Though, as stated before, if the trend of how we the citizens of the United States exercise our role in the government continues, there will be a SOPA passed. The problem with people today is they don’t care. Wikipedia, Craigslist etc. did a great job of spreading the word about SOPA; which was great. Though if people don’t put more than 2 minutes of care in, then nothing will change. It’s easy to read a small paragraph followed by clicking a link to sign a petition, anyone can do it. What we really need to do is take it to the next step. The citizens of the United States have a louder voice than it appears, and it’s called voting. These people supporting SOPA and PIPA are elected officials and big business crying over 1.6 billion in revenue apposed to 1.67 billion. We have the control over who runs our country.

If you really want to make a difference, and see SOPA and PIPA put to rest indeffinitly, you need to go out and VOTE. Otherwise these bills will continue to pop up, and one will eventually pass through congress.

     The prison system in this country is costing you and me 55 billion to 65 billion dollars each year.  There are over 2 million people incarcerated at any given time in this country.

Isn’t it funny that no political candidates ever talked about this part of our society when they are trying to tell us that we are out of money as a nation, and have to pay for this entire deficit by raising taxes?  Do you know that the government is worried more about a prisoner’s rights and care then the youth of this country?  They don’t want anyone to commit the “no no” by saying, hey guys I know where we can come up with a few billion.  We can make cuts in the prison system and then we don’t have to cut the education system.  The prison system has been a failure and is so overcrowded and miss handled that it can be considered completely out of control and billions over budget.  Since when does a prisoner have rights other than to an appeal on their own personal cases, which they should have? This government gives them three meals a day, the best of medical care and even an education.  Your children have to bring their own paper to school and have no medical care.  I don’t know about you but I think we just found our futures Social Security money.  I know most of you never knew that billions and billions of tax payer dollars are being wasted on convicts.  The reason is that the government doesn’t want you to know.  The figures are public and you can Google them anytime, but this is one of those areas the government would rather you didn’t see or talk about.  We are paying through the nose as citizens of this nation and asked to believe that we need to pay more taxes for the government to make ends meet.  Folks all we have to do is add many billions of convict money to the many billions given away to foreign countries under the lie of federal security, and there we have it.  Education, medical, and food paid for.  As for the prisons, as bad and as overcrowded they are they are still paradise compared to most prisons in the world.  We give our criminals more rights and freebees than we do our law abiding citizens.  We need to start to put prisoners to work for their keep and if they don’t they stay locked up tight.  They need to work for food and medical care and pay the same prices for school as I do.  I promise you that I can take care of the whole system and save billions of dollars in one years’ time just by making changes in jails across the land.  You want to go to jail; it won’t be a vacation with three hot’s and a cot anymore.  By the way remember I am a Criminal Justice Specialist and I know what I am talking about here.  Just think about how many schools can be painted at night or during summers, how many government buildings can be clean and updated, how many roads and cities can be cleaned, hundreds of products can be produced at a lower cost by those who lost their rights to a fair living and are paying for their crimes by being a help not a burden to others.  I am talking about organized work and not the old chain gang although the chain gang works good for criminals that can’t work on a more relaxed team.  I am no longer willing to use my tax dollars for criminal upkeep, are you?  I would agree to cut about 40 billion and put the other 25 billion together in order to create the programs that would make even the prisoners contributors to society.  Believe it or not this chapter opens a big can of government worms and I hope will make the government by way of those of you reading this book explain why making prisons an asset to society is a bad thing.  I want to know how much of this money will pay for our poor, uneducated and medically uncared for in this country.  It is time we take a stand against this type of spending and put the money where it belongs, in the pockets and the programs of the decent hard working citizens of this nation.  Don’t believe we as the people of this country don’t have money and have to pay more taxes; in fact we are a very wealthy nation and actually have enough money to run the country and give back to you and I what we put in.  All we have to do is become the government of the people and by the people, again. 

     After looking at this area of government miss use of funds and the foreign miss use of funds alone we have to come to the conclusion that our government as it stands today is a detriment to the working man in this country, and an embarrassment to all of us.  I didn’t write this article in order to break down the prison system and tell you what changes can be made here.  I don’t think it would take long for many of us to come up with some great ideas that would work just fine.  By writing this chapter I want you to see another hidden area of government, and one that is hidden in plain sight.  When I look at 65 billion wasted dollars and sit at a desk doing my bills and see what I am asked to pay for medical care, insurances, and education, I don’t know about you, but I get mad as Hell!

