Wake Up America !: THE TIME IS NOW !: Partisan politics have become a serious impediment to progress in America. The country cannot afford the constant bickering and back and ...
Friday, August 26, 2011
Wake Up America !: Government by The People
Wake Up America !: Government by The People: Things in America will not change until the American people stand together and collectively make it known that..............."we are mad as ...
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Wake Up America !: TSA - The American Gestapo / KGB !
Wake Up America !: TSA - The American Gestapo / KGB !: "The events described below should make any American livid and outraged given how our rights as US Citizens are being taken away. No Ameri..."
TSA - The American Gestapo / KGB !
The events described below should make any American livid and outraged given how our rights as US Citizens are being taken away.
No American should be subjected to what my 7 year old son and I were subjected to by an inept Portland Maine TSA.
In the name of "security of the home land" TSA is allowed to use Gestapo / KGB tactics in harrasing American Citizens at the nations 450 airports.
WE ARE NOT AS FREE IN AMERICA AS THEY WANT US TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE ! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON AND I CAN EASILY HAPPEN TO YOU TOO !
WAKE UP AMERICA !
TSA HQ, TSA2
ATTN: 49 CFR 1503.3 Reports
601 South 12th Street
Arlington, Va. 20598-6002
Dear Sir / Ma’am,
Sunday, July 10, 2011 my 7 year old son and I after getting our boarding passes for USAIR Flight 1663 (Portland, Maine to Charlotte, NC) proceeded to the TSA Security area for screening . Our flight from Portland, Maine to Charlotte, North Carolina had a scheduled 8:00 AM departure. We arrived at security approximately 7:15 AM. Our carry on bags were put onto the belt for inspection by TSA Agents along with our shoes and laptop computer. I had to be personally checked because my titanium knee replacement set off the metal detectors.
While this was being done, one of the TSA Agents told me that they needed to remove items from one of my carry-on bags which had electronic items in it (car radar detector, car GPS unit, charger cables for cigarette and electrical outlets, ipod, digital camera, binoculars). I told the agent that this was fine / okay.
The agent upon removing the items found a Yoshi Blade ceramic kitchen knife in the bag. I told her that I had used the knife just last night for cutting up vegetables for our dinner……I did not realize that I had inadvertently put it in that particular bag after using it. She advised me that the knife had to be either put in my checked luggage or it had to remain with TSA. I told her that I would exit security and take the knife to put it in my checked baggage. When I asked her could I please do that now since it was 7:30 she told me that I had to wait until they finished screening my bags. Another Agent then stepped up and said that the knife had to be confiscated since the blade of the knife was over 3.5 inches long.
Confused by the conflicting TSA Agent comments about the knife, I asked what do you mean ? The Agent said that the knife was not even allowed to be in checked baggage. I commented that I did not understand why this was so since the bag was checked and for this reason there was no access to the bag until it was picked up at baggage claim upon arrival at my final destination. This seemed strange to me since the knife was brought from Dallas to Portland on June 30th on USAIR flights 1840 (DFW to Charlotte) and USAIR 1118 (Charlotte to Portland) in my checked baggage which went through security when I checked it at Dallas DFW.
I asked how do I get my property back then ? The Agent told me that TSA would have to keep the knife. I then asked if I could leave the name of my friend in Maine with TSA and could they give the knife to him when he came by their airport office.....I was told by the agent that this could not be done. I then asked could they mail the knife to me.......I paid 20$ for it and it was brand new..........they said no. I commented so you just take my property and keep it and I have no option of getting my property back.........they said that they had to confiscate and keep the knife per TSA rules because the blade was longer than 3.5 inches.
I then requested to speak to a supervisor. While I was discussing this with the TSA supervisor a USAIR supervisor (Juana) approached me and said that the plane was completely boarded and they were waiting for my son and I. She told me that the doors would be closed in 5 minutes for push back so we immediately needed to go to the gate to get on the plane. I asked the Portland TSA female supervisor for her name and identification information which she efused to give me. She wrote down the number to the Portland TSA office (207 541 2605) only.
I was warned again by the USAIR ticket agent (Juana) that the doors to the flight would close in two minutes. We quickly left headed to board the flight with our TSA CHECKED carry on bags. The USAIR ticket agent (Juana) escorted my son and I onto the flight and to our seats in first class (seats 2A / 2C). She along with one of the flight attendants assisted me in putting the electronics bag and my computer bag in the overhead where they remained until we arrived at our Charlotte, North Carolina destination. Since the overhead storage areas were full, the USAIR ticket agent (Juana) gate checked one bag. My son's Texas Longhorn backpack, his cars suitcase with books, toys in it, a plastic supermarket bag which had three bags of popcorn in it and my small Man bag were all put under the seats in front of us. My son and I settled back for what was a pleasant one hour, 45 minute flight to Charlotte.
My son got up from his seat once to use the bathroom. I never got out of my seat until we arrived in Charlotte. The TSA cleared carry-on bags remained in the overhead storage bins untouched by me and / or my son the entire duration of the flight.
When the plane landed and pulled up to the gate, my son and I along with everyone else remained seated until the seatbelt sign was turned off. At that point, we stood up as did everyone else on the aircraft to get our bags out of the overhead storage in preparation to deplane in Charlotte. We were all standing ready and waiting for the doors of the aircraft to open so that we could exit the aircraft.
When the doors did open, someone outside of the aircraft told the flight attendant to tell everyone to sit back down. That person then announced this over the PA system. He asked if the two passengers in seats 2A / 2C would please stand and exit the aircraft while everyone else remained seated.
