I'm involved with Unity08 because America is in trouble. Partisanship has bred inauthentic rhetoric in Washington, causing Americans to tune out; this "tune-out" has created an environment where the extremists on either side have much louder voices than most Americans, who are centrists. This insincerity, posturing, and group-think has become endemic to Washington politics. What is needed is a renaissance in leadership that sets party aside and focuses on advancing the core ideals of our nation. Unity08 accomplishing its goal of a unity ticket would be a big step in that direction, and I look forward to helping it succeed.
An essential ingredient in this success will be building the right kinds of online communities. The last few years has seen an explosion in online communities and the amount of time Americans spend within them. Leveraging these for good will enable Unity08 to disseminate its message, build momentum and learn from those we encounter. Using the Internet will be especially important in communicating with young people - some of whom have not, until now, been politically active.
About the same number of middle-aged Americans say they “go online” as do young Americans. However, if you drill a little deeper, a dramatic difference exists in their integration of the online world into their daily lives. First, younger people spend much more time connected to the Internet - whether by cell, PDA, laptop or desktop. Many people under 35 are connected to the Internet in some way during most of their waking hours. This is nearly impossible to imagine for their parents. Second, a large majority of those parents see “going online” as a discrete task or activity, rather than as a pervasive medium that serves as an integral part of their lives.
Herein also lies a significant difference in political action. To Gen X’ers (like myself) and younger, the Internet is even more vital as a coalescing social fabric than the television was to our parents or the town square was to theirs.
But, Unity08 asks - what tools should be used and what should not?
Clearly a blog and a network of bloggers will be essential for giving the movement voice and visibility. There are exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking, blogs lack an essential ingredient of community in that they are mostly one-way. For the reader, they are usually “drive-by” - the visitor reads a post, one out of 200 or so leave a comment, and few if any return to that particular thread of conversation. It’s a struggle many bloggers are coping with - the idea of topical persistence. Even the small percentage who use news aggregators seldom return to an individual posting to see - and possibly participate further in that particular conversation. So, blogs are excellent at giving voice to people and ideas - the modern equivalent of countless town criers - but their lack of persistence can come at a high cost if a movement expects too much of them.
Successful political movements need persistence - many movements in history had unifying roots around which ideas and action coalesced - people, places, things and ideas to which the larger community could turn (and return) to for news, conversation and calls to action.
Online forums and bulletin boards offer persistence and lend themselves well to modes of “many-to-many” community behavior. They ask a little more of their participants than blogs, but give much more in return. These spaces are today’s equivalent of the town square. Come and go as you please, exchange ideas and an argument or two, and we’ll probably see you again tomorrow...
There are publishing systems now that combine the media aspects of blogging with the community and conversational aspects of online forums.
I’d like to ask all of you fellow geeks what tools you think we should be looking at during this next stage.
Ideally, Unity08 will deploy technologies that inform and engage, draw people in to speak their minds, collaborate on new ideas, and grow together. These tools will draw people back when needed, disseminate information in a timely way, and be able to ask people to act quickly when needed. They will tug at you when something is going on, but they won’t disturb you.
After all, the technological goal is no different from the organizational goal - bringing disparate people, ideas and tools together to turn a common vision into reality.
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I'd focus U'08s campaign on dealing with Corporate influence, and I'd do it specifically by ending party primaries, creating a single threashhold for ALL candidates to get onto the ballot whether they are Republican or Democrat, or whatever, and then proposing free-air time for ALL candidates that meet the ballot as long as they foresware spending campaign dollars on it themselves and agree to publicly funded and proscribed debates. Debates to which, those that don't foreswear would be excluded.
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Anthony Citrano wrote:
"There are publishing systems now that combine the media aspects of blogging with the community and conversational aspects of online forums.
"I’d like to ask all of you fellow geeks what tools you think we should be looking at during this next stage.
"Ideally, Unity08 will deploy technologies that inform and engage, draw people in to speak their minds, collaborate on new ideas, and grow together.
"These tools will draw people back when needed, disseminate information in a timely manner, and be able to ask people to act quickly when needed."
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NOW OUR LEADERS HERE must follow through on these imperatives.
The PERSISTENCE asked for by Tony, and the COHERENCE to create a wide umbrella -- but one that has MAGNETIC power too-- that we ALL miss, must be found!
Perhaps we can devote some dedicated pages on this site to creating what Tony and I have in mind (forgive me for claiming to know we agree when the new pages are not yet in print). The signatures on our declaration are low enough to confirm for me that we need a lot more than a promise of centrism to light a fire under the voters before it's too late to do more than trail behind Buchanan who won't even be running next time.
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John Gelles
http://unity-now.wikispaces.com
http://www.tiea.us
Human rights and how to pay for them are key to a livable world.