Freedom of speech is a basis human right. People have fought and died for the right to free speech. However as we begin our journey through the 21st century – which incidentally is the most selfish period of history ever – we have to ask, how much freedom do we really need?

I am all for freedom, liberty and the rest of the trendy bollocks that litters Twitter and all the other social media.

What people fail to see is that the greedy west is on a slide into anarchy – which is great if we take it all the way. We can’t have a partial anarchy.

You are probably wondering what I am taking about – I will explain.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in a fair democratic society (Stop laughing) have a system in place to have ones voice heard and represented.

In a democracy, we elected others to be our voice. To champion our causes and to ensure that society lives in safety. The elected are also there to make the decisions we are unable to or don’t wish to. This is the basis for democracy.

Now in theory if we as a collective don’t like something or want change, then we press our politicians to enact this change. Sometimes we have to come out and remind them now and again that they are our representatives. That is the nature of democracy.

Now back to my initial point. At this time of our history we want it all. We want changes to be made yesterday, bypassing the democratic process that our ancestors fought and died for. The people want some form of an anarchic/democracy hybrid, which doesn’t work. It scares the politicians and it silences the smaller voices. No longer will a politician strive to make the world a better place or make an unpopular decision for the greater good without fear of upsetting the large vocal majority.

We have to decide what we want – total anarchy where it will become everyone for themselves or are we going to stick with democracy and use the system correctly, thus having some clarity amidst the online chaos of wannabe politicians.

Also if we stop trying to change the world via our Twitter accounts, we can then concentrate and ensure that the elected are doing things for us instead of the corporate world.

Rant over.

The Scope of Speech

We use speech inter culturally.  We communicate inter personally.  We turn to our telephones and talk with machines that are able to recognize speech and give answers.  For some, this can be rather tedious and annoying especially if a person is seeking an immediate answer to a pressing problem.  We want to speak to a person.  But there is no one on the line.  Talking machines are the face of many businesses today.

Intercultural speakers are always intriguing.  Some have different accents which are difficult to understand unless a person is from a particular country or region.  Some insensitive individuals laugh about this, while others become irritated or exercise patience.  It is always a challenge to watch a foreign film where the speakers are supposed to be English speakers and much of it we do not understand because of the accent.

There are remarkable differences between an Indian, Nigerian, Spanish, Italian, and British speakers of English.  Many in the West considers the Queen’s English as being the perfect English.  Some cockney speakers in England may not be understandable in the West.  It is however noteworthy that broadcasts from the BBC are well received in the United States.  It leaves a person to conclude that generally the well educated have no problems communicating among themselves.  They tend to set the standard for us to follow.

Speech Limitations

To many being behind a microphone on the radio is one thing, but in face-to-face conversation is another.  Here we learn that speech communication is also reinforced by non verbal cues.  Speech and non verbal communication go hand in hand.  A person may be saying one thing but his body language is saying something else.  Some people believe that body language does not lie.  Others may fake sincerity by being emotional.  Their voice may crack and  they may even cry.  An experienced observer may look for these clues to determine their sincerity. 

There are those that argue that words cannot describe the way they truly feel.  This is also true.  A person may be shouting and screaming.  What does this mean?  Is it because that person is in pain?  Is it because that individual is experiencing a flight of ecstasy?  One could never tell unless we know for sure under which conditions these sounds are occurring.       

Speech in Therapy

A person may be able to benefit through speech via a trained therapist.  While in therapy such a patient may be able to recall painful and not so painful events in his life.  These are analyzed, discussed, and an understanding of the issues that have been troubling him are explored.  The therapist and patient are able to tap into the root causes of his problems and the patient eventually learns to deal with them.

These revelations may take weeks, months, or years.  At first, this patient may resist opening up to the therapist for he considers much of the information that has been eating away at him private.  Nevertheless, as they proceed, there are moments when both the therapist and the patient encounter glimmers of hope.  The patient eventually comes to trust his therapist.

Trust

Regardless how great a speaker a person may be, if there is no trust between the speaker and his audience all is for nought.  In most situations, like the therapist and the patient, this trust may build gradually.  Some prominent people may be fortunate for they have developed a reputation that precedes them.  These are generally film stars, authority figures, and opinion leaders in the society.  In politics some may argue that they only trust democrats while others say that republicans are the real deal and so it goes.