I wondered what in the world was going on ? When my son and I got to the aircraft door I saw 2 policemen and several TSA Agents, and a tall gentlemen in a suit standing by the door. I immediately asked the police………..“is there some kind of problem” ? The tall gentleman in the suit proceeded to tell me that TSA Charlotte had been notified by telephone by TSA Portland that I had boarded the aircraft with two knives in my carry-on bags. I immediately commented that I was checked thoroughly in Portland by TSA and that they cleared my son and I to get on the flight. I also mentioned that a knife had been confiscated by TSA in Portland during the security screening before we boarded. I was very confused wondering why TSA Portland had called TSA Charlotte to have the police and Charlotte TSA Agents standing at the door of the plane waiting for my son and I while making all of the other passengers remain seated. Shocked at what was happening, I asked the gentleman in the suit....WHY did TSA Portland knowingly let me board the aircraft with prohibited items that they obviously knew were in my bags given their telephone call to Charlotte. ????????
The gentleman commented......…“he and the others were just doing their job in response to the telephone call that they had received from Portland“. He then asked me where were the knives to which I commented, “I am not aware of any knives in my bags particularly since TSA Portland had taken in my judgment and INORDINATE amount of time (from 7:15 until 7:58) going through our carry on bags“. He then asked me if they could search my bags......I told him yes and commented again that “they had already been thoroughly checked by TSA Portland“.
In less than one minute, one of the agents found a SMALL leatherman's tool (a SMALL fold up tool that is a SMALL pair of pliers with a phillips head screwdriver, flat head screwdriver, and a VERY SMALL knife blade) and a SMALL matching pocket knife.
These items were found in the same electronics bag which a very tall Portland female TSA Agent had removed all of the items from and resent back through the x-ray machine when we were screened in Portland. I know that she removed everything from the bag because she asked me if I wanted to put everything back in the bag that she had taken out and sent back through the x-ray machine. I politely said to her………”no, YOU removed the items from the bag, YOU can put them back in the bag.
These items had come from Dallas DFW to Portland on June 30, 2011 in a TSA inspected carry-on bag on USAIR Flights 1840 and 1118 in the very same electronics bag in the very same place in the bag that they were so EASILY found in Charlotte on July 10, 2011.
HOW did TSA Portland miss finding these items since Charlotte TSA found them so easily and so quickly ?
WHY did Portland TSA allow my son and I to get on the airplane if they knew that these two items were in my carry-on ?
Are these items even prohibited items given their size ?
Everyone that were standing there watching (Charlotte Police, TSA personnel, airline personnel) can attest to how quickly and easily these items were found, to the point that it really brings into question WHY and HOW TSA Portland missed seeing and finding them ???????????? They obviously saw SOMETHING given that they telephoned Charlotte to have my son and I singled out for carrying prohibited items onto the flight vs. taking the items before we boarded the aircraft in Portland. The question clearly, is why did they do this ??????
There was nothing else found in any of my carry on bags. There were not TWO KNIVES in any of my bags as reported in the telephone call from Portland TSA to Charlotte TSA.........for the record, what was found was one SMALL leatherman's tool and a SMALL matching pocket knife !
I was then told to remove my shoes and belt and to raise my arms to be pat searched on the gangway. I asked WHY..........the plane has landed, I am outside the airplane at my destination hoping to head to baggage claim to get my checked bags ! Furthermore, I was already checked by TSA Portland before I boarded the airplane.............why are you humiliating me this way in front of my son and a whole airplane full of people ! I have done nothing but sit in my seat and had a pleasant flight up until this point. My son started crying which greatly angered me and made me feel even that much more outraged and humiliated by this grand production that had been staged as if I was Osama Bin Laden !
The Policeman and the gentleman in the suit both said to me as I stood there with tears in my eyes that they were sorry about this and that they were only doing their job because of the call from Portland. After they did a body search and found absolutely NOTHING they told my son and I that we could exit the gangway.
I then asked could I have my property back since we had already landed in Charlotte and it was taken outside of the airplane. The tall gentleman told me that it could not be given directly back to me……….it could however, be mailed to my home address in Allen, Texas. I immediately wondered why these items could be mailed to me but my brand new YOSHI Blade ceramic knife that was confiscated in Portland could not be mailed to me per Portland TSA ???????
I followed the tall gentleman from the gate to provide my home address so the items could be mailed. While we were walking, I expressed to him how outraged I was by what had happened and how unnecessary and over the top this whole thing was. He commented, that this was the reason that he was retiring from TSA………….he had gotten tired and weary of situations like this.
He gave the items to a female TSA agent telling her to get my address so that the items could be shipped to my home address. She instructed me to fill out the form and then she said that there was a charge for shipping the items to Texas. I asked her how much ? She replied $12 for each item for a total of $24 for both. Not pleased with this, I commented to her that both items could easily fit in a package the size of an empty cigarette pack and that I could go to any post office in the USA and ship both of these items back to my home in Texas for $5 to $10 tops.......…“why such an exorbitant shipping fee” ? She quickly explained that TSA did not do the shipping, that a private company was contracted to do this and that this was their price.
I was not happy about nor in agreement to paying such an exorbitant price to have MY property shipped to my home. I told her to just keep them because I had only paid $15 for the set at Home Depot.
My son was still crying and visibly shaken up by the grand production that had been staged by TSA. A female TSA agent came over to him and hugged him and said.........you nor your Daddy did anything wrong........I thanked her for her acknowledgement and what appeared to be a disgusted look on her face regarding what had been done to us on that exit ramp from the airplane. I then went to baggage claim to get my bags and to leave the airport.
I am not pleased at all with how I was treated as described above. My 7 year old son is still asking me why they just took our property and why did they do this to us as he struggles to understand what we did to deserve this type of treatment ?
Given Portland TSA’s failure to PROPERLY do their job which resulted in me being cleared to board the aircraft with SUPPOSEDLY prohibited items, (?) I am entitled to at a minimum, a formal written apology from TSA………………PARTICULARLY TSA PORTLAND, Maine.
