Tag: Political Etiquette

Presidential Candidates: We Are ALL Americans

sw_fake_ballot_sa03045If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that the contributors share a disdain for the current political climate, especially the lack of respect that politicians, pundits, and others have shown in their conversations.

What is really disturbing is the lack of respect and outright mockery that some of the men and women vying for the Republican Presidential nomination have been directing toward voters.

This behavior is perplexing to me…why alienate so many people in the country? Don’t you need their votes?

Herman Cain said stupid people are ruining the country, and “the objective of the liberals is to destroy this country”. I’m pretty sure the 72 million people who are registered Democrats in this country would find this insulting.

Newt Gingrich enjoyed his brief surge in the polls with comments about the Democrats’ agenda, comments which were out of step with his prior reputation as a bipartisan. His actions were often contradictory during the Clinton administration. In 1994 he put together a helpful list of words to use with Republicans: “Moral”, “Family”, “Freedom”. And an accompanying list to use with Democrats: “Failure”, “Traitor”, and “Waste”. Gingrich himself is often held to blame for the extreme partisanship evidenced in politics today, after bringing ethics complaints against Speaker of the House Jim Wright.

However, in the late 90’s, he worked with President Bill Clinton on big projects, including welfare reform and working toward a balanced budget. As recently as 2008, he expressed his support for action on climate change, in an ad in which he appeared with Nancy Pelosi, who was Speaker of the House at the time. However, when asked about the ad in November of this year, he said it had been a mistake.

For some reason, it’s now gauche for politicians to be seen working together for the common good, so Mitt Romney called the ad an example of Newt Gingrich being “an unreliable conservative and an unreliable leader”. Gingrich didn’t attempt to defend the ad, which to me is unfortunate, because I view the ad as a shining example of how it IS possible for Democrats and Republicans to work together on an urgent topic. It is constantly perplexing to me that the environment is a Democratic issue. After all, the consensus in the scientific community is that global warming is occurring and that human action is contributory. We all live on the same planet, so it seems like a global issue to me.

By now Rick Perry has enough bizarre YouTube videos to hopefully put him out of the running as an actual contender for the Republican nomination. His debate gaffes occurred after his comments about doubting the science behind climate change. In November, he signed a pledge to uphold the legal definition of marriage between one man and one woman, and appoint “faithful constitutionalists” to the federal bench. Michele Bachmann also signed this pledge. In December, he released what has been dubbed his “anti-gay” ad. This kind of stance doesn’t sit well with 53% of Americans, who according to a new poll, think the government should give legal recognition to marriages between couples of the same sex. A candidate who vows to deny anyone’s basic rights is shocking to me, as is a candidate who will not consider a potential judge’s merits if that nominee doesn’t fit neatly into a pre-specified category.

I hesitate to consider Michele Bachmann an actual candidate for the Republican nomination, but since she has been involved in the debates and is as much a candidate as Rick Perry, I can definitely include her comments. She has said that Barack Obama and the “people he associates with” are Anti-American. Most of her other noteworthy comments are not specifically aimed at Democrats, but she is very good at alienating very large chunks of America. She has stated that she is for eliminating minimum wage, being a submissive wife, and introducing legislation to ban same-sex marriage. She is apparently against a vaccine against cancer (!) and all 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States.

Until recently, Mitt Romney seemed to be the only major Republican candidate whose aim wasn’t to alienate half his future constituents. Indeed, the main attacks from the right and left focus on how his comments on the issues tend to change. I’m not against a candidate changing his or her mind with a little more knowledge, but not being able to pin down the views of a possible future President make it difficult to decide if you want that person representing you. It’s nice of him not to call me anti-American, but I’m afraid his indecisiveness may be leading him down the road the way the other candidates came: He said recently he’d back a ban on same-sex marriage. In October he said the Supreme Court should reverse Roe v. Wade, a clear indication of his opposition to reproductive rights. However, he refused to sign the limiting pledge that Bachmann and Perry both signed.

Whomever the Republican nominee for President should turn out to be, I hope they understand the need for flexibility, bipartisanship, compromise, and that they will not only be governing the red states, but the entire United States of America.

 Political Information Sources

 

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Happy Holidays from People Politico

people-politico-belief-acceptanceHere at peoplepolitico.com I would like to wish you all a happy and safe holiday season. Yes, you read that right, Happy Holidays.

Not:

  • Felices Las Posadas
  • Happy Channukkah
  • Happy Day of Ashura
  • Happy Eid-al-Adha
  • Happy Hogmanay
  • Happy Kwanzaa
  • Happy St. Lucia’s Day
  • Happy St. Nicholas Day
  • Happy Wintertime
  • Happy Yule
  • Meri Tennō tanjōbi
  • Merry Bodhi Day
  • Merry Christmas
  • Merry Midwinter
  • Or any other of the many seasonal greetings.

There seems to be a common misconception that if you do not wish people a Merry Christmas during the month of December, you are somehow demeaning or slighting Christians and their particular holiday of Christmas. However, saying “Happy Holidays” has nothing to do with slighting Christians. Instead, it easily includes more of our fellows, Christians and beyond, offering a more rounded and universal holiday greeting. It is a sign of respect to everyone, including Christians, acknowledging the wide and varied beliefs of those around you. This country might be predominantly Christian, but there is no reason to exclude those that are not.

A Succinct Account Of All The Religions

A Succinct Account Of All The Religions

Saying “Happy Holidays” shows respect for neighbors, children, grandparents, co-workers, and all the other various people that surround us in our everyday lives. We all have different backgrounds, different beliefs, and different ideas about the world.

This greeting is meant to be a warm, friendly saying to wish people a happy season, regardless of a person’s individual beliefs.

So the next time you want to wish someone well during the holiday season, remember if you are not sure of a person’s beliefs, saying “Happy Holidays” should be a welcomed greeting. Those who insist on using one particular greeting may be causing those who do not celebrate that particular holiday to feel excluded.  We live in a country whose main tenet is inclusion of people from many different cultures. Our country was founded by people who wanted to exercise religious freedom, and be free from religious persecution.

The intent of a more inclusive greeting is to hopefully make someone else’s day better, and show that you accept those around you for who they are. Offering those around you goodwill and acceptance makes the world a better place. Isn’t that what the holiday season is all about?

Happy Holidays from People Politico

 

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Season’s Greetings from People Politico

people-politico-obama-family-nov-2011

The presidential holiday letter was released this last weekend in USA Today. The letter was well written and had very little real politics presented in it. Of course there were a few small things but overall it was what you would expect from anyone else in your family. The letter had a quick mention of everyone in the Obama family and what they have been up to. His list of happenings was a bit more extravagant than the rest of us!

Of course, FOX News jumped all over his Thanksgiving Address and this holiday letter. Seriously, can they give it a break for 5 seconds? It is so agonizing how they push to find something wrong with everything. There is something fundamentally wrong with this whole outlook on the world. It comes as no surprise though as FOX news takes the cake for getting things wrong. More on this in another article.

The point is, can’t we all just stop for a while? Let’s take a few breaths and offer each other good will? That is what the holidays are about. We need to keep this poisonous vitriol out of this time of the year, at least out of the Season’s Greetings. We are all American’s aren’t we? Can’t we be civil enough to reflect on the good things in life and wish the same for each other? Who knows, we might actually surprise ourselves and find out we can get along after all.

If we learned to get along with one another, we could learn to actually get some things done in America. If we could use this idea of peace and good will towards each other we might have a shot at tackling some of the issues at hand.

For now, take a step back and remember why we celebrate this time of year. Why we should look to each other with empathetic and kind eyes. Keep peace and good will at the forefront, and it might just become a habit.

Here is a snippet of the Presidential Family’s holiday letter.

On behalf of the entire Obama family, I’d like to wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season. For us, the holidays are a chance to eat some good food, sing some holiday songs (occasionally out of tune), affirm our faith, and spend time with the family and friends who make our lives so blessed.

…

It can be strange, living in the White House. After all, every time my family piles into the car, Secret Service piles in with us. But there at the Memorial, as we held hands in silence, we were just another American family. We felt the way I hope you feel, as you celebrate the holidays: surrounded by the ones we love, confident in the promise of tomorrow, and blessed to live in this great country.

Read the entire letter here: The Obama Holiday Letter

So have a happy and good natured holiday season. Wish those around you good health and good living. Use this time to reflect on what we have, what we can offer and how we treat one another. It never is the time to focus on the worst of us, but doing so is nearly blasphemous during this time of the year.

From our hearts to yours, your family, your friends, and your loved ones, have a happy holiday season from PeoplePolitico.com.

