It’s human nature.
Each one of us view the world we live in differently having our own perception of politics and interpretation of human nature, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, influenced by our vocation, experience in social situations and ancestry that is the basis for our opinion of ethics, society and politics. We instinctively look for politicians that represent our best interest and that share our values the closest. That is why I am an Independent American.
Politics and Elections affect everyone from the day we are born, in the home, in school, at work and in retirement. Yet only about 50% of eligible citizens actually register to vote. Far too many are willing to tolerate and even support incompetent, malfeasant politicians.
For me, it’s about living a full meaningful life through retirement and looking for politicians that share my views on the direction this country should be going.
There are dozens of active Political Parties across the Country with differing political agendas. The majority of American voters are Independent, however our two-party electoral system requires that we vote either Republican or Democratic. Adding a third-party, be it Libertarian, the Tea Party or Independent, would probably slow the political process, increase corruption and we would end up with just another party at the hog trough. Surprisingly, there is no mention of any ‘Party’ system in the U.S. Constitution. George Washington was the only president elected as an independent, because there was no party system in existence when he was elected President.
People all across the country continue to switch from one party to another but according to Gallup more people consider themselves to be Independent while Democrats and Republicans seem to be equally divided with a slight edge going to the Democrats. Very few people believe in every plank or issue of a given party’s platform.
How important is Party affiliation? When selecting a candidate for political office it is my belief that the best qualified candidate that shares your views the closest on the direction this country should be going should get the job regardless of party affiliation.
Some Republicans in Congress would cut entitlement programs in order to reduce taxes for big business allowing them to create larger profits then rely on their “trickle-down” theory to satisfy the middle and lower class workers, a theory which they believe is the strength and purpose of Capitalism even though it has never worked. Wall Street will simply keep the larger profits. The Democratic Party would tax the rich to protect entitlement programs.
This issue has become paramount in Congress and across the country dividing America and is certain to be a divisive issue in the 2012 election. What exactly is the country’s responsibility for providing a safety net for seniors, the Handicapped and those who need medical necessities but cannot afford the high cost of medical care? And who should pay for the program? And how much should they pay? Politicians have been debating this issue for decades and continue to kick the problem down the road for the next Congressional generation.
It is obvious to me that the poor who are in need of assistance cannot possibly pay for it. The working middle class can contribute very little more than they are paying now. The rich pay a lower tax rate than the average worker, receive tax breaks thorough lobbying and give money to members of Congress to keep their tax rate low and every benefit possible. They can afford to contribute more and not even miss it. If Congress would remove tax breaks to Big Business and level the rate, where the ultra rich pay the same rate as middle class workers and use that money to fix Social Security and Medicare and repay the money it took from the Social Security Fund we wouldn’t even have this problem. The argument that tax breaks and lower rates to Big Business significantly increases employment is grossly exaggerated and without merit. Wall Street will simply keep the extra profits increasing the pay gap.
This standoff and Class division will continue as long as the rich receive unfair tax breaks and allowed to continue paying politicians to do their bidding, a scheme in which the poor cannot compete, and the middle class will continue to rebel against this injustice. The Bush Administration drove the economy into the ditch and now some members of Congress would throw seniors and Medicare recipients under the bus.
[Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father, principal author of The Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States once said "The end of democracy and the defeat of the American Revolution will occur when government falls into the hands of lending institutions and moneyed incorporations."]
Members of Congress automatically receive some of the best health care benefits in the country and a great pension for life. They have their own pharmacy, right in the Capitol and a team of doctors, technicians and nurses standing by in case of an emergency and can get a physical exam, an X-ray or an electrocardiogram, without leaving work but would cut Medicare for everyone else.
The Washington Post reported that the net worth of House members more than doubled between 1984 and 2009, going from $280,000 to $725,000, on average, while the American family net worth declined during the same period.
“Just bringing congressional members’ pensions in line with private pensions would save taxpayers some $100 million a year” and a new Gallup poll indicates that 79% of registered voters say most members of Congress should not be re-elected.
We are not in a recession… so says National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the most recognized official source in the country. The NBER announced in September, 2010 that the recession ended back in June, 2009. It doesn’t really matter what they call it, people on Main Street will tell you our economy stinks and many Americans feel that we are still in a recession. The NBER must be referring to Big Businesses and Wall Street that continue to enjoy record profits (none of which has trickled-down) overlooking the rest of us. While millions of Americans are worried about finding a job or losing the one they have, the rich are busy buying politicians (or hiring lobbyist) to support policies that tilt legislation further in their favor.
