Abortion

  Ok, here's a question.  In the last forty years, the pro-life conservatives have failed to save a single child from abortion, because all they do is fight against Roe v Wade.  Why haven't they sought to put measures in place that would incentivize having a child?  I'm not saying make it possible to get rich off of having children, but if it were possible to compensate a would be mother for the medical costs, and for the loss of the child.  Have a waiting period after birth.  Make sure that these women, and even young girls have a chance to do something about the situation and how they'll really feel.
  There are thousands of couples out there that would love the chance to adopt a child, so why aren't there programs in place to encourage placing a child up for adoption instead of having an abortion.  Yeah, there are religious nonprofit organizations out there that try to steer women away from abortion, but how many more mothers would be willing to have their child if not only would they not be burdened with medical costs, but for the extra effort going into having a child they were paid.  Not too much, just a few grand to incetivize having the child.  And the post-partum waiting period would be substantial enough that a woman would be able to know she didn't want to keep a child, but not so much that the waiting adoptive parents would be strained to start raising a child that's already matured a fair amount, say three to six months.
  I'm not talking about slavery, I'm talking about incentives to steer the women who would have an abortion away from it.  I don't think there's a woman out there who would have an abortion if for the nine months of discomfort, plus the pain of labor, they were compensated some.
  The other side of the coin is why aren't there more programs to make viable birth control methods available to women who would be unable to raise a child.  What, the religious right wants to dictate that for religious reasons someone has to be burdened with such a horrible choice?  In Genesis, Onan the son of Judah was struck down for failing to obey God's and his father's command to raise up a child for his slain, childless brother.  Not because he practiced coitus interruptus and spilled his sperm on the ground.  Birth control isn't a sin for those who need to withhold having a child because they can't properly raise and support him or her.  As for the theology of sex outside of marriage, that is a sin according to many religions, but that has minimal place in a free society.
  Those that would dictate laws based upon religion are nothing more than tyrants and despots, and have no place in a democratic society.  If you want to raise your children to believe it's a sin to have sex outside marriage, that's your prerogative, but it's up to you to teach them, and be honest with them.  Trying to dictate to others how to live rubs against the grain of God's will for us, that we should be free to follow Him of our own accord.  If God did not mean for us to have free choice, he wouldn't have given man a choice to begin with.

Corporate Rights

  Actually, there are no "corporate rights".  Corporations are not people.  Neither are they states or the federal government.  Corporations are mentioned nowhere in the US Constitution.  So a corporation has an obligation to its' constituent employees and officers to uphold their rights, even in the workspace.  No matter what a court may say, the fact is there is no legal basis for a corporation to impinge on personal rights.  The supervisory body for Corporations are the US Congress, who are bound by the Constitution.

Superman

  I want to rant on this one now.  In 1932, when Jerry Speigel and Joe Shuster began writing the original comic, Superman was supposed to encapsulate the ideals of "Truth, Justice and the American Way".  Now that DC Comics has gone through several staffing changes since then, Superman is renouncing his American Citizenship.  While I have been told that Superman is a ficticion character (which he is), this matters to me because of the intent behind it, as well as the underlying message which is being passed to our nation's children:  That America is an "evil" superpower, and Superman cannot associate himself with us anymore. 
  Granted, there is no denying that Superman was used as a vehicle of propaganda during World War II and the Cold War.  But can anyone truly tell me that Soviet Commnunism and Naziism weren't evil systems that needed to collapse?  Stalin, the longest running dictator of the USSR, was one of the worst humanitarian rights violators in history, eclipsed only by Hitler and a handful of others.  So propaganda he may have been in the 20th century, but it was for good cause.
  So now I want to know why:  Why is it necessary for one of the greatest fictional characters of all time to renounce citizenship?  What about the Justice League of AMERICA?  Yes, I know that in recent years, DC has been moving toward having international teams of superheroes, but that doesn't mean they should all denounce their home countries.
  When I enlisted, and again when I reenlisted, I swore an oath.  It's an oath I take to heart.  To support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.  It's the same oath any elected official gives upon taking a federal office.  It's an oath I will swear again.  Now, the critical element is the object of the dual verbs, the Constitution of the United States.  The ideals we swore to support and defend.  The Constitution is larger than any modern man, it is the very philosophical foundation of our laws.  So, if "Superman" (eg his writers) has a problem with what our government is doing, he has a duty to speak out about it.  And DC Comics has a public obligation to give true representation to all sides of a story they want to editorialize in their comics.  It's no different than running any journalistic organization.
  Individuals have the right to express their opinions without reservation.  Companies and other collective organizations have an obligation to the People to be fair and balanced.  It's that simple.  Superman can't just renounce his citizenship.  He is the product of decades of collective art.  DC Comics owes the people of the United States a storyline giving us the full story, representing all sides.

