Author: therightliberal

VP: Does it Mean Anything?

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Being Vice President of the United States seems like a big deal. I mean, by the title, it seems to be the second most important job in the US. But is it?

No. It really is not to be honest.

Let’s think about how much power Joe Biden has. If there is a deadlock in the Senate, he has the tie-breaking vote. But because everyone knows which way he will vote, there never ends up being a need.

Nowadays the VP doesn’t even show up to the Senate, they always elect a President pro tempore. So what else are the VP’s duties.

Well really not anything. They are the first up in the line of succession so they need to keep up on all the goings on just in case the President becomes unable to serve. For the most part they go around campaigning and enjoying a nice pay check and some media coverage.

But I think there is a role for the VP, and Joe Biden does a good job of it.

Biden is really an average Joe (lots of pun intended). Listening to him talk in an interview is like listening to a local politician talk about Washington. And with the general population growing more and more uncomfortable with intelligent politicians (just look at the GOP field) it is good to have someone who can converse with the general voter.

To be honest, if there was to be a huge disaster in the US, I would want Biden to talk to the people, because he would be honest and to the point. He does not seem to be too motivated by the politics of Washington (most likely because he is not involved) and he understands Americans.

Dick Cheney was quite the opposite. While Biden comes off as a goofy and  an average guy, Cheney was the evil Sith Lord who was pulling all the strings in the executive office.

And that was the problem. Cheney was never supposed to have the power he had. The VP should not be the one controlling the country, they should be the one at the local bar getting to know the people. They should be the ones who go around the country campaigning because they have nothing better to do.

Cheney had so much power that he could not even be called VP. He was more Evil Overlord of America. Cheney is a very smart man who saw opportunity in the VP position. He realized that Bush was so weak that he could take over control of both the White House and much of the Senate.

So to answer the title of this blog, yes, the VP position CAN mean something. Chances are it doesn’t, but there are certain pairings of President and VP that turn it in to a meaningful post.

But for the sake of the country, let’s keep it meaningless. Let’s fill it with down to earth people who are able to stay attached to the real world instead of becoming entwined with the mysterious world of politics. Let’s have more Joe Bidens.

Adios Iraq

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This past week, President Obama announced that all troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2011, just months away.

What fantastic news! It was not our place to go in to Iraq for oil in the first place and we are finally getting out of there.

Hopefully our role as the World Police is fading. Unfortunately the fact that it is fading has more to do with our financial situation than our realization that our invasions of other countries is unethical.

So for a celebration and a little fun, let’s look back at some of our idiotic invasions.

Chile: A CIA led coup to overthrow the government of Chile in 1973. We went in because we did not agree with Marxism, which when you think about it is a really stupid reason. It shouldn’t matter what we think of another countries government, it should matter what the people think about it.

Cambodia: Really the whole invasion of Southern Asia but Cambodia was the most ridiculous in my mind. We had no right to be there and yet our bombings and war tactics lead to the deaths of over 2 million people. Not soldiers, not corrupt leaders, just people.

Lebanon: Our military actions against the Shi’a “rebels” was just ridiculous. They were not killing their own people and they were not going after other countries. And even if there were some questions regarding their positions on social issues, what authority was given to us to go in and invade?

Saudi Arabia/Iraq: 1990 saw some of the most obvious forms of the World Police. We took sides in the Kuwait and Iraq conflict. We killed over 200,000 people in Iraq (yes that is people again, not just soldiers and leaders, people) because we felt Kuwait needed some protection. This spelled a huge turning point in the US’s foreign policy in the Middle East, it all went down hill from there.

There are many that I did not include, many other very important instances of the US overstepping their authority. Now spells the end of another chapter of these, frankly stupid, invasions.

I hope that we have learned, that we realize that all these invasions do is cause death and debt. But history tells me there is no point in having hope, that our need to dictate the “proper” forms of government and social treatment outweighs our common sense.

So just try, try to realize the lack of progress each one of these invasions spells. Let’s learn something.

A Blazing Issue

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Marijuana; such a taboo to many and such an addiction to many more.

About a week ago, The Federal Government stepped into California’s legal system, going through the state telling medical marijuana dispensaries to close. This came after the Obama administration formerly stated that it would not waste it’s time on prosecuting the medical marijuana industry in California.

