I had to put this article, written by Charlie Reese in my blog. It tells us who is at the root of all the problems in the country. Here in Canada, we suffer the same plight as the U.S.
Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel...
He has been a journalist for 49 years.
He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House now? He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
Thank you Charlie. Happy Retirement!
LIFE IS A DANCE
Your life within God's arms,
Your dance within God's arms,
Is already Perfect!
- Hafiz
Life is like dancing.
If we have a big floor, many people will dance.
Some will get angry when the rhythm changes.
But life is changing all the time.
- don Miguel Ruiz
When you get the choice to sit it out or dance,
I hope you dance.
- Lee Ann Womack
Today is your day to dance lightly with life,
sing wild songs of adventure,
invite rainbows and butterflies out to play,
soar your spirit, and unfurl your joy.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Teaching Tolerence................
When my story telling session started this evening, I was a little worried because here I was in a mosque, talking about Passover and the story of Moses.
Muslims believe that Moses was a prophet of God and came with a message for the people. He was Mussa Nabi. The kids did not know that and to my amazement, neither did some of the parents.
I started off with some trepidation, expecting the parents to yell or walk out but the faces of the children lit up with curiosity and as the story proceeded, I got more and more bold and used the ‘H’ and ‘J’ words – Hebrew and Jews.
It is this cultural illiteracy that is the root of hate. By telling the story of Moses and then of Jesus (after all it is Easter), I educated the kids that both Jesus and Moses were our prophets – Issa and Mussa. Now they had something in common with their friends at school.
We even discussed the importance of eggs during Easter and Passover and made a connection to Navroz, our New Year, which was celebrated on March 21st, and during which we also give an importance to eggs. Eggs symbolize renewal and all three of these holidays – Navroz, Passover and Easter are holidays celebrating renewal and rebirth. Whether it was the birth of freedom and a new nation, or the resurrection of Christ or the renewal of spring, they are all connected. We are all connected.
I came out of the story telling session elated, having educated the kids on the similarities of cultures and maybe even reduced the inherited hate that exists.
We already recognize that early childhood education sets the stage for future development. Why then would we not educate the kids about other cultures so that they can grow, already being familiar and comfortable with other cultures, especially where similarities exist? Especially if these teachings will help encourage peace, love and brotherhood!
A Letter to Dalton James Patrick Mc Guinty Jr. and his fellow Liberals
This letter was sent to Dalton McGuinty two days ago. I am so sick of paying more for everything.............................
My name is Alnoor Rajan and I am a resident of Brampton, Ontario.
Five years ago, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and have just been granted my disability of $600.00 a month.
Before being diagnosed with MS, I was a small business owner offering corporate catering services for breakfasts, lunches, business meetings, seminars, etc as well as running two office cafeterias. Due to the illness, I could not work and lost a big part of my business and income.
This HST has put an even bigger strain on my finances. As it is, since my diagnosis I am surviving on a meagre income and now I am paying HST on almost everything. This is quite ridiculous.
Instead of helping the population you are too busy trying to raise funds for a deficit caused by your own inefficiencies and incompetence.
Instead of gouging the public, why not reduce your spending, such as the benefits that you and your employees make and your own expenses that tax payers are paying for? Why should I have to pay twice for your gross misjudgments and errors?
You have no problem digging up roads, only to fix them again in the name of 'creating jobs'.
You have no problem spending millions when you could as easily, identify the waste of tax payer funds by making your government more efficient.
You have no problems 'faking it' to the public in your ads that you are improving the economy and creating jobs. Lies!
One of the 'accomplishments' you brag about in your ads is the "HST refunds". This is a joke. Why take it in the first place when you are only going to refund it? Doesn't the administration of taking it and refunding it cost? Is this how you are creating jobs?
