Money Buys The US Presidency

It’s a sad but true reality. Money buys the US Presidency through advertising. Even a great candidate running with little money stands no chance.

Source: The Business of Running for President

Abe Lincoln wouldn’t win an election today. And either can Gary Johnson.

Which of the 2012 presidential hopefuls will be best at representing the needs of the citizens of the U.S.?

This is the most important question you can ask with the upcoming Presidential Election tomorrow.

The 1992 campaign slogan of Bill Clinton Putting people first poses the question: which of the 2012 presidential hopefuls will be best at representing the needs of the citizens of the U.S.? Though ultimately the choice is up to each and every person who votes, both current president Barack Obama and his opponent Mitt Romney have promising agendas.

With Election Day just three days away, many political polls have indicated a very close race. Each candidate is nearly tied. Each is battling hope, fear, and conflict. Each has a very distinct vision for the future of America. Harnessing enthusiasm, Obama has made mention of his past victories while instilling the importance of change, transformation, and sustainable recovery. Romney has concentrated his efforts at engaging people to vote for patriotism and a genuine love for the U.S. As the battle lines draw closer than ever, the importance of selecting a president aligned with what each voter holds most valuable is essential to the welfare of and future direction of this country

On November 6, 2012, exercise your obligation as a citizen of the U.S. and select a leader based on his competence, credibility, character, and command.

The Faiths of US Presidents

For better or worse, faith has a played a big role in the politics of our nation. Especially at the presidential level, people care about the faith of their presidents. I can remember how big a deal it was for JFK to become the first Roman Catholic president. And now we have the possibility of the first Mormon president in Romney. Here’s an interesting graphic from OnlineChristianColleges.com that covers Romney’s mormonism and discusses the faith’s of various US presidents.

Source: Online Christian Colleges

The first thing to note is that there have been no proclaimed atheists. That doesn’t meant there haven’t been any practical atheists in the oval office. But it is interesting nonetheless. And I had no idea that the majority of President’s were Episcopalian. I wonder if that’s more a reflection of British influence on the country or the convenience of the Episcopal denomination.

What if solar got the same subsidies as fossil fuel?

Sure, solar is still a little cumbersome and not the only energy solution. But if corporations had the incentives to make better solar products (in the form of subsidies) we’d see a lot more technological progress on this front.

Same Sex Marriage and Politics in 2012

It’s amazing to me that we’re even having this conversation. Even the libertarians get it. People who want to enter into a marriage partnership should not be discriminated against by the government. It’s that simple. The fact that same-sex marriage was still an issue in 2012 will be laughed at by people in 2050. (courtesy of mafcd via visual.ly)

Source: Marriage and Family Counseling Degrees

Tax Cuts and Wars Driving National Debt

There’s a great article over here that demonstrates how Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy and wars account for nearly half the debt our country currently faces.

Unmask the Fed

I firmly believe that the Fed is a financial system that favors the rich by bailing out risky decisions made by financial institutions. While I think there are some benefits to having a Fed, it’s lack of transparency is a major concern for those of us who think that unchecked power breeds corruption necessarily.

Source: Best Accounting Schools via BusinessPundit

Let’s unmask the Fed!

Politics in Education

One of my greatest grievances about our modern political system is how destructive it has been in public education. Our kids get targeted by all the ideologues in both parties. Rather than having a kid focused educational system, where a love of learning gets fostered, we have created factories that churn students through. Our kids have no unions or lobbies. Even though teachers often get the raw end of the deal, our educational system is more catered towards teacher interests than kid interests.

And the factory system has been notched up a whole additional level in recent decades with emphasis on standardized tests as documented in the following infographic from the website Best Masters in Education. The infographic does a nice job documenting how education has just become a factory for producing kids who can do well on tests. But it also points out how this system has class biases (wealth). And because schools with wealthier families perform better on tests, the system is destined to perpetuate a class based education gap. There is also pressure on both teachers and students to cheat… because cheating, if uncaught, gets rewarded.

It is time for our educational system to become kid based, to focus on learning and natural curiosities, and to reward natural inquisitiveness. The current system is as mind numbing as a factory.

From: BestMastersInEducation.com

Bloodiest Battles of World War II

War is a nasty thing.  And sadly it is something that the United States instigates far too often.  It is important for us to remember how atrocious war is and articles like this one highlighting the bloodiest of the bloodiest battles where millions of people die, are very helpful.

Read the full article:  10 Bloodiest Battles of World War II

What strikes me is that pretty soon, most people alive will not have vivid memories of the horror of the World Wars and may very easily put to sleep by an overly militarized government.  As long as we’re the ones imposing the terror, well then it’s not so bad.

US Military and CIA Interventions since World War II

For anyone who ever doubted that the US is acting like an empire.  Click this map to see a larger version.