{"id":2062,"date":"2015-09-18T00:34:34","date_gmt":"2015-09-18T04:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/?p=2062"},"modified":"2015-09-17T14:38:45","modified_gmt":"2015-09-17T18:38:45","slug":"who-is-to-blame-for-americas-woes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/2062","title":{"rendered":"Who is to blame for America’s woes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"20150916_204101a\"<\/a>My cat and I watched the 2nd GOP debate the other night.\u00a0 I would love to comment about the debates; but that isn’t what today’s article is about.\u00a0 I want to talk about two things:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. 1. Who, among the current 15 Republicans and 3 Democrats I feel would be best. I will narrow it down to my top 5, in no particular order.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2. Who, exactly, is to blame for the current economic & international quagmires we, as a country, find ourselves entangled in.<\/p>\n

    First, since I like the political season; are my top 5, and why I like them.\u00a0 While it is still way to early for any firm decision, I have my favorites.\u00a0 For the record, I am a registered independent; which you should be able to figure out by my top five (in no particular order).<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Jim Webb<\/a>:\u00a0 If the election were today – I would vote for Jim Webb.\u00a0 As it stands though, he gets very little press<\/a>, if any.\u00a0 My cat likes Jim, although he only likes him for two reasons: He is from Virginia and he was Secretary of the Navy.\u00a0 I happen to like him for several reasons – he is a veteran Marine, who was medically retired due to wounds received in Vietnam.\u00a0 He was… under Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy, committee counsel in Congress, and finally – a senator representing Virginia.\u00a0 He is well versed in national defense, foreign policy, domestic affairs and economic fairness. The deal clincher for me is he has stated time and time again that he would not misuse America’s greatest asset – it’s military.\u00a0 Why, because his son is in the Military.\u00a0 His website<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    2. Bobby Jindal<\/a>:\u00a0 Didn’t know much about him until this debate.\u00a0 I like him though, and will strive to learn more about him.\u00a0 His website<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    3. Jeb Bush<\/a>: Although he brings the baggage of the Bush name and his brother’s administration.\u00a0 He is very doable.\u00a0 His website<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    4. Carly Fiorina<\/a>: She is sharp!\u00a0 She is running 2 for 2 in the debates so far.\u00a0 Her knowledge of current events (and her solutions) are striking a chord with conservatives.\u00a0 She can stand toe to toe with any of the candidates.<\/li>\n
    5. Joe Biden<\/a>: While officially not in the running, I like “old Joe.”\u00a0 I find him to be authentic, a person that says what he means- and does what he says. He has a reputation for getting the job done, and his personality appeals to both parties – he has admiration and respect.\u00a0 Contrary to most VPs; Biden has been busy<\/a> and a productive member of the Obama administration.\u00a0 I think Obama would like to see Biden as his successor to finish the jobs he was unable or unwilling to finish.\u00a0 There is a good article written by Tim Stanley<\/a> on why Biden should run.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Second.\u00a0 Bobby Jindal made some pretty good comments about how both parties have screwed the pooch.\u00a0 I think there is more than enough blame to go around.\u00a0 The final column by conservative columnist Charley Reese, published by the\u00a0Orlando Sentinelon Feb. 3, 1984 says it best (this is from the Daily Hampshire Gazette<\/a>, published in print on Monday, Feb 18, 2013) :<\/p>\n

      “Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.\u00a0 Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?<\/p>\n

      You and I don\u2019t propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don\u2019t have the constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.\u00a0 You and I don\u2019t write the tax code. The Congress does.\u00a0 You and I don\u2019t set fiscal policy. The Congress does. You and I don\u2019t control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.<\/p>\n

      One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices \u2014 545 human beings out of 238 million [321 Million as of Jul 4, 2015] \u2014 are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.<\/p>\n

      I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Bank because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.<\/p>\n

      I exclude all of the special interest and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don\u2019t care if they offer a politician $1 million in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.\u00a0 No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator\u2019s responsibility to determine how he votes.<\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t you see how the con game is played on the people by the politicians?<\/p>\n

      Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.\u00a0 What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Tip O\u2019Neill, who stood up and criticized Ronald Reagan for creating deficits.\u00a0 The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept. it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating appropriations and taxes. O\u2019Neill is speaker of the House. He is the leader of the majority party. He and his fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto.\u00a0 [Currently the Republicans are in charge of both houses; both parties are equally at fault]<\/em><\/p>\n

      Just 545 Americans have fouled up this great nation.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

      It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million [now 321 Million] cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted – by present facts – of incompetence and irresponsibility.\u00a0 I can\u2019t think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those people.\u00a0 When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise complete power over the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.<\/p>\n

      If the tax code is unfair, it\u2019s because they want it unfair.
      \nIf the budget is in the red, it\u2019s because they want it in the red.
      \nIf the Marines are in Lebanon, it\u2019s because they want them in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

      There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take it.<\/p>\n

      Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical force like \u201cthe economy,\u201d \u201cinflation\u201d or \u201cpolitics\u201d that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.<\/p>\n

      Those 545 people and they alone are responsible.<\/strong> They and they alone have the power. they and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses – provided they have the gumption to manage their own employees.”<\/p>\n

      – Charley Reese, circa 1984.<\/em><\/p>\n

      What say you?\u00a0 Agree with Charley’s letter, or not?\u00a0 Why?<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/09\/16\/politics\/republican-debate-fact-check\/index.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      My cat and I watched the 2nd GOP debate the other night.\u00a0 I would love to comment about the debates; but that isn’t what today’s article is about.\u00a0 I want to talk about two things: 1. Who, among the current … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"kt_blocks_editor_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,16],"tags":[50,66,103,93],"class_list":["post-2062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","category-rants-raves","tag-america","tag-leadership","tag-politics","tag-us-constitution"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":940,"url":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/940","url_meta":{"origin":2062,"position":0},"title":"What\u2019s a Poor Congressman To Do?","author":"John Sweeney","date":"April 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"My congressman sent out an e-mail in which he was inexplicably whining about some backlash he\u2019s gotten from his constituents over some recent political decisions.\u00a0 He appeared genuinely perplexed at why we would be upset, and went on to wonder if compromise and \u201cgetting along\u201d would ever be possible in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AoM"","block_context":{"text":"AoM","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/category\/rants-raves\/aom"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15068,"url":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/15068","url_meta":{"origin":2062,"position":1},"title":"Time to strap in and buckle up!","author":"DR D","date":"January 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is January 20th, 2025, Inauguration Day, which, by all accounts, should be a peaceful turnover of power from the current democratic president to a recycled republican president (yes, the lower cases are intentional). 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