy problems. The only reason they pick their friends is to get money to finance their constant re-election, not to solve any meaningful problems.

While Obama the candidate promised change you can believe in, Obama the President is hardly any different than Bush. Obama drew down U.S. forces in Iraq but it was on the timetable Bush established. Bush set up the terrorist prison in Guantanamo and so far, Obama has kept it open. Our border still leaks illegal immigrants and we still have no new policy or plan for energy or public schooling. Bush enacted the Patriot Act and Obama basically rubber stamped its renewal. Gay rights are no further along under Obama than under Bush and the amount of earmarks in our national budget is as high under Obama as under Bush. The only significant difference between Bush and Obama is that the Obama administration has run up spending deficits orders of magnitude higher than Bush.

This is why the whole area of U.S. politics can get so depressing. The incompetence and corruption we face today appears to have been going on for a long, long time. The only difference may be is that government is so much larger, wasteful, and intrusive then it was in 1855 or when Twain, Roosevelt, Marx, and Wilson spoke their quotes above. That is why we need to find a way to start shrinking the size of government immediately in order to start cutting back on the corruption and waste that apparently is inherent in the genes of all politicians:


Step 1 - start the government shrinkage process by reducing all government functions and budgets by 10% a year for the next five years.
Step 2 - aggressively step up fraud and corruption activities in all government areas, hopefully including the investigation of fraud and corruption from our elected officials.
Step 3 - implement term limits for all politicians in order to avoid the problem discussed in the Post quote above, i.e. politics should not be a profession, it should be a temporary calling and service calling.
Steps 4 - set up intelligent problem solving processes to systematically attack and solve the problems that politicians have been unable to solve with their own capabilities and intelligence including drugs, energy, schooling, and immigration.

Hopefully by implementing these steps we will eventually end up with contemporary solutions to our problems and finally put to rest the historically pessimistic view of our political class.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Political Action Or Political Maneuvering?

Nine days ago, John McCain (as well as the Bush administration), was proclaiming the soundness of the fundamentals of our economy. A few days later, after realizing his political blunder, John McCain, dropped his "sound economy" argument and started blaming the corporate heads of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Obama for the economic mess. Today, John McCain, has suspended his campaign and is headed to Washington to make sure the economy, which was supposedly "sound," gets fixed.


During this time, Obama, has remained relaxed and consistent in his comments about the dire state of the economy. Obama, just today, took it on himself to contact McCain and suggest that they come to an agreement on this issue and draw up a joint statement of solidarity, which McCain agreed to. Just after his contact with Obama, McCain, suddenly announced that he was suspending his campaign and wanted to cancel the presidential debate on Friday night.

Then, just this afternoon, Bush, invited McCain and Obama, as well as other republican and democratic leaders, to meet with him to discuss the economy and his bailout plan. Why didn't Bush invite McCain and Obama, as well as the others, to discuss this economic crisis a week or two weeks ago, when the Palin stupor was still in effect and favorable to McCain's campaign? Could it be that the decline of McCain's campaign numbers influenced Bush to call them in for discussions?

This whole McCain/Bush scenario sounds too convenient, politically. Senator, Chris Dodd, who has, along with others, been scrutinizing this bailout (for the last five days) told a reporter, just today, that McCain had no contact with anyone working on this issue until this morning.

Dodd, also told this reporter that Obama had been in touch with many officials, including the treasury secretary, Henry Paulson, over the past week, because he was concerned about the state of the economy. In other words, McCain, who now is supposedly concerned enough to suspend his campaign, had no contact with anyone working on this bailout until today, which just happens to be two days before the first presidential debate. Whereas, Obama has been concerned, over the past week or more, and has contacted those involved to learn as much as possible and be involved in the process.

McCain, has many reasons to be concerned about this crisis, but few of them have anything to do with fixing the economy. McCain's brief bubble of popularity, which was primarily due to Sarah Palin, has all but deflated in the last two weeks. Recent polls show McCain's political stock dropping, while Obama's stock is on the rise. The outright lies, inaccessibility and flip-flopping of McCain and Palin have finally been noticed by voters, and this has sent the McCain campaign into survival mode, as well as panic. Thus, we have McCain, who, just nine days ago, thought the economy was sound, supposedly risking his candidacy to go to Washington and "rescue" (not "bailout") the economy and people of the United States. If this isn't a "grand stand" maneuver, then I've never seen one!


As I've said before, I am not an Obama or McCain supporter! I have to admit, however, that Obama, at least for the last month or so, has looked and responded like he could be an effective president, while John McCain has looked and responded like George Bush or even worse (if that's possible?). We, perhaps, are on the brink of another world-wide depression, and it seems that John McCain, as is common to his party, is only capable of being manipulative and playing political games.


I hope that middle-class Americans can put aside their party loyalties long enough to sense the difference between political posturing/maneuvering and true political action. If not, then it might just take a depression to wake them up!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Moral Politics

Young men and women registering and flocking to Obama.


Faith and politics are always strange bedfellows. So what's going on here? Is this a shepherd leading his flock of the faithful or misguided youth?


The current regime is old politics, old Washington. It is not totally out of step with many of the times, but represents a tired format. Young people are looking for something new, something fresh. And something they can believe in.


The world the younger generation has grown up in is largely relativity with no absolute truth. The world is spinning and there just isn't must to hang onto. Along comes a charismatic individual with what seems like fresh ideas. No matter how thin the ideas are, they are something different. A spoon-fed generation relies on others to stimulate and educate them. So much news, so many sources. Who is telling the truth? Who can they believe? Skepticism rules.