Tobacco Taxes

  Ok, for public health reasons, they keep tacking on more taxes to tobacco products.  I understand that.  But how about a different approach for the next round.  Here's an idea.  Taxe the individual additives.  Test the cigarettes with some of the tax revenue already generated.  Make it $.50 per additive per pack.  Considering the number of additives some brands have, I think we'll see the additives go.  Make the tax triple for known poisions like formaldahyde, cyanide, and ammonia.  Perhaps the reasonable goal here should be to get the dangerous chemicals out for now.

Partisan Politics

Disclaimer:  In this post I refer specifically to civilian political issues.  I intend no disrespect to the President who is in my chain of command (who I actually have a lot of respect for as a leader), I'm just addressing political issues.

  Well, that being said, now you know I'm going into some dangerous ground here.  Now, I'm more peeved with Congressman Eric Cantor for what he said in response to Pres. Obama's challenge to put aside the circus side shows and get down to serious business.  But, Mr. President, shouldn't you consider the implications of blatantly challenging the Republicans over something like this?  I myself vote Republican a lot, and I find that only your most conservative elements of society actually give a rat's derriere about your birth certificate. 
  I have to agree with Rep. Paul Broun of GA somewhat.  I do agree with the Pres. for shutting up the "birthers" finally.  Since they were able to enlist a big name to make a stink about it all, I'm glad this is finally out of the air.  But I do agree with others that there are more imortant issues to deal with, like the budget, energy policies, foreign issues, and the like.  I blame the hardcore birthers who dragged this issue out for so long.  That was low.
  Rep. Broun, would you be so kind as to actually sit down with the President and work out some decent compromises over the issues at hand?

Donald Trump and his medical Deferment.

  I want to know what kept him from going to Vietnam.  Donald, I willingly served in a combat zone for my country.  You apparently managed to duck the draft.  I give you credit for doing it legally, when so many would have just jumped the northern border to Canada.  But not only did you avoid the draft somehow, you also lied about it.  Why?
  For a man who wants to run for president you seem to have a lot to hide.  Better start coming clean Donald.  How are you supposed to be our president if we can't trust you?
  So a man who won't give us a political platform, who has lied now about his past, wants to be our president.  I won't vote for him.  Seriously, he talks a lot of crap about Pres. Obama, but why does he seem so determined to guarantee him another term.  Donald Trump needs to back out of this campaign, focus on "The Apprentice", and let someone decent run for office, without tying up anymore news reporting with pointless bovine fecal matter.

