Friday, January 25, 2013

Back In My Day...



          How many of us wish that we could go back to the most prosperous years in our history...history being 1949-1973?  I think if you talk to a Baby Boomer, they'll tell you stories of their dad workin' a nice union job with great wages, making a great living, buying a house for $10,000 in the burbs of Chicago or New York or Cincinnati.  Well, it's always interesting to hear about what times were like back then.  I mean, I won't marginalize the struggles of the 50s because there were definitely a significant share of problems too.  The 50s had severe discrimination problems against African Americans, Gays and Lesbians, women's roles were restricted to domestic life or low-wage labor and Native Americans were still dealing with the various anti-tribalism acts that were moving through Congress at the time.

          Let's talk about the good things from the 50s that many people seem to have forgotten.  When you go ask your Republican 60-something friends about how things were when they were in their 20s, I'm sure you'll hear about things will make you cringe or wince...but won't you hear about these facts:

          Between 1949 and 1980, the average top marginal rate was 80.29% for the top income earners, and highly progressive as you went down.  Some points in our history, there are 17 tax rates.  Later after 1980, the tax code was revised with the top marginal rate reduced to 28% under President Ronald Reagan.  (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

          Union membership was high, about 4 out of 10 households in the US, and so was the wage share of the work performed.Wage growth was significant during the post-war era.  According to a study titled Unions and the Wage-Productivity Gap from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Economic Review, Second Quarter 1999, as union membership has fallen in all sectors of the economy, so has wage growth.  In 1980, wages ground to a halt.  Wage growth since 1980 in poor and middle class income levels have failed to keep up with inflation.  With most jobs the poor take paying minimum wage, those wages are declining in purchasing power.  The middle class are also seeing their purchasing power chipped away at by declining growth in wages and downward pressure on wages because of the weak labor market and lack of jobs.

          Society was critical of business owners, CEOs, and shareholders taking unfair levels of profits out of the company and pocketing them.  There used to be a severe public outcry for individuals who were taking or given excessive pay packages.

          Wealth inequality was generally low.  So was partisanship in politics.  There's a reason why your older parents and grandparents say "There's no difference between Republicans and Democrats."  Because in their day in their prime, there wasn't.  Both parties were center-left and center-right parties in American politics.  The divide began when income distribution started to widen from it's traditional levels during the post-war era.  Further, partisanship sharply accelerated as income distribution and became more and more pronounced between the wealthiest and poorest members of society.  Princeton University did research into seeing if income distribution affected partisanship, and found that it increased party partisanship, but less so with electorate partisanship.  (See Political Polarization and Income Inequality, N. McCarty, K.T. Poole, and H. Rosenthal)

          Aside from the racial inequality that existed in the day, social problems on a large scale were mostly unheard of.  When people are able to get what they need from the system of society they are born into and meet their basic needs...there is no need to engage in behaviors that are outside that system (I.E. Crime).  But when one feels he or she cannot obtain the basics in life from the system in which they are born into, that person will engage in anti-social behavior or begin obtaining those needs in a manner that is outside the law and order of society.  The crime rates between 1949 and 1980 were quite low and society was generally serene.  There was no worrying about the basics, because everyone could get the basics with relative ease.  

          Going back to the 50s and 60s means going back to a time in history when we were prosperous, successful as a society, and very progressive by comparison.  So, in that, I would agree, we should readopt those policies that made the post-war era great.  Those policies created the middle class.  The progressive programs of Lyndon Johnson's high society programs created the Pell Grant and Perkins' Loan programs which Republicans have attempted to squelch by under-funding.  Richard Nixon's administration gave birth to the EPA, higher taxes on the wealthy, and a higher minimum wage which millions of impoverished Americans earn a substandard living on now a days.  Republicans have actively been trying to cheat our Baby Boomers out of the benefits they've earned such as Social Security and the promise of Medicare.  It's important, now, more than ever, that we protect and preserve the programs that gave the middle class security and stability in a quickly changing world.  This means protecting Social Security from cuts and Medicare from privatization.  It's time that pragmatists and progressives tell Republicans that enough is enough...that we're not going to tolerate any more cuts to social programs that lift people out of poverty, give them access to education, and equip people with the resources to become contributing members of society.  Progressives and other Democrats are not going to budge on paying the bills we've committed to paying.  Democrats are not going to tolerate Republicans choking the government of revenue by giving corporate entities and rich people government hand outs.  Further, Democrats are tired of the crony capitalism that steals wages from workers for the work they do and the productivity they provide.  We, as a nation, should adopt stronger anti-slave labor laws for big business in 3rd world countries which make our soccer balls, Olympic Jerseys, and electronics.  Finally, the working class should no longer tolerate conceding to the top 1% with their false promises of economic security through trickle-down economics.  We build our nation from the middle out, not the top down, and it's time for the middle assert it's steer the course of this nation in a different direction.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Workout Woes of the Weighted Wonk

Normally, I don't write about me too much...but today I feel compelled to share some of my inner thoughts with you all.  I set a few goals for myself this year.  They're going to be challenging, but, I think that overall, they'll be beneficial.