The good old boys are just putting down our new hope because he does not fit the mold. They are afraid of him.
Dialog with the younger generation is fascinating. Each of them possesses a plethora of facts. For many, social issues like taking care of the poor, the needy and the homeless are of utmost importance. The perception is that the liberal contingent has the answers to social ills. But do they?

What has the liberal agenda done for the poor and needy? Some say it has entrenched them deeper into the ghetto and poverty. Reliance on a government handout has not solved any of these problems. Welfare, food stamps and subsidies have created an entitlement generation of poor and needy. Having spent a lot of time in Russia after the fall of Communism I have seen socialism up close and personal.

Men and women are created with a need for love, acceptance and self-worth. Socialism dashes this need and creates a dependent class of people not capable of extracting themselves from the clutches of the government. Nor do they desire to be rescued from that grip after a period of time.

So what is the flock flocking to anyway? To new ideals? Or to old ideas wrapped in a new glitzy, programmed veneer? My daddy used to say, "Beware of the hype, they are after your money." In this case they may be after your soul and it's not good to sell out to the wolf in sheep's clothing.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Overzealous Political Endorsement Calls

In today's era of targeted political marketing political endorsement calls are being used in record numbers to reach out to voters for a variety of reasons. Candidates use political endorsement calls to raise money from people who they believe will be sympathetic to their cause, as well as phone calls to voters whom they wish to sway. This all adds up to a huge number of phone calls from every candidate imaginable from every political party.


Although everyone is hit with political endorsement calls, not everyone is hit equally. For instance, if you have already donated the maximum amount of money to a campaign it is unlikely that you will receive further calls about making a contribution, however do not let your guard down because you will probably be receiving more phone calls of the political actions sort for volunteer work since the campaign knows that you are sympathetic to their cause.


If you have not yet donated the maximum amount of money possible to a campaign it is likely that you will be deluged under a storm of phone calls until you do hit that mark.

Campaigns are using very elaborate record-keeping in order to track who has donated money and how much which they then use to make these targeted phone calls.

If you're voting record is independent, or all over the place, you will likely be hit by many different campaigns all trying to sway you to their cause. Indeed being an independent voter these days means that you just leave yourself wide open to all sorts of campaign calls.


The people who did hit the hardest with campaign endorsement calls live in the primary states where they are subject to seven day a week efforts from all candidates looking to get the edge in that states caucuses.

These people living in primary states have been known to get upwards of seven or 10 phone calls every day from different candidates.

Indeed the price of being politically responsible these days is your privacy, and some would say your sanity. Of course not all people do these political endorsement calls as troublesome, however many do; and for those people who do find the excess of political endorsement calls to be intrusive and annoying there is sadly little recourse. There is no current nationwide political do not call list, and there are very few guidelines that campaigns must follow when contacting individuals. Aside from using caller ID and blocking incoming phone calls from known campaign phone numbers there is very little the average person can do. Unfortunately the best advice in this election season is to just take all of the phone calls with a grain of salt, and do your best to not lose your mind. Remember it will all be over in less than a year so just try to hang in there and do not let overzealous political endorsement calls dissuade you from taking part in the election process.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Rare Coins and Politics

Politics and rare coins might not seem to go together, but they are linked throughout the history of the United States. From the first coins of the 1650s to the change you carry in your pocket today, political influence has been a significant part of United States coinage.


The first coins struck in what is now the United States were minted in 1652, more than a century before the "United States" existed. The Massachusetts Bay Colony struck silver coins from 1652 through about 1682, yet all but one of the denominations always carried the date 1652 regardless of the actual year of issue. Why? Politics. Since the coins were minted openly, there was real intent to fool the British Crown into believing that all of coinage in circulation was actually minted in 1652, when there was no monarchy. Instead, it was probably a courtesy. The colonists were saying: "We're going to continue to mint our own coins while not appearing to flagrantly ignore your edicts."


In 1665, after receiving a book of laws from the colonists, the King's Commissioners requested that a number of laws be changed or repealed.

Among them was the following: ". . .title money, the law about a mint house, etc., be repealed, for coining is a royal prerogative, for the usurping of which yet act of indemnity is only a salvo."

Salvo? More like a salvation, as the coins were desperately needed in the colonies. It was time when wampum, musket bullets, and counterfeit foreign coins were used as money alongside the few legitimate coins that were available. The colonists ignored the request of the Crown, evidently without penalty.


The Civil War of 1861-65 presented tremendous problems for circulating coinage.

The silver half dime was one of the many denominations that wasn't circulating, and the five-cent fractional currency was considered to be a poor substitute. A solution to the problem was a coin of a new metal, and coins struck in nickel were introduced.

Nickel is impractical for coin production, as its hardness is conducive to laminations, die breaks, poor strikes, and many other problems. When James Pollock, director of the Mint in 1865, proposed a new nickel alloy for coinage, he was under the influence of political pressure. His personal preference was for coins made of French bronze, but nickel magnate Joseph Wharton had many friends in Congress, and the new nickel alloy won out. Nickel had been used in the copper-nickel cents of 1856-64, but the demand or nickel became unprecedented with the introduction of the three cent nickel (1865) and the five cent nickel (1866).


Nickel coins are still struck today, of course, and many of the problems are just as prevalent. Try putting together a set of problem-free Jefferson nickels, let alone such series as Buffalo nickels or Shield nickels.