I guess now they have so much free time that they can afford to do this. But really, it is just not necessary. I am not upset about a states rights issue here, I have always believed that the Federal Government should have overriding power.

But now we are just battling ignorance. I am not justifying the use of marijuana, nor condemning those who use it. It is a minor drug that should be treated as such. It is no more dangerous than alcohol and quite less dangerous than cigarettes. But the hippies smoked weed so it is obviously bad.

Instead of wasting tax payer money on throwing people in jail for smoking a native plant that just makes you hungry and giggly, how about we go and educate the general population in the hopes that they do not feel the need to use drugs on a regular basis.

America is a prude society and this just shows it. Instead of making millions off of the potential taxes of legalization of marijuana, we throw thousands in jail because they smoke the Devil‘s lettuce.

Open your eyes people. Prohibition does not work! Let us learn from that handy thing called history and realize that we will be a lot better off as a society if we just roll with our capitalist ways and tax the hell out of all sales of permits and paraphernalia.

We as a country should move beyond our fears and judgements and make a rational choice. I say this not because I want to be able to smoke weed, I say this because I want a country which makes smart choices.

We need to at least leave the medical marijuana industry alone. Plus think of this; if we legalize marijuana, imagine what it would do for our food industry!

9-9-9 = 6-6-6

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Herman Cain thinks he has found the solution to all of America’s economic problems; it’s called the 9-9-9 plan.

I guess Herman has not listened to those thousands of people protesting across the country, complaining about the low taxation of the rich and all the corporate tax breaks they receive.

The premise of his plan is fairly simple, a 9% tax on business income, a 9% tax on wages and a 9% Federal income tax.

Estimates by people who understand tax law (which are few) say that this would mean raising taxes for 90% of Americans. Ironically it would also decrease the amount of money that the Federal government takes in from taxes.

Oh that makes so much sense! Lets tax the lower and middle class more, decrease taxes on the wealthy and on businesses and bring in less money.

The 9-9-9 plan is a publicity stunt, and quite a sad one. It sure sounds great until you realize what it would actually be accomplishing (or failing to accomplish). Cain is getting a lot of air time out of this plan, just because of its simplicity.

But there is no such thing as a simple tax policy. The tax codes take up thousands of pages filled with tiny print nowadays and it will not work to just toss those books out the window and just print out a page that says 9-9-9 on it.

Under Cain’s plan, over 23,000 millionaires would be freed from paying taxes. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?

GOP: Spread the wealth to the wealthy

Cain’s plan is quite frankly stupid. It shows just what a weak candidate he is. At the beginning of the GOP race he was one of the most obscure candidates and it is only due to his boldness that he has gained attention.

If the GOP want to nominate him, go right ahead. I highly doubt he could stand up to Obama, a man who is both intelligent AND possess common sense.

If you are set on putting America in a worse economic position than it is in now (yes it is possible) and ruining all that we have built as a country, vote Herman Cain in 2012!

Climate Change

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In a time where the word “change” is constantly being used as a positive, climate change is sneaking up from behind.

It could just be me, but it seems as though all the talk about how quickly we are changing our climate has quickly died off. This worries me.

I am not a radical in my environmental thinking. I feel that people should do what they can to reduce their personal effect of the environment. I am not one to say that we all need to ride bikes and never buy a product that does not contain recycled material.

However, there are so many simple things we can do to prevent our home from becoming a lot less nice than it is now.

We can recycle at every possible moment. It really is not that difficult to put things in the right bin and purchase products that can easily be recycled. We can make conscious choices throughout our day that are little yet make a difference.

I am lazy so I understand that making these changes can be tedious at times. But in the long run it seems worth it. We can work now to slow the damage that we are increasingly doing to the earth.

From a political standpoint this is a prime example of what is wrong with our political system. By far the majority of the people of the US realize we need to change. And yet, there is hardly any political movement because of sticking to party lines.

How about we all just admit we need to change the way we live. Remember how change can be used as a powerful and great word? Lets change our path to avoid extreme climate change. Let us change the little things to achieve the big things.

Why I Chose Politics

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I could blog about anything I wanted. I could choose to pursue a profession that was less cut-throat and more fun. I could hide under a rock and pretend it was not there.

