Senate shows some bipartisanship on CAFE

Can bipartisanship in Senate transfer to the House?

While the CAFE plan passed in the Senate wasn't as strict as many would have liked, it is far better than nothing. Additionally, it was nice to see some bipartisanship for once. Can this sentiment transfer to the House when it takes up the same legislation - probably sometime this Fall?

Sure, there will almost certainly be a plethora of loopholes for automakers to exploit, but at least fuel economy is becoming an important discussion in America. Hopefully, that will push more and and more American consumers to do their part as well.

Ralph Nader to run for President in 2008?

Setting up a real Independent debate

Ralph Nader made a small hint at running for President according to some at the Take Back America Conference.

Imagine an Independent Party debate between Ralph Nader and Michael Bloomberg - that might actually be interesting.

Bush more popular than Congress?!?!

Bush testing out a plug-in hybrid vehicle

George Bush is unpopular. That's no secret. According to the most recent Gallup Poll, Bush's approval rating is holding steady at about 33 percent. This low approval rating led many to believe that the unpopular President helped lead to a Democrat-controlled Congress.

But is that the real story?

According to the same Gallup poll, Congress has an approval rating of just 29 percent. Congress is even less popular than the President?

I think Democrats better wake up, as better Republicans. Ultimately, Democrats probably won control of Congress simply because they weren't Republicans - that's it. It was a vote for change that gave Democrats control of Congress.

Yet, has anything really changed? Certainly, the gross, unproductive partisanship of Congress has not changed, and nothing is being accomplished. Even worse, it is possible that essentially nothing will be accomplished until early 2008 - at best.

Perhaps in 2008, when America again votes for change, it shouldn't be limited to replacing Democrats with Republicans or vice versa. Instead, perhaps EVERY incumbent should be replaced?! Perhaps EVERY incumbent should be replaced with an Independent candidate?

Now that would be a change. Seriously, could it get any worse? When the best that is accomplished is, well, nothing, can it really get any worse?

Register to vote. Take a stand for change in 2008.

Huh???? Most independents favor Democrats?

According to the Washington Post, independent voters favor Democrats over Republicans by 2 to 1.

Hmmm. I always thought Independents were against the two party system and, therefore, against both Republicans and Democrats.

(Full Story)

Could Independents hand the election to Democrats

Yesterday there was one important election in California between a Democrat and a Republican. While Republicans won the race, the vote was very close - even though it was Republican territory. It seems a good number of Republicans voted either Democrat or for an Independent candidate. Will this carry over to the general election and cause a change in leadership in the House, Senate or even both?

Why I didn't vote in today's primary and why I will vote in the real election.

Did you vote in today's primary? I didn't. Wanna know why?

I'm a registered Independent, so there wasn't too much for me to vote on in this primary. Still, the Democrat Party would have allowed me to vote, but I didn't take them up on the offer.

Why?

My wife is a registered Democrat and my phone has been ringing off the hook all day and every day trying to tell me for whom to vote. Every day my mailbox is full of ads for Democratic candidates trying to fight each other for a place on the ballot. In fact, yesterday, I received 11 different full color glossy ads from the SAME candidate.

While this might be worthwhile if it were two different parties competing against each other, these people are from the same party. Yet the candidate with the most advertising - the most money - is almost certain to win. Is this expense justified?

Still, I know almost nothing about any of these candidates, and what I have learned isn't always great, such as a candidate moving into my neighborhood just in time to run for election. How can you know my issues if you haven't lived here? Yet the party bigwigs can still support such a candidate.

How much money is being spent by Democrats to fight other Democrats? Who funds these battles within the party? How much money is spent?

And this isn't just Democrats, it is Republicans as well.

Suddenly it seems just a tiny percentage of Americans are determining the candidates for the entire political system.

That's why I'll be voting Independent, or for a third party, for every candidate. No I don't think that my candidate will win, but I don't believe in the American political system - a system completely determined by money - and voting Independent is a vote for change.

If we think so many politicians are corrupt, why do we keep voting for them?

According to a CNN poll, over half the people believe that the majority of those in Congress are corrupt.

This isn't a new trend in politics. The belief that Congress is corrupt has been an ever-growing sentiment, and a sentiment that Bill Clinton successfully utilized to become President.

Yet, if so many believe that those in Congress are so corrupt, why is the rate of incumbency so high? Are 'the people' so disgusted they just choose not to vote?

GET REGISTERED TO VOTE. Don't just complain. Vote. If you don't think your vote counts, then vote Independent or for the Green Party. Who cares if they don't win, your vote can still send a message, even if your candidate doesn't win.