While I understand why the Yoshi blade ceramic knife had to be surrendered in Portland, I do not accept not being given any options to get my property back. The conflicting comments regarding the disposition of the knife by TSA Agents in Portland clearly indicated to me that the Agents had different understandings of WHATEVER the rules ACTUALLY were / are.
Again on June 30, 2011, that same Yoshi Blade knife had traveled from Dallas DFW to Portland in checked bags which were inspected by TSA Dallas DFW before being loaded onto the flights to our final destination Portland, Maine. This directly contradicts what I was told by Portland TSA that the knife was not even allowed to be in checked baggage ???? ?
I am still trying to understand the logic of this given the fact that the bag is totally inaccessible to me and anyone on the airplane since checked baggage is stored in the cargo hole of the aircraft ?????????????
Everyone who saw what took place including the TSA agents who were involved in this in Charlotte, the two Charlotte Policemen, along with USAIR personnel shared their disgust while apologizing to me for this entire RIDICULOUS incident which was created simply because Portland TSA failed to properly do their job !
A formal written apology to my son and I is clearly in order as well as replacement of my property.
Portland and Charlotte TSA should also formally apologize to passengers on USAIR Flight 1663 for unnecessarily holding people on the aircraft for approximately 30 minutes while the events described herein took place right outside the aircraft’s door on the exit ramp. I request that TSA admit that they had made a mistake in singling my son and I out as they did !
I anxiously await TSA’s formal written response to this complaint !
___________________________________
Robert F. McCarthy
:rfm
No American should be subjected to what my 7 year old son and I were subjected to by an inept Portland Maine TSA.
In the name of "security of the home land" TSA is allowed to use Gestapo / KGB tactics in harrasing American Citizens at the nations 450 airports.
WE ARE NOT AS FREE IN AMERICA AS THEY WANT US TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE ! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON AND I CAN EASILY HAPPEN TO YOU TOO !
WAKE UP AMERICA !
TSA HQ, TSA2
ATTN: 49 CFR 1503.3 Reports
601 South 12th Street
Arlington, Va. 20598-6002
Dear Sir / Ma’am,
Sunday, July 10, 2011 my 7 year old son and I after getting our boarding passes for USAIR Flight 1663 (Portland, Maine to Charlotte, NC) proceeded to the TSA Security area for screening . Our flight from Portland, Maine to Charlotte, North Carolina had a scheduled 8:00 AM departure. We arrived at security approximately 7:15 AM. Our carry on bags were put onto the belt for inspection by TSA Agents along with our shoes and laptop computer. I had to be personally checked because my titanium knee replacement set off the metal detectors.
While this was being done, one of the TSA Agents told me that they needed to remove items from one of my carry-on bags which had electronic items in it (car radar detector, car GPS unit, charger cables for cigarette and electrical outlets, ipod, digital camera, binoculars). I told the agent that this was fine / okay.
The agent upon removing the items found a Yoshi Blade ceramic kitchen knife in the bag. I told her that I had used the knife just last night for cutting up vegetables for our dinner……I did not realize that I had inadvertently put it in that particular bag after using it. She advised me that the knife had to be either put in my checked luggage or it had to remain with TSA. I told her that I would exit security and take the knife to put it in my checked baggage. When I asked her could I please do that now since it was 7:30 she told me that I had to wait until they finished screening my bags. Another Agent then stepped up and said that the knife had to be confiscated since the blade of the knife was over 3.5 inches long.
Confused by the conflicting TSA Agent comments about the knife, I asked what do you mean ? The Agent said that the knife was not even allowed to be in checked baggage. I commented that I did not understand why this was so since the bag was checked and for this reason there was no access to the bag until it was picked up at baggage claim upon arrival at my final destination. This seemed strange to me since the knife was brought from Dallas to Portland on June 30th on USAIR flights 1840 (DFW to Charlotte) and USAIR 1118 (Charlotte to Portland) in my checked baggage which went through security when I checked it at Dallas DFW.
I asked how do I get my property back then ? The Agent told me that TSA would have to keep the knife. I then asked if I could leave the name of my friend in Maine with TSA and could they give the knife to him when he came by their airport office.....I was told by the agent that this could not be done. I then asked could they mail the knife to me.......I paid 20$ for it and it was brand new..........they said no. I commented so you just take my property and keep it and I have no option of getting my property back.........they said that they had to confiscate and keep the knife per TSA rules because the blade was longer than 3.5 inches.
I then requested to speak to a supervisor. While I was discussing this with the TSA supervisor a USAIR supervisor (Juana) approached me and said that the plane was completely boarded and they were waiting for my son and I. She told me that the doors would be closed in 5 minutes for push back so we immediately needed to go to the gate to get on the plane. I asked the Portland TSA female supervisor for her name and identification information which she efused to give me. She wrote down the number to the Portland TSA office (207 541 2605) only.
I was warned again by the USAIR ticket agent (Juana) that the doors to the flight would close in two minutes. We quickly left headed to board the flight with our TSA CHECKED carry on bags. The USAIR ticket agent (Juana) escorted my son and I onto the flight and to our seats in first class (seats 2A / 2C). She along with one of the flight attendants assisted me in putting the electronics bag and my computer bag in the overhead where they remained until we arrived at our Charlotte, North Carolina destination. Since the overhead storage areas were full, the USAIR ticket agent (Juana) gate checked one bag. My son's Texas Longhorn backpack, his cars suitcase with books, toys in it, a plastic supermarket bag which had three bags of popcorn in it and my small Man bag were all put under the seats in front of us. My son and I settled back for what was a pleasant one hour, 45 minute flight to Charlotte.
My son got up from his seat once to use the bathroom. I never got out of my seat until we arrived in Charlotte. The TSA cleared carry-on bags remained in the overhead storage bins untouched by me and / or my son the entire duration of the flight.
When the plane landed and pulled up to the gate, my son and I along with everyone else remained seated until the seatbelt sign was turned off. At that point, we stood up as did everyone else on the aircraft to get our bags out of the overhead storage in preparation to deplane in Charlotte. We were all standing ready and waiting for the doors of the aircraft to open so that we could exit the aircraft.
When the doors did open, someone outside of the aircraft told the flight attendant to tell everyone to sit back down. That person then announced this over the PA system. He asked if the two passengers in seats 2A / 2C would please stand and exit the aircraft while everyone else remained seated.
I wondered what in the world was going on ? When my son and I got to the aircraft door I saw 2 policemen and several TSA Agents, and a tall gentlemen in a suit standing by the door. I immediately asked the police………..“is there some kind of problem” ? The tall gentleman in the suit proceeded to tell me that TSA Charlotte had been notified by telephone by TSA Portland that I had boarded the aircraft with two knives in my carry-on bags. I immediately commented that I was checked thoroughly in Portland by TSA and that they cleared my son and I to get on the flight. I also mentioned that a knife had been confiscated by TSA in Portland during the security screening before we boarded. I was very confused wondering why TSA Portland had called TSA Charlotte to have the police and Charlotte TSA Agents standing at the door of the plane waiting for my son and I while making all of the other passengers remain seated. Shocked at what was happening, I asked the gentleman in the suit....WHY did TSA Portland knowingly let me board the aircraft with prohibited items that they obviously knew were in my bags given their telephone call to Charlotte. ????????
The gentleman commented......…“he and the others were just doing their job in response to the telephone call that they had received from Portland“. He then asked me where were the knives to which I commented, “I am not aware of any knives in my bags particularly since TSA Portland had taken in my judgment and INORDINATE amount of time (from 7:15 until 7:58) going through our carry on bags“. He then asked me if they could search my bags......I told him yes and commented again that “they had already been thoroughly checked by TSA Portland“.
In less than one minute, one of the agents found a SMALL leatherman's tool (a SMALL fold up tool that is a SMALL pair of pliers with a phillips head screwdriver, flat head screwdriver, and a VERY SMALL knife blade) and a SMALL matching pocket knife.
These items were found in the same electronics bag which a very tall Portland female TSA Agent had removed all of the items from and resent back through the x-ray machine when we were screened in Portland. I know that she removed everything from the bag because she asked me if I wanted to put everything back in the bag that she had taken out and sent back through the x-ray machine. I politely said to her………”no, YOU removed the items from the bag, YOU can put them back in the bag.
These items had come from Dallas DFW to Portland on June 30, 2011 in a TSA inspected carry-on bag on USAIR Flights 1840 and 1118 in the very same electronics bag in the very same place in the bag that they were so EASILY found in Charlotte on July 10, 2011.
HOW did TSA Portland miss finding these items since Charlotte TSA found them so easily and so quickly ?
WHY did Portland TSA allow my son and I to get on the airplane if they knew that these two items were in my carry-on ?
Are these items even prohibited items given their size ?
Everyone that were standing there watching (Charlotte Police, TSA personnel, airline personnel) can attest to how quickly and easily these items were found, to the point that it really brings into question WHY and HOW TSA Portland missed seeing and finding them ???????????? They obviously saw SOMETHING given that they telephoned Charlotte to have my son and I singled out for carrying prohibited items onto the flight vs. taking the items before we boarded the aircraft in Portland. The question clearly, is why did they do this ??????
There was nothing else found in any of my carry on bags. There were not TWO KNIVES in any of my bags as reported in the telephone call from Portland TSA to Charlotte TSA.........for the record, what was found was one SMALL leatherman's tool and a SMALL matching pocket knife !
I was then told to remove my shoes and belt and to raise my arms to be pat searched on the gangway. I asked WHY..........the plane has landed, I am outside the airplane at my destination hoping to head to baggage claim to get my checked bags ! Furthermore, I was already checked by TSA Portland before I boarded the airplane.............why are you humiliating me this way in front of my son and a whole airplane full of people ! I have done nothing but sit in my seat and had a pleasant flight up until this point. My son started crying which greatly angered me and made me feel even that much more outraged and humiliated by this grand production that had been staged as if I was Osama Bin Laden !
The Policeman and the gentleman in the suit both said to me as I stood there with tears in my eyes that they were sorry about this and that they were only doing their job because of the call from Portland. After they did a body search and found absolutely NOTHING they told my son and I that we could exit the gangway.
I then asked could I have my property back since we had already landed in Charlotte and it was taken outside of the airplane. The tall gentleman told me that it could not be given directly back to me……….it could however, be mailed to my home address in Allen, Texas. I immediately wondered why these items could be mailed to me but my brand new YOSHI Blade ceramic knife that was confiscated in Portland could not be mailed to me per Portland TSA ???????
I followed the tall gentleman from the gate to provide my home address so the items could be mailed. While we were walking, I expressed to him how outraged I was by what had happened and how unnecessary and over the top this whole thing was. He commented, that this was the reason that he was retiring from TSA………….he had gotten tired and weary of situations like this.
He gave the items to a female TSA agent telling her to get my address so that the items could be shipped to my home address. She instructed me to fill out the form and then she said that there was a charge for shipping the items to Texas. I asked her how much ? She replied $12 for each item for a total of $24 for both. Not pleased with this, I commented to her that both items could easily fit in a package the size of an empty cigarette pack and that I could go to any post office in the USA and ship both of these items back to my home in Texas for $5 to $10 tops.......…“why such an exorbitant shipping fee” ? She quickly explained that TSA did not do the shipping, that a private company was contracted to do this and that this was their price.
I was not happy about nor in agreement to paying such an exorbitant price to have MY property shipped to my home. I told her to just keep them because I had only paid $15 for the set at Home Depot.