Frosted Flakes

  I'm peeved at the FDA over this one.  Anyone who is familiar with Tony the Tiger will know that in recent years, he's been a spokesperson for active and athletic children.  And yet the FDA has named them as an offender for advertising "Junk Food" with a cartoon mascot.  Kellog's became a responsible producer when they initiated the ad campaign to promote athletics among kids.  Had the FDA named them as an offender years ago, when the whole campaign was "They're Grrrreat!" there would have been a point.  But Kellog's began reacting to the issue of childhood obesity already.
  This is just another example of the Government sticking their fingers in the pot unnecessarily.  I don't like this Big Brother bovine fecal matter.  Hostess and Twinkie the Kid are another story entirely.  Twinkies are known as a junk food.  Twinkies are nothing but empty calories.  The whole point of these cartoon and cartoonlike characters is to get kids interested in a product.  Remember the stink over Joe Camel. 
  Now, obviously, there are good reasons in some cases to come down, but that doesn't give the federal government leeway to just going around telling people they shouldn't eat a specific food, or how a manufacturer should advertise their product.  There needs to be justifiable cause.  What about Captain Morgan?  He is an advertising gimmick for a rum, yet he has cartoonlike qualities, and pirates are popular with many kids.  I haven't heard anything about that.  Why target a cereal that isn't all that unhealthy in and of itself, and promotes general wellbeing by advertising child athletics, when they won't come down on a liquor company.

On a personal note, I am converting some of my better quotes into tshirts on cafepress.com.  I've made a link on the right side to my shop.  The Foundation and Structure quote and Bovine Fecal Matter are already designed.

Energy

  Ok, time for energy talk.  The fact is, the solutions exist.  Seriously, if anyone who is reading this blog would click on some of the ads, I think my first first investment would be some open property in Southern California, near the Mojave and Death Valley.  I'd put up a field of solar panels.  And I'd hire people to maintain it.  It wouldn't have to make me a lot of money, just pay for itself, and fill a retirement account (Yeah, right, I've never been happier in my life).  It's all a matter of putting forth the effort to actually solve the problem.
  One of the problems with this, though, is that banks aren't making loans.  Even though the otherwise worthless land exists, the technology is fast improving, and utilizing the open space in such a manner is just sound from all sides, the necessary start up capital isn't readily available.  There's room in Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, just about any state has open space that generates a fair amount of continuous sunlight.
  Wind is also a viable option.  Here's a thought, combine your wind and solar power farms.  Properly built and laid out, you could solve a large portion of our energy problems, and reduce the use of fossil fuels.
  How about genetic engineering and biofuels?  We could probably produce more than enough diesel fuel if we genetically altered heavy oil producing florae to survive in more extreme circumstances.  Not to mention that the gasses emitted by burning biofuels are cleaner.  It's a matter of science.  The technology exists, just nobody actually wants to try and implement it to solve some of our problems.

Foundation and Structure

  I lay claim to this one.  "The foundation of liberty is those willing to defend it.  The structure of liberty is having the education to exercise it."  It's mine!
  No, seriously, for those who saw my facebook update earlier, I had seen one of those bumper stickers, I believe it was the cost of freedom one, when it and the thank a teacher, thank a soldier quote went through my mind, and I had an Epiphany.
  We can shout patriotic slogans all day and night, we can talk liberty and justice for all, we could all enlist tomorrow, but that still doesn't mean we are truly free.  In fact, if all we do is parrot quotes and follow the crowd around us, we aren't free, we're no better than over sized talking lemmings.  "When the blind follow the blind, they shall both fall into a ditch."  Bill O'Reilly, Bill Maher, John Stewart, Glenn Beck, they're all entitled to their opinions.  Opinions which were formed based upon their personal experiences, upbringing and education.  We the People, however, can't just listen to one or two, but need to listen to all sides, quit parroting ideology, and make sound judgments based on the facts at hand.
  Watch an hour of Fox News, then an hour of CNN, followed by an hour of BBC.  Maybe find some time for Al Jazeera English in there on the internet.  Don't just quote ad nauseum your one personal favorite opinion personality.  Listen to what they all have to say.  And quit wasting their time with emails telling them how much they suck.  If you're going to email them, state an opinion about an issue, and make it worthwhile.  I might have to start naming people who send in nasty emails that are a waste of time on this blog.

