Friday, May 11, 2012

Just an idea...

One of the biggest problems in our political system is the money. I don't care which way you lean - right or left - I think we can all agree on that. But how can we fix it? Many countries have a restricted political season. (Quite a bit shorter than ours.) We could do that. I'm not sure if that would help. (Though it would make life a lot more peaceful.)

But one of the biggest problems I see is that our elected officials don't seem to actually dedicate their entire term to "public service." We all know that most will try to line their pockets and help out their donors. But, beyond that, there is the problem that the last 25-50% of their term is devoted to fundraising and politicking. What if we erased that problem?

How?

Make a system where they cannot serve two subsequent terms and no fundraising until they are out of office. Think about it. Would your employer let you take time off from work to raise money to try and get your contract renewed?? Now, I know there are a lot of obstacles to this. And I don't believe it would work unless ALL states followed it.

I remember in the 90's when they passed term limits and all that. We lost one of our Representatives who was Speaker of the House. Everyone thought that the guy they elected in his place would get that position. (Yeah, right. Too bad all voters don't have to pass a basic government quiz.)

But basically, the system could work. I also think you could make it so there was no limit to how many times a politician "served". He just couldn't serve two terms in a row.

Any thoughts??

Friday, May 4, 2012

Life on the Internet

Well, here I am typing on my notebook, reflecting on recent events. I am typing this in the basement of my parents' home as my dogs try to telepathically tell me it's dinner time. I started to think about the place of the internet in my life.

I use it to get news, to track what books I've read, to track my exercise, to listen to classical music and British comedy, and to communicate with others. It helps me keep abreast of breaking news. And I use it for social intercourse. I really don't have any friends in the neighborhood. And I don't get out much as I don't drive.

I use G-Mail, Google+, and Twitter. I love discussing books, politics, and Mariners baseball. I use it to communicate it to fellow Latter Day Saints and fellow liberals. Some of my favorite issues are women's rights, separation of church and state, stopping animal cruelty, social justice.

I really love discussing some of these issues on Google+, Twitter, or blogs. As long as these conversations don't get abusive, I love exchanging ideas. However, I must not be very good at getting my thoughts across. Many times I'm accused of being insane (because I'm Mormon) or a bigot (because I dislike fundamentalism and Israeli behavior towards the Palestinians). Sometimes I feel I should just stop.

Should I become just an internet observer? Or is it still safe to be a participant? Any thoughts out there? Any suggestions???