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Black Friday and Cyber Monday Political Book Deals

government-buildingThe flurry of holiday shopping is underway and now is a great time to stock up on all those great political books you have seen through the year.

With the presidential election coming up here in 2012 it is time to make sure you are up to date on all of the hot topics of today.

With the horrible state of our politics, the misrepresentation in much of our news, and emotional tempers running hot, it is hard to have a clear, objective look at the political layout of today.

Along with reading the papers, surfing the online news sites and watching both network and cable news it can’t hurt to back up your political ideals through the wide variety of great political books as well. The more sources you gather your political information from the better. We as people are able to sort out the facts from fiction when we have enough information from enough sources. With this bounty of real and factual information we can make truly good choices when it comes to election time and our decisions on politics.

Our political systems works so hard to manipulate the voters instead of educating voters. That is why it is up to you to be sure that you remain truly educated on the political topics of the day.

Barnes and Nobel is having some great deals this Black Friday. They are also planning on some great blowout prices come Cyber Monday. Use the link below to get 50% off the books and other political media that suits your needs.

Barnes&Noble.com

Grab some great deals this holiday season!

Once you are done reading these make sure to pass them around your friends and family. Ask them to share what political books and media they have as it can only help everyone increase their understanding of our incredibly complex and dysfunctional politico environment.

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The Failing of Our Politics Continues

people-politico-super-committeeThe “Super Committee”, a group of twelve Congress members, were tasked with finding a solution to America’s debt crisis and the deadline is 24 hours away. The outlook is grim.

The official vote for whatever solution the “Super Committee” was supposed to engineer must be delivered to the public at least 48 hours before the voting deadline on Wednesday. That means the plan is due tomorrow. If no plan is presented tomorrow, the “Super Committee” will have failed.

The possible failure of the “Super Committee” follows a long line of failures of Congress to act in the best interest of the American people. Their failure is just a reflection of the larger failure of American politics.

Who imagined a half dozen bull-headed politicians could agree on anything when they couldn’t do it before?

Why has it become OK to forget what comprise means?

Why has it become OK to continue to hurt America and its people over politics?

Why isn’t it OK to make those that forced us into multiple wars pay for the costs of those wars?

Why isn’t it OK to make those corporations that tanked the worldwide economy pay for their  disregard?

Why must those that that are the victims of these injustices now be asked to pay for them?

Why are we all suffering the failures of our politicians, our government, and our people?

I wish I had a good answer for these questions but I don’t.

Our politicians have failed to do what is right for our country. Our people have failed by letting these political failures into office.

What is our recourse for the continued pulling of  America down the drain.

Everyday Americans need to speak out, shout out. Join the Occupy Wall Street movement and help make these voices heard. When the topic comes up in conversations, use it as an opportunity to inform people that Occupy Wall Street is about the vast majority of Americans taking back the power, and holding those who are endangering America’s future accountable for their actions.

Contact your representatives. Let them know that you are in favor of compromise, that you are either in favor of their actions or you disagree. Our representatives have gotten away with doing what’s best for their re-election campaigns or the lobbyists for a long time. Let them know that Americans are no longer the apathetic sheep we used to be. We are watching what they do, we will remember, and they will be held accountable.

Come election time, make sure you go out and vote these obstructionists out of office. Vote these uncompromising political failures out of office.

We need to, no we MUST, send a message to Washington and the politicians that represent us that we will not stand for failure. We will not stand for their inability to legislate. We will not stand for them to demean, degrade and deconstruct this country that we all love.

Super Committee Members

Democrats

  • Patty Murry
  • Max Baucus
  • John Kerry
  • James Clyburn
  • Xavier Becerra
  • Chris Van Hollen

Republicans

  • Jen Hensarling
  • Dave Camp
  • Fred Upton
  • John Kyl
  • Pat Toomey
  • Rob Portman

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Tweet the Super Committee the Peoples Will

older-womanSo this has seemed to fade into the news cycle somewhere but a huge and potentially country changing decision is looming in near future. What will be the Super Committee’s decision and/or suggestions going to be to our current financial crisis? Will the Super Committee be able to craft a solution that satisfies both the Democrats, Republicans and the American People?

The hope is that they will have some ingenious solution to make our pains go away. The hope is that they will bridge their differences and come up with an all-encompassing compromise that will make us all do our fair share.

The reality is that they are very unlikely to come up with anything of substance at all unless we speak up.

