Posts Tagged ‘government’

Federal and State Power Balance?

Guest Post: by ‘Be informed’

Message:
The United States is extremely polarized now and becoming worse. As states try to pass regulations to benefit their interests, the federal government overrides it. Many states are FED up with the federal government interfering at the state level, and would like to be rid of the Fed as much as possible. While not going to the level of actual succession talk, there are states that would prefer no action from the federal government at all.

On the other hand there are places around the United States that actually feel that the federal government is not acting nearly enough to promote the betterment of their state and the country as a whole. Some individuals wish that the U.S. government had a complete relationship everywhere, resembling a socialist type government of cradle to the grave mentality. Without this they feel there is no unity, no UNITED States.

There are many questions that come to mind about finding a balance between both sides of the very large spectrum of opinions and differences. Can we compromise enough to reach a healthy middle ground that allows the United States to heal and join back together cohesively as Americans of all 50 states and territories? The views are many, especially those that are just plain not willing to give any ground. “My way ONLY or they can take the highway”. With the U.S. government almost at bankruptcy, what the country needs less than anything is more disunity.

Unfortunately the issues have divided people over how much the federal government needs to be in people’s lives and how much the state that they live in should have the responsibility of making their own laws. While geographical locations have people with differing views living amongst each other, there is definitely a higher concentration of pro federal government living in one part of the country and a higher concentration of pro state-only living in another part of the country. This being even more evident as shown by the totally polarized voting statistics of elections of the 21st century.

What is that median point of how much the federal government should handle the following issues, or allow more or all of it fall into each individual state’s ability to handle it?

Federal government or state government?

-Taxes
-Immigration
-Health care
-Religious rights
-Discrimination
-Firearms regulations
-Employer and employee rules
-Minimum wage
-Insurance
-Welfare
-Social security
-Worker’s compensation and disability
-Environmental protection
-Criminal justice courts
-Law enforcement
-Civil courts
-Disaster aid
-Banking and other economic regulations
-Agriculture and other commerce
-Censorship
-Protection and defense
-Communications
-Education and schools
-Transportation and roads, the infrastructure

As some can see, the state government needs the federal government to some degree of capacity as it would be hard pressed to function solely alone. The federal government needs all the state governments to be able to hold together or it collapses. The solution is that a compromise must be found so everyone can join together in a symbiotic relationship and put their headstrong differences aside and do what is best for the country as a whole, ALL 50 states and territories. And start acting like neighbors working towards a common goal of bringing the country back from the brink before it is too late for ALL of us.

There is an old saying that we are better and stronger united together than separate and apart. A fractured broken United States makes EVERYONE in the U.S. vulnerable to foreign attack or just plain at risk from an internal implosion. The very survival of the United States depends on those in charge to stop putting their own rigid opinions on issues as all that matters, and do what is best for everyone, including those that they so scornfully disagree with. To actually do what is correct for all Americans even if it means not being re-elected. People have to start to think of themselves as Americans rather than Texans, New Yorkers, Californians, etc. Put the interest of the whole country first.

End of Message

Ken adds: Unfortunately, much of the political system in BOTH the State and the Federal government (and local governments!) have become corrupt in that they (the politicians) are in constant search of money to keep them in office. The money sources primarily come from large corporate donors. There are lobbyists of all sorts who represent them, and are clamoring for the ears of politicians, seeking to twist laws in their favor. The system has always been influenced by money (of course), but today seems far worse. Most (not all) politicians are seeking to feather their nests while in office, so that when they eventually do leave office, they are set for life. This is one reason I’ve always been if favor of more strict term limits. The original system was set up to rotate congressional members in and out of office from normal walks of life, so that its branch of government would always be fresh. That rotation is now extremely ‘stale’ for many reasons, one of which is that ‘they’ have set up congressional geographical boundaries in a way that keeps them elected. There are so many reasons… I could go on for pages, but until more people wake-up, we’re stuck with it. The good news is that I do believe that more ARE waking up as we sink deeper into tough economic times. Many people won’t change until they hit bottom…

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Homeland Security Crime Prediction Technology

image source: IMDb.com

For those that have watched the movie, ‘Minority Report’ back in 2002, well, 9 years later the US government agency – the Department of Homeland Security is working on crime predicting technology that in some ways eerily mimic the the theme of the Steven Spielberg movie.

The beginning stages of the new technology was recently tried out at an undisclosed location in the northeast US.

The types of things that the technology can remotely monitor are ‘your‘…

Heart rate
Fidgety actions
Eye movements
Blink rate
Body temperature
Breathing patterns

The technology acronym is FAST, the Future Attribute Screening Technology.

Welcome to the new world.

