Who lobbies for ordinary Americans?

Q. Who lobbies for America's citizens? A. Nobody!

Most large American organizations pay lobbyists to influence laws at the federal and state level for their benefit. This includes nearly every industry, major corporation, union, government agency, and trade group imaginable. Any possible negative impact of this influence peddling on the lives of ordinary citizens isn't even a secondary consideration for the lobbyists or our lawmakers.

I don't think most lobbyists are evil humans. In fact, I suspect most consider themselves to be good and decent Americans. However, a lobbyist's job description is to do almost whatever it takes to influence lawmakers to favor their clients. And remember they are paid to deliver the goods, and only if they do so are they and their clients rewarded. These influence peddlers have become increasingly skilled in fulfilling their jobs, even as ordinary Americans' futures become increasingly harmed by the side-effects.

Lobbying employment opportunities for former lawmakers and their staffs have exploded over the past few decades. That’s no coincidence; in fact, it's a symptom of the disease. Lobbyists must have access to lawmakers, and promises of future employment for them and their staffers ensure they get it. Who's better equipped to get access to a current lawmaker than a former D.C. Insider? Our former Congressman, Heath Shuler has denied his new role with Duke Energy is as a lobbyist. I suspect most of the other hundreds of former members of Congress who are now working for a variety of special interests in the influencing business also deny this job title until the mandatory one year limit on holding such a role has been reached.

No part of the lobbying process even considers our nation's or people's best interests. The lobbyist's objectives only favor their employers. Outcomes are almost never in doubt; it mainly comes down to what it will cost the favor seeker in campaign contributions and promises for future employment. In fact, the ongoing massive expansion of campaign costs has been mostly caused by the ever-increasing availability of special interest funding.

The deadly combination of short-term election cycles and the immediate wants of special interests have resulted in virtually no attention being paid to any long-term negative consequences for our citizens.

Back to the initial question: who lobbies for us? It used to be the two political parties. Both parties had clear differences and their leaders worked diligently to represent and defend those values. However, both sides used to be guided by a shared and over-arching set of principles representing what was truly best for our nation. They did what would be unthinkable today by often making compromises to reach agreements. Each side gave in a little, and both walked away proudly to tell supporters what had been gained. Conflict mediators refer to this as win-win. Neither side was so willing to fight to the death for absolute victory, and so the good ship America plodded along for generations.

During the past three or four decades everything changed. Almost all lawmakers from both parties have succumbed to lobbyists' control. Our elected no longer think or act as citizens' representatives. They more fear the wrath of the special interests than the voters. And why wouldn't they? The special interests can actually get politicians fired by diverting campaign funding to their opponents. Lack of funds and a few negative Super-PAC ads and "rogue" lawmakers are toast...and they know it! Voters, on the other hand, keep re-electing incumbents...more than 94% in the 2012 election. If you were a candidate who would you most fear?

The only recent effective efforts to act as a citizen's lobby came from the Tea Party (TP). While I deeply admire the passion this group displayed in fighting for our nation, I believe they mistakenly aimed their anger at the symptoms of our nation's illnesses instead of the true causes.

Most Tea Party members say they stand for smaller government, return to the true intentions of the Constitution, and no new taxes. All admirable objectives. The general public though primarily remembers their main tactical weapon as "no new taxes".

The TP did succeed in getting many new lawmakers elected, however, the no new taxes pledge only provided the opposing party the fuel they needed to paint the Republican party as obstructionists. In the last election it cost the Republicans an opportunity to recapture seats the opposition normally would have won in such bad economic times. If the best the TP can do is support more obstructing...the GOP will be out of power for many years to come.

I wish the TP would look at the real cause of our nation's problems...the vast majority of our elected allowing themselves to be corrupted by the damnable lobbyists!

I hope the TP will become reinvigorated and redirect their anger toward forcing our elected to reduce the role of the special interests in running our nation, They could begin by forcing our elected and their staffs to sign pledges for no employment as lobbyists for ten years after their public service. They could also work toward forcing our elected to change the court ruling allowing corporations to provide unlimited campaign funding.

Who are the lobbyists for ordinary Americans? It certainly is no longer those we elect to represent us. I'm afraid until we find the will to unite and fight back, we are individually and collectively on our own. Do a creek and a paddle come to mind?

These are my opinions. What do you think?

Mike Tower

Please visit my pals blog:  Lee's Political Opinions and the website for an organization we co-founded:  Citizens Against Politics As Usual

Newtown...gun control thoughts several weeks later

January 23, 2013

Gun control...weeks later as emotions calm

I just re-read the article I wrote immediately after the Newtown tragedy. Clearly the stress I felt was reflected in some of my conclusions. Add the noise from the national media and our politicians, and you have the perfect environment for knee-jerk reactions. It is human nature to react to such events emotionally, and I believe this is why Rahm Emanuel once said, “you never want a crisis to go to waste”.

I now believe any solutions considered should totally focus on the criminal and deranged who commit these horrible crimes; and not reductions in the Constitutional rights of honest citizens to protect themselves and their families. Perhaps even more importantly, our citizens to protect We The People from a rogue government.

I've had a concealed weapon permit and carried a handgun in my car for many years. I do so in order to protect my family from the truly evil people who exist in our society. Over the years, I have spoken to many law enforcement officers about private citizen's 2^nd Amendