Jim For Indiana State House: Visit My Web Page

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Jim For Indiana State House: Insanity, Politics and Albert Einstein

Jim For Indiana State House: Insanity, Politics and Albert Einstein: "The Albert Einstein quote on insanity is perhaps the most used and appropriate quote this election season. The idea that insanity is doing t..."

Insanity, Politics and Albert Einstein

The Albert Einstein quote on insanity is perhaps the most used and appropriate quote this election season. The idea that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results mirrors how we respond to the every two year election cycle. We bluster argue and demand change, yet when it comes down to the moment we fall back into the same old pattern. It would seem the fear of change leads us to believe we will waste our votes if we allow ourselves to cast it for the best qualified candidate instead of towing party lines. It would seem that the true statement that would define the insanity of politics would be the deviation from our principles and ideals to support a candidate based on party affiliation. An example would be to be of a christian conservative living in the 5th Indiana Congressional District yet they support Dan Burton as a fellow christian conservative. Aside from the affairs with Rebecca Hyatt, Claudia Keller and the at least on illegitimate child all of which he admitted to committing. Yet he is still supported with the fear that not voting for him will waste their vote. But they scream for him to go in the primary, voting 70% for other republican candidates yet now that the general election comes will he now be worth their vote? How does this happen? It is the insanity of politics, sooner or later it has to change even though it has been the same for 28 years. This is not just the 5th district it is the nation wide, the fear of wasting a vote, keeps the third party vote at bay. The fear that taking from the republicans will give to the democrats also add to this, but it would seem that if everyone who could not vote for Burton voted third party then the democrats would still be out voted and a better candidate realized. Yet the maddness continues and the path is often unchanged. If insaniy and politics are to be seperated it has to begin with the voters. Any vote that is cast for any reason but to put the best candidate into office is the real wasted vote.

Maybe Something Might Get Done

The rock group AC DC has a song appropriately labeled, "Who Made Who?" It makes one con cider in this current political climate exactly who did make who? Did the current politicians make this current climate by not doing what they were sent to either Washington D.C. or Indianapolis to do in representing us, or did we do it by allowing them to be in office for too long? In a campaign that has gone from back yard to back yard, farm to farm and every American Legion Post, VFW, Eagles, Moose Lodge and anywhere else people gathered that were interested in the idea of things getting better, they want change. The kind of change that comes from the voting public and not the candidates. A candidate can only get away with what the voters allow them to do, the power of the vote is much more powerful then the public is aware. And that is something that the ruling parties do not want you to know. If the attitude that the politicians work for the public was to return to politics it would be most disturbing to many sitting representative and senators. Just think the very idea they would have to interview each election with people who understand that they really have the power to fire the incumbent and do not have to hire either the democrat or republican, they can go outside of the box and hire or elect a third party candidate on the same limited basis as any other candidate. The result would likely be allot more attention paid to to work at hand and less to party politics. Maybe something might actually get done.

The Chaos of Alfred E. Newman

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what happens when words become not enough. As we spiral into the oblivion of financial debt and political turmoil there seem to be much blame flying around but little in the area of solutions. The current atmosphere reminds one of the old Mad Magazine and the realm of chaos that exists with-in its pages. I suppose that would indeed make Barrack Obama the current Alfred E. Newman the ever elusive icon who never seemed to grow with the rest of us, with his ever present slogan of "What me worry?" This is not only at the federal level it also exists at the state level as well.
A study by the University of Texas in 2006 publish a statistics correlation matrix on length of time in government verses government spending and found that the longer someone served in the senate or house the greater the spending. According to the available information this has raised on a steady incline through out the 20th century when being a politician has become a career and not a service to the electorate. This may very well be how the voting public was fixated on military service as an unofficial requirement for running for office in the first half of the 20th century. At a subconscious level they might have well understood how they needed a public servant and not a professional life long politician. This is why we need to take a very serious look at term limits to eliminate the career and reinstate public servant. The terms ideas may vary but a good start would be 8 years for the house and 12 years at the senate level both state and federal. the only reasoning for 12 years for senate would be that they run a 6 year term and that would allow for two terms. If the need for 20+ years in public life was felt to be a necessity it would not be in one office it would have to be earned and there would be a previous office to gauge how well or how bad a politician was. This has to be a priority to begin to salvage us from ourselves.

