Welcome to My Blog

I am neither a Democrat, nor a Republican; I constantly find myself stating that I don't fly party flags, because I can think for myself. I realize that sounds a bit snobby, but this is how I feel. And this is why; these two major parties are always doing their best to condition us on what we're supposed to think, how we should feel about this issue, or that issue; and how we should treat each other. I will never subscribe to being brainwashed; the politically correct term for that is "indoctrinated". I can think for myself, thank you.

This post is rather long; but, this is what I believe....

The American Dream is being restored for the Billionaire Class, not for We the People. A rebirth of Constitutional government would require all parties to work together, not play tug-of-war over who will get the biggest donations, next campaign; or take pot shots at each other, like their all still in Middle School. Congress should be creating laws based on mutual agreement of what's best for We the People; to protect us from each other, from Big Biz, and from foreign attacks. Laws should never be based on how many rules Corporate America wants to break. The American dream should be available for all how call themselves Americans!

Religious liberty should be for ALL religions (and those who are not religious at all), not just one; and I can’t even bring myself to call that one religion Christianity, anymore, because the Evangelicals are nothing like Christ! Gandhi said it best, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. They are nothing like your Christ.” These days, they act more like they practice Islamic Extremism, than Christianity; more and more Sharia Law is disguised as Christianity. They also have more power over our government, than we do; Christianity has become its own political party, and I want no part of that!

Freedom of speech should include those who are labeled “whistleblowers”; they have the right to say what needs to be said, without fear of persecution or prosecution. And, everyone who peacefully protests should be able to do so, without fear of being arrested for standing up for their beliefs. However, hate should never be tolerated; racism, bigotry, misogyny, etc should never be considered protected under the First Amendment. Criticism of government is protected, under the First Amendment; and I will be doing quite a bit of that. If you wish to follow my Blog, consider yourself warned.

The right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right; but why does anyone NEED a firearm that’s capable of killing 100 people, in less than five minutes? There are other firearms in circulation, people! And just because you’re allowed to own 46 of them, doesn’t mean you should. Three per person is sufficient, considering we only have two hands. And, I'm sorry, but if you can’t hit the intruder in 10 rounds, you don’t need a bigger gun...you need target practice! Furthermore, just because they have the right to own a firearm, doesn’t mean the Domestic Terrorist has the right to use those firearms against another person, or group of people! In the case of the rageaholic, the right to keep and bear arms should come with a few restrictions.

We the People also have the right to our privacy; so why did we agree to the creation of the NSA and DHS? Both of which violate the Fourth Amendment. There are rumors that the government can listen in on our phone calls, and gather intel on us, from sites like Facebook; and use smart technology, like Alexa, to listen to our conversations. Clear violations of our Fourth Amendment right to privacy. But, we let them do it. Why?

I do not oppose the use of public funds (taxpayer dollars) for things like food stamps, public housing, public education, and medical insurance; these services line up with our fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Without these services there would be more homelessness, poverty and hunger than there already is; and until minimum wage is a livable wage, the poor will need government assistance. There were roughly 553,000 homeless people, somewhere in the United States on any given night, last year. Why are their rights being violated? They are citizens of this country, why are they not being protected by our government? Why do their lives not matter?

There are quite a number of pro-choice folks who are against abortion; and I am one of them. It is my belief that if a woman does not want to become a parent, she should take every possible precaution to avoid becoming pregnant. However, I also know that birth control fails, rape/incest happen, and the Conservative practice of abstinence-only education is ridiculous; honestly, it’s nobody's place (yours, mine, or the government's) to tell any woman that she must carry a child to term, when she unintentionally gets pregnant. 

It’s not our place, because that’s not our body; it’s her body, and until the fetus is a viable pregnancy (24 weeks), it is merely an extension of the host body. Without the host (aka: pregnant woman), a fetus fewer than 24 weeks old will die. And, if you think about it, anyone who has carried a fetus up to 24 weeks, is obviously planning to be a mother. Pregnancy cannot be detected until the woman is in her 8th week of gestation; yes the heart is beating, but that’s an involuntary spasm. There’s no person, yet. Did you know that the majority of women who have abortions identify as Christian? So, the recent rash of abortion bans aren't about the sanctity of life, at all....the government is just trying to overturn Roe v Wade, and take away a woman's bodily autonomy.

I also believe the traditional family (man, woman, children) is a beautiful thing; but so are single parent families, families run by LGBTQ couples, families run by a grandparent, families run by older siblings, families of mixed races, etc. And they all deserve to be treated fairly, and protected by the Constitution. They also deserve to exist, as they are. The government is trying to make us believe that no family unit is a "proper family", other than that of man, woman, children; and that all other family units should not get recognized, protected, or assisted in any way. Times are changing, folks...it's time We the People change with the times!

The Federal Government needs to know it’s place; they are Public Servants, not Masters. Whatever the Constitution says they’re allowed to do, they can do; otherwise, they need to stay out of the way. Currently, the United States federal government is much bigger than it needs to be, and that’s one of the reasons things aren’t going well for We the People. Big Biz needs to get its grubby paws off the government, as well. We need to get back to having a government of/by/for the people.

I believe in the popular vote, when it comes to electing our government officials. That’s the way state and local officials get elected; it should be that way for all Federal elections, as well. I believe the Electoral College and gerrymandering should be abolished. I also believe no candidate should have to hold a telethon, just to qualify as a candidate; they should qualify, based on their ability to do right by We the People. And ALL parties should get equal attention, when it comes to campaigns; the two-party monopoly needs to come to an end. No....party politics, in general, needs to come to an end. We are the UNITED States of America; we need to be One Nation, governed by our three branches....not by two ruling parties.

