Common Sense for President

2004-03-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

If anyone is paying attention...and no one seems to be...you've probably noticed that I haven't posted in quite a while. First of all, this month has been a little crazy. My roommate has been a guest of the county for the last 30 days, reminding me once again of the craziness of some of the laws in this country. I've also been busy trying to get a job. So now I have one at about 1/2 of what I used to make...but at least it's a job.

But...mostly...I've realized that it is impossible to conduct an independent (particularly MONEY-independent) campaign in this country. I hate that...but it's the truth.

So, thanks to those of you who've supported this effort. I'd say use your heads when you vote, but you wouldn't have been on this side of the fence in the first place if you weren't thinking for yourselves. I wish we could find a way to get the rest of the country to do the same, but it isn't likely to happen.

I'm disgusted enough with the whole state of affairs that I may allow them to turn me into that which I hate. I am currently examining the laws to run for office in Northampton County. I don't want to "pay my dues" in politics, but I find that I really do want to make a difference. I guess maybe I just have to think on a smaller scale, even though that's not my choice.

2004-02-24T08:13:00.000-08:00

Putting the "roots" back into grass roots. Contact info: ekstra@msn.com (Edith Rudy) Click on "Archives" and scroll to the first post for the platform.
Tell your friends about this site...PLEASE!

Well, Dumbya's started his re-election campaign. My roommate guesses that he'll "find" Bin Laden just in time to assure his re-election. And I thought I was the cynic!

Nader's thrown his hat into the ring again. I'd almost like to chastise him...but I certainly can't. I wish there was some way that we could throw out the politicians altogether and let a few dedicated people try the job for a few years.

What I really wish is that the American public would quit worrying about "national" security, and start worrying about themselves, instead of letting their politicians decide what's good for them and what isn't.

Drop the bread and circuses. Get over American Idol, and My Big Fat Obnoxious whatever, and start examining your own lives. You know, if Americans quit watching this crap they might stop running it.

Don't want to descent into a rant...so I think I'll go contact the Nader campaign and see what's happening there.

2004-02-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

Putting the "roots" back into grass roots. Contact info: ekstra@msn.com

I've been listening to Kerry a lot in the last few days...and I simply can't warm to him. I admit to being a die-hard fan of the movie "Dave", where a presidential look-alike runs the country while the president lies dying. The problem with Kerry is that he sounds like the look-alike sounded when he was intentionally caricaturing the president, rather than actually acting AS the president. It's as if someone said to Kerry, "This is how you look and sound presidential", but then didn't tell him to cut back a little bit.

Kerry is probably a better bet than Bush, but we're still talking two sides of the same coin. He strikes a note with middle class America, but he has no real clue, any more than does Bush, of what it's like to live within a budget, of what it's like to work several jobs, of what it's like to worry about "latchkey" kids. And until we have someone (or, better yet, a LOT of someones) in this job and in Congress that can relate to this, we don't have a prayer of helping the "underclass" of society.

Please pass this site on to others...we need the publicity!

THANKS

2004-02-13T07:02:00.000-08:00

Putting the "roots" back into grass roots. Contact info: ekstra@msn.com

No rant today.

We appear to be losing steam, rather than building momentum. Yesterday a good friend told me to get rid of my delusions of grandeur and jump on the Democratic bandwagon. One thing is certain...if I do try to get ballot access, it will be in states that are almost "guaranteed" to go Republican. I certainly don't want to do anything that might screw up our chances of getting rid of Dumbya, Asscroft, et al.

But I still haven't heard anyone ask any of the candidates those two big questions. Why is worth all the money you're spending? What do your contributors expect from you if you win? When I hear those asked, particularly of Bush, I'll consider dropping the whole thing. But not until then, in any way, shape, or form.

I do have a couple of links today. One is to a "presidential match" site (by aol and Time). After taking this, I found that Kucinich has the closest match to my beliefs, followed closely by Kerry. Dumbya scored a whopping 12 out of a possible 100 points. (Kucinich, for the record, matched to 100%...pretty scary.)

www.presidentmatch.com

Click on "Q&A" to get the questions.

And, to find out how your beliefs stack up against leaders ranging from Gandhi to Hitler, try the following:

www.politicalcompass.org

Click on "Take the test"

That's all for now...I have to go think about this Kucinich thing.

2004-02-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

Putting the "roots" back into grass roots. Contact info: ekstra@msn.com

Time, perhaps, for a bit of clarification. First of all, if you're looking for "appeal" to a particular "segment" of voters, go somewhere else. The great thing about being an independent candidate is that I know I'm not going to appeal to any group...and I can therefore speak my mind on issues without worrying about who I'm likely to "offend".

That said, for those who wonder why some of the ideas in my platform seem "controversial".

