Elections used to be about who can win the middle. As the candidates and parties reached for the undecided voters in the middle – the swing voters, the split-ticket voters – they were finding common ground, talking about the same issues and even the same solutions. The campaigning process helped the governing process work.
When the campaigns shifted to winning by maximizing their base vote and using wedge issues to turn out that base – they polarized politics. The campaigning process made the governing process more difficult.
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It has always been about how your agenda can best suite the views of the middle. ie.: Tax cuts vs raising taxes
High employment polices vs punishing the successful.
Who would you want to vote for?
What difference does all of this make if we don't have honest election?
We have voting machines that can be change with in mere seconds, we have no paper trail and we have a Supreme Court who can step in and tell us who won and did so for the first time in America's history.
We have forgotten that we made a commitment to the people of the United States. It is simply this.
No more hungry children.
No more handicapped people starving
No more old people freezing to death
No more people dying because of lack of competent medical care.
It's not about punishing the successful.
It is about keeping the committments
that have been made.
No one in Congress would be talking about Social Security if they had kept the commitment to use the Social Security tax for Social Security.
No one would be talking about raising taxes to meet the demands of the war if Congress hadn't put themselves squarely behind shipping jobs overseas.
There are many other commitments That Presidents and the congress have made.
It was a combinatin of the NEA, Congress Parent Apathy and religious organization to break our schools.
I remember.
kids today have not heard of John Kennedy and refer to Bobby as President.
Graduates can no longer accurately keep a checkbook. And George Washington fought the civil war and Lincoln gave the Gettysburge address in valley forge when he stood in the boat crossing the deleware to address the troops.
These are things that I have heard from kids in the last couple of years.
We need to keep the commitments this Country and we as a people have made. To others, to each other, and to ourselves.
to parahrase a song When will we ever learn.
AS A VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER ON THE NATIONAL AND STATE LEVEL, I HAVE SEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FALL SHORT OF IT'S MISSION FOR 21 YEARS OF MY SERVICE TO OTHER VETERANS. THIS IS BECAUSE THOSE IN POWER HAVE FORGOTTEN THEIR ROOTS.
WITH ELECTIONS COMING UP, THOSE THAT FORGOT WILL COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT THE VETERANS VOTING BLOCK IS THE LARGEST IN THIS COUNTRY. WE PUT THEM THERE AND WE WILL REMOVE THEM JUST AS QUICK. THIS IS MORE THAN LUDICROUS. I HOPE ALL YOU SENATORS, CONGRESSMEN AND WOMEN ARE LISTENING BEFORE IT BECOMES TOO LATE.
WE WILL NOT STAND FOR THE SHORTCOMINGS OF OUR VETERANS IN LEIU OF GRANTING ALIENS BENEFITS THAT WE SO HONESTLY EARNED AND DESERVE. TAKE HEED, YOU'RE OUT THE DOOR IF YOU DON'T START FUNDING VA AND GETTING REAL PROFESSIONALS LIKE JESSE BROWN BACK AS SECRETARY. GET YOUR HEADS OUT IN THE SUNSHINE OR YOU WILL BE STANDING ON LINE. IS THIS CLEAR ENOUGH???
DON WARSHAW NSO, VSO
VETERANS ADVOCATE
THE SERVICE OFFICERS CORNER
http://www.geocities.com/veteransadvocate
The thing I've never understood is how an Idea or even a feeling can be catagorized as Republican or Democrat. I mean, somehow both parties have the appearance of the result of cloning all the wrong people. How on Earth can a Republican feel the same way as all other Republicans (Sub Democrat for Republican just the same) on every topic. Capital punishment, social security, foreign policy, spending.... Totally unrelated issues, but yet each party has successfully found people fitting their profiles to a tee and each feels they are in the right, yet are 180 degrees from each other. I find it an amazing and quite disturbing coincidence when I speak to someone that fits either of the two profiles. But when someone straddles the fence, it is somehow considered thinking out of the box and revolutionary. Why isn't it the norm for people in power to have the capability to have more than two brain programs? And is the reason these are now our choices that polls were taken and proven to represent the majority of Americans? If so, there are meds for that or just a matter of doing some yoga and herbal tea.
If I were in the House or Senate and saw that every ammendment was completely accepted on one side and all opposed on the other, I would have to question whether it was ever worth debating with them. On most issues, there are set Republican and Democratic ways of voting and you don't need a rabbit's foot to win a bet on who will vote aye and no.
Checks and balances are needed to keep a group from having too much power, but why can't that work with just a majority vote of a room of government officials that have level heads and some conscience? We don't need two opposing radical views to either meet in the middle or, in most cases, end in a stale mate after speakers talking at length without substance just to look like the most convicted.
.. and saying nothing, I'll make one more point. Surely, it isn't required to vote against something just because it was proposed by the other party. I've seen this happen even when it was a proposal they would have sent forth themselves had their enemy not beaten them to the punch. They stop their own movement just to argue. PEOPLE!!! Debate to make things better at least in your minds. Do not debate just to beat the Away Team.
There are 44 million informal caregivers (family and friends) in the USA who attend to the 100 million people in need of caregiving. They need political support and the independent third party unity08.com is just perfect. Of course the small businesses who employ caregivers would also support Unity08.
