A good start!

Here is what I would call a good start.

1^st Re-instate the Glass – Steagall Act to keep banks from using the FDIC to insure their bad investments of our money. Separating the commercial and investment banking sides once again. This will help stabilize our economy and halt the coming depression.

2^nd In-act term limits on Senate and Congress seats to serving no more than 6 years in office stopping career politicians from becoming puppets to special interests and limiting the amount of damage big business can do with bribes \ campaign contributions.

3^rd Impose a new tax plan that favors the people and the nation not the rich. No taxes are to be paid by anyone making $50,000.00 per year or less. Incrementally taxing those that make slightly more than $50,000.00 per year insuring they don’t take home less than $50,000.00 until they make enough over the $50,000.00 per year that they can afford a flat tax of 25% across the board. NO BREAKS.  That means if you make $1,000,000.00 per year you pay $250,000.00 in taxes.  Also no taxes on small businesses that make less than $100,000.00 per year in profit with the same incremental increase over the $100,000.00 cap until they too pay a 25% rate.   

4^th Legalize the commercial growing and distribution of Marijuana for recreational and medical purposes. Regulating the industry and taxing recreational marijuana sales federally at 400%. If you think this sounds extreme look at tobacco companies. If they were to sell a pack of marijuana cigarettes in a store today they could make $3.00 per pack federal tax would be $12.00 the state could tax another $5.00 per pack and you would still only be paying $20 for 20 marijuana cigarettes of the finest quality. They could also market and sell many other THC infused products bringing in huge tax revenue. The plant waste could also be used to make other products like paper, rope or millions of other things.    

5^th In-act a bill making it illegal to withhold pay from any active serviceman regardless of any budget concerns. If we can’t take care of the men and women we depend on to keep us free, what does that say about us as a country?  

Are you a REAL American?

I'd like to ask you all a question. How many of you have seen something going on in the world and wished there was something you could do about it? Maybe it was the emotional plea of a missing child's family or the desperate state of affairs after some natural disaster. The point is everyone out there with a heart can recognize pain and suffering and they can relate in some way. Empathy is what it's called and most of us have it. The problem is most of us shrug it off and say yeah but what help would "I" be or there's nothing "I" can do. What if there was something "you" could do? What if there was a way "you" personally could get involved? Would you do it? Or would you still shrug it off?

I see it everyday in the faces of the people I talk to. They don't want to think about the problems in the world because they think if they ignore them they will make their own little life happier. Well things don't work that way! You may not want to face the fact that the American government is setting us up for yet another war in the "Middle East" with Iran but we are still effected. Every time we fill up our cars at the gas pump because yes gas prices have jumped by 30%! This also effects shipping costs and air travel! Not to mention the Troops that are getting deployed for an undetermined amount of time. We feel it in our grocery bills because the cost to grow and transport every good we buy goes up. So unless everyone reading this has gotten some kind of raise, all this means you have less money to either save or pay your bills with every month. How can we afford to be apathetic about this?

This is our country you know! America has it better than almost every other country out there because our forefathers fought for our freedoms! The ones that are slowly being stripped away from us by the very government that was put in place to protect them! If you are reading this and you are a citizen of the United States of America "you" can do something about the problems we are facing both in this country and over seas! You yes YOU can start by contacting your local representative either by phone, e-mail, letter or go to their office and request a meeting. Express you displeasure with the system and the way it is being run! Then if they still don't do anything to address the issue here's a novel idea, vote against them in the next election! You can also start petitions or sign ones that have already been started. You can peacefully protest which despite what you may have heard is still guaranteed to you in our countries Bill of Rights!    

This country was founded by men that refused to sit back and let the world turn! Why is it that so many of our citizens are so content to just let that happen now? I love this country and what it could be if it is run right! Why are we represented by men that make millions of dollars a year while we the citizens of this nation struggle to make ends meet every month? I bet most of you can't even fathom what that kind of money is like. Do you think because they are rich they are better than you? Do you think they are smarter than you just because they have found a way to exploit the system? Vote these fools out of office! Lets get some people in there that know what it is like to work for a living! I don't hate people because they are rich I just don't see how it qualifies them to make the laws that govern the poor!