Well, it's because we, in this country, like to stick our heads in the sand. We think that if we pretend hard enough that something doesn't exist, we don't have to acknowledge that it does. Let's turn a blind eye towards all the illegal gambling; let's pretend that prostitution doesn't exist. Let's put all sorts of punishment in place for doing stupid (read "illegal") things.

OK, here's the deal. As the platform states, if you are a victim of your own stupidity, it's your problem. If you're stupid enough to drink too much and then try to operate an automobile, don't blame the makers of the beer or whiskey when you go to trial. If you're stupid enough to smoke, don't sue the tobacco manufacturers. STUPIDITY is a personal choice that has nothing whatsoever to do with ignorance. If you decide to do something stupid, you should have to waive all your rights with regard to the act. I don't believe that the states have any right to pass seatbelt laws. But if you're dumb enough to drive without the seatbelt, or operate a motorcycle without a helmet and proper clothing, then you should not be able to sue anyone when you're injured in an accident. YOU made the choice. If you are dumb enough to believe that the guy on TV offering you "Cash now" for a settlement designed to help you through many years really has YOUR best interests in mind, then you probably deserve to find yourself penniless. If your only way to prove your self-worth is to air your dirty laundry in public on a talk or court TV show, then you need to examine your life pretty thoroughly. If you think the next winner on American Idol is worth voting for, but voting for the President of the United States isn't, you need to really examine your values.

OK, enough rant for today.

This is an experiment. Let's pass the word. Let's make our "leaders" responsible to US, not to their contributors.

How about this?...NOBODY gets campaign contributions. What a concept!!!

2004-02-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

Putting the "roots" back into grass roots. Contact info: ekstra@msn.com

A thread on a discussion group got me thinking about the ways we view our government. The following quotation is from Notes on Virginia, and was written by Thomas Jefferson.

The spirit of the times may alter, will alter. Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless...From the conclusion of this war (American Revolution) we shall be going down hill. It will not then be necessary to resort every moment to the people for support. They will be forgotten, therefore, and their rights disregarded. They will forget themselves in the sole faculty of making money, and will never think of uniting to effect a due respect for their rights. The shackles, therefore, which shall not be knocked off at the conclusion of this war, will be heavier and heavier, till our rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion.

This is one of the most prophetic of the quotes I've read from our founding fathers.

Let's look at it a piece at a time:
"Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless." If the results of the last few elections in this country don't back that up, not much will. Elections have become entertainment, rather than the exercise of free choice. The scandals that continuously rock our governmental institutions are a disgrace...but they are our own fault!
"We shall be going down hill". I believe, actually, that we went uphill for quite a while, but we are certainly going down now.
"They will be forgotten, therefore, and their rights disregarded." Ask Asscroft. As far as he's concerned, we don't have any rights other than those which he would allow us. And we let him get by with it!
"They will forget themselves in the sole faculty of making money, and will never think of uniting to effect a due respect for their rights." We all seem to think that we live in a booming economy. But the minimum wage is too low to make a living. "Millionaires" are plentiful, but a million doesn't go as far as it used to. According to the Atlantic, salaries of CEO's run about 400 to 1 vs the lower portion of their organizations. That's obscene, to put it politely. And, in our chase after the almighty dollar, few of us are willing to organize to keep the rights guaranteed to us by the U.S. Constitution and its first ten amendments. Amazing that the piece of the Bill of Rights that we hear the most about is the one that gives us the privilege of keeping weapons with which we can kill those we don't like.
"...till our rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion." I think he was a little off here. They've been killed off slowly. The question now arises, do we take them back in a convulsion, or do we just lie here in a coma and let them die?

I am, I admit, guilty of what I call "Peter Finch" syndrome. I have to get as mad as hell before I do anything about anything. That's really what led to this campaign in the first place. We all know we're going to hell in a handbasket, but most of us aren't angry enough yet to do anything about it.

So how do we get around this? What can we do to "raise the consciousness" (shades of the 60's!) of the American public?

Do we ALL have to get mad? Or just enough of us to effect a majority?

Your help is needed. Not with contributions...but with action. Pass this site around. Let your friends know. Sign up as an elector...ballot access means a lot.

THANKS

2004-01-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

Putting the "roots" back into grass roots. Contact info: ekstra@msn.com

I intended to revamp the platform, with fewer rants. But it actually states my positions pretty well, with a couple of omissions and additions that I'll put here.

And the rants, for whatever reason, appear to be the "drawing card" for many people. So they're going to stay there.

