How should the GOP run the upcoming Presidential campaign? What do you think?

The upcoming Presidential elections will mark a large decision by the American people.  R or D, the economy is a mess and we need leadership in a big time way!  Obviously, President Obama will be the D on the ticket and the R's are slugging it out now to see which one of them will get the nod.  Time will tell the final 2 running.

What should the GOP run this campaign on?  In my humble opinion that is a very easy question to answer.  There are 4 points for them to follow outlined below:

1. The US NATIONAL economy
2. Job creation
3. Foreign Policy (a little bit as the President's main job by design is Foreign Policy, so it's in there)
4. Lastly, REPEAT STEPS 1 & 2 ABOVE!

Now here is where I'm not in lockstep with the R's and more in line with Libertarian's (hereby will use L to stay in line with using D and R) to some extent.  If the R nominee says anything besides the 4 points above and in no way even has a dream about bringing up social issues, then the nominee needs to be kicked in the teeth!  For the L's out there, many hard core L's will say to do nothing but the Constitution and everything else is a free for all.  Of course I'm generalizing but you get my drift.  

To the GOP out there; news flash, if the economy stays stagnant is it is now come next November, then the D's have nothing to run on.  They will have to do the class warfare thing (like they are doing now) and rolling around in the mud and slinging that mud on whoever the GOP puts in the campaign.  Please, please, please don't do as you have so often in the past and go after the pitches in the dirt!  The D's always bait you into it and throw you that pitch in the dirt and wow, the GOP swings at the pitch!  STUPID!  

Now if the R gets into office next November, then don't forget what got you there!  Do NOT pull out the R wish list and do what the D's did this time around.  For God's sake, please NEVER put the moral crap on the table ever again.  

I used God on purpose.  I'm a christian and believe in the man upstairs.  I believe in the golden rule and try to treat people as I would like to be treated.  I try not to hold grudges and turn the other cheek.  I do this because that's what I think is right and guess what?  NOTHING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, STATE GOVERNMENT, OR ANY KIND OF GOVERNMENT EVER DID TO MAKE ME THAT WAY!  Never has, never will be the case.  My parents, family, friends, and community helped teach my morals to me and I would like to think they did a good job.  I'm all for morals and wish the world would be the Garden of Eden again.

To quote a TV show my Mom and Wife both like, Monk...."Here's the thing..."; You can't legislate morality!  Leave the truly horrible moral offences up to, hmmm....what's that thing...., ahhh yes, the LAW.  Yepper, the moral offences that is world and culture wide found to be horrible in nature such as murder, rape, theft, etc. are all ready taken care of in the criminal justice system.  Therefore I say again unto the GOP.  Stick to the 4 steps above for this coming and every Presidential campaign going forward.

Now, I could go on with this one but it's time for bed.  Please let me know what you think and what you would do if you could run the show!  

Frivolous lawsuits are way out of control!

How about the civil justice system?  Where for the most part, people seek and receive redress for wrongs committed to them.  It's the least part that I'm speaking of and that gives the whole system a tainted feel to it.  It's when a burglar can break into your home in the wee hours of the morning and while walking away from your home, with your television set, on your driveway that he slips, trips, etc. and falls.  The fall breaks his arm and in turn you get sued for his medical bills.  Then the unthinkable happens; he wins the lawsuit!

I'm talking about the 'slip-n-fall' artists that plague our businesses and drive up prices all over with their fraudulent injury claims.  I'm talking about the simply stupid people that sue manufacturers and vendors for not having a disclaimer printed on a plastic bag used in packaging telling the stupid person not to put it over their head!  How about the guy driving his newly bought RV that set the cruise control on then got up and went to the back of the RV???  I guess in his dim mind he mistook cruise control for auto-pilot; who knows what was going on in that birdbrain???

Sadly, those are not items I made up!!!  There are so many more examples of the silliness that happens in our civil court system on a daily basis.  My problem is this.  Why are these stupid lawsuits not just immediately dismissed by the judge?  Why does an attorney even take these cases?  The answer is simple; MONEY.  They can make big money with the nuisance lawsuits.