The political clout of the followers of the late Anthony Comstock led to a significant change in our coinage in 1917. Hermon MacNeil's magnificent Standing Liberty quarter design, first introduced in 1916, was beautiful and popular. It was also scandalous, at least to the highly vocal Society for the Suppression of Vice. Treasury Secretary William McAdoo was bombarded with complaints about Miss Liberty's partial nudity, and in mid-1917 the design was modified to cover the lady. It is often argued that there were other reasons for the change, such as 1) the type one coins wouldn't stack, or 2) the chain mail placed on Miss Liberty was a symbol of war, or 3) it was done so the coin would strike up better. Argument #3 is totally invalid, as the type one Standing Liberty quarter is consistently far superior in strike to the type two. The other two arguments have a degree of credibility based on surviving documents, but the most important reason for the change was almost assuredly a case of "comstockery" as the prudery was labeled by prominent writers of the era.


While the incidents of coins mixing with politics mentioned above are famous ones, perhaps no other case can quite compare to the Morgan dollar. The Mint Act of 1873 abolished this denomination, along with the other issues such as the three-cent silver and the half dime. By 1878 the silver dollar was back as the result of extreme political pressure from the silver interests, such as the owners of the gigantic Comstock Lode, a monumental silver mine in Nevada. Overriding a presidential veto, the Bland-Allison Act of February 28, 1878 provided that the government would purchase million to million in domestic silver for coinage into silver dollars. It took less than two weeks for the new design to be approved, the dies made, and the first proofs struck.


The Sherman Silver Purchase Act set the amount of silver to be purchased monthly at an exact figure-187 tons per month. When the act was repealed in 1893, the mine owners were rich and the Treasury vaults were overflowing with unneeded silver dollars. It wasn't until 1898 that legislation provided for the disposal of the remaining silver through continued silver dollar mintage. In 1904, the silver finally ran out in 1893, the mine owners were rich and the Treasury vaults were overflowing with unneeded silver dollars. It wasn't until 1898 that legislation provided for the disposal of the remaining silver through continued silver dollar mintage. In 1904, the silver finally ran out, and Morgan dollar production ended for 17 years.


The story of the Morgan dollar was nearly finished-but not quite. In 1918 the Pittman Act was instituted, which required the melting of up to 350,000,000 silver dollars. A little over a quarter of a billion-that's right, billion-were actually melted, but political pressure caused another weird scenario. The silver lobby persuaded Congress to include a clause that domestic silver be purchased to replace the silver dollars lost in the melting. What was this silver used for? Starting in 1921, it was used to mint silver dollars!


Coins and politics. Politics and coins. After nearly 350 years, they are still inextricably entwined, an integral part of our past and an inevitable part of our future.


The three-cent nickel: the alloy won out over silver

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Political Debate For Political Minds

International Politics is a significant study in political science. With the help of engaging International debate, you can sharpen your knowledge and understanding regarding this field. You can get all those required expertise using such type of politics.
In International politics, only two types of tenets constructivism theories are accepted, if we take the first, the primarily shared ideas and notion rather than the material forces determined the structures of human connection. It represents an idealist approach to the social life and gives new directions to the life and living style. Second one is related to hoist or structuralism, they just emphasize on the emergent power of social structures.
If you want to get something from politics then you had better understand above-mentioned two basic theories because these two theories revolve around the main theme of politics. It will be useful for you to go through these mentioned theories in detail.
If you have dying need about discussing and expressing, your ideas for the future of your country and the entire world then you can take this simple way. With the help of politics forums, you can catch a chance to give your political opinion to the other people.
You can share your experience and feelings by taking part in the live online debate. Now, there are many chances to do so because this field has touched the bottom of knowledge and given people more sense about its usage.
Things come with various and different angles, while you start thinking about them politically
You will find that political talk is too different from other types of discussions because in it, you have to take control over all the latest issues and matter globally. It is important for a person to get through complete guides while learning politics. It is good for all of those who are going to take part in the International politics.
It is right, countries and their political behavior is not alike however, no one can deny the structural and social need of politics in the making of nations and countries integrity. Live programs are aired to bring awareness in the people about the working of it in the world.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Polls and Politics

Public opinion polling has evolved through time and has adopted different methods from data collections to the presentation of results. They have evolved so fast to level that the politicians are threatened that the traditional rule of judgment and decision making have been shifted from the government and is at the discretion of pollsters and public.  Results from the pollsters are keenly followed by the members of the public especially the presidential opinion polls that have a remarkable impact on the elections besides gauging the public opinion.  In no surprise that pollster opinion polls have had a significant impact on politics in Washington. In these question and answer essay, an analysis is presented from different pollster polls and how they portray the public view of different issues.


Why is a random representative sample (called a probability sample) important for getting accurate poll results?

A probability sampling method utilizes random selection which means all members in the population have an equal enhance of being selected.

 This reduces the researcher bias in sampling.  In carrying out a probability sampling, the researchers are therefore in position to make inference on the whole population because each member has an equal probability of being chosen. Random selection eliminates the probability of disproportionate number of respondents from a given group. The sampling variance in this case is more or less like that of the whole population which enhances the accuracy of the outcomes.  This sample gives the opportunity for an impersonal choice to take place rather than the researcher.

The accuracy the sample is further enhanced by its size.

 A high sample size enhances the accuracy of the sample statistic which will be as good as the parameter.  The accuracy of a random representative sample is not greatly influenced by the population size (William, 2006)
PART 2
Q1. Does the question posed by the pollster meet the standards for a good question? Why or why not?

The question posed by the pollster meets the standard of good question because they are objective rather than subjective.  They don't have the subjective forms like 'you' but are stated in the objective forms of for instance, 'should'.  There this eliminates the researcher bias in influencing the outcome of the questions (Gallup, 2007) (Holt, 2009)


Q2. What are the facts collected and presented by the poll?

The facts collected and presented by the poll range from the country's direction, the anticipated bill to bail out the economy with its expected impact includes the Federal government support for ailing homeowners, economy's condition, public perception of the government and political parties including Bush's approval rating and trust in the government (Holt, 2009)


Q3. Which response was given by the largest number of the respondents to the poll?

