I Believe
Before I begin with the laundry list of what I believe, I am going to explain my style of writing. I was taught by the US Army to use the KISS system. Keep It Simple Stupid. We were trained to use few words and sentences to get our point across rather than verbose writing where your points could be lost and misunderstood.
I believe that everyone should have access to universal health care.
I believe that the War on Terror should be stopped and instead use our resources to eradicate the causes of terror.
I believe the War on Drugs should be stopped and instead use our resources to eliminate the dependency on drugs.
I believe our prison industrial complex needs to be dismantled. Privatization of prisons must be stopped. We are imprisoning a greater percentage of our citizens than any other nation in the world and it is not working. Our whole criminal justice system needs to be reformed.
I believe that everyone should have access to shelter, food and other basic necessities of life.
I believe that the minimum wage should be a life sustaining wage and not one that leaves many citizens to a life below the poverty level.
I believe that any tax breaks given to the rich and the corporations should be in relation to how many jobs they have created for Americans to work.
I believe that the wages of the members of congress should not exceed the lowest paid constituent in their state/district. We need statesmen not politicians in positions of power.
I believe that our education system should be overhauled to insure that all children regardless of where they live receive the best education, that our teachers should receive wages commensurate with their job of ensuring that we have the best educated students in the world.
I believe that we must invest in our infrastructure.
I believe that we must invest in renewable/alternative energy sources.
These are my basic beliefs. I’m sure that others will be added.
Do you ever get the impression that the Republicans rooted for Mr. Potter in the movie Its A Wonderful Life?
I believe I agree with your list completely 🙂
And as someone who could be the poster child for ADD I want you to know I actually appreciate greatly the format you chose to write this in. Things written in list form are the easiest for me to grasp and appreciate.
Host: I believe that everyone should have access to universal health care.
Guest: I agree. We already have that. Medicaid and medicare for the poor and elderly, employer sponsored health insurance for full time workers,and, across the counter retail style health insurance plans that can be tailored for your exact needs—and finally—COBRA insurance.
Host:I believe that the War on Terror should be stopped and instead use our resources to eradicate the causes of terror.
Guest: Sounds like you are suggesting we continue the war on terrorism but doing so under a different name. I agree that we should stop the war on terrorism. This is just one of those “economies” that taxpayers should not pay for. It’s a religious war—let the religions fight a privately funded war and leave the people that know that war is wrong and never solves any issue—not have to fund it or fight it. This will not stop war, because as long as there is a post highschool system where you have to pay tuition to attain a college degree, poor families’ kids will enlist to get a job and save for college.
Host: I believe the War on Drugs should be stopped and instead use our resources to eliminate the dependency on drugs.
Guest: To eliminate the depenency on drugs, you must eliminate the supply. To eliminate the supply, you must take the fight to the laboratories and cropfields. The human biological system relies on emotion for compassion for others. It also relies on axonionic/dendritic electrochemical exchange for every neural communication for the survival of the system as a whole. It is this same mechanism that moves the opiates and other alkyds throughout our systems. To eliminate dependence is to alter this neurochemistry to the point that acetametaphen, anesthesia,(beneficial drugs that use neurochemical transmission pathways via uptake/reuptake processes). In the future, we must develop a synthetic electrochemical regime to neutralize or jumble the lock and key receptor pairings at the axion / dendrite level. Problem with a capital driven society is that this method will also make it so you can get falling down drunk, take the treatment and be good to go for another round and die of alcohol poisoning. I agree with you, it is a scourge upon our nation and needs to be addressed.
Host:I believe our prison industrial complex needs to be dismantled. Privatization of prisons must be stopped. We are imprisoning a greater percentage of our citizens than any other nation in the world and it is not working. Our whole criminal justice system needs to be reformed.
Guest: We are nation of laws. We need to address lawlessness. The death penalty is the alternative for all murders. The bullshit that it takes more to execute a man than to imprison him for life comes from the pharmaceutical industry lobby. Look at all the meds that virtually every prisoner from the county correctional level, thru the state level and on up to the federal level. Taxpayers spend billions of dollars to keep our prisoners medicated so they won’t riot. The 3 drug cocktail that we execute our death row inmates just ain’t making money for Phizer.
I do understand your point though, and I agree that it is slimy to make a law that calls for long term confinement for the poor and a much, much, much lighter commitment for the affluent. (Crack cocaine versus powder cocaine for example) To profit from this uneven justice is creepy as it comes.
Host: I believe that everyone should have access to shelter, food and other basic necessities of life.
Guest: I agree. We already have that. It is up to the individual that is down and out to ask for help. Help is out there. Women have a few options. Children have even more. Men have TANF for 5 years and are required to either work for benefits or enroll in drug and alcohol counselling or attend worker training classes. I agree with you that the basic necessities are a human right and we as a society should never have to be told to share our bountiful harvests or financial windfalls, but not all of us do, and that is why a little compulsion is required in the form of taxes.
Host:I believe that the minimum wage should be a life sustaining wage and not one that leaves many citizens to a life below the poverty level.
Guest: Inorite? This is a no brainer. Most states as well as the federal government have prevailing wage laws on work by contractors on publicly funded projects. Some states have what is called a living wage that is formula based standards of pay that is above the federal minimum wage. The federal government needs to be more proactive and evaluate and set the minimum wage annually based on the real GDP of the current quarter (whatever part of the year they perform the valuation)
Host: I believe that any tax breaks given to the rich and the corporations should be in relation to how many jobs they have created for Americans to work.