Now the solution to this has been proposed before but I have a slight twist to it.  The solution all ready suggested is "loser pays" and I agree with that with just a slight twist.  My twist you ask?  LOSING ATTORNEY PAYS FOR THEIR OWN COSTS, THE COURT COSTS, AND ALL THE OPPOSING ATTORNEY COSTS AND FEES, LOST WAGES, ETC.!  Their client is liable for the judgement, damages, back wages, pain & suffering, etc.  It is up to the attorney to get the money from their clients for all the legal fees associated with the trial.  From the research and expert witnesses, down to the private investigators and police man-hours tracking everything down.  That stops frivolousness in its tracks!  If a case gets to court then you will know it will have merit. 

So, my solutions is loser pays with a twist.  Losing defendant or plaintiff pays the judgement of the suit but all the costs of the suit and court costs, the whole enchilada is to be paid by the losing attorney!  Now let's see how many silly lawsuits make it all the way to trial?  What do you think?

Amendments to the Constitution that are needed now for Congressional Reform!

Now, we all know that congress isn't going to do what's needed to fix the issues on Capital Hill as they like the system as it is.  What will have to happen is for the States to amend the Constitution and thereby bypassing Congress all together!  By the way, exactly as the founders designed it to be.  That states convention clause allowing the states to amend the Constitution all on their own is exactly the check and balance to Congress and its corruption!  The states simply have to have the stones to step to the plate and hit the ball.

These are in no particular order and would need tweaking by others to make the letter of the law match its intention.  However, here are my ideas on fixing DC.

1. Any federal law that at least one third of the states oppose on the grounds of constitutionality become immediately "ripe" for submission to the Supreme Court for adjudication.  Many times laws are made that anyone with half a brain can see is not constitutional but until someone has "standing" the law cannot be challenged.  Let's not wait till someone is affected by an unconstitutional law before it can be stopped.
2. All bills in Congress can only have amendments (riders, attachments, extensions, whatever term you want to use for adding something to a bill after it's been created) added to the bill that have DIRECT affect to the bill being submitted.  i.e. you can't attach an appropriation for military body armor onto a bill for a new interstate road project or vice-versa, etc.  If one person is buying a house and at the closing table the two parties forgot to specify in the contract that the seller must add an outside access door to the garage, then they would add a rider to the contract to handle that omission and not draw up a new contract.  It has something to do with the sale of the house and that's what a rider to a contract is for.  But you don't add a rider that has nothing to do with the sale of the house, if you did, it would be laughed off the contract at the closing table.  This amendment would be just that.  This will stop most pork projects as now pork is "hidden" in the bills or tacked onto a bill they know no one will vote against!  Pork is simply wrong and if any pet projects are to be enacted into law or funded, let them be voted on in a bill to themselves.  Let the Congress stand on it's record.  If you want a bridge to no where in your state then it has to be on its own bill and voted up or down on its merits!  No more hiding within the coat tails of any other bill.       p.s. This will also keep bills from being 3000 pages long, etc.!
3. No entity can be exempted or waived from a law.  If it's a law for one then it's a law for all.  Especially the federal government!  How do you pass a law then have exceptions for some people to not have to follow that law?  
4. No bill can be "tabled" in either house of congress without 75% approval.  If a bill is submitted it needs to be voted on!  I thought about the 75% thing for an obvious crack pot bill that doesn't deserve the time of day.  So, if it's a truly nonsense bill then it can be tabled and not waste time but NOT because the leader of that house of Congress doesn't want to put the bill to vote and let his/her people not have to put their vote on record!    Similarly we need the language to do the same things for bills in "committee" but I don't have the language for it.  Someone please comment on how to word it!  It's a shame that opponents of a bill can "kill it in committee" and not have to go on record that they oppose it!
5. Any member of congress that is convicted of a criminal felony is immediately removed from congress and a new representative is to be chosen in accordance with that state's laws regarding either appointment or special election and no person convicted of a felony can ever hold congressional office.  If convicted, in addition to removed from congress, the representative also loses all employment benefits of that office including health care and retirement benefits.  This one is a no-brainer.  How can the people we elect to govern and create laws be allowed to still serve after they break them?  Congressman Rangel from NY comes to mind.  How can he remain in congress when he broke the very laws he chairs the committee on in the house???  I'm so tired of these crooks wiggling out of crimes and not being punished!  
6. Campaign contributions for legal entities such as corporations and unions, etc. are treated as an individual citizen and cannot exceed that of a citizen.  Any campaign advertisement must be factual in nature and false or misleading campaign ads will be a criminal felony for prosecution.  Offending ads would by law be immediately pulled from circulation or airing until determination of the offense has been made in court.   If a living breathing person has a limit on what he/she can contribute to a political campaign, then why does a corporation or a union or any other group get to contribute more???  Similarly, how can you see 2 opposing political ads on TV where one is saying the exact polar opposite of the other and one not be lying?  Difference of Opinion, cool but when the issue is stated as facts, then it must be factual! 

