Congress Leaves Unfinished Business!

Generally it is this time of year where we hear Congressmen and women coming back to their district touting the work they have completed in the past session. This year all I hear about is the list of unfinished business left back in Washington. It is the longest I have ever seen.

No Solution to the Fiscal Cliff 

No Farm Bill

No Real Budget Reform

No Solution to the Debt Ceiling

No Defense Re-authorization

All these issues must now be dealt with in an abbreviated lame-duck session following the election. With leaving these issues to the election they are poised to be huge election topics. It is sad that policies that could help so many Americans are held up for no reason. In the past session we have seen healthcare repeal acts, that have gone no where, passed 33 times while other crucial issues such as the approaching Fiscal Cliff and the new Farm Bill have not received the attention that they deserve.

The Fiscal Cliff is the compilation of Bush Era Tax Cuts that are set to expire at the same time as $100 billion Spending Cuts go into effect. Many economic experts fear that these both will cause the US to fall into another recession. Legislators are on record calling for the needed action to prevent the Fiscal Cliff  as soon as possible, yet nothing has been done. Now its up to a lame-duck Congress to sort out following November 6th.

Neither side is more at fault than the other for these issues not being completed in the previous session. The partisan bickering on both the Left and the Right have held up needed reforms for the bast 2 years. It is no wonder why Congress's approval rating is at 13%.

We truly need our elected officials to come back after the election and work together otherwise I fear even less will get done in the next session of Congress.

Are You Registered???

Every person over the age of 18 should exercise their civic duty and vote for our leaders. Are you Registered?

No. Then you should find out where and how to register. Hurry up the deadline for registration is quickly approaching. Here in Illinois the dead line is October 9th.

Check out this website and cause for increasing the youth vote. http://www.ourtime.org/

47% of Americans

 

So this is the break down of those 47% of Americans who do not pay taxes. Most of the people who do not  pay any taxes are the elderly. Is that wrong? 

Many of them do not have an income they are living off of their retirement plans and social security. The argument can be made that they actually do pay taxes such as property tax which has been on a steady increase over the years while their incomes are fixed. I believe that the elderly are still paying their weight if not more because their property taxes and sales taxes go towards programs that many of them do not use any more. A majority of the property taxes go to support local school districts and many of the elderly have not had children in schools in a long time. 

The issue of taxation is always the scapegoat to point out the unfair nature of american system. It is important to know that it cant always be fair but the system can be examined to make it work better.

How does learning this information make you feel?

Were you surprised to learn this information?

Beware the Romney Ad Machine!

It is not surprising seeing all of the coverage of Mitt Romney in the past week cause a slight dip in the polls because of the missteps this past week. The election is far from over though. I have seen new ads from the Romney campaign that may possible bring more voters to his side. The topic of these new ads, that will be run in the battle ground states, is the United States coal industry and the effects that the Obama administration policies have had so far and threaten to do in the future. Romney is truly showing that he can fight back and will be using his energy policy to show how Americans are not better off than they were 4 years ago.

The debate here is over the effect of the Clean Air Act on the United States coal industry. With higher regulations on emissions and the financial burdens that these regulations have on power plants have basically made building new coal fired power plants too expensive of a venture. Not to mention the continued regulations and inspections that would come with operating the plant. It is the Romney campaigns position that these regulations restrict business growth.  The noose of governed regulation should be loosened to allow for small business growth and the creation of new jobs. This message is very apparent in the new advertising and will no doubt bolster support for Romney in blue collar and rural america.

Watch these ads. Listen to the message that is being portrayed and you will see that they are powerful.  The Election is no where near over just because of a couple missteps. I can already see Romney trying to use his mistakes to change the message back to the economy and tax policy. Both issues that the GOP brand that continues to resonate with the American public.

What Party?

For those of you who have never thought about what party you fall under or are confused on the issues I have just what you need.

In my search for a good party identifying tool I found the Pew Research Centers Political Party Quiz. "The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The center conducts public opinion polling, demographic studies, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. It does not take positions on policy issues."

I have used the center multiple times in the past for research on college projects and just to stay up to date on the facts that are circulating in the media. I took this quiz and was surprised to find where I fall in the political spectrum and I know it will help my readers.

Take the quiz and let me know what your response to the results. Are you a member of the party you thought you were? Were you surprised about the results? Why do you think you received the party you did? What effect if any will this have on your political views in the future?

Link to Political Party Quiz

The Effects of a Movie

Some of you may have not hear yet today of the news that occurred late last night. The United States' Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens was killed along with 3 other Americans during a rocket attack on the US Embassy shortly after midnight last night. This coming as a response to the controversial movie made that  depicts the Prophet Mohammad and the religion of Islam in an unfavorable light. The film was created by Sam Bacile, an Israeli-American real-estate developer, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This response should not come as a surprise to everyone following the previous instances where the image of the Prophet Mohammad was shown in a British Cartoon. There were protests then and multiple threats made against the cartoonist and the west.

I have seen parts of this movie and it is very offesnsive and attempts to discredit Islam as a false religion based on lies. I do not understand what possessed this Sam Bacile to create this video and publish it on the internet but for sure Americans have already paid the price. I wish people would attempt to understand others cultures and respect their customs.

This story is ever changing and developing. There is no doubt in my mind that it will have an effect on the presidential race and foreign relations in the coming months. President Obama and Mitt Romney are set to  speak on this topic later today and I encourage you to watch their remarks.

Let me know what you think of this attack and the movie in general.

The Next 4 Years

So with the final convention just getting into full swing, I wanted to ask over all what is the most crucial hot button issue for you in the coming election? What will make the next 4 years better than the last?

Will Mitt Romney bring new policies to Washington that will grow the economy? He has good experience running multiple businesses and a state so it is quite possible that he could right the ship. 

President Obama claims that his policies are just starting to work and the country is turning around. Do you feel that America should listen and not change leaders at this point?

Honestly this election is going to be close and you the American public is going to have to step up to the ballot booth and pick what you want for the next 4 years. Each side has good arguments for each of their plat forms and you all should look into them as the campaign continues.

 The first step to choosing though is to be registered to vote. It's a quite painless process actually. You have to go to your County Clerks office and just sign a couple papers. You will need proof of residency such as a bill or a letter with your address on it as well as a form of Identification like a State ID or drivers licence. 

Many states might have other requirements and also other places that you can go to register such as the DMV like here in Illinois. 

When i go to vote i always remember a saying i heard a long time ago that pushed me to be active in our great country and i hope it helps you. 

"Decisions are made by those who show up." 

WILL YOU SHOW UP ON ELECTION DAY?!

Fact Check

As you all may remember from the news programs there are people out there who dissect political speeches the second that politicians finish talking. Most recent victim was the Vice-Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan and his speech to the GOP Convention. I watch to the speech and thought that it was a great speech that was geared to make Ryan out to be the Vice-President attack dog that many said he should be.

The question is why would you put some false information in a speech like that? How hard would it have been to find more credible attacks on President Obama's record? There are a multitude of different arguments that can be made to boost the GOP but Ryan and his speech writes chose to risk it has been the focus of a lot of media.

I feel that the media jumped on him a too hard because of some of the stuff he said in his speech. He did not  lie at any point he told his side of the story and some of it may have been a little stretched.

I want to hear your opinion on this speech and the over all message that the GOP took to their convention and how effective you think it might have been. Will the coverage of the Democrats be as hard as it was on the GOP? 

To better check the facts that are spread in this campaign I recommend Politifact.com.