Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Sources of Political News

Political News
What source do you use to get political news? Are you sure you are reading or watching an unbiased version of events? Recent polls suggest that most journalists tend to be liberal and thus are more likely to vote Democrats than Republicans. Depending on the individual or the network they work for, their private opinions can sometimes affect the quality of the news they broadcast.
It is a journalist's job to bring the news to the public but it should be presented without being influenced by their personal opinion. They are obliged to tell the truth and remain independent from the event being covered. This is fine in theory but in practice how often are the news people or the publications or networks they represent impartial?
Some people believe that political news is always biased depending on the source of the information. For example certain individuals will only believe what they hear on Fox news and not CNN, while others prefer CNN. Some people believe that Fox leans to the right while others maintain it just provides the news in a format that suits their listeners. At the end of the day, it is a matter of education. You should try to obtain information from a variety of sources so that you can form your own educated opinion on current events. Political news will often be controversial. Good news never sold newspapers or increased ratings!
But the people reporting political news should let the facts prove the point. They shouldn't be tempted to stretch the truth particularly if the reason for doing so is to improve ratings. But this is a theoretical argument. In a society where the news stations with better ratings are more successful and thus earn more money, it is probably unrealistic to expect them to remain totally impartial to events happening in political waters.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Key Benefits of Political Blogs

Political BlogsThe most important aspect of choosing a news source to stay current on the news is: Are they reliable. Can you trust them? Do they tell you the truth and not just the news.
With the information age in full swing, we have many options for news, from social media, online videos, many thousands of news sites. But what are the best sources for news?
You'll need to cover a lot of ground quickly with the information and news that current media and talking heads provides. And it really is hard tell if the story you are reading is getting you not only the facts but to the core of the story as quickly as you can. With the information age upon us it is quit easily to get inundated with just that: information and really nothing that will get us where we need to go.
Political Blogs, when well chosen are a big help. There are many sides and many that may be based on your political position: Conservative? Liberal? Are you somewhere in between?
It is a good idea to get linked up via twitter, your phone or PDA with a major news source that is known for giving accurate information and top stories. A simple example: I know a friend that likes to hear about USA news from none other than the BBC, if you can believe that. NPR will get you connected to major 'behind the scenes' looks and views of common stories you may have heard about but not the whole story.
Then we have the blogs. What you'll get with these really are the true experts if you pick something sanctioned by Universities or connected to accurate news reporting sites, i.e. NPR who have access to experts in a field but just are not trying to sell ad space.
And going deeper into the trenches you'll find some niche blogs that really have a bone to pick or a serious issue at hand that they need to address. Even blogs that handle and cover up and coming movements as things are changing constantly today in the world of politics and current events.
It is with these blogs you can potentially get the briefs you need, the truth and an insight on any grass roots movements that may be in fact creating news rather that just reporting it.
And lastly with all of this, you can narrow things down to the stories (told truthfully) that really matter to you and not just to a newscaster or news media Company's income.
I sincerely hope this article helps you in finding the news you need and as efficiently as you can, as there is always two sides to every story and many stories at that. I have found picking the right twitter account to follow with a few other choice social media accounts got me started. Then searching online until things started lining up. Then it was a simple matter of book marking and subscribing to the appropriate sources. Thanks again for reading, good luck at staying informed.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