We are the ones that have allowed the people we sent to congress to become or continue being crooks!  We are the one that have to stop it.  I really don't care that they all get rich while in office as they will always find a way to do that.  I just wish they would truly put the country's best interest at heart.  They can do both.  I don't care if it's a D or R or I after their names, or who gets the credit, just do what is best for the country!  There is always different opinions to a possible solution.  Work it out for the good of the country and not to see which sides "wins the game" politically. STOP TREATING NATIONAL ISSUES LIKE IT'S A BASKETBALL GAME.  WE DON'T CARE WHO "WINS" YOUR POLITICAL GAME!  WE WANT PROGRESS FOR THE COUNTRY COMING OUT OF DC.  Simple as that!

Congressional Term Limits - We desperately need them ASAP!

Almost every time I listen to the news on TV or radio and they speak about national political news, I shutter!  At least 85% of the time the comment or praise or criticism is directed towards the President.  In our governmental system, the President is a very powerful man, no doubt.  However, most of our society has completely missed the big picture.  The 435 mental midgets on capital hill are the main source of the problem in almost any domestic political issue and especially those involving new laws and the money that is linked with those new laws!

The president only signs the bill into law and then either takes the credit for its success or deflects blame for its failure in true political form!  The congress, specifically the House of Representatives, holds the governmental wallet and appropriates money to pay for the newly signed in law.  The ones that put together the federal budget and allocate funds to various programs are in Congress.  All the pork in the bills come from congress and almost every politician on the hill looks the other way to the pork in each bill.  There are a couple politicians that are against pork in bills but you can count them on your hands for sure.

What's the reason for pork?  Payback, pure and simple.  Pork is the payback for them getting their bills pushed through or a vote for their bills, etc. as well as political support for those not on the hill.  Yes payback to lobbyists.  Too many of us yell and scream about lobbyists.  Here is the secret people.....when you write your Senator or Congressman, you are lobbying them and by definition you are now a lobbyist.  THAT IS NOT BAD!  That is GOOD and what our founding fathers wanted!  That's why the freedom of speech amendment was the 1st amendment to the Constitution.  The whole design of our government was that anyone could speak to our elected officials regardless of social status, etc.  Now what I think is bad are the paid big time political lobbyists but you can't get around them in our system.  In one aspect or another they will always be there as that is our system's design!  That doesn't mean there is no solution!

So, why are lobbyists bad?  We allow them to be by electing the same people over and over again into office!  Think about it?  We all do favors for each other in one fashion or another.  At work, at school, in our family, with our friends, everywhere there is that "please do this...." or "please pick up ....for me" and so on.  Now, let me ask you this; Who do you "owe" the most favors to?  Someone you have known for a week or someone you have known since grade school?  Time is the factor here.

So it goes with congress.  The longer they are on the hill, the more favors they will "owe" and the larger favors owed will build up so to speak.  I was born and raised in West Virginia.  Senator Byrd was the longest sitting US Senator in our history.  He was in congress for 57 years!  Senator Kennedy represented Massachusetts for how many decades before he passed away?  Now, how many favors do you think either of these men owed someone?  A big time lobbyist can hold that "chip" in their pocket and wait for something really big before cashing it in with politicians like these as the public keeps sending them back to DC election after election.  It's NOT the fault of the lobbyist, it's our fault!  Yep, we are the ones to blame for pork and silly bills passed, etc.!  Look in the mirror the next time you want to throw rocks at the TV's political new cast.

Now the solution, or a portion of the solution anyway; TERM LIMITS!  If they can't be in congress for more than X number of years, I would say 12 would be a good number.  Now big money lobbyists can't hold their "chip" for 25 years and something huge to cash it in with the politician they have helped along the way!  They won't be able to "invest" 10's of 100's of millions of dollars in a single politician and wait for the right moment to get that investment paid back them.  Their "guy" (or girl) won't be there that long!  Someone new will be in there that doesn't owe that lobbyist a thing (well yet anyway)!