With the very idea of compromise seeming to be a bad word in Washington recently. Compromise and working together is openly shunned. It is unlikely that anything real will happen. The current political strategies of obstructionism are wreaking havoc on our country, our government and most notably the people of the United States of America. We are all suffering because of the quagmire of politics right now.

We have seen in recent days that the voice of the people can make a difference should we shout out loud enough.

Stand Up For Healthcare has created a handy little tool to help you get a list of your representatives and their twitter accounts. There is currently a campaign now to inundate our representatives with what the people really want through Twitter in hopes that they will actually represent us and provide what we ask for.

I hope all of you use the tool provided below to make your voice heard. We the people are being systematically silenced but we can use the tools of today to keep out voice. Use yours.

 http://www.standupforhealthcare.org/tweet

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Time for a Third Political Option

people-politico-steps-government-buildingI was raised in a staunchly Democratic household with Democratic generational roots in Northern Indiana. I grew up supporting Democratic policies and candidates and looking down on Republicans as backwards and not out for the middle class. I even said many times while living in Northern Ireland that “I will not move back to the States if that country-bumpkin Bush gets elected.” I did, however, eventually move back to the US on September first 2001. I watched the horror that seized the nation ten days later and then watched helplessly as the Bush’s two terms pass. During that tenure, I watched as civil rights and liberties were diminished, an ill-fated war be waged based on faulty intelligence (against a country that had nothing to do with September 11th), torture and abduction become acceptable, national debt skyrocket while more and more money is poured into our military industrial complex, and finally a the crash of the entire financial system. The tide of fear that gripped the nation left no room for any form of decent against what was happening for fear of being labeled unpatriotic or worse yet, a terrorist. In my mind and in my conversations, I had one nice and neat place to lay the blame…BUSH and his Republican cronies.

Does the U.S. Two-Party System Still Work

Does the U.S. Two-Party System Still Work?

I was filled with the “hope” and “change” that swept the Democrat Barack Obama into office and looked forward to congress being held by the Democrats as well. Things will change, they have to get better, I thought. As the dust settled and the Obama presidency got underway, I watched again helplessly as more and more Bush policies were adopted, as a healthcare bill was written by the insurance companies, as more troops die in both wars, and every effort seems to be made to compromise towards a “Republican platform” on social programs. Then one day as I was thinking about the state of our nation, I thought to myself, “What would I think if this were a Republican president?” I came to the realization that neither party has my interests at heart, neither party is willing to make the hard decisions on difficult challenges facing our country with both parties willingly perpetuating problems for political gain. No longer can I support the Democratic Party. I now believe that there is only one “hope” for our country and that is to break the two party strangle-hold that has established its permanent place of power and make our government much more transparent and working for us. We need to return to a point to where the government is the servant of its citizens and no longer its citizens being indentured servants of the government. I do not believe that can or will happen under this two party system.

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Facts vs. Belief

government-buildingI would find it amusing were it not so appalling that people support the idea that the struggles between Democrats and Republicans are simply matters of belief. These problems are a matter of facts. Republicans ran on a platform of jobs and the economy. Since taking office in January the Republican led House of Representatives has rallied behind social issue after social issue while doing everything in their power to make sure taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans were kept at record lows.

It is a fact that corporations are sitting on some of the largest stockpiles of cash in American history. It is a fact that the wealthiest 4% of Americans have an effective tax rate lower than the 1950s and lower than the vast majority of their fellow citizens today. It is a fact that those who the Republicans have deemed “job creators” are doing very, very well despite the perceived economic climate when, in fact, very few jobs have been created. It is also a fact that if we do not raise the debt ceiling we will only worsen our economic climate. In fact, the Republicans (who I will remind you controlled the White House and both houses in Congress for six years) raised the debt ceiling ten times. Ten times they raised it, and now they are playing politics with the one time when it looks imperative that we raise it again.

The Suffering American People

The fact is most Americans are suffering. Why aren’t our Republican friends worried about tax breaks for the 90%? Our roads and bridges are crumbling. Why aren’t our Republican friends talking about improving America’s infrastructure? We are paying 20-40% to export our goods to countries like India and China, while only charging them 2-4% to import them to America. Why aren’t our Republican friends concerned about trade inequity?

Rep. Jared Polis actually proposed legalizing and taxing online gambling and marijuana as a solution. Why aren’t all solutions being considered? Why do we have to have things one way or the other? Why can’t we have spending cuts AND tax increases? Surely if one of these solutions will get us out of our current financial situation, utilizing all of them will get us out faster.