My son was still crying and visibly shaken up by the grand production that had been staged by TSA. A female TSA agent came over to him and hugged him and said.........you nor your Daddy did anything wrong........I thanked her for her acknowledgement and what appeared to be a disgusted look on her face regarding what had been done to us on that exit ramp from the airplane. I then went to baggage claim to get my bags and to leave the airport.
I am not pleased at all with how I was treated as described above. My 7 year old son is still asking me why they just took our property and why did they do this to us as he struggles to understand what we did to deserve this type of treatment ?
Given Portland TSA’s failure to PROPERLY do their job which resulted in me being cleared to board the aircraft with SUPPOSEDLY prohibited items, (?) I am entitled to at a minimum, a formal written apology from TSA………………PARTICULARLY TSA PORTLAND, Maine.
While I understand why the Yoshi blade ceramic knife had to be surrendered in Portland, I do not accept not being given any options to get my property back. The conflicting comments regarding the disposition of the knife by TSA Agents in Portland clearly indicated to me that the Agents had different understandings of WHATEVER the rules ACTUALLY were / are.
Again on June 30, 2011, that same Yoshi Blade knife had traveled from Dallas DFW to Portland in checked bags which were inspected by TSA Dallas DFW before being loaded onto the flights to our final destination Portland, Maine. This directly contradicts what I was told by Portland TSA that the knife was not even allowed to be in checked baggage ???? ?
I am still trying to understand the logic of this given the fact that the bag is totally inaccessible to me and anyone on the airplane since checked baggage is stored in the cargo hole of the aircraft ?????????????
Everyone who saw what took place including the TSA agents who were involved in this in Charlotte, the two Charlotte Policemen, along with USAIR personnel shared their disgust while apologizing to me for this entire RIDICULOUS incident which was created simply because Portland TSA failed to properly do their job !
A formal written apology to my son and I is clearly in order as well as replacement of my property.
Portland and Charlotte TSA should also formally apologize to passengers on USAIR Flight 1663 for unnecessarily holding people on the aircraft for approximately 30 minutes while the events described herein took place right outside the aircraft’s door on the exit ramp. I request that TSA admit that they had made a mistake in singling my son and I out as they did !
I anxiously await TSA’s formal written response to this complaint !
___________________________________
Robert F. McCarthy
:rfm
Friday, June 10, 2011
Wake Up America !: 545 vs 310,000,000
Wake Up America !: 545 vs 310,000,000: "This is Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel...He has ..."
545 vs 310,000,000
This is Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel...He has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.
Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.
This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat.
Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.
This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat.
Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. Worth the time. Worth remembering!
-By Charlie Reese: 545 vs 310,000,000
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation
and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on
appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that
problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally
chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine
how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and
approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot
replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of
incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic
problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the
federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they
want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement
plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and
advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee
Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local
Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring
Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation
and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on
appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that
problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally
chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine
how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and
approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot
replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of
incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic
problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the
federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they
want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement
plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and
advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee
Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local
Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring
Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it
get there!!!
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it
get there!!!
THE POLITICIANS AND THEIR CORPORATE MASTERS ARE RUINING THE COUNTRY AND THE LIVES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE !
WHAT MORE HAS TO HAPPEN BEFORE "WE THE PEOPLE" TAKE A STAND !
WAKE UP AMERICA !
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Wake Up America !: Edwin Carnell Elam, The Bishop of Predation
Wake Up America !: Edwin Carnell Elam, The Bishop of Predation: "I met Edwin Carnell Elam at the Cash Flow Convention in Dallas, Texas in May, 2007. Like the fast talking Salesman that he has prove..."
Edwin Carnell Elam, The Bishop of Predation
I met Edwin Carnell Elam at the Cash Flow Convention in Dallas, Texas in May, 2007. Like the fast talking Salesman that he has proven to be, he was quite convincing in his promotion of Virtual Money Inc......a Dallas based company that marketed a prepaid non-bank card.
As the company's first and number one Master Agent and Salesman, Edwin C. Elam was known by all within Virtual Money Inc. His close relationship with the owner and CEO of the company made him a person of considerable influence within the Virtual Money organization.
Mr. Elam used that influence as a platform to PREY on his unsuspecting fellow Virtual Money agents. He was quick to voluntarily offer his advice and assistance. Once he felt that he had won the confidence of one of his fellow agents, he would then direct the conversation toward his fee paid services. He gave ALL the impression that his actions were sanctioned by the CEO and owner of Virtual Money. He would always give verbal guarantees and promises of delivering results for the fees that he requested / was paid.
Once he got your money, he would go through the motions of doing what he promised to do. He NEVER produced tangible results for any of the Virtual Money agents who paid him to help them build their Virtual Money businesses.
I once asked Mr. Elam to speak to a retired two star US Army Special Forces General on my behalf about Virtual Money. He was so insulting and arrogant on the telephone that I was forced to abruptly end the three way conversation. The General, not being used to being disrespected in the manner which he was by Mr. Elam, immediately telephoned me after the three way conversation with him. The General complained about how rude and condescending Mr. Elam had been. To say the least, I was embarrassed as well as very disappointed. Exactly the same thing took place with another Virtual Money Agent who had asked Mr. Elam to speak to a Senior Executive of a foreign automobile company.
Mr. Elam has been making excuses for quite some time now about paying what he owes me. There are several others that I am aware of who claim to have had similar experiences with him. They all have mentioned that Mr. Elam owes them money too. This is quite ironic in light of the $2,000,000.00 (two million dollars) that he openly claimed on a video that he had made in Virtual Money.
When he owes you money he avoids you by becoming conveniently unavailable / difficult to contact. This is the signal from this Con Man that he has moved on to a new unsuspecting target !