We need a couple of additional words on education. Education, by the US Constitution, is left specifically to the states. BUT...to a large degree, it is federally funded, and where federal money goes the national government should have some say. But federal "intervention" or "interference" or whatever you want to call it, should be realistic. I put three children through school in Chicago. My daughter spent 8 years in the Archdiocese's schools, then graduated from a public high school with an International Baccalaureate diploma. Both my sons went to public schools, and were enrolled in gifted programs throughout their time there. (My youngest spent his senior year in Pennsylvania, and graduated from high school in PA.) The older son spent one year in the same IB program in which his sister had participated, then was accepted at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a residential high school in Joliet that drew students from all over the state. This institution was funded primarily by the Illinois legislature. All of these programs were designed to keep their students interested and challenged.
I hear a lot from people who believe that programs such as these are "elitist", and should therefore be last on the list of budgeted items. Bright kids, they figure, don't need any extra help, because they will always succeed. From personal experience, I can tell you that this is not so. Many of these students are introverted, and, these days, they tend to be stuffed into lockers. Meanwhile, if we suggest that schools cut sports programs, we are soundly booed from all sides. And the true "elitist" programs are often the sports programs. Athletically gifted children are pushed through the academic program, whether or not they have learned even the most basic skills. As recently as a year or so ago, a high school footballer in Bethlehem PA was arrested for drunk driving. He was allowed to continue playing, because no one wanted to take a chance on messing up his chances for a pro career. The only lesson he learned was that, as a star, he was above the law. This is the true elitism. So, if we're going to fund programs on a federal level, let's take a hard look at what we're funding. As the original platform states, let's realize that kids learn differently, and let's try to work with all of them to take them to their own greatest levels.

Call for electors:
Please contact me if you are willing to serve as an elector in your state. You don't even have to vote for me, assuming that we get ballot access in the first place!

2004-01-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

Putting the "roots" back into grass roots. Contact info: ekstra@msn.com

Thanks, Tim Higgins, for the interview.

Today I'm starting the really hard part of this thing...trying to get straight on the laws of the various states. It looks as though before we actually start with nominating petitions, I'll have to file a statement of intent with each state. In most cases, I'll also need the names of people who are willing to serve as electors. (So that's how that works!)

SO...

If you are willing to serve as an elector with votes pledged to this movement, please let me know. The number of electors varies by states, and we need lots of them. As I hear from a sufficient number of people in each state, I'll file the statements, and then we'll start getting the nominating petitions out. The states vary...some have forms, some say simply that the State must approve the form.

Please note the following:
Though the "movement" is known as Common Sense, we are NOT going to try to form a political party by that name. Hence, any nominating petitions circulated anywhere should simply list "independent" or "no party". Starting a political party that is recognized by the laws of this country requires money, fiscal statements, auditors for the statements, etc.

2004-01-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

Putting the "roots" back into grass roots.
Contact info: ekstra@msn.com

I was surprised by the Kerry win in the Iowa caucuses. But I wonder what would have happened if Dean had stayed in Iowa.
Of all the Democratic hopefuls, the one I was "rooting" for was Carole Moseley Braun. Having lived in Chicago, I believe her to be a public servant as well as a politician. I was disappointed, though not surprised, that she dropped out of the race. I think the others would have made it their business to bury her.
That said, there are two Democratic "big names" that I would love to have working with us if anything ever came of this effort. The first is Ms. Braun...I would give her the choice of HUD or HEW, and take recommendations from her as to other appointees. The other name came up yesterday in a conversation with close friends, as well as in the news. And that name is Jimmy Carter. This is a man who has worked unfailingly since leaving office to better the lives of thousands of people around the globe, one house at a time. Boy, would I like him as the Secretary of State.
Have another nibble from the press...so I'm going to call this quits for today and try to reach the person with whom I'm playing phone tag.

2004-01-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

Some really good news...got an email from an attorney on the West Coast yesterday. It's really good to know that the message is getting across the country!

THANKS!

Contact info: ekstra@msn.com

Wow...all those cabinet posts. And who to fill them? Now THERE'S a question. Especially since such appointments have to pass through a partisan Congress.

Well, to start, we need to get some really good heads together to work on how we might plan to put some of the proposals into effect. I'm not going to name names at this point. But one of my old bosses is the best person I've ever seen at bringing order out of chaos, and I would have him involved, particularly with the budget and IRS reviews. I know some excellent educators, including people who have worked with gifted kids and people who have worked with kids who are in "juvie". I know some excellent attorneys; men and women who believe that justice is the aim of law, not profiteering and finding someone to "blame" for everything from our own clumsiness to our own stupidity. I know people who have been intimately involved with the space program for years. My father was military, but I don't personally know, at this point, who I would want working on Defense. I can think of several standing representatives whose views would make them excellent champions of HEW. And I'd really like to get some advice from several authors who have outstanding views of society and its problems, including, but certainly not limited to, Bill Bryson, Sheri Tepper, several other science fiction authors (science fiction has the advantage of being able to view today as history, and often provides excellent perspective), and, perhaps, Al Franken and/or Michael Moore, both of whom have taken potshots at society, but generally well-placed potshots.

In short, I'd like to select advisors who are bright, without mega-ego problems, and who can work together and separately to solve the problems of this nation. Anybody looking for a power base is automatically disqualified...we have enough of that already.

