The year 2009 has been the grand inaugural year for a truly great experiment in promoting and simplifying democracy. For Politivote, this has been a great year of growth and expansion. More and more people are becoming members and voting on important issues. Through out the year, health care reform, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our economic troubles have been at the forefront of our thoughts. My experience as a member of Politivote has given me the opportunity to examine, critique, and vote on bills being brought before the legislature.
In examining these bills, I have seen good bills that will contribute to the welfare of our nation, and others that are a complete waste of time and tax payer’s money. To me, this is the essence of Politivote. We should become more knowledgeable on the areas in which our government does its job well and those that need improvement. Having gained this knowledge, we should use politivote to vote and be heard.
So, as we go into the New Year, I resolve to become more informed than I was last year about political issues that may impact my life. In addition, I will make more use of politivote to make my voice known on these issues. I strongly urge those who read this article to do the same. If you are not yet a member, go to the site and register. Your free registration allows you to vote on the bills that effect you. If you are unhappy with something that your representatives are doing, use the tools of this site to vote and be heard! In the year 2010, we can become more informed citizens and in so doing make our nation a better place.
Posts Tagged ‘Tax Payer’
Closing out 2009: Reflecting on the Past and Pressing Forward into the Future
Thursday, December 31st, 2009H.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.
Congress and the Entertainment Industry?
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Is Congress sponsoring the entertainment industry? Current legislation makes it appear so -- click here to vote now!
The addition of links on Politivote to federal legislation will insure that we as citizens know more about how our legislators are using precious time and money. The last article mentioned a bill that would increase the public debt from $12.104 trillion to $13.29 trillion. This bill will exact a tremendous toll on the tax payer. However, there are other bills that cost little or money by comparison, but should concern us because of their distraction from more crucial issues.
An example of this is H.CON.RES.12 which was a resolution brought before the House of Representatives which would express the opinion that congress should “issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring Sam Phillips and that the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Post Master General that such a stamp be issued.”
The resolution details Phillip’s many contributions to Rock and Roll. As an example, Phillips “helped put together Presley’s band which led to the production of hits such as `Heartbreak Hotel’, `Hound Dog’, and `Don’t Be Cruel.” With the greatest of respect to Mr. Phillips, and his achievements, a resolution urging that a commemorative stamp be adopted has no place in the House of Representatives. The accolades Philips has already been given by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as other organizations ought to be sufficient recognition of his accomplishments. There are many other resolutions that encourage a commemorative postage stamp to honor individuals for humanitarian efforts, and these are more worthy of consideration because of their potentially universal benefit. We can all benefit from individuals who make significant contributions to eliminating poverty or promoting equality. Philip’s contributions, while significant for purposes of entertainment have done little to improve the overall human condition. Moreover, there may be some people who may not feel that they benefited from his achievements. Some people may not like the music he has produced. Congress should represent the whole nation, and any recognition it encourages ought to be for individuals whose actions benefited the whole nation.
The Louisiana Purchase and its Implication for the Federal Government
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Recently, a stimulus package was proposed and passed by congress. This package was designed to create more jobs to jump start the economy.
This package has been met with much criticism from people who believe that the government is unnecessarily spending tax payer’s money.
As I contemplate this debate, I reflect on the Louisiana Purchase. This purchase doubled the size of the United States giving us over 827000 square miles of land (1). The territory purchased extended from New Orleans to modern day Montana.
Although few people today would call this purchase a mistake, at the time, it was considered unconstitutional by critics who argued that the president had no right to purchase land without the consent of the senate. However, Jefferson justified this action by saying, “It is the case of a guardian, investing the money of his ward in purchasing an important adjacent territory; and saying to him, when of age, I did this for your good.” (2)
Through out history, our country has dealt with constitutional dilemmas. How much power should the government exercise in governing? We at politiv
ote believe that as citizens, we should not come to think of ourselves as wards of a benevolent government who is acting for our benefit. It is our right and, moreover, our duty to examine critically the actions of our government. Failure to do this can lead to a dictatorship. As citizens, if we allow ourselves to sink into apathy, it will be much easier for the government to rule unopposed. As mentioned before, the Louisiana Purchase turned out to benefit our nation, and this shows that in many cases, the actions of the government can in fact contribute to the nation’s well being. We should also remember that government actions which seem ill advised may over time be beneficial. For this reason, we should be careful and prudent in weighing the possible benefits and costs of our government’s actions.
Resources