There are many other steps to keep the big money lobbyists' influence down to a minimum level but step #1 is term limits for all of congress!  If you keep the screen door shut at home all the time, then you don't have to worry about choosing the fly swatter or fly paper to kill the flies in the house!  Don't let them in to begin with and those few that do get in, the problem is not a big one and much much easier to handle at that point!!!

Of course no politician today will vote for self imposing term limits on themselves and the grand institution they have built up.  It will take an amendment to the Constitution for this to happen.  That will be my next blog.  What amendments we as Americans need to have ratified to our Constitution for the fix to take affect!  One of which will have this idea of term limits in it and a couple other things that go with the legislative process in general!

Please let me know what you think.  How do you realistically put a slow-down on the lobbyist thing in Washington?

Gas Prices - Absolutely Crazy!

Okay everyone, I'm sure this blog post will fall on easy ears!  Simply put, gas prices are absolutely insanely high and they shouldn't be!  In the chart below, you can see the average price for unleaded regular gas from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.  You can download this very spreadsheet today if you wish.  The only thing I added is the average price column and the graph of that data.

Now here's the thing.  Henry Ford's Model T started rolling of the assembly lines in Detroit in 1908.  Since that time, there has been a demand for gasoline.  Nothing earth shattering there.  So, please look at the graph below and explain to me how from 1908 all the way through 2001 (which is 93 years) gas prices went from nothing up to $1.46 per gallon and from 2001 through 2011 (only 10 years) gas prices went from $1.46 to the current $3.57 per gallon (yearly average prices that is)???  Also, don't forget about the spike of pricing going well over the $4 mark not too long ago!

Now the oil industry people will say the price of crude has gone way up and they would not be wrong.  However, since the early 1970's through early 2000's crude prices have stayed in the $27- $30 per barrel price range (give or take a few dollars) and since then they have shot up.  Today's price is around $85 per barrel.  What the oil guys are not saying is how much more efficient they have become in the refining process! Oh, and not to mention that the oil industry profits have been obscene since 2008.  For example, the first quarter 2011 profits posted by Exxon-Mobile were $10.65 Billion.  That's right everyone, 10.65 B-I-L-L-I-O-N with a "B"  dollars for ONLY THE FIRST QUARTER of this year!  In 3 months Exxon-Mobile PROFITED more than most successful companies will have in gross sales over a lifetime!

Profits, after all the silly salaries and expenses, research and development stuff, and all other expenditures the amount left over, at the bottom line, in the pocket, the cheddar was $10,650,000,000.00 in the FIRST 3 MONTHS of this year only!  So why are gas prices so high?

Now, I do NOT fault companies for making a profit at all.  Exxon-Mobile is not the United Way!  They are not working for the betterment of mankind nor should they be.  My anger comes from the FACT that in our society you don't have a choice.  Now if you live in NY city or LA or DC, etc. there are viable and in fact, more desirable transportation options to the automobile.  Hell, just to park in NY costs you more than the car, insurance, gas, and upkeep so it's no wonder why one would use the subway.  So, subways, the "L", trains, etc. where they are in place would allow the consumer to say, "I'm not driving" and therefore not use the gas.  Then supply and demand could maybe adjust the pricing.  However, if you are NOT in one of those major cities and most of us aren't, then you have no option.  You must drive!

So before you try to point out other very profitable companies to me, stop and ask yourself are those other profitable companies selling goods/services that are basically REQUIRED to live?  If someone has the means to and buys a Ferrari or spends $400 on a Prada wallet, cool.  Those are 2 examples of companies that are high end and I would assume have very high profit margins.  However, the masses don't have to buy their products to survive.  With gasoline, we do.  That's my argument.

My last thought is this.  Why has no one ever brought up the Sherman Anti-Trust Act in regards to gasoline prices?  Look that one up and think about it!  I will do another blog with the Sherman Anti-Trust angle to gas prices later.  Too much for now!  As always, please let me know what you think.

Income Taxes - Why would they ever be income based and not consumer based?

