Congress the Least Productive in Decades

While the Senate is expected to end session today, the house has already adjourned for the holiday season. Election after election it seems we hear of members of Congress running on jobs and the economy and after the election is over, they go back to partisan infighting while our economy and infrastructure disintegrate. It is becoming apparent that Congress has forgotten about the biggest concern facing most americans—jobs and the economy. While most Americans are struggling to make ends meet, Congress continues to sit back and do nothing.

We continue to see debate over debate on the same old issues of raising the debt ceiling and funding the government and we are left to wonder, where are the bills to restore American jobs? These issues of debt and spending will be solved by fixing the economy. If we fix our economy and restore the middle class the tax base will increase, fewer Americans will be dependent on welfare and our debts will decrease. But Congress is not acting on these issues, even though most Americans would prefer they focus on restoring the middle class, lowering the unemployment rate, strengthening our infrastructure and improving our economy.

According to the Senate calendar, from when the government reopened on October 16th until the beginning of December , there were only been three bills (S. 815, H.R. 3204, S. 1197) considered on the floor. Two of these are appropriations bills, and the third adds protections for minorities in the workplace. None of them will provoke any significant change to improve the economy.

That is an entire month and a half where they only considered three bills. As citizens of the U.S. we should expect more than this from our representatives.  There have been only 58 bills signed into law so far this year, one of the lowest totals in recent history. This is not an insignificant feat. After all, the 112th Congress (2011-2013) was the most unproductive since the 1940s and even they had passed 62 bills by this point in 2011. That is simply unacceptable.

While Congress waits, our economy continues to sputter and our unemployment rate remains high. From infrastructure to trade, there are many issues Congress needs to act on now, not postpone further. We continue to see unfulfilled campaign promises and we need Congress to get to work now to help the economy and rebuild our infrastructure.

FDA and USDA Our Regulations are Costly and Risking Our Lives

Overlap of government organizations is nothing new, but it is causing us undue difficulties with food contamination. Combine this with knowledge that often foods which come from foreign nations often are contaminated and it is  creating a toxic food supply for our nation. The way we have divided the responsibility of inspecting our imported food may prevent us from fully resolving the issue.

Two government agencies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), share the majority of the responsibility of food safety inspection. The rules that determine which agency is responsible for which food can be complex, and sometimes it defies categorization altogether.

One good example of this is inspections of eggs. The FDA inspects shelled eggs, while the USDA is responsible for inspecting egg products, including liquid, frozen and dehydrated eggs. Further examples abound. The FDA regulates feed the chickens eat, but the laying facility falls under USDA regulation. Open-faced sandwiches under the USDA, while closed-face sandwiches are inspected by the FDA. The FDA is in charge of  regulating bagel dogs, while the USDA is in charge of corn dogs.

This may sound confusing; it’s because it is.

For example, an investigation into the Salmonella outbreak in Iowa eggs may be complicated by the fact that the USDA is responsible for the pile of manure next to the laying facility, but the FDA is accountable for the danger of the eggs themselves.

The USDA conducts continuous daily inspections of foods in its domain(especially meat), whereas FDA inspections have no regular schedule. The FDA is only more likely to inspect an installation after a tip about a possible food safety violation, so random inspections can occur up to 10 years apart or, in some cases, not at all. The reason they don’t inspect more is because they simply don’t have the funding to do so.

This becomes even more frustrating when it comes to food imports. While the USDA conducts inspections of all meat and poultry, the FDA is tasked with other items including most types of fish and shrimp. The FDA is only able to inspect 2% of all food imports into the U.S., leaving the vast majority uninspected.

Between 1998 and 2007, U.S. food imports grew from $41 billion to $78 billion per year. Now, about 85% of the seafood Americans eat comes from outside the country, and as much as 60% of U.S. fresh produce isimported.

TheAlabama Department of Agriculture tested 258 samples of catfish and a related species from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia from 2002 to 2010. Forty-four percent of samples tested positive for an antibiotic used to treat pneumonia and tuberculosis. The FDA banned the same antibiotic for use in fish in 1997.

Foods turned away by the FDA have been found to contain illegal fungicides, antibiotics, and sometimes even fecal matter. 

With these side by side dual roles, the U.S. would be much better served by having one agency tasked with inspecting domestic food and another tasked with inspecting foreign food. Charging an inspection fee upon arrival, it could be added, would help pay for these services.

Eliminating duplicative roles in food inspection would save time and money and ensure that a greater percentage of our food is inspected to keep our food supply safe. It would make sure there is a standard operating procedure for inspecting all food and make sure that regular inspections occur on a timely basis. Investigations would be easier to conduct and regulations would be more streamlined. 