  • Reduce my weight to under 240 (I weigh 315 lbs)
  • Reduce my consumer debt level, paying off my revolving debts and small Perkins' Loans.
  • Reduce the balance owned on my car by 1/3 by the end of the year.
  • Start a savings plan to purchase an annuity.
  • Find higher paying  employment.

These are some pretty lofty goals for myself.  The weight issue has always been about me not liking to go places by myself.  Working out on your own is hard when you don't know what you're doing or how to do it...and it's especially hard when you don't have a workout friend to go with.  But there's also the issue of self-conscience, which has been with me since as long as I can remember.  I'm quite bashful and prudish and find myself not liking my body.  I never liked the idea of breathing hard from walking across the yard in the back or climbing a hill in Seattle near 2nd Ave and Pike.  It's distressing for me actually to think how not-in-shape I am.  So, I need everyone's support to help me achieve this goal.  


Sunday, January 20, 2013

What a Liberal Wants

Liberals are misunderstood creatures.  We are idealistic, justice-minded, angered by injustice, unfairness, and corruption.  Now that's not to say there aren't Liberals who have been corrupt...trust me there are plenty of those too.  But I'm here to tell you what Liberals want for our great nation.

1) Employment security for our citizens.

  • Every citizen earns a wage that is fair, livable, with a job that is secure.
  • Every citizen who can work has the opportunity to work, with a work environment which is safe, free from abuse and harassment, and offers a set of benefits which provide the worker with rest, healthcare, and the means to progress in life.
2) The freedom to choose what happens to your body.

  • Women have unobstructed access to women's health services.
  • Women be free from harassment, embarrassment, and scrutiny from anyone.
  • Women's health be accessible financially, impartially given, and provided as needed.
  • Men have access to reproductive healthcare, including vasectomies, cancer screenings, and other healthcare related to reproduction as needed.
  • That both sexes be happy, productive, and healthy in all ways.
3) That we, as a nation, strengthen the social safety net to provide the following:

  • Unemployment insurance for all citizens until work is found.
  • Single payer healthcare for all, regardless of ability to pay.
  • A stronger benefit system for single parents which will increase access for those needing help with the basic necessities, with focuses in job placement, re-education or job training to be productive.
  • Increased spending to provide a fully funded education for all citizens, including post-secondary education for all who want one.
  • Income support for those seeking an education, providing for basic needs until their education is complete.
  • Reforming of the tax code to remove refundable tax credits, and reorient the benefit to an actual social program which provides monthly stipends instead.
  • Reduced tuition prices to increase access to post-secondary education.
4) Labor reforms which benefit workers.
  • An end to arbitrary terminations.
  • Requirements of employment contracts for all employees which must provide a system of progressive discipline to enable an employee to learn from mistakes where practical.
  • Increased minimum wage to provide a minimum standard of living, tied to the CPI which will increase every two years.
    • This requirement would apply to citizens over the age of 18 years old.  A reduced minimum wage would be acceptable to non-emancipated workers ages 16 and 17.
  • The ability for a workplace to collectively bargain.
  • The creation of a state-run collective bargaining unit to represent employers and employees whereby they serve to find an acceptable middle ground both employers and employees can agree to.
  • Regulations which prohibit bonuses being paid to any company person where a company is losing money over a certain amount, even if contracted to receive such a bonus.  For example, if Company A is losing money, no CEO/CFO/Investor would be entitled to any money being paid from the company except the salary plus no bonus.  This does not apply to workers if the employee is exclusively commission paid or the employee is earning a sales-performance based bonus not to exceed $50,000 per year.
5) End derivatives trading and short-selling.
  • Apply a 0.5% tax on speculative trading.
  • Apply a 0.5% tax on all trades on the stock market.
  • Apply a 0.5% tax on commodities trading.
6)  Comprehensive tax reform.
  • Create a two new tax brackets, 42% on personal incomes between 400k and $1 Million, and a 52% tax on incomes in excess of $1 Million per year.
  • Tax all capital gains, dividend, and investment income as regular, personal income, but exempt from corporate income taxes.
  • End double-taxation of dividends.
  • Personal Incomes of over 1 Million per year are not allowed to claim deductions which would reduce their effective tax rate below 33%.
  • Personal Incomes between 400k and 1 Million per year not allowed to claim deductions which reduce their effective tax rate below 28%
  • Reduce the corporate tax rate to a maximum effective rate of 25%
  • Remove all tax loopholes, havens, and require all US Companies to pay an effective tax on incomes whether earned here or abroad.  That any company who owns another company in a foreign country pay an effective tax between the host country and the United States of no less than 25%  (meaning the tax paid must be 25% between the tax systems of both countries.)
  • Institute a series of tax policy reforms which redefines the personal deduction to a revised poverty line, which incorporates healthcare, energy, transportation, domicile, and child care/rearing as the standard deduction.
  • End refundable tax credits, utilizing the money that would otherwise be spent on those credits, and reform them into a social program which creates an income support system.
7)  Reform trade policy
  • End free trade with any nation who's standard of living is substantially lower than our own.
  • Apply a tariff on all goods imported to the United States from all countries with a substantially reduced wage level compared to a comparable product produced in the US at US wages.
  • Engage in protectionist policies to prevent industry from being moved outside the country.
  • Engage in fair-trade policy with all nations, paying fair market rates with all producing countries.
  • Heavily punish any company who's producing in countries who have sweat-shop conditions and wages.
  • Strictly enforce international laws which prohibit production with any nation who uses slave labor or child labor.
  • Strictly enforce any company bribing or coercing any nation's government for special privileges or treatment.
This is what a Liberal wants.  These are policies that are not out of reach for us as a nation.  Together, we can bring about some real reforms which will make a difference in the every day lives of Americans everywhere.  Your government, our government, and the government we elect and pay for can work for us and make things a little better, a little more stable, and a little more just.  