Nine in every ten American believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction. A whooping 93% believe that the congress is on the wrong path while a paltry 7% think the Congress is on the right track. On the economy, 89% of US citizens believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction.  On the Bailout bill, only 28% approve against 53% who disapprove with 34 % believing the bailout will change the economy and 38% believing it will not (Holt, 2009)


Q4. "There are few people who never trust the government in Washington." According to the poll's results, is this a valid generalization? Explain your answer

Yes, it's a valid generalization going by the figure that only 9% don't trust the government in Washington against 1%, 16% and 74% who trust the government Always, Most of the time and Some of the time respectively. The reason being that most of the house occupants especially republicans are pre-occupied with their own agenda apart from that of enhancing the lives of Americans. An example is the diversion of national resources to wars in the Middles East other than revamping the economy (Holt, 2009)  


PART 3
Q1. How many sampled adults say they would vote for a woman for president?

In the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll of September 8-11, 2005, 86% of the sampled adults said they would vote for a woman president.  The number of respondents was 86% of 533= 458.38 which is approximately 459 respondents (Polling Report, 2009)


Q2. How many respondents think vote-counting needs to be made more accurate?

According to the CBS News Poll of December 9-10, 2000, the numbers of respondents who think vote counting needs to be made more accurate were 80% of 1,114= 891.2 i.e approximately 891 respondents (Polling Report, 2009)


Q3.What percentage of respondents either strongly or moderately favor new federal laws limiting the amount of money that an individual or group can contribute to national political parties?

According to the CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll of March 9th-11th , 2001, the number of respondents that either strongly or moderately favor new federal laws are 76%(=51%+25%) of 1, 015 were 771 respondents (Polling Report, 2009)


PART 4

The public opinion was measured by conducting a random survey of 1, 112 adults in the whole nation among them 281, 416 and 415 were Republicans, Democrats and Independents respectively.  The poll was carried out by CBS News/ New York Times poll held between Januarys 11thand 15th 2009. The results of the poll showed that 22% of Americans approved the overall performance of George W. Bush with a whopping 73% disapproving his presidency.  Dialing of phone lines was done from RDD samples which included the cell numbers as well the land lines.  The findings were based on the interviews carried out by way of telephone where 1,112 adults either 18 years or older were quizzed. The poll had a 95% confidence level with a margin error (sampling error) of + 3%but the error among the subgroups was much higher (CBS News/New York Times Poll, 2009)


The respondents were asked whether they approve or disapprove George Bush's in the he handled his presidential job. Below are the historical results from January 2008 to January 2009 based on the poll conducted by Gallup Poll between these times (Saad, 2009)


Bush went home with a net approval rating of -27 percentage points only managing to beat Richard Nixon who had -42 in the poll conducted by Gallup in August 1974 shortly before he resigned because of the Watergate scandal. Bush received a bump of 9% between the Election Day and President Obama inauguration from the 25% recorded in November last year.  Bush has had a distinction of having received the highest approval rating of 88% after the success of the initial Gulf War and at the same time he goes down in history as the president with the highest disapproval rating of 13%.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Redefining Political Campaigns

Where in the world can a person check their mail, pay bills, check bank balances, book a vacation, and show support for their favorite political candidate all in the same place?  Simple - online of course.  Candidates and politicians are looking to cash in on the most impact for their time and what better way to become a part of that powerful trend than welcoming cyber space into their lives?  Who knew that a craze that started a few short years ago with social websites such as MySpace dot com would turn into a tool to be used so heavily in campaigns?

Barack Obama has enjoyed adding 100,000 friends to his MySpace page, and other campaigns are even adding other MySpace pages as well as joining into the Second Life craze that has struck recently, with many people looking to expand the internet as one of their major sources of advertisement.  Each candidate has their own website of course, with a great amount of information on their individual views, their position on the issues, and what they wish to see happen in the country.  Never before has the democratic process reached so close to home, now pulling in a new generation of voters to guide the future of the country.

Is this a good idea?  Should candidates really be losing that personal and physical touch?  However, this is actually one of the most prevalent ways to get information out recently, with websites popping up everywhere where political opinions can be viewed, and with sites such as digg dot com becoming popular it enables sites with good content that is full of information people find fascinating or helpful to rise to the top, and help spread the word to the masses.

 

Seems almost like a grass roots type campaign.  Yet it does not involve any physical interaction from the candidates.  This is the ultimate tool that can be used to spread the word quickly about progress and updates in their campaign without ever leaving their house or office and interacting with those they so desperately need votes from. This seems to be a bit of a strange position to be taking, but with the internet reaching so wide and far, it is a tool that many politicians are utilizing, and to great practical effect.

Many are even recruiting volunteers to manage their spaces in Second Life as well as MySpace so that their time is better spent and their ability to reach even more people is extended further.  Seems almost strange that volunteers are now able to help on campaigns that they never would have been able to work on before, but thanks to the internet, they are able to show support for their favorite candidate in a way never before seen.  

How much further can this really go, with the possibility of the internet growing into an even larger portion of the campaign, it is very much possible to keep track of all the happenings and events in almost every political campaign and race without ever leaving the comfort of your home.  Whether this engages the ordinary citizen on a more direct level will remain to be seen, and the outcome this will have on the voter demographic at the next election will surely be profound. Now if only the election voting could be handled online, securely it would truly be a virtual world...

Monday, August 2, 2010

cnn politics

Transformational activism is the idea that people need to transform on the inside as well as on the outside in order to create any meaningful change in the world.


