Uprisings...fabricated or real?

Okay, I am reading the Sunday paper about the wrapping up of the United States efforts in Libya before handing off things to NATO. Then I flip the page and read of an uprising in Syria. Something does not make sense here. Why does it appear to be a domino effect going on? Or is it an orchestrated attempt to keep the United States engaged in the Middle East?

The other side of me wonders how can a man who is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is having a difficulty of keeping peace in the Middle East. I leave this open to all the readers of my blog as I find it very interesting that more and more countries in the Middle East are seeing uprisings. Is it a coincidental or a scheme put in place by the New World Order?

Could Libya be Obama’s Waterloo?

Last week on Thursday the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that authorized a no-fly zone over Libya. In addition to that resolution the UN resolved that an "immediate establishment of a cease fire" and gave authorization to all UN member states to use "all necessary measures" to protect civilians and civilian populated areas. Based on this UN Resolution, President Obama authorized the use of United States military to carry out, jointly, an attack on Libya. Without a clear plan on what the United States role, conversation is taking place on whether a UN Resolution is enough to prompt the use of the United States military. Professor Oona Hathaway, Yale Law School, pondered the question if Obama's use of US military violated the US Constitution by saying, "Judging just from the pictures of what we are seeing happening on the ground, this is quite substantial, and this is the sort of thing that would have needed Congressional approval" (http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/22/6323385-did-obama-violate-the-constitution-with-libya-military-action).

Should have President Obama gone to Congress for approval prior to using US military forces as President Bush did prior to the Iraq War? Or does the President of the United States have the power to use the US Military as he sees fit as stated in the War Powers Act of 1973?

Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) suggested this week that, "President Obama moved forward without Congress approving. He didn't have Congressional authorization, he has gone against the Constitution, and that's got to be said. It's not even disputable; this isn't even a close question. Such an action – that involves putting America's service men and women into harm's way, whether they're in the Air Force or the Navy – is a grave decision that cannot be made by the president alone." Kucinich said this during an interview with Raw Story.

Vice President Biden, then Sen. Biden warned that if President Bush forged forward without Congressional approval into Iran it would be an impeachable offense. See the interview here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adpa5kYUhCA

Then Sen. Biden's logic was that it would be impeachable since, "Iran is no immediate threat to the Unites States of America". Which begs the question, whether Libya poses an immediate threat to the United States?

Pledge to America or Hope and Change: Which will get America back on track?

The GOP launched their Pledge To America (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/GOP_pledge_09222010.pdf) in an attempt to win back Congress. Take a moment and read it for yourself to determine if the message that is being sent is what is being portrayed in the media. Based on my understanding of the "Pledge" here is what I took away from it.

A plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more competitive

• Permanently stop job-killing tax hikes
  
• Small business that create jobs will get a 20 percent tax deduction
  
• Require Congressional approval of any new federal regulation
  
• Repeal small business mandates passed via the health care law
  

A plan to stop out-of-control spending and reduce the size of government

• Roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels – estimated savings $100 billion in year one
  
• Cut Congress' budgets, establish strict budget caps, net hiring freeze, review government programs for redundancy and duplication
  
• Reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
  
• Safe guard entitlement programs for seniors and future generations
  

A plan to repeal and replace the government takeover of health care

• Allow Inter-state purchasing of health care coverage
  
• Enact real medical liability reform
  
• Give small business greater purchasing power
  
• Create new incentives to save for future health requirements
  
• Codify the Hyde Amendment
  
• Ensure people with pre-existing conditions can get coverage
  
• End taxpayer funding of abortion
  

A plan to reform Congress and restore trust

• Require every bill to contain Constitutional citation
  
• Allow all Americans to read the bill for at least three days prior to vote
  
• Cut out unnecessary spending
  

A plan to keep our nation secure at home and abroad

• Fully fund a missile defense
  
• Enforce sanctions on Iran
  
• Keep terrorist combatants at Guantanamo Bay
  
• Ensure federal government fulfills its constitutional duty to protect citizens through enforce of border security
  

After the Pledge to America was unveiled I received the following retort from the Democrat Party.

