COMMENT AND QUESTIONS: When will the world be “appalled” by Hamas?

Comment

Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Britain) from 1937 until 1940.  During these three years, in concert with France, Adolf Hitler and Germany were given the Czech region of Sudetenland with the hopes that it would appease Germany.  This hope was never realized and by the end of 1939 Hitler had taken the rest of the Czech regions and Poland.  Britain and Chamberlain declared war, but it was too late.  The march of Germany across Europe had begun resulting the virtual destruction of Europe, the death of tens of millions of civilians, and the killing of over six million Jews by the Third Reich in the Holocaust.  

Now, in the Middle East, Hamas (the proxy of Iran) has attacked Israel once again. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by all of the civilized world.  Hamas has been killing innocent civilians since their inception in 1987.  

Questions

• President Obama, how would you lead and what would America’s response be if 240 million American citizens were threatened and/or injured by rockets fired by a terrorist organization in a neighboring country?  What if those same terrorists had constructed a complex tunnel system which allowed them to infiltrate into our largest cities closest to our borders?  How is it possible that your administration can say that America is “appalled” by the defensive actions Israel is taking, all the while doing its best to minimize civilian casualties?  Especially, when there is clear evidence that Hamas is directly responsible for these civilian deaths.

• Chancellor Merkel, given that Germany (your country) is the country which tried to conquer Europe in WWII and killed over six million Jews in the Holocaust, why haven’t you used all of your powers of oratory, both inside Germany and directed to the rest of the world, in defense of Israel’s right to exist and live in peace?  Don’t you feel any responsibility to speak the truth about Hamas?  As leader of a now free and moral Germany, don’t you feel any responsibility to lead toward the moral high ground?

• Prime Minister Cameron, during WWII England suffered tremendously and was in a real fight for its’ existence like the Israel of today.  When you bombed Germany because you existence was threatened, were you as careful about doing everything you could do to protect the civilian population as Israel has been?  Why haven’t you risen up with clear oratory, as Chancellor Merkel needs to do, and declared the rightness of what Israel is doing in defending itself?

• All media, why do you only publish the pictures of Palestinian suffering?  You are all such great investigative reporters and organizations, would now be a great time to put those skills to use?  Can’t you dig a little deeper to find pictures and video clips of Hamas forcing its civilians to stay in harms way?  In this day of modern communications, can’t you find evidence of how Hamas is using schools, hospitals, mosques, and other public places to store weapons and conduct war from?

Remember, when we step into the voting booth in November, lets vote for people who are clear on the difference between right and wrong!!  

Using the Voting Alert Beacons, we all need to step forward to do our duty and then demand that the public servants we elect, do theirs!!

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

QUALITY AND QUALIFIED

It matters little how any of us feel about specific issues, if the people we elect don’t have certain important and key personal attributes and skills.  This is true whether we’re electing a new President or members of Congress.  We need to also remember that the attributes and skills required to be an effective President are different (but complimentary) from the attributes and skills possessed by a successful Congressperson.

In my post on January 11th of this year, I highlighted Robert Dallek’s course, TO LEAD A NATION, The Presidency in the Twentieth Century, in which he discusses the reasons why some of the Presidents of the Twentieth Century (Theodore Roosevelt through Ronald Reagan) rose to greatness, while most of us can’t remember who the others were.  

Mr. Dallek identifies several things that the “great Presidents” consistently score high in.  This list of six items includes:  Vision, charisma, pragmatism, consensus building, trust or credibility, and luck.

Before we vote in November this year, and elect a new House of Representatives and one third of the Senate, what if we identify the attributes and skills that a member of Congress should bring to the job.  I propose that the list for a Congressperson includes items in five areas:  Problem solver and action oriented, detail minded and pragmatic, consensus and team builder, trustworthy and credible, and service minded and unselfish.  This list also complements Mr. Dallek’s list for Presidents.  Wouldn’t it be nice if the President and Congress could work together no matter what party they might belong to?  Aren’t personal attributes and skills a good place to start so that at a basic level they will all feel like they want to work together.  

All of us have jobs where our personal attributes and skills were the first things considered when we were hired.  Why would we want to do anything different when we vote (hire) for the people we are asking to do the work that needs to be done for America?

No matter how we feel on the issues, let’s elect quality people who can govern, and want to do the difficult work of governing. As voters, our goal should be to elect a Congress that we can give an approval rating above 20%.  If we elect quality and qualified people to represent us, they will know how to help us sort out the issues.

Remember, when we step into the voting booth in November, lets vote for people who are problem solvers and action oriented, detail minded and pragmatic, consensus and team builders, trustworthy and credible, and service minded and unselfish.

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

The Elephant in the Room

Last week, and again this week, while people have flooded across our southern border, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas has grown in intensity, and ML-17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, President Obama has had a flood of his own.  He’s attended multiple and numerous fundraisers to raise millions of dollars for the Democratic Party.  