If you think those in Congress are corrupt and you aren't even registered to vote, then I think your more stupid than they are corrupt. So elevate your intelligence and register to vote.

What caused the 9/11 terrorist attacks?

So Moveon.org is launching an anti-war vigil across the U.S.

What a joke.

First, who is Moveon.org going to endorse in 2008? Every major Democratic candidate does not advocate immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. Second, almost everyone with a brain - even if against the war - realizes that an abrupt withdrawal would most certainly cause more deaths in Iraq and result in greater harm to the free world.

I guess it's sort of like Clinton's stance on Rwanda. Doing nothing is safer and cleaner for America, even if it means millions of Africans die.

Moveon.org seems to believe that all the world's problems are the result of George Bush. Fine. So how did Bush cause 9/11?

Let's not forget, the World Trade Centers were first attacked during the Clinton administration. Had the first attack succeeded, the death toll would have been far greater than the second attack. Afterwards, Bin Laden launched several attacks against U.S. interests and forces while planning the second World Trade Center attack - all on Clinton's watch. Did the seers in the Islamic revolution know George Bush was about to become President years before he was elected?

What caused 9/11?

Cindy Sheehan, the Crawford protestor has called Bush the greatest terrorist in the World and demanded that Israel withdraw from Palestine. What made this idiot a world affairs expert? Many Muslims - not just Islamic terrorists - hate Israel and do not want two independent states, they want the end of Israel, PERIOD. How does Sheehan plan to deal with this, like Rwanda? More important, Bill Clinton has stated that, in hindsight, his lack of success in dealing with the Israeli - Palestinian situation was his greatest failure.

Again, what caused 9/11?

I say it's oil and I wonder how many anti-war advocates drive SUVs, BMWs, and other foreign-oil guzzling vehicles. To those protestors, I say shut the F_ _ _ up! If you want to do something, start with your own actions. To those protestors that don't gas-guzzle and are part of the vigil, I respect you, but I wonder if you really believe that an immediate withdrawal will really result in a better world?

If you are a protestor that is also against gas-guzzling, remember one thing. Detroit and American automaker inefficiency are protected by Democrats and Republicans. Since 9/11 Democrats, as a party, could have made foreign oil dependency the American, the anti-war, issue. THEY DID NOT! Nor did Moveon.org. They don't want to deal with the real issues, just the issues that make money.

Unfortunately, too many Democrats, like the majority of Republicans, choose special interests, rather than the people's interests. Don't believe the Moveon.org hype. Moveon.org doesn't care about half the country's citizens - they - maybe you - are the enemy. The Democratic party is not the answer, nor is the Repulican party, it's up to us, the people. In reality, those that seek to divide us, rather than unite us, are the real enemy.

Politics: Money is the Name of the Game

The Democrats have already raised $13,000,000.00 for the next election, according to reports released today.

Democrats also announced having raised at least $400 million in the 2003-04 election cycle.

The Republicans haven't provided their final numbers yet, but most expect final numbers to be in the same range as the Democrats.

That's right, folks, almost a 1,000,000,000.00. Nine zeros, baby, a billion dollars.

A billion dollars to elect someone whom doesn't even represent the majority of Americans.

Think this is ridiculous? Do something about it!

Register to vote! Don't like either party? Register Independent, just register.

Click here to register to vote!

Smoke Dope, But Don't Vote?

Do you smoke weed, yet you don't vote?

Get off your ass, man. Register Independent. Let the squares know that you are going to vote.

I'm not advocating marijuana usage. Any drug is a crutch, but I believe that you can make those decisions by yourself.

The paranoia and government hypocrisy regarding not only marijuana, but more important, hemp, would be a complete joke, if not for the immense potential of hemp.

While many marijuana and hemp advocates rant about huge conspiracy theories dating back to Henry Ford, science alone, justfies marijuana legalization.

Recently, the Editors of Scientific American stated, "outdated regulations and attitudes thwart legitimate research with marijuana. Indeed, American biomedical researchers can more easily acquire and investigate cocaine. Marijuana is classified as a so-called Schedule 1 drug, alongside LSD and heroin. As such, it is defined as being potentially addictive and having no medical use, which under the circumstances becomes a self-fulflling prophecy."

Moreover, the article quotes the journal of Nature Medicine as saying that marijuana's "clinical potential is enormous" - a direct contradiction to it's classification. "The potential may include treatments for pain, nerve injury, the nausea associated with chemotherapy, the wasting related to AIDS and more."

In other words, the U.S. Federal government is in violation of it's own rules and regulations. More disappointing, marijuana's cousin, hemp, offers even more potential than marijuana, but is defined as marijuana by ignorant Federal legislation.