The Critical Need For A Third Major Political Party In America Today

Regardless of the day, month or year it is right now, there has been a constant nagging in every Americans soul, sans 'the good times' we all probably shared doubt that a 'two party system' brings with it.
The aspect of a third and distinctive political party in America at any point in it's political history always will bring with it a great risk of simply more confusion, political rancor and a 'political money machine' to be fed.
This is exactly what we do not need at this juncture in Americas Political history.
A shot was taken (pun intended if you happen to pay attention to the alternate news feeds) by the Tea Party at a great step for reformation, but it simply has not been. In fact, some of the liberal left organizations are seeking reformation of the party so there could possibly be some hope for transformation in the future and not just another Reformed Old Party, if you get my drift.
Libertarianism is alive and well, and a number of political scholars, bloggers, authors, speakers and authorities on the subject and party line have started to come out of the closet. And I mean they have come out of the closet and not just for joy if you know what I am saying here. We have serious issues to address and they are not taking their cause lightly nor in lack of education on their party lines and the major issues affecting us today.
There are other grass roots movements out there, but nothing that seems to be clear on the horizon whilst the Grand Old Party and the 'Reformed" Democratic Party seem to be 'wallowing in it' in just different ways.
Of all the parties that could have made a significant stand for change, The Tea Party was our main hope and this hope has dimmed significantly and continues to stay dimmed. The problem? Bad leadership, bad direction, bad vision. Just like the occupy movement. All necessary for change but even at the grass roots level we all seem to floundering with vague, mis-directed, misguided hopefulness for some tenacious thorn to be removed for the even beckoning wound to heal. And heal it must, but not in the direction our leadership nor our grass roots politics is taking us.
Is there a third political party in your horizon? Do you have any thoughts, ideas, issues of concerns or aspirations for political change that has simply not happened and continues to not even be a glimmer in the far and distant future? You may communicate your thoughts on any of the many social networks, not just yours. Please do contribute your ideas, we need change and we need it soon.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Freedom And Liberty In A Democracy Require A Truthful Political News Media

Last week I had the opportunity to attend Grandparents Day for one of my grand children. The kids closed the event in the gymnasium by singing, with gusto, "My Country 'Tis of Thee".
Samuel Francis Smith wrote the lyrics to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" in 1831, and the song served as a de facto national anthem of the United States before the adoption of The Star Spangled Banner as the official anthem.
The words go like this...
"My country, 'tis of thee, 
Sweet land of liberty, 
Of thee I sing; 
Land where my fathers died, 
Land of the pilgrims' pride, 
From every mountainside 
Let freedom ring!"

The song ended with the kids beaming with patriotism with the words "Let freedom ring". With the words still ringing off the gymnasium walls I thought about what those words actually meant..."let freedom ring".
I was struck by how few countries in the history of our world have actually accomplished a true freedom and liberty for its people. For a moment I was deeply humbled and grateful for the opportunity to live in a country where our freedoms and our liberties are actually protected by law.
As I went about the rest of my day I couldn't get those words out of my mind..."let freedom ring".
A country that is truly grounded in freedom and the protection of liberty for its people does not allow black-and-white extremism and the radical ideologies of political extremists to enter its main stream political system.
There will always be extremists in a democratic country that allows freedom of speech, but when those extremists are allowed to become part of the political governing body of a country, it almost always results in the Hitlers and Mussolini's of the world removing the freedoms and liberties of the people who voted them into office.
History is full of examples of how easily a totalitarian government can come into power and mute the ring of freedom for its people.
The Nazi movement did not suddenly spring into power in German politics overnight...it was an extremist totalitarian movement that relied on the growing support of the German citizens.
A democratic government protects the freedom of speech but it holds a very high standard of truth and accuracy in its news media so its people can make informed political and economic decisions.
Totalitarian governments rely on the ability to lie and distort the truth so they can inflame the emotions of the people and blind them to the truth.
I have had a growing concern that our country is encouraging and allowing dangerous political extremists to enter our mainline political system. When our news media is allowed to knowingly report lies and intentional distortions as "truth", when political extremists are allowed to publicly malign the character of those who disagree with them in the news media, our country is headed in a very dangerous direction.
An intentional distortion of the facts is called a lie in my home.
Allowing anyone to publicly maligning the character and integrity of someone simply because they disagree with you is a dangerous violation of that person's right to free speech and their personal liberties. In my home I call such behavior abusive.
Unfortunately, I see this kind of behavior growing. It is virtually impossible to know any more what is truth and what is an intentional distortion or an intentional lie in our news media coverage.
A morally credible news media reports facts to the best of their ability. They hold themselves to a very high ethical standard. Especially when reporting political news when our country is entering an important election.
I would like the next generation of children to sing the words "let freedom ring" knowing that they are living in a country that honors that concept.
Our political process is in a shambles, extreme political ideologies are rampant in Washington, and our news media is leading the ideological charge that threatens to silence the "ring of freedom".
Allowing extremism in a country's mainline political system, and allowing a country's new media to lower their ethical standards in what they report as "truth", is a very dangerous path for any nation that wants "freedom to ring".