Edwin Carnell Elam markets himself on the internet as a Trainer, Public Speaker, Man of God / Preacher, and Businessman Extraordinaire. He calls himself the Bishop of Sales and Marketing. Those of us who have had involvement with him (particularly at Virtual Money Inc.), know him as the Bishop of Predation……….he is nothing short of being a Con Man and a common Thief !
He is a person of questionable character and integrity. He also markets himself as the holder of a University PhD, his public Facebook profile however, ONLY lists the High School from which he graduated. He has never provided to the public any information about the Colleges or Universities that he has attended which causes all to wonder regarding his claims related to his education.
I strongly and without hesitation advise ANYONE to be extremely careful in their dealings with Edwin Carnell Elam. There are others who can substantiate and even add to what has been stated in this Blog.
The events surrounding the demise of Virtual Money Inc. has further called Mr. Elam's character and integrity into serious question with most if not all former Virtual Money Agents.
Beware.........Edwin Carnell Elam is a Fast Talking Con Man, A Known Liar and common Thief !
Technology now provides a means to alert others while openly exposing people such as the individual referenced in this post. There are far too many companies, con men, and scam artists out here who operate with impunity in taking advantage of honest, hard working people.
I encourage everyone to start fighting back in letting these PREDATORY companies and individuals know that we are not going to idly sit bye while they steal and cheat us out of our hard earned money !
Greed and the lust for money are the root of evil and predatory behavior. It's way past time for honest, hard working people to start fighting back.
Wake up America !
As the company's first and number one Master Agent and Salesman, Edwin C. Elam was known by all within Virtual Money Inc. His close relationship with the owner and CEO of the company made him a person of considerable influence within the Virtual Money organization.
Mr. Elam used that influence as a platform to PREY on his unsuspecting fellow Virtual Money agents. He was quick to voluntarily offer his advice and assistance. Once he felt that he had won the confidence of one of his fellow agents, he would then direct the conversation toward his fee paid services. He gave ALL the impression that his actions were sanctioned by the CEO and owner of Virtual Money. He would always give verbal guarantees and promises of delivering results for the fees that he requested / was paid.
Once he got your money, he would go through the motions of doing what he promised to do. He NEVER produced tangible results for any of the Virtual Money agents who paid him to help them build their Virtual Money businesses.
I once asked Mr. Elam to speak to a retired two star US Army Special Forces General on my behalf about Virtual Money. He was so insulting and arrogant on the telephone that I was forced to abruptly end the three way conversation. The General, not being used to being disrespected in the manner which he was by Mr. Elam, immediately telephoned me after the three way conversation with him. The General complained about how rude and condescending Mr. Elam had been. To say the least, I was embarrassed as well as very disappointed. Exactly the same thing took place with another Virtual Money Agent who had asked Mr. Elam to speak to a Senior Executive of a foreign automobile company.
Getting him to return money that he had been paid for results that he did not deliver was and has been an exercise in futility. On more than one occasion, individuals who had paid Mr. Elam ended up going directly to the CEO / Owner of Virtual Money to complain and to enlist his assistance in getting their money back.
Mr. Elam has been making excuses for quite some time now about paying what he owes me. There are several others that I am aware of who claim to have had similar experiences with him. They all have mentioned that Mr. Elam owes them money too. This is quite ironic in light of the $2,000,000.00 (two million dollars) that he openly claimed on a video that he had made in Virtual Money.
When he owes you money he avoids you by becoming conveniently unavailable / difficult to contact. This is the signal from this Con Man that he has moved on to a new unsuspecting target !
Edwin Carnell Elam markets himself on the internet as a Trainer, Public Speaker, Man of God / Preacher, and Businessman Extraordinaire. He calls himself the Bishop of Sales and Marketing. Those of us who have had involvement with him (particularly at Virtual Money Inc.), know him as the Bishop of Predation……….he is nothing short of being a Con Man and a common Thief !
He is a person of questionable character and integrity. He also markets himself as the holder of a University PhD, his public Facebook profile however, ONLY lists the High School from which he graduated. He has never provided to the public any information about the Colleges or Universities that he has attended which causes all to wonder regarding his claims related to his education.
I strongly and without hesitation advise ANYONE to be extremely careful in their dealings with Edwin Carnell Elam. There are others who can substantiate and even add to what has been stated in this Blog.
The events surrounding the demise of Virtual Money Inc. has further called Mr. Elam's character and integrity into serious question with most if not all former Virtual Money Agents.
Beware.........Edwin Carnell Elam is a Fast Talking Con Man, A Known Liar and common Thief !
Technology now provides a means to alert others while openly exposing people such as the individual referenced in this post. There are far too many companies, con men, and scam artists out here who operate with impunity in taking advantage of honest, hard working people.
I encourage everyone to start fighting back in letting these PREDATORY companies and individuals know that we are not going to idly sit bye while they steal and cheat us out of our hard earned money !
Greed and the lust for money are the root of evil and predatory behavior. It's way past time for honest, hard working people to start fighting back.
Wake up America !
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wake Up America !: THE TIME IS NOW !
Wake Up America !: THE TIME IS NOW !: "Partisan politics have become a serious impediment to progress in America. The country cannot afford the constant bickering and..."
THE TIME IS NOW !
Partisan politics have become a serious impediment to progress in America. The country cannot afford the constant bickering and back and forth that has become characteristic of those that we elect and send to Washington supposedly to represent us, the American people. Both parties are so stuck to their partisan mantras that they can't depart the party platform to find solutions to the very real problems that the country faces.
Our elected officials are more interested and therefore more focused on getting re-elected than they are in the nation's business and the people's concerns. This misguided focus is oftentimes the source of the political gamesmanship that interferes with finding real solutions to the serious problems that face the country and the American people. After all, the politics of re-election are more about "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS" and what is in the incumbent Politicians best re-election interests than what is best for the country and the people.