Chris -- 

Yesterday morning, Republicans unveiled their plan for governing -- their Pledge to America.

They're pledging to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires.

They're pledging to roll back regulations on big oil and Wall Street.

They're pledging to strike down rules reining in the credit card lenders and the insurance companies.

They're pledging to increase the deficit by trillions of dollars.

Their agenda is a windfall for the folks spending millions to put them back in power -- the lobbyists, the big corporations, and the special interests.

We're not sitting by watching this scheme become a reality. Our plan to win this fall is as different from that of the GOP as our agenda for the country.

We've got organizers on the ground in every state, working with campaigns and volunteers to coordinate an unprecedented voter-turnout operation.

We're knocking on thousands of doors and making millions of calls to get our voters out to the polls.

We pay for this work with our By the People Fund -- and we're trying to reach 3 million grassroots donations through the course of this campaign.

To stay on pace, we need 5,241 donations by the end of the week.

Can you chip in $5 or more to help us meet our goal?

This Republican Pledge to America is nothing new. Even John Boehner said, "We are not going to be any different than we've been."

They're offering up the very same agenda that put us on a path to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

That means they're not prepared to discuss protecting Social Security and Medicare.

They have no plan for education or teachers.

They offer up no solutions to the outsourcing of American jobs.

They lay out no plans to invest in key industries like clean energy and manufacturing.

They don't talk about rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and railways.

With your help, we can send the Republicans back to the drawing board.

Together, we'll make sure the country never returns to the failed policies of the past. But that means moving forward with our plan to win the 2010 elections.

Please support the By the People Fund today:

http://my.democrats.org/BTPDeadline

Thanks,

Governor Tim Kaine
Chairman

 

Regardless of the results in November, one thing that will not change is both major parties got us in this mess. How can we trust either party to move the country forward? We know the current regime running record deficits with no end in sight while the other party had an opportunity to be fiscally conservative but failed us during the Bush era. What do we do as Americans? Where do we turn?

Debt rises to incredible heights yet Americans are blind

This morning I am reading Star Tribune and various other news sites I follow when I came across this headline: CBO report: Debt will rise to 90% of GDP (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/26/cbos-2020-vision-debt-will-rise-to-90-of-gdp/) in the Washington Times. The headline enough raised my ire and should every American. Now, I have been railed against for my push of smaller government, more freedom and lower taxes platform. I hope this article puts things in perspective for those that believe I am "chicken little" on the size and scope of government.

The article notes that the Federal public debt when Obama took office was $6.3 trillion or $56,000 per household. That number has expanded to $8.2 trillion or $72,000 per household today. The CBO estimates that by 2020 we are on path to reach a debt of $20.3 trillion or $170,000 per household. I understand and acknowledge that Republicans, especially under Bush, lost their fiscal conservative way which lead to the historic election of Barack Obama. I recall last year when the unemployment rate hit 10% Vice President Biden noted that the Obama administration did not realize how bad the economy was and their numbers were off.

James Horney, a federal-budget analyst at the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said, " The biggest part of the deficit difference [between the Obama's administration and CBO numbers] is lower tax revenue due to the different economic assumptions." Horney is correct that the Obama administration has a rosary outlook but it is that thinking that tripped them up last year as unemployment surpassed 10%. We need to get Americans back to work and being productive. Too many of our manufacturing jobs are being outsourced and due to our mounting debt America is put in a conundrum. The conundrum is protecting America jobs while not alienating our ATM; China.