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

US Politics: Discuss More About Them Through US Local News Discussions

A lot of concerned citizens seem to be interested in US politics. With this statement said, you will surely want a venue to discuss US local news for this news category. Well, you know very well that you cannot start a discussion through newspapers. Some news programs on TV may allow you to voice out your opinions but airtime may not be enough for you to express what is inside your mind. Your option then is to take things a notch higher. Meaning, you should use modern tools like the Internet.
The Internet is gifted with news aggregation sites. The main purpose of these sites is to collate thousands of news coming from online newspapers and magazines. From there, you can access the latest in US politics (or other news categories) without a sweat.
Discussing US politics through the Internet: What's the difference?
As mentioned awhile back, you cannot express your thoughts about US politics through newspapers (unless you are a writer in that paper's editorial section). In the case of news programs airing on TV, time is limited to express your opinions on certain matters as well. That is not the same case when you use the Internet.
News aggregation sites allow you to voice out your opinions and discuss your thoughts with other members of the site's community. In this regard, there is a thread of information flowing from you to other people visiting the news site of your choice. You can begin local discussions or if you want you can express your thoughts on matters raised by other readers of US political news within the site.
In this case, you are given a chance to be more open about matters that affect the state or the city you are in. You can voice out your opinions without hesitation. Who knows this will reach authorities as well?
US local news online will definitely be a good medium to express your thoughts regarding US politics. Listen to what others say as they also listen to the message you are conveying.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Get Your Medicare Now!

Medicare from the government will be given for those who are 65 or older. It is a kind of health insurance that needs several requirements in order to get it. There are two kinds of Medicare that can be chosen by the patients in which each type of care has its own requirements that should be fulfilled. Those two kinds of Medicare are Medicare Part A, Medicare Part B and Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) and Medicare Part D for drug prescription and Medicare Supplement for Medigap. Medicare is not owned by each country in the world but some countries in the United States such as Arizona, Illinois and Texas have Medicare.

Why people need Medicare in their live? It is because when they are old they can check their health regularly in Medicare and when there is an illness in their body, they can utilize Medicare to help them healing their illness. The insurance provided by Medicare is obtained from the workers and the employers of Medicare who pay tax. So, their payroll taxes will be cut in certain percent to be used to finance the Medicare insurance. Why they do that? They realize that the health of every individual is very vital although they have already in their old time.

Friday, April 13, 2012

How to Compete With a Computer in the World of Politics

During the 2008 presidential elections I watched our Teleprompter in Chief get up and make great speeches, I was impressed because as a former franchisor before retirement, I understand all whole lot about branding, and I also understand marketing and the media. It was as if this guy couldn't miss a beat, and I wondered who was advising him, and who his image consultant was. It seemed like magic, and mind you I am not a Democrat, and as much as I enjoyed watching this brilliant marketing campaign, I'm the last person in the world who would've voted for him. Okay so let's talk about this for second shall we?
During that election I remember making a comment to a friend of mine. I jokingly said;
"He's not human, he's an artificially intelligent robot, and they must scan the news the day before even a day of, and go through the entire Internet to find out what people's perception and opinions happened to be, and then they put all that information to the speech and hand until 15 minutes before you reads it."
Yes, I know that sounds funny, but consider this if you will; it doesn't matter if President Obama had an artificial intelligent computer writing those speeches previously, because in the future presidents running for office will.
Okay so how you compete with the computer in the world of politics, that's the question, because in the future someone will have to answer this question or they will lose to the politician behind a podium with the best artificial intelligent computer; Mark my words! Okay so, now I guess I have your attention - and you know I'm right don't you - sure, this is a potential eventuality which is on its way if it isn't already here - let's move to my next point of contention.
Now then, here is how you compete with an artificial intelligent computer program. There are some things which people will not say on the Internet for fear of political correctness, and because they know if they say it on their Facebook page they will not be "Liked" by potential friends. But that doesn't mean they won't tell you what they're thinking in private conversation. The way you can beat an artificial intelligent computer is to talk to people in private conversations in coffee shops around the country. How do I know this? Simple, because after retirement I went to every single city in the United States, and I often sat in coffee shops just to talk to the locals.
So far, artificial intelligent computers cannot read people's minds - that comes later. So right now, there is a way that you can compete against a computer in politics, so I suggest you get out there and get that done. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Broadband Internet, Basic Understanding

In modern life, people actually will try to find any improvement that they get in any aspect of their life. For instance is in the aspect of getting information and conduct any activities online by using internet. People who live in modern era actually have recognized the function of internet in their daily life right? The fact is that nowadays, more and more people have their own internet connection in their house so that they can maximize their online activities in shopping online at ativ store. Whether for downloading files or conduct working.