This would make it easier for corporations to know how to navigate the system, and encourage similar standards for all food. As newer technologies become available that increase the efficiency of testing , they can be introduced more quickly, ensuring even better methods of testing. It is easy to understand that it would be incredibly expensive to inspect 100% of imports, but 2% is unacceptable. 

We need to protect our food supply by enacting changes that both eliminate government waste and increase  the efficiency of food safety inspections.

Mainstream Media Control

I read a lot of news articles every day, and I try my best to read articles from across the country and world, from different viewpoints. But until recently I didn't know that really many of these organizations are the same at the core.

Did you know that in 1983 the mainstream media was made up of a collection of more than 50 companies, and that now power and control of our news outlets has been condensed to 6 mega huge corporations — News Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, CBS, and Comcast — who work in conjunction with various political figures to literally decide what news is delivered to the public, and what level of truth is behind that news. They control everything we watch, read, and hear in regards to the news.

The truly terrifying thing about our current reality is that there are so many things wrong with America, with our presidential administration, and our overall standing on the global stage that the media simply isn’t reporting on. This translates to ordinary Americans who are completely unaware of the poor economic health of our country.

While they may be aware that we are still coming out of a recession, the media reports that unemployment is around 7 percent. The truth is that our unemployment is closer to 23 percent according to government shadow statistics.

The 7 percent number makes things not sound as bad right? Well that's because it doesn't include people who have been out of work for more than a year, those in part-time positions who’d prefer full-time jobs and people who are so discouraged that they’ve stopped looking for work. This is the lie that the media is telling you.

So wake up and do your own research! Shake up the world and get involved. Read and observe and most of all get involved in the world around you! The core of American Democracy is civic engagement and it has begun to wither as people have slumped into their chairs and left it up to politicians to decide their fate. In honor of Peter O'Toole I will add this one quote from Lawrence of Arabia "Nothing is written." 

So Much Yet So Little.

As of late the country has been going through a lot. The government shutdown, the looming debt ceiling, Syria's chemical weapons, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Egypt, and many other things. So the question is where have we been? When I said I would love to participate in this blog I knew I was grabbing a large job. I thought I could handle it. But things that are unforeseen happen and people have other things that fill their life. Some things get pushed to the side. I had hoped I would not let this happen. Time ,however, got the best of me. I see this as a personal failing. I know this site is not overly popular but those who do read I truly appreciate it. I know I am not the smartest person but I try and bring clear information and I feel that this site can and does help people that might not know a lot about politics and even if you do know a lot I hope this site incites discussions. So I hope from now on I can keep myself in line and start posting. I do like to hold all our reader's interest so the first article I will write about will be the one you guys want to read about. And as with all posts please share to everyone and their mothers. Heck a great post topic might be why be political or why bother to try and understand or follow politics? But please post your thoughts in the comments section. I hope to here from you guys soon.

Put Me in Charge: The Cry of a Young Conservative

Recently I was passed a post that was written by a 21 year old female with the intent that I would pass it along to the readers of Political Discussions. This short posting touched me as the essence of who we are as conservatives and what we stand for. That being said here are my personal thoughts pertaining to this post which the reader can find at the end of my comments.

            To my dear leftist friend,                                  

Below is a letter written to you that I happened to come upon. I know that you may be offended in the slightest manner while reading it and that is why I wanted to soften the blow with this introduction. The truth is that there are plenty of truths spelled out within the lines of this letter that are somewhat blunt. Your initial thought upon reading it will be to accuse those of us with conservative beliefs that we are rich elitists who are greedy people haters. You will think that we have no empathy for those who “just can’t get ahead” or for that matter even get started. Here is where you misunderstand us greatly my friend. You see, many of us, including the author of the letter and myself are still getting started in life. We have nothing to our name because we are recently married, putting ourselves though undergrad, starting our masters programs, but what we do have we have because toil and strive for it and we proudly can call it our own. We understand that many people are born into situations that are grave, where opportunities do not abound and it is very hard to get ahead or even a start. My friend, we wish to help but we wish to help an individual become something greater than they could without our help. The policies you have put your trust in will offer an easy path to those who have nothing. However, it will truly give them nothing. The old adage give a man a fish and you feed him for a day holds very true with your political philosophy. Sure you provide a man a wonderful service of a free meal. We on the conservative side feel more that teaching a man to fish will feed him for life. We need to and must help our fellow man, give them a sense of meaning and make them feel the worth of being needed. Handouts decrease self-worth. Why not give man knowledge so that he might grow and become something great instead of giving him a fish and nothing more? Please my dear friend, we know you are trying to help and your intentions are wonderful. Try instead to look at the long term and see why we wish to help in a different way.

WRITTEN BY A 21 YEAR OLD FEMALE.

PUT ME IN CHARGE . . .

Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job. 

Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, or smoke, then get a job. 

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks? You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place. 

In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the "common good.." 

Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self-esteem," consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self-esteem. 

