Democracy?

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Political, Solutions - No Comments

losing an election

When your candidate loses an election in a battle for a political office or even on a show like “America’s Got Talent” it can be quite depressing.  Although having your candidate losing a political battle can have a greater impact on your daily life both situations make you feel like you “what the hell were they thinking”?  You wonder even for a moment whether “Democracy really works”? I believe it still does (see below)

(1) PERCEPTION- The people will more likely accept the reality of their life’s when they have a say in how it’s decided.

(2) SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY- The majority will work to see that there candidate is more successful then their policies would lead us to believe.

(3) HAPPINESS- The majority will appear happier even if things go worse then expected because they’ll “stand by their man/woman”

(4) CHANCE FOR TRUE CHANGE- If things really fall apart many in the majority will move to the position of the opposition or not vote in the next election and then the opposition will come into power

Please note for this to occur the Fifth Estate/ The Press must do a better job in reporting the whole truth (not a biased truth) and the opposition must have a charismatic leader with  clear vision of their goals and how they will achieve them.

Fiscal Cliff- A different perspective

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Political, Solutions - 28 Comments

fiscal cliff

Many people who are opposed to raising the debt ceiling believe that is the only true leverage they have in getting the President to truly make significant cuts in our deficit. These individuals believe that the President will only act if their is a crisis right around the corner and therefore he is forced to move. Yet I wonder if you don’t trust the President to act until the brink of a crisis why would you trust him to act if there truly is one?

We have seen how the President has caused  undue duress to the American people during the government shut down just to hurt the Republicans then why wouldn’t he up the ante if you don’t pass the debt ceiling.  I believe we might have to pass a short term debt ceiling and fund  the government  but with the following provisions (below). This will insure that the cards are still in the people’s hand.

(1) Agree to the debt ceiling for 6 months and to fund the government for a six month period as long as a panel of Democrats and Republicans are selected to deal with the problems in the deficit (change in entitlements) , increase revenue (tax simplification, growth programs etc) and problems with Obamacare.

(2) The agreement that this panel puts together must be voted on intact by both the Senate and the House without any amendments.

(3) If it passes the House and Senate then the President agrees in advance to sign this legislation

If the President and Senate refuse to go along with this modest proposal then the blame squarely is on them. If on the other hands legislators vote against this bi-partisan agreement then the people will send them home during the next election cycle.

What do you think?

 

Us and them could be us and we

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Philosophy, Solutions - 4 Comments

us against them

We all get stuck into our groups whether it’s based on our faith, philosophy, ethnicity or income level or a combination of the above.  These groups make assumptions about the “others” that are based on the readings and/or writings of “their leaders”.  We respect our leaders because of their education, ability or talent but that doesn’t mean they are always right.   We can then take the assumptions made by a leader and pre-judge the group as a whole, without looking at the individuals who make up such a group. We also can get in the “defend our “leader” mind sight, which might lead us to argue against what we truly belief because it came from our “leaders” mouth.    This can create unnecessary tensions between people’s who might have more in common then they are led to believe.

It is important to battle assumptions about “others” that aren’t in your group. The key is to have open discussions with other members from that group. These discussions should be free of the PC police but also should be polite and respectful, enabling all sides to speak, not just the “leaders”.  When we achieve such discussions we will see  ( in most cases) that although we will disagree we have more that unites us then divides us.

WARNING- Bites that make you bitter

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Solutions - 10 Comments

bitterness     bitter

 

It’s a shame when a talented person is full of bitterness because of a difficult relationship, political trend, and/or being deceived.  We all lose our innocence at sometime but losing hope is a whole different story. At times people we have trusted have betrayed us and it deeply hurts but we must not lose sight on those who have been with us. We have also seen elections go in a way that makes us feel like the system is rigged but we shouldn’t give up on Democracy.

You have a special gift that G-D wants you to present to the world so don’t let bitterness tear you apart.  Yet how can we get that faith back when it appears it will be lost forever. I think I might have a solution that will enable you to bite that bitterness in the **** and allow you to be the best you can be.

(1) Help a child whether it be a niece or volunteer at a school their innocence will inspire you.

(2) Take the dog for a walk or observe the natural world around you. The beauty will help you keep things in perspective.

(3) Talk to an old friend and share a good laugh.

(4) Read  an inspiring book  (Unbroken)

(5) Watch an inspiring movie (Rudy)

(6) Pray to G-D for strength

(7) Seek counseling help if the pain is too severe.

A bridge over the fiscal cliff

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Political, Solutions - No Comments

fiscal cliff

It’s time we build a bridge over the impending fiscal cliff. This bridge will be built with compromises from both sides. It will postpone the debt ceiling debate  for another year and allow the government continuing resolution to be passed. Here is an example of how it could work. YOUR COMENTS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED

(1) The President and Senate agree to stop the tax on medical devices in Obama-Care and subsidy for government officials – (2 for the Republicans)

(2) The House of Representatives agrees to increase funding for Head Start and increase funding  for drug treatment facilities (2 for the Democrats)

(3) The Senate Agrees to lower Capital Gains (1 for Republicans) the House of Representatives agrees to increase sin taxes on gambling (1 for Democrats)

(4) The President agrees to open up the Keystone Pipeline (1 for Republicans) the House agrees to continue subsidies for Solar Energy (1 for Democrats) .

