Interacting With Police

Today, we hear over and over how police single out blacks for abuse. I am sure there are many times when this is the case because we find racism everywhere. There are other forms of prejudices that are rampant. Because of past violence, there is sometimes prejudices against bikers. Bikers have often been stopped simply because of their mode of transportation and appearance. The LGBT community also faces discrimination by police.

Reasoning Behind Eliminating Business Tax

Whenever elimination of corporate/business taxes are mentioned, people get excited. People have been conditioned to see corporations as greedy entities. We see this conditioning happening all the time on television and in movies where CEOs are seen as Scrooge types who care more for profit than human lives. There are some who might be much like the Scrooge character, but there are many more who care for their employees. What we can't forget is that the CEO's primary obligation is to the stockholders. Sometimes it's hard not to hate a corporation when you have to deal with tech support or try to solve a simple billing problem. I sometimes feel like punishing them myself, but I know taxation should never be about punishment.

Mistake of Government Controlled Marriage

Today we have the issue of gay marriage that is creating division across American, and many places around the world. We have two sides, both are entrenched and unwilling to budge a fraction of an inch. There was national outrage by progressives when a pizza owner said she wouldn't cater gay weddings(doesn't cater any weddings), but would, and have, happily welcomed gays daily as a customer. There was a threat to burn down the eatery. The owners received death threats. They were harassed to the point they were forced to close until conservatives came to their aid.

People divide this issue along the lines of religion and discrimination. Both sides have valid points. I say we just need to solve the problem. The easiest way, or at least simplest sounding, is to remove marriage from government. We have couples of the same gender, and of opposite gender, that choose to make a lifetime commitment. Even heterosexual couples sometimes choose not to enter into a government devised contract. Because a couple chooses not to get married, or can't because of laws, they cannot take advantage of certain government benefits.

Keystone XL: An Objective View

It seems an eternity since we first learned of Keystone XL, the pipeline to bring tar-sands oil from the Canadian province of Alberta. At times, it sounds like people think this is a proposed pipeline. There are parts that are in the proposal stage, but there is nearly a 1000 miles of pipeline finished, including a completed branch that goes to southern Illinois.

All was going well until the pipeline made its way to Arkansas—that's when environmentalist made their stand. The details of why are boring, but it was something about the type of soil and that a spill from tar-sands oil would be environmentally worse than other oils. An alternative route was eventually found through the state. Obama brought in the EPA to look into the pipeline. This is where it now stands – the EPA and president refuse to give the go ahead.

Common Ground

I recently had a conversation about opposing ideologies finding common ground and willing to view problems facing both sides. Unless we are willing to open our minds to problems facing both sides, then we can never find common ground. No matter if people are left or right, they are still citizens and the Constitution and all laws apply to them equally.

We can take this to an extreme and point to the Civil War. There were two differences of opinion and neither side could find common ground. Because the country had a weak leader who couldn't find a resolution to problems, he resorted to guns. Unless something changes, the USA is once more on that same course.

The USA has two major ideologies and both have been conditioned to hate one another. Most of the time, each side wants all or nothing, whether it's gay marriage or drug legalization. Let's take a moment and revisit history and see what happens when both sides become immovable objects that refuse to change.

Red-Blue Biases and Misinformation

Salon.com posted an article by Alex Henderson, titled: States That Mooch Off The Federal Government Partner. The article listed ten so-called red states that receive more federal dollars than paid out. This argument has often been used to prove that Republican economics don't work. I take offense that free market practices are attached only to republicans, but that's another argument.

Let's first ask where red and blue labels originated. The red label is less simpler as it's the color used for the enemy on a military strategy map, at least according to the New York times. Some think it might have been an attempt to associate republicans with communists. Attaching colors and symbolism to movements is a common tactic. That make sense if we use history's reference to the red menace, the Soviet Union. The blue state monicker came about because of geographic location. Most blue states are located along the coast, especially Pacific blue states. It was during the 2000 election that states got an official color designation because of how they voted in the presidential election.

9/11 Thoughts

On 9/12, 2009, I stood with 1 million other Americans on the Capitol lawn to remember the feelings we all had the day after 9/11, 2001. The people standing with me knew the problems that led to the terrorists attacking the World Trade Center for a second time. Today it seems few know why 9/11 happened, and I suspect most people don't care.

The reason we were attacked is very simple, religious fanatics who have come to hate America. Our country has become the symbol of the western culture and Christianity. We are the Infidels—the Zionists. History tells us the Crusades lasted nearly 200 years, but truth be told, they never ended. War after war pitted Muslim against Christian.