 


One example of transformational activism is peacekeeping which, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace." Peacekeepers monitor and observe peace processes in post-conflict areas and assist ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements they may have signed. Such assistance comes in many forms, including confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, electoral support, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development. Accordingly UN peacekeepers (often referred to as Blue Helmets because of their light blue helmets) can include soldiers, civilian police officers, and other civilian personnel.


 


Another example is encouraging choices to live in racially diverse communities.

Such communities may literally "transform" communities by opening the minds of residents to new ideas, new cultures, new historical perspectives, and a broader view of life that ultimately can benefit social relations.

 


Another example of transformational activism is transformational economics. This is the idea that you can change the way resources flow in a society by doing inner work. People examine their emotional reactions to what their needs are. This may allow them to see that things they felt they needed are not really needed.

This then alters the flow of goods in a society because of the underlying change in needs.

 


Transformational politics is the field of guiding people to look inwardly what they feel is true power. They may discover that real power is seeing the deep connection of everyone with each other and of being able to tap that place. In this case power is not power over someone, but rather power to unleash collective creativity in creating a new society.


 


Transformational activism is about looking for the common values underneath, and then working from there so that both parties are able to get what they want. In the process one or both parties may find their inner landscape and paradigms changing.


 


Transformational open-sourced activism is the idea that you can tap into the power of mass collaboration and collective creativity in a way that transforms the people involved into more loving, peaceful, compassionate states.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Is Your Politeness "Automatic?"

Anyone can be polite and nice when things are all going great. They real trick is being polite no matter what, and the only way to do that is to make politeness an "automatic response."


This past weekend I was visiting a friend who lives in an apartment building. I get on the elevator and push the button for my floor. Just as the doors begin to close, I hear a rather sharp, semi-high pitched voice call out, "hold the elevator!"


Note: What did I not hear? "Hold the elevator, please." Or, "Could you please hold the elevator." Heck, I would have taken, "Hold the please elevator." Sure, it makes no grammatical sense, but at least it would have been an attempt at politeness.


I of course reach down and push the "open" button which, unsurprisingly, makes the doors open. A young woman walks on the elevator, avoids any and all eye contact, turns to face front, and pushes the button for her floor.


Note: What did she not do? Offer even the hint of a "thank you." She didn't say it.

She didn't mumble it. She didn't even give me that half-hearted semi-nod and smile we all know to mean, "thanks." Nope. Nothing.

What.


The.


Heck.


No "please." No "thank you." What is this world coming to?


Perhaps she was preoccupied. Perhaps she was having a bad day. Perhaps she avoids talking to all men on elevators because she is afraid they will all start hitting on her (though the story in my head goes that she was so overwhelmed with my awesome attractiveness that she was too flustered to talk. Yeah, that's what it was). Or perhaps she just is not a person who says "thank you" automatically when someone does something nice for her.


Sadly, I think a lot of people fall into this final category.

They just don't have basic polite responses wired into them so they often forget the little things.

In this example there was no real consequence to her not having basic politeness. But how about in business? How about in your business or company?


Do you and your people automatically maintain great levels of politeness and courtesy? Before you answer with a super quick, "of course!" take a second and think about it. Then pay attention for a day or two to the people you interact with at various places of business. While there are plenty of people who are courteous, polite, and helpful, you are sure to see examples of people being rude, impolite, and thoughtless.


Maybe those people were having a bad day or were preoccupied. But can your organization afford to deal with the consequences of your people having an "off day?"


The Lesson:
Make the polite response "automatic" (i.e. not something people think about doing and not something they remember from a script). Then even when a person has a bad day they will still deliver a great experience.


And the next time you ask someone to hold the elevator for you, say "thank, you." 'Cause the next time someone asks me to hold the elevator for them and doesn't, I'm shovin' them off before the doors close!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Political Term Papers Topics

Political tem papers are on of those papers that get the highest attention of the masses. For the reason that in order to write political term papers, one needs a lot of information and knowledge about the political issues and the current problems that are faced in the state or the world politically, political term papers writers are looked upon as much esteemed individuals. For this reason, you should make a decision to write your term papers on the political issues. One of the most complex hurdles in the world of political term papers writing is their term paper’s titles and you should select such topics for your term papers that would give you the result you want. Here are some fantabulous political term paper topics for you to choose from.


* Analyze what the federalism actually means and also define the reasons that can be there to be adopted as the core structure of a state.

Tell what issues the federalism solves and what issues the federalism itself pose to a political structure. You should add practical examples in your federalism term papers following with proper in text citations of the sources used.

* Democracy is a wide-ranging concept for a governing course but can have different demonstrations. Scrutinize the different forms democracy makes. Is there a center to its main concept? To what degree is the democratic precept inherently limited by the practical realities of any political arrangement?


* Write a comparing and contrasting term paper in a way that it discusses the main ideologies which are; socialism, liberalism, conservatism and other. Also tell if these have changed from their origins to the contemporary or not. To what level has this ideology transmuted itself?


* Discourse what the word `ideology' in the political system that differentiates the uses and abuses to which it may be put in a form of government.

To what degree can ideology serve as a blueprint for governmental actions and to what level does a ruler's ideology practically function as a public reasoning for conclusions reached for other, less-noble causes?

* Why are ‘interest groups’ existent and what are their core functioning? Also analyze and explain the positive and negatives of their operation processes. Deeply describe how the interest groups compliment and undermine the institutional channels and political parties for the political decisions-making.


* Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing a proportional representation electoral system by discoursing the basics of electoral system and how it should be designed to achieve success. You should utilize the examples so you can back up all of your claims that you used through out your term papers. In the conclusion part, tell your audiences why a state should utilize one electoral system by giving it preference on another.