In my humble opinion our Nation began its decline when we went into Iraq based on false and faulty Bush policies causing people to lose confidence in government. In addition to the war in Iraq, the economy began to crumble due to poor speculation and unscrupulous business practices of big investment bankers, resulting in the Real Estate and Credit bubbles. President Obama has yet to restore the economy as promised and constant bickering in both branches of Congress is dividing the country along party lines, between the rich and the poor and between Wall Street and the rest of us.
I have lived a very long time and have never seen intransigence in Congress greater than it is this year, fueled by the increase in individual and party blogs across the internet and partisan media news channels and talk shows, uncompromising and obstinate members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have pledged solid support for party ideology over public interests making bipartisan legislation almost nonexistent. This stalemate will continue until the American electorate changes its mind-set against compromise and elect fair-minded, knowledgeable law makers who support pubic interests as well as party values.
Democrats blame the economy on George W. Bush’ false and faulty policies while Republicans place all the blame on Obama. Congress is not only extremely partisan, opinion polls show their approval rating is at a record low (10% as of February, 2012) for their uncompromising commitment to party over national interests in the recent debt ceiling legislation and temporary extension of the payroll tax cuts for 160 million Americans among other issues. When Congress works together we all benefit… When they work divided by party the country goes into decline. Compromise does not mean selling out one’s principle’s it simply means working out differences that results in the best solution for all Americans. Compromise is at the Heart of how government works, that unites us across cultures, to accomplish the Nations business. During a recent conference at Southern Methodist University Barbara Bush, former first lady, said “I hate that people think compromise is a dirty word. It’s not a dirty word”. The reality is that we cannot afford irrational staunch partisanship on such monumental legislation for irresponsible political purposes.
Republican Senator from Maine, Olympia Snowe, with over 17 years in the Senate followed by 16 years in the House, frustrated and fed up with partisanship and dysfunction in Congress and their inability to solve the Nations problems has decided to leave the Senate at the end of the year but indicated that she will continue to work outside to help correct Congressional gridlock.
I believe that Social Security and Medicare are necessary and should be protected for future generations and that waste, fraud and abuse should be eliminated from these very important programs. It is estimated that about $60 billion in Medicare costs are due to waste, fraud and abuse. Other Welfare entitlements should either be reformed or reduced with a clear policy in place to restrict free loaders and other abuses with oversight to ensure effectiveness.
The simplistic view to restore the economy that some legislators have suggested would be to cut Social Security and Medicare allowing employees to stop paying the FICA, (A Payroll tax that Roosevelt set up in 1935 to fund Social Security and Medicare that Johnson added in 1965), the workers would then start their own personal savings account for their medical and retirement needs without any government involvement.
Great! Problem solved.
Whoa! In other words we would revert back to the days before the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA), which was chaos, people starving and dying from lack of medical assistance. Some people are physically or mentally unable to save for retirement, through no fault of their own, and others with limited working ability, or those unable to find steady employment could be left without adequate shelter, food and medical needs particularly when they become too old to provide for themselves, especially women, who have spent a working lifetime raising a family and caring for others. Then what? Let them starve, suffer needlessly without medical necessities and watch while they die in the streets?
It happened before and it could happen again. Privatization would simply leave seniors to the insensible schemes and ever-increasing costs by big Insurance Companies and fluctuations of Wall Street. Entitlement programs should be restructured to cut waste, fraud and abuse, not eliminated. The safety and welfare of all citizens of the United States is a government responsibility, not big Insurance Companies whose responsibility is to rich investors and stockholders.
Members of Congress have received millions from the super rich Lobbyists and Special Interest Groups of the Medical industry including Health Insurance companies, big drug companies, hospitals, nursing home industry, even Doctors, and then pass legislation that benefits the super rich with ever advantage possible including lower taxes while cutting benefits for the rest of us.
We have the ingenuity and resources to solve our economic problems when Washington is willing to represent the people again and we get better leadership than we are getting. Under President Obama’s leadership the government is in gridlock, the deficit and National debt is out of control and unemployment, at 8.3% as of March, is still too high.