Tornadoes in the South

  I can already hear the religious pundits going off on the severe weather in the south,"It's the wrath of God, it's judgment for our sinful ways, we need to get back to <insert ultra-dogmatic sect here>."  Now, I've made it clear that I am a Christian.  However, Matthew ch. 7 vv. 1-2 are crystal clear,"Judge not, unless you are also judged.  For with what ever measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  Judgment is reserved for God, and the theological answer is that God has reserved judgment for Judgment Day.
  I honestly don't want to hear it.  God has his own plan.  It is not for mere mortals to dictate what it is for him.  And if it comes down to it, why are severe storms striking the part of the country known as the "Bible Belt".
  If we want to consider the severe weather God's Judgment, then that begs the question "What are the people of the south doing to deserve this level of punishment?"  Once again, we hit the wall of this being one of the most devout areas of our nation.  So now we know, it's not judgment, it's just the weather patterns changing, as they do.
  Now I can hear the far left going off,"Global Warming!  Global Warming!"  We do have some foundation for that.  However, we are dealing with a phenomenon that isn't yet fully understood.  So, it's a possibility, but nowhere near a certainty.  I want empyrical evidence before people start screaming for more environmental regulations.  Our economy can't handle it right now.
  Maybe what we need to spend our effort on is honest solutions to our problems, instead of perpetuating our very human and very flawed ideologies.

Donald Trump

Donald Trump Poll

I'm just in a mood to go off on him tonight.  If you have the AdSense link, please use that, but otherwise, please make your voice heard.  If you think he has no business running for president, or even if you like him and think he should, please cast your vote.  I personally don't like the fact he wanted to use Pres. Obama's birth certificate to launch his political platform.  That was low.  Donald, use a damn real platform to run for office, even though it's too late now.  What's the problem, are you actually more liberal than you want to let on?  What are you trying to hide by not basing your run for president on actual politics, instead you have to attack the man that has the cajones and the votes to sit in that office.

Pres. Obama's Birth Certificate

  Ok, I'm sick of it, but he finally produced a birth certificate.  Now will you people shut up!  I honestly don't believe the Democratic party would have allowed him to run as their candidate unless they had vetted and proven his viability and legality.  It would have destroyed the Democrats thoroughly.  And, I can't criticize him, not just for the legal reasons, but for the fact he is a real leader.  He hasn't shrank from the hard decisions, he doesn't shirk his duties, and he does his job to the best of his abilities.  I may not agree with all his policies, but I do respect him as a leader, and unless the Republicans actually find a better candidate, I will probably vote for his reelection in 2012.  Their, I said it.  I may be fairly conservative, but unless the Republicans can actually produce a true leader who is a true conservative, Pres. Obama has won me over.
  As for Donald Trump, he's been a businessman, and I know he knows how to run a company, but this whole sideshow BS has completely lost me.  Ok, he was actually big-name enough to make Pres. Obama produce the long form birth certificate, but it wasn't anything to base a political platform on.
  What's really bad is when Bill O'Reilly is taking Pres. Obama's side in a conflict.  Bill came down on Trump for the circus act.  Pres. Obama and Bill O'Reilly are right, there are much bigger issues on the table.  What are we supposed to do, dick around legalities while the nation is in the worst position it's been in since the 1930s? 
  These are the reasons I write this blog.  There are too many serious issues today to let some idiot who wants the spotlight and a title just stand up and play games without saying something in a public forum.
  Please, those who read the blog, make comments.  Give me something to work with.  Anyone who knows me well knows I love a good debate.  If you're having trouble, you may need a google account.

YouTube and social media

  Ok, this is definitely one that needs to be covered.  I'm going to cover GE's old slogan "Living Better Electrically".  After decades of the trend being to minimize the individual, the reverse is now true.  Technology has brought back the individual.  Social media has allowed us to put our work, thoughts and art out there without the approval of some corporate suit whose main concern is the bottom line.  I'm going to specify YouTube specifically.  There are YouTube videos more popular than your biggest dramas on tv.  When's the last time a single episode of "Friends" could claim a viewership of half a million.
  Living better electrically.  The truth is, with sites like blogspot.com, now even the talking heads of the news have competition.  Here I am spouting my opinions.  Maybe I don't have Bill O'Reilly's following (yet) but I can say how I feel, maybe make a little money off it, and possibly make a difference in the long run.  I remember 20 years ago your news choices were ABC, NBC, CBS and your local newspaper.  Now I have choices upon choices to gain my news sources from.  I can access Al Jazeera TV's website in English now and get the point of view of the Arab world through their news.  We as a communal whole need to utilize modern technology to strengthen every individual possible in order to move forward to the future.