This is an extraordinary effort. I am a sophomore at Wittenberg University, and have been very involved in politics and many groups throughout my life. I think it's vital if you want to win that you have someone on your Founder's Council from the state that decided it all and the Mother of Presidents... the Buckeye State, Ohio. And I'd be more than happy to get involved and be a Founder's Council delegate representing my great state. How can I get involved?
I deeply believe in the mission and philosophy of Unity'08. The connection that this forum provides us for the debate and exchange of viewpoints is invaluable. It has never been more imperative for the masses of moderates to make their voice heard and take it right to the Nation along with Washington. The partisan bickering must end.
We must as conscientious citizens take our place in our own future and in history. Truly, history and indeed the world will judge us for what we do today. Not only does our Governmental system effect everyone of our lives it also effects, directly or indirectly, the lives and sovereignty of millions around the world.
I feel as though it is also extremely important that we, as a cohesive unit of vigilant Americans, search out as many means of multimedia to get the message to as many people as conceivable. Of course it is completely plausible that we may not be welcomed with "open arms" at some media outlets, but as you know our time to be heard may pass us by.
Blogging, however a powerful egress, it may be well worthwhile to investigate the benefits of public and commercail radio, television and the printed word. The movement is that important that we must do everything in our power to alert the populous.
This will be a key point in history and we'll have a part in it. The first step, information and knowledge. We must take it ourselves both as individuals and as an assembly of The People of the United States of America.
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Tony Citrano has helped this site enormously by asking that it think of PERSISTENCE (of the "POINTS" made by authors that we will lose sight of only at our peril).
I add to his "demand" even more: I say we need an "index of points" or a "numbering system for points" to allow such PERSISTENCE to be built into our "collaboration software".
I add also that COHERENCE be established so that POINTS cohere with the PURPOSE of making a difference between NOW and November 2024.
I add also that human editor's must conduct a VALIDITY REVIEW to restate a FRAMEWORK to guide our authors -- else our persistent, coherent plan will not be valid from the viewpoint of very experienced campaigners.
Lastly, and just as important as the preceding tests, the product of our collaboration must offer more GUT-APPEAL than our rivals.
So far, we have talked of centrism and core American national and individual needs. We have disparaged "hot button issues" -- and rightly so. Yet if our issues have low gut-appeal, they will be defeated.
Tony, you better send me an email at john.gelles@gmail.com to see if we can collaborate: it seems to me I know what you meant, but it also seems to me nobody here else does.
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John Gelles
My wiki
My site
Human rights and how to pay for them are key to a livable world.
David,
Good to see a Buckeye here. I am sure their will be a place for you as College activism is goign to be a major strategy of Unity08.
So what are some highlights from your political resume?
Also, post away in the forums a lot of energetic and intriguing discussion are to be found.
vry,
RET
Go John G! I'm getting excited to see your below comments move forward! This is cool! Run-off policy threads driven by polls!
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Persistence is a real problem.A baby step in that direction is taken with my wiki (linked below), There in the Navigation frame on the left are copies of all my stuff posted to the Unity-08 blogs and boards.
These link back from the wiki to the official site and at the site my sugnature links back to the wiki.
This helps my stuff and its numbered location your data base stay together. But an overall index and hierarchical or realtional numbering system are [pssibly needed?
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John Gelles
Unity-now wiki
My Website
Human rights and how to pay for them are key to a livable world.
I first looked at Unity08 a month ago because the person I worked for somehow got the impression that Unity08 was a group blog in the sense he could contribute to it. The message board wasn't here yet, so the site was truly mystifying. There was nowhere to log on to contribute to the blog, and there was no instructions explaining how to contribute to the blog.
Last week I checked back again. Now you seem to have a lot of people contributing to the blog, but still no instructions on how to do so. And I see there's now a message board - though I'm guessing you probably alienated some people by representing your site on the radio as participatory before it actually was. Not everyone was going to check back later like I did.
So at that point I decided to call the prominently displayed Unity08 phone number to ask someone about contributing to the blog. The first time I tried to call I didn't get through because I was using Skype: this won't allow me to press the phone tree buttons, so the system eventually hung up on me.
When I tried calling again, I got two recorded messages: the first one hit me up for money and the second one sent me back to the web site for more information.
I've come to the conclusion that Unity08 is a scam. You apparently have a stable of bloggers and seeders for the message board to make it look like it's about public participation, and someone worked their PR relations to get press coverage. However, there's no obvious way to submit to the blog, and the first thing that happens when someone calls your number is you hit them up for money.
I will be writing the appropriate investigative agencies to take a closer look at what you're doing. I hope no poor soul gets hornswoggled by this site in the mean time.
Anon you might try Eliot Sptizer attorney general of New York or th attorney general of your state. The president of unity08 is also owner of the web company that gets the money to run the website so I suppose tha tis what donations could be going to
What is Unity08 in a legal sense? Is it incorporated? Is it a political party, a 527, or what? Are there any legal requirements to gather petition signatures (probably not under 1st amendment but states may have regulations).