Guest: That’s too easy to manipulate. Set a balanced budget amendment and limit all future budgets to say 12% GDP. In times of war and natural disasters and unforeseen circumstances, do it old school via supplemental one time only appropriation. Set a rock solid “I don’t care WHO you are” earmark limit for the 535 people in the house and senate to $1 million dollars. Period. One time every year. %#% million is far less expensive than the billions and billions in ear marks 3 to 4 times a year. If a district needs more money—it goes thru appropriations committees and voted up or down by supermajority of both house and senate. Make sure that these supplementals do not exceed the balanced budget limitation set by the 12% GDP year over year figure.
Host: I believe that the wages of the members of congress should not exceed the lowest paid constituent in their state/district. We need statesmen not politicians in positions of power.
Guest: I absolutely agree. Same goes with the health care insurance Cadillac plans they flaunt.
Host: I believe that our education system should be overhauled to insure that all children regardless of where they live receive the best education, that our teachers should receive wages commensurate with their job of ensuring that we have the best educated students in the world.
Guest: I agree. We have NCLB, but no funding for it. The fed does tie some of the TitleIX funding to parametrics of NCLB, but it only serves the inner city schools that talented basketball and baseball players grow up in. The states are primarily responsible for the education standards and investment in it’s youth. The problem is poverty. Current systems rely on property and school taxes that only homeowners are supposed to pay. Look at any urban school system and find that there are no homes for homeowners to even buy, let alone pay taxes. We need a different funding model and we should make it’s priority far above any subsidy, tax break/incentives in economic development zones (euphemism for corporate welfare).
Host: I believe that we must invest in our infrastructure.
Guest: make all interstate highways toll roads. Put a 2 cent tax on every single tire sold in the US (even retreads), put a 2 cent tax on every driver’s licence, driver’s permit and special use permit. Put a one penny surcharge on every single fuelup transaction and charge $10 on every single automobile, motorcycle, Semi tractor sold (used and new) People will cry, but they will pay. Use the proceeds ONLY for existing infrastructure preventive maintenance and renewal.
Host: I believe that we must invest in renewable/alternative energy sources.
Guest: We already do and it gets us nowhere. We are finally wising up to the fact that all this money we are giving the biofuels industry is what has caused our huge inflation in our food supply because all the farmers are changing over to inedible corn stock, which puts upward pressure on the bushel of both inedible and edible corn. Private industry is already one of our biggest champions in both solar and wind technology. Problem is, you have to get people to fill the jobs. Have you ever noticed that the state of Wyoming has an unemployment rate of 5.9%, and even in the depth of our recession, it never even hit 8%? Green Technology! Michigan is following suit and other states are firing up the tax incentives. Your wish here is coming true.
These are my basic beliefs. I’m sure that others will be added.
Good blog, citizen.
” I believe that any tax breaks given to the rich and the corporations should be in relation to how many jobs they have created for Americans to work.”
Absolutly disagree, Tax breaks are bad policy. Tax should be fair and tax breaks aren’t fair. Also if you allow exceptions they become the norm.
Do you ever get the feeling that Some people have no idea what it is like to be poor in this country.
Is it all the Hate Radio?
All the made uup fantasies of Welfare Cadilac Queens that they tell each other.
What a bunch of Dumbasses. Why do you even bother trying to talk to them.
And I believe in you John. Thank you for this… :love:
I see nothing to argue about in your list, John, but I do question the minimum wage thing. It sounds great, but in practice it seems to me, everyone simply raises their prices on everything from bread to rent and so, no matter how high the minimum wage goes, the net result is pretty much the same: essentially subsistance labor.
There’s a whole lot that you have posted here that I agree with John. I might differ a bit how to get there, but basically we agree.
I like the way way you get right to the point. I try to do the same when I post comments. Sometimes there are people that write so much that by the time you get to the end I’ve forgotten what it was about.
I believe your damn straight on what you believe :love: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Only 2 things, John:
“I believe that the War on Terror should be stopped and instead use our resources to eradicate the causes of terror.
I believe the War on Drugs should be stopped and instead use our resources to eliminate the dependency on drugs”
I believe that “eradicating the causes of Terror” would be INCLUDED in The War On Terror.
As far as the war on drugs, I agree some things need to be changed, but I wouldnt eliminate it altogether.
I would however change a LOT of drug laws because the way they currently are set for sentencing make no sense whatsoever when balancing justice.
30 to life for 1st degree murder, but life without parole for manufacturing with the intent to distribute meth or cocaine.
Somehow I think murdering people is by FAR a more heinous crime.
“I believe our prison industrial complex needs to be dismantled…”
I think we should reform the prison. We could start of by allowing minor offenses to be home monitor…
War on drugs. I think the Federal should dissolve their power over marijuana and let the states make their own laws and regulation for it. It just makes no sense to me, how a state can legalized pot for medical purposes when it is considered illegal under the Federal law…
John, I KNEW there was a good reason why you are my friend. I totally agree with you on the tax breaks ONLY to those who create jobs, with preferential treatment to small businesses.
The only thing I might disagree on is the minimum wage part, because a high school student doesn’t need the same wage to support the family as mom and/or dad does.