If you thought that TSA screenings were bad or encroaching on your liberties as a citizen, wait until you’re questioned in line because you fidgeted your feet more than ‘normal’, or you were singled out because your heart rate is a bit too fast. You will then have to explain to them that perhaps you are stressed out over some personal situation – maybe work or home… you will have to assure them that you are not a terrorist… and show them your ‘papers’…

The area becomes very gray when technology advancements are deployed for the common good, while at the same time eliminating more and more life-situations where one is really free or not being watched or tracked or monitored in some way.

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the Constitution of the United States of America

The Constitution of the United States of America was signed and adopted on September 17, 1787, by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has been amended twenty-seven times since then (the first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights).

Articles of the Constitution

Preamble: Statement of purpose
Article One: Legislative Power
Article Two: Executive power
Article Three: Judicial power
Article Four: States’ powers and limits
Article Five: Amendments
Article Six: Federal power
Article Seven: Ratification

Preamble
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Article One
…establishes the Congress, the legislative branch, the first of the three branches of the government. The United States Congress is a body consisting of two co-equal houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Article Two
…establishes the second of the three branches of government, the Executive, and establishes the office of the President and the Vice-President.

Article Three
…establishes the last of the three branches of government, the Judiciary, and describes the court system including the Supreme Court.

Article Four
…outlines the relation between the states and the relation between the federal government.

Article Five
…details the method of amending, or changing, the Constitution.

Article Six
…sets the Constitution and all laws and treaties of the United States to be the supreme law of the country. It requires all officers of the United States and of the states to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States and the Constitution when taking office.

Article Seven
…details the method for ratification, or acceptance, of the Constitution: of the original 13 states in the United States, nine had to accept the Constitution before it would officially go into effect.

The United States Constitution online

Text of the US Constitution (PDF)

Text of the US Constitution (txt)

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The Crashing Dow and Why Do I Care?

Given the turmoil in the world markets, the Standard & Poor’s credit rating downgrade of the United States and other US entities, spiking gold prices… Why should I care? and what does it mean to me??

Really, what it all basically means, is that the ponzi scheme of debt upon debt may be reaching its limit. So many individuals, governments, banks, and corporations have been involved in the leveraging – borrowing – loaning – spending of money on top of money, that it has become increasingly difficult to find buyers (suckers) that will continue to ‘buy-in’ to the notion that the present ‘bloat’ of these entities will continue unabated.

Eventually, the fat ‘subject’ dies of a heart-attack. The United States is currently, metaphorically, grasping its chest as sharp ‘angina’ pains are bringing it to its knees.

There will be ongoing denial that the ‘subject’ is fat, while most of its ‘friends’ continue to say, ‘No… you don’t look fat, you look great’.

Those that have been able to see the girth of the ‘subject’ growing ever larger during these past few years, have known that this day and worse days will come. Apart from getting its stomach stapled, the ‘subject’ may well be doomed. It may take a few more fat-burgers, but the ‘subject’ probably doesn’t have too much time left…

Many of those that have seen the ‘subjects’ growing fatness have diversified out of close ties with the fat one, so as not to become caught up themselves in the doomed behavior.

OK, enough of the metaphorical speak… What can you and I do about it, or what does it mean to me?

Answer: Recognize that we are not living in Disney Land. Recognize that ‘faith’ in the US – Treasury debt – took a big hit. Recognize that their are real deficit and spending problems – spending beyond the practical means of the US. Recognize that you can’t borrow money forever without someday having to pay it back. Recognize that debt does not go away. Become more fiscally conservative in your own life – prepare for yourself – don’t depend upon government for never ending handouts. Adapt, and be prepared for worse times ahead.

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The US Debt Ceiling Compromise Simple Truth

The US Debt Ceiling Compromise:

Adds at least $7 trillion to our debt over the next 10 years. The deal purports to “cut” $2.1 trillion, but the “cut” is from a baseline that adds $10 trillion to the debt (you see how they do this? It’s all smoke and mirrors and BS ‘white lies’).

This deal results in a BEST case scenario of still adding more than $7 trillion more in debt over the next 10 years. That is sickening.

Even if you believe cutting $2.1 trillion out of $10 trillion is a good compromise, surely we can start cutting quickly, say $200 billion-$300 billion per year, right? Wrong.

This plan so badly backloads the alleged savings that the cuts are simply meaningless. Why do we believe that the goal of $2.5 trillion over 10 years (that’s an average of $250 billion per year) will EVER be met if the first two years cuts are $20 billion and $50 billion (this is only several ‘days’ worth of federal spending – each year!).

There is simply no path in this bill even to the meager savings they are alleging will take place.

In summary, after weeks of main-stream-media coverage and hype, pitting one political party against the other, the ‘gang’ has won once again. They’re apparently going to spend at least $7 Trillion more!

According to Michael Savage, ‘you’re being hoodwinked again’. Apparently Rand Paul agrees.

We are not espousing one political leaning or another (we happen to believe they’re all mostly corrupt), but rather pointing out what appears to be information that cuts through the BS.

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