What about soliciting donations over the internet - now there's an area for Federal oversight - AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE.
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I, John Gelles, a member of the general public, (and an extremely modest contributor of money,) who responds to the critical political need others here describe, declare from the outside that, " Unity08, IMO, is no Scam. It is responding and competing."
It is responding to both the need for reform and the opportunity to raise campaign funds on the net.
It is competing with moveon.org (for whom when it was born I was once a county chair -- today they are so left of center I cannot abide their views) and with the ghosts of all the money John Kerry raised and of all the votes Ross Perot's money was able to garner.
Now the terrible little monsters who would like to call the sheriff and the lawyers to see if we are complying with every regulation of politics and money-raising are to me evidence of a sickness in our time.
There is no doubt that moveon.org was the brainchild of software types and that we may have some web entrepreneurs on the inside of this effort. But that is good not bad. If an effort like this must hire all its web expertese from the outside, its start-up costs will be too high for a great many politically experienced people to meet (unless they represent a Daddy Warbucks whose motives will be harder to fathom that the "names" we've seen like Jordan and Bailey.)
We may assume that Jordan and Bailey want the results they advertise -- but know that our web thing will have to pay for itself if it fizzles and should pay some return to them for professional services rendered if it half-succeeds.
Which leaves us with our suspicious friends worrying: What if the webbies and the politicos collect millions of dollars for their time, but the whole project has less effect on Americans and their political economy than a Michael Moore movie (which makes a tidy profit)?
Will such a likely outcome mean some lawyer or some bureaucrat should have saved us from ourselves? I say hell no!
I was a county treasurer for Ross Perot -- and had to sweat all that crap about who you were and how much you gave. We were all stupid idealists who wanted and better world and were retired or out of work.
I quit Perot early because he wanted to treat social security as though it were welfare or charity. This hurt my feelings. I voted for Clinton.
The point is that politics is both a profession and a calling. Until we all marry a millionaire (or make it like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet) we will have to mix some business with idealism in the right measure to be as pure (and no purer) as our founding fathers -- and all our political heros from then until now.
The web aspects of this project were brilliantly addressed by Anthony Citrano. His relationship with Angus King was fully disclosed in front of our face. To suggest this bunch is too opportunistic for the rest of us is too much.
This is an uphill struggle. I feel the wind at our back with many of the decisions Bailey, Jordan and King seem to be making: (1) no party yet and maybe never; (2) hope for bipartisan NAMES; (3) care not to muzzle issue gooks like me; (4) optimism so far that the grass roots may yield something.
Yes I do have my doubts -- and the project has not muzzled them: (1) Centrism is not a proved source of the BIG money web politics must produce to get noticed; (2) Real progress in (a) "war (or war avoidance)" and (b) "middle class security" in the face of low cost of production competition -- such real progress is the brass ring we never get when we ride this merry-go-round -- except after things get so dicey everyone is scared to death.
Bottom line: our leaders are doiong a fine job. Our writers are doing their best. Our readers are far too few. If I had the money (which I don't) I'd hire Christopher Hitchens to write a weekly critique and call for us to improve. Who beside Hitchens? Richard Armitage.
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John Gelles
Unity-now wiki
My Website
mailto:john.gelles@gmail.com
Human rights and how to pay for them are key to a livable world.
I meant geeks in 3rd par from end. You probably figured it out. My posts are all corrected on the wiki as stated below.
John Gelles
Corrections after posting are at
Unity-now wiki
My Website
mailto:john.gelles@gmail.com
Human rights and how to pay for them are key to a livable world.
I’ve felt the frustration Mr. Citrano describes with the typical Internet community. It’s very hard to start a two way dialog on the typical forum, bulletin board, or blog with commentary. Mr. Citrano calls the problem “topical persistence”, or stated another way you can try to open a dialog on a given topic, but your forum will quickly degenerate into total anarchy of off topic ideas (all one has to do is read below how a single anonymous posting can completely derail the discussion).
What I’ve wondered for a while now is whether the social networking technology used by MySpace.com couldn’t be tweaked to be a powerful political networking technology that would solve the issue of topical persistence and the general anarchy and extremism of the typical Internet community.
Like MySpace everyone would have their own space to post positions on a variety of topics. The tweak would be that rather than just a “friends” network, you would have a network of supporters and opponents of the position you take. This network could be ranked and easily navigated by the number of supporters each individual leads.
The idea of the ranking by number of supporters is that it naturally allows opinion leaders to emerge from the community and naturally marginalizes the spoiler who brings down the level of the discussion.
If anyone was interested in discussing this topic more, I’d love to start a dialog about it (hmm… but where could we do it without being hijacked by off topic posters!) .