All of our best presidents, senators and congressmen have been born into middle or lower class families. George Washington had to marry into money. James Madison was a middle class man from Northern VA. Abraham Lincoln was the son of a "frontiersman" who had to struggle to make ends meet for most of his life! Dwight Eisenhower was what we would consider lower class. His father worked in a creamery. Now I'm not saying the rich can't be good representatives but I have a hard time trusting someone who is only out to make themselves richer and has no idea what it's like to need that next paycheck to survive!

We can make our country great again just by getting rid of some of these old money representatives that have held their office forever. Did you know 39 of our senators and 164 of our congressmen have held their office since the last millennium? Here is a mind blower, 237 of our federally elected representatives have held their office for over a decade now! That breaks down to 44 of the total 100 senators and 193 of the total 434 held seats (1 is vacant) in the house of representatives! I think this is a trend we need to and should change. Senators hold a lot of power in this country and I don't think given the countries current state that all 44 of these senior senators deserve their seats!

So I ask you to take a look at what is going on and do something to change it. Do it now before it's too late! If you stand there and do or say nothing than everything that happens as a result of this current government rests firmly on your shoulders. Every solider that dies! Every dollar that is spent to line a politicians pocket! Everything that is going on right now will be your fault! You had the power to act and "YOU" chose to do nothing!

Iran's nuclear threat & al Qaeda has US on Top Alert!

UPDATE: 02/17/2012 Like I was saying below Iran doesn't want a war with the U.S. They just want to be a world power. This statement "An American War with Iran Will Not Happen, Iranian Nuclear Advances Will Lead to Inevitable Diplomacy" by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shows what Iran's true intentions are. The only way we are going to end up going to war with Iran is if we force it! As an American citizen I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS WAR! If you agree please write your local representatives and plead with them to stop. Make no mistake, our Government wants to strike Iran. They want control over the gold and oil Iran has. I'm not a supporter of Iran just of Human Rights!

This is how it starts. Remember how we justified the war in the middle east in the first place? Well here is the first of I am sure many articles to come from CIA sources in the "Middle East" This one from the "New York Post" claiming Iran is in bed with guess who... That's right our old friends al Qaeda! I don't know maybe they are. Maybe Iran does want war. But why? What would Iran stand to gain from a war with America and if they are bed fellows with al Qaeda, most likely the entire UN? It's a war even someone as crazy as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would know is tantamount to suicide for his nation and military. After all they fought a war with Iraq for damn near ever to a stalemate & then we wiped them out in less then a month.

I think it's more likely that Iran and it's rulers are attempting to emerge as a world power. They are expanding on all fronts. They are launching more sophisticated satellites and expanding their space program. They are working on nuclear power and I am sure nuclear weapons. Don't get me wrong, it's scary stuff to know that yet another nation will have the capability of starting a nuclear war but then again there is that whole mutually assured destruction clause that goes along with it. That was our excuse and China and Russia and well a host of other countries with nuclear capability. I'm not saying we shouldn't urge them not to start stockpiling nuclear weapons but lets be really clear about what that entails too. Even nuclear weapons have a shelf life and once that is up these still radioactive things need to be decommissioned and stored someplace safe for something like 1000 years! Like most nations with nuclear capability Iran will realize that figuring out what to do with spent fuel rods and decommissioned nuclear weapons is a real pain in the ass!

 I also realize that Israel, Americas great ally in the middle east has serious issues with Iran who for whatever reason doesn't seem to get along with any of their neighbors very well. But their war has been a holy war that has been raging for thousands of years and is not likely to end any time soon. Not to sound insensitive but honestly to me it seems like the worlds longest running and largest family feud in history. I mean doesn't this whole thing stem from two brothers in the bible? Ah what do I know? I'm not even religious. I just know that aside from wiping one of the two off the map which to be clear "I AM NOT SUGGESTING!" There is no way we are going to stop the battle between the Muslims and the Jews. Either they will have to work it out themselves or not. Personally I don't think it's my business. I don't care who gets to play in the sandbox and since their not my kids it's not my or my moneys job to try and make them hug it out!

