Oct

22

Looking Ahead With A Positive Outlook

Category: Opinions, Politics, Society | Comments Off | 232 words | Print

Good evening. Before you ask, yes, I voted today.

Chuck Donovan, John Monds, Kira Willis, and many more Libertarians received my vote today. I will be honest though, as I did vote for a couple Republican candidates as well because I felt they were qualified to hold (or keep) the office they are running for.

I won’t run through each office line by line, but but I will say that it was quite refreshing to vote this year. This is the first time, in a very long time, that I was able to vote for the best candidate in each race, rather than the lesser of two evils in each race.

That’s how it should always be. We should always vote for the best person for the job, rather than following some party line and selecting all the D’s or R’s on the ticket. I’m thinking of getting a bumper sticker made that says “Don’t blame me, I voted for the best candidate this time around!” I bet those would sell.

Whenever I take political polls on the internet, I always end up right-of-center, in the Libertarian end of the arena. This is the first time my vote will actually represent that same result.

I call that progress! I can hardly wait to see what else the Libertarian Party in Georgia has planned for the future.

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Oct

21

One Stagnant Senator & Time For Real Change

Category: Opinions, Politics, Society | Comments Off | 501 words | Print

It was a sad day in Georgia when Zell Miller decided not to run for re-election in 2004. When it comes to that Senate seat, I’ve been sad ever since.

Johnny Isakson has been involved in Georgia politics since I moved here. First he was the Congressman from Georgia’s 6th district, then he ran for, and won, Miller’s Senate seat.

You’d think that I, a right-of-center independent conservative, might be happy that a Republican was holding that seat rather than a Democrat, and to an extent I suppose that was the lesser of two evils. The problem is, when it comes to doing the right thing for our country, we need the best, not the better of two evils.

One of the biggest problems in Washington today is that fact that it is very difficult to distinguish which candidates are Democrat and which ones are Republican. Once you exam voting records it’s a bit easier to tell them apart, but their similarities are so striking that it really doesn’t even matter anymore which one you select. So why select them at all?

Chuck Donovan, the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate (yes, Isakson’s Senate seat), knows that America is sitting on a ticking time bomb of debt and unlike Isakson he is willing to stand up and help stop the spending, reduce the deficit, fight for our liberty, and make sure that government doesn’t stand in the way of prosperity.

You may think this post sounds a bit like a political ad, but then again, most political ads don’t tell you why you should vote for a candidate, do they?

I’ve lived in Georgia for 13 years and I’ve yet to see any benefit of having Johnny Isakson serving the state of Georgia in Washington, D.C.. Whether it’s an issue of personal liberty, illegal immigration, or the federal deficit, I’ve yet to be impressed with his voting record.

Some people will scoff that I said that, but you are not making a stand “against” legislation if you help draft that legislation but then vote against it because of pressure at the last minute. It just doesn’t work that way. You can’t help but dribble a bit when you’re speaking out of both sides of your mouth.

During this election cycle, and most of them before this one, my Republican friends tell me that we need to vote for the Republicans to “get the Democrats out of power”, and that’s all nice and dandy, but what happens to our country in the meantime?

Shouldn’t we vote for people who will actually change our country for the better? Shouldn’t we be sending good people to Washington who can actually do the difficult job ahead of them? Shouldn’t we, as citizens of this great nation, be doing our part to make sure the bad guys go home?

I’m voting tomorrow, and yes, my second vote (after Monds for Governor) will be Donovan for Senate.

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Oct

20

Two Good Ol’ Boys & One Reason To Vote

Category: Opinions, Politics, Society | Comments Off | 352 words | Print

As I sit here working each day, I receive e-mail after e-mail from Nathan Deal, Roy Barnes, and every Democrat and Republican under the sun telling me why I should not vote for the other guy. Not one of these e-mails give me any reason under the sun to actually vote for them.

Barnes is busy telling me why he thinks Nathan Deal is corrupt and Deal is busy trying to convince me that Barnes does not deserve another chance.

Well, they are both correct, and I won’t vote for either of them.

I personally think Nathan Deal plays “good ol’ boy” politics and the only reason he stepped down from Congress was to avoid the ethics investigation, rather than to focus on his run for Governor.

Roy Barnes does not deserve another chance. The people of Georgia took a stupid pill and elected him once, I hope they don’t take another dose of stupid and give him the keys to the mansion again.

There is one candidate who stands above these two clowns, and that man is John Monds. If you watch any of the debates you quickly see who the effective candidate is. Monds does not spend his time spewing vitriol about his fellow candidates. Monds actually stands up and tells you what he will do to help the state. Why would you vote for two idiots who have already been placed into positions of trust only to disappoint the people of our state, when you could vote for someone who actually stands for smaller government, lower taxes, and more opportunity?

No matter where you live, you should educate yourself before you head to the polls, and if you live in Georgia, do your research on Deal, Barnes, and Monds. You will, however, need a shovel, and some air freshener. Once you get past the muck and the other crap surrounding the first two, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Monds and his stand on the issues.