My idea on federal taxes is a total switch up.  In that I mean, why are we still using an income based system?  We should be on a consumer based system!  With consumer based taxation you automatically have a fair tax system.  If you are not buying things, then you don't pay taxes!  When a wealthy person buys a home, car, boat, plane or any other item the current administration is trying to make you hate them for, then they would pay taxes and a lot of them!  The nicer the item, the higher the tax paid.

This consumer based tax system would also tap into tourism, illegal enterprises, foreign anything, etc.  Today we use the IRS for another way to get mobsters (remember Capone?) and drug dealers, etc.  Vastly failing of course.  While not catching them at least we would be taxing them!  The next Benz or BMW or Rolls bought or the next big house or expensive jewelry or whatever purchase made, then it will be taxed!  At least they would be paying into the system until the police catch up to them!

I would exempt food and utilities.  Would have to study things to see if rent or mortgage payments should be exempt also.  On the surface, I would say yes.  This way, living essentials would not be taxed but all else would.  This tax would be a national sales tax and would have to be visible on the receipt or statement so you know exactly what's the cost!  Now everyone will pay their fair share.

Of course, we would have a big problem with the whole tax sector of the economy as now you no longer need anything related to taxes.  H&R Block, tax lawyers, etc. all now have no job since anyone with a $5 four function calculator can do the taxes!  My answer to that is phase it into existence over a time frame to allow those directly affected to make the transition.  Yes, this would be rough but I believe it would fix totally the federal tax code and replace that well over 10,000 page code with one about 10 pages long!

The IRS transitions into a huge collections agency to ensure everyone is paying the feds, so it wouldn't be a total gutting of all those jobs but obviously it would be a big slice into the IRS people wise!  No matter what the pains are, it is a very necessary change that has to be made.  My thing is when the federal tax code is a bigger book than a physician's desk reference, then you know something is wrong!

Now, why it will never happen when anyone with 3 brain cells knows that some sort of a flat tax is the way to do it.  The government will lose power!  I get so mad every time I hear any pundit speak on TV or the radio about taxes.  The simple reason is this.  If you are not criminal in your actions, the only really other way you can be controlled in our free society is with taxes.  City zoning comes in second but let's stick with the big guns!  It is soooo simple.  POWER!

How else can all the morons on capital hill stay in office without "buying" favor via the tax code!  Congressman Rangle from NY was the chairman of the comity that oversees the tax code.  Each year those pinheads in DC change the code to favor someone and add to the complexity of the code and I'm sure get something in return.  You remove that source of power and what else can those morons do???  Maybe get a real job or start a real business???  Who knows and I for one could care less what they do.  Obviously you can tell I am not a fan of congress when it comes to taxation.

I will blog later on this but for me, until we get people that truly want to help the country, my vote is for ANYONE that is not the incumbent candidate!  More on this later but what do you think????

Hidden Taxes - how to fix them!

Taxes.  Wow, what a subject.  They are needed to fund the government (all levels) for our way of life.  Almost no one wants to pay a lot of them but we all want to reap their benefits.  I have a problem with the hiding of taxes and on the amounts!  I mean our vises are taxed at an alarming rate.  Items like Cell Phones,  Gasoline, cigs, and booze are taxed to the hilt but you don't know exactly how much!

My thought is a very simple one; all taxing of a product must be listed on any statement received or posted for public review.  That way we would all know how much of our cell phone bill is due to taxes and how much is the carrier charging for the service we choose to buy with our hard earned money!  In Florida when you added up the "fees" and listed taxes, etc. you can pay in the neighborhood of 15-25% depending on where you live (different county taxes, etc.).  That's how your simply everything (sprint service) plan of $99.99 ends up over $130 per month!!!

How many of us know what part of the cost of a gallon of gas is due to taxes?  A bottle of wine or pack of cigs total cost?  I just used a cell phone as an example above.  Why you ask?  I believe that if the general public realized what they were really paying, then it would be a massive uprising politically!

My simple solution, restated from above; all products with any type of "add on taxation" other than normal sales tax (which is all ready separate and posted on your receipt) must be detailed on your receipt/statement, etc.  Transparency as the current administration harped on so much during the campaign truly needs to be applied to the whole of government with the exception of national security.  With it we would really find out how many of our "public servants" are trying to serve the public and not themselves (or their special interests)!

What are your thoughts???  Where is the balance of Fair and Needed???  Why is it hidden???