Well, I guess Rick Perry wasn't as Fed Up as he thought he was. He's now becoming an apologist for his own nine month old book. Politicking as usual.

Smart Shopping: Kmart

Smart Shopping: Kmart

     I could find VERY little on Kmart. It is a humble American discount store that had to file bankruptcy, that was bought by Edward Lampert for his ESL Investments hedge fund and that merged with Sears. Kmart is known for its philanthropy, mainly towards kids, with support for: March of Dimes, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and American Diabetes Association. Also, after being faced with environmental violations, Kmart started a campaign of promoting recycling batteries.


Happy Shopping,


Alexander Fisher

"Those that dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day, are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams and make them real."

Libertarian Presidential Candidates Part 1

R. Lee Wrights

     R. Lee Wrights is a Libertarian candidate for president. The first of his points that stuck out to me was this: “A foreign policy of non - interventionism is not a policy of isolationism, nor is it a policy of pacifism.” Which is a good point and a short way of saying that our constitutional duty is to protect our borders, not build other nations, but at the same time, we will engage in international trade and resort to violence to secure our borders if necessary. Mr. Wrights believes America should begin a phased withdrawal from more than 130 nations where we are currently stationed, beginning with Iraq and Afghanistan.
   

     He moves on to say that the only way to begin to reduce our debt is not by slowing, lowering or cutting spending, but by stopping spending. He says that with defense and entitlements making up 60 - 70% of the federal budget, that is where we need to start to stop spending. He says the federal government, to cover costs can sell millions of acres of land, power companies, oil and mineral rights and unused military bases.
     Wrights calls for ending social security and Medicare for the next generation once the current obligations are met. Saying that a cut in regulations would lead to a cut in costs. Also, he would replace Medicare and Medicaid with tax credits that can be extended to any person or organization funding Health Saving Accounts for themselves or others.


Lastly he would make all healthcare expenditures 100% tax deductible.


I will close by saying that I understand he is a third party candidate, but he is a candidate for president, and so if you agree with his views, then support him as such.
　
Question Everything,

Joshua Fisher

"Those that dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day, are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams and make them real."

The Honorable Speaker Newt Gingrich: Presidential Candidate

The Honorable Speaker

     Newt Gingrich is probably the most memorable former Speaker of the House in recent history (in my nineteen years I have heard of no former Speaker more than Mr. Gingrich). And we all understand the ‘Republican Revolution’ he led as Speaker against President Bill Clinton. This revolution was written in ‘The Contract With America’ that Mr. Gingrich is famous for and includes such success as welfare reform and a capital gains tax cut.
     What you may not know about Mr. Gingrich is that he has a Ph.D in Modern European History and is the author of twenty - three books. He is a proven leader with backbone and intellectual prowess. But is he presidential material?
     Right out of the gate there is the issue of check kiting, which he engaged in. Check kiting, for those who don’t know, is the illegal act of taking advantage of the float (duplicate money present in the banking system during the time between a deposit being made in the recipient’s account and the money being deducted from the sender’s account) to make use of non-existent funds in a checking or other banking account. This, paired with the issue with Tiffany’s is enough to make one wonder if Newt is the man we want to give significant control of our finances to. Also, he is the only Speaker of the House to have been disciplined for ethics violations.
    

     Gingrich is living up to his reputation in the House, he is calling for less government. He wants NASA to hand space exploration over to the private sector and he wants to replace the EPA with the Environmental Solutions Agency. Gingrich supports the individual healthcare mandate as well as moving toward state-based healthcare solutions and block granting Medicaid. Still, Mr. Gingrich is an interesting candidate. Far from towing the line, he combines an opposition to cap - and - trade with a support for ethanol. He mixes an interest in conservation with an ideal to drill and mine domestically, while researching and developing alternatives.
     He also surprised me with his views of prison reform. He wants to move money from prisons to probation services. He believes there is a need for ‘humane alternatives’ to incarceration. So, if you favor a unique candidates with intellect and leadership history, Newt Gingrich may be worth your attention.

Question Everything,

Alexander Fisher
"Those that dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day, are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams and make them real."

Rick Perry Enters the Race

A Texas Governor for President

     Rick Perry is the current governor of Texas. He has held that position since George W. Bush stepped down in 2000. He started his career in politics as a Reagan Democrat, supporting Al Gore in the presidential primary race of 1988, even chairing the Gore campaign in Texas, before converting to being a Republican in 1989. Currently, Rick Perry is seen as a ‘Tea - Party Favorite,’ which is a highly sought after title for Republicans in this primary process, even having been invited to The Redstate Gathering, where he announced his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States of America. And I would say, despite the early blemishes in his record, like voting for a 5.7 billion tax increase while in the Texas Legislature, in 1987, he seemed to fit the Tea-Party bill as I understand it.