I used to be proud of living in the best country in the world, Now I am sad that I live in a country run by inefficient politicians like you, who can take the food off my table to fund their own inefficiencies and incompetence. I thought this only happened in places like the corrupt African countries. But it happens here too. The only difference is that here it is done in the name of God and Country and by politicians who are white and who wear expensive suits.
Do not tell me what you are doing for me when I can clearly see what you are not doing for me. Do not tell me how this is for my benefit when all I see is an eternal dark tunnel that you have helped build.
Let me tell what I cannot do because of the HST:
I cannot fill my car up with gas because I cannot afford the hike in the price of gas,
I cannot shop for groceries like I used to because of the price increase,
I cannot live like I used to (which was not ostentatious to begin with) because everything I consume and all the services that I use are now more expensive and not within my budget.
But, there is one thing I can do:
I can shop at the local Goodwill stores because they do not charge the cursed HST. It is unfortunate that they do not sell gas, groceries and basic necessities that I need to live.
On top of this, the increase in the cost of living, does not warrant an increase in my benefits or in the monies I receive. How unfair is that?
Could you live on $600.00 a month?
Maybe all incomes should increase in the same proportion as the increase in taxes.
Do you even recognize this phenomenon?
My medical expenses are already very high and now I have to live with your blunders and and increase in my expenses to reduce the quality of my already value less life.
I have chosen not to take the prescription drugs which are only symptomatic and still cause side effects, and half the time do not work. Instead, I have chosen an all natural route which seems to work miracles. The only problem is that your government does not cover natural remedies and treatments.
You will cover the poisons that kill and cause more illness but not cover the natural remedies that work. So, now my medical expenses are out of my pocket and since you can only allocate $600.00 per month to me, how do you expect me to live in a society of your creation?
There are so many issues that need your attention.
What are you doing about the poisoning and the toxicity of our food, water and air?
What are you doing about the greed of the gas companies?
What are you doing about the illnesses that have increased disproportionate to the increase in population?
What are you doing about the greed of the pharmaceutical industries who create illnesses and drugs with side effects, so that they can make more money?
Where are all the funds raised for medical research going? Millions, billions and trillions are raised in the name of research and in the name of 'finding a cure' to illness. What has your government done to ensure that these funds go to those who need them and not to the pharmaceutical industry who already thrives on the sick and ailing society.
Why would you be proactive in resolving these issues when you can create new problems and expenses for your constituents, by increasing taxes?
I guess you are expecting a pat on your back for your numbered accomplishments.
Unfortunately, I am not in a position to be generous with my pats, especially not to politicians who spit on and stab their constituents in the back on the pretext of helping them. I am not so generous with my pats, especially not to politicians who make their constituents lives difficult, only to fund their own pockets, their own inefficiency and their own incompetence. I am not generous with politicialns who feed the greed of the gas companies the greed of the pharmaceutical industry to take advantage of the citizens so that your government can earn more in taxes.
There is one thing you can count on and that is that my vote will never come to you - definitely not in the next election, which I hope is soon because I can hardly wait for you and your party to leave.
Sincerely,
Alnoor Rajan
My name is Alnoor Rajan and I am a resident of Brampton, Ontario.
Five years ago, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and have just been granted my disability of $600.00 a month.
Before being diagnosed with MS, I was a small business owner offering corporate catering services for breakfasts, lunches, business meetings, seminars, etc as well as running two office cafeterias. Due to the illness, I could not work and lost a big part of my business and income.
This HST has put an even bigger strain on my finances. As it is, since my diagnosis I am surviving on a meagre income and now I am paying HST on almost everything. This is quite ridiculous.
Instead of helping the population you are too busy trying to raise funds for a deficit caused by your own inefficiencies and incompetence.
Instead of gouging the public, why not reduce your spending, such as the benefits that you and your employees make and your own expenses that tax payers are paying for? Why should I have to pay twice for your gross misjudgments and errors?
You have no problem digging up roads, only to fix them again in the name of 'creating jobs'.