We need a tax break for businesses, especially for small businesses, when they hire and retain an informal caregiver as an employee. Businesses already have a tax break when they employ a disabled person. The same or similar tax break should be given to the business which hires informal caregivers or who already employ such caregivers.
There are 44 million informal caregivers in the USA. These informal caregivers are members of the family or friends of the person in need of caregiving. There are 100 million people in the USA who are in need of an informal caregiver. These are the frail elderly, chronically ill and the disabled. This population sector is the fastest growing segment due to the aging of the baby boomer population.
If an independent third party politician or candidate for political office would create and push through the legislation which would provide a tax break to the employers of caregivers, it would assure that such politician or candidate certainly would be supported by much of the above 144 million population segment: the combination of the informal caregivers and the people who are in need of care.
What a campaign issue, indeed!
The US Department of Labor predicts that by 2024, 54 percent of the work force will be involved in caring just for an elderly person making doctors' appointments, handling emergencies, giving transportation, buying and cooking food, all the basic functions of life the elderly person has difficulties to perform.
But the informal caregivers who are also full time employed have a major problem; not everyone is able to manage the conflicting demands of working and caregiving.
A MetLife study reported that 16 percent of employees who perform as caregivers quit their jobs and 13 percent retired early in order that they could provide caregiving to the people in need. This study found that the average life-time loss per such person was an estimated $ 566 thousand in lost wages, $ 67 thousand in lower pension benefits plus $ 25 thousand loss of Soc. Sec. benefits.
Also, many of the employees who are caregivers get passed over for promotions and are the first ones who are eliminated when a downsizing of the business takes place.
These problems of the employees, who are also serving as caregivers, could be almost eradicated if the employers of caregivers would let their caregiving employees to perform telework style for some or much of their workload. About only one in four businesses offers employees who are caregivers such advantages as flexible hours, telecommuting, paid leave in case of emergencies and compassionate understanding.
The legislation which would support the employers of the caregivers could also include a double or increased tax break for the employer if the business would allow the employees, who are involved in caregiving, to perform most of their work with great degree of flexibility such as telecommuting and flexible time.
So let us organize a strong campaign for the independent third party online convention followed by an election campaign in each of the 50 states and then onto the Presidential elections, which could include in their platforms the special tax break for the businesses who employ and appreciate employees who are also dedicated caregivers.
References:
National Family Caregivers Association
NFCA: National Family Caregivers Association. Dedicated to making life better for America's family caregivers. Includes information on NFC Month, ...http://www.nfcacares.org/
FCA: Family Caregiver Alliance Home
Handbook for Long-Distance Caregivers · A Physician's View of Caregiver Health ... Caregivers at Risk · Updated Fact Sheet: Selected Caregiver Statistics ...http://www.caregiver.org/
Empowering Caregivers - Choices, Healing, Love
A rich, safe nurturing site for all caregivers focused on providing practical emotional and spiritual support with tools for self-empowerment and a strong ...http://www.care-givers.com/
MedlinePlus: Caregivers
Caregivers. ... Financial Issues; Financial Steps for Caregivers: What You Need to Know about Money and Retirement (Administration on Aging) - Links to PDF ...http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/caregivers.html
The AgeNet Eldercare Network
http://www.caregivers.com/
CareGiver :: Information Source for CareGivers for Those in Need .....
CareGiver.com is a leading provider of support and information for those caring for the elderly, heart attack survivors, diabetes care, ...http://www.caregiver.com/
National Family Caregiver Support Program
The report, Young Caregivers in the US, can be downloaded from: http://www.caregiving.org/data/youngcaregivers.pdf. *, Financial Steps for Caregivers ...http://www.aoa.gov/prof/aoaprog/caregiver/caregiver.asp
Coalition of Essential Schools National Office
For over twenty years, CES has been a national leader in public education transformation. Guided by the Common Principles, CES strives to create and sustain ...http://www.essentialschools.org/
CareGivers-USA Help that's close to home
CareGivers-USA Finding help at home. ... CareGivers-USA is a nationwide, non-commercial directory of community-based caregiver support services -- intended ...http://caregivers-usa.org/
ALZwell Alzheimer's Caregivers Page
Information and support for people caring for elderly with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia.http://www.alzwell.com/
Janine M. Lodato
P.O.Box 838
SAN ANDREAS, CA.
95249-838
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http://www.publishedauthors.net/janinemlodato/bio.html
http://journals.aol.com/lodatoclan/StemCellResearch/
http://www.publishamerica.com/greetingcardpro/createcard1.asp?PostCardID=10026
http://www.disabilityworld.org/09-11_04/access/weblish.shtml
http://e-bility.com/articles/weblish.shtml
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~liao/cokesymbol.html
http://www.funlist.com/www/coke/lib/symbol.html
http://www.eclicktick.com/voicerecognition.htm
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/futurist/?ts=1103041565
http://www.telenovela-world.com/~spade/linux/lg/authors/lodato.html
As someone wise once told me, "Everyone needs something to root for."
The two major parties no longer care about having consensus and compromise the way our Founding Fathers envisioned. A divided electorate keeps the feud going, keeps the money flowing and ensures the perpetuity of the oligarchy. Why do you think it's so hard to get a 3rd party candidate into a debate? Guess who writes the requirements.