IM2Opinionated - Common sense views on politics

Sheldon Adelson is working on a deal to develop a Las Vegas style gambling center in Spain (called Euro Vegas) where gambling has been banned for moral reasons.  He has already built an similar gambling center in Macau (People's Republic of China),  which helped Adelson build his wealth of approximately $25 billion dollars.  In Macau, his attempts to manipulate the government have drawn scrutiny from federal and Nevada investigators, but this has not deterred him from moving on with his plans for Spain.  Besides being an apparent manipulation of desperate people and countries, doesn't this all seem apocalyptic?  A man with more money than he, his family or generations of his family could ever spend seeks to accumulate even more wealth.  What is the point of his greed?  If Adelson showed an inordinate amount of philanthropy like Charles F. Feeney or even a more modest amount of philanthropy like Bill and Melinda Gates (which is still extraordinary), ...

    If our leaders refuse to take action, we must.  America is falling behind the rest of the world in so many ways it's difficult to name them all, but here are a few:  Our roads and bridges are catastrophes in waiting; poverty is on the rise after decades of supply side or trickle down economics; the banks have taken millions of homes away from families who now live in cars, motels or on the street; we incarcerate non-violent offenders and illegal immigrants at alarming rates that serve only to disenfranchise far too many of our fellow citizens; our laws seem to protect and represent only the most affluent in society more than not and seem immoral upon close scrutiny.  And, all the while, we're all forced to live by the actions of fewer than 600 people, who oftentimes have agendas which are not conducive to a cohesive, fair and compassionate leadership.     We can sit, watch and wait as things continue to get worse for the majority or the...

It is common wisdom that politicians say one thing while meaning another or, as us laypeople call this practice, lie, but there are degrees of not telling the truth. At the, we'll call it, honest end of the dishonesty spectrum, a candidate might leave out a few details or fail to offer information that isn't asked for.  Though this may be kind of like dealing with the Devil, it isn't an outright lie.  Immoral yes, but not a lie.  After exclusion, there is exaggeration, which most people do when relaying an anecdotal story about some adventure or trip they might have taken in the past.  This form of dishonesty comes in useful for tales where the story has ended with "You had to be there".  In these instances a lion, tiger or bear makes a great substitute for the rabbit that chased you after you wounded instead of killing it.  The basic story is real.  It's simply some of the details that are fuzzy . . . like the rabbit. And then there are your w...

It seems to me that far too many people can't think for themselves or discern when a leader is saying something that would prove detrimental to them.  Whether financially, as in giving tax breaks to the rich and raising the tax burden of everyone else or physical, when saying we need to go to war with more countries, it is quite difficult to understand what it will take for certain voters to understand that the GOP is not their friend, let alone a good source for leaders.  Just look who they have put up as the the leader of the party.  Mitt Romney is running on his management skills, but he can't seem to manage his own campaign.  He can't even seem to "Do no harm.", which is all he should have to do given the state of our economy.  As for his supposed management skills, what has he actually managed?  At Bain, he basically bought companies that other people managed and ran up the debt of those companies that were not managed properly and provided support to ...

I don't care which political party you believe in, when policies seem to be mean spirited, you might want  to heed that nagging voice in the back of your head:  That's your conscience telling you that there is a disconnect between what our leaders say and what your morality demands of them. I know that we all have our sinful moments (I know I've had mine), but there's a difference between stealing candy as a child and leaving millions out in the cold.  What I am referring to is the new wave of political leaders who seem to deem all people in need as parasites:  How else could they justify their attempts to cut unemployment benefits, welfare, food stamps, medicare benefits.  How else could they justify a position requiring budget cuts of equal value before any disaster relief funds are to be released ? Most recently, a Congressman named Todd Akins tried to differentiate between what he calls illegitimate and legitimate rape , which would place blame on the vi...

I recently read an article about how those who are supposed to be finding the unemployed work are finding themselves unemployed.  The state referenced in this story was Michigan, where apparently, the job market is improving so much that the state has issued 400 layoff notices to many of it unemployment insurance agents. My first thought was "If these agents get laid off before noon, do they use their lunch time to wait in line to apply for Unemployment Compensation?  After that however, I wondered how state officials in Michigan had determined that the job market had improved to the point that they could feasibly cut back on the staffing of unemployment insurance agencies?  While manufacturing has been making strides towards getting people gainfully employed, it didn't look as if those strides were great enough when I visited Detroit in October of 2011.  Parts of that city looked like it had been bombed out:  Broken windows outnumber those windows that were i...

For anyone who thinks that cutting programs for the poor or, more accurately these days, the working poor, think again. As I drive around town and take note of the various neighborhoods in my city, I can't help noticing that they are all begining to look quite similar; at least in regards to one apesct. Most neighborhoods have "For Sale" or "Foreclosure" signs in front of far too many homes for anyone to think that the Housing Market has recovered or will recover anytime soon. What this means for the other families in these neighborhoods is that their security is that much more compromised:  More homeless people means more desperate people:  People willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Now, add on top of this growing demographic of Americans who have lost their dreams to one big bank or another:  The poor, or working poor who could lose the assistance that "leaders" like Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney seek to take away will have fewer mean with whic...

