Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Senate Vote on Terrorism
President Obama has to veto the bill that the Senate passed if it gets to him. It breaks the 5th amendment, 14th amendment, the idea of innocent until proven guilty, right to fair trail, writ of habeus corpus and knowing the charges against you. Fighting terrorism is important but not by losing our Bill of Rights. Having detention camps with people with no trials is unAmerican. We have to fight this bill. How can anyone be for this bill? It is insane. Teaching students about due process and then talking about this in the news..my students thought we were crazy-Congress is on this one.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Different Universes
Democrats and Republicans have such different world views. Reading papers from students show such different persectives.
One side wants small government, little government interference, low taxes, no regulations and believes people will do right. They believe people will not make mistakes, discriminate or hurt people. One side thinks business will always do right and help people. This side says there is no climate change, the environment is fine and abortion should be illegal. Gays should not marry and the military should be used even more.
The other side believes in climate change and that people can make their own decisions on abortion and that gays should marry. The military is used too much. They want regulations, higher taxes for the rich, more regulations to stop abuses. People do wrong and government has to enforce laws to make sure people are stopped from doing wrong. Corporations do not work for people but can hurt people.
Pick an issue, both sides are opposite and do not want to compromise. Compromise is a dirty word. People get into fights and call names over these issues. People threaten each other over these things.
Are we at the point where we cannot get along? Should we think of dividing the country? Will I ever agree with people from the South? Will people in the Midwest ever agree with the Northeast? We are so different, maybe it is time for the ulitmate States rights-divide up the country or let states secede.
What do you think?
One side wants small government, little government interference, low taxes, no regulations and believes people will do right. They believe people will not make mistakes, discriminate or hurt people. One side thinks business will always do right and help people. This side says there is no climate change, the environment is fine and abortion should be illegal. Gays should not marry and the military should be used even more.
The other side believes in climate change and that people can make their own decisions on abortion and that gays should marry. The military is used too much. They want regulations, higher taxes for the rich, more regulations to stop abuses. People do wrong and government has to enforce laws to make sure people are stopped from doing wrong. Corporations do not work for people but can hurt people.
Pick an issue, both sides are opposite and do not want to compromise. Compromise is a dirty word. People get into fights and call names over these issues. People threaten each other over these things.
Are we at the point where we cannot get along? Should we think of dividing the country? Will I ever agree with people from the South? Will people in the Midwest ever agree with the Northeast? We are so different, maybe it is time for the ulitmate States rights-divide up the country or let states secede.
What do you think?
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Vote with where you Shop
Vote with your money. Stay away from large department stores, large retailers and large companies. I know it is very difficult to do, but we consciously need to make good choices. Going to Del Taco on Thanksgiving, on a drive to Tempe, I asked the worker if he was paid extra for working on Thanksgiving. The answer was no. They do not get any overtime pay. This is a crime. I bet others, the same is true. We need to support local businesses that pay better, are local people that support local programs. Local farms, local stores must be our answer. We need to go to local/small fast food places, mom and pop stores and buy locally. We all benefit when we do. The Black Friday deals with large retailers need to be avoided. Send a message. Vote with your decisions and money.
Ideas for Occupy Wall Street
Taken from Michael Moore's website and great ideas. What are others ideas? Thoughts.
10 Things We Want
A Proposal for Occupy Wall Street
Submitted by Michael Moore
1. Eradicate the Bush tax cuts for the rich and institute new taxes on the wealthiest Americans and on corporations, including a tax on all trading on Wall Street (where they currently pay 0%).
2. Assess a penalty tax on any corporation that moves American jobs to other countries when that company is already making profits in America. Our jobs are the most important national treasure and they cannot be removed from the country simply because someone wants to make more money.
3. Require that all Americans pay the same Social Security tax on all of their earnings (normally, the middle class pays about 6% of their income to Social Security; someone making $1 million a year pays about 0.6% (or 90% less than the average person). This law would simply make the rich pay what everyone else pays.
4. Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act, placing serious regulations on how business is conducted by Wall Street and the banks.
5. Investigate the Crash of 2008, and bring to justice those who committed any crimes.
6. Reorder our nation's spending priorities (including the ending of all foreign wars and their cost of over $2 billion a week). This will re-open libraries, reinstate band and art and civics classes in our schools, fix our roads and bridges and infrastructure, wire the entire country for 21st century internet, and support scientific research that improves our lives.
7. Join the rest of the free world and create a single-payer, free and universal health care system that covers all Americans all of the time.
8. Immediately reduce carbon emissions that are destroying the planet and discover ways to live without the oil that will be depleted and gone by the end of this century.
9. Require corporations with more than 10,000 employees to restructure their board of directors so that 50% of its members are elected by the company’s workers. We can never have a real democracy as long as most people have no say in what happens at the place they spend most of their time: their job. (For any U.S. businesspeople freaking out at this idea because you think workers can't run a successful company: Germany has a law like this and it has helped to make Germany the world’s leading manufacturing exporter.)
10. We, the people, must pass three constitutional amendments that will go a long way toward fixing the core problems we now have. These include:
a) A constitutional amendment that fixes our broken electoral system by 1) completely removing campaign contributions from the political process; 2) requiring all elections to be publicly financed; 3) moving election day to the weekend to increase voter turnout; 4) making all Americans registered voters at the moment of their birth; 5) banning computerized voting and requiring that all elections take place on paper ballots.
b) A constitutional amendment declaring that corporations are not people and do not have the constitutional rights of citizens. This amendment should also state that the interests of the general public and society must always come before the interests of corporations.
c) A constitutional amendment that will act as a "second bill of rights" as proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt: that every American has a human right to employment, to health care, to a free and full education, to breathe clean air, drink clean water and eat safe food, and to be cared for with dignity and respect in their old age.