Healthcare part 2

  Another major concern I have with government interference in healthcare is bogging down the system with regulations.  Seeking to fix the problem is one thing, but government systems are all too often inefficient.  The sad fact is that many bureaucracies end up seeking to grow their size without regard to the necessity.  And so we have an unnecessarily large and redundant government.  Once again, it comes down to tiering government structure.  There are places in which redundancy is necessary, primarily in the Department of Defense and intelligence networks.  These redundancies are a matter of security.  But for many things, the best way to run something is to have the most local level conduct the actual operations, while the higher levels of government focus on broader oversight and policy.
  In government, the more local control there is the easier it is for the various entities to adapt to conditions.  The truth is that someone sitting in an office in Washington, DC, Sacramento, or San Francisco has no clue what is really going on in Redding CA.  Or any other smaller town throughout the nation.  The guy in DC or Sacramento needs only to be concerned with talking to the next level down, and occasionally spot checking the local stuff.  Let the local stuff take care of itself.  We don't need redundancy in the civilian stuff.  We need local agencies in control of everything at the local level.

Healthcare

  I've been wanting to write about this matter for some time.  It honestly has me concerned.  I know there is a problem with our nation's healthcare system.  I applaud those politicians that fought to change the situation.  I don't know that I agree with some of the aspects of the law.  Personally, I think the solution to the problem should start with those businesses where the principals are making substantial amounts of money that could cover health inurance for their employees.  Someone who owns five MacDonalds stores has no business claiming the millions of dollars in profits that can generate without putting forth a halfway decent health plan to his or her employees.  I believe those that work harder have earned the right to have more, but I find it obscene when someone can make millions of dollars from other peoples' sweat and not even guarantee that full time adults can at least get a yearly physical and contend with emergency illnesses and injuries.
  I also have a problem with major companies that are declaring millions of dollars in profits, but won't find a way to employ more people.  Once again, I find it obscene that a handful of people can make millions while there are millions of people who don't even have a job.  I see no reason not to employ these people 30 hours a week doing administrative tasks and reducing the work load for those who already work for the company.  I'm not a political socialist, I just don't like that some people like to define "free market" as meaning that a very small portion of the population can control the bulk of the cash flow when there are people more than willing to work who can't find a job. 

The Quileute Nation of Washington State

  I want to give my support to the campaign of the Quileute Nation to expand their tribal territory and move their primary residences and important businesses and civic services to higher ground.  The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan has underscored the inherent dangers of living on low-lying coastal areas.  These people should have the choice to move to higher ground, and all they need to accomplish it is a small portion of the Olympia National Forest.  This would not interfere with ONF's primary purpose because the Quileute utilize a lot of tourist commerce for their livelihoods and would seek to preserve the forest itself as much as possible.  This is merely a matter of reducing the unnecessary danger the tribe lives in.

