My first day as a 36 year old.....

Good news, I was able to get out of bed and I did not feel like I was senile.   All kidding aside, it just seemed like another day to me.   But, it got me to thinking about some of the changes I have gone through in the year so fall.   I have to admit, this has been a pretty bad year  BUT it really is all about how you choose to deal with it.   So, I have looked at those events as chances to recognize areas within myself to make changes.   And, I feel that I have been making real progress, and I guess that is what it is all about.  You only have to answer to yourself, but that also means that you have to take responsibility for yourself (and that includes your actions).

That tends to get me thinking about stuff, especially with our current crisis.  But, it really seems to me that the problems stem from people (individuals, political parties, companies, governments...) not being accountable for their actions.   Mistakes happen.  Really they do, and it sometimes drives me crazy how we think that nothing will ever go wrong.   We get so caught up in perfection, that we forget that it is really about how you deal with those problems or mistakes.   I know we would be much better off, if we could just say, 'OOPs, I F*'d up.'   And, then we start the process of fixing the problem or better yet the root cause.

I guess the process engineer in me came out.   But, I really do think if we applied some of those basic concepts (including common sense) we could really get this country back on track.

Thanks for your time.

Power BACK to the People...The Founders Party

The goal is to rise awareness, and hopefully generate a groundswell to pull the power back to the people of this country. So, let's see how this goes. I really need to get a job...

Our Positions:

1. Find the middle ground on the issue, and start on a solution from there.

2. Be aware that each solution will NOT be the homerun ball.   Small but constant improvements are what we need.

3. Let's address the issues that impact all of us: Education, Health care, Economy (jobs), and National Security.

4. Every citizen, and this includes our corporate-citizens (businesses) as well, need to be both morally and fiscally accountable.

The idea is to get the ball rolling.  We the people are starved for real leadership, and even more for real results.   If our given elected officials can not or will not do the job, then we must do something to change the process or the leadership.   I don't feel that we need to take to the streets, like an angry mob hunting Frankenstein, but we do need to do something.

So, it is my hope that this can generate some interest, and get people thinking and talking...not yelling like the pundits on television.   Ideally, it would be great if the ground swell became so much that a current third party would take notice and incorporate the ideas here.    

With that said, I welcome ANY of your feedback.  I have also created a Cause on Facebook, so if you like maybe you can join there.  That is how I hope we can track the impact.

Washington is broken, and needs to be fixed.

i figured that i needed to get these ideas out of my head. putting my thoughts here at least would get them documented somewhere. i read a few books this last week that really seemed to showcase the broken system that is our national political circus. i read a book by lou dobbs, and one dealing with senator john mccain. both men, at least in my opinion, are examples of where we need to move this country. moving away from the political left or right and moving toward a centrist platform. this country seems to be controlled by the vocal fringes of both parties.

so, how do we fix this country? well, let me list a few of the things that need to happen. the list below is in no particular order, and likely most of them would need to be done simultaneously.

1. a legit third political party. this can't be some wild, fringe element group. this really needs to be something that would probably lie between the 2 'knuckle-head' parties we currently have. they would need to leverage real and viable candidates and have a platform that makes sense and really impacts people's lives. initially, i would think they would want to focus on health care, new employment opportunities, and education. maybe, take the 'average' approach to define their positions. as progress and results are generated, more 'sticky' issues could be tackled.

2. term-limits for all politicians. this would prevent our representatives from getting out of touch with their constituents. in addition, hopefully this would also prevent the impact of lobbyists.

3. real and meaningful campaign finance reform. this has been started with mccain-feingold, but it still needs to be updated and enhanced to deal with new issues that arise. this will go a long way to reduce the impact of lobbyists and their big money clients. in addition, rules need to be clearly defined on when campaigns are to start for a specific office.

4. politicians needs to really understand the plight of people they represent. so, salaries would be the median salary of the company. if you want to really impact change, then you effect a person's wallet. to often it seems like we have career politicians, and why not. they get great health care, a fantastic salary, and incumbents have a much higher election success rate.

i have to admit that these ideas are not relatively new. they have been around (in some form) since the founding fathers created our government. first, no where in the constitution are political parties discussed and george washington warned of these entities. second, the rules that define how officials are elected clearly indicate that no all officials are chosen at the same time. this would prevent all knowledge from being 'removed' at the same time. third, the elected officials were not to be full time politicians. they were meant to keep their 'day-jobs', and be in touch with the people of their community.

this is just my take on it. who knows, maybe some political consultant will take a look and find my ideas pretty interesting. i know this is not completely error free, but i am sure that we can work through any issues. let's get the ball rolling.