I’ll be casting my vote on Friday, and my first choice will be John Monds for Governor.

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Oct

19

I’ll Take Knowledge Over Ignorance, Thank You

Category: Opinions, Politics, Society | Comments Off | 548 words | Print

There was a huge stink in the media today.

Apparently, during a U.S. Senate candidates debate in Delaware, GOP candidate Christine O’Donnell asked her Democrat opponent Chris Coons, “Where in the Constitution is separation of church and state?”

The crowd, full of law students, erupted into laughter and the media has lambasted her all day today. The funny thing is, the United States Constitution does not mention the separation of church and state, the U.S. Constitution does not define the separation of church and state, and the U.S. Constitution does not in any way imply the separation of church and state.

Coons replied that the First Amendment establishes the separation of church and state, but that was an incorrect answer. As I said in the previous paragraph, the separation of church and state is not defined, mentioned, or implied, within the United States Constitution.

The First Amendment states,

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment clearly prohibits Congress from making any laws respecting the establishment of religion, but it does not in any way construe what many believe to be the separation of church and state.

In fact, the term “separation of church and state” is merely an offshoot of the original phrase written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists Association which was concerned about the U.S. Constitution not reaching all the way down to the state level.

The original statement reads, “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

He was clearly re-assuring the Baptists of Danbury that their religious freedoms would be protected by the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment places a restriction on the state to prevent its interference in religious practice, it does not remove all religion from government.

If the founding fathers truly meant to imply a true separation, Jefferson’s comment (which was made in 1802) would not have been completely ignored by the courts in the United States for nearly 150 years, when in 1947 then Justice Hugo Black ruled in the Everson v. Board Of Education case.

Many legal armchair analysts cite the Everson case when they argue in support of the separation of church and state, but the decision in the Everson case actually upheld the use of taxpayer money to transport children to Catholic and other parochial schools, therefore negating the entire “separation of church and state” argument as it is used in today’s society and portrayed in today’s media.

Many people believe, and maybe rightly so, that Christine O’Donnell is not qualified to serve as Senator from the state of Delaware, but the fact is, she was right.

At this point I think it would be more beneficial to everyone to have one Senator who was knowledgeable about the U.S. Constitution with little experience, than any “soon-to-be” lawyer who was sitting in that room and laughed when she asked that simple question.

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Oct

16

We Don’t Need More Stupid Laws

Category: Opinions, Politics, Society | Comments Off | 514 words | Print

Government officials love to write a lot of mumbo jumbo into their policies and procedures. One of the most confusing places to find that mumbo jumbo is on the election ballot when there are amendments or referendums to vote on.

Take the first amendment on the 2010 ballot here in Georgia for instance.

Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to make Georgia more economically competitive by authorizing legislation to uphold reasonable competitive agreements?

At first glance, it seems completely harmless, doesn’t it? Of course, we all want our state to be more economically competitive, especially in this economy. Right?

Well, the first assumption is that this amendment pertains to making the state of Georgia more competitive, and that is not necessarily the case. In fact, this amendment has nothing to do with making our state more competitive, it has everything to do with making it economically competitive for companies within the state when they hire new employees.

Most people, including this writer, got the impression this was about the state bidding for jobs; but as people in the know begin to speak up it seems it is more about controlling employees on the job; and preventing them from leaving one job and taking one with a competitor doing the same work. In this situation, they are asked to sign an agreement that they will not take a job with a competitor for at least two years after leaving their present employer.

We’ve all seen non-compete agreements, heck I’ve even signed a few in my time. But think about the consequences of this being done on a widespread basis across the entire state.

For example, let’s say you are skilled in tailoring, and you go to work for a small company. On your first day you fill out all your new employee paperwork you sign this new non-compete agreement. Then, just three months later you get laid-off as the company makes cutbacks. Guess what? You still have 21 months before you can work for another company in a similar role. Ouch.

Sure, companies would be happier knowing when they hire someone they won’t stick around for training and then bust loose for a better paying job down the road, but what about those who are honest, hard working, people who want to do a good job but get screwed in the end?

I’m sure the argument about this amendment could be explained logically from either side, but the key word in the proposed amendment is “reasonable”. What exactly would a “reasonable” competitive agreement consist of? Well, we can’t be sure of that before the amendment is passed into law can we?

My recommendation at this time, based on the wording of the amendment, is to vote no. We don’t need the state of Georgia interfering with the employment practices in the private sector.

If you’re in a highly skilled profession and the employer asks you sign a non-compete agreement, that’s one thing. Making it a law is just stupid.

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Sep

19

Sunday Silence

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Aug

10

The Lesser Of Two Evils

Category: Opinions, Politics | Comments Off | 221 words | Print

Today was the primary “runoff” election, where Nathan Deal and Karen Handel faced off for Governor.

To tell you the truth I am not impressed with Deal or Handel. Neither of them seem to support smaller government, at least they have never done anything to indicate they do. Neither one of them seem to have taken a stance to protect our liberties, which isn’t really difficult to do if you want to do it.