Having trust in the leaders of the country is essential.  Much of it comes from the things that they say.  That is why in order to make us believe in their positions many politicians appeal to fundamental identifiers like patriotism, the flag, and love of country.  Those are core things with which many citizens identify.  They may have nothing to do with policy statements which can be controversial and some go so far as to drive fear in our hearts to win our trust.

- – -

Speech is a common denominator on which we all rely.  It takes different forms and are spoken in many languages 

Image by bitmask via Flickr

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

around the world, but regardless where it is spoken, it serves as our guiding light.  Without it society would be a completely different place.

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My one thought that keeps coming to mind is if these politicians are wasting all this money to be elected, how much money will they waste if they are elected. I mean lets face it once in the position to spend money they intend to do just that. Each of the politicians will say what they think the public wants to hear, they do not disclose what they intend to spend in order to give those things each area of the country wants.

Just once I would like to see a politician say he will limit his campaign spending to XX amount of dollars and then stay with in that amount. Then tell those who would donate to his or her campaign to donate or give to those agencies that are helping the less fortunate. Those millions of dollars spent on advertising could go to United Way, Red Cross, relief agencies in disaster areas and help to feed the poor.

If you want my vote don’t tell me how you will reduce taxes for the rich, or how you are going to eliminate costly programs that help the old and the needy. I would like to hear you say I am going to use my campaign funds to get the economy back on its feet.

Here are some of my solutions:

1. Limit out sourcing; If companies want to out source to other countries they need to pay a penalty for costing jobs in the US.

2. Stop the paperwork; with the new age of computers there is less need for multiple copies of documents. If someone needs a copy they can read it on the computer or download it as needed. Each time there is a change to a law or a tax code the entire code is reprinted. Millions of dollars are wasted not to say anything about the trees we lose.

3. Reduce the money spent for military equipment; Yes we need modern weapons, but do we need convenient items at absorbent prices. The GEO is still wasting millions because of over sites on cost of items. Why do the weapons and ammunition we buy have to cost so much. if someone wants to do business with the US Government then the cost of the items should be equal to or less than what you would pay locally.  

4. Make congress have to use the same rules as everyone else; elected official have made themselves a nice little comfort zone for themselves while at the same time enacting laws that they don’t have to abide by. If we put limits to times served like we do with the presidency I feel there would a lot less me me me and more us .

if you have read this far perhaps you as well as me should encourage others to make their issues known and tell these politicians , no matter what party they be in, that it is time for change and it should start with them.

When good times come around, politicians take credit for their policies which, they claim, resulted in such a good economy. But they’re just as surprised as the rest of us that things have turned out so well. But when things go south, as they will from time to time (you can count on it), their opponents often engage in finger pointing, blaming those in charge. It never fails.

Things are just beginning to turn around for us, I’ve heard recently in the news, and Obama will probably take credit and only fools will believe him. This also gives him newfound ammunition to argue that he needs to spend more money on another stimulus package. The economy will surely rebound whether he spends more money or not. The state of the economy is really not something he can control, but it makes good press, and it makes him more electable.

But don’t blame him. Republicans do it too. And we’d be fools to believe them too. As we would be to believe anybody from any political party. The recent bad economy was just a reminder that we’re not as smart as we think we are.  You can do things to try to extend a good economy, or you can do foolish things to shorten it. Politicians do dumb things. So what’s the answer? There is none. We’re stuck with fools and we hope for heroes.

Do you know why armies need war? Because without war, they get too complacent. They forget how to fight. They need to enter in to some fierce battles, lose some, win some and get their noses bloody. It’s not something we relish, but getting our butts kicked every once in awhile reminds us that we have to be prepared. We need to experience the bad in order to know the good.

It’s the same thing with this economy. Good times will come and we’ll be happy again. We’ll change some laws to extend our good fortune, we hope, and we’ll be cautious. We’ll adopt solid and well founded policies, all due to the lessons we’re learning as we speak. But the longer we have good times, the more foolish we’ll get. We’ll then start to spend too much, like we always do. It’s human nature.

We think our opponents got us into this mess, but we’ll be wrong. It was just us. We all did it. We are incapable of taking care of ourselves. We think that we experience good fortune, and have extra money, that we can spend it carelessly. We need another battle. Another bloody nose. The bad times will come around to kick our butts.

Get ready for the good times. Then…get ready for the bad times which will surely follow.

Many people are saying good-bye.

We have seen many changes.

Trying to deal with loss of wages.

People are suffering and in fear.

They worry their dreams will disappear.