Now, the news outlets have started to focus on the “optics” of how it looks for the President to raise so much money for his party at a time when so many things need his attention.  Of course, he’s not the first President to do this type of thing.  Similar questions were asked when President Bush was slow in visiting the site after Hurricane Katrina.

The commentators and pundits all express different thoughts on whether the President should be in Washington DC to run and respond to the world events of the day.  They ask, “with modern day communications, does the President’s location matter?”  Maybe it does, and maybe it doesn’t. I believe the important point is something else.  It’s not Democrat or Republican.  It’s not partisan at all.

The “elephant in the room” is the damage that money is doing to our American democracy.  The good news is that we voters can “cure” this ailment with our votes.  Let’s practice using “Voting Alert  Beacon #5:  The Money.”  

Below, I’ve copied in the Beacon and add some comments.

Beacon #5: THE MONEY

DO vote for candidates who accept and receive contributions from individual citizens.

[Comment:  The fundraisers that President Obama has been attending recently require attendees to pay in the “ballpark”  of $10,000 per plate.  Any person who pays that amount becomes a “stand-alone” special interest group.  Or, at the very least, everyone attending that kind event is forming a de facto PAC for the evening by their contribution and presence.  In fact, these dinner events are sometimes sponsored by special interest groups or PACs.]

• DON'T vote for candidates that receive and accept money from PACs, Unions, Businesses, etc.

[Comment:  This speaks for itself.  Go to the Federal Election Committee link on the right side of this blog and check to see which candidates take large amounts from “non” individuals or special interest groups.  You won’t be surprised to see most often the incumbents are the most guilty.]

• Vote for candidates with the smallest average contribution from individual citizens.

[Comment:  Again, take a look at the Federal Election Committee link on the right side of this blog.  You can see how much money individuals are contributing to each candidate.  Then, divide the total dollar amount by the number of contributors.   Using “Beacon #5:  The Money,” vote for the candidate with the smallest average individual contributor amount.]

• We can take the improper money and resulting influence out of our government by using our vote effectively.

[Comment:  Folks, we voters are the only ones who can get this done.  I believe we can do it and that we will.  So, let’s get started!]

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

CHOOSE TO BE UNCOMMON -- VOTE

We all have different gifts and skills.  We have all been blessed with different experiences that enrich each of us, and collectively bless us as a nation.  We are indeed blessed as a nation in spite of our many individual differences because of the “right to vote.”  Ultimately, the right to vote is the glue that binds us and unites us.  It was won for us several hundred years ago by our Fore Fathers and they memorialized the right in the U.S. Constitution where it says, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union …”  We enjoy it not because of any of our own actions, but because of the actions of those who came before.

It is up to each of us to use the right to vote, to exercise it, and to pass it on to our children.  Isn’t it sad that some choose not to vote, and thereby diminish the right by one more increment?  

In MY CREED below, Mr. Alfange offers his perspective on America and what it means to be an American.  He speaks directly about a few rights, and many of his own choices.  The right to vote is basic and indispensable for everything he expresses. 

MY CREED ...by Dean Alfange (Flying "W" Ranch)

I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek opportunity to develop whatever talents God gave me, not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say-----"This , with God's help, I have done." 

All this is what it means to be an American.

Vote, please vote!  Voting is basic to what it means to be an American.  By every vote made we buy more “stock” in our future individually and collectively as a nation.

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

Correction and Congratulations

First, I’d like to offer my sincere apologies to David Brat for misspelling his last name in my Voting Alert Beacons post on June 11, 2014.  The “l” I typed should have been an “r.”  

I’d also like to congratulate Mr. Brat for his return to issued oriented campaigning that squeezed the negativity out of what he did.  I’m willing to bet Mr. Canter wishes he had stuck to the knitting of spotting issues important to his constituents, and proposing solutions (leading).  Hopefully, after the “earthquake” subsides among the political crowd they will realize that the politics of personal assassination is walking out the door.

I’ll bet Mr. Canter wishes he had spent more time back in his district as his job description read.  Below is another Voting Alert Beacons post that was posted on May 18, 2014 which proposes flipping our current system toward one where the Representatives and Senators spend more time in their districts / states than they do Washington DC.

Mr. Brat, I hope you’ll consider this as you campaign for the November election.  Your constituents my like hearing this from you.  Maybe your district in Virginia can start the ball rolling.

RE-POST ….

A New Vision - Bring Them Home

What if Representatives and Senators moved their principal office from Washington DC back to their districts and states?  With the transportation and communications systems available in this modern era, there are many reasons why it would work and even more reasons why it would be a good step for better public service and good government.  Keep in mind that very profitable companies now work daily on a global distributive model.

What does some of the fine print look like?  What does this mean?  In terms of the week, this might mean our public servants are in Washington DC on Monday and Tuesday.  For the remainder of the week, they are close to their constituents.  In terms of staying in touch, keep in mind that individuals and groups of people are now routinely connected with each other no matter where they are on the face of the planet. 