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Being Pro-Choice is Pro-Life


I am pro-choice so others can choose whether to be pro-choice or pro-life in their own lives. The pro-choice position is about personal liberty as much as it is civil liberties. I maximize liberty in this regard so people are free choose what action is best for them without "The State" telling them what to be.

On another note...I believe unborn life is precious, but I also know that other's don't. The belief that life is precious is a religious/philosophical belief that cannot be legislated either way, as "The State" is not in the business of determining what is sacred or not. That would be a matter of of the Spirit and of the Conscience.

What is moral is not always just, and what is just is not always moral. But Christ gave us defining framework which does bring together morals and justice. In a nutshell, he told us to follow the law as it is written. He understood government is designed to dispense justice, not morals, not spirituality....justice. And justice, being blind to passion or emotion and ignorant of cultural moral norms, is there to be the cold, hard, letter of the law with logic and reasoning ruling the day.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Consumption Tax and Social Justice

I have a philosophy about taxes.  That philosophy is that taxation should be levied off of excess and luxury if possible. Every person in this nation has a minimum amount of income necessary for them to survive and provide for their basic needs.  In most areas, that income threshold is about $20,000/year for an individual, and about $3,550 more per dependent child.  This provides for the shelter, basic food needs, basic levels of clothing, utility, and transportation needs.

Currently in this nation, we have a system of taxation that is horribly lopsided in favor of the wealthiest members of our society.  Many economists contend that tax policy should favor the wealthy since, in theory, they create the jobs for everyone else.  While this is true in one context, it's also deceptive.  Currently, the wealthy already get a tax deduction for starting a business.  A business's inventory, investment, and payroll are all deductible from their their personal income taxes already.  When filing as an S-Corporation, your business and your personal incomes are combined into a single return, making it easier for you to file your taxes.  So there is already a huge personal benefit to owning a business from a tax perspective.  If your investment is at risk, it is deducted from your earned income, and left untaxed.  Many people would agree that the income tax is by far the most fair tax that one can levy.  Gallop did a public opinion poll about taxes and asked if they are satisfied with the tax rates they pay.  The numbers are split pretty evenly with 47% saying they are happy with the current rates, while 46% say they are to high.