* Write your term papers about what are the different roles of violence in the political structure. Tell about both the maintaining of a particular political order and in the upbringing of the political change. Furthermore tell when the violence can take place and how it can be stopped.


I am sure these political term paper topics will help you out in writing your term papers.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Office 2007 Politics Gates

Even if you missed Bill Gates on the Daily Show Monday night, you probably know what he speaks. Today is the launch of Windows Vista, so Gates and Jon Stewart spent half the time talking about the new Microsoft operating system and half in jest about the password of Gates and interactive television. Not once mention the other Microsoft products that are debuting today, Office 2007. It is no accident. Why Gates is not campaigning for you to buy Office again? Because he did not have to.


The real test is the price. You can update your Windows XP PC to Vista for as little as $ 100. The Cheap Microsoft Office 2007 costs $ 150. It has Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Do you want Outlook? That will be another hundred dollars for an update package.

(You can upgrade to Vista and Office 2007 separately, or products the other is required.)

After playing with Vista and Office in recent weeks, which can condense my thoughts into one sentence. Upgrading to Vista is mostly painless but not necessary, upgrading to Office 2007 is painful but inevitable. Vista out of their way to smooth the transition from Windows XP. As I wrote earlier this month, Vista installer let me know that applications do not run and what gadgets not yet supported. If I wait a couple of weeks for new device drivers, I’ll have no conflict at all. Office 2007, however, seems out of their way to make the transition as difficult as possible. By default, the files in Word, Excel and PowerPoint to create is not open for people who have earlier versions of the software. Sure, you can save in “Office 97 to Office 2003″ format, but will lose some of its format.


Microsoft offers a conversion program for people with the old Office. And only works in Office 2007 Ultimate, however, not work at all on Macs. (Apple users will not receive an updated Office Compatibility for another year or so.) My office has two computers, a Mac with Office 2004 and a PC with Office 97. I’ve never needed upgrade for the job. Unless you buy the new office, I’ll be out of luck when it comes to the files of the editors and publishers who do not save in the old format.


Upgrading software is always risky. My fingers and toes twitch from the time I click OK until I’ve convinced myself everything’s working. Will it break my computer? Will it work right? I winced and held my breath throughout the Vista installation, then forgot the pain and anxiety quickly when I saw Vista worked mostly like a tidied-up version of XP.For more information,visit http://topsoftsell.com.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Political Correctness

Those people who are demanding that Victory Day should be abolished in Rodhe Island miss the point of the holiday. Political correctness and a desire to not offend anyone take away from the sacrifices of a generation of Americans who fought and sacrificed their lives for the survival of this nation.


 


As Rhode Island communities prepared to celebrate Victory Day on August 14 in recognition of the allied triumph over the Japanese Empire during World War II, "concerned" citizens opposed to the holiday began lobbing criticisms at event organizers around the state. Rhode Island, which is the only state that still celebrates Victory Day, or V-J Day as it is sometimes called, suddenly found itself at the center of the politically incorrect universe.


 


Critics of the holiday charge that it is discriminatory and want to remove all references to Japan and the Japanese people.

The Associated Press quoted former Rhode Island State Representative George Lima as saying, "This is a stigma against the Japanese whom we do business with and are allies." Mr. Lima, who was responsible for a failed attempt to get rid of the holiday while serving in the state legislature during the 1980s, is a perfect example of the many out-of-touch-with-reality individuals who are so concerned they might offend someone else that they often miss the real motivation behind whatever it is they are opposing.

 


Responding to critics clamoring for political correctness and sensitivity, Rhode Island lawmakers made several attempts to either get rid of the holiday or, in the absence of its elimination, at least change its name.

Each time the tremendous opposition of the state's citizens caused them to abandon their efforts. Three separate legislative bills introduced during the 1990s by State Senator Rhoda Perry attempted to change the title of the holiday to Rhode Island Veterans Day. "It was absolutely a no-winner," Perry was quoted as saying. "I did not have support, period."

 


In the true spirit of political correctness, though, the Rhode Island General Assembly did pass a resolution designed to ease some of the concerns of those critical of the holiday. The resolution, which was approved in 1990, declared that Victory Day was not a celebration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or of the death and destruction caused by President Truman's decision to use nuclear weapons. Bowing to the demands of the touchy-feely, can't-we-all-get-along crowd, the members of the General Assembly managed to change the focus of the debate on the holiday.


 


Proponents of the celebrations argue that Victory Day is necessary so that Rhode Islanders, and all Americans, can remember the sacrifices made during the Second World War. Not surprisingly, veterans groups are among the most ardent supporters of the holiday. They, unlike the main stream politically correct crowd, understand why Rhode Islanders are steadfast in their commitment to celebrate V-J Day.


 


Critics like George Lima and Rhoda Perry, who want to abolish the holiday or even change its name, have lost focus on why the holiday even exists. Here's a reminder. In a surprise attack on December 7, 1941, over 300 airplanes from the Japanese Navy bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, resulting in over 3,500 dead and wounded sailors, soldiers, and marines and over 100 dead and wounded civilians.


 


That attack propelled the United States into a brutal war against Japan in the Pacific, a war in which our military was forced to conduct an island-hopping campaign against entrenched Japanese soldiers determined to fight to the death. Fighting in the Pacific theater resulted in some of the bloodiest battles of a war that cost us over 300,000 killed and almost 700,000 more wounded.


 


The celebration of Victory Day in Rhode Island is not about the Japanese people. It is about the generation of Americans who sacrificed so much in a terrible global war that threatened the very existence of our country. It is about honoring them for what they did, and not about offending our Japanese business partners and allies.