Yet, sometimes people don’t understand yet about the type of internet connection that they have. It means that there are indeed some improvements that people can conduct in order to get better internet connection and speed. Commonly, people will use dial-up internet connection to go online. In this case, people sometimes may encounter problems when they need to conduct multitasking by using such kind of internet connection. It will be different when people use broadband internet as their service.

So, what is broadband internet actually? If people ask such question, they can understand it by acknowledging the benefits of such service. What they need to know is that such service has better internet connection than dial-up one. It is because it can cover multitasking task of online activity where people can both download and opening any sites at the same time.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

We Can Easily Locate an Oil Spill Attorney with the Help from Internet

>Oil spill matter is not a simple matter which can be done in a minute. It is concerning about many important things in our life. Can you imagine that the fish that you eat at lunch is actually the victim of oil spill? Or can you imagine about what will happen for years later in the spot where oil spill happened?

It is true that we could not revert the time back. But we can do what we can in order to do oil spill recovery. But of course, we need money for that and oil spill attorneys are needed. We could not get bp gulf coast claims just like that right? We need to have oil spill lawsuit so the bad guy learn a lesson and our nature will always beautiful.

The oil spill lawyers are important to make the one who responsible for this matter by fulfilling the oil spill claim. At least with bp oil spill lawsuit, we teach the person who are responsible about the nature. There is nothing to worry about not being able to find a good oil spill attorney nowadays. We can use the internet anytime and anywhere to locate one to taking care the bp oil spill lawsuit for many people sake.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Electric Linear Actuator Application for Simple Automation

Technology is created and intended to solve most human problem; there are inventions that came up as the solution after the inventor have to deal with such problem. Automation technology also intended to provide solution for simpler control for doing various applications. The use of electric linear actuators for solving automation problem is very popular because of the simplicity in installation and application. The electric device is designed to make controlled linear movement; the energy of the linear movement is generated from electric motor which its circular motion is transferred to linear motion by traveling nut. This mechanism is also capable to deliver strong power from small electric motor. Another advantage from this device is its simple control, for single or several integrated actuators.

The application of electric linear actuators is very popular, this device is used for furniture application, industrial machinery and other engineering application. This device is small, easy to install and also easy to control. The installation of this device will only need simple screwing on its mounting holes. The power and control wiring is also simple. The small electric actuator will only need 12 volts DC electricity as the power source; this device also can be installed together for creating integrated or simultaneous movement. The simple installation and control system provide great advantage for anyone who wanted to involve electric actuators for furniture or engineering application.

Friday, March 2, 2012

The State of American Politics

It's hard to think of a more corrupting occupation than American politics. While it's by no means an illegal activity, as opposed to, say, operating a meth lab or running guns to Mexico, it nevertheless seems to systematically corrupt otherwise good men and women of stature and accomplishment.

Our system has, in the past 235 years, produced political leaders who have provided able national leadership during times of war, of economic strife, of civil unrest, and of growth and regeneration.

But something's not right in today's body politic. Its ability to produce leaders of quality has been severely diminished. Ironically, the world-class quality of our made-in-America products and services has risen steadily and inexorably over the last quarter century; ironically, too, the quality of our elected leaders had deteriorated steadily and inexorably over the same period. Or so it seems to me. We have philanderers and exhibitionists, bribe seekers and bribe takers, money launderers and sexual predators. We have a political class who has to beg for money virtually every day to keep their jobs. We have behavior from high elected officials that is routinely unethical, often immoral, and sometimes outright illegal. And then they have the nerve to complain about the political scruples of the Iraqi and Afghan pols.

We've always had our share of rascals in political life. I get that. And I realize our real-time, right-now, 24/7 news cycle exposes more of the underside of American life than ever before, to include political shenanigans. But heretofore we've always been able to produce political leaders to meet the challenges of the times. Someone has traditionally always stepped forward and led. Washington, Lincoln, TR, FDR, Truman, JFK, Reagan.

