Democrats and republicans alike are to blame
Why does it seem only the greedy and narrow minded seem to get into positions of power? Even when you have a visionary in office the rest of the government seems to stop any true progress far as the progress towards bettering the world we live in. I hear so much anti Obama rhetoric in the news and via the internet stating how Obama is the cause of all the ills of this world. When in fact the U.S. government does not run as a dictatorship it is a government based on democracy. The Senate and the House of Representatives are the two governing bodies that write the bills and shape most of our policies here in the U.S.. The president may be commander and chief but he must go through congress in order to achieve his or her goals. The president does have veto power but even that can be overridden by congress.
Sure go ahead and blame Obama, But remember to blame the whole of congress both democrats and republicans alike. Though the republicans will claim innocence but they too play there part. Choosing not to act or be a part of the process they too are responsible for the bills passed. If they just could get over the party system long enough they might be able to work together to make a bill or two that is both beneficial and not full of ear marks. Democrats and republicans alike are to blame for the mess our country is in. The republican years in the white house has lead us to our financial state as well as the democrats who didn’t oppose or try and safe guard those bills passed that kept our financial institutions from acting responsibly in the past.
I really love how the republicans state how democrats are putting the nation in debt when many of the bills and legislation the republicans proposed and passed has wasted just as much of the tax payers dollars. I really think there should be term limits on a congressional seat so new blood and ideas can flow into our federal government. When they are in power too long they seem to loose their perspective and forget it is we the people they represent not their personal views or opinions. I am kind of glad to see that this is turning out to be more of a anti incumbent election year than a anti-democrat or anti-republican. We need fresh and new ideas in the congress. To put it in a nutshell not one party or the other is more or less responsible for the state our country is in at the moment. Both parties have participated in the creation of our present state and are equally responsible.
If you want change you have to make it happen. Write your congressman, make petitions, peacefully protest for or against that you believe in. Most importantly become active in your local and federal governments by voting and lobbying for your causes. If we are not active in the politics of our day then we are just as responsible for the outcome. If I am to be responsible for any outcome it will be one of my own choice not that of someone else’s.
Well that’s enough Ranting for now.
Peace
R.Barbier
Truth,Responsibility and The Average Joe
It seems it may be time for mankind to take responsibility for all we have done. No longer are we allowed to make mistakes over and over and claim ignorance. We are a Intelligent species in general and we are more than aware of the damage and destruction we leave in our wake. All for progress, convenience and greed we lay waste to the natural resources and to the earth. The Child called man is a child no more and we should act as the adults we are instead of trying to hide behind excuses and misdirecting lies and partial truths. Both the Governments and news media throw so much spin on the truth you never know what is true or what is hype. Misdirection is the philosophy of modern politics and News agencies. Very few ever tell us all the facts only pieces of of the facts out there to keep us from knowing the whole truth. I am not going to go into conspiracy theories or big brother ideology, I am just stating there is very few if any in the news media and in government that i would trust. There may be a few whom we could trust, I just haven’t found one as of yet that tells nothing but the truth. I probably will never find one in my lifetime and I find it sad that is a truth i must face.
The politicians, news media, religious leaders and corporations of the world should be held accountable for their actions and words. If they can not keep their word and are negligent then they should be impeached, fired and or ran out of town. Its pretty sad when the average Joe in America who barely makes above minimum wage has to bail out the banks, financial giants, airlines and the auto companies via taxes. And soon we will indirectly pay for the B.P. oil disaster thanks to the raising of the oil disaster relief fund the congress is trying to pass. But still no National Healthcare for us who can not afford it. I would rather my taxes pay to heal someone than bail out companies that are failing due to the greed and or negligence of their C.E.O.’s. And these same companies are hiring more and more people overseas to work cheap and that takes money and jobs from Americans.
Enough Ranting for now
Peace
Here we go again – New Fuel Tax
Well if this don’t take the cake, not only does BP get a tax write off for their oil disaster the government is proposing a tax hike on oil (Oil Disaster relief fund now at .08 per barrel) between 30 and 40 cents. That could equate to 1 dollar or better in price raises to gas at the pump. Not only that it can increase the cost of most goods and services between 10% to 20%. The taxes will be directed at oil companies but it will pass on to us consumers. Doesn’t our government realize the economical impact this will have? Already in a recession and trying to recover from it this tax hike will only put us further into recession. The Oil disaster should financially fall completely on B.P. not on consumers directly or indirectly. And i see no reason to give companies a tax break on accidents created by their own negligence. Write your senators and tell them to vote no. The house already passed there proposed tax hike but the senate is set to vote on it soon. and write Obama let him know we are tired of bailing out companies and paying for their negligence.