One of the questions that didn't make it on to the interview the other night ran along the lines of "Don't you think people might think you're doing this for your 'fifteen minutes of fame'?" People who know me know better. If I saw anything in the current crop of candidates that could make me believe that things would be better if they were in office, this whole thing wouldn't be happening. If I saw anybody else out there trying to do anything like this, it wouldn't be happening. I always said that I'd rather design a best-selling game than write a best-selling book, because there wouldn't be any public pressure to do it again. Another question asked was "Where do you think the Common Sense movement will be in 5 years?" The answer: In someone else's hands, I sincerely hope. If I'm still trying to do this, it will mean that I've become a politician. And I don't want to become that which I dislike.

Politicians are not necessarily public servants; public servants are not necessarily politicians.

2004-01-16T06:47:00.000-08:00

A little bit of background:

I was born and raised in the largely unreconstructed southeast. Somehow my parents managed to teach me to judge people individually, in spite of their own biases. I went to Michigan State University, starting in 1966. There is an almost "mythic" quality to the sixties: everyone was into free love, everyone was a hippie, everyone experimented with drugs. Well, I didn't do any of those things. I went to MSU with blinders on, and they stayed on for most of my time there. The people that I knew didn't do drugs...they went to class. As for hippies, I worked at the Student Union, and the hippies were great entertainment. There was a group that would come in, buy a 15 cent Coca-Cola, and then take up an entire table with endless discussions about not much of anything...for hours.
Hippies reminded me a lot of Beatniks. There were a few leaders, and a whole lot of followers, as there are with any "movement". People today tell me they're part of the "counterculture", but, for the most part, they're still followers, doing the same things their leaders do. So I believe that these movements represent a different culture, but not necessarily a counterculture.
True nonconformists are those who think for themselves...those who are not swayed by the influence of others...those who reach their own conclusions about the way they should live their lives based on their own experiences and their observations of the world around them.

Tomorrow I'll try to work a little bit on the type of people we would like advising us on national affairs.

THANKS...and please pass the site on to others.

2004-01-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

I guess some people would be insulted...I've now been called a "stinking liberal". Well, I'm not insulted, and that's a "label" I'll wear proudly.

I've been happily surprised...the emails I've received have been universally supportive, except for that one person. I don't think he read through the platform very well, since he said my ideas would "put more people out of work". I'm not sure how a jobs program would put people out of work...but hey, he's entitled to his opinion, just as I am entitled to mine.

Simply put, it's time to fire some politicians, and hire some genuine public servants.

I've also been contacted by a local newspaper, and hope there'll be some more publicity soon.

2004-01-15T06:09:00.000-08:00

Well, since we're actually starting something now, I'll start posting to this site on a regular basis.

Thanks to WFMZ TV 69 (Allentown) for the interview yesterday. I was very happy with the editing job the station did...I didn't come off sounding crazy, and they presented my views as I spoke them. The only thing we covered on the economy was the fact that I think those with high incomes should pay high taxes...nothing on job creation or education. Still, there's only so much that'll fit into a 2-minute spot, even after half an hour of "chatting". And the finished product was a fair representation of our views.
I really thank the station for starting the interview with the big question.

Just for a minute, try to think what the government could do if there was a president in the White House with no obligations to anyone but the American public. What could we accomplish, as a nation? Better yet...what couldn't we accomplish? We often have an almost childish pride in the fact that we are Americans...how much better if there was a real basis for that pride, not based on being the new bully on the block, but on being the good Samaritan.

I also thank those who sent me emails after the interview. Your support and good wishes are truly appreciated.

I will be adding a link to a petition to this site within the next few days. Please print it, sign it, circulate it, etc...and we might actually be able to get this grass roots thing making a difference.

THANKS

2004-01-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

Having received some valuable criticism from friends, the platform will be updated shortly, with fewer "rants" and more hard proposals.

2003-11-28T04:06:00.000-08:00

PLEASE...if you view this site, pass the link on to your friends, and ask them to do the same. This is the only way we'll get this in front of the American public.

And remember the big question...

Why are the candidates willing to spend millions upon millions of dollars for a job that pays $400,000 per year?

What's WRONG with this picture?

2003-11-16T11:23:00.000-08:00

Platform:

Common sense: What a concept!

And not an easy one. It took me more than forty years to even begin to develop it.

Before we even go into who we are, let’s look at what we propose:

Foreign Policy: Who made us the world’s policeman? The WTC would probably still be standing if we did not insist on trying to determine how other people run their countries. A sovereign nation has the right to its own government, whether or not it is one of which we “approve”. The United Nations was founded, in part, to address issues of human rights around the world. Let the UN do its job. Let the Middle East solve its own problems. This does not mean that we should become isolationist. Alliances are important. Intervention, however, unless sanctioned by the UN, and unless enforced by a multinational coalition, is not.
Simply put, if the people of a sovereign nation suffer under a dictatorship and will not free themselves of it, it isn’t up to us to do so.