As a unbiased observer to the issues going on in the world today, I just think that Iran should be aloud to better it's nation and it's peoples standard of life as it sees fit as long as it doesn't include genocide or any other human rights or environmental violations. As a world we should remind them that the powers they are playing with in regards to nuclear, have very serious consequences should they be irresponsible with them. Both weapons and power generation have the potential to cause great and expensive harm in and outside their borders. In the event of a meltdown, accidental or deliberate detonation of nuclear devices that extend damage beyond their borders it will be accompanied by the responsibility for repairs and monetary compensation to all effected. If they are willing to accept those risks let them move forward. I know this sounds crazy but America is not the world police! Not to mention that the only reason we are where we are today is that we were aloud to advance our technology and infrastructure as we saw fit. Why shouldn't everyone else be afforded the same chance. What we are doing to nations like Iran right now is basically a civil rights violation. It's like saying you can't have these things because you are inferior to us and that's not right!

I know I am going on a rant here but seriously think about it objectively. The only commodity Iran has like most countries in the middle east is oil. It's common knowledge that the world is trying to move away from its dependence on limited natural resources such as oil. Not to mention the oil reserves under the middle east are eventually going to run dry. The Iranian government owe it to their people to try and plan for the future. What other commodities could they offer in the future? How will they supply their people with electricity? How will they support their economy when their primary means of trade is gone or no longer sought after? It looks to me like they're looking into technology. They can't exploit the land for massive crops the way other countries do in such an arid climate. The only crops worth growing are used to make illegal drugs and can't lawfully be exported.

The middle east has the potential to become the largest ghost town the world has ever seen because once the oil dries up if we don't allow them to come up with other ways to support their population there will be a mass exodus followed by a return to that in which it began, a dessert. A couple hundred years from now people will talk about the huge abandon cities in the middle east like they do gold rush towns here in America. Sure there will be a small population scraping out an existence but nothing like the thriving metropolis you see today. These countries can afford to support their populations on the revenue they bring in from the sale of oil. Who knows maybe in the future (if we allow them to) Iran may be the world leader in telecommunications or maybe they will just fold up and fall to the wayside. I just think they should get a chance to determine their own future.

I know people are going to talk about the aggression Iran has shown toward our navy and say they want a fight but honestly you are dealing with a different culture. One that has been fighting for it survival for thousands of years. Any backing down by Iran will be seen as a show of weakness. It doesn't matter that it's a fight they can not win, it's the proof that they are unafraid to fight it that matters. In cases such as this we tell our kids to be the bigger person and walk away. Just because you can beat someone up or humiliate them doesn't mean you should right? If I am wrong on this just let me know and I will shut up. Besides we are parking three carrier battle fleets right off the coast of their country and then expecting them not to be nervous? How nervous would you be if you woke up one morning and there was three Chinese or Russian carriers and their support fleets sitting off the New York coast or just floating around in the gulf of Mexico? I know I would be shitting bricks and buying guns to get ready for the invasion!

So now that I have gone on for so long I'll end with something I was once told by a wise man. Put yourself in the other persons shoes and try to see things through the other persons eyes. Try to understand their perspective and you may just gain a different perspective of your own. This should be practiced no matter the situation because even Suz Tzu says "Know your enemy as you know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster." 

US Troops to mobilize against Iran?

Okay so the story is that American troops are mobilizing. That's right our National and Air National Guard troops are mobilizing as we speak. Tensions are rising in the gulf and currently we have FOUR aircraft carriers The USS Abraham Lincoln, The USS Carl Vinson The USS Stennis and The USS Kearsarge plus their support fleets in the the gulf and surrounding areas! 

Everyone in the media wants to know when Israel is going to strike Iran. Well personally I think it will happen when their support forces "The US Navy" and "The US Air Force" are ready. See we have a huge steak in this. Iran is the last OPEC member who is not either allies or dependent on the US in one way or another. They are also the last true Middle East power to stand defiant of the UN domination in the region.

