Category Archives: Domestic Issues
President Who Speaks with Forked Tongue
“Man who speaks with forked tongue” has been attributed to how the Native American Indians described the White man throughout history. It describes a person who says one thing but means the very opposite. It is an apt description of … Continue reading
My Thoughts about President Trump
For some time now I have been trying to think of good things to say about President Trump. But the longer he has been President the fewer things I can think of. I feel that he is out of place for this century… Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Economy, Foriegn Policy and War, Government, Political
Tagged accomplishments, Trump
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Obama’s Weakness and Failures
My favorite presidents are Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. What these presidents had in common were a very turbulent presidency, the skills to work behind the scenes with an often hostile congress to barter for legislation important to them, and figuring how best to get very difficult things done. When President Obama was first elected he had a much less hostile congress to work with. He was able to pass the Affordable Care Act, something other presidents had failed to do. But he was not an especially skilled politician familiar with the art of negotiating. His skills were far more adept at going out to the public to ask for their support. This won him the Presidency in two elections. But this alienated him from Congress. Legislation is at the heart of making government work which Congress owned. Continue reading
“Gettysburg Address” – a Wake-Up Call
Somehow chills always run up and down my spine every time I hear the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln recited. This speech did not receive great attention when given to commemorate all the soldiers who had given there lives during one of the bloodiest battles of the bloodiest war this nation has ever engaged, the American Civil War. But a newspaper man had written the speech down and published it. It was one of the shortest speeches ever given by an American President, consisting of only 3 relatively short paragraphs spoken in less than 5 minutes. However its significance sunk in after its publication and is now considered one of, if not the greatest speeches ever given in this nation. Continue reading
Immigration Myths
The President would like to see the passage of an immigration reform bill which would allow many undocumented immigrants to gain legal status. This is strongly opposed by many conservatives and Tea Party members who claim that illegal immigrants take … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government, Legislation
Tagged cheap labor, deport, illegal aliens, immigration, immigration reform, minorities, undocumented
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U.S. Public Transportation Failures
America’s love affair with their cars continues unabated as auto sales continue to increase making that industry and oil companies richer each year. Cars are among our most expensive and cherished possessions. But there are costs associated with car ownership … Continue reading
The Big Disconnect
There seems to be a big disconnect between formal education and real life. This is no less true than the discussion for the very low turnout of young voters in America. A possible solution to this low turnout problem is to lower the voting age to a level such that what all children lean about voting in school can be related to the actual voting process while still in high school. Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government
Tagged congress, lower voting age, mess in congress, more voters, registered voters, Voting, Voting age, young voters
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Term Limits? Extend Term Lengths Instead!
In today’s complex wold of government two and four year terms simply doesn’t give our elected officials enough time to learn their jobs before they need to prepare for the next election. When these terms in office were originally established … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government
Tagged four years, government, House, Political campaign, political office, president, Senate, term in office, Term limit
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Health Care in the U.S.
Most countries throughout the developed world have government run health care systems for good reason: It is far easier than having to deal with many different private insurance companies and shopping for insurance and comparing best benefits and rates. A … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government
Tagged health care, Health system, medical insurance, Medicare, Obamacare, overhead, United States
1 Comment
Apathy in America
On a good national election about 60% of registered voters vote. About 35% of American citizens aren’t even registered to vote. Thus in reality on a good national election only about 45% of all American citizens vote and on a … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government
Tagged American voters, Apathy, dysfunctional government, elections, government, involved citizens, legislator
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President Obama vs a Republican Congress
I have been critical of President Obama’s foreign policies and his failure to be transparent regarding whistle blowers as he had promised during his 2008 campaign. I am also critical of his polities on oil and gas drilling. So I … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government
Tagged congress, depression, economic recovery, food stamps, national debt, Obamacare, poor, president, Republican House, Republicans, resession
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Conservatives would like to Cut Subsidy Programs to the Poor
A few days ago the Republican House voted to cut off $40 billion from the food stamp program. If they had it their way they would totally cut off all subsidy programs for the needy from the Federal budget. As … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government
Tagged compassion, crime, food stamps, government subsities, jobs, law enforcement, national debt, poverty, Republican House, riots
3 Comments
What if there were no Federal Regulatory Agencies?
Political conservative pundits complain that the federal government is too big with all its regulatory agencies. What if we did as the conservatives wished, reduce government by letting free enterprise regulate itself? What if we abolished all our federal regulatory … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government
Tagged conservatives, EPA, FDA, OSHA, protect, regulation, Regulatory agency, safety, Safety standards
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Why it’s Important the Youth of America shoud Vote
Young citizens are complacent and do not vote. They have a tenancy to be slightly more liberal than older citizens who do vote. Thus we have more conservative Republican Presidents. If young voters would vote there might be more balance in election outcomes. Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government, Life's Lessons, Personal Perspective
Tagged Conservatism, democracy, Democrats, election, government, legislation, president, right, Supreme Court, taxes, vote, young voters, Youth
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Campaign Reform: Keep Simple + No Fundraising
Keeping campaign contributions out of the political candidate process eliminates the influence of special interest groups and forces incumbents to stand on their legislative records. This discussion reveals why current practices are corrupt and makes some recommendations for reform. Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government
Tagged Campaign finance, campaign reform, candidate, congress, Fundraising, Political campaign
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Are Foreign Engagements a Distraction from Domestic Woes?
Our over-engagement in foreign policies and wars is misdirecting resources and distracting both the government and public from focusing upon many critical and urgent domestic issues. There are more than enough problems at home that need our full and concerted attention to solve. Continue reading
Posted in Do No Harm, Domestic Issues, Foriegn Policy and War, Government
Tagged build, cure, destroy, domestic, foriegn policy, kill, Korea, Pakistan, peace, United States, war
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What if We Didn’t Engage In Any Wars?
A scenario is presented of what the country would be like if we had not engaged in all wars since WWII. The cost of war in both dollars and lives and the disruptions and consequences to veterans and society have been huge. Have the costs of wars been justified? Or would life had been better for us had we stayed out of these wars? Continue reading
Posted in Do No Harm, Domestic Issues, Economy, Foriegn Policy and War, Government
Tagged peace, prosperity, war, what if
2 Comments
A Failing Democracy
The US Congress is inept and unable to function as a body that enacts laws. The polarization of the two parties results in nothing being accomplished. Congregational leaders are driven by ideology instead of compromise. Our country is fighting wars abroad and trying to spread democracy yet democracy at home is a dismal and embarrassing failure. Those who we are trying to become democratic must be laughing behind our backs at our non-functional government. Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Issues, Government
Tagged Campaign finance, campaign reform, congress, democracy, flawed, polarization, politics, Supreme Court, United States, Wealth
3 Comments
Spending on War and Destruction vs. Investing on Building a better America
What if we did not go to all the wars or meddle into the affairs of other countries since the end of the Korean War and instead focus all of that Defense money and effort into education, energy development, infrastructure … Continue reading
Posted in Do No Harm, Domestic Issues, Foriegn Policy and War, Government
Tagged budget, education, hate, infrastructure, love, peace, spend, United States, war
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The War on Drugs – Another Losing Battle
The war or prohibition on drugs has been raging since the early 1900’s but was not seriously addressed by the federal government until the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 was implemented by the Nixon administration. During … Continue reading
Posted in Crime & Justice, Domestic Issues, Government, Social Issues
Tagged addict, addiction, crime, drug, enforcement, illegal, law, marajuana, medical, pot, social, traffic, war
4 Comments
ouR Social Conscience 