But instead, I have chosen to involve myself in the often frustrating and  continuously puzzling world of politics.

(Augustus Caesar, one of the greatest politicians in history)

Yet I do not lack reason for this choice. While many see themselves as having a calling in fields such as business, health-care or others, I have always seen myself in politics.

My reasons are simple. I feel it is a way in which I can help people, something I have skill in, something that I enjoy, plus there is money too. It is not easy nor is it always fun, but I feel as though I would fit in well.

Politics is tricky because humans do not agree. It is difficult because a politician seeks progress in a world that is not often accepting of change. The best politicians make people feel as though nothing is changing when in fact, everything is.

Take FDR for example. At first glance, one might say, “Everyone knew how much the world was changing during his time in office!” But did they?

We look back and see how much he did to halt the Great Depression, from passing bills to inspiring the people. He also led us through one of the most difficult war times our country has seen.

But what made him great was the instilled confidence in the people. He was calm and confident. He understated the reality of the situation. He understood that sometimes the American people did not need to know information until after the fact.

The confidence he instilled in the people and the respect he earned is the glorious side of politics. There is a chance (though quite slight) to obtain a type of immortality; infamy. I do not see this as being the sole reason why anyone should seek public office, but if one’s goal is to help the people in every way possible, representing them and what they believe, then go for it.

I see myself in the wild world of politics out of a self-duty. I do not see it as a chore nor a thing of pure enjoyment. I see politics as my way of leading and my way of giving. I do not believe in fate but I do believe (at least at this point) that I want to help create the world I will live in.

Warren G. Harding said, “America’s present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration.”

This is true today and it will be true tomorrow. And despite what we face, I want to be part of it.

The Tea Party

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A new CNN poll shows that 53% of Americans think poorly of the Tea Party and 28% hold “favorable views.” CNN said these were the most extreme numbers they had polled on the opinions of the Tea Party.

This is shocking to me. How can 28% of Americans support the Tea baggers? I know there are some ignorant and gullible people out there, but really? The Tea Party represents so much of what is wrong with America today and it infuriates me.

“We are taxed enough already!” Oh, are you? Because from where I am sitting we are not taxed enough. Our public school systems are tanking, we are cutting public programs like they are going out of style and on top of it all, we have a 3 trillion+ deficit.

You think that we can solve all of this by just cutting spending? Well it hasn’t worked in the past but why not waste our time again. You think boycotting the Census and having rallies that encourage citizens to not report their yearly income is helping? If you do, sorry to break it to you, but you are irrational.

I don’t find radicalism to be helpful or progressive in any form. In the manner that I am writing this blog, one might think that I am a radical Liberal. But that is far from the truth. I do not think that big government is always a good idea and I think that at times we are too Liberal in our Judicial policy.

Despite that, I find the Tea Party to be repulsive. I see it almost like I see angsty teens; using shock value and going against the grain to get attention. On that note, they should be treated like angsty teens, with that opinion of “When you grow up, you will see that you are wrong. This is just a stage.”

Unfortunately, most of the members of the Tea Party will not grow up. They will keep up with their radical ways, spreading hate and ignorance throughout the world with a little help from Fox News. All I can hope is that the rest of America wakes up and discourages the ridiculousness that is the Tea Party.

“Occupy Wall Street”

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Currently there is a movement to protest the actions of the economic top 1% of Americans called “Occupy Wall Street.” Not just a verbal movement, an actual protest in New York.

Chances are you haven’t heard about it, and I believe there is a reason for that: News corporations don’t like covering protest unless things are on fire and the police are involved.

Now I could write a book on how much I despise the choices of most news organizations, but instead I want to focus on what Wall Street has done to this country.

It all goes back to greed. Traders on Wall Street work for companies, and at the helms of those companies are CEO’s. I have nothing against CEO’s in general, more the ideas that their job title in general seeks to accomplish.

They want power and money. They want their shares to boom and then they want to create more shares which will boom some more. Yes, there are some advantages to this system of market (Yay Capitalism!), it encourages competitive businesses and seeks to advance our markets.

But what is the cost? Well, I think we are seeing the cost right now. Wealth in America is incredibly concentrated, with the middle class shrinking at shocking rates. These trends are due to the greed that has been encouraged through our system of economics.