Income taxes work like this:  In a nutshell, you get a set amount of money the government doesn't tax, along with that you also get a fixed amount of money that is exempt from taxation.  You also, if filing jointly, are allowed to claim your spouse's deduction, as well as your children and other dependent adults if you meet certain criteria.  Then the government goes "Ok, after all this, let's see how much you have left."  This is your "adjusted gross income" meaning, income you've earned minus all the standard deductions that you're permitted to claim.  Then, you take that income number, look at a chart the IRS provides, and match it to the amount of taxes owed.  So the government, in providing these deductions, the exemption, personal deduction, children and dependent adults deductions...is saying to you "This is how much money we believe you need to survive" (which I would argue is very inaccurate) and whatever's remaining is taxed at the percentage rate of that income range.  So, in theory, the income tax is designed to shave a little off your excess income to fund government operations.  Now people may note we do have other forms of taxation such as the Social Security Tax, Medicare tax, and other forms of user-fee-ish taxes, but those are designed to fund specific government programs, not the general operations of the government.  Furthermore, states have their own individual tax systems, such as Washington State.

Washington State's tax system is unique compared to most states.  Washington has no income tax.  The income tax was ruled unconstitutional for the state to collect due to a provision in the state's constitution requiring that taxes be levied on physical commodities and objects.  This has meant that Washington has had to create a whole new tax system which includes the following taxes:

The Use Tax:  Highly controversial because of how broad the tax's scope is.  It is literally a tax on the use of any physical object in the state, meaning if you buy a product out of state, you have to pay a tax for the right to use it.  This tax is exempted if you pay sales tax on the object.  It's 7.9%

The Sales Tax: A fixed tax on the final purchase of a good or service.  In Washington, it's 7.9%.  This rate can be increased by cities and localities to fund their operations as prescribed by law.

The Business and Occupation Tax: A percentage tax based on two criteria: Gross receipts for a given year, and the sector of economic activity which the business is engaged.  The rate charged is determined on the type of business, but ranges from 0.01% to 3% of gross receipts.

The Property Tax: This tax is pretty common, and varies widely across the state.  The State itself levies a Constitutionally-mandated maximum of 1% on all real non-exempted property.  Counties and cities may raise that rate by special levies to fund schools and other local operations.

The above taxes are the primary sources of revenue for The State's budget, and most of them are highly regressive.  You may ask, "What do I mean by Regressive?"  By regressive, I mean that it fails to take income into account when applying the tax against you.  So for example, a person making $40,000 per year will usually pay a higher effective tax rate on their income then someone making $160,000 per year.  This is because flat rate taxes are paid equally regardless of gross income.  So say the $40k earner goes to buy a $1,000.00 computer.  On that computer, a Washington resident would pay $79.00 tax for that purchase.  The same is true of the person making $160k per year.  The two incomes are sharply different, but the person making $160k a year pays a much lower rate of tax as a percentage of income than the person making $40k per year.

The same is true of the B&O Tax, which taxes gross receipts.  Revenue does not equal profit.  Revenue is money earned before bills are paid.  In business, you cannot function if you do not earn money after your expenses.  The B&O tax fails to take into consideration businesses who post losses each year.  If a business loses money, why should they pay taxes.  Furthermore, a consumption tax can actually cause losses in business income if the profit margin is narrow.  For example, say a company has gross receipts of $10,000 in a given year, but a profit margin of 2%, meaning of that $10,000, it earns $200 in profit.  Let's say a 3.4% B&O tax is applied, so $340.00 is paid in taxes, resulting in a loss of $160.00.  How fair is it for a company to pay any taxes when they are losing money.  It's not.  Plain and simple.  No business owner should ever be subjected to taxes when they are continually losing money.  Such a problem is deeply offensive, as it spits in the faces of hard working businessmen who toil and work and build, only to have what little they do make stripped by a regressive, backward, and dysfunctional tax method.  A business tax in the example above should tax the $200.00 in profit the company made, taking their 3.4% cut or whatever system of tax we elect to use.  But that $200 in profit should be the target of our taxation...not the $10,000.

Tax policy should be crafted to fairly collect revenue that is the least disruptive and the most beneficial.  Fixed, transaction or consumption taxes cause exponential markups on goods and services, while also hurting employers' abilities to expand and grow.  Incomes and profits are the least impacted most beneficial sources of tax revenue being the easiest and safest source of funds to draw upon.  Furthermore, it creates an disproportionate tax burden for the poor and middle class, who often pay a larger percentage of their income annually than that of the more affluent members of society.  The argument that the sales tax is optional is a myth.  There is no "optional" tax in most circumstances.  The sales tax is something everyone pays whether directly or indirectly.  The increased costs resulting from a sales tax is passed on to you in markups, reduced wages, smaller profits, and slower business growth.  To successfully and fairly tax, we must look at the standard of living, and use that as our guide when crafting any tax to ensure it will not harm the least and lowest members so they can have the opportunity to rise to new standings. In addition, this also ensures that employers are fairly taxed based on the money they make after their costs, not before.  This also ensures employers have the money necessary to reinvest in their businesses.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

The Hypocrisy of "Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin, Pray Away the Gay"


I love everybody, but I don't like their lifestyle, so I'm going to pray against their demon-possessed sexuality.  I love the sinner, hate the sin, cause Christ said I should.

