As flawed as the Constitution was when written, one must grant the genius
of the founders with the tripartite concept of governance. Although peopled
with individuals with the same biases and prejudices as generally held by the
founders, the judicial branch of government has slowly, and continues to
evolve, as the protector of innate rights never assumed by the founders.
Every so often, the spirit of the words of the Declaration of Independence,
rather than the political document, the Constituti…
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Added by okhela on May 28, 2009 at 10:15am —
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I have no legal training but it seems to me the current AIG mess reveals
an informative resolution of a clash of values. All of the discussion about
a contract to pay executives regardless of performance has never mentioned
the interests of stock holders. Individuals who invest in companies do so
for a return on their investment. When there are profits, they expect a return
on their investment. If a company fails to return a profit, or loses money, it
seems to me that it is theft to reward those…
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Added by okhela on March 16, 2009 at 8:44pm —
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I watched some of the discussion of the NGA on the state of
healthcare and what must be done. I was immediately reminded
of a conversation I had with my primary care physician nearly 20
years ago. He was an excellent doctor and one of the few I've had
in my life I actually listened to. Of course, part of the reason for that
was he took the time to listen to me. But, we talked about his
frustration with the direction of his profession and the financial
pressures he was experiencing.
A few years e…
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Added by okhela on February 23, 2009 at 1:15pm —
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The Wall Street Journal has an editorial worth noting for those who support Senator Obama. One need not hold the Journal's political or economic biases to recognize some of the wisdom inherent in it's cautions.
Hopefully, Democrats will recall from their own experience in the past and the more recent experience of the Republican Party how easily those in power can be corrupted by electoral power. Protecting members of one's party who abuse the trust of the people destroys the legitimacy of the P…
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Added by okhela on October 17, 2008 at 4:44pm —
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I've been aware of Mr. Gergen for a while as a Republican operative. I was surprised when he was offered and accepted a position in the Clinton administration. Although not a fan of Bill Clinton, I am becoming more impressed with his decision to have Mr. Gergen as an adviser. Mr. Gergen has been tapped as a political commentator on CNN. I share his cautious view of the immediate future of America's political scene. He may not say it as I would, but the extremely fragile social fabric of America…
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Added by okhela on October 10, 2008 at 12:24am —
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I agree with the apparent consensus that Senator Obama gave the most impressive performance in the second presidential debate. Of the two major party candidates, he has presented the most palatable choices to the American electorate.
I also agree with the political commentator, David Gergen, that the corrosive impact of race in the contest will probably not be accurately gauged until the election.
I remain sickened that the American people would continue to accept the usurpation of the electoral…
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Added by okhela on October 8, 2008 at 8:51am —
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Sarah Palin acquitted herself well contrary to the anticipation of her detractors. I believe her performance will endear her to the Republican base. For many, she won the debate because she didn't embarrass herself.
I was not a impartial observer, but I'd like to believe I was a fair listener.
On issues of substance, I believe Biden was clearly the most persuasive. For all of the Republican candidates' efforts to distance themselves from the policies of the current administration, it was obvious…
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Added by okhela on October 3, 2008 at 5:24am —
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It is difficult to make heads or tails of the issues in the current potential
economic "meltdown". Even reputable economic pundits from the right
and left of the spectrum offer opinions one might not expect from their
fundamental economic premises. As I flounder through the information
which has been allowed to surface, it is clear to me that a significant
amount of the "rot" in the economic system has not risen to the surface.
The current patch being offered as the potential cure for the proble…
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Added by okhela on October 1, 2008 at 2:16am —
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From the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas website:
"Free enterprise is the freedom of individuals and businesses to operate
and compete with a minimum of government interference or regulation. It
enables individuals and businesses to create, produce, transform, develop, innovate and compete in the marketplace."
Unfortunately, there is no free enterprise in the political arena. The American political arena is a monopoly of two parties. This situation is not established in law except for the fact t…
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Added by okhela on September 28, 2008 at 5:50pm —
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An over riding impression I had was how difficult I find to reconcile McCain's campaign message of change with the positions he proffered during the debate. In fact, when listening to McCain's positions, he positioned himself not only with the past, but he championed "more of the same".
As I listen to early analyses of the debate, I have heard no analysis which points out this element of the debate. My take on that is that Americans are uncomfortable with substantive change. It's apparently a go…
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Added by okhela on September 27, 2008 at 8:00am —
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If Senator Barack Obama is truly for change in international affairs, I would
expect to hear him tonight propose a seismic change in US international policy.