Al Qaeda and Libya

  Libya has been in the news more than anything lately, and the war in Afghanistan has been sliding down the ladder more and more.  This is becoming a problem because many people from the NATO Coalition Countries want their nations' soldiers out.  Well, there is only one way out, and that is victory.  We need updates on the Afghan War, and not just whenever it is convenient to the major news companies.  They all have webpages, they can have someone send them reports as to what is going on and load them to the internet.  There is no reason whatsoever to not have a steady flow of information on a day to day basis.  How about a general report of IED interdictions and deaths (CF and EKIA) on a daily basis.  Give us the real lowdown on what's going on oversees.
  That also goes for Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and anywhere else there is civil unrest.  The US may need to be involved in these nations to some level, and if we do, it's important the people of the US have a foundation of knowledge to know why.  I said that classified information needs to be kept out of the news, but there is plenty of unclassified information that Fox, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, and CBS could post on their websites.  Why is it that when I go to Foxnews.com, I often see reports that are three or four days old from Afghanistan.  I've been there.  There wasn't a single day that in one of the smallest provinces with one of the lowest population bases in southern Afghanistan didn't have something happen, usually more than one something.  Like I said, there are minimums of information that could be posted.  Why can't we get a running track of the information out of other nations of concern?
  As far as siding with the Libyan Rebels, I feel the US should.  I feel that Drone attacks of COL Gaddafi's facilities is the least we could do.  There are people worried about mission creep, and rightly so, but a little action to actually help other peoples free themselves can go a long way.  Alot of that is a matter of psyops campaigns, in which we show all the things the US is doing to improve the lives of other people.  Where is the massive Red Cross campaign to assist with the basic necessities of the various peoples affected by this unrest?  I consider all people to be my family ultimately.  That is why I do what I do, so that someday we can live in brotherhood.  So where is the effort to show that brotherhood now.

Dictating beliefs

  So I was getting up to use the restroom and have a cigarette after my last post when my niece sits down to my laptop.  I told her that she would be fine for a few minutes while I was gone, but she had to give back my laptop when I got back.  I told her that I would lock it if she didn't give it back.  She asked me "Do I believe you?"  I said yes.  Her reply was "How do you know what I believe?"  Now, I know that many people will be aghast at the disrespect, but that is outside the point of this post.  That was dealt with.  The point here is that I was, without meaning to, dictating a belief to my niece.  She had a valid point in that I can't just tell her what to believe.
  So it comes to that.  It isn't my place to dictate beliefs to people.  To get my niece to believe me, I have to demonstrate that I mean what I say.  It is the same on higher levels.  If Pat Robertson wants me to follow his theology, he has to back it up with reason.  We are supposed to have progressed since the Dark Ages, and yet many people want to dictate their beliefs to others without thought still.  We will get no where until those that dictate their beliefs shut up for the five minutes to listen to the other side and find the valid points they make.  Everyone has a valid point to make somewhere along the line.  It would be more constructive to take the time to listen and address the other side's concerns.  We might solve some real problems if we all just took five minutes here and there.

Five Dollar Gas

  Well, we're headed that way.  The EPA needs to be stripped of its' authority. 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/25/energy-america-oil-drilling-denial/

  To me, the whole stink about the polution here does not solve our nations fuel and energy problems, it merely exacerbates them.  When the nation is paying five dollars a gallon for gas, and our economy is further hampered from recovery, I say we put the EPA's budget on the chopping block for all the lost tax revenue, as well as their fair share of the further cuts that will need to be made to make up the deficit.
  We're trillions of dollars in debt, and the interest grows daily.  Every bureaucrat in our government has a duty to considering the overall implications of their decisions and actions.  When they make a stupid decision like this, they should be charged a portion of their salary to help cover their share of the cost of it.  Please, have some consideration for those of us who actually have to do an honest day's work for our money, and don't want to see the first third of our work day go to cover our fuel bill.
  While we're on the subject of fuels and energy, there are means by which we could reduce our carbon emissions overall and drive a stronger economy while still meeting our energy needs.  The truth is that environmental energy sources are prevalent and would greatly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions while still meeting our nations energy needs.  and I don't want to hear that building fifty foot tall windmills will look ugly.  If it comes down to it, put a facade on them and make them look like Dutch windmills.  With modern solar panel technology, we could put much of the open deserts that our nation has to good use powering our nation.  That would reduce the carbon emissions used to power our homes and businesses.  Maybe the EPA could put their energies into expanding cleaner energy sources, and finding new ways to power our transportation infrastructure.  It's stupid to think that we have to cut carbon emissions without recourse to the fact that our modern society needs energy to function.  I'll tell you what, you give me Star Trek Transporters, and I'll give up my car.  It's that simple.  I can't ride the bus to work, I'm in a leadership position now, I have to be readily available to to assist my soldiers in whatever means I can when they need it.  Don't tell me I have to pay five dollars a gallon to drive my car when I need it.  It could be argued my car is a matter of national security.