That’s why I could care less who won the runoff today, and why I am voting for John Monds for Governor in November.

Libertarian candidates (especially in Georgia) might not have a realistic chance of winning, but at least I won’t have to vote for the lesser of two evils. I’ll be able to vote my conscience in the upcoming election.

The best news from tonight’s results is the fact that Maria Sheffield got kicked to the curb in the race for Insurance Commissioner. The voters of Georgia did an awesome thing by getting rid of Maria Sheffield and John Oxendine during this election cycle.

Yes, I am still angry about the whole e-mail list debacle. You can’t blame me for thinking it’s a good thing that the two people responsible for stealing my e-mail information were sent packing!

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Jul

27

Massachusetts Will Soon Be Seeing Red

Category: Our Nation, Politics, Society | Comments Off | 402 words | Print

Did you hear what happened in Massachusetts today?

The Massachusetts Legislature has approved a new law intended to bypass the Electoral College system and ensure that the winner of the presidential election is determined by the national popular vote.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Massachusetts Legislature essentially took the election of the President of the United States out of the hands of the citizens of Massachusetts. You see, no matter who they vote for in the 2012 election, all electoral votes for Massachusetts will be awarded to the candidate which receives the most popular votes, nationwide!

The bill, which passed on a 28-to-9 vote, now heads to Democratic Governor Deval Patrick’s desk. The governor has said in the past that he supports the bill, said his spokeswoman Kim Haberlin.

Under the law, which was enacted by the House last week, all 12 of the state’s electoral votes would be awarded to the candidate who receives the most votes nationally.

This is idea is actually stupid. Plain and simple. If you want to pass a law that awards your electoral votes based on the popular vote within your state, that’s one thing, but this has nothing to do with the people of Massachusetts, or their vote. If the people of Ohio, Florida, or any other swing state end up taking a candidate over the top with the popular vote, the state of Massachusetts is going to award their electoral votes to that candidate, whether or not that candidate did well in the popular vote.

Massachusetts isn’t alone either. Illinois, Hawaii, Maryland, and Washington have also adopted the same law.

I can hardly wait to see the newscasts on election night 2012. When Illinois, Maryland, Hawaii, and Washington are all painted red because the citizens of those states allowed their legislature to elect “the other guy”.

The current Electoral College system is confusing and causes presidential candidates to focus unduly on a handful of battleground states, supporters say. They also say that the popular vote winner has lost in four of the nation’s 56 elections.

Wow. Four times in 56 elections. I can understand some people wanting to abolish the electoral college, but this bill is way over the top. The first time Massachusetts goes red on the map because of this law, the people will stand up and demand it be repealed. Just watch.

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Jul

22

Still Disgusted

Category: Life, Photography, Politics | Comments Off | 24 words | Print

I am still disgusted at the results of our primary election, so I am posting this photo so I can meditate for a while.

Monastery13

Jul

21

One Day Later…

Category: Politics, Society | Comments Off | 466 words | Print

To say I am shocked is an understatement. Last night was the wildest election I have followed since I started voting. I am absolutely stunned. Some good, mostly bad, but completely and absolutely stunned. I just don’t understand what was going through the voters’ heads.

The mission of our local TEA Party organization was to educate the voters, and it’s clear the local TEA parties had absolutely no effect on the outcome of this election. While I think they had a profound effect on the message during the campaign, they had no effect on the voters decision when choosing candidates.

A few candidates won on name recognition alone, and others who busted their ass, won 98% of the straw polls statewide, and gave it everything they had, ended up being kicked to the curb prematurely.

It’s clear that the Republican voters of Georgia did not pick the best candidate to run against Roy Barnes in November. Sure, we still have a run-off on August 10th, but neither Karen Handel nor Nathan Deal are the best candidate for the job. Both of them are better alternatives than Roy Barnes, but they don’t hold a candle to others where liberty and fiscal conservatism are concerned.

With the governors race we have a surrogate showdown between Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin. Gingrich has endorsed Deal and Palin has endorsed Handel. This makes the perfect “career politician” surrogate showdown, with actual career politicians in the candidate as well as endorsing positions.

Doesn’t this make you feel like their way of telling you to “assume the position”?

With the availability of information on the internet, there is no excuse for not researching the best candidate. People have really proven how lazy they are, because voter turn out was extremely low too.

Ten percent of the people have determined the course of the general election for the remainder of the population. I would have thought that conservatives (and independents) across the state would have stepped up to make their voices heard last night, and all we got was the sound of the dedicated few who support incumbents and career politicians.

Republicans in Georgia had a chance to prove they had evolved into a better political party with a mindset on liberty, smaller government, and a return to the values of our founding fathers, but instead they handed the primary election over to the career politicians who got us in this mess in the first place.

Disgusted doesn’t even begin to explain what I am feeling.

Conservatives in general have evolved, but those who just call themselves conservatives are still taking the easy road by listening to one particular talking head at a time and ignoring the issues that matter most.

Yeah, to say I am disgusted is definitely an understatement. ;)

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