While it is not a fact, I think that both parties have failed us. Unfortunately we do not have a strong 3rd party. Until we do we must vote for the “lesser of two evils” so to speak. If you take out your own long held political beliefs, look at the facts, remember that social issues are not really in the realm of a limited government, and vote for who actually has a plan and agenda to help you, then you will very clearly know who falls into the “greater of the two evils” category.

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I’m Right, and You’re an Idiot!

sad-political-stateA cancer has been growing in the people of America for a long time. It is intrusive, it is malignant and it is infecting nearly every part of our population. I knew the cancer was bad, but I had no idea of how deep it had sunk its hateful claws into us.

Our nation, the wonderful United States of America recently had a birthday. This is a grand and wonderful time to reflect on how far we have come as a nation. It is also a prime opportunity to consider where we are currently as a nation, a people and a country.

As always, we have had our bad times and our good times. I find myself compelled to really look at our current situation, and speak with others around me about the current state of America. My goal is not so much to convince people of my particular political point of view but to foster friendly, intelligent debate regarding politics and our country. I think it’s absolutely vital for any healthy country’s citizens to be actively and openly involved in politics. It is not only our responsibility but our duty as Americans to remain well informed and constantly pursue a better life for ourselves and each other.

However, I have discovered that the sickness has embedded itself into my closest friends and family members. Before I go on, I’ll define the cancer about which I speak:

The cancer is intolerance.

The cancer is hard lining.

The cancer is disrespect.

The cancer is hate.

The News Media, Popular Entertainment and the Public Eye

Modern media and the American people have strange ideas of what is entertainment and what is news. The news and media have never been perfect, but it has most certainly gone downhill over the last decade or so. News is no longer the news. News is now editorials, opinion and spin based off of whatever political agendas the super corporations hold. Fox is one of the worst offenders but no corporately owned news organization is immune to the bias. They report “their side” while ignoring and oftentimes defaming and insulting the “other side”. Some no longer even hide behind the veil of impartiality and outwardly admit they are supporting a certain agenda. Even if they don’t, the stories they cover or don’t easily tell you which side they are on. And when they report the news, do they speak favorably or do they speak with disdain? The difference is painfully obvious in these corporately owned news organizations.

I would direct you to a very interesting documentary: Outfoxed at http://www.outfoxed.org/

This documentary is a bit outdated now, but it is still full of great examples on how our “news” manipulates stories and our opinions of them. I’d recommend it for that reason alone.

The lines have become blurred between what is presented as news and the talk shows and editorials. They are no longer separated or specifically identified as one or the other. It seems to be more effective to convince people if you allow a celebrity news personality to determine what is fact, news or editorial. Viewers (or listeners) make an unconscious decision about what they want to believe, then justify the belief by saying (and believing) it was delivered as factual news.

Our politicians treat each other terribly, which doesn’t help anything. We see them up smiling and shaking hands with the same person they horribly insulted or said some terrible things about only moments before. We all know after the smile and handshake they will go back to being horrible to each other but for some reason we accept that as OK and elect or re-elect these people that just say what they think we want to hear at the time. We as a publically conscious people, and the news media, need to hold politicians accountable for this duplicity and disrespect, but it depends on which “side” the viewer or the news outlet is on, if any accountability is held at all.

Much of our popular entertainment has also gone the route of being rude, horrible and even amoral as the standard form of entertainment. There are shows about humiliating people publically, trashing them privately and even openly betraying them in hopes to be the “winner”. These terrible and destructive shows are not so much politically based but they do influence our perception of what is right and wrong and how we treat each other. If we were truly a moral people (regardless of religion, or lack thereof), we would be appalled by such entertainment and shun it. However, that is not the case and the traits we see in these shows tend to seep into our day to day activities without us even knowing it. Since these types of actions on these shows are ok, it has become OK for us to treat strangers that way, then friends that way, and ultimately our own families and the people we most care for.

Shame on us.