Doug Bailey answered some of your questions in this Founders Shoutbox post: http://unity08.com/node/208
Also, know that a full Q&A on governance and finances is in the process. If you’re interested, check out the “Founders, Your Position?” forum in the Shoutbox here: http://unity08.com/forum/24
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I checked out myspace.com. Not nearly as cool, easy and free as wikispaces.
Send me an email or read my site or my wiki. Also, at my wiki you can goto Unity08 topic Jobs and Income and do much the same thing on the site we are on. I'll post its topic number in a follow up to this message.
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John Gelles
Corrections after posting are at
Unity-now wiki
My Website
mailto:john.gelles@gmail.com
Human rights and how to pay for them are key to a livable world.
As promised, the topic node and comment number will take you to an effort at persistence on this site:
http://unity08.com/node/230#comment-602
John Gelles
Corrections after posting are at
Unity-now wiki
My Website
mailto:john.gelles@gmail.com
Human rights and how to pay for them are key to a livable world.
Perhaps parasitism.
You post as much as Earn and what is with "John Gelles
Corrections after posting are at..."
Think outside the box and try something unique like correcting before you post.
I know Members Of Congress reserve the right to revise and extend their remarks.
Anon politely asks what this signature line means:"Corrections after posting are at Unity-Now Wiki".
Ad you can see below, the line is from my signature.
It means that if I misspell or garble my thought, and you cannot correct my errors easily by looking at them (based on your familiarity with English), you can go to Unity-now wiki and read my own correction of my own mistakes.
The Unity-now URL is very useful for finding the Unity08 node and comment numbers and original messages and any subsequent comments.
For instance, by going to my re-printing of my messages to U08 I quickly found Anon's overly polite message.
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John Gelles
Corrections after posting are at
Unity-now wiki
My Website
mailto:john.gelles@gmail.com
Human rights and how to pay for them are key to a livable world.
As an American, who does enjoy this site, I hope we all can get together and do good things. I know from time to time we will encounter those who will make fun of us, our centrist views, and our common sense approaches to our nation's problems.
One great reality in our favor is this: if I were a Republican or a Democrat, I certainly would not be too quick to brag about the country we now have. I can think of no time in my lifetime (I was born in 1961) that America was so crippled in Washington by political partisanship.
It has given our country nothing but bad news, both sides demonizing the other with accusations, finger pointing, and no leadership to be found.
Everywhere I go I see and hear Americans fed up, with both parties. One advocates the status quo, the other blasts the status quo, with no new ideas or approaches to our most pressing problems.
For me all incumbents this November need to beware: the people have really had it, and if we remain together, all of us here, will make a difference.
Kirk Polizzi
CAN WE GET TOGETHER?
Kirk Polizzi on July 16, 2024 - 7:00pm
Kirk, What exactly is it about centralism that has you on a groovy high?
Specifically, what what do you recommend or will change or reject.
Do you have a set of policies or are you just breaking our chops.
Its snice to sing "we are the world" and do the Rodney King thing "can't we just all get along", but what is it that has you so worked up?
suggested by Janine M Lodato
~|__
( o )\_
LodatoClan@aol.com
A recent political study indicates that 50% of the people prefer an independent candidate because the Democrats are clumsy and the Republicans are mostly crooks.
What we need is an honest politician like George Washington who could not tell a lye, and not like Nixon who could not tell the truth or Clinton who could not tell the difference, to paraphrase Mark Shields of the Jim Lehrer PBS news hour.
John Garamendi is such an honest politician.
John Garamendi, since he is a very insightful current insurance commissionaire of California, has a deep understanding what type of government support the people in need of caregiving and their caregivers require.
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 an independent third party with courage and foresight for the 2024 presidential election. The most knowledgeable and politically astute presidential candidate for a strong independent third party, such as unity08.com could be John Garamendi.
Of course, the small businesses who employ caregivers would also support such enlightened campaign supported by this very large voting block.
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.
The 100 million people in the USA who are in need of an informal caregiver 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.
An independent third party presidential candidate, such as Garamendi, could create a campaign based on the legislation which would provide a tax break to the employers of caregivers. This campaign issue would assure that such an independent presidential candidate certainly would be supported by much of the above 144 million population segment as well as by the small business owners. .
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 performing.
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 employees who are also serving as caregivers, could be almost eradicated if the employers of caregivers would let their caregiving employees perform their jobs 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. These campaigns of the independent candidates should include in their platforms the special tax break for the businesses that 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
~|__
( o )\_
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
Janine M. Lodato
P.O.Box 838
SAN ANDREAS, CA.
95249-838
~|__
( o )\_
http://www.publishedauthors.net/janinemlodato/bio.html
http://journals.aol.com/lodatoclan/CaregiversoftheWorldUnite/