10 Things We Want
A Proposal for Occupy Wall Street
Submitted by Michael Moore
1. Eradicate the Bush tax cuts for the rich and institute new taxes on the wealthiest Americans and on corporations, including a tax on all trading on Wall Street (where they currently pay 0%).
2. Assess a penalty tax on any corporation that moves American jobs to other countries when that company is already making profits in America. Our jobs are the most important national treasure and they cannot be removed from the country simply because someone wants to make more money.
3. Require that all Americans pay the same Social Security tax on all of their earnings (normally, the middle class pays about 6% of their income to Social Security; someone making $1 million a year pays about 0.6% (or 90% less than the average person). This law would simply make the rich pay what everyone else pays.
4. Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act, placing serious regulations on how business is conducted by Wall Street and the banks.
5. Investigate the Crash of 2008, and bring to justice those who committed any crimes.
6. Reorder our nation's spending priorities (including the ending of all foreign wars and their cost of over $2 billion a week). This will re-open libraries, reinstate band and art and civics classes in our schools, fix our roads and bridges and infrastructure, wire the entire country for 21st century internet, and support scientific research that improves our lives.
7. Join the rest of the free world and create a single-payer, free and universal health care system that covers all Americans all of the time.
8. Immediately reduce carbon emissions that are destroying the planet and discover ways to live without the oil that will be depleted and gone by the end of this century.
9. Require corporations with more than 10,000 employees to restructure their board of directors so that 50% of its members are elected by the company’s workers. We can never have a real democracy as long as most people have no say in what happens at the place they spend most of their time: their job. (For any U.S. businesspeople freaking out at this idea because you think workers can't run a successful company: Germany has a law like this and it has helped to make Germany the world’s leading manufacturing exporter.)
10. We, the people, must pass three constitutional amendments that will go a long way toward fixing the core problems we now have. These include:
a) A constitutional amendment that fixes our broken electoral system by 1) completely removing campaign contributions from the political process; 2) requiring all elections to be publicly financed; 3) moving election day to the weekend to increase voter turnout; 4) making all Americans registered voters at the moment of their birth; 5) banning computerized voting and requiring that all elections take place on paper ballots.
b) A constitutional amendment declaring that corporations are not people and do not have the constitutional rights of citizens. This amendment should also state that the interests of the general public and society must always come before the interests of corporations.
c) A constitutional amendment that will act as a "second bill of rights" as proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt: that every American has a human right to employment, to health care, to a free and full education, to breathe clean air, drink clean water and eat safe food, and to be cared for with dignity and respect in their old age.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thanksgiving
I am thankful for a wonderful family. I am thankful for my wonderful wife Angel and our two beautful children, Chase and Evan. I am so thankful for parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and all my near and extended families.
I am thinkful for my health and that my family is healthy without any major issues this year. I am so appreciative that I have two wonderful jobs, SUSD and Progressive that allows me to make a living. I am thankful for my students and what they teach me daily. I am thankful for my co-workers and bosses and people at work that keep me occupied and entertained. I am very thankful that we have money in the bank, can pay our bills and have things to take care of our lives.
I am happy that we have Path and DC, Roxy, Crystal and Lakai (spelling off, my ask Evan). I am thankful for my condominium, cars and living area.
I am thankful for living in the United States as we are blessed with my joys and freedoms. The freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, to have a job, to make money and so much more.
I count my blessings every day but this holiday makes me see it more. I am blessed in this world. At 51, I have so much. I am thankful for anyone that listens to me, talks to me and hears me. Bless you all. With Love.
I am thinkful for my health and that my family is healthy without any major issues this year. I am so appreciative that I have two wonderful jobs, SUSD and Progressive that allows me to make a living. I am thankful for my students and what they teach me daily. I am thankful for my co-workers and bosses and people at work that keep me occupied and entertained. I am very thankful that we have money in the bank, can pay our bills and have things to take care of our lives.
I am happy that we have Path and DC, Roxy, Crystal and Lakai (spelling off, my ask Evan). I am thankful for my condominium, cars and living area.
I am thankful for living in the United States as we are blessed with my joys and freedoms. The freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, to have a job, to make money and so much more.
I count my blessings every day but this holiday makes me see it more. I am blessed in this world. At 51, I have so much. I am thankful for anyone that listens to me, talks to me and hears me. Bless you all. With Love.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Corporations are NOT people
Mitt Rommney has it wrong saying that corporations are people. Yes people run corporations and involved but their structure and organization is like a unit. Laws giving corporations rights, benefits but no responsibility. If a corporation breaks a law there is no jail, a fine maybe but not significant. Corporations do not do jury duty, military service or in many cases public service. They do not help people build a home, make something for a person. Corporations have the right to be sued and sue in court, buy and sell property. These are not bad things but they add to the idea that corporations are people. Corporations do not have souls, have a heart, or have a conscience. We need to get money out of politics and not allow corporations buy elections, buy politicans or issues. We need to control corporations, change the rules and laws. If a corporation has to lose its charter, so be it. Take our country back. We need to be a country of laws, of people, and reject corporate power.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Rep. Deutch Introduces OCCUPIED Constitutional Amendment To Ban Corporate Money In Politics
Rep. Deutch Introduces OCCUPIED Constitutional Amendment To Ban Corporate Money In Politics: pIn one of the greatest signs yet that the 99 Percenters are having an impact, Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, today introduced an amendment that would ban corporate money in politics and end corporate personhood once and for all. Deutch’s amendment, called the Outlawing Corporate Cash Undermining the Public [...]/p
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