Economy & Taxes: The economy is a mess. Wall Street figures notwithstanding, the economy is a mess. Stocks are overvalued and many of the investments people have are hardly worth the paper on which they’re written. We look at the economy partially in terms of new housing starts and numbers of new automobiles produced. We need to look at it in terms of people for whom there is no affordable housing, and people who make their cars last, rather than trading them in every year or two.
The gap between rich and poor is getting larger. There seems to be a feeling of “entitlement” among some of the wealthy…an attitude of “I’m smarter, I’m faster, or I’m better looking and therefore I deserve more”. No one in this country is “entitled” to squander resources at the expense of others.
The so-called American Dream is way beyond many of our citizens. Low income families are often caught in a circle of poverty from which there is little hope of escape. That vicious circle leads to some of the other social problems that will be discussed further on.
So what can we do about it? We’ve tried the CCC, and VISTA, and the “Great Society”. None of them had very good results. What we need is a system that will help people help themselves. Families with children often cannot afford health care. Families with elderly dependents often cannot afford care. People who are illiterate or under-educated cannot get decent jobs.
OK, what do we import? Clothing, shoes, postcards, to name a few. Why? Mostly because they are made more cheaply overseas. Let’s take back some of that industry. Let’s open businesses as "work and learn" centers that make things US citizens want and need, and hire the “unhireables”. Every city has old warehouses or plants that are closed. So, the first order of business for the people starting these industries will be to clean them up. Paint. Fix. Bring them up to code. That alone will provide some job skills. As soon as they’re ready, set aside a room or two for dependents. Bring in your kids…and your grandparents. Let them interact. Set up a room as a homework center for older kids to come to after school. Set up a learning center for the adults as well. Two hours of every day away from the job, learning whatever is necessary…reading, basic arithmetic, computer skills, GED classes. The objective will be that within two years the original crew should all have moved on to better jobs, and new people can be brought into the program on a continuous basis.
Ah, but “who you gonna get to do the dirty work when all the slaves are free?” (Thank you, Joni Mitchell.)
There will always be low-tier jobs in this country, as there are everywhere. And somebody has to do them. The smiling faces that take your orders every day at restaurants, that take your money at the register, that stock the shelves of that expensive grocery store you like — most of these people make appallingly low wages. If they’re young people holding down a job while going to school, this is probably acceptable. But many people are caught in the trap of a lifetime of such jobs. A high-school dropout has little chance of real employment. And it’s easy to say “He/she shouldn’t have dropped out; therefore he/she deserves nothing.” Unfortunately, there are a lot of reasons people drop out and many of them have little to do with education itself. Most people I’ve met want to learn. But schools that are fortresses and teachers who are virtual prisoners of their classes are not overly conducive to learning. Schools that pass children who should be held back punish the rest of the kids due to the slowness of the process. Families that barely subsist on welfare may need the lousy minimum wage that the dropout can bring in, even while they know that they are perpetuating their problems. Just as no one in this country should be “entitled”, neither should anyone in this country be “economically disenfranchised”. (There has to be a better way to say that!)
One thing I’ve found after thirty years of working for companies of various sizes over the years. The companies that consistently rank the highest as places to work are those that care for their employees, and that allow the employees to participate in the company’s fortunes. (And I DON’T mean a “voluntary” profit participation plan…the lowest-paid employees can seldom afford to participate in these.) Companies that make employees stockholders after a period of a year or two always do better. First off, they command employee loyalty. Secondly, the employee has a stake in seeing that the company does well. That’s a powerful motivator.
Stock options are often available only at certain levels of management. But a clerk is just as important to the bottom line as a manager. The garbage collector is every bit as important as the route manager. The smiling face at the fast food restaurant is just as important to the success of the business as the CEO. But, while corporations almost always talk about the importance of their employees, they seldom put their money where their mouths are. It’s far easier to pay the CEO a 2 million dollar bonus. Why not pay the CEO one million, and divide the rest among the employees!
I doubt that we can legislate fair treatment of employees, but we can certainly legislate tax breaks for companies that treat their employees fairly. We can legislate tax breaks for companies that maintain their work forces rather than laying people off so that the CEO can get a large bonus. We can legislate tax penalties for companies that lay people off and pay out large bonuses…and we can legislate tax penalties on those bonuses. (Those higher taxes, I might add, would go into the unemployment funds. If you put people out of work and then collect a big bonus, you can damn well help take care of those people!)

And we’ll add taxes to this general discussion while we’re at it. Anyone making over 250,000 per year should pay 40% income tax. Period. Nobody NEEDS that kind of money to survive. Income in that bracket will be reduced only by charitable contributions…not by medical bills for elective surgery, not by interest payments on large estates, not by “paper” losses in the stock market.

I would propose an additional federal tax on premium fuel. Gas guzzlers may be great status symbols, but they’re lousy for the environment.