    

     Perry touts his ability to create jobs and economic success. He has cut property tax and taxes to small businesses and since 2009, more than forty percent of all net new jobs in America have been created in Texas. These things combined with his intention to repeal Obamacare if elected, and the truth that every budget he has signed has been balanced make him very appealing to fiscal conservatives. Still despite his ‘ability to create jobs‘, as of August 2011, Texas has an unemployment rate of 8.2% and also has the highest percentage of workers paid at or below minimum wage. And while Texas faces these problems, Governor Perry has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into border security and billions into education, while refusing $555 million in stimulus money for unemployment insurance.

     My biggest issue with Perry, putting aside his pro-death penalty views and his anti - gay views (and his anti - sodomy) views is his opposition to the seventeenth amendment. How is it that a ‘small - government’ ‘for the people’ candidate could want to take the power of the people to elect their senators and give it back the government?

     After scratching the surface, it seems that Perry has a questionable record as a fiscal conservative, a strong record as a social conservative (being against gay marriage, the EPA and being a two tier pro - death candidate [supporting the death penalty and war]) and shows signs of being an elitist in his opposition to the seventeen amendment. So, depending on how the mainstream media treats him, we may see his elitist attitudes and his fiscal blemishes show, or they may try to hide them from us as they hide Karger, Roemer, Johnson and some 180 other candidates from us. Remember that this is your country and the information is free to spread. The choice is yours.

Question Everything,

Alexander Fisher

"Those that dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day, are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams and make them real."

On Tim Pawlenty and Straw Poll Politics

            Today, Tim Pawlenty announced he was dropping out of the race for President of the United States of America. I for one was discouraged by this. Now, I do not, have not and would not support Mr. Pawlenty as a candidate for President of the United States of America. Still, I take issue with his dropping out this early in the game. He went for broke participating in the ‘Pay – to – Play’ Iowa Straw Poll and got 3^rd place, behind Bachmann and Paul and ahead of his more persistent peer, Santorum. Now I understand that one cannot, in modern day, post Citizens United vs. The Federal Election Commission, run a nation wide campaign with no money.

            Let’s face it. To compete, especially if you are lacking the attention from the Mainstream Media that Tim Pawlenty was, you’ll need money for merchandise -including yard signs and tee – shirts and for campaign ads on radio and television and the internet. And that’s not including the price of maintaining a staff and traveling around everywhere to campaign and stump, let’s face it; running for president in America is an expensive endeavor. But this still leaves me wondering. The Iowa Straw Poll is a fundraising event held by the Iowa Republican Party to raise money for the party. It is also a huge media event where everyone who is anyone in the Mainstream Media Culture comes out to get as much footage as they can and to put their two cents in about the candidates. What it is not, however, is a legal or binding caucus or primary. By the laws of the FEC, no candidate must legally drop out of the race based on the results of the straw poll, and yet because of the emphasis the Mainstream Media puts on the winner of the poll, candidates for the nomination scramble around spending money like Paris Hilton to buy the most votes and win the Straw Poll.

            As we saw with Mr. Pawlenty, if they do not win, after putting all their chips on the table, then they may be forced to drop out of the race. And it seems to me that this is just as the Mainstream Media wants it, it allows a chance to thin the herd early on which takes away from potential voters what could have been their favorite candidate, before they ever even learned about them.

            If you have a candidate you support for president, than support them. Tell your friends, family and neighbors about them, campaign for them and even give money if you can afford it. But don’t sit idly by, because if you do, then your favorite candidate could be the next Tim Pawlenty. The Mainstream Media does not own the electoral process. Big corporations do not own the electoral process. Politicians, pundits, figure heads and talking heads do not own the electoral process. We, the people, own the electoral process. And if we the people are dedicated and driven, we can elect anyone we want to. If we’re idle and apathetic, if we give in to a two – party system, a ‘lesser of two evils’ mentality, then we will be stuck in a plummeting downfall for a long, long time.

In thought,

Alexander Thrasher

"Those that dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day, are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams and make them real."

Tim Pawlenty calls it quits this morning after paying $15,000+ to participate in the Iowa Straw Poll.

Live - Blogging the debate tonight! Conversation welcome here!

Roseanne Barr just announced on Jay Leno that she's running for President of the United States of America. Thoughts?

Poem #4

You try to sit in silence,

You ache for what you don’t have,

You dare not ask for any more than you’re given.