So where are they now? I can't find any already in national office, and I'm looking hard, believe me. Oh, maybe there's a leader in the military or private enterprise or state government who could provide quality leadership at the national level, but how long before they would be corrupted by special interests or re-election demands or the hyper partisanship or simply the arrogance that comes with raw power? And why would anyone in their right mind want to enter such a profession nowadays, what with the all-intrusive scrutiny and the pettiness and the begging and butt-kissing that go with it?

Bit of a conundrum, huh? Many good and talented Americans just stay away. And who can blame them? Those who do seek office seem to have to sell their souls to gain the office, only to be corrupted once there, swallowed by a relentless boa-like system. Not always, but seemingly often enough. And that is, if they weren't corrupt to begin with. Those moths have always been attracted by the bright lights.

Politics and Think Tanks, Can't We Separate the Two - No, and Yes I've Tried

After I retired, I became the coordinator for a think tank. Over the years we've tried to keep it nonpolitical. But we are finding more and more that just isn't possible. There are far too many events and important matters in our nation which are thrown into the political arena, thus, we are dragged through the mud just like everyone else. Okay so, I'd like to talk about this for second if I might.

The Hudson Group had an interesting discussion recently, the title of the talk and seminar was "Are Think Tanks Becoming Too Political?" The talk occurred on February 16, 2011 in Washington DC, here is the overview of what was discussed at the event;

"Over the past half-century, think tanks have come to play a central role in policy development - and even in the surrounding political combat. The balance between these two functions; policy development & political combat is steadily shifting. Think tanks continue to serve as homes for some academic-style scholarship regarding public policy, but many have also come to play more active (if informal) roles in politics. Every indication; political, financial, and professional points toward the further politicization of think tanks."

Meanwhile there was an interesting piece in National Affairs by a Hudson Institute fellow titled; "Devaluing the Think Tank," by Tevi Troy in winter of 2012, which sums up much of their argument, but I have some more of my own to discuss with you here today.

Okay so, "Are Think Tanks Becoming Too Political?" No, they already are, they are not becoming any more political than they have too, and the political over-reach into all aspects of the human endeavor, society, and thought is what's causing this you see, okay so, let me make a few more points. Politicians often call upon think tanks to help them make decisions, do reports, and ask them questions or help the political leadership with research on a particular topic. Then politicians defer the assessment and decision to groups of intellectuals, often in case they need a scapegoat, or to shield them from public ridicule from opponents.

Depending on who ordered the research or report, or asked a think tank to do the study, will depend on the sort of answer they're looking for, and most likely the politician will choose a think tank which has political leanings towards their viewpoints, and their voters and constituency. Is that really the Think Tank's fault? I would say it isn't, and if we step back and look at it, I believe you'll see that I'm right on this.

Indeed, I would submit to you that think tanks are no more political than they've ever been, but during election cycles they are brought into the crossfire. If a think tank supports a one candidate's position, or an incumbent's position, then they are taken to task by the other political party, and political adversaries. There's not much you can do about that, and then there is the media that likes to create a firestorm and incite sound and fury for bigger and bolder headlines.

In fact by the time it's all over everyone is riled up, and everything has been blown out of proportion. This is not the think tanks doing, rather it is the politic itself, it's how Americans settle their political differences. You can't get away from the politics, I've tried, you can't run fast enough, as that blob of bureaucracy, and the politicians driving those horses are coming after you one way or another. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Newest Gadget of Television

It can be said that everyone has a television, inside office, house, even bedroom. That magical box has been being used by human in worldwide. The main improvement of television is a shifting style form un-colorful television screen (black and white) become colorful television. But recently, there is a newer improvement and gadget of television which is signed by launching of certain device enables television to move. Such device plays as like a foot enables television moves and mobiles to whatever direction wanted and established.

If you want to grab a device which named by television lifts, there is one online shop you have to visit. The shop which is also a manufacturer will spoil you with four main types of device, include of ceiling down TV lift, floor-up TV lift, rotating TV lift, and wall mount TV lift. All types vary and can be matched with the size of your television. The shop provides a mover device for television form 15 inch size up to 50 inch size. The large choice enables you to trust the shop in what size of television you have, because almost all sizes is provided, so you don't need to go to other shops for any sizes of television you or your family use. According to variety of mobile and also television's size, the price to buy such foot also varies. It can be generally concluded that the bigger size of television you want, the higher price you have to pay. But, other specifications may also influence the price, as like size of drop down (for ceiling down type), size of lift height (for floor up TV lift type), and others. Many discounted and engineering support are specially prepared for you, so don't think twice to visit its website or make a call on 1-800-676-6123.