We try to hold on and keep the faith.

But everywhere you turn is an empty space.

A building is gone, a home is sold.

The government has us by a stranglehold.

They want to take our social security.

Leaving us with impurity.

Now our troops are allowed to come home.

With a Country that’s poor and kids half grown.

Should I cry for me?

No, I am sorry for the people who were shipped over sea.

Many soldiers were killed, and billions of dollars spent.

Makes me wonder, who will be our next President?

Today is Tuesday Dec. 27, 2011, what is your New Years Resolution?

Do you pray for a solution?

Do you pray at all?

Can we stand tall?

If you could change the world, what would you do?

I would like to hear from you.

Every person deserves to be heard.

God bless you, and may your heart be stirred.

Sherry V.

A message from barefootworld.net

I’ve had enough. How about you? I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have. My friends tell me to calm down. They say, “Lee, you’re eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people.” I’d love to, as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I’m going to speak up because it’s my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I’ll tell you how I see it, and it’s not pretty, but at least it’s real. I’m hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don’t vote because they don’t trust politicians to represent their interests.

1.   I will not curse and scream at my computer when it moves the speed of a snail.

2.   I will not keep flushing the toilet twenty times a day. 

3.   I will not fart in front of my spouse, my children, or relatives.  Farting in front of my worst enemies is optional.

4.   I will not buy another electronic gadget for an entire year.  I will not…I can’t take it.  My palms are sweating.  Best Buy, here I come.

5.   I will not write on my bills “You call this service?  It’s not worth it.  I’ll pay this bill when Hell freezes over.”

6.   I will not brush my teeth with axle grease.  Actually, I really don’t do this.  I just wanted to get your attention.  Come on, focus people.

7.   I will not throw a rubber brick at my TV every time a politician lies or makes a false promise.  Actually, I don’t own a rubber brick, but it sounds better than saying a plastic rubber ducky.

8.   I will not delete every message that is in Spam without first giving it the once over.  On second thought, delete that last thought.

9.   I will not snore in my sleep.  I will not snore in my sleep.  I will not…ZZZZZZ.  SNORE!

10. I will say please and thank you more often.  Hey, I said this at least once during 2011.  I think it was during the Super Bowl.  No, it was during the great power failure.  No, no, it was during the Fourth of July.  Ah forget it.  I’m sorry.  Would you please forgive it? Thank you.  There, I’m done for another year.

In the study - done by the German branch of the magazine - 1,000 respondents chose the one they least like as their friend did. 22 percent of those surveyed did not know a bankerfriend to have.

Do you want to read more funny articles? Click the Jerremy-All tag and you can find a lot more articles!

America you don’t care about these issues when America is going good. Our economy was on afterburner for years and the deficit still grew. It’s time to hold politicians all over the US responsible and elect them out of office. It’s time for the voters to get serious.

Letters from two senators.

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Thank you for writing me to express your concerns with our current tax system. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

  As you well know, our current tax code is unnecessarily complex, costly, and inequitable. Americans spend billions of hours a year in tax preparation while families and businesses pay around $200 billion a year in compliance costs. We need a tax system that is fair for all Americans, one that is simple enough for Americans to understand, and one that promotes savings and investment. 

Most Americans agree that our tax system needs reforming. As a result, there are numerous proposals being discussed that would address the current deficiencies in the tax system. Many of these plans intend to provide Americans with a tax system that offers stability, fairness, and simplicity, while also promoting economic growth. As such, I will examine them with the utmost care as we prepare for action to improve our existing tax system.  

You can rest assured that I will continue to fight for fundamental tax reform.  I value your continued input on this subject, so please feel free to contact me again about anything important to you or your family. It is an honor to serve you and the people of South Carolina.

Sincerely,

Jim DeMint
United States Senator

Dear Friend:

     Thank you for contacting me regarding tax reform.  I welcome your thoughts and comments.

     I believe that a simple and fair tax system should apply a low rate to all Americans, protect the rights of taxpayers, and reduce tax collection abuses.  Further, any new federal tax system should eliminate the bias against savings and investment, promote economic growth and job creation, and eliminate the marriage tax penalty.  I strongly support fundamental reform and simplification of our current tax system.

     As issues regarding tax reform come for consideration before the full Senate, you may be certain I will keep your thoughts in mind.  I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope that you will not hesitate to contact me on any issue that is important to you.

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Sincerely,

Kay Bailey Hutchison

United States Senator

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