The idea of homosexuality being genetic is a concept that is relatively new in Neuroscience.  Critics of genetically explained homosexuality should probably brush up on their neuroscience a bit...because there has been irrefutable evidence that the physical brains of homosexuals are notably different both physically and psychologically.  It has to do with the configuration of neurons and brain chemistry which results, in part, in same-sex attraction.

But one might ask, "How does this excuse engaging in deviant behavior?"

My answer to such a question is..."Why is it your business?  How does what two people do in the privacy of their homes, or who they choose to bind to with that unconditional love affect you?  Why and by what means do you have the moral authority to judge me or my partner, friend, neighbor, or random street-met person?"

The short answer is:  You don't!


Mat 7:1-6 (NKJ)
(1)  Judge not, that ye be not judged.
(2)  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
(3)  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
(4)  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
(5)  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
(6)  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

There's no hidden context here people.  It's a plain Jane, simply-stated, direct-to-the-point, pearl of wisdom, truth, and pragmatism.  DON'T JUDGE OTHERS.

Prayer is used to enrich all the world, not for your selfish wants or agenda.  Prayer is the exaltation of our needs and pleas to the Lord, that he may look into our hearts, seeking our motive, and provide the means where his glory, honor, and love is served.  Jesus taught us how to pray.  He condemned the prayers of the pharisees who he repeatedly labeled as hypocrites because their concerns were for themselves and their motives disgustingly selfish in every regard.  These pastors who stand up and teach parents or prospective parents to look at their gay children in disgust or to abuse them emotionally, to "smack some sense" into your over-feminine son, or your daughter who likes hunting and roughing it up a bit too much is about the most abominable display of moral failure I have ever seen.

Mat 7:15-20 (NKJ)
(15)  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
(16)  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
(17)  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
(18)  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
(19)  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
(20)  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.


And for people's edification, what are those fruits of the spirit that we should look at within every person who claims to have Christ?


Gal 5:22-23 (NKJ)
(22)  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
(23)  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.


Asking one to pray away the gay is like asking one to pray away the Black, or the Asian or the Mexican or the Woman. It's like asking God to cast the Nerd out of a nerd or the art out of an artist or the car smarts from the mechanic.

God won't cast out what makes you, you. But he'll take your hand and help you up. He'll teach you values like love thy neighbor, and he'll teach things like "do unto others."

Jesus doesn't teach hate or ignorance. He teaches community, love, compassion, and tolerance: The core values of Christianity

The Hypocrisy of Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin, Pray Away the Gay


I love everybody, but I don't like their lifestyle, so I'm going to pray against their demon-possessed sexuality.  I love the sinner, hate the sin, cause Christ said I should.  

The idea of homosexuality being genetic is a concept that is relatively new in Neuroscience.  Critics of genetically explained homosexuality should probably brush up on their neuroscience a bit...because there has been irrefutable evidence that the physical brains of homosexuals are notably different both physically and psychologically.  It has to do with the configuration of neurons and brain chemistry which results, in part, in same-sex attraction.

But one might ask, "How does this excuse engaging in deviant behavior?"

My answer to such a question is..."Why is it your business?  How does what two people do in the privacy of their homes, or who they choose to bind to with that unconditional love affect you?  Why and by what means do you have the moral authority to judge me or my partner, friend, neighbor, or random street-met person?"  

The short answer is:  You don't!


Mat 7:1-6 (NKJ)
(1)  Judge not, that ye be not judged.
(2)  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
(3)  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
(4)  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
(5)  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
(6)  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

There's no hidden context here people.  It's a plain Jane, simply-stated, direct-to-the-point, pearl of wisdom, truth, and pragmatism.  DON'T JUDGE OTHERS.

Prayer is used to enrich all the world, not for your selfish wants or agenda.  Prayer is the exaltation of our needs and pleas to the Lord, that he may look into our hearts, seeking our motive, and provide the means where his glory, honor, and love is served.  Jesus taught us how to pray.  He condemned the prayers of the pharisees who he repeatedly labeled as hypocrites because their concerns were for themselves and their motives disgustingly selfish in every regard.  These pastors who stand up and teach parents or prospective parents to look at their gay children in disgust or to abuse them emotionally, to "smack some sense" into your over-feminine son, or your daughter who likes hunting and roughing it up a bit too much is about the most abominable display of moral failure I have ever seen.  