Bite your tongue,

Don’t seem ungrateful,

Don’t seem unthankful.

Sit in silence,

Try to smile,

Try to seem appreciative,

Smother the ache in your heart,

Dull your desire,

You don’t need more than you’re given,

You need less than you want.

Stop wanting,

Stop needing,

Kill the small child in you,

The one who never quits crying.

Decapitate him to dry the tears,

Behead him to mute his dry sob,

Use death to chase away all his fears.

You’ll be better without him,

Stronger,

You’ll long for less,

You’ll need little.

So sit in silence,

So kill all that you are,

So forget who you were,

Accept what you are given,

Desire no more,

Accept no less.

Sit.

Breathe.

In.

Out.

That’s it,

Easy does it,

Silence,

An empty smile,

A shallow eye.

Content derived from being accustomed,

Accustomed to starving yourself,

Your mind,

Your heart,

Your weak, godless, pathetic little soul.

You’re empty now.

“How does it feel?”

You don’t know what to say.

“Good.” You lie.

“Of course it does, it’s supposed to.” They smile as they smother you in their inattention.

They don’t care about you,

Because they don’t need you,

And someone once reminded you,

No one NEEDS you, no one ever will.

This shatters you,

It breaks you,

It destroys all you are,

And what can you say?

How do you counter?

Loud silence,

Silent tears.

All your fears come true,

And you’re trapped in a darkness you can’t escape,

A hell you cannot avoid.

You need too much from a world that doesn’t need you.

How does it make you feel?

Does it make you cry at night?

Does it make you sit alone in the dark?

Are you alone?

Do you feel alone?

Mommy and daddy don’t need you,

Brother and sister don’t need you,

Teacher and preacher don’t need you,

NO ONE WILL EVER NEED YOU!

So don’t cry,

So don’t pout,

Just sit,

Smile,

And shut THE FUCK UP!

They need cigarettes and beer and sex and drugs,

They need porn and comedy and tits and abs,

They need million calorie burgers,

And they need diet pills,

They need muscle relaxers and protein shakes,

But they don’t need you,

Never, ever, will they need you.

So don’t dare,

Ever think they care,

They hate and despise you,

Want to drown you,

Forget you,

Erase you,

Never need you,

EVER!!!!!

"Those that dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day, are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams and make them real."

The Importance Of Voting Part 1: Legislative Representatives

Why vote for more than just a Presidential candidate?

     The race for The White House brings out quite a few extra voters. This is evident when comparing midterm election numbers to Presidential election numbers. It’s not completely illogical. We, as Americans, see the President as a very important individual. We want someone who internally and externally will represent us. Who will believe the same things we do. We understand the importance of the President on the view of the United States by other nations. This is why my father doesn’t like Jimmy Carter. He always says, “Jimmy is a great southern gentleman, but he was too weak to be president.”
     It is because of the importance of the image of the President that we kind of bow our heads in shame at the mention of Watergate or Monica Lewinsky. So, don’t get me wrong, I understand that it is very important to vote for the President. In fact, I believe every citizen who has the great privilege of being able to vote for the President should in fact do so, in a well informed and educated manner. But, we are a representative democracy and as such, we need to understand the importance of every position that we have the great privilege to vote for. In every election, midterm or Presidential, we have the privilege of voting for our three most important representatives: our state house and state senate legislators and our U.S. Representative. This means that every two years, you have the opportunity to influence the way that laws will be made for the next two years.
     In a perfect world, a representative would vote with absolutely no bias and simply vote with the majority of the population in which they represent. But this is far from a perfect world, and representatives vote with their emotions, their bibles and their own world views, not necessarily the world views, bibles or emotions of the people they were elected to represent. So, just as it is most important to vote for a presidential candidate whom you feel is like minded, it is most beneficial to make an educated vote for state and federal representatives that you find like minded. This will be an immediate pay off when it comes to the way they vote, but it will also mean that when you write, email, call or send a petition to your representative, they will be more receptive to it.
     As citizens of The United States of America, we are given the great privilege of the ballot, and many refuse to use or acknowledge that privilege. If you can look in the mirror at yourself and honestly say to yourself that there isn’t a thing you’d change about your neighborhood, community, city, county, district(s), state, region, country or world, then by all means, turn a blind eye to electoral politics, but, if you, like me and so many other people on this planet, would like to see things change, then please take advantage of the tools given to you, for if you do not, then the situation in which we live in, in which future generations will be forced to live in, will just continue to deteriorate.

Thank you to my cousin for inspiring this article.

With Great Hope,

Alexander Fisher
"Those that dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day, are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams and make them real."