It is way past time for "We The People" to let the Politicians know in no uncertain terms our displeasure and concern with where their actions have taken the country. Keep in mind that many of the tenured incumbents in Washington have been part of the political landscape that has brought the country to where it is today. How can we feel comfortable that the same people who helped to get us where we are today are going to be the ones who will help take us forward and out of harms way ?
Let's face it, as hard as it is to think, believe and then to say..........America is declining. We all sense and feel it regardless of the flowery speeches and rhetoric that we all hear coming out of both sides of our elected officials mouths. Talking alone about being great is not going to restore America to the position of strength, power, and respect that the country has always known.
Like Nero, the Politicians with all of their bickering, and lack of interest in working together are fiddling while Rome burns !
We need to sensitize the Politicians to a few Constitutional facts that they overlooked in their recent chamber reading of the Constitution. The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for those 18 years old) took only three months and eight days to be ratified. Why ? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971....before computers, email, and cell phones. If the sons and daughters of America were old enough to die in the jungles of Southeast Asia and other parts of the world then certainly they were entitled to the right to vote. The American people made sure that that right was granted !
Of the current 27 amendments to the constitution, seven took one year or less to become the law of the land........all because of Public pressure. This is the model of government that the Founding Fathers envisioned and therefore put in place.
It's time once again for the people to apply the pressure to reign in Politicians who have forgotten what they were sent to Washington for.
Proposed Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. Term Limits of six to twelve years for all elected Congressmen and Senators
5. Congress will no longer vote for pay raises for Congress (lower of CPI or 3%)
6. Congress loses their current Health Care Plan.
8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void after January 1, 2011.
If each person who reads this proposal, contacts and shares it with a minimum of twenty people and then asks each of them to do the same, it will only take a short period of time for a significant number of people in the USA to receive this message and accompanying Reform Act proposal.
It's time to return to the system of government that the Founding Fathers created..........."Government for The People by The People".
Government for the People by The Career Politicians has seen its best days !
It's time to "WAKE UP AMERICA" !
Our elected officials are more interested and therefore more focused on getting re-elected than they are in the nation's business and the people's concerns. This misguided focus is oftentimes the source of the political gamesmanship that interferes with finding real solutions to the serious problems that face the country and the American people. After all, the politics of re-election are more about "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS" and what is in the incumbent Politicians best re-election interests than what is best for the country and the people.
It is way past time for "We The People" to let the Politicians know in no uncertain terms our displeasure and concern with where their actions have taken the country. Keep in mind that many of the tenured incumbents in Washington have been part of the political landscape that has brought the country to where it is today. How can we feel comfortable that the same people who helped to get us where we are today are going to be the ones who will help take us forward and out of harms way ?
Let's face it, as hard as it is to think, believe and then to say..........America is declining. We all sense and feel it regardless of the flowery speeches and rhetoric that we all hear coming out of both sides of our elected officials mouths. Talking alone about being great is not going to restore America to the position of strength, power, and respect that the country has always known.
Like Nero, the Politicians with all of their bickering, and lack of interest in working together are fiddling while Rome burns !
We need to sensitize the Politicians to a few Constitutional facts that they overlooked in their recent chamber reading of the Constitution. The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for those 18 years old) took only three months and eight days to be ratified. Why ? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971....before computers, email, and cell phones. If the sons and daughters of America were old enough to die in the jungles of Southeast Asia and other parts of the world then certainly they were entitled to the right to vote. The American people made sure that that right was granted !
Of the current 27 amendments to the constitution, seven took one year or less to become the law of the land........all because of Public pressure. This is the model of government that the Founding Fathers envisioned and therefore put in place.
It's time once again for the people to apply the pressure to reign in Politicians who have forgotten what they were sent to Washington for.
Proposed Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. Term Limits of six to twelve years for all elected Congressmen and Senators
- Two six year Senate terms or any combination thereof that does not exceed twelve years total.
- Six two year House terms or three four year terms or four three year terms
- One six year Senate term and two three year House terms
- Congressmen receive a salary while in office, no pension after leaving office.
- All funds in the present Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security System immediately along with all future funds. Congress participates with the American People.
5. Congress will no longer vote for pay raises for Congress (lower of CPI or 3%)
6. Congress loses their current Health Care Plan.
- They participate in the same Health Care system as the American people
8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void after January 1, 2011.
- The American people did not make existing contracts with Congressmen.......Congressmen made these contracts for themselves.
If each person who reads this proposal, contacts and shares it with a minimum of twenty people and then asks each of them to do the same, it will only take a short period of time for a significant number of people in the USA to receive this message and accompanying Reform Act proposal.
It's time to return to the system of government that the Founding Fathers created..........."Government for The People by The People".
Government for the People by The Career Politicians has seen its best days !
It's time to "WAKE UP AMERICA" !
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wake Up America !: Government ByThe People
Wake Up America !: Government by The People: "Things in America will not change until the American people stand together and collectively make it known that...............'we are mad as ..."
What's Happened To America ?
I lived and worked abroad for 10 years. I returned to the USA December, 2006.
It has not taken long to realize that this is not the same America that I left in the mid-nineties. Rampant and out of control "GREED" has created an uncaring predatory society. America has far too many "MONEY HUNGRY / MONEY DRIVEN" crooks and thieves. The Politicians and the large Corporations top the list, but many private individuals have become equally as guilty of the same predatory behaviors.
The sad part of this is that many Americans cannot see it for themselves.............it's the old adage of being so close to the trees that the forest cannot be seen !
This used to be a great country not only in the eyes of the American people , but also in the eyes of the entire world. I have personally seen the attitudes / opinions of people the world over change related to this point for a number of different and disturbing reasons.
Contrary to what the politicians and pundits want us to believe, the US Health Care system is broken ! It ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to the World Health Organization. This should be reason for major concern since the USA spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product (approximately 15 - 20%) on Health related expenditures than any other country in the world.