Just a note to those boycotting BP gas stations you are not hurting BP, most BP stations are franchised and buy fuel from multiple fuel suppliers not directly from BP itself. You are only hurting the local gas station owner and the employees he has employed. Boycott long enough many people will loose there jobs.
International Help / Aide offered but with a cost
It is nice to see the other countries out there offering help in the oil cleanup in the gulf but its offered with a price tag. Why is it when America offers help to other nations they do so for free but when its us that needs help we have to pay for it. So should America start charging for their assistance for now on or should these other countries give us help for free? B.P. would be the one paying for the help if accepted so in this case I may side with the countries offering help. This is more of a disaster caused by the lack of safety and a lack of quality control due to the possible greed of company shareholders. I do believe if it was a natural disaster or a catastrophe from uncontrollable circumstances that the nations of the world would be offering free help / aid.
It is very reassuring to see that we as a world can come together to solve problems when they are immediate, now if we could do the same for the problems that are present now and will worsen in the future. We still need to deal with the world economy and the state of the earths environmental changes such as global warming and the melting of ice caps etc. .Hopefully we will learn from the B.P. oil incident and impose more safety regulations and governmental inspections.Even if we clean up the oil there is the methane gas and the possible dead zones that can happen from the gas.So much marine life has been and will be effected by both the oil and methane gas and it will take years if not decades for the marine life to recover.
Well hats off to the global community for offering help. And here is to the hope the global community will come together to figure ways to reduce the impact on the marine life in this disaster.
Then we are not as Civilized as we think
The only way the world will find peace and fix the economic and ecological problems we face is if we come together as a world to face them. No I am not referring to a one world government, I am referring to the co-operation and focused collaboration of all nations to solve the problems at hand. It seems though there is so much mistrust between nations that it will be a tremendous task in it self. First off The U.S. needs to wrap up their middle east campaign and return the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan to their own people and Governments. The Financial strain on the U.S. economy and our civilian population will keep America in a recession. Also our presence in those countries keep the middle east in a state of war and also fuels mistrust in our government in that region.
Its time to get the middle eastern countries involved in the process of reestablishing those countries. Though I know the U.S. and the U.N. still need to play a part in the process. Iran needs to comply with the U.N. charters and cease all attempts at nuclear weapons and continue with their nuclear power plants. There is no need to have nuclear weapons to defend themselves against their neighbors or even the U.S. . I do not believe any nation would risk starting a nuclear war due to the fact the radiation would render both their enemies land and their own inhabitable. Of course there are mad men with little care for life at all that could trigger such a war I would hope that common sense and compassion would prevent such a war.
To be fair I will state that all nations should destroy, dismantle and discontinue the production of nuclear weapons. With conventional weapons we could still cause the near extinction of man and all other life. The process would take longer but still is possible. We need to stop saber rattling and start negotiating a compromise that all sides can live with. So many problems to face in this modern world and too many to address in this post. Let us all be adults and find ways to bring peace to all nations and solve the current problems that we face. If we can not join together to fix the problems in this world then we are not at civilized as we think we are.
Coal, Green Energy and Change
The change over to a more environmentally friendly and renewable energy source from the reliable source of coal will happen in the near future.
The cleaner energy source may make a good impact on the environment but it could have a negative impact on the economy of many coal mining towns across America. We should take in consideration the jobs that will be lost and the impact of the lost industry as we start the transition to the greener and cleaner energies. If we are to close mines that many citizens rely on for income then we should retrain the miners for new jobs and move new industries into the area to keep the economy of those towns alive. The government only can provide unemployment benefits and maybe the training for new jobs the building of new industry in the mining towns would be up to big business and investors. Though both federal and state governments can offer incentives for businesses to choose mining towns for new locations.
The future is uncertain for those in mining towns and I really hope that our government realizes that its not only clean air or water that is involved in this greener future but also the livelihoods of many Americans. I am all for green and renewable energy but not for unemployed and hungry Americans. There has to be a solution to our energy crises that wont leave so many out of work.
Well until next time
PEACE
Ray Barbier A.K.A. Verum Peto