The whole goal for most Americans is to get rich. Children are encouraged to choose jobs that will make them wealthy when they grow up. But then we reach the problem of having such an elitist society that money passes from hand to hand, instead of from hand to hands.

Don’t get me wrong, I love money. I love the finer things in life, from food to fast cars, probably more than many people. But what I want to think about is greed and how much money we really need as individuals. Go and buy that nice car, that nice house, that perfect vacation. But in the mean time, think about what you can buy for others with what you have.

And now we come back to the Occupy Wall Street protest. Thousands of people have been protesting, not just in New York, but in major cities across America. They want the top 1% to look and listen to what is happening in America. They are not asking for the wealthy to give up their lifestyles, all they are asking for is less greed and more sympathy.

We are a country, we are supposed to look after each other (to what degree can be debated all you want). Corporations (who are not people by the way) and the CEO’s (who are people) who run them need to get their priorities in line and start supporting the country that gave them what they have today.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

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Just when you thought this obvious debate was over, IT’S BACK!

Rick Santorum felt the need to answer a gay soldier’s question about the policy by saying he would reinstate Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Santorum: ‘I condemn’ booing of gay soldier, didn’t hear it

Now his opinion is one thing, he has every right to that. But really was that necessary? I thought we were getting over this as a country, but now with the Republican debates the whole thing is coming back strong.

Personally, I feel that this is a RIDICULOUS issue. Just the other day I was talking to a veteran who had served in Iraq and he put it very well. He had a friend who came out to him after they had received their honorable discharge. This friend was an incredible soldier and man, speaking multiple languages and very trustworthy in combat. The C.I.A. is trying to recruit him now.

Now the fact that he is gay has absolutely nothing to do with his abilities, neither positively or negatively. He is defending his country, putting his life on the line for all of us who enjoy the luxuries that are provided by our military. The very least we could do is allow him to be open about his sexuality.

If his fellow soldiers have a problem with that then maybe it is time to talk it out. For to long we have pretended like homosexuality is a disease, it is no such thing. Gays and lesbians are not a danger to have in the military. If it is going to cause issues then the homophobes need to deal with their issues, not make someone change their sexuality (which is not possible) or make them hide it.

I see no difference between don’t ask, don’t tell and racially recruiting. Would the military not allow Blacks, Asian Americans, Latinos if they could hide the color of their skin.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is so unconstitutional that it makes me want to scream. But lovely people like Presidential un-hopeful Rick Santorum will continue to spread their charming opinions about their homophobia.

I would like to ask Rick Santorum a question; if your life was on the line, a gun to your head, would you care about the sexuality of the man or woman who saved you? Sexuality aside, these men and women are heroes and they deserve the rights of heroes.

The Palistinian Debate

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One of my best friend is Jewish, and in his opinion, Palestine should never be a country.

This sentiment is a common one, especially in the Jewish community. But the real question from my point of view is whether creating a separate nation will solve the problems between Israel and the Palestinian nations and whether the US needs to get involved.

“The Obama policy of moral equivalency, which gives equal standing to the grievances of Israelis and Palestinians, including the orchestrators of terrorism, is a dangerous insult. There is no middle ground between our allies and those who seek their destruction,” said Rick Perry.

This is the utter ignorance that is being said at the moment. Perry seems to almost suggest that Palestinians are lesser people than Israelis.

I think that creating a new Palestinian state may in fact be a solution to the ongoing problem, or at least a short-term solution.

I highly doubt that as long as Israelis border Arabic nations, peace can be attained. There was not the foresight required when Israel was created.

According to the Obama administration, the best thing that can be done would be to continue negotiations to achieve peace. I doubt that any long-term peace can be achieved at this point but the worry is that if the US leans to far one way or the other, they will face the wrath of one of the sides.

We don’t need another war or another “conflict”. What we need is to focus on world peace and world hunger and our own economy. This may sound like an answer from a Miss Universe contestant but at this point, I feel that we do not need to be involved.

We can encourage negotiations and discourage violence, but now is the time where we step back and let them work. They have politicians and negotiators just like us, they also do posses common sense.

Hopefully both sides can overcome their historical debates and realize that, for humanity’s sake, the violence and arguments need to end.