Tainted and Flawed Political Discussions

Political debate and discussions can scarcely be called such anymore. This insidious cancer is eating away at America’s political soul. I have, and often do, get into many different political discussions with many different people of all types of political views. More and more frequently, these discussions are failing to actually be discussions. Instead of the intelligent and respectful debate we should be having with each other, it is turning more and more into name calling and insults, being rude and disrespectful. When a celebrity commentator ramps up the rhetoric and drags a person who holds a dissimilar viewpoint through the mud, it may seem amusing. The networks and stations have discovered, of course, that sensationalism and extremism gets viewers, listeners, and ultimately, high-paying advertisers. These people are being rude, offensive and are no longer debating. This is name calling and bickering. Why this kind of behavior suddenly makes for good entertainment is beyond me.

Respect, integrity and honesty are missing from these discussions. The inability to even consider another viewpoint is all but gone. The ability to be informed with actual, real facts seems too much a burden for most. The real and productive type of debate seems to be almost extinct. It has become very obvious that our elected representatives have taken this change to heart, ignoring the wishes of the majority of their constituency in favor of pleasing the most vocal and vicious of their party.

For some reason, winning a debate with a more honest, respectful, factual and open discussion than the other person has been replaced with insults, hard lines and name calling. The other side becomes tired of being insulted, they realize there is nothing to discuss because it has ceased being a discussion when the opposite side seems intent on simply talking at them. When the other side is simply tired of being disrespected so they end the conversation, there is no winner. That is not a victory. That is not validation of a point or a political stance. The only thing that validates is an inability to actually discuss and debate important political matters that affect each and every one of us.

Shame on us.

The Reality of our Political State

What exposed the cancer in our political world to me now was this most recent 4th of July. As is typical for this time of year, a feeling of patriotism was high and made many of us think about our current political climate. But whenever a political topic came up during the usual backyard barbeques, my friends and family tended to turn every discussion or debate into name calling and bickering within minutes if they didn’t agree with my position. This astounded me. This was shocking and horribly depressing. I have watched it on TV for years but now the closest people I love and care for are treating me like a punching bag for my opinions.

To my dismay I found myself pulling out of these discussions almost immediately, unwilling and unable to “fight back” in such rude and pointless ways. I was not about to start calling people I respected and cared for idiots, communists, Nazis or any of the other many terrible things that are flung about these days. It’s not right; it’s not how you treat people you care about. We shouldn’t treat anyone like that, honestly. We should be better than this.

Shame on us.

Chemo for our Political Cancer

The only people I found I could talk to were people that agreed with my position. And while it is nice to experience agreement while we enjoy our freshly grilled hamburgers, it’s not very productive. We are not furthering the cause of healthy political discourse and looking at common problems from different angles. Political discussion or debate is best had with those that don’t necessarily agree or understand your own position. It’s not about regurgitating the viewpoint of someone who is getting paid to entice advertisers to a timeslot. It’s about hearing the stories of people and gaining an understanding of why they feel a certain way. Why would a person passionately hold a certain view if the only reason they hold that view is because someone told them to think that way? Why would we insult a son, daughter, mother, father, uncle, aunt and anyone else for something like that? We must recognize what we are doing to each other and end this barbaric and self-destructive behavior.

Republicans and Democrats are not opposing football teams, though we seem to be acting very much like it, unfortunately. We shouldn’t be treating each other as we do. We shouldn’t instantly insult, demean and be condescending toward each simply because we identify more or less with a broad political group.

We also can’t stick unreasonably, without facts, without thinking, to our current party line politics or stances. All parties change their stances to some degree over time. All parties completely switch political standing, more now they ever! And no political party contains all of your own personal political views 100% in line with their own. This means nobody should take hard line stances along political party lines. Nothing is black and white; everything has shades of grey no matter how you look at it. So take more time to look at the political issue at hand and find out where you stand, on individual issues, regardless of party lines or what political party you may affiliate yourself with today.

And above all, no matter where you find yourself politically, you must open your heart and mind to other possibilities and options. We are all wrong, at one point or another. We all take a stand on the wrong side at times. We all have the ability to learn and grow as long as we are open to new ideas, new facts and new opinions. By shutting out these new ideas, new facts and new opinions, we shut ourselves off from being politically informed. This changes people from political assets, to political liabilities. We should strive to make sure we are political assets in order to help to make a better America.

Each and every one of us has been infected with this cancer, to at least some degree. If this cancer isn’t cured, it will consume us, to our ultimate sorrow.

We must all strive to treat each other better.

We must all strive to sort the fact from the fiction.

We must all strive to become better politically.

We must all encourage others to become better as we do.

We must all fight this political cancer.

We the People must do better.