Make no mistake we are a country at war! Despite what CNN or our President say, we are spending huge amounts of money and sending large numbers of troops into combat ready theaters RIGHT NOW! Training is going on in secret and forces are strategically moving as we speak. So as this election year comes remember this. Our "President" was elected on the promise of bringing our troops home! Or do we forget his speeches?

Please PLEASE pay attention to what is going on in the world right now because if you don't and we as a people don't do something to stop it we could be looking at a major war starting right back up only one country over from the current war in the Middle East and this country does have nuclear ability and will use it if they think they need to. Not to mention that who are we to tell anyone else in the world how to run their country when we have so much work that needs to be done here at home?

We need universal healthcare. We need an economic boost. We need our country to thrive and fix it's self. All this money we are using to fund wars could be used to fix our nation! Feed our hungry! Clothe and shelter our homeless! Fund national works projects like our crumbling interstates. Revitalize urban centers. Bring jobs to the millions of people can't find work. Offer grants and low interest small business loans to boost our economic growth.

Hell I don't know I am just a normal guy behind the screen of a computer. But if I can see this, hopefully you can too and maybe you are a Senator or Congressman that can do something about it. Maybe you are a normal person who can see past the B.S. they feed us on the evening news and will spread the word. Maybe you can make a difference! Maybe you are the next Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela. You never know what you can do until you try!

Now that we started this, lets finish it!

By now I am sure you have all heard about Megaupload being taken down and the huge backlash it caused. The attack on the Department of Justice website. Shutting down the FBI's site. That's all well and good but lets be honest. The DOJ and the FBI don't make money off of their sites. Shutting them down might make a statement but if you really want to make some noise you go after sites that make huge money online and support the SOPA PIPA and copyright laws like them around the world. Go after sites that sell the material the industry depends on. That's right friends I am saying hit them where it hurts!

We aren't going to effect real change until we cost the industry that is funding this action some serious money. Look into it and see who stands to make the most off of a site like Megaupload going down? Who secretly supports these copyright laws? How about sites that sell the content Megaupload was giving away? I know it might not be a popular idea to go after internet giants like i-tunes or Amazon but they move the products that the industry sells. They make that industry money! Money they use to buy influence and make laws that force the DOJ or the FBI to enforce the laws.

Maybe if we posed enough of a threat to their actual dividends then they would be content to earn the millions they do now instead of losing distributors and there for sales. We have to start at the top and work our way down. Every distributor of products and content of the supporters of these bills! I know if we shut down major distributors of supporters of SOPA and PIPA like Nike, 1 800 pet meds, L'Oreal, Phizer, Revlon, the NBA, Sony, Viacom, MacMillan Publishers, NBC Universal etc. until they stop carrying the products sold by these companies, the companies will see the drop in their dividends and back off their support of the laws.

So I say do a google search for products of the supporters of these laws. Start at the top and shut down every major distributor until they stop selling products produced by the supporters. THAT'S how you turn this internet attack into a real weapon of change. How much money do you think Amazon, i-tunes or Buy.com make in sales an hour? How long do you think they will be willing to be shut down before they start dropping these products so they can make money? I bet you it won't take an hour and everyone else will follow suit because they don't want to be attacked and lose money. They have to answer to investors!

Just sayin...

The future of Occupy is coming January 17th 2012

January 17th 2012 is Occupy Congress and then along with that is the first meeting of "The Peoples Congress" Where we will be uniting Occupy movements from around the country through complete democracy. It's going to be amazing. Bringing everyone together leaderless but with one voice. It will bring Occupy to a national stage where we can start to make the change we can all see is needed. I think so far on the list of topics for the first national GA are demands to our federal government for House & Senate term limits of 6 years and the reinstatement of The Glass - Steagall Act. I'm not sure if anything else has shown as much universal appeal as those two demands. I am pretty sure that getting getting rid of Corporate Personhood is going to end up in there along with some kind of reform on legal campaign contributions but I haven't heard for sure yet.

