The head of our executive branch is arguably the single most scrutinized individual in our nation. From conversations at the dinner table to speeches in Congress, millions of Americans examine and debate his actions and policies. Throughout our history, it has always been this way, but now more than ever, we have more access to information on both the public and private life of the President through television, radio, and the internet. The president always has his supporters and detractors. The former will do their best to defend the president’s policies, and the latter will attack the head of the executive branch. During this exchange, the opposing groups continue to hurl charges and countercharges at each other.
Amidst this constant chaos, it is important to gain a perspective of our presidents throughout history. In studying our president’s predecessors, I always try to figure out how our current president will be rated in comparison to those who previously occupied his position. Will he be considered one of the great presidents, or one of the worst? Many Americans already have formed their own judgment on this question. However, it is important to remember that some of the great presidents were not well liked while they were in office. In studying the history of our presidents, I cannot find one who was immune from criticism. Even the presidents we most revere such as Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt endured their share. In gaining a perspective on our president, we should remember that the consequences of his actions may not be fully understood and appreciated years after the president leaves office. As for rating the presidents, historians use two criteria: the difficulty of the circumstances of the nation, and the president’s response to those circumstances. It takes a considerable amount of time for us to realize the full impact of the president and the context in which he worked. It is difficult to rate our most recent presidents because new revelations about the president’s decisions and the context in which those decisions were made always will surface, and our opinion will change over time.
While it is difficult to have a clear perspective on our current president, we should actively participate in our government. Most of us will not communicate directly with the president, but our congress can be the conduit through which the will of the people is expressed. The bills presented to Congress will need to come before the president for veto or passage. We can facilitate the passage or abolishment of legislation. Through Politivote, we can make our feelings known concerning legislation, and this will dictate what bills make it to the president to sign into law. I would encourage the reader to register with Politivote and use this site to be a part of this process.
Posts Tagged ‘Congress’
Gaining a Perspective on our Presidents
Saturday, February 20th, 2010The President’s Proposed Spending Freeze
Thursday, January 28th, 2010The President’s proposed spending freeze
In his state of the Union speech last night, President Obama proposed a spending freeze as a solution to the rising national debt. He said that this would affect discretionary government programs, but that Medicaid, Medicare and spending related to national security would not be affected. He said that this freeze would go into effect in 2011 when the economy would be stronger.
In reading this segment of the President’s State of the Union speech, I generally agree with the proposal. I wrote an article on December 10, 2009 criticizing H. J. Res.45 which authorized the increase of the national debt. It is refreshing to hear the President in his State of the Union speech advocate a curtailment of government spending and say that we need to examine our money management and eliminate the spending which is not appropriate. You’d think he read my article! I know he didn’t; so I won’t flatter myself. This idea goes back much further than my December 10 article.
Although I generally agree with the sentiment, I wonder about its implementation. Good financial management is the sort of thing that households across the nation are practicing, but here, we are talking about a household that is around three hundred million strong. Everyone is clamoring for their share of the pie. Another concern I have is the health care being considered in Congress. This bill carries with it a large price tag, and if it passes, I am concerned that the national debt may increase despite the spending freeze. I hope that the President can implement the spending freeze equitably and that the freeze will recognize our most important priorities. At the same time, I hope that it will at least stop the growth of the national debt. These are some of the challenges the President will face.
If this spending freeze is implemented, bills on our expenditures will come before the Congress. This is where Politivote fits into the situation. We will obtain the data on these bills and anyone can register for free and vote for or against these bills. We will then send the aggregate of these votes to legislators. Now is the time to be involved to make sure that the government recognizes your priorities.
S. Res. 188: a Fabulous Piece of Sports Writing
Thursday, January 14th, 2010On June 17, 2009, S. RES.188 was passed. This resolution congratulates the Las Angeles Lakers for winning the NBA championship of 2009. I am deeply gratified to read the stirring account of this team’s victory over Orlando! I am also gratified to read the stirring account of how this team defeated the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz! Evidently, we have some Laker fans in the senate. A regret I have is that the bill passed without amendment. I am disappointed that Senator Hatch as my duly elected representative didn’t do his job and amend the bill with how the Utah Jazz beat the Lakers in a regular season game.
The usefulness of the resolution ends right here! I am absolutely baffled why such a frivolous piece of legislation is passed by the senate which ought to spend its time on more important issues. This isn’t the reason I elect my senators. I am confident that Californians, laker fans though they may be, would rather have legislation of more consequence. I have seen other bills in which Congress bestows honors on members of the entertainment industry. The recognition and praise that the fans give these entertainers ought to be sufficient.
This piece of legislation is the reason for Politivote. We need to question the legislation being considered and passed at both the federal and state levels. If someone has a reason for supporting S. RES. 188, they have the freedom to support it. They also have the freedom to express their support through commenting. I, on the other hand, am disturbed by the bill because it represents a distraction from the business of the Senate.
H.J.RES.45: Bad Money Management
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
Recently, H.J.RES.45 was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. This resolution increased the limit on the public debt. When I read this piece of legislation, I grow concerned. I don’t know a single entity responsible for money that would increase your credit limit if you can’t pay off your current debts. To me, H.J.RES.45 is the equivalent of having debt on one credit card that I am not able to pay and applying for another credit card that I can’t pay. It makes absolutely no sense.
Recently, we have had huge government investments. I wonder if the tax payer is getting a return on these investments. We bailed out major industries that were in trouble. We had the economic stimulus package. I question the return we are getting on the investments.
Controlling the national debt needs to be a serious discussion for the American people. Congress and the American people need to take a look at our expenditures and seriously ask if these are merited. If there are expenses that are unnecessary, we need to get rid of them. I would not even call this concept finance 101, I would call it remedial finance, or the prerequisite to what one needs to know to take Finance 101. This is the sort of thing households do when they experience debt if they want to recover. When I run into financial trouble, this is the sort of thing I do. There are many competing interests that want government money for this or that. However, if we are going to get out of debt, we need to assign priorities to projects or ideas that require investing tax-payer’s dollars. Some investments are worthwhile and others can and should be discarded. Congress and the American people should address this issue.
Global Online Freedom Act: a Bill for Politivote
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
The Internet across the world
Recently, H.R.2271 was considered before Congress. This bill will promote freedom on the internet by first encouraging businesses not to cooperate with foreign governments to enact censorship on the internet. Another provision of the bill is that it asks the President of the United States to seek agreements with other countries to safeguard internet freedom.
This bill is well advised because it will do much to promote the free expression of ideas. The internet is the medium used by Politivote to accomplish our goal of simplifying democracy and making it more accessible to every citizen in this nation. Our democracy was founded on the principles of self-government. In order to have self-government, it is essential to have freedom of speech. Without this crucial freedom, self-government is dead. Of all the mediums used in this society, the internet does the most to promote free speech. The reason is that anyone can put anything on the internet. Unlike TV and radio, you don’t have to get your own show. There is no one to screen ideas or sensor them. Anything can be put on the net where it can be read by the general public and we can decide for ourselves whether or not we want to accept it as fact. This gives us as consumers of information the opportunity and responsibility to exercise our judgment in what information we choose to consume. No one will screen it for us. In using the internet, we have the sole responsibility to make sure that which we consume will benefit us. This is the main reason that I support this bill. The bill promotes an environment in which the citizen has a wealth of information available to them, and the citizen decides on the information he or she will use or discard. The freedom of access to ideas and information is the essence of self-government.