My Inner Author

Time to put up or shut up. So, to try and show I am not just some angry right-wing blogger simply complaining about Obama and Congress, parroting things on the radio, I have never been shy about putting my own words and thoughts out there. There are so many topics which cry out to me, and which generally make the average American go, yuck, politics, it's all so ...pointless. Sorry, but no, it isn't pointless. It is your civic duty as an American, and your kids future surely will depend on it, as well as your future. I know many of you say "God bless those soldiers fighting for freedom overseas", while at the same time you show them absolutely no respect at home by not bothering to educate yourself and take part in the electoral process. The very freedom they fight for, you simply give away because you don't like the process. You say politics is too confrontational, too much "spin control", too much corruption, too much work, and you don't have...

Well, to keep my Lord of the Rings metaphor alive, now it is time for Americans to make the trek to Mordor (in today's lingo called More of Yours, as in more of your money), and throw the sacred ring into the fires of Mount Doom. It only seems appropriate to think of casting out the lot of sorry sycophants in Washington into a place called Mount Doom. It is where we were headed from the moment the election results poured in back in November of 2008. Now, as I re-read and ponder my last rant (yes, I think it does qualify), I can see the raw emotion from the sense of betrayal and arrogance by our elected officials in Washington still present in my words. I hope my note also portrayed the passion behind my convictions and beliefs. Indeed it still courses through my veins. Perhaps you have heard Lord Acton's famous words: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is where our political landscape is today. Dubya and company had full control from 2001-2007...

Congratulations to the left. You got your precious Health Care Bill passed. I can truly picture our President and/or Pelosi as Gollum in Lord of the Rings, "Oh my precious, we wants it, we needs it..." Enjoy it for what little time you have. You see, you have awoken the sleeping giant of Middle class, average America. Sure this health care debate has angered me greatly. My own congressman lied to his constituents about his intended vote, and then waited until nearly 17:00 on Friday to announce it. Coward. Our own local Yellow Dog Democrat. However, it is but one small battle in the greater war for the soul of America. The Democrats spent every single bit of political clout they had, resorted to what is called bribery in the rest of the country for a few more votes, and at last, used its overwhelming arrogance in the media to get the bill passed by a margin of 4 votes (if 4 go the other way, it doesn't pass). Now begin the constitutional challenges. In November, the tsunam...

This weekend appears poised to become a landmark date in American Politics. According to the various news outlets, tomorrow will be the Health Care D-day in the House of Representatives. Early reports indicate public pressure has at least caused the leaders in Congress to quit play political shell games, and simply vote on the Health Care bill recently passed by the Senate, plus their own changes to the plan (tweaks, perks and pork). At least America will have a black and white, clear record of each congressman's vote for or against. As it should be. My opposition to the entire package is well documented, beginning with my own blog last summer ( The Health Care Debate ). Indeed, this one issue in particular has driven the greatest wedge between the political right and left in our country since the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, perhaps even farther. Several friends have gone so far as to ask me why this one issue has instilled such fire in my veins and seemingly awakened an ent...

Do you know the rights guaranteed in the US Constitution? It is a tough question these days, given the educational emphasis on Math, Science and Reading. Indeed, History is an educational subject in decline, however, it is an issue at the forefront of American politics today. I regularly keep up with the news, read lots of opinion and editorial content online, and certainly I have had a more than a few people in the past couple of years remind me of these rights. In fact, they elected a President to make sure these rights are guaranteed by the US Government. What are these rights? The right to own a home. The right to cheap health care. The right to own a car. The right to have a job. Wow! I might need to sue my former school district and my university. These rights were totally excluded from my textbooks and class curriculum. Given the recent public trend, I am guessing today's teachers are including these in the lesson plan. So, I finally decided I needed to get educat...

The Obama Administration has a great new Education program for the United States. No Child Left Behind, has been universally praised and despised for years. Beyond that, and despite whatever good and bad components it possesses, it simply has a negative connotation focusing on the child being “left behind”, rather than moving forward (and it had that negative word “no” in the title). For this reason alone, a new program was necessary. However, this bold new educational program needed to emulate the goals and policies of all the other major Obama Administration's initiatives. It needed to include fairness for all, but most of all it needed to represent change. So, how can this be accomplished? First and foremost, a new grading policy will be implemented across the country, in every public and private school. This is the central component to the new plan. Henceforth, all students with a 100 (or higher) grade average in any class will be taxed 25% of their scores, and those points wil...

Many surveys taken over the past decade show a decline in church membership and also in the number of people who define themselves as Christian, or any other major religious faith. I have read many articles and theories about the cause of this decline: from the church crowd, from sociologists, from professors, research analysts, journalists, pundits and the like. It is certainly an interesting topic of discussion. One theory I read really struck a chord with me. The more I have pondered it, the more sense it seems to make. So, I am sharing the idea now: Politics and Causes have become the religion for some (perhaps too many) in the modern world. Think about this for a minute. If you were to take an “honest” poll (where people simply spoke the truth rather than thinking about what the pollsters want to hear or whatever paints themselves in the best light) of some of the hard-line supporters of some of these causes: Pro-Choice, Earth First, PETA, Greenpeace, etc.; you would find they are...