I don’t agree with factory farming, or the fact that the government cares more about them than they do the family farm; farm subsidies (taxpayer dollars in the form of Corporate Welfare) should go to all farms, not just factory farms. Factory farming gave us more greenhouse gasses, Mad Cow Disease, and nutrient deficient meats, eggs and dairy. Factory farms are also railroading family farms, to form a monopoly for themselves. Big Ag needs to step aside, and share consumer loyalty!

I do believe it’s time to transition from fossil fuel energy to sustainable, alternative sources like wind, water, solar, and geothermal power. Fossil fuels cause cancer, and other debilitating illnesses. They also damage the environment; as does nuclear energy. Fossil fuels cost us more than just a monetary fortune.

The last time the United States had a balanced budget, was when Bill Clinton was President. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that if you want to balance a budget, you need to spend less than you make. The reason the United States debt and deficit are so high, is because our government is doing the exact opposite. An average person, who maxes out their credit cards, would not be able to make purchases on those cards until the balance was paid off; why then, does our government continue to spend money we don’t have?

As for Medicaid and Medicare, as previously stated, I’m all for using taxpayer monies to provide healthcare to those who can’t afford private insurance. But, what this country needs to do is get on board with the idea of Universal Healthcare; taxpayer funded, comprehensive medical coverage for every single citizen of this country. We are the only developed country who still considers health insurance a commodity to be purchased and sold. Health care is a human right, folks....even poor people deserve proper medical care, when necessary.

To save Social Security we need to tax the wealthy; the Middle Class and Working Poor can’t handle the burden of keeping enough money in that “piggy bank”, by themselves. Taxing the wealthy would put more than enough money in, every year; we’d never have to worry about running out, again. We would also have more than enough revenue; we could easily balance the federal budget, with everyone paying their fair share!

From the birth of our country, until August 1882, immigrants were just immigrants; they came to the United States, from all over, in search of a better life for themselves and their families. In August 1882, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1882; creating guidelines for exclusion. Since then, there’s been a category of “inadmissible alien”. Every time there’s another “Immigration Act” passed, the new rules are more restrictive than previous Acts. Except, no one ever does anything to keep the “undesirables” out, until they can use that as part of a political agenda. Every year, more and more immigrants overstay their visas, and become Undocumented Immigrants who nobody notices. The only reason any of us is fed up with them being here, is because we’re told to feel that way. We really need to be more fed up with the businesses who hire them, at lower wages than they pay us, and exploit their need for a better life.

Immigration Reform needs to start making sense. I believe that all undocumented immigrants should be grandfathered in, as citizens, if they’ve lived here longer than five years. They’ve proven themselves valuable to the country by paying their taxes, holding down jobs, and contributing to society. Any incoming immigrants who want to make America their home, should be given directions to the nearest Port of Entry; including the current wave of asylum seekers, waiting at the border. Once they declare themselves, they should be given Citizenship Packets, with all the rules, information, forms, etc. and allowed 3 years to complete the naturalization process.

Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I find it interesting that there are approximately 66,000 immigrants at the border. In 2017, there were 39,773 gun-related deaths; last year, there were at least 14,611 more. Trump said there isn't anymore room in our country, so the asylum seekers should go home. With as many gun-related deaths as we've seen, in the last two years, you do the math. There's room!!

Political speech has no business inside a church, or place of worship; people go there to worship, learn about, and praise their god; not to discuss politics. The Constitution clearly states that government is not to create a State Religion; by allowing politics to be part of the Sunday/Wednesday/Saturday service, places of worship are violating the First Amendment. To have any clergy involved in politics is also a violation of the First Amendment; all of these Televangelists who are openly Republican, and salivating over Trump, should stick to teaching the Bible. But first, they need a refresher course on what Jesus meant by “love thy neighbor”.

I also believe there should never be a law that was created via religious doctrine (separation of church and state); and that laws should be law. Why is it so easy for the next President to change the laws, as he sees fit? Once it’s written, it should stand the test of time.

And, I firmly believe that there are laws which need a universal consequence. Murder, for example; every state has its own punishment scale...most of them say 25 to life. I think 1st degree murder should be an automatic death sentence; you deliberately took a life, yours should be forfeit. Second degree, or manslaughter, should be 25 to life. And Death Row is ridiculous; if you can’t prove your client’s innocence in 10 years, they should be put down. Some Death Row inmates have been breathing for 30-40 years; that's not Death Row...that's life in prison! Taxpayer money being wasted.

I do not support the war; any of them. I believe that war is nothing more than legalized mass murder. I also believe that the United States causes more grief than necessary, which is what started most of the wars we’ve been involved in. Other countries don’t need to become “mini me” versions of our country; we need to leave them alone, and let them find their own way. As for the way our country takes care of military veterans, it’s pathetic! Being anti-war does not mean I'm anti-soldier!

According the the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 11% of the adult homeless population are veterans; they don’t have proper medical care, or food, either. Just because they no longer serve their country, doesn’t mean our commitment to them is no longer valid. They put their lives on the line, for us; we owe them nothing short of everything.

If you made it this far...thanks for taking an interest in my worldview! I could go on, but I think I'll save some energy for future posts. This Blog will be the outlet I use to exercise my First Amendment right,  concerning how the US government runs the country. I hope you choose to stick around! if not, thanks for reading this!