If you can't remember how bad George W. Bush was, here are some links that should remind us all of what we had to deal with and what we will HAVE to deal with if the "Axis of Evil" or, as republicans refer to them "Romney/Ryan" wins on November 6, 2012.  Click on the links below to read about Bush and then, come back and watch the videos. The 10 Most Awesomely Bad Moments of the Bush Presidency | Alternet George Bush's 20 worst moments R omney’s team starts to look like Bush’s

Two Paths: Ayn Rand's Legacy Before the American public there were two paths that could be taken. One was open to all, accepting of all and sought to help all along their way. The other path only allowed those who were willing to leave their friends, family and all of humanity behind to travel upon it. Though anyone was free to choose which path they would take, only one allowed for an increasing number of travellers. The other narrowed until there were but a few individuals who could maintain their footing and even that number dwindled as the capacity of this path decreased. Though the two paths were so different in the demographics that followed them, they were plainly viewed by all: Those on the growing path noticed the diminishing numbers of people who chose the one which shrank. They were close enough to call out to them, or so they thought, but for some reason, the people on the other path couldn’t hear them. It could have been that they were simply ignoring what th...

As a follow up to my previous posts "Common Sense and Complacency Parts 1 & 2", I thought I would offer my personal feelings as to why the American public does not get the representation they expect.  Besides all of the normal reasons; low voter turnout, misleading political ads, etc. I would put forth one more idea:  After being ignored by so much of the population, especially on the state, regional and local levels, candidates might find it difficult relating to the very same public they are supposed to represent. As a simple example, imagine trying to become friends with as many people as you can, but only finding acceptance from a small sampling of those you try to befriend.  What would you do?  Would you continue to try to promote yourself or would you concentrate more on those individuals who at least seem receptive to your attempts?  Don't answer that.  We all know how human nature works. Now, let's consider someone on the National Stage:...

While, I will not go as far as to say that the Republican Party itself is racist, I will say that there must be some aspect of the G.O.P. that attracts individuals who believe themselves part of “the one and true” race created by GOD.   And this is why I am puzzled by Sheldon Adelson’s desire to promote the right-wing agenda. Oh, I understand the greedy, vulture-like aspect of his support for Mitt Romney now and Newt Gingrich previously.   I fail however, to comprehend the fact that, tied to the financial gains he might feel entitled to and the expedience with which his legal troubles might disappear if a “new management” is placed in the White House in 2013 is White Supremacy.   Maybe Mr. Adelson feels that his wealth entitles him to be accepted as a member of the Arian Brotherhood.   I tend to think that the opposite would be true however and his fortune might tie him more closely to the stereotypical view the Arian Brotherhood reserve for Jewish people. Agai...

Though this video was posted in October of last year (2011), the problems it addressed still persist to this day, and have only festered and grown worse in that time period. Not only do people continue to complain about our government, but it seems that some have accepted the fact that most of us will never get the type of representation that our founding fathers fought for over two hundred years ago. Speaking to a younger man who is in his thirties, which is the new twenties according to advertisers, but seems more like the new teens, in my opinion, he said one of the most disconcerting things I’d ever heard. When I asked him how he thought America would turn itself around and become a country that strives to improve the lives of more than just the wealthy, his response was baffling: “I know that some of us are going to have to kiss the asses of others and I know that most of our lives are going to suck. I don’t worry about that shit. I’m just trying to have fun.” - Orgy H...

Common Sense and Complacency Pt 1 Look for Part 2 tomorrow

ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) noun 1.    An nonpartisan, Republican organization that facilitates the buying and selling of legislators or legislation . 2.    Defunct, debunked, lie CLIMATE CHANGE noun 1.      An ecological disaster created by a few corporations and industrialists to satisfy their greed. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENTS noun 1.    Republican Party doctrine which states that there is no need to help the needy.  It requires that services meant to individuals (the poor, elderly, disabled) not be provided:  Whether seeking funds to attain a degree higher than primary education or loans to start a business or simply funds to avoid becoming homeless, THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENTS forbids any such attempts. 2.    A Christian philosophy according to republican leaders like Paul Ryan, a self-admitted follower of atheist author Ayn Rand who now denies his praise for her....

With Obama coming out for gay marriage (sounds kind of funny). Let's look at our choices this November. While I do believe that there are republican leaders who do seek to help people out, I feel that they will never have the support of their party. With this in mind, let's look at how our choice for president should be considered later this year. The democratic party at least says that it see ks to help out the poor, while the republican party says that it wants to cut Medicare, Social Security. The democratic party at least says that it seeks to help out the middle class and the unemployed, while the republican party says that it wants to give more tax breaks to the rich and they want to shorten the time people can claim unemployment benefits. The democratic party at least says that it seeks to help out students, while the republican party says that it wants to double the interest rate on certain student loans. The democratic party at least says that it ...

The higher standards that some of our leaders place on their constituents never ceases to bewilder me, because these same standards don't seem to apply to them.   As I was driving to drop the kids off at school this morning, I kept hearing stories about the impending FCAT.   For those unfamiliar with this acronym, F.C.A.T. stands for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which was initially intended to measure a student's academic achievement.   Recently however, it also serves as a basis to rate the quality of the education at public schools as well as the quality of the teachers at those schools. One of the problems, as was reported in a story I listened to today is that the F.C.A.T. or at least version 2.0 which will be administered this year, has questions that are not accurate or are misleading.   An example is provided here: * This sample question offers the following observations, and asks which is scientifically testable. The petals of red roses are...

Mission Statement And Statement of Values and Beliefs by Chris Stanley Ossman Mission Statement I believe that the country in which we live currently is not the one the founders of this nation sought or proposed when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.  I believe that our Democracy has been undermined and over-taken by plutocrats who have been reshaping America based on an ideology that only seeks to; further the fortunes of the few, eliminate the will of the majority and segregate us all by the standards that they set regarding an individual’s status. I refuse to allow what has happened, over the past twenty five to thirty years, represent the next few decades.  In this regard, I will fight to usurp the authority of any person group or organization that seeks to do harm, purposefully or accidentally to the United States of America. I am of the belief that those who lead a sovereign nation should hold, above al...