 

 

knowing strengths-means knowing weaknesses

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Solutions - No Comments

Strength and weakness

I believe it’s as important to know your weaknesses as it is to know your strengths. For those that know their weaknesses can truly seek to improve themselves and/or get others to help compensate where they are lacking. To ignore your weaknesses only hurts yourself and the goals you seek to achieve.

For example I’m great at seeing the big picture but sometimes those little details are hidden to me. Therefore I try to take an extra moment to make sure that I don’t skip over the details and/or when possible have others review my work. I also have a tendency to lose items so I take the time to make sure that I keep them in the same place every time even if it means wearing the same pants twice (wallet won’t get lost).  Success depends on not only  knowing how  to deal with others but the complete person that you are as well.

Afraid to move

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Philosophy, Solutions - No Comments

Afraid

I believe many people are trapped because they let fear rule their life.  For example I could spend hours upon hours worrying if ever word I write is grammatical correct or if somehow my words were taken out of content. That fear would stop me from writing what truly is in my heart.

Fear can also effect someone’s personal life  because they can be so afraid of rejection that they can’t move forward.  It is shame that the greatness in some many people is never to be heard, or felt by others because of the fear that stops them from taking those small steps to greatness. Here is a way you can fight this feeling.

(1) Take baby steps and congratulate yourself for the small steps of success it brings.

(2) Watch inspiring movies and music before you take on a challenging task (ex Rocky, Rudy)

(3) Realize that sometimes your best success can only be achieved when you fail first.

(4) Look out your past successes and realize that if you did it in the past you can do it in the future.

(5) If your mission is unsuccessful learn from it and jump back on that horse again.

 

 

Voting for straws instead of bricks.

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Political, Solutions - No Comments

straw

Many politicians who have a poor case will try to get the voter to make their decision on straws instead of bricks. These are truly irrelevant issues that are brought up to distract the voter from the key issues that effect their pocket book and their families pocket book. For example they will try to move the debate on a comment or group their opponent joined/made twenty years ago. By moving the debate in this direction they  try to make the voter believe that their opponent can’t be trusted or is “extreme”. Then they might make a big issue on their opponents position on an issue that truly would have no effect on in the political arena they are entering  (faith, gay marriage etc) . Finally they will give you the “Razzle/Dazzle effect” with bright teeth and beautiful children.  The Razzle Dazzle effect will show a beautiful candidate that will try to tie at your emotional strings. Here is a bit of a battle plan you can mount to break those straws.

(1) Don’t look at any pictures of the candidates until you study the issues they believe in that actually effect your life.

(2) Ignore all forms of distraction that are put up to keep you away from those key issues.

(3) Point these factors out to friends, family and associates before they make their decisions.

Capitol Police death wasn’t the only answer

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Political, Solutions - No Comments

Tire Spikes
It’s amazing that in a city that is open to terrorist attacks that we don’t have the precautions that could have avoided the tragedy, that occurred yesterday. Please tell me why there weren’t tire spikes put up by the White House and Capital Buildings to protect those buildings from not only those who might commit acts because of mental health issues but also those who might in an act of terrorism. If they put these spikes up at car rental locations  surely they could be in areas of vital security to our country.

 

Avoiding U.S Default- Saving face

Posted by Bruce - in Blog, Political, Solutions - 2 Comments

debt limit   government shutdown

The key to solving any disagreement/stalemate is finding points common ground that both sides can agree on and then working to make sure both sides safe face. Point one the U.S shouldn’t default therefore they must increase the federal debt limit. Point two the United States can’t keep spending like it us forever and must have a plan to grow the economy. Finally point 3 Obamacare  has many problems with it (including  having  a special exemptions being implemented that aren’t in the legislation) . Now that we agree with these three points here’s how we can come to a solution.

(1) Obamacare is to be enforced as it has been written (no exemptions for government officials and big business exemption must be ended in 3 months)

(2) A panel made up of Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate will review the implementation of Obama-Care for six months. This panel will come up with specific recommendations  for improvement, that must be voted on (without modifications) by the  Senate and House. If these recommendations are approved by the legislative branch the President will agree to sign them into law.

(3) A panel  made of Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate will review the complete budget and ways to improve the economy (tax simplification, Keystone Pipeline etc). These panels recommendation must be voted on (without modifications) by the Senate and House. If these recommendations are approved by the legislative branch the President will agree to sign them into law.

(4) There is an agreement by both sides  to pass the debt ceiling and fund the government as is until the recommendations (above) have been voted on by the house and Senate,

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