Ponder This

It is a never ending saga of human history that places us at the pivotal place that marks an ending or beginning of a personal understanding. In front of a post office on the sidewalk was an older couple representing the LaRouche group promoting the impeachment of Obmama. They were met with angry shouts and items being thrown from cars at them for using their first amendment right to legally (with a permit) protest and hand put literature. What prompted me to take serious notice was the plastic bottle coming from a mini-van that had a pro-obama bumper sticker and also one for supporting the idea of free speech. Later running into the same driver and after listening to a debate on the rights of the Westboro funeral protesters it was brought to the attention of the lady speaking about the water bottle incident where upon the following response was received, "They are defaming the greatest man to ever live and be president. The funerals are just for soldiers they cannot be compared." It then became clear that it is the idea of greatness the makes us differentiate whom is above the slings and arrows of free speech and who is not. Much like the monarchy of old, and it would be best not to say down with the king in the presence of poeple with no sense of humor to here it. But alas it was said. It has to be said that regardless of your stance on war the fallen have to be honored for theirs was a sacrifice that can not be duplicated or understood by most people. It would sufice to say that perhaps the statement was wrong in that it was a life given that gave the right for her to praise Obama, to sympathize with the Westboro Baptist Church and to disagree with the LaRouche people. It was also the life given that gave the LaRouche poeple the right to protest Obama and for the courts to rule on the free speech. But it also is a life that should be remembered with the respect given to it that in death empowered others to be given respect.

Almost there but still a disappointment

The time is fast approaching us as November 2nd is less then a month away. The senate race here in Indiana is a perfect example of the problem we have in modern politics. It is the never ending high school atmosphere where everything that happens is the fault of some else. If you look at the interview of Dan Coats with the Indianapolis Star you will read how everything happening now is the result of the Democratic leadership yet if you were to talk to Brad Ellsworth it is the fault of the republicans for not siding with the democrats. The us against them mentality that exists in government has got to go. The three most important things that are not talked about in this election are the budget, where the taxes are going and term limits / redistricting. The first two items go hand and hand and need someone to follow the money from the creation of the budget to the dispersal of the money. It would seem there is also a tendency to borrow from where there is a surplus to fill the lack of funds in another area. The problem is that the shortage is never addressed we borrow from any surplus to correct a budget problem and not a cash flow issue. It begins with going back over the budget and trimming the short areas and not the areas which remain with-in their allotted funds. We penalize those areas and departments which stay with-in budget by taking from their funds and give them to areas that cannot seem to get enough money. One way to combat this is to have a line by line vote and veto on all bills that go through legislation. this will help prevent the high dollar items from being tagged onto the end of bills so that it is ends up on major legislation that is a must pass that we get a large earmark added to the bill. Then to pass legislation that prevents money from being spent from area like pensions, social security unemployment to fill short falls in other areas of the budget. This actually would allow us to see what areas are either underfunded or overspending and adjust either the budget or to go through how the money is being spent and stop the leaks in the overspending.The last item is in two parts and would address a lot of the attitudes and problems with-in the state level and federal houses and senates. The first would be term limits, these would keep career politicians from forgeting who they are there to serve. Since many state have a cap on the governor for a linit of 8 years it would seem that that might also be a good cap for the house as well. It would mean that the representatives could serve for 4 terms and it would also give the public who have a good representative a good candidate for state senate. If each senator was limited to 12 years or two terms a person still could serve 20 years but they would have to ern each level not just walk into a job for life. This would also better serve a district that is made up of one solid county not bits and parts of three differnet counties with three different sets of issues. We have some counties that are part of three differnet house districts in the state but the districts themselves are made up of counties that are seperated by political party and not geography. This is the mentality we must get past, high school is over and it is time to be adults and do the job you were voted in to do.