I think...

To Protect and Serve

So tonight I visited the local county fair of which the main event was a destruction derby. Nothing is better than watching high-power cars smash into each other in a mess of carnage and destruction. It is ALWAYS a good time, no matter how down you may be feeling.

Naturally at such events, beer is a neccesity. We all drink it, we all get rather sloshed, and enjoy the event even more. Unfortunately at this particular fair, you were required to take a pilgrammage to receive your reward. The Beer was clear on the other side of the stadium.

So, me being the alcoholic I am, left my buddy to go in search of alcoholic beverages. At this point it was not a want, it was a need.

I was having some trouble locating the beer tent, and figured the best person to ask would be the local law enforcement walking around the place. After all, their job is to PROTECT and SERVE, right?

I was wrong. In asking this nice-looking young-man where the beer tent was I was slightly harassed. Rather than pointing me in the correct direction, and allowing the employees at the tent to do their job, he first asked to see my ID. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Excuse me, could you point me in the direction of the beer tent?

Power-Trip Man (PTM): Uhh… Do you have your ID on you?

Me: Do I need an ID for directions?

PTM: No, but I’m not going to tell someone underage where the beer tent is.

Me: What happened to the serve part of your job? What if I was meeting a buddy over there? Or my parent? Or maybe I lost something over there? There is more things I may be doing than looking for alcohol underage.

PTM: Calm down sir. Do you have your ID on you?

Me: Yes, I do. (Pulled out my ID).

PTM: Very well, it’s over there. (points).

Me: Now that wasn’t that hard was it?

Now keep in mind, I never raised my voice, I never made wild gestures. I was questionative, and polite throughout my entire interaction. You may be skepticle, but ask anyone who knows me, and they will agree I am not an agressive person.

This is a perfect example of the attitudes our law enforcement and government have come to gain. In general law enforcement forgets that they are serving the people they are also protecting. Harassment is not part of their duty. There is no reason they should be automatically expecting I am breaking a law, before they have any evidence of it.

Police do not have the ability to prevent people from breaking the law. It is not their job. Their job is to take action against those who have, and to keep the peace. That is it. Probable cause, and prevention against law breakers is absolutely against the fourth and fifth amendment.

We have become a police state, in which our law-enforcement has gained the ability to do what they want, when they want, regardless of our rights protected by the constitution.

It is high-time we reclaim our rights that we have always had, and the constitution reinforced. There is no reason our law-enforcement should have this much power and influence. We are only allowing ourselves to more closely resemble the picture painted by George Orwell in 1984. The more and more we do not allow checks to our law enforcement, the less free, and the more enslaved we as people will become. Let us stop this tyranny before it starts. Quit giving away your god-given rights.

Who do your Congressmen serve?

No matter on which side of the aisle they sit, the large majority of Congressmen and women consistently vote to bolster and increase the size of our federal government. From national healthcare, gun control, to national security Congress continually make laws governing rights that are in reality, reserved to the states.

Why does this happen? First off, it is human nature to protect your position and power. So passing more laws to make their job ever more important is self-preservation in the most corrupt form. Secondly, we rarely hold our Congressmen and women to the standards and principles they were elected on. We also continue to elect them year after year, resigning ourselves to supporting the current system, under false beliefs of no alternative. Finally, there is no reason for our Representatives and Senators to remain aligned to their states. Their allegiance remains solely to the federal government, and serving the american people as a whole, rather than the population segment they represent.

This is a bastardization of Constitutional intentions. Our Congress was meant to represent the seperate populations, so all americans had a representative voice in our federal government. Instead of looking to the average views of their respective districts, our Congressmen and Women have begun to concentrate on the popular views of the United States, even if said opinions drastically differ from the district he or she represents.

This is far from how things should run. It has effectively removed our individual voices from our federal government. We can no longer influence decisions in Congress to meet our local needs, and ensure our opinions are heard and respected in congressional forum. We have effectively lost all control of our government.

It does not have to remain this way. We have options to regain control of OUR government. We are not helpless, afterall we elect those representatives to office, and we can vote differently. American ingenuity has always found a way to meet every challenge we have ever faced, and this is no different. I have several recommendations to re-align Congress with the views of its constituents.

The 17th Amendment changed the election of Senators, from that of the State Legislature to that of the population within districts. In doing so, it was ensured that the State has no say in who shall represent them nationally. So often you find the views of State governments at odds with that of the National Government. Repealing the 17th Amendment and placing power back in the hands of the state legislature will ensure state issues are heard at national levels, and the allegiance of the senators will once again be alligned with the state from which they come.

Senators and Representatives are paid by the federal government. This both hands them control over their own salaries, and ensures they act for the entire United States population rather than respecting the views of the districts they serve. I will reiterate that our represenatives are supposed to be representing the views and opinions district they serve at a national level, rather than representing ALL american people at once. Each area of the United States has its own representative that should be speaking independently for those people. In order to re-affirm this view, I would like to see the salaries of the Congressmen paid by the area they represent. To be set, paid, and if needed withheld by those people. A good guideline would perhaps be the average local income of that area. This would give the Congressman the incentive to work to better his home district. This will ensure the Congressmen and women pay more close attention to their citizens, and represent them truly, and more equally at the national level.

We do not have to resign ourselves to continually vote for National Representatives who do not serve our local needs, and respect the opinions of the local citizenship. There are actions we, as citizens, can take to force our government back on track, and representing the people it serves. Rather than complaining how congress has been acting these past few years, try proposing a change in salary payment, or support the repeal of the 17th amendment. These options will help you regain control of YOUR Congress, and hopefully place us well on the way to the change we so desperately need, and a better America.

Flip-Flopping or Taking Advantage of the Situation?

After staunchly refusing the right of Michigan and Florida delegates to have full votes in the Democratic National Convention after both states moved their primaries forward, Barrack Obama has had a reversal. He new believes both states should be allowed to have full votes at the upcoming convention.

During their heated contest, Hillary Clinton had always supported the seating of the delegates of both states, but Obama had consistently spoke against it, claiming the bumping of the primaries an illegal move. Now that he has clinched the Democratic nomination for president, he has changed his opinion.

This comes at a time when it is most advantageous to him. Had he supported the move when Hillary and he were still debating, Hillary easily could have slid into the nomination with the 366 delegates from both states. Now that she has dropped out, supporting the full votes of the states will garner him support in each.

Is this the kind of man you want for president?