So, we know the people need to set the government straight on this and many other issues, so register to vote.

Not voting is for punks. Not taking action isn't a vote against the system, it's a vote of stupidity. If you don't like the system, vote against it by registering Independent!

Register to Vote

Why the 90 percent mass is better than the 30 percent herd.

I read an interesting piece in Scientific American, called Common Sense, by Michael Shermer. The piece essentially claims that for a group to be smart it should be "autonomous, decentralized and cognitively diverse."

Massive amounts of data, according to Shermer, show that "For solving a surprisingly large and varied number of problems, crowds are smarter than individuals."

Of course crowds and the herd mentality can also be a problem "when the members of a group think uniformly in the wrong direction."

It is almost impossible not to think of Republicans and Democrats as herds. Essentially, only a tiny percent of people decide the entire agenda of a whole herd of people.

Both major parties are the antithesis of "autonomous, decentralized and cognitively diverse".

Even worse, neither party tries to mobilize 'the people' only people that think similarly. Neither party; therefore, will make America stronger.

Only a majority of eligible voters voting can help America achieve the potential of democracy. Yet, both major parties focus on control of democracy, rather than actually achieving democracy.

Register to Vote. Register Independent.

Where is America's Largest Voting Bloc?

"The Biggest Voter Turnout since '68."

Wow, less than 60 percent of eligible voters voted in the 2004 Presidential election!

So, less than 30 percent of eligible voters decided the President of the United States. If everybody who didn't vote, voted for the same Third Party Candidate, they would easily determine the President of the United States.

Yet, these people are basically ignored. If you are one of them, nobody cares about you. You mean nothing - at least to anybody elected to represent people in your area.

Perhaps you don't care, or don't think your vote will matter.

It can. If you don't vote for "them".

If you think all politicians are the same, vote against them.

Your vote really can mean something.

But, if you don't register to vote, it won't matter.

So, if you don't feel like a Republican, or a Democrat, be an Independent. You can still vote for a Republican or a Democrat.

More important you'll send a message to all politicians that your vote requires results, not experience, not image, not campaigning skill, and not money-raising skills - just results!

If politicians can't achieve results for the people, they can get a job working with the people, and give someone else a try. The norm should not be career politicians.

Click here to register to vote!

Democrats abusing office power to fight Nader

A lawsuit filed by the Committee for a Unified Independent Party has been filed against Democrats in West Virginia, Oregon, Illinois, and Connecticut, accusing public officials in those states of misusing their official power.

Democrats are already running ads against Nader in many swing states, and challenging petition signatures all over the country, such as Nevada, where Democrats contested 11,571 of the 11,888 names to add Nader to the ballot. While this questionable focus is legal, other activities by Democrats elected into public office might not be legal.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "The fishiest situation involves West Virginia, where a state judge recently slapped down an unprecedented case brought by the state itself (rather than outside Democratic Lawyers) to keep Mr. Nader off the ballot." It appears that both Secretary of State Joe Manchin, who is currently running for Governor and Attorney General Darrell McGraw validated a petition to allow Nader to be on the ballot, but then reversed their decision after "intense political pressure from the Democratic Party."

Apparently, a half-dozen citizens, out of 23,000, argued, primarily, that the petition gatherers didn't show appropriate credentials and a few other minor incidents. The Wall Street Journal stated this action was "going too far to keep him [Nader] off the ballot."

While it can be assumed Republicans are tampering with the Nader petition drive, there are millions of voters who want to vote for an Independent Candidate, yet the Democratic Party doesn't want their votes to count. At the same time, John Kerry claims that Republicans are going to try to block the votes of African Americans, and pull more of the same 'Florida abuses'.

While 'one citizen, one vote' has become a Democratic mantra, it appears to only apply for Democratic voters.

As a registered Independent I am appalled by these actions. Not every Independent is a Republican in-disguise. Many of us are tired of the antics perpetrated by BOTH parties, and we feel that adding an Independent Party might provide some recourse.

James Carville, Democratic Strategist, often claims Republicans are better at 'it' in justification of the Democrat Party acting like Republicans. 'Well, they started it' Democrats seem to whine in validation of their childish logic.

Well, I'm tired of the past, of issues like Vietnam. What about today?

Enough is enough. Stand for something, not against something. That's what leaders do, and the Democratic Party, for all its criticism of the Republican Party, proves it's the same beast with a different costume.

Being a leader and losing is far more noble than a leader who gives up leading only to win at any cost. If that is the future of Democrats, of Republicans, of America, then there is no future.

How sad.