You have no problem spending millions when you could as easily, identify the waste of tax payer funds by making your government more efficient.
You have no problems 'faking it' to the public in your ads that you are improving the economy and creating jobs. Lies!
One of the 'accomplishments' you brag about in your ads is the "HST refunds". This is a joke. Why take it in the first place when you are only going to refund it? Doesn't the administration of taking it and refunding it cost? Is this how you are creating jobs?
I used to be proud of living in the best country in the world, Now I am sad that I live in a country run by inefficient politicians like you, who can take the food off my table to fund their own inefficiencies and incompetence. I thought this only happened in places like the corrupt African countries. But it happens here too. The only difference is that here it is done in the name of God and Country and by politicians who are white and who wear expensive suits.
Do not tell me what you are doing for me when I can clearly see what you are not doing for me. Do not tell me how this is for my benefit when all I see is an eternal dark tunnel that you have helped build.
Let me tell what I cannot do because of the HST:
I cannot fill my car up with gas because I cannot afford the hike in the price of gas,
I cannot shop for groceries like I used to because of the price increase,
I cannot live like I used to (which was not ostentatious to begin with) because everything I consume and all the services that I use are now more expensive and not within my budget.
But, there is one thing I can do:
I can shop at the local Goodwill stores because they do not charge the cursed HST. It is unfortunate that they do not sell gas, groceries and basic necessities that I need to live.
On top of this, the increase in the cost of living, does not warrant an increase in my benefits or in the monies I receive. How unfair is that?
Could you live on $600.00 a month?
Maybe all incomes should increase in the same proportion as the increase in taxes.
Do you even recognize this phenomenon?
My medical expenses are already very high and now I have to live with your blunders and and increase in my expenses to reduce the quality of my already value less life.
I have chosen not to take the prescription drugs which are only symptomatic and still cause side effects, and half the time do not work. Instead, I have chosen an all natural route which seems to work miracles. The only problem is that your government does not cover natural remedies and treatments.
You will cover the poisons that kill and cause more illness but not cover the natural remedies that work. So, now my medical expenses are out of my pocket and since you can only allocate $600.00 per month to me, how do you expect me to live in a society of your creation?
There are so many issues that need your attention.
What are you doing about the poisoning and the toxicity of our food, water and air?
What are you doing about the greed of the gas companies?
What are you doing about the illnesses that have increased disproportionate to the increase in population?
What are you doing about the greed of the pharmaceutical industries who create illnesses and drugs with side effects, so that they can make more money?
Where are all the funds raised for medical research going? Millions, billions and trillions are raised in the name of research and in the name of 'finding a cure' to illness. What has your government done to ensure that these funds go to those who need them and not to the pharmaceutical industry who already thrives on the sick and ailing society.
Why would you be proactive in resolving these issues when you can create new problems and expenses for your constituents, by increasing taxes?
I guess you are expecting a pat on your back for your numbered accomplishments.
Unfortunately, I am not in a position to be generous with my pats, especially not to politicians who spit on and stab their constituents in the back on the pretext of helping them. I am not so generous with my pats, especially not to politicians who make their constituents lives difficult, only to fund their own pockets, their own inefficiency and their own incompetence. I am not generous with politicialns who feed the greed of the gas companies the greed of the pharmaceutical industry to take advantage of the citizens so that your government can earn more in taxes.
There is one thing you can count on and that is that my vote will never come to you - definitely not in the next election, which I hope is soon because I can hardly wait for you and your party to leave.
Sincerely,
Alnoor Rajan
New Year’s Resolutions – Their true effectiveness and validity.
I have constantly pondered over this phenomenon called ‘the New Year’s Resolution:
It is not unusual to see drastic increases in the attendance at prayer houses of all faiths, or in the gyms and fitness programs or in the desire to quit smoking, reduce alcohol intake, be more committed to one’s family and all the positive traits one can think of, in the beginning of a brand new year.