The IRS code will be completely reviewed by a team of NON experts. The “experts” have had their hands in it for years without producing any significant simplification.

The national budget will be reviewed line by line…again, by myself and a team of people with no political experience…people who have to live within a budget and know what it’s like to do so. Items we deem frivolous will be cut.

Morality, Abortion, Justice, Drugs, Gambling, etc.

We cannot legislate morality. What is moral to you may not be moral to me, and vice versa. I find it difficult to believe, but most of the people I’ve met who are against abortion seem to be fine with the death penalty. A woman’s right to choose is what we are talking about here. Abortion is not a choice that I would ever make…even if, by some miracle, I were to turn up pregnant now. (And trust me, it would take a miracle!...or some really advanced medical science!). But while this is not a choice I would make, it is certainly not a choice that I may make for someone else. I hate the thought that even a single pregnancy is terminated, but we cannot stop it. Abortions and abandoned babies have happened since the beginning of the human race. Perhaps those who are so totally against the procedure feel that the woman deserves to die at the hands of an illegal abortionist. If so, we are again dealing with the dichotomy…it’s OK for her to die, but not the unborn child. While we may weep for these children, we would, in many cases, weep more later for the circumstances under which they would live.

We tried once, in this country, to legislate morality. The Volstead Act (aka Prohibition) resulted in a public that consumed more alcohol than it ever had, and the rise of gangs and organized crime to an unprecedented level. That scenario is being repeated today. Violence is on the rise, and with only a little work, the law-enforcement community can make nearly every violent act “drug-related”.

And, of course, the “war on drugs” is lost. Absolutely, utterly, totally, completely LOST. So for Pete’s sake, let’s quit fighting it!

There is little doubt in my mind (from observation) that prolonged use of any drug is harmful. (That includes some over-the-counter and prescription drugs, for the record.) The question is…who does it harm? The user, generally.

I don’t know about Bill Clinton, but I can honestly say I never inhaled. I tried grass twice in the seventies, both times to keep an alcoholic husband from getting drunk (alcohol tended to make him a pain in the butt, but grass generally mellowed him). I TRIED to inhale, but the stuff was so raw that it made my throat hurt and my eyes water. To this day, I honestly don’t know how people can stand to smoke ANYTHING.

Let’s remember that you could buy cocaine in this country over-the-counter for years as a headache remedy.

All of it is addictive…even grass. If nothing else, you get “addicted” to the “high”…to the pleasant sensation of nasty reality fading away. But criminal?

I have long had a theory (held by a good many people) that the best way to deal with “vice” is to simply legalize it, regulate it, and tax the living daylights out of it. Legal marijuana would cost less than the street price, even if heavily taxed, and instead of spending money trying to stop the trade, the country would make money on it. What a concept!

Before I get a lot of letters about the heartbreak that drugs have caused in your family, please take a moment to reflect on how much of that heartbreak was caused by the laws, rather than the drugs. If you have lost a loved one to an overdose, what would have been different if he or she could have obtained the substance legally, in a controlled amount? If you have someone who is now a psychotic due to impurities in the drugs, what would have been the difference if there was quality control? Etc.

(For the record, I am probably one of the straighter people around. I don’t use drugs, and my alcohol consumption is light…the bartenders at the local will tell you that my limit is generally two per evening, after which I switch to pop [soda for those of you in some areas] so that I can drive home with a clear head. I seldom gamble…if I lose twenty bucks in the occasional trip to Atlantic City it’s been a big day for me. I don’t play bingo, and I seldom buy lottery tickets. But none of this means that I don’t understand that people want to do these things.)

In the same vein, we also have prostitution. Let’s license the prostitutes, and require clean bills of health. While we’re at it, however, let’s try to bring them off the streets and into brothels (if you will) which will also be required to teach them job skills so that they can get out of the business if they so desire. Clients will also need a clean bill of health (now just imagine trying to explain that to your doctor!). Bringing the business off the streets may also help cut down on the violence to which these people are subjected from both clients and “managers”.

Gambling is already legal, in some form or another, almost everywhere. If your state has a lottery, gambling has been legalized to a degree. If your church runs a bingo game, if your local bar has pull tickets, if there is parimutuel horse betting, your state has legalized gambling to some degree. So why should Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and the Native Americans get all the casino action? Why not just make it legal? If a bar owner in Pennsylvania wants to put in a slot machine, he or she should be able to do so. If a hotel in Atlanta would like to sponsor a leg of the World Poker Tour, it should be able to do so.

One of the things that the “moral majority” closes its eyes to is that these things all exist anyway. If they’re out in the open, several things happen. Money currently wasted chasing them down can be diverted to real criminal activity, i.e., crimes with VICTIMS. Money can be generated from them. Quality can be assured. And, as has been proven in countries with more liberal laws than we have, the problems themselves generally decrease. Why? Because, for many people, a good part of the enjoyment comes from the “thrill” of doing something illegal or forbidden. Additionally, over the years, it has generally been the vice departments of law enforcement agencies that are the most prone to corruption.