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Steven Colbert Super PAC Shenanigans

people-politico-steven-colbert-super-pacUsing the Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United, Steven Colbert, of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central, has legally and legitimately started his own Super PAC.

Over the last several months, he’s been working to form his own Super PAC in order to show that he can use the Supreme Court ruling in order to push his own political agenda. Steven Colbert is a comedian and his show is brilliant. What’s frightening about this stunt is that it goes beyond satire—he is showing the public exactly how anybody can do this. Because his program is a comedy show, he is not being taken seriously, except by those who truly understand the horror of what he is able to accomplish.

www.colbertpac.com

What is the Supreme Court’s Decision on Citizens United?

Effectively the Supreme Court ruled that corporations and businesses have the same rights as an individual United States citizen, and that no caps or limitations can be applied to the amount of money they can contribute politically because it limits a company’s freedom of speech.

This ruling has effectively given them the ability to amplify their influence on candidates. Companies with millions of dollars to spend to further their own agendas will absolutely take the opportunity to do so, in many respects drowning out or outright buying votes for their corporation and PACs.

What is a PAC (Super PAC)?

PAC Power: Inside the World of Political Action Committees

PAC Power: Inside the World of Political Action Committees

PAC stands for Political Action Committee. A Super PAC is just the bigger corporate type of PAC. A PAC is a committee that can be formed by anyone having some kind of political goal or agenda. Anyone can donate to a PAC, and this donation is undisclosed. This can be a donation of 1 cent to 1 billion dollars. Since this kind of political spending does not have to be disclosed it is a perfect and legal way to hide contributions to any PAC that supports your cause or that you yourself have created.

Why is the Citizens United decision and the formation of PACs so detrimental to our democracy?

For years, in fact for 100 years, a Supreme Court ruling has limited the amount of money corporations, lobbyists, and other interest groups can dump into the political system, whether for advertising, campaigning, or directly supporting candidates. The reasoning was that the country and the justices felt that it is important to limit these contributions so that companies and special interests didn’t drown out the will of the people. The people, even those that lobby for corporations, all have a vote and already have significant power when determining elections, without the overbearing influence of multi-million or even multi-billion dollar campaign ads, smear ads, propaganda and all of the other ways that voters and elections are influenced.

Now, with the ability to form PACs and Super PACs, the floodgates have been opened for these special interests to pour in as much money as needed to keep the legislation and politicians they want in power. There is a correlation between the amount of money put into an election and the results of the election. The influence was once limited, now it is not.

This decision by the Supreme Court is a new one and we are yet to see the full extent of what unlimited lobbying will do. I cringe to think about the damage we, our country and even our world might endure when faced with such forces as the petroleum industry, which literally has tens of billions of dollars PER MONTH it could potentially sink into campaigns. $10,000,000,000 a month to buy an election, and those that contribute can remain completely anonymous. How can the normal citizen even have a chance to combat such overwhelming funds, coming from questionable sources? And that is exactly the idea of PACs.

So I appreciate what Steven Colbert is doing. He has legitimately created a Super PAC, with his admitted intended use of the money to be completely frivolous. He has clearly stated that he wants a Super PAC so he has more money to have fun. And he actually got his Super PAC, and there are many people giving money to the PAC as we speak!

I think what Steven Colbert is doing is great. He is making Super PACs very public and showing what kind of sham they really are. He is illustrating the kind of shenanigans that he and anyone else could do, with their own PAC. There’s no accountability, there is no transparency, if the source of the money is anonymous. Transparency is one of the biggest wishes the American people have for their government. A government for the people is the very foundations that our democracy has to have to function properly. It was never meant for the corporation or special interests with the biggest coffers to have the biggest influence on our elected officials and the bills that become laws.

I hope you are all shocked and appalled that this is even possible. If you haven’t gotten to that point yet, watch below and try to understand the insane and horrible consequences that the ruling on Citizens United can, and probably will, cause our democracy. Our government is not supposed to be able to be for sale. But right now, it is.

Viacom Stops Steven Colbert PAC

Forming the Super PAC

Viacom Sends Letter About Super PAC

Viacom Does Not Want Colbert to Start Super PAC

FEC Questions Colbert ‘s Super PAC

Filing for Super PAC

Colbert’s Hearing on His Super PAC

Steven’s Victory Forming His Super PAC

So there you have it. He gets his Super PAC. If he can do it, so can anyone else. I know this is supposed to be a joke. The problem is, the joke is on us.

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