If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND While you are on Gov't subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes, that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov't welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job. 

McDonald's and Greed

In the last few weeks many fast-food workers have gone on strike. These workers have done this for several reasons including the right to unionize and a living wage. Most want a wage increase to $15 an hour. This sounds like an incredible jump, it is double the minimum wage currently. Before I get into all of that stuff I first want to say how incredibly pathetic and demeaning I find the news coverage about this series of events. I direct this to, of course, Fox News and a couple of their reporters. They show no empathy towards people who work a lot and are rewarded with little.

Now lets get to the real meat of this story. In the US McDonald's employs over a half million people. This is with an average of around 9 dollars an hour. If you are working 40 hours a week this wage only brings in a little over 18,700 dollars a year. This yearly income without taxes being deducted seems in my opinion a little unreasonable. Unless of course your single and live in a one room apartment. To scrape by one would need a second job working the same number of hours for the same pay. Eighty hours a week leaves no time for the family that most employees have. The argument is that most employees are high school or college students trying to make some extra cash. This is a fallacy. The average age of fast food employees is about 29 and a half. While there are a lot of people making some extra cash there are also many more trying to support themselves and families. I fully support the strikers and what they stand for. The minimum wage is just that a minimum. I think I speak for all Americans when I say that McDonald's needs to stop scraping by on the minimums.

Some of you readers might say why don't they just get better jobs or go to college. I say why don't we just live underwater. By this I mean not everyone is capable of adapting or even creating better situations for themselves. We can't just wade out into the ocean and be good to survive for any length of time. It is all easier said than done. But if they don't want to do any of that doesn't that mean they are just lazy? NO. In fact, to call anyone who works 40 hours a week to get a mere 9 dollars an hour is just disrespectful. I am sure a vast majority of fast food workers can tell you that these jobs are not a vacation. I see them as victims of the status quo. The rich need to keep their wealth and the poor need to keep being poor. This will not change either not until the poor take control and utilize the tools they have at their disposal and we are finally seeing a little bit of that with the current strikes.

To wrap this article up I would like to leave you all with one thought. If you drove on a road, crossed a bridge, accepted money from the government for college, taxes paid for that and a whole heck of a lot more. So is to much to ask that the people with four homes pay into the system a little more if it means all these things can get better?

Mark Zuckerberg and Immigration Reform: Why we need it now.

If you haven't read my original post on immigration reform I encourage you to read it here. In the last few weeks Mark Zuckerberg's group FWD.org released several videos encouraging Americans to support immigration reform in the U.S. The overall point of the following video is to take home the human aspect of this important issue. They are trying to impress upon us that many immigrants believe in American values and want their piece of the American dream. They don't want to be a burden on our system, they want to be here legally.





While it is true that these people are here illegally, it is because of our current outdated laws. If not for that they could be fully functioning members of our society. For most Americans our ancestors came here with the same dreams as many of those who have come here illegally in the last 30 years; their dreams included freedom from religious persecution, tyrannical governments, security for themselves and their children, to gain an education, and to have new opportunities to improve their financial situation.

Many people support changing the current laws, which have become limiting and ineffective in encouraging legal immigration to the U.S. and often punish those who have known no other country but the U.S. as home. The backlog for working visas, even for high skill workers, has become limiting to our nations growth especially in high tech fields. Even spouses of citizens often have a difficult time receiving visas due to the difficulty navigating our system.

This is a serious issue and it deserves a serious debate by our leaders about the best path forward. We need to increase our security checks and protect both our border and our citizens from those who would do harm to us; but we also need to make a clear path for those who share our values, by preparing the way for those who want to come and by making a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally.

There is an opposition to reform, and I do understand some of the arguments used by opponents to the bipartisan immigration reform bill. As you may be aware there is a bill which has passed in the U.S. Senate earlier this year that is awaiting consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill attempts to address many of the immigration reform issues including securing the border, providing a pathway to citizenship, and providing for more clear regulations on providing visas.

The opposition often points at one major concern: illegal immigrants will be rewarded for coming to the U.S. illegally by granting citizenship. These are the individuals that call any path to citizenship no matter how rigorous "amnesty" and say that it is unacceptable. They state that by offering a path to citizenship we will have failed to uphold the rule of law. They feel there is nothing wrong with current laws but that current laws just need to be enforced.

The answer to this concern though can be answered in several ways, two of which I will explain here. The first is answered by posing these questions: what would you have us do with the (estimated) 14 million immigrants here, many of whom have been here for over 15 years and some who have never known another country? Would you punish them because they were babies when their parents brought them here by sending them to a country where they don't speak the language and don't know anyone? The answer to these questions is no because the cost of deporting 14 million people would be ridiculously high. Instead, the bill requires the border to be secured by adding border patrol agents and electronic monitoring, including drones. Additionally it would implement the e-verify system to ensure workers are here legally. Only after these conditions are put in place would any illegals be allowed to be considered for a visa. It seems to be in our better interest both as members of the human family and as citizens of the United States that we reach out to those who are here illegally and offer them a hand up, not a shove out the door.

