Important Note:
Opinions are fun. My friends tell me I am someone with lots of opinions and that's fine since I don't get mad at others when they disagree with me. In this same spirit I am interested in hearing yours views as long as you are able to share your views without boiling over. I look forward to hearing from you. I tend to write in the form of short essays most of the time, but contributions do not need to be in this same format or size. Some of the content here will date itself pretty quickly, other content may be virtually timeless, this is for the reader to judge.
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Freedom, Federalism and the First Amendment
Posted at: Nov/20/2013 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Perspectives, Politics & Gov, The Law, Watching America,
One of the bedrocks of our governmental institutions and infrastructure is federalism. This is the constitutional recognition of the legal origins of the United States as a union of independent states. America started, of course with 13 colonies, which evolved to become 13 states. With the passage of time and expansion of our geographic footprint America has gradually added 37 additional states. .....read more…
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Healthcare and bugs
Posted at: Oct/25/2013 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Healthcare, Politics & Gov, Watching America,
Healthcare in America is a serious problem. Millions of Americans can’t afford basic care and therefore either go without, or burden our emergency rooms for their care in the most expensive cost model possible. In response to this challenge, the Obama administration pushed through Congress the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in March of 2010. Also known as “Obamacare,” this act has become the signatu.....read more…
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What would George say?
Posted at: Oct/22/2013 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Historical Insights, Politics & Gov, Watching America,
Some say that modern politics are too far removed from historical examples to be realistically compared to anything in our school books. Others say that history is really about cause and effect, and the history books give us plenty of content to review when taking on the mess we call American politics. I am a strong believer in the latter and I feel that despite being dead for over 200 years, Geo.....read more…
Game theory and politics
Posted at: Oct/12/2013 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Perspectives, Politics & Gov, Watching America,
We’ve all played games. Games have winners, losers and various types of outcomes. Some games are easy to manage and some are about understanding and predicting what your opponent is likely to do. Most games have rules and many games are enhanced when the participants bring special skills and developed strategies to the competition. In some game situations there is even the possibility for all .....read more…
Hypocrisy runs amuck
Posted at: Oct/01/2013 : Posted by: mel
Have your looked up the definition for hypocrisy recently, there are two standard definitions. 1, “a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious belief or principles that one does not really possess.” 2, “a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.” (Reference: dictionary.com). The common word in both definitions was “pretense.” Despite being proud of my co.....read more…
Guns, Violence and Common Sense
Posted at: Apr/18/2013 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Common Sense, Politics & Gov, Society, The Law, Watching America,
Nothing creates a passionate outcry faster and louder than the killing of children. From the Columbine High School massacre in April of 1999, to Sandy Hook Elementary School in December of 2012; these are tragedies of the first order. We are instantly stirred to fervently ask “what can we do to prevent this from ever happening again.” In the wake of this tragedy, lots of things are getting blame.....read more…
Where to pin a medal?
Posted at: Mar/21/2013 : Posted by: mel
In case you had not heard, one of the last acts by outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was the announcement of the creation of a new medal now available to members of our armed services. To be eligible for this award, military service members must have done something significant while operating drones or launching cyber-attacks against our enemies. This new medal is called the “Distingu.....read more…
A good sandwich and a ballot
Posted at: Jan/08/2013 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Politics & Gov, Watching America,
I still remember the day well. During a cold January morning, the intercom in my high school chemistry class while sparking static requested that my teacher send me to the front office. Without hesitation my teacher pointed a finger at me and told me to get going. Not being unfamiliar with trouble, there was the usual array of sarcastic comments such as “what did you do this time” as I weaved b.....read more…
What happened to Government?
Posted at: Dec/03/2012 : Posted by: mel
In these days of capitol gridlock, never-ending filibusters, budget deficits and fiscal cliffs I am frustrated by what appears to be the total dysfunction of our elected officials. It seems clear that the Senate, the House of Representatives and the President don’t seem able to sit down and agree to anything except that they disagree. I am not one who dwells in the past with rose colored memorie.....read more…
What’s the big deal with polls?
Posted at: Nov/06/2012 : Posted by: mel
It is election season 2012 and it is virtually impossible to turn on the TV, the radio, look at a blog or new site and not be barraged by polls. Me, I love numbers so it is hard for me to tune out what is being reported. Nevertheless, the more I pay attention, the less I feel any of it makes any sense. Do polls report the leanings of society? Do polls really influence candidates? Are polls se.....read more…