Some of the money spent by the current administration to stimulate the economy was necessary to prevent a deep depression but some of the taxpayers’ money was wasted. Since I am not an economist I will not offer a comment on exactly how it should be handled but no one presently seeking residency in the White House has a practical solution to grow the economy any faster or better than the excruciatingly slow rate of growth we are experiencing. It took over 10 years to restore the economy after the great depression of 1929 and it could take between 5 and 10 years to recover from the great recession of 2008. I was a young child during the great depression and experienced firsthand those years of agonizing hardships with over 25% unemployment.
We need new thinking in Congress with sensible reforms to entitlement programs to make them more effective and affordable for future generations. After decades of government raids on the Social Security fund, insufficient funding and neglect we are now finally forced to debate the issue for the best solution to preserve this safety net for our Seniors and Handicapped as a vital part of our economy.
I believe that no single party has all the answers, that Republicans and Democrats both have good ideas worth sharing.
So who would I support in the upcoming election? I do not agree with the Democrats lack of leadership, nor do I agree with the Republicans willingness to undermine the welfare of seniors and their trickle-down theory. At this point I am still undecided.
Capitalism is an economic free-market system based on the private ownership (not Government) of production and distribution of goods, characterized by a free competitive market and motivation by profit.
We are and have always been a “Capitalistic Nation” even though we have some socialistic programs; e.g. Social Security, Medicare and Government regulations.
Unregulated Wall Street allowed for poor speculations and devious business practices of the banking industry that triggered the economic downturn and recession. There is little doubt that part of the stimulus packages did in fact prevent a depression that could have been worse than the great depression of 1929 when unemployment reached 25%. Recent regulations of Wall Street by the current administration may slow the reoccurrence of yet another recession but much stronger regulations are still needed to prevent the greedy investment banking industry from risky schemes that could cause even greater damage to our economy. It is also fair to mention that a part of the stimulus packages was a waste of the taxpayers’ money.
Our welfare system is rampant with waste, fraud and abuse and must be reformed but let’s not forget those who depend on Social Security benefits for their very survival (many are Tea Party members) that would otherwise place a greater burden on society and our economy.
As good as our Capitalistic system is there still may be room for improvement since Capitalism does have its faults, but so does everything else. Nothing is perfect. Stockholders demands for increased profits pressure Businesses to reduce costs on employee wages and working conditions, cut corners using cheaper, inferior parts and supplies and disregard environmental concerns for air and water pollution (an example would be the recent BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico) to increase greater return for investors. Then there is the influence of money by big business lobbyists and wealthy donors, given to politicians for favors, which has an adverse effect on our Capitalistic system and plays a significant role in corrupting Congress and reshaping government.
The reality is that we are not a totally capitalistic nation. Our country is exceptionally great because we are successful in our ability to balance our Capitalistic system with limited Government regulations and Social programs.
And of course; Social Security will continue to be available to future generations as an essential part of our Capitalistic Free Enterprise system.
In My Opinion it will not matter who the Republicans run for President, Obama will most likely win the 2012 election based on ideological and character differences of the candidates.
You are important and your vote does make a difference.
ABOUT I have lived long enough to know what is important, what is not and what to leave be… |
Electoral College How will this election be decided and who will be the next President of the United States? |
Election 2012 Who will win the election for the next President of the United States of America? |
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Senior Citizens All Seniors should vote to protect social Security and Medicare….. |
Gov. Documents The Full Constitution, Declaration of Independence and The Patriot Act |
The Tea Party The Tea party protests have shaken American politics… |
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Occupy Wall Street Protests for greater equality in our economic system |
Barack Obama Most significant achievement was successfully preventing the greatest depression in our history….. |
George W. Bush George W. Bush began his presidency with honorable intensions |
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| Glen Beck An intelligent gifted speaker and Talk Show Host |
Rush Limbaugh A smart, persuasive, highly controversial entertainer |
Paul Ryan Paul Ryan is a very smart rising star in the Republican party. |
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| Mitt Romney Good experience and qualifications and would probably make a good President….. |
Rick Perry Most significant Qualification is that Texas added 49.9% of all U.S. jobs from June 2009 to June 2011….. |
Sarah Palin Provocative, attractive charismatic personality |
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