However, it is also not unusual to see the number of people committed to their New Year’s Resolution(s) dwindle by Valentine’s Day and I would have to wonder if this is a reflection of our combined sense of commitment (as the human race) to anything at all.
The fast paced, ever changing environment we live in has successfully enabled us to make and break our promises and to conveniently ignore what really needs making better.
Every year, I hear, “A New Year, a New You……” but it is not a new me. It is the same old me with changing convictions and changing priorities, living in an ever-changing and evolving environmental and societal tide.
Why does a New Year mean that that I have to change? Why is the New Year the only time that warrants this change?
I truly believe that the time for change is at any time I feel and that may vary depending on my need, my level of commitment, self worth, responsibility and most of all circumstance. If I choose to make a resolution in the middle of the year, then, so be it. If I choose to give up on that resolution for whatever reason, then so be it. What right does anyone have to judge me as a result? What right do I have to judge another?
The media and self-help gurus devote reams of information to how to make and keep resolutions and ultimately it is each individual’s personal decision, strength and level of commitment, or the lack thereof, that keeps him or her on the desired path of change.
How these resolutions can be achieved is not for me or anyone else to say, especially in a world that has so many distractions, so many ways in which, wavering is possible and in a world that is also so forgetful as new things, new icons, new idols and commitments emerge on a second to second basis.
The level of commitment may then seem to be in direct proportion to the levels of competence and respect for humanity that exist today. When we really mean what we say and say what we mean, we may not need to re-enforce the need for commitment to anything at all.
Change is of course inevitable but when we try to change by someone else’s standards, be like someone else, and/or succumb to other people’s scrutiny, we try and change who and what we truly are, through unattainable, un-committable resolutions. The outcome is a residue of moral and emotional scars that need to be filled by forgoing ethical and humanitarian values and by making more resolutions which cannot be upheld. We end up falling into the viscous cycle of making promises that we will only inevitably, break
On the other hand, when we decide that change is incumbent, the resulting levels of commitment can be entirely different. In this case, resolutions may well be important because this means that we are trying to improve. When we recognize why we have resolutions and can determine whether this is being done for the benefit of others, because we are simply trying to fit in and conform by succumbing to societal dynamics, or whether the change is because we truly want to take resolute steps towards the betterment of our own futures, the level of commitment will be different, as will the outcome.
Our constant dissatisfaction and discontentment at the way we are may be why resolutions even exist. The superficial, vain and shallow existence we lead with no commitment to the real health issues, environmental issues, the complete lack of basic humanity and the condoning of superficial commitments from politicians and people in power, may increase our desire to want to improve our imperfect existence.
Only when we truly realize the totality of all these ethical improprieties which exist in our environment, can we do away with having temporary annual resolutions that distract us from the true realities of life.
When we realize the true causes of obesity, when the pharmaceutical industry stops poisoning the populations for profits , when governments realize that the poisons in our food, air and water are the causes of major illness and psychiatric problems, when we stop believing in fairy tales we hear about food, medicine, potential cures and the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; in other words, when we come face to face with the reality that we call life and the real causes of illness, obesity, addiction and escapism, we may be able to do away with the need for annual resolutions that keep us temporarily and momentarily pacified.
I honestly think the New Year’s resolution is an under-committed and over-rated phenomenon that is only observed because someone somewhere says so and the real resolutions are the ones we ignore the most.
But I can do nothing about it because we are brainwashed into believing that we need to have New Year’s Resolutions.
It would be like I was single handedly trying to end the cold war; except that this involves the recognition of the lack of moral and ethical values along with a complete ignorance of the real issues like illness, greed, racism, prejudice, poverty and war that need to be dealt with from a social, economic, political, global and most of all, humanitarian point of view.
When we have the real ‘kahunas’ to recognize and call a spade a spade and when we can choose not to ignore what we do not want to know of, maybe we will see the demise of the need for annual pacifiers we call resolutions.
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