I would expect to hear him propose 100% support of the mission of the United
Nations. That proposal would be followed by a commitment to disband the treaty
organizations created by the United States which have contributed so much to
problems faced by the world; NATO, SEATO; et al.
One of the most important facets of the UN commitment would…
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Added by okhela on September 26, 2008 at 8:16pm —
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President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared again on the Larry King
Show. I like President Ahmadinejad. I don't agree with all of his positions, but
in contrast to his American counterpart, he demonstrates a grasp of history.
It is difficult for me to imagine the American president answering equivalent
questions without resorting to canned answers couched in American swagger.
My guess is that most Americans who watched this appearance viewed it through
the current American propaganda, which…
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Added by okhela on September 24, 2008 at 6:37am —
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My wife and I bought our first home in 1963. She was pregnant with our second son which she was sure was going to be a daughter. We had both worked hard and saved to purchase a place to call our own. When we looked for a house, initially we looked for a house which we could partition to make an apartment which we reasoned could assist us in making mortgage payments. But, we agreed without words, when we found the house we finally bought that "this was it".
We had had discussions about what we wa…
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Added by okhela on September 15, 2008 at 12:09pm —
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These quotes are so important in an atmosphere where Americans are considering the question of "change". While I have little faith that any fundamental change will occur, "hope springs eternal".
However, the world view held by so many Americans, a hierarchical view with America at the top, will prevent any substantive, fundamental, humane changes in America's domestic or foreign policy.
" ... the United States, for generations, has sustained two parallel but opposed states of mind about militar…
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Added by okhela on September 13, 2008 at 11:42pm —
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Ron Paul, Republican representative from Texas, and former candidate
for the presidency of the US, appeared on the National Press Club today.
He appeared with 3 candidates who remain in the running for the office. His
message was unambiguous, wake up America to what is happening in the
political arena in this country.
The 3 candidates who appeared with Paul agreed that the political arena in
the US is geared to offer no real alternative solutions but just nuanced
differences with no substantive…
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Added by okhela on September 11, 2008 at 8:38pm —
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I have taken Barack Obama at his word. he wants to bring a new kind of politics to the American people. I read into his words a desire for adult dialog and debate. I personally welcome what I consider his rational approach to the political fray. The stakes for this election are too high to be lost in the noise of "Swift Boat" clutter from either of the two major parties. However, as much as the American people protest for adult debate, their secret desire appears to continue to be gutter tactics…
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Added by okhela on August 31, 2008 at 9:21pm —
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I spent a few minutes talking with a homeless veteran this morning. Another victim of the VA system. He has obvious mental health problems. I was immediately reminded of my own son's "care" in the VA system. Our short conversation took place in front of the Sheraton Detroit Riverside. It provoked some reflection on my part. From my vantage point, during the conversation, I could see a Cesar's Casino
among the shiny buildings in downtown Detroit. This was in stark contrast to the neighborhoods I…
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Added by okhela on August 9, 2008 at 10:30am —
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My sister is in the states for her July visit with mom. I had no idea what mischief she
would get in to when we picked her up at the airport.
Although my mother is the oldest survivor of my great grandmother's children, she is
not the oldest survivor of my great great grandmother's progeny. I have welcomed the
role of family historian for our branch of the People's family. In that role, I thought I
had already inherited all of the family memorabilia in her possession. So, what a surprise
yesterd…
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Added by okhela on July 24, 2008 at 11:00am —
2 Comments
A short time ago, a proposal was put forth to cancel the collection of the "gas tax" to assist Americans over the summer. The idea was categorized as irresponsible at the time but there were many politicians who saw advantage in supporting the idea. Today, the House is debating how to handle a severe shortfall in the Highway Trust Funds account. Without going into the raid on this "Trust" account as one of the strategies to mask the size of the federal deficit, the duplicity of some legislators…
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Added by okhela on July 23, 2008 at 11:35am —
1 Comment
I find the current argument about the status of the American surge of military commitment in Iraq interesting to say the least. It again relies on an infantile commitment to American patriotism. If a war, or more accurately, an invasion of another country was illegal from the start, what is there to be celebrating that you are being successful? When you are the invader, the parameters for success are your metrics not the people of the country you have invaded!
To the extent that the American peo…
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Added by okhela on July 21, 2008 at 7:13am —
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