Sure the Fed could print money hand over fist but that will only lead to inflation and a deeper recession. So how do we jump start the economy and reverse the trend this article warns? To start we need to demand that our government go on a diet and that Americans be held accountable for their actions. Right now Obama is proposing incentives that will encourage banks to rework mortgages that are underwater for those that are unemployed. This new incentive will create more debt for taxpayers and further our co-dependence on Government solutions. It is unfortunate that people are losing their jobs and making the house payment is tough but that does not mean the government is the answer.

When will Americans realize that entitlements, cash for clunkers, tax credits and health care reform legislation are only hurting the future of America? We need to wake up and demand that government shrink and allow the private sector be allowed to work. We need to demand that more States Attorney General join the fight for State Rights against the growing tyranny of the Federal Government. Obama did not start us down that road but he is standing on the accelerator with both feet.

Campaign Reform is needed and is simple to achieve

Last November Americans saw an incredible amount of money spent on the Presidential campaigns. While nearly two dozen people ran in primaries for their political party nomination we will concentrate on the money spent on the 6 parties. I know many of us only believe that we have two political parties – Democrats and Republicans – because of the publicity and money they garner. The President of the United States gets a salary of $400K with other money for expenses, travel, and entertainment so why then is it necessary to raise multi-million dollars to run for the office?

The Democrat Party nominee Barak Obama rose $745M and spent $730M on their way to a victorious bid for president (http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/). Others in the race combined didn't even come close. Republican Party nominee Sen. McCain rose $368M and spent $333M; Independent Party nominee Ralph Nader rose $4M and spent $4M; Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr rose $1M and spent $1M; Constitution Party nominee Chuck Baldwin rose $258K and spent $208K; and Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney rose $199K and spent $145K (http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/). The insane amount of money spent in 2008 is alarming. People wonder why their elected officials appear to be out of touch.

Campaign fund raising is big business. During the 2004 presidential campaigns groups like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and MoveOn.org received heavy criticism for the spending of tens of millions of dollars for advertisement. Last Friday a three-judge panel "struck down regulations intended to blunt the power of such organizations" to influence the message (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091801698.html?hpid=moreheadlines). The ruling is drawing speculation that it will assist conservative groups in 2010 and 2012 since Obama has the ability to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. "The First Amendment, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, protects the right of individual citizens to spend unlimited amounts to express their views about policy issues and candidates for public office," the court ruling said (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gZYiCc0jFm1sB0To44JC9e4pAfqwD9APT0780).

As I said campaign financing has become big business. Due to the amount of time allocated to the primary and general election seasons, the opportunity for "soft money" funds to be used for attack ads is explosive. Although the "hard money" to nonprofit groups that plan to use their money rose to support or oppose a federal candidate is capped at $5000 annually for individuals. Richard Hasen, a professor at Loyola Law School that specializes in election law, stated the three-judge panel ruling is "going to make it easier for people – all I would say eventually corporations and unions – to give money to political committees to spend on elections." That being said it is time for reform of the way American's elect their political office.

The change is the format. To start political parties will need to establish themselves with both state and federal election offices. Fund raising will not be limited but the spending of the money will be drastically changed. The spending of campaign funds will be restricted to travel, food, lodging, staff, and general business expenses. The primary season divided the time of the duties of those running thus shirking their elected responsibilities. To mitigate the loss of representation brought about by the rigors of campaigning the primary season will be limited to 45 days. The limitation will be at all levels of government. After the primary season is complete there will be a 15 day cooling off period before the general election.

The general election process will last 45 days as well. During the 45 days 5 debates will take place with all registered political party candidates. The final debate will be schedule a week prior to Election Day. No fund raising events will be allowed during the primary or the general election seasons. Any fundraising will need to be down outside the election seasons. Although the reform idea may not curb the excessive fundraising events it will allow for all register parties to have an equal voice. The reform will also establish a national ballot that will ensure all registered candidates are on the ballot in every state and do away with the need for each candidate to file in each state where the rules are not uniform. The tough part of this reform will be to get Republicans and Democrats to agree as it will pose a threat to their oligarchy of the political system.