 


In a country where handicapped is often replaced with handi-capable, and where Happy Holidays gets substituted for Merry Christmas, it is imperative that we not let the idea of being politically correct cause us to lose focus on what is important to us as Americans. For now, at least, the people of Rhode Island are standing their ground and serving as a shining example of political incorrectness to the rest of the nation.


 


Greg Reeson is a frequent contributor to The Land of the Free and Associated Content. His columns have appeared in several online and print publications, including The New Media Journal, The Veteran's Voice, The American Daily, GOPUSA and Opinion Editorials.com.


 

Monday, June 21, 2010

Pain management politics

Earlier this year, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a report calling for a culture change in the US healthcare services. There are major problems in the treatment of pain and, without urgent steps to reform the current practice standards, it's likely more people with be left suffering unnecessary pain. This is a serious indictment of the US in failing to even begin matching the clinical standards in other countries. So what's gone wrong and why? There are two quite different contributions to the present collapse of care. The first starts in the medical schools. We should be able to assume each new generation of doctors is being taught all they need to know about pain and how to manage it effectively. Across the country, we are lucky enough to have 117 university courses teaching medicine. But only five of them have mandatory course on pain management.

More generally, less than twenty have elective courses. It does not take a math genius to understand there's a chronic failure here. For decades, each new cohort of students has been passing through the academic courses and practical training without any insistence future doctors learn anything about how to manage pain. This is a victory for the pharmaceutical industry. Through a variety of different means, it has convinced the medical profession all it needs to know about pain management is which pills to prescribe.

Now let's get these doctors out into the real world. All the most ambitious and best qualified go where they will make the most money. This means they specialize in the forms of treatment with the highest profit margins. So long as their billing numbers are high, they will do very well. Now ask yourselves how for-profit hospitals and clinics make the most money. The answer, of course, is to treat as many people as possible in the shortest period of time. There's no time to think. Everyone is treated the same and given standard treatment. Now comes the second problem. The insurance industry has been pressuring doctors to join networks in which they have to meet performance targets. This maximizes the profit for the insurers and even further reduces the face-to-face time available for individual patients. That's why, if you are lucky enough to see one of the doctors treating you, it will be a five minute appointment with an emphasis on either referring you for more tests or giving you a prescription.

The IOM is calling for reform of the insurance framework for funding treatment, allowing for more consultation time and greater flexibility in the range of treatments that can be included. As it stands, hospitals and clinics are discouraged from offering one-to-one therapy because this is an inefficient use of labor. So in other countries you would see a physical therapist or go for cognitive behavioral therapy. We are told this is too expensive to be included in the health plan. You can pay for it yourself, of course, or there's the always reliable Tramadol. We take more painkillers than any other country in the world. The answer is always a pill like Tramadol instead of actual treatment designed to reduce the pain. And our healthcare services will stay this way until the politics are resolved.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Why Politics, From Me?

I'm 58 years old! I am a Veteran of the U.S. Navy who worked in Top Secret communications! I am a Recovering drug Addict with over 13 years of clean time, after having used drugs for nearly 30 years! I have been incarcerated many times and am a convicted felon! I am a Certified Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselor! Does this mean anything? Not in itself, but if I may, let me try to qualify! My primary presence on the Internet has been as the WebMaster of my Addiction Recovery site! I have had over a dozen articles pertaining to Addiction and Recovery from this disease, published on the Internet. I have had one article published regarding my Political views. I thought to myself, recently, why should anyone care what I think about politics? Well, just what does qualify someone to make public commentary? Surely, some of the commentators regularly on television don't seem to know anything special! So, I'll take a shot at making my case...


My family migrated from Missouri to California in 1958, when I was 9 years old.

This move in itself most certainly changed my future and that of my entire family. Missouri is a conservative area. California is liberal and trendy. They are two very different places in our Society. Thus, ingrained midwestern values and beliefs were the root of our family, and over a lifetime, we have melted into the West Coast lifestyle and have become Californians. Thus said, on to my life as it pertains to my political views...

A teenager of the 1960's, I'm sure that I am a typical baby-boomer in many ways. But, in many ways I'm not a typical or average citizen, at all! Only about 1% of the U.S. population succumbs to drug addiction. I am one of them! I am also a Veteran of the Armed Forces, also a small percentage of the population, since the WWII Vets are passing in great numbers. I am also a convicted felon. Would it surprise you to know that 1 out of 99 Americans is incarcerated over the course of a month? I don't know the stats on those who have ever been incarcerated. Currently 2,300,000 Americans are incarcerated. That said, let's move on to my individual case...


When I was 13, John Kennedy was assassinated. That event had a prominent effect on me as a person, as it did many Americans. The mystery of that incident brought politics into the lives of people who had previously basked in the luxury of the robust American lifestyle that followed WWII. Before that most citizens of the U.S. took it for granted that we had the best, most honest government possible. It has never been the same since. The Vietnam War added to the questionability of our undaunted faith in Government and it's many agencies. When President Richard Nixon was branded as an outright liar, a little more confidence slipped away. Average American belief systems were challenged by the Civil Rights movement, the Women's Rights movement, and concerted efforts on the part of our citizenry, as a united front, to force an end to the Vietnam War.


As I approached the age of 18, it was a safe assumption that I would be drafted into the military. Every boy who was not wealthy and able to find an exemption of the privileged, got drafted. That part has not changed. The poor still fight the wars for the rich. The poor still do the dieing for the Capitalists. Having had many friends die in Vietnam, I reached the conclusion that the only way to avoid being drafted into the Army Infantry was to enlist, which I did. On November 17, 1967 I took the Oath to defend my country in the U.S. Navy. I was just a kid. I had no idea how prolific an effect this would have on my life. The worst thing that happened as a result of serving was that my recreational experience with drugs would turn into an Addiction lasting nearly 30 years.