To be clear all issues, demands and really any decision The Peoples Congress makes will be by majority decision of the unified Occupy movements. All Occupy movements are welcome to participate. All of The Peoples Congress GA's will be Live Streamed or Ustreamed so "Facilitators" from each participating occupy can watch and know what we are bringing up for a national vote. Honestly our hope is to unify and give more power and growth to the Occupy Movement, not to take any focus away for the local Occupies that are badly needed in their own individual communities. In fact we believe this will add strength and support for each local Occupy involved when the public see's that WE the people can come together and make a real difference.

Our website http://thepeoplescongress.info/ that is currently under construction will be an open format so that all propositions may be debated and fully argued and researched. Each Occupy that chooses to participate in the peoples congress will have a vote on the topics of national importance. This will give us national cohesion when it comes to real change that we all agree is needed on a federal level. When a topic comes up for vote it will need a two thirds majority to pass. No one person can change or determine any decision made by The Peoples Congress. Each participating Occupy movement must bring the topic to vote at their own local GA and agree prior to casting their vote to the congress.

To qualify as a participating local Occupy movement you must have at least 100 local supporters and a minimum of 20 voters at your local GA to vote on a topic in order for your vote to count in The Peoples Congress. For larger Occupations you may set your rules as you see fit. We are only require minimums to keep nefarious individuals from attempting to sabotage the process.

We think uniting the different occupy movements is going to be the only way we can make true change on a federal level. Plus we think it will encourage everyone to learn why things have become so messed up in this country. Education is a real problem when it comes to the general American public. Most people don't understand why or how our economy ended up in the state it's in. Sorry I know I am rambling. I just really feel like we are on the precipice of change and if we can do it with reform we should try before revolution becomes the peoples bloody answer for the corruption that is our government.

To be clear the demands we decide on A. are not for us to go away if met because we fully intend on occupy being at the very least a major power for the people to speak their voice now and forever. B. are going to be brought up for a vote as people and different occupies present them. In no way will we allow the peoples congress to take power or influence away from any local occupy. This idea is to empower the movement not divide or hurt it in anyway. Being leaderless is our strength!

Transparency is also one of our true key points. Every process from the way topics are brought up to be voted on to every cent collected in donations or spent for anything will be public and displayed on the website. Also no money donated to The Peoples Congress will be spent without first being voted upon nationally. It is our dream to have a national legal fund for the defense of our constitutional rights as well but these are hopes and dreams that are far down the road.

What we need right now is support! We have and are contacting people in as many Occupies as possible but you can help too! Notify everyone you know. Spread the message via twitter and facebook. Bring it up at your local GA. If you don't have a local Occupy movement start one! You don't have to Occupy a public park or live in a tent to be a supporter. Just having a presence in you community is enough. This is America and for the first time since our founding fathers started this democracy we intend on EVERY vote to count and the people to truly be heard!

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me.

The Peoples Congress

As I said in my previous post, I have been tasked with finding facilitators from as many Occupy Movements as I can to help plan Occupy Congress this January 17th. If anyone would like to volunteer to come and do teach ins, entertainment, plan actions, catering or well anything to help it would be greatly appreciated. You can e-mail me and we can go from there.

I would also like to ask all occupations nation wide to be a part of "The Peoples Congress". Much like what the United States Congress is supposed to do for us but is too corrupt and is failing at, this The Peoples Congress would do. Every important decision that we would make from what to spend donations on to what demands we will make would be relayed via your occupations facilitator to your occupation where it would be brought up in your GA. You would vote on the proposition and then your facilitator would relay your occupations decision via a vote in The Peoples Congress.

While all the details haven't been completely ironed out yet, I think you can get the idea. It will be completely democratic and fair. No special intrusts or corporate influences. It's as fair and clear as it can be. I am sure we will have more details on this coming soon but I am trying to pass the info on as best I can as quickly as possible. If you have any questions or would like to have your occupation represented in The Peoples Congress please e-mail me here.

More updates to come!