One additional note: after the repeal of Volstead, most of the breweries were licensed and back in business very quickly, regardless of who was running them by that time. The bathtub gin houses, however, pretty much disappeared (moonshine stills being the probably exception). Drugs, however, are a different business. Marijuana primarily requires only harvesting. Cocaine, meth, crack, ecstacy and other street drugs require more processing. Licenses to produce or sell would not be granted to anyone with a record of arrests for anything more than possession and or possession with intent to sell, nor to anyone with a record of possession with intent who was known to be selling to children. We have still not figured out how to keep alcohol and tobacco out of the hands of minors, but we have taken steps to try. The same sort of laws need to be put into effect with drugs. Selling to a minor must have consequences.

And by the way, people, putting up a sign that says “drug-free school zone” is an invitation. Who are you trying to kid?

I would also recommend a general pardon for those serving time for simple possession. If there was a plea bargain to get the simple possession charge, the cases would be reviewed. If there was no violence and no victim, I would recommend the pardon. Let’s keep the prisons for criminals.

Health coverage: This is the one that’s going to get me in trouble even if the last one didn’t. Like it or not, it’s time to socialize medicine, as most of the forward-looking countries of the world have done. The doctors won’t like this one, but since all the doctors I know routinely complain about current practices, we may as well try something. Medical treatment in this country is either unavailable, or in the hands of the insurers rather than the doctors. (Personal note: I had a broken wrist several years ago. The doctor told me that I needed a minimum of 12 sessions of physical therapy to try to return some strength to it. So he told the HMO that I needed 24. Sure enough, they approved 12. There is something inherently WRONG here.) Further, doctors need to be protected from frivolous malpractice suits. One of the problems of retirement is that I am occasionally exposed to daytime TV. The ad time seems to be the bailiwick of ambulance chasing attorneys, get rich quick schemes, and charlatans who will give you “cash now” for a settlement meant to help you over a number of years. Apparently anything at all that is wrong with you can be traced to a doctor or an employer and your kindly attorney will see to it that you get all that is coming to you. Sorry, people, but if you have a congenital condition and you are stupid enough to pass it along to a child because you feel you have the right to reproduce it, it’s your own fault if the child has a birth defect. Not the doctor’s! If you fall off a ladder because you’re standing on the level that says “Not a step” it’s not the manufacturer’s fault. If you use medication and then operate machinery and get hurt when the warnings say not to, it’s your fault. If you smoke in spite of all the warnings on the packages and you get lung cancer, it’s your fault. DEAL WITH IT!
So, we need a national health plan. How do we pay for it? For a start, let’s use some of that tax money from the vice stuff. People who are working should contribute, as they do now to company health care plans, but to the national plan instead. People who are not working currently get medical assistance; that will continue, but, with application of the work and learn centers, they should become contributors as well.

Education:
Well, folks, for a start, not everyone is brilliant. There’s a reason for the term “average”. If everyone brought home all “A’s” there would be something very wrong with the system.
And, though I don't currently have the numbers, I am appalled by the numbers of children who are on Ritalin or similar drugs to "help" them. Then we turn around and tell them drugs are bad. Many of these drugs are more useful to the teachers (keeping order) than to the children. There are always going to be kids who just don't pay attention. That doesn't necessarily mean that they need drugs.
The fact that not everyone is brilliant does NOT mean that “my kid can beat up your honor student” should be ANYONE’s philosophy. (Remember Columbine? Whether or not the shooters were honor students, they were misfits, and misfit kids have a horrible time in school.) Lessons on treating others with respect need to begin at home.
Test prep is NOT education. Schools that concentrate on test prep all too often teach their kids to regurgitate rather than to learn. Learning is a process. Students need to be able to internalize the lessons. Perhaps the history teacher is dull. Maybe the kid doesn’t see a need for the course. I know many people who tell me they’ve never used algebra. But ask them how long it takes to get to Chicago, and they’ll figure it out based on the miles, the miles per hour they figure they can make, and the number of stops they think they’ll need. True teaching requires that kids learn, not just memorize. And some of that requires that we learn how kids learn. Because they don’t all learn the same way. My daughter and I tend to think in words; my older son in numbers, and my younger son used to think graphically. (He’s so into computers that these days he may think in code!) I learn best from taking a manual and tinkering until I get the results I need. In school, I learned from reading. I can still occasionally “see” an illustration from a biology book if I need to identify something. Some kids learn from reading; some from doing; some from listening. Most kids learn from a combination of some or all of these. But we need to recognize that not every child learns the same way. And we need to allow for this.
The problems of our schools will not be fixed by any single administration. We also need to remember that children need an education, not just training. (The same is true of the “work and learn” centers.) A classical education may not be everyone’s “cup of tea” but some simple foundations in philosophy (western, eastern, African, middle eastern, native American, etc.) will help everyone to understand how human beings have developed. Colleges these days are pretty good training centers, but many of them fail at education.