Mat 7:15-20 (NKJ)
(15)  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
(16)  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
(17)  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
(18)  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
(19)  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
(20)  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.


And for people's edification, what are those fruits of the spirit that we should look at within every person who claims to have Christ?


Gal 5:22-23 (NKJ)
(22)  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
(23)  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.


Asking one to pray away the gay is like asking one to pray away the Black, or the Asian or the Mexican or the Woman. It's like asking God to cast the Nerd out of a nerd or the art out of an artist or the car smarts from the mechanic.

God won't cast out what makes you, you. But he'll take your hand and help you up. He'll teach you values like love thy neighbor, and he'll teach things like "do unto others."

Jesus doesn't teach hate or ignorance. He teaches community, love, compassion, and tolerance: The core values of Christianity.


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

An Agenda for Progressives

There are so many items that Progressives want to see enacted to better equalize the playing field of life.  Below, I'll detail a few of the ideas that I think are quite innovative and do the best to be fair.

1) End arbitrary terminations regarding employment.

  • Many employers fire and hire at will, giving little or no notice that their workers are losing their job. So I see to end that practice by requiring a minimum of two weeks layoff notice before any termination, with obvious exceptions where there's been a legal infraction of some kind (theft, assault, etc.).
  • Employers would be required to pay a separation package of two weeks or one pay-period's worth of pay before letting an employee go.  Ending arbitrary termination would force employers to better develop their employees and better train and invest time into them to create employees that are longer lasting and better skilled.  This is especially prevalent in part time, entry level, retail or service industry jobs, where the training is light, lax, or non-existent.  
2)  Full public funding for the first two years of Post-secondary education, and significantly increased funding for Students seeking Bachelor and Masters' programs.

  • With the world continuing to become more and more competitive, the United States must take it's obligation to it's students more seriously.  Right now, the US Ranks near the bottom in Post-secondary funding, and near the top for Post-secondary cost.  
  • Students need access to funding to start, live through, and complete school.  If we are to produce graduates who can contribute to society in meaningful ways, we must, as a society invest in their education.  Students in college and university campuses all over the country face continual problems such as inadequate health care, malnutrition, insufficient access to mental health care and other similar programs, as well as stress related to paying the day-to-day bills.  
  • The first two years of Post-secondary education will provide the student an option to pursue a job skill...as many basic job skill programs are taught in two-year settings.  Jobs such as Paralegals, Accountants, Medical billing, Nursing, and other similar support jobs.  These types of jobs can provide a great amount of employability with many different organizations and entities seeking support staff.
3) Universal Health Care for all citizens regardless of income.
  • As one of the richest and most successful westernized nations, the idea that we do not have a socialized health system is somewhat surprising.  Universal Health Care would be a very big leap in the direction we need to go.  Universal Health Care would also improve efficiency  resource allocation, and ensure that all Americans never have to worry about losing healthcare again.
  • The for-fee medical care system is a dismal failure due to several functional problems. The for-fee system is highly inefficient, because insurers constantly fight about what they'll pay for with doctors instead of just paying what the doctor says is necessary.  Administrative costs, as a result, are through the roof.
  • The sick don't seek help until they're deathly ill, clogging up Emergency rooms with conditions that could have been solved simply by seeing a doctor on a semi-annual rate.  Preventive care is a stronger defense to disease and chronic illness than holding out til near-death.
  • Children especially, who do not have medical care can end up with life-long conditions which result in far more expensive medical bills than that of a healthy child growing into a healthy adult.  If Universal Healthcare is to become a reality, let it start with all children til the age of 18, or 26 for post-secondary students.
  • I've come to learn that access to health care is most definitely a necessity of our society.  It empowers and builds us up as a nation, making us competitive and maintaining a stable standard of living for the middle class and poor. 
  • Half a dozen Federal programs can be combined to pay for this system of Universal Healthcare.  No more Medicare/Medicaid, no more VA Health system, no more CHIP, no more workers compensation medical claims and no more state-funded medicaid systems which routinely run over budget.
This is a good start for our society.  Let's see if we can work together to bring it about.  Progressive social and economic policy isn't about handing out, it's about giving a hand up so that all members of society can truly progress up the social ladder.  The progressiveness of society is what will push us into the future.  A future where children don't wonder if they're going to eat, or parents don't worry what to do if they lose their job, and a future where employment is secure, safe, and stable...paying a wage that is worthy of the labor they perform.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Ending Deadlock In the House of Representatives