WikiLeaks

I've got one more thought for the night, then I'm going to bed.  There are some things that shouldn't be allowed to be protected information.  National secrets by which our security leadership base their tactics, strategies, and operations are not among them.  Wikileaks has crossed a line.  It is one thing to expose the communiques of a bank or other private institution which engaged in bad business practices and had a major negative affect on our economy.  It's another to publish classified documents on a public medium and compromise our nation's ability to secure its' self and combat our enemies. 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/25/wikileaks.documents/index.html?eref=igoogledmn_topstories

  To leak cables regarding the detention of terrorists is reckless in the extreme.  The person who made these cables available to WikiLeaks is guilty of treason.  The staff of WikiLeaks are irresponsible in the extreme for publishing such documents. 
  I'm saying it, WikiLeaks, get out of the classified information business.  Stick to whistle blowing on businesses.  You've greatly endangered our servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan publishing material like that.  And no, you don't have the right to publish this material, it's protected under the provisions of the freedom of information act from such release.  It's not excercising free speach, it's compromising our ability to complete the prosecution of our wars in the Middle East.

Redundancy in the Government

  Ok, so here's a redundancy I'm not entirely sure of.  Why do we have Federal, State and Local Park services without tiering the operations.  Seriously, Let the actual operations for all parks and wildlands fall under the purview of the local government, with tiered oversight that works its' way up.  It would be more cost effective to have the county and city park services handle the day to day operations for all parks within their jurisdiction, with only broad legal and financial oversight from the state and federal governments.
  Northern California has some great examples of this.  Within a three hour drive from Redding, you can find dozens of Federal, State and County Parks.  Some of them do make a profit individually, but overall, the combined total do not.  However, if the operating personnel base were consolidated, you could save thousands of dollars annually per park.  You would merely need regional oversight from the State and Federal Governments.
  These are the situations that are costing us way too much money and contributing to furth deficit.  Millions of people from around the world visit our various State and National Parks every year.  If we consolidated overall operations, they could feasibly make a profit.

Taliban Breakout in Afghanistan

Well, I didn't even make it an hour before something popped up on the news about the Taliban.  This one really peeves me.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110425/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan

About 475 prisoners escaped from the Kandahar Jail.  I gotta ask, how did Taliban fighters manage to dig a thousand foot tunnel with noone noticing?  Obviously being the Kandahar Jail, and not one of the more secure facilities available to the US or Afghan Government, it was under the purview of the Afghan National Police (ANP).  I know we're trying to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan, but the ANP are notoriously corrupt.  Perhaps ISAF/NATO need to step in with perimeter security oversight to ensure this is less likely to happen again.  And the Afghan Government seriously needs to try the insiders who were so light with the cell door keys as traitors, and punish them as such.  Please, Pres. Karzai, take the kid gloves off, quit trying to work with those who would do such things, target the corrupt members of your government, and do something about the long term future of your country.

