PolitiVote » Freedom

S. Res. 188: a Fabulous Piece of Sports Writing

njessen — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:51:06 +0000

On 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.

A Bright Spot in the Political Scene

njessen — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:47:29 +0000

On January 7, 2009, H. CON. RES. 6 was referred to the Committee of Foreign Affairs. This resolution stipulates that the Congress should strongly oppose the granting of blanket amnesty by the Government of Iraq to persons known to have killed US soldiers. The last part of this resolution encourages the government of Iraq to “educate the people of Iraq about the civic minded and selfless nature of American Military Personnel serving in Iraq who have built schools and hospitals, repaired roads and bridges, and risked their lives to secure a future of piece and freedom for the men, women and children of Iraq.

In the course of reviewing bills posted on Politivote, I have seen many that are not in the best interest of our nation. It is refreshing to see a bill that represents what the Congress should be doing. The government of Iraq should know that the United States opposes amnesty for persons known to have killed our soldiers. This bill makes it clear to the government of Iraq that the killing of American soldiers should not be encouraged or tolerated. This bill declares that we care about the lives of the soldiers who have sacrificed much to complete the mission in Iraq.

I consider the third section of the bill a bit problematic because it stipulates that the Government of Iraq should educate the people on the “civic-minded and selfless nature of American Military Personnel serving in Iraq.” I believe that members of our military in Iraq have good intentions for the country and would like to see it succeed. However, many Iraqis don’t like our presence in their country. How then can we convince them of our good intentions?

In spite of the flaw in this bill, it is the sort of legislation worthy of the attention of our elected officials. It goes a long way to the security of our soldiers in Iraq.

More Freedom Entails More Responsibility

njessen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:20:56 +0000

An article appeared on CNN.com entitled, “senators push nationwide ban on texting while driving.” In this article, Senator Chuck Schumer stated that those states that do not have laws that ban texting while driving may loose %25 of their federal highway funds. (http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/…/texting.ban/index.html) This is another example of the fact that when the citizenry fails to use its freedom responsibly, the government becomes involved.

In a democracy, it is imperative for the citizenry to govern itself. Citizens should act responsibly in the course of their daily lives. In this situation, we should have the common sense to assess our driving, and anything that might interfere with our safety and the safety of others. If a practice such as texting interferes with our driving, we should have the common sense to avoid it. In this case, we have failed to apply common sense and now the government feels the need to step in because of the fatalities associated with texting while driving. As the article has shown, some senators are pushing to require all states to have a ban on texting while driving. No one should have to legislate a ban. Rather, each responsible citizen should make their own ban on texting while driving.

We at PolitiVote believe that allowing the government to step in and solve problems that common sense should solve is destructive of democracy and self-rule. The meaning of self-government is contained within the term. The person is fully en-charge of their actions. As citizens we should be more conscious of 9our choices and how those choices can affect the safety of other people particularly in texting while driving. Failure to practice self-rule will result in ever expanding laws and will gradually erode democracy in America.

Source: www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/…/texting.ban/index.html