Guns:
Personally, I hate them. But that is personal. I recognize the right of US citizens to carry arms. I do not, however, believe that this right extends to paramilitary armament. I would love to see some members of the NRA form a “splinter” group that maintains a reasonable approach to gun control, as the current NRA lobby is, I hope, a little too radical for many NRA members. Licensing is not a bad thing, people, nor are psychological evaluations.

Environment/Energy:

This is tough, especially since I already said I want us to keep our noses out of other countries’ business. I’m not a “tree-hugger” but I believe I have a fairly balanced view…with one big caveat. A simple look at the energy consumption in the world shows this country as way out of line. We are energy pigs! Here we go back to that entitlement thing again. We are NOT entitled to use more of the energy than we deserve. I don’t like to say this, and it won’t be popular, but is there really going to be a crisis if your lawn isn’t perfectly green? Is it really necessary to use an electric can opener? (FYI, I have arthritis, and I use a manual…it’s made to be usable by arthritics.) Do your clothes really have to be washed after every wear? (Probably, if you sweat a lot, but probably not if you just put on a shirt to go out for the evening.) Do you really need a shower every day? (Probably, at some times of the year, probably, if you are working a heavy labor job; probably not if you are working in an office.) Is it absolutely necessary to leave the TV on while you run out for groceries? What’s the possibility of turning some of the heat from your dryer back into the house to cut down on heating bills? Do you really need a gas-guzzling SUV, or is it just a status symbol? And, to the oil companies, is it really necessary that you should also be the ones to control solar and other alternative energy sources?
We need to work on alternative sources of energy, and on vehicles that run on alternative fuels. We need to develop an alternative to the internal combustion energy. It is my sincere hope that one day we will be able to look back on the road-building of the twentieth century as an era of silliness, because we will have found alternative means of travel, whether they be individual air cars (a la Dick Tracy) or something along the lines of the Segway…whatever. Carpooling has been mostly a no go, so most of the cars on the road still only have one person in them. Carpooling is rough when nobody knows for sure what time they’ll be able to leave work. So we need, perhaps, to develop vehicles designed for one person…perhaps a “commuter car” that will take you from the house to the station, and take up very little room once it gets there.
We also need to bring back trains. I live in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. We are 76 miles from New York City, and about 60 from Philadelphia. This area serves, in part, as a “bedroom” community for both of these metropolises. Yet we have no trains. No commuter lines into either city. One has to drive about 20 to 30 miles into New Jersey before it’s possible to pick up a train to NYC; about 20-30 miles south before it’s possible to pick one up to Philly. This is ridiculous. The alternative is to take a bus (leaving about 6 am) to get to NYC for a 9 o’clock start. Commuter lines should be established within a 100-mile radius of all large metro areas, in any direction necessary. In most cases, the track already exists, but is either abandoned or the sole use is by freight and Amtrak.

In Oregon, I have seen entire mountainsides that have been clearcut. For some strange reason, mudslides in these areas have increased. The US Forest Service has, I believe, totally abdicated its interests to those of the logging industry. The Forestry schools are at least in part to blame for this, as they tend to teach forestry from a logging point of view. Clearcutting destroys entire habitats. Selective cutting is always an option, but it is expensive for the logging companies. I agree that there is valuable timber in the national forests that should be harvested before the trees die of old age. However, cutting in national forests should always be selective, with the forest able to regenerate itself. If the Forestry Service does not agree with this, then cutting should be banned.

Those are the basics. I’ll tackle other issues as they come up.

2003-11-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

The Really Big Question

The job of President of the United States of America pays $400,000 per year. This is less than a lot of CEO's make.

So what makes this job worth spending more than $100 MILLION dollars to get it?
The only possible answer...the POWER. The power to hand out contracts, to name judges, to see that your VP's corporation gets to "rebuild" Iraq without any bidding...
Remember Machiavelli?
"Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Anyone willing to spend millions of dollars on this campaign has no business using the word "honesty" in any speech or ad.

The next post will contain the platform, so far.

2003-11-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

My name is Edith Rudy. (Contact me at ekstra@msn.com)

Politics, I believe, has been in the hands of politicians for WAY too long.

Let's take back the government. Let's find jobs for Americans, and work on educating all our children better. Let's tax those who can afford it. Let's stop giving tax breaks to corporations and executives who take huge bonuses while laying people off.

This page has our platform.

There's no real name for us...we don't have a party, we don't have a budget, we won't accept your contributions (because we have a feeling you're going to need every penny you can get!), and we will campaign only on the Net unless someone in the media somewhere picks up on this and asks us to speak publicly. For the moment, however, we'll be known as the "Common Sense" party.