The second part of the answer is that there is a punishment put into place. Individuals here illegally would have to pay both a fine and back taxes which they owe, pass a background check, and wait for all those who have already applied to be considered for visas before they would get one. All things considered it is likely that the first individuals in this general category would have to wait 15 or more years to even be considered for citizenship.

Even with all of this, without significant Republican support in the house, it seems immigration reform might fail in the House if public support wavers at all on this issue. This is the best chance we have had in over 5 years to accomplish something which can have lasting positive impact on millions of individuals. I have applauded every member of the Senate who has voted for the bill.

“Today’s final immigration vote represents a product of many long hours of debate, discussion, and deliberation. It takes into consideration the necessity of securing America’s borders, while encouraging the lawful immigration of those who want to come to our shores to contribute to America’s greatness,” said Senator Dean Heller.

“While not perfect, this immigration reform bill is a step in the right direction towards fixing an immigration system that is clearly broken. No question, this has been a contentious debate. While the easy thing to do politically is nothing, the harder choice is to govern. I am pleased that both Democrats and Republicans were able to find ways to work together and pass legislation that this great nation deserves.”

To those who are on the fence about supporting the bipartisan gang of eight bill I say this: supporting it does not mean that you agree with everything in it, but it does recognize that this bill is the first significant piece of legislation with bipartisan support that has emerged from either house in the past 5 years, and with additional support it can also pass the House of Representatives.

I encourage you to do research on this bill, think through the issue, and contact your U.S. Representative to voice your support on this issue. It is vitally important that we as citizens become civically engaged in our democratic process in order to maintain our voice. I am glad that Mark Zuckerberg has thrown his support behind the movement and is raising awareness about the subject.

Embassy closings show the War on Terror is not over yet

Over the weekend U. S. embassies across the Middle East were closed due to security concerns. Today, the U.S. embassy in Yemen was evacuated and U.S. Citizens were told to leave the country due to an al-Qaeda threat.

In the last two weeks U.S. drones 4 times have targeted leaders of al-Qaeda in Yemen and it is believed that one of the dead  believed to be Saleh Jouti, a senior al-Qaeda member. Yesterday alone U.S. drone targeted a moving car in the  Marib province, killing four alleged al-Qaeda militants.

This comes as the State Department released a statement saying that the evacuations were due "“due to the continued potential for terrorist attacks.” After last year's terrorist attack on Benghazi it seems the administration is much more concerned with making sure that diplomatic staff in foreign countries receive adequate protection.

While it has long been known that there is a strong al-Qaeda presence in Yemen, it's strength has been growing and the potential for terrorist attacks seems more and more likely in the region due to the strong presence.

 “It’s very worrisome because al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is the most effective and threatening affiliate,” Bruce Hoffman, a Georgetown University professor told the Washington Post.

“So now the leader of the most consequential affiliate has an intimate command role in the overall organization. From Zawahiri’s point of view, there’s no better exemplar of the Qaeda brand than AQAP.”

While it is true that the core group of al-Qaeda was dispersed and diminished, it has slowly evolved in countries along the gulf and in North Africa, gaining support from governmental changes occurring due to the Arab spring and the continuing unrest in the region.

"We're witnessing another chapter of the terrorist threat and we'll be living with this for years to come,"  Juan Zarate, a deputy national security adviser under President George W. Bush who's now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington told USA Today.

The regional networks are adapting to new opportunities and continue to operate despite pressure put on them by the U.S. and others, Zarate said.

"They're also taking advantage of the political, security and geographic space they operate in. We don't control all aspects of that so it's unfair to blame U.S. policy entirely," he said.

The regional groups continue their activities supported by other radical Islamist groups in Algeria, Libya, Pakistan, Yemen, and other countries in the region. Concern continues even within the U.S. of al-Qaeda affiliates perpetrating terrorist attacks in the U.S. after the Boston Bombing earlier this year.

As the U.S. and it's allies continue to put pressure on it seems clear that we are not done yet, and continued pressure needs to be applied. It seems clear though that the senior leadership continues to be affected by the drone strikes, but that even without some of the senior leadership, the group continues.

Within the U.S. and around the world the questions continue about surveillance programs. Which wonder about their effectiveness and necessity, but results seem to show that at least some of them are necessary.

If the War on Terror can be won, one thing seems clear to us now, it won't be over soon. The theater in which the war plays out may continue to change but the overall influence of Radical Islam continues throughout much of the middle east, and until something changes to diminish it's influence it seems clear that attacks will continue to occur.