What else might change? 

The most important high level change is that they are closer to who they represent.  It is easier for them to remember where they come from.  Their “memberships” in the political parties will be correctly balanced by proximity to their constituents.  Their representation of us becomes stronger then their allegiance to issues and parties. 

The Representatives and Senators are also closer to their state government counterparts.  When they properly work together, they form an important counter weight to the accumulation of power in the federal government.  State’s rights is reinforced.

Special interests would have a more difficult time asserting influence.  The special interests will find it difficult and costly establishing a lobby office in each state.  Now they just set up one office in Washington DC.

Local media becomes more important and pronounced.  National media will have some of the same problems as special interests.

There will be important practical advantages too.  It will be less expensive to set up state or district office versus a very expensive and egocentric DC office.  The perks of office will likely be more normal if the Representative and Senators are close to their constituents.

Goal:  Work toward a time when great ideas will cast a show on the accumulation of great power.

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved. 

ONE PICTURE AND ONE NAPKIN

Below is a partial list of national issues that have ganged up on America in the past few years.  They are all related and interconnected.  Individually and collectively they challenge America.  They belong to each of us as individual voters, and to all of us as a nation.

As our next voting opportunity soon approaches, we need to find public servants and leaders who are willing to take them up as opportunities that continue to take the American success story forward into the future.  While everyone who we elect won’t agree on how to solve each individual challenge, everyone should at least carry the same list on their “napkin.”  Everyone should approach their leadership opportunity as a chance to show how they think these issues interlock, and how they can do their part in keeping America’s future bright.

The biggest challenge America faces today is that not even one leader from the top to the bottom of the ladder has all of these are their napkin. 

How would things be different now in the world order and in America if our leaders in Congress and the Executive Branch had and were all carrying this same list on their “napkins?”  What if they worked for the good of their communities and for America using the principle that says, “If I take care of my brother and sister, then I will be well cared for.”  This principle certainly doesn’t reflect current reality, but it could.

Here’s the list:

• Bombed Syria immediately after confirming they had used chemical weapons?
• Organized a special select committee to investigate Benghazi as soon as it had happened?
• Compromised toward consensus with Obamacare?
• Deployed the missile shield as planned in Poland?
• Funded NASA enough to keep an independent astronaut launch capacity?  Let’s not forget that our trip to the moon gave us our current life.
• Find consensus on the gun issue consistent with the 2nd Amendment and the need to protect our citizens?
• Passed consensus legislation that serves our national security, is compassionate in how we treat humans and recognizes that the strength of America is in our new immigrants?
• Thought clarity about the severe NSA intrusion into our privacy rights versus our need for security.
• Natural gas development.
• Keystone pipeline construction.
• National debt.
• Balanced budget.
• Middle east peace.
• Iran nukes.
• Middle East democracies and despots.
• Liberty and opportunity.
• Campaign finance.
• The IRS scandal.
• The Veteran Affairs health care scandal.

If we all vote and use the Voting Alert Beacons, we can restore common  sense to our government, we can thank and say goodbye to the politicians forever, and welcome a new cast of public servants and leaders.

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved. 

Cantor vs. Blat and Voting Alert Beacon #5

Did you see it?  Have you heard?  Today, the earth is still trembling after David Blat beat Eric Cantor in the Virginia Republican primary for Congress.  

The newspapers and the news websites are all declaring the magnitude of the earthquake and guessing about the dramatic changes this one election may predict about the elections next fall.  It was predicted in the morning and by afternoon, Mr. Cantor had resigned his position as Majority Leader in the House.  Now the guessing games by the political professionals is focused on whether John Boehner can survive as Speaker of the House.  

In the last election, Mr. Cantor won by a wide margin.  Actually, almost the same margin as Mr. Blat defeated him by last night.  Keep in mind that Mr Canter had served since 2000.  The reasons for Mr. Blat’s victory have been declared.  Mr. Canter wasn’t returning to his district often enough.  He was out fundraising across the country for other Republican candidates.  In the past few years, his focus had shifted from his district to his own position of power.  It is said that he coveted the Speaker spot.

Now enter Voting Alert Beacon #5 about Money.  This Beacon recommends that voters should vote for the candidate that doesn’t take special interest money, and only takes smaller donations from individual citizens.  So, here are the numbers.  Mr. Canter spent over $5 million dollars in the election (by all accounts largely negative).  Mr. Blat spent only a little more than $120,000.  Yup, you read that correctly, and I’ve verified these numbers with the Federal Election Committee records.  What do you think?  I’m guessing that Mr. Blat isn’t in any special interest pocket, and he modestly appreciates every vote from ordinary citizens he received.  

OK, so we know it works.  Vote for the NON-incumbent and for the candidate who raises and spends the smallest amount of money.  Whatever political party is irrelevant.  At this point the parties just don’t matter.  In my next post, I’ve give you some numbers that demonstrate why that is true.

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.