Politics and Religion

  Ok, here is my first blog post.  Something I've considered for a long time, but haven't really followed through.  Hello Blogosphere, I am here.  As this is no doubt to be eventually found by people who know me from web forums and the military, they can tell you I am an intellectual force to be reckoned with.  That is not arrogance, it's simply the truth.  Does it mean I'm never wrong?  No, just highly intelligent and intent on putting that intelligence to work in the best way possible to improve the world around me.
  Politics-  I am a centrist, best way to describe me politically.  I believe that the government needs to keep its' hands out of the pot, unless the pot needs to be stirred.  I also believe that when the pot needs to be stirred, it shouldn't be stirred half-heartedly.  So, the first big complaint is both liberals and conservatives who threatened a government shutdown over ideology.  Seriously, one side or the other should have compromised days before they did, and not with the attempts at forcing something ideological through the budget.  Liberals could have guaranteed womens' health services without funding abortion.  Religious Conservatives didn't need to make a big stink about a portion of the budget just to prevent federal funding of abortions.
  Now that we're on the budget topic, let's look at the amount of redundancy in the government.  The first part I'm going to attack is the tax structure, which is inherently wrong in just about every way.  From the local level to the federal level, the tax structure is entirely jacked up.  In fact I've just named the chief problem.  Everyone has to deal with three or four levels of government when it comes to paying taxes.  That is jacked up.  All collection from individuals and businesses should be handled at the local (city or county) level.  The local governments are then allocated their funds out of that on a percentage basis, and they pass the money up to the next higher level.  The states collect from the counties only, and then are allocated their percentage, sending the remaining percentage to the federal government.  The next problem with our tax system is that it is primarily an income based system.  This creates a problem because you are taxing production intstead of consumption.  In all reality, you are penalizing all but the smallest percentage of top producers.  You are diminishing the incentive to work harder and produce more.  Tax consumption instead.  The more necessary an item is, the lower the tax on it.  A car is necessary, for example.  Tax that at a lower rate.  Same with food, fuel, and communications equipment.  But I don't need a Playstation or XBox.  Tax that at a much higher percentage.  And tax everything.  Nothing you buy is tax exempt.  Let those that work harder have their money, and only penalize them for buying luxury items.  Doesn't even have to apply to "high end" vs. "low end" merchandise.  Just target those items based on their total necessity value.  Tax a Mercedes-Benz, a Honda, and a Kia at the same rate.
  Now I'll come to the politicians.  There's no way to avoid career politicians.  It's impossible to elect someone senator or president if they don't have the background to be known well enough for that level of office.  Even at the state level, it can be impossible to elect a legislator or governor without having a political history to assess by.  However, there are things that should be done to discourage the type of political careers that are based solely upon inherited wealth.
  I have no problem with someone keeping that which they've earned.  I've no problem with someone who inherits a tangible interest from their parent(s) when they continue to work at that interest.  I do have a problem with those that are generations removed from the ancestor who established an interest and do no real work to continue building or sustaining it.  I am of the opinion that when an inheritance exceeds a reasonable level, it's time to tax that to a huge degree and utilize the money gained to provide equal educational opportunities to everyone.  Our nation now has a de facto aristocracy of robber barons who haven't actually earned a cent they have.  If you don't believe me, look at a celebrity like Paris Hilton.  Okay, she did some modeling work.  But the only reason she is where she is is because of her father's fortune.  I get sick of seeing her sordid life on the news when it's hardly ever for anything constructive.  When a family gets that rich, and the patronage dies, leave the inheritors enough to live comfortably off of and even start their own new business, but let us trim the fat and level the playing field.  The only out for having your estate that heavily taxed is to establish a non-profit organization which is nonpolitical in nature and in which at least 60% of the proceeds are dedicated to improving education in this nation.  Then the tax interest rate still applies, just the government does nothing more than assist in establishing the new organization.
  It's time to discuss religion.  Freedom of religion is an inherent right.  I hold Secular Humanism to be a religion.  Therefore, anything we teach in our schools in which religious views may play a part in should be taught as theory, and addressed as such.  There is no reason why Intelligent Design, Creationism, and a more agnostic Evolution can't be comparitavely taught side by side.  And they can be taugh in an objective fashion.
  Now, I'm in no mood to debate someone over the minor details of my religion vs. theirs.  My faith is mine.  I will share it with you if you ask, and I do not judge people for having a different faith.  I've studied too many religions to a fair depth to claim that because someone follows a certain path they are going to heaven or hell.  Burning the articles of another faith is also unacceptable.  In fact, in many religions such an act is counter to the very core of its' doctrine.  And considering the possible end result of such an act, I consider it no different than yelling "fire" in a crowded theater when there is no fire.  It's not free expression, it's an act of open antagonism.
  So, these are my thoughts tonight.  The system can be fixed, it just takes a concerted effort on our part to do so.  We just have to be fed up with the status quo.