Thursday, February 9, 2012

2 in 1 Manufacturer and Wholesaler of Actuator

There are many things considered before deciding to choose a shop buying any electrical device. One of them is about warranty. For the consideration that electrical device is risky and vulnerable, next electrical device buyers usually search to find one shop which really gives warranty. Almost every electrical shop gives warranties for each item they sell, but just few of them which can treat any complainer well after he/she made a purchase. For that reason, ideally, best shop to visit and trust is a shop which is also manufacturer, so that any customer can get a full coverage and protection for every condition of your electrical device perhaps happened, because the shop doesn't only sell, but also produce.

If you are going to buy an actuator and you would like to search a shop which is also a manufacturer, there is one place you have to consider. It plays two roles as a shop and also a manufacturer. Or to be right, it is a wholesaler of a product made by its own professional and talented staffs. It provides 12v actuator with many kinds of category and subcategory. The category of each 12v actuator product can be suited and matched with the need, another electrical device to be connected to the actuator, and many other specifications, as like stroke, speed, and force. For the high number of actuator's request coming from various professionals with each other's need, the manufacturer gives extra special treatment for its buyer, moreover for the subscriber. Those extra special treatment include of complete stock, 18 months warranty, engineering support for all customers, and various discounts. Be in touch with the staff soon and you can prove that this manufacturer which is also wholesaler will provide anything you want and need.


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Spiritual Politics

Can Obama save us or are we doomed to disaster?


Neither of these questions will get us anywhere, yet most of the news commentaries attempt to answer one of these or a related question, such as "What is Obama going to do to save us?" and "Can he, will he, do enough?"


All these questions come from a fearful perspective: There is a huge problem out there that is too big to face ourselves, so we need to find the right person to do the job, or protect ourselves from the looming disaster.


We seem to forget that Obama was elected President because a majority of the voting population voted for him. He did not "save" the election, nor did he "crumble" under the pressure of the enormous work of the campaign. He could not have won without over 50% of the voting population voting for him.


The solution was part of the beginning


Barack and Michelle laid out the solution to this issue at the same time he declared his candidacy.

They were willing to enter the race for the Presidency on a set of ideas, and if we, the public, liked these ideas and supported them, the Obama's would devote themselves to leading the way, being spokespersons for these ideas. And if enough of us shared and supported these ideas, then the election would be won and we would have an opportunity to bring these ideas to life. The clarity of this message was the core integrity of the campaign. Now it is time to live the ideas.

He also said that the election was not for or about him, but about us, the direction of our nation and our role in the global community. He is not doing this so that we can all retire on a government pension, but so that we can together turn the nation and our individual lives toward a governing system that will address the needs of the times we are in and a prosperous future for all.


Barack cannot save the country


Barack can't save the country, but he can demonstrate qualities of leadership that inspire good solutions and allow those solutions to be implemented.

This is what he did throughout his campaign. And it was enough to win the election.

The fact that Barack was elected based on the demonstration of leadership qualities, not on how well he demeaned his opponent, further reveals that more than half of the voting population sees and appreciates these qualities.


If we can see these qualities, we can live them. And this is how the country will solve our problems and get on a track to sustainable prosperity. We voted because we liked the ideas that were being communicated, now we "vote" by letting the essence of those ideas guide our individual lives and choices.


The qualities of good leadership are not limited to Barack, they are available to all. He is modeling them for us. He will help institute a system that allows these qualities to be expressed. He is already doing that by choosing thoughtful, intelligent, non-ideological individuals onto his team.


What are these qualities?


Any of us can turn our attention to identifying the core issue of a situation rather than looking for whom to blame. Any of us can listen for a good idea from a variety of intelligent and loving sources, rather than reacting hastily to an apparent urgency. Any of us can recognize the right solution for each issue, one-by-one, instead of trying to get what we want, protect ourselves, or to promote an idea that is politically motivated.


But we, individual private citizens, do not face decisions that will affect the whole country
While that is true, it is also true that every decision, every choice has a ripple effect beyond what is seen. All Barack and Michelle need to do is to continue to make thoughtful choices based on the issues. And all we need to do is the same. As large and small issues, at all levels of life, get addressed with love, intelligence, clarity and a sincere motivation to discover good solutions, our nation will be prosperous again.