Most of us are quite tired of the House of Representatives because of it's inability to pass anything.  Of all the congresses in our nation's history, the 112th Congress passed fewer bills than any other congress ever.  The 2nd most ineffective congress was "The Do-nothing Congress" under Harry Truman's administration.  Harry Truman was up against a congress which passionately opposed everything he wanted to do to such a degree that they passed hardly anything.  Truman then took their inaction and campaigned against that congress, labeling them the Do-Nothing congress.  That strategy worked for him, and he actually won re-election along with a new congress that did work with him.  The 112th Congress will go down in history as one of the most divided, conflicted, and useless bodies in US Political history.

There is a radical solution which may end the deadlock in the House.  The house rules dictate that whomever controls enough of the chamber gets to make the rules.  Much like in a parliamentary system, the majority party makes the rules, elects the speaker, appoints committee chairmanships, etc.  The same is mostly true of the House of Representatives, somewhat modeled after a parliamentary system.  Currently, Democrats control 200 seats in the house, while Republicans control 233 seats.  If Democrats really wish to do the work of the people in the house, I suggest this:  Democrats should reach out to moderate or liberal Republicans in the house an stage a Coup.  In this Coup, if Democrats could turn 15 Republicans and persuade them to caucus with them in the House, the house's power could flip mid-term.  This would mean that this make-shift coalition of centrists could elect a new speaker, make new committee appointments, and would bring The House back into order...making the Tea Party pointless.  Currently, those 51 people who were elected under the flag of "The Tea Party" are what is holding up the House's business.  If Democrats could court enough House members, maybe by promising committee chairmanships to them in exchange for their support...we would regain a functioning house.  Further, we would be able to elect a new speaker, and move legislation along that can actually pass, that would have passed in years before.  There are many Republicans who are very disillusioned with the new bloc of their party who have stonewalled business which has been considered reasonable in the past and never fell to the way side.

For now, we'll have to wait and see what happens.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Why I Am A Progressive

I love you all, I value our dialogue, our discussions, and our debates. If you truly feel offended by the fact that I tout the progressive party line, then I'm sorry you're offended. However, I would hope that you understand a few things about me:

1) I have no motivation nor do I have incentive to tout any other point of view. I was the other point of view since I was 18 years old. After 16 years of secondary and post secondary education, I have concluded that the progressive political path is the correct one for our nation, and it's the one I'll fight for. If I hear arguments like "You should look at the other side's argument." Here's a news flash...I WAS the other side's argument for a very long time...hence the sharp turn left.

2) I do not trust many Republican lawmakers as far as I can throw them. They have been caught red handed with too much scandal and controversy to even be considerable to me. Election fraud from out-sourced "voting organizations", the war on women's bodies and rights, the squelching of the minorities in state legislatures, the highly offensive view against gays and lesbians, the perversion of Christianity for their own self-interests and goals, and finally the extremely unfair distribution of wealth by supporting policies that enrich their donors.


3) I strongly believe that the the fruits of labor should be shared fairly.  That employers are responsible for ensuring the well-being of his or her employees by way of benevolent acts such as fair pay, reasonable benefits, generous dispositions towards workers, and so forth.  (to borrow from Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations view of Free Market Economic Theory).  

4) I am a proud and card-carrying progressive (figuratively), and I do not have any interest in entertaining the conservative viewpoint until the conservative viewpoint decides to be less totalitarian and controlling.  This doesn't mean I won't listen to your arguments...but at the same time I have been thoroughly convinced by way of people far smarter than I that the conservative viewpoint is no longer pragmatic in the here and now.

5) The world is not made of absolutes. If you try to reason in absolutes, you're willfully ignoring facts which change the circumstances, conditions, and reasons for a particular action. And if you try to reason in absolutes with me...I will likely ignore your argument, as I only deal in educated and informed arguments, backed by solid reason and grounded facts.


6) I cannot stand by and entertain anyone governing by obscure passages of the Bible as a justification for civil law.  The Bible's text is designed to enhance and enrich the spiritual life of Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, Islam, and other assorted faiths whereby the Bible is enriching.  Further, the Bible is a fantastic collection of literature, history, records, and revelation.

7) I believe that in an age of increasing uncertainty, we must begin a program of ensuring secure employment, discouraging arbitrary termination, extolling honest and fair businessmen/businesswomen, encouraging good will and fair pay, as well as time with their families.