Politics came head on into my life as a Navy Radioman, working in Top Secret communications at the Commander-In-Chief of the Pacific Fleet Headquarters, Naval Communications Station, Message Center Makalapa, across the King Kamehameha Highway from Pearl Harbor, several stories underground. As a result of my security clearance, I became privy to all communications to the Pacific Fleet, including operational information between CINCPACFLT, the Pentagon, and the White House. I will not now and never have discussed any details of this information, as I took an oath not to. The only exception was in protected confidence with my Counselor in drug treatment at the VA Hospital program in Fresno, California. Even then, many details were omitted, and limited to a couple of sessions. The point being, that I found out many things that obliterated my trust in the Government. During this period, President Richard Nixon was forced out of office for basically deceiving the public and abusing his power, for political gain. I couldn't avoid politics even if I had wanted to.


I re-entered civilian life skeptical of government, spiritually bankrupt, and severely addicted to drugs. My dependency started in Navy schools, with Benzedrine, an amphetamine. I eventually used drugs as psychological self-medication, also. Once addicted you use drugs for any and every reason you can think of, avoiding confronting the problems that they actually mask. The first year I was out, I didn't work. I grew my hair out, and lived outside the norm, not desiring to be a part of anything, especially Society. I did get involved in the fight to stop the War in Vietnam, helping people beat the draft, and participating in demonstrations. In my mind, the government was responsible for everything that was wrong with the World and me. Though my thinking was very distorted, I became extremely politically aware, keeping up with the daily news, and being able to factually defend my positions as an anti-social personality developed in me. Marriages failed as a result of my Addiction. I lost and quit jobs as a result of my drug use and abuse. I went back and forth from a functional addict to a dysfunctional addict. I was in and out of jail. I became a pipeline welder with my own tools for the independence and high demand that made changing jobs easy.


This lasted until drug testing became a regular part of the job market. I had chosen selling drugs as my profession, which made using that much easier. But, in the end the law caught up with me. After many incarcerations and many ups and downs, I just could not stay out of jail. My arrest on January 21, 1995, and a radical spiritual experience while facing a prison sentence, allowed me to acknowledge that I had hit my bottom. I had lost the will to live and broke down mentally during my detoxification from Meth, in jail. I resorted to prayer and my prayer was answered. I used drugs for the last time at the beginning of that jail term. I took my last drink on March 24, 1995. As a result of a plea bargain, my prison sentence was suspended on the terms that I serve one year in jail and one year in a drug treatment program. I would actually only serve four months in jail and remained in the program for six months. I entered the VA Hospital, Fresno, California, Chemical Dependency Treatment Program on April 11, 1995. As it turned out the very government that I had blamed for my problems for nearly 30 years, became my saving grace. I had to seriously re-assess my political views after that. At 50 I began my quest for Certification as a drug counselor at a State University.


Little did I realize how politically dependent the profession I had chosen, was. After 7 years of Counseling I had a serious health crisis that took me off of work for 8 months. During this period of time the failing economy under the Republican administration, resulted in a major cancellation of Grants. Drug treatment depends hugely on Grants as treatment is a financial impossibility for most Addicts. Having lost my job and my health insurance, I found myself approaching 60, in a scant job market, competing with people half my age. I am now living on unemployment insurance compensation, with no real prospect for a job. Politics are again very crucial to my life. Republicans fund wars and big business. Democrats fund social programs and middle America. I fear it will take a robust economy and major funding for drug treatment before the market become great enough for the job competition in my field to accommodate my demographic. Meanwhile, I contribute meekly to the Democratic Party and depend on my Spirituality to get through, one day at a time. I sponsor a needy child through Children International, and have several family members, also in financial distress, living with me. I have developed a totally non-profit Addiction Recovery website, and use it to keep me sane and as my way of still being able to help other Addicts. I feel that my experiences with the military, the criminal justice system, and my Recovery from drug Addiction, have shaped a well-informed, highly aware political position and very well developed political opinions. Of course the key word is "opinion"! I feel very qualified to comment...


You be the judge! I will quote this article as a reference in all future political articles that I submit.


Thank you,
CounselorDave!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Political Satire in Sculpture

Dick Cheney has taken a variety of shots at the Obama administration over the last two weeks. He seems to have concerns regarding the current administration's ability to protect the United States from a terrorist attack. The former vice-president has made his opinion clear that he feels the previous administration was able to protect the American people better than President Obama's team. This constant criticism has political satirists fired up. Cheney is depicted in many political cartoons throughout the country; he is the focus of a variety of comedians, and editors have happily made him their focus of writing. We can expect more from the political funny people in future because Mr. Cheney has made it clear he will continue to give his opinion.


Perhaps a future artist will make a sculpture of the former vice-president as a large dominant figure controlling a small President George W.

Bush puppet. This would take a lot of talent and careful use of many different gloss glazes. The two different figures would require a careful hand to create, and to properly show the separations of the two characters a variety of color patterns would be necessary.

The creation of two sculptures to properly point out a political point of view is not an easy task. Our neighbors to the south in Mexico have had plenty of corrupt, or just bad, politicians in the past. Even though this is true, we do not see a lot of mexican clay pottery being used by Mexican political satirists. The amount of work, time, and talent necessary to make humorous sculptures of real people is enormous, and politicians do not seem to be in office long enough to make the effort.


The artist looking to make a political statement may be able to save some time and effort by incorporating the use of a type of mold. Drape molds could easily help an artist make statement pieces within a sculpture. These "accessory" pieces could help the artist make a statement about a political figure quickly and easily. Thus, the actual sculpture of the politician would not be as important.