What are these ideas that we can all live by?


- Focus on issues, not personalities
- Listen open-mindedly to an array of sources for thoughtful, intelligent ideas that will work
- Discern the idea that is a good solution the issue - not what we want, not what's politically or socially correct


What makes this Spiritual Politics?
Spiritual means "of spirit," in other words, non-material and non-physical. It refers to the realm of existence that we can be aware of, yet is not discerned through the five senses. This realm is most easily recognized through our capacity to be aware of the qualities of consciousness that govern individual activities. It is sometimes referred to as an individuals "presence." Presence is the quality of being that is expressed through words and actions. So, "spiritual politics" refers to the qualities of being that support an open, responsive governing body. This is not something that can be enforced, legislated, contracted or negotiated. It is something we can see and respond to. It is something we can pay attention to as part of a governed body. It is something we can individually seek to purify within our own consciousness.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Is Traditional Politics Dead?

We Americans are a selfish bunch often becoming "patriotic" only when it helps our pocketbook.


Our vote has become a self interest vote which is part of democracy's strength and also part of its weakness. The poor vote one way and the rich another; the poor vote hoping to get a free piece and the rich vote to keep all of their pieces and not have to share any. Or something like that.


The undecided straddling the middle cast the swing votes; they hope to give a little and get a little and not take too big of an overall hit.


The neither rich nor poor get caught square in the middle or "middle class" as it is often called. The Twilight Zone might be a more appropriate name.


For example. When a politician promises to create jobs they neglect to tell their uninformed electorate that government does not and cannot create jobs. Taxing Peter to "create" a job for Paul is not job creation but a form of legalized theft.


It's called bad government and it's not what government does well and it is simply untrue to say that it does.


Entrepreneurs create jobs.

Government can only create and maintain the economic conditions that help entrepreneurs create jobs.

What we don't hear are politicians encouraging entrepreneurs; politicians just increase the cost of doing business. Subsequently entrepreneurs usually see government as setting up obstacles rather than creating positive economic conditions. Is this surprising?


So when politicians tell you bad trade agreements are responsible for your company going bankrupt and your losing your job, they are fooling the foolish.


An uninformed electorate is supposedly a bad electorate but opportunist politicos love it when voters are not able to think and reason for themselves.

Or just don't know.

In this air of non-traditional patriotism stockholders and industry want a bail out when things fail. Bankrupt homeowners want a bail out when they speculate and lose. The educational system wants more money yet continues to be out of step with the educational needs of a modern, technological society.


Are you better off now than four years ago? The question implies that if you aren't better off now you can vote for Politician X and that will change. Like it or not, the truth of the matter is that government has become increasingly irrelevant in the modern world.


The two meaningful parties in the U.S. have the electorate fooled into thinking we are fighting for our very own selfish interests. What they neglect to say is the pact they have with each other is commonly called "gridlock" and is somehow supposed to represent our best interests, checks and balances and all that good stuff. Really?


The liberal lie is "You can have a bigger slice of the pie if you vote for me." The conservative lie is "let's not change anything because that way we benefit the most and above all else we don't want to give that up that relative status."


Neither side is very willing to help the general populace as they are already committed to helping their own focused support base. That is how they raise money, get elected and the turn the proverbial worm.


Of course as societies become self-centered and greedy they become weak, corrupt and hasten their own downfall. We may not want to believe this depressing news but there has never been an example otherwise.


But the politicians simply don't care as seen by their actions. Theirs is a short term vision just as the CEO's is for the next quarter. The only time the politicos ever go into the factories and machine shops and diners is at election time.


What we have created is a gridlocked, cultural sporting event compromise instead of looking at what is best for America. This is what we wanted; should we be surprised we have gotten it?


What America needs is not the false hope of a government induced comfort zone but a government that challenges its electorate and creates opportunities for all to do better. Doing better is what America does best or at least in the traditional sense of patriotism.


But we get what we deserve and we deserve some of the politicians we get. Those politicians like to keep us confused.


Shame on all those politicians. But bigger shame on us. We can clearly see that social evolution has exceeded government's and politics' ability to respond. By nature government and politicians are reactive and not strategic.


And in a rapidly changing world increasingly irrelevant.