If you cannot or do not want to deal with this...and you can't stand reading my posts...there is a nice little button up to the left part of the window that has this "Unsubscribe" thing. Or if you just can't stand me...and don't want to listen to anything I have to say...there is the "Unfriend" feature as well. I'll be sad to see you go, but, that's what it is. I am who I am, and I will not change in the near future, barring some significant life-changing event which shifts my ideology a different direction. I can walk away from fights, I can stop discussing if it get's nasty, and I can agree to disagree when required.

I wish you all well, and hope you have a long life and fruitful blessings!

Cheers

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

God and Government, The Real Ties

We often hear on The Right side of the isle that God is an integrated part of people's execution of political power.  However, upon closer examination of those views that people exercise, often those views are not the compassionate, moral imperative of The Savior's mission as detailed through the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...but the minutia of the Old Testament, which legislates religious law, obscure references which people overly emphasize as cemented and permanent in the modern day, and the many speakings of the letters and epistles of the New Testament, which again, reference problems that those people encountered in those societies.  The Christian Right cherry-picks scripture, using a literalist view of the holy scriptures to push their political agenda.  They purposely ignore important and contextually necessary aspects of scripture to claim they are right.  Culture is everything as it defines the context and criteria of scripture and defines it's scope, purpose, and intent.  While it's important to not minimize the contributions of people like Paul, Peter, Simon, Jude, and John the brother of Jesus as they do contribute to the fabric of Christian thought in very significant ways, it's important to reference that very few of the "Christian Right's" views align with the message that Christ gave us.  Practicing compassion, being fair, doing unto others, loving your fellow man, giving selflessly, and exercising power for the good of all, not yourself, and not for your "friends/donors/etc."

One of the most infuriating arguments from "The Right" is the that you can't legislate "Greed."  I beg to differ.  Greed is spoken against quite fervently by Christ.  "And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."  Matt 19:24.  Christ worried about the destruction that greed can have on people.  Because true greed doesn't just affect the person being greedy, it affects everyone around him, below him, and beside him.  Greed is a destructive and awful problem.  A greedy person will destroy everyone around him to obtain what he lusts after.  In the realm of business it has even more problematic issues.  Greed will cause job losses, theft, fraud, and ultimately the collapse of a company if it's left unchecked.  Greed is a horribly insidious problem that will literally suck the life out of everyone who's a victim someone who can't get a hold of themselves.

So how do we legislate greed?  The answer to this problem was answered quite well during the post-war era: Taxes.  Taxes disseminate wealth through society creating opportunity for those with nothing, building up institutions which are needing work, or investing in the future through grants and loans for new ventures in technology and research.  It's important that we return to the system we had in 1949 to 1980 to ensure that the wealthy aren't "The super wealthy" who literally make more money than most nations' GDP, and that their influence isn't felt in government as much.  The most peaceful time, politically, was when wealth disparity was low and distributions of wealth was high.  Unionization, high wage growth, reasonable CEO pay, and regulated businesses to ensure steady, stable, consistent growth is what made the US great during that time in history.  We technically do not need to trade with anyone if we do not want to.  If we returned to the system we had during the post-war era, we'd be our own manufacturers, our own food producers, and our own power generators.  None of this "importing things we can do here" crap.

Pulling us back, government can control greed by ensuring that wealth is fairly shared with people that do work.  Time after time again, we see that if you don't coerce someone to do something, they won't do it, and they'll do the bare minimum they can get away with.  It's evident all over the country.  We see fast food workers of 20 years, not even barely breaking $10/hr after 20 years of service.  We see Walmart employees all on the public dole because the company doesn't pay enough.  We also see labor unions being broken up by employers so employers can exercise their power over employees, pitting them against each other for the crumbs the company drops to them.  ENOUGH!  Its time we, as moral, spiritual people rise up against these frauds in government...frauds that use the Name of Christ to get their fascist, petty, self-serving ideology codified in law.  These frauds who lurk in dark alleyways conspiring ways to steal your hard-earned money and then claim it's government taking it from them.  These frauds who claim the name of Christ, but have all the character references of loan shark.  And finally, these frauds who manipulate laws to disenfranchise voters through legal red tape, making harder and more inconvenient to vote for the person they'd prefer.  Christ-centered government is simply and aptly defined as government where the values of Christianity at their core are used to govern.  That means "Doing unto others" and being fair in political decisions, writing law that favors neither one or another person, and representing the interests of ALL people in society, not your party, not your friends...but everyone.

I do appeal to all Christians out there to examine your hearts and minds, read the scriptures with an open mind and an honest heart.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the wisdom of the scriptures when you read, and pose you hard questions to answer.