It is a National shame that approximately 50 million of our fellow countrymen do not have / cannot afford Health Care coverage in what used to be the world's richest country. There are an additional 25 million Americans who are under insured.
In education The United States is losing ground as peers across the globe zoom by with bigger gains in student achievement according to recent studies. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) ranked American students 21st out of 30 countries in science performance. The US did even worse in Math, ranking 25th out of 30.
These are just a couple of the many reasons that Americans should be more than concerned about the general direction that America has moved in (99.99% of which has taken place prior to President Obama taking office).
Most important is the need for "We the People" to come together regardless of race, religion, and partisan politics to demand that Our country refocuses itself to get back on a positive track.
The "Career Politicians" who are supposed to be representing us, clearly only become interested in "We the People" when they want our votes. Once they have been voted back into office they return to giving their attention and support to their Corporate and Wall Street Masters ! Herein, is one of the root causes for the decline of America and thus, the erosion of the respect that the USA once enjoyed.
These comments have not been made from any particular Political platform. As the bumper sticker on my car attests:
Democrats / Republicans, same shit, different piles !
The Politicians of both parties do a lot of talking (usually out of both sides of their mouths). It is clear that they do not understand or value the need for working together to resolve the serious problems that the nation faces.
The remarks offered herein are statements of fact that can be easily verified. The choices are clear.......................America can continue to waste time letting the "Do Nothing" politicians politicize the serious issues that the country faces or........... "We the People" can stand together to demand an immediate return to the steadfastness of character, focus, and resolve that once characterized our nation.
There is only one path that will lead America back to a place of greatness !
Will "We the People" / America make the right choice /s ?
"Wake Up America" !
It has not taken long to realize that this is not the same America that I left in the mid-nineties. Rampant and out of control "GREED" has created an uncaring predatory society. America has far too many "MONEY HUNGRY / MONEY DRIVEN" crooks and thieves. The Politicians and the large Corporations top the list, but many private individuals have become equally as guilty of the same predatory behaviors.
The sad part of this is that many Americans cannot see it for themselves.............it's the old adage of being so close to the trees that the forest cannot be seen !
This used to be a great country not only in the eyes of the American people , but also in the eyes of the entire world. I have personally seen the attitudes / opinions of people the world over change related to this point for a number of different and disturbing reasons.
Contrary to what the politicians and pundits want us to believe, the US Health Care system is broken ! It ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to the World Health Organization. This should be reason for major concern since the USA spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product (approximately 15 - 20%) on Health related expenditures than any other country in the world.
It is a National shame that approximately 50 million of our fellow countrymen do not have / cannot afford Health Care coverage in what used to be the world's richest country. There are an additional 25 million Americans who are under insured.
In education The United States is losing ground as peers across the globe zoom by with bigger gains in student achievement according to recent studies. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) ranked American students 21st out of 30 countries in science performance. The US did even worse in Math, ranking 25th out of 30.
These are just a couple of the many reasons that Americans should be more than concerned about the general direction that America has moved in (99.99% of which has taken place prior to President Obama taking office).
Most important is the need for "We the People" to come together regardless of race, religion, and partisan politics to demand that Our country refocuses itself to get back on a positive track.
The "Career Politicians" who are supposed to be representing us, clearly only become interested in "We the People" when they want our votes. Once they have been voted back into office they return to giving their attention and support to their Corporate and Wall Street Masters ! Herein, is one of the root causes for the decline of America and thus, the erosion of the respect that the USA once enjoyed.
These comments have not been made from any particular Political platform. As the bumper sticker on my car attests:
Democrats / Republicans, same shit, different piles !
The Politicians of both parties do a lot of talking (usually out of both sides of their mouths). It is clear that they do not understand or value the need for working together to resolve the serious problems that the nation faces.
The remarks offered herein are statements of fact that can be easily verified. The choices are clear.......................America can continue to waste time letting the "Do Nothing" politicians politicize the serious issues that the country faces or........... "We the People" can stand together to demand an immediate return to the steadfastness of character, focus, and resolve that once characterized our nation.
There is only one path that will lead America back to a place of greatness !
Will "We the People" / America make the right choice /s ?
"Wake Up America" !
Public Office, The Domain of the Rich !
We should all take special note of the fact that when Politicians spend millions of dollars of their own money to get elected to Public Office, that they are spending at this level for reasons that go beyond just having an interest and commitment to public service regardless of what they say. These are astute people who clearly spend their money usually with a return on investment in mind. The question that we should all be asking is what type of return are they expecting relative to the personal dollars that they have spent to HOPEFULLY get elected ?
If their spirit was so anchored in service to the Public, couldn't their millions be better spent in some other way that would directly benefit the Public ?
The answer to the question seems obvious, they spend because the potential gains that they see and envision far outweigh the risks associated with spending tremendous amounts of money for what could be an election that they lose. What is it that compels these big spenders to risk so much of their own personal money ? It would be very interesting to hear their answer to a question of this nature.
Running for Public Office has become so high stakes that holding a PUBLIC OFFICE has become reserved for the rich.
Could this be part of the problem that is at the heart of the decline of America ?
Is this what the FOUNDING FATHERS intended of the system of government that they put in place ?
"Wake up America" !
If their spirit was so anchored in service to the Public, couldn't their millions be better spent in some other way that would directly benefit the Public ?
The answer to the question seems obvious, they spend because the potential gains that they see and envision far outweigh the risks associated with spending tremendous amounts of money for what could be an election that they lose. What is it that compels these big spenders to risk so much of their own personal money ? It would be very interesting to hear their answer to a question of this nature.
Running for Public Office has become so high stakes that holding a PUBLIC OFFICE has become reserved for the rich.
Could this be part of the problem that is at the heart of the decline of America ?
Is this what the FOUNDING FATHERS intended of the system of government that they put in place ?
"Wake up America" !
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