braindrips

Of Israel and the Arab World

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 12:31:06 -0600

I'm currently working abroad in Nuremberg, Germany. As I was walking around I stumpled upon a Anti-Israel rally. Plenty of police were around to make sure the the protest was peaceful. As I watched the protest it dawned on me that, regardless of what you think of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the bottom line is that democracy works. Had a minority of Christians or Jews protested in a heavily Muslim country, there would have been violence. But yet here are a bunch of Turks and Algerians protesting Israel in a Christian Democracy. Why are there so many Turks in Germany? Because for the most part Turkey does not provide much opportunity for jobs. So the Turks come to Germany for jobs. Again, because Germany's years of Democracy and innovativeness has provided an opportunity to a foreign minority.

Israel remains one of the only Democracies in the Middle East. Many Arabs and Middle Eastern countries are repressed by their government....Iran...Syria to name a few.

Watching the protest made me very angry. Knowing that had I been in many parts of the Arab world, I would not have been able to protest and feel safe. And yet these people have the freedom to do this in a Western Democracy. How fair is that? And they are protesting against a goverment that stands for the very freedoms that allow them to protest.

The Republican Strategy To Bring Down America

Thu, 13 May 2010 21:03:12 -0600

Throughout debates on health care, the financial crisis, confirmation of various cabinet members, energy policy, military policy, and many other subjects over the last year since Barack Obama took office, it has seemed like the Republicans have only had one thing to say: "No".

Republicans: The Party Of No

Although they continually claim that they have their own proposals and answers, they keep claiming that the Democrats are keeping them out of any policy-making meetings. Their resounding drumbeat during the health care debate was "Scrap it all and let's start over."

Finally, I see what their strategy is: Make as horrible a mess as possible of America and the government. Then, when elections come up, they can point the finger at the Democrats and scream "They did it! They're in charge!"

With so many threats and challenges that America and Americans face, I find this absolutely shameful. Although I've voted both Republican and Democrat over the years, I will have a very difficult time ever pressing the button for a Republican again.

It's time the American people turn off American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, Lost, and other mindless programs and care about what happens to America. Dig deeper than the 10 second sound-bites spewed by both Republicans and Democrats that are flashed during the commercial breaks, and take five minutes to contact YOUR representative and tell them to stop screwing around and get something done to help rather than trying to score political points.

There are serious problems facing America, and we need adults in Congress that are willing to sit down and figure out what's best for America; instead of sitting around trying to figure out how best to screw the other party.

The Founding Fathers would be ashamed of Congress - all of them - and so am I.

Mark

The Celebration of Profanity

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:41:50 -0600

A while back when President Obama was signing the heath care reform bill, Joe Biden managed to make himself look even more foolish than what he normally is by commenting with an open mic about the health care bill. It's not necessarily the profanity that is upsetting. After all Cheney had some problems with profanity himself. It's the celebration of the profanity. It's the t-shirt. The twitter post. Friends, this is the type of people we elected. I thought the White House had a little bit of class. Unfortunately they're just as crass as the rest of us.

How Much Is A Human Life Worth?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:31:12 -0600

How Much Is A Human Life Worth?

In today's environment, where jobs are being cut, families are scrounging to get by, public assistance programs are being cut, and personal net worths have suffered a severe hit, President Obama is pushing health care reform. I certainly agree that something has to be done. Exactly what is a debate for another day. What I want to write about is something that I thought about while shaking my head at the mobs yelling about "death panels" and "rationing".

Of course, any organized insurance plan has a list of things that they will pay for. In the private insurance field, it's called a formulary. If your preferred pill is on the formulary, they will pay X amount per prescription. If your pill is not on that list, they usually won't pay a dime.

Healthcare Reform In America

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:32:52 -0600

After watching a newscast of a Barney Frank town hall meeting that was disgraceful, I was furious. The town hall meeting that was meant to be full of concerned citizens wanting information or those who had legitimate concerns was actually packed with vocal health industry hit-men and women who were spouting lies and trying to scare the senior citizens there. They kept bringing up the lies about 'death panels", the government having access to your bank account, rationing, and the stripping of benefits for the elderly on Medicare. LIES! ALL LIES!

After seeing that, I had to write a letter to each of the Kansas Senators and Representative who (supposedly) represents fellow Kansans. My letter follows:

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Twitter Will Die

Mon, 04 May 2009 15:55:32 -0600

Off all the recent social networking tools which have recently come of age, Twitter has to be one of the most fickle ways of communicating.

Is this what communication has come to? Text based messages of 140 characters or less? What profound idea could be expressed in 140 characters or less? What is particularly disturbing is that once legitament news media outlets are promoting this netspeak phenomenon. I tried reading Twitter posts, but they come out as being nothing more than what a middle school girl would text to her friend right before class starts.

Consequently only 40% of Twitter users return the following month. By definition Twitter users are forced to have a short attention span, and consequently will find other things to devote their time to. This is why Twitter will die. I'm predicting by the end of Summer 2009. You will stop hearing about your local television news station having a Twitter, and we will have more time for promotion of whatever is the next big thing. And somehow I'm already dreading being told of yet another internet service that I MUST sign up for in order to stay connected.

AIG Bonuses Will Not Be Recovered

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:14:26 -0600

Right now there is a lot of hand-wringing and outcry about $165 Million that was paid out in bonuses by AIG. People in government and in the media have suggested several remedies; none of them will work. The best course of action is to shake your head and move on. A majority of those bonuses will not be recovered. Nor should they be.

People don't realize several things about those bonuses.

Why Banning Lawnmowers Will Not Stop Global Warming

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:45:01 -0600

Now, let me first say that I believe that the Earth is warming. Second, let me be very clear that humans are not the sole cause for it; and here is why I believe this:

Although there are many theories and computer models that predict catastrophe based on the data supplied, the models are not perfect, and they don't include every variable involved. These models are based on our current understanding of the climate, which is not total. We are learning more every day, and as we do, those models are being changed. Have you noticed how notoriously bad your local weather forecast has become over the last few years? That's because they switched models, and although those models included more variables, they were prone to be wrong more often because the information fed into them was either inaccurate or the model was not calibrated properly. The same happens with global climate modeling.

Again, I do believe that the climate is warming, but I believe it is 99% due to natural cycle and 1% due to human activities (rough estimate of percentages). Why do I believe this? Because of several things:

Israeli Navy Should Have Sunk Rep. McKinney

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:54:56 -0600

Perhaps the rest of the world doesn't know the supreme power and importance of former U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney. The Israeli Navy certainly doesn't, since they nearly sunk the pleasure boat (aka relief vessel) she was riding in as it tried to evade the Israeli Navy blockade.

Of course, they may have not seen her with all of the other people on board, such as doctors, nurses, and other aid workers. That is understandable, and certainly gives McKinney the right to blame the Israeli Navy for seeking out their pleasure craft on a mission of aid to attack.

Oh, get over yourself Cynthia. You have absolutely no room to blame anyone except yourself for being rammed by the Israeli Navy ship. You were on a ship that was attempting to break through a military blockade. HELLO!? I would have been fine reading a story about how the Navy had sunk your vessel and you had drowned. Perhaps the story should have included a few warning shots followed by a missile into the fuel tank of your vessel. That would have gotten a chuckle out of me for sure. In the words of President Bush: Bring her to justice.

Moving Voting to the 21st Century

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:06:38 -0600

Yesterday I attempted to cast my vote during the early voting. However once I arrived I found the line to be much too long for the convenience to be worthwhile. The whole purpose for me to ulitize early voting was to bypass long lines. So I decided to try again later on in the week or maybe even wait until election day.

Which begs the question: Why does the voting process in the world's greatest democracy have to be so painful? Why can't elections be held over a long period of time at multi-locations? (I know, it's called "early voting").

Those who control the voting process - i.e. the elected officials and political appointees obviously want the status quo to be maintained. So no major changes in the way we do elections since the start of this democracy. One always as to go to their designated polling place near their home to cast their ballot. Always register months ahead of time; all the while making the process difficult to understand to those of us used to convenience.

Why not utilize online voting via the internet? Have a login username such as one's SSN. A password in the form of a PIN number could be mail to the voter a few weeks before the election. Then at the designated time, one could cast their vote online from the convenience of their home or workplace.

Online voting is not going to happen for many years to come. The old hats are too afraid of voter faud, even though they themselves transfer other forms of sensitive information via the internet such as making a credit card transaction and online banking. Those in charge want a papertrail.

I find it interesting that I've never been asked to provide a photo ID at the traditional polling place. A voter card seems to suffice. So the traditional way of voting seems to be just a prone to fraud as the 21st century way of voting.

Sarah Palin - Okay, I'm Officially Scared Now

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:16:56 -0600

Okay. I know it was only a couple of days ago that I wrote that Palin was energetic, but that wasn't enough. However, recent developments have caused an even further shift into the "must be a token skirt" column.

Sarah Palin, the nominee to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency of the United States, has been kept away from the press for good reason: She don't know crap 'bout nothin'!!

When she has been allowed to speak to the press, she is usually unable to answer any specific questions. She talks in vague generalities while emphatically stating that she and John McCain are ready to assume the top spots in the country.

For instance, Katie Couric asked Palin in a recent interview about legislative stances on economic issues regarding regulation to "... give me any other concrete examples? Because I know you've said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this?"

No Bailout For Corporate Gambling Debts

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:42:41 -0600

I wanted to share this letter that I sent to my two U.S. Senators and Representative in Washington today.

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RE: Financial Bailout Plan Opposition

I know your time is valuable, but I must speak up at this time. I want to record my opposition to the bailout as described by Secretary Paulson and Mr. Bernanke.

It is my opinion that the bailout is in opposition to the capitalist system that we rely upon. Such a bailout simply rewards those individuals who were too greedy to establish solid financial planning. There are thousands of U.S. businesses that are not on the verge of bankruptcy today due to their diligence and fiscal responsibility. Instead of rewarding the huge gambling losses that these people racked up, we need to focus on supporting those fiscally strong companies through government backed loans to those who wish to fill the gaps that would be made by the failure of the weak ones. I would trust my tax money to those companies who are responsible over those who took my money for services and lost it on a gamble.

I certainly understand that there will be a financial impact throughout the economy, but we cannot be so afraid of it that we abandon the principles that make this country strong. The United States is a strong country and we will pull through. In a capitalist society, the weak companies will fail or be taken over by the strong companies. That is how it should be. Government should create regulations to make sure that company executives are properly held accountable for mismanagment or fiduciary irresponsibility. Companies like Bank of America can step in at times like these and take advantage of the situation because they planned properly throughout the years and are a strong company. By bailing out those who gambled and lost, we set the precedent that if you gamble big and lose big, the government will bail you out. If you are fiscally responsible and lose, then tough luck, that's capitalism.

Again, I realize that not bailing out those institutions will lead to multiple financial shockwaves as they fall, but I believe it will lead to a much stronger fiscal mindset in company executives in the future. That, I believe, will lead to a much stronger United States of America. After watching the events of the last two years unfold, I believe we all want a stronger financial system in the U.S.

I thank you for your service to our community and our country in the Legislature. Have a great day.

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Mark

Palin Is Energetic - But That's Not Enough

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:06:19 -0600

When a presidential candidate is looking for a vice presidential candidate to run with him, what does he put on the list of qualifications? I have heard countless political analysts talk about the symbiotic and complementary characteristics that the running mate should have. They should have strengths where the presidential candidate has weaknesses.

However, there is a list of things that both of the candidates should have in common - ideology, good character, excellent knowledge of domestic and foreign situations, excellent grasp on macro-economics, and proven experience in highly stressful situations where they are forced to make difficult decisions on the fly.

When John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate, I was one of the millions of watchers out there who collectively said - WHO? My first gut reaction was that he had picked an unknown woman to be - as my father-in-law says - "a token skirt". I drew a deep breath and declared the election over and done with.

Counting Electoral Votes

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:20:00 -0600

I was wrong. I figured Sarah Palin would cripple the McCain ticket. If anything she has energized the ticket. It's still anybody's game.

To illustrate this, look at he electorial map to the right. This was a snapshot from August 18, 2004, of the electorial vote polling from Electoral-Vote.com.

Kerry 317, Bush 202.

The 2nd map to the right is today's map.

Obama 273 McCain 238

It could go either way depending on how many voters turn out and who stays home.

It'll be an interesting election night.

McCain's Hail Mary

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:51:44 -0600

On August 29th, John McCain picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. It was considered by some to be a hail mary pass for a lagging campaign. Consider this. Palin's public experience has amounted to being mayor of a town with less than 9000 residents and being governor of Alaska for approximately 20 months. That's it. Although I admire her values and her energy, I don't think she is the best choice to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Somehow VP picks have been less about experience and more of a beauty contest and a balance of the ticket. Consider Dan Quayle. Bush 41 picked him for youth. Did he contribute to the cabinet as a whole? Probably not as much as the more experienced advisers in the Bush camp.
Ten years from now we'll talk about Sarah Palin like we talk about Admiral Stockdale. An asterisk for the history books. A discussion subject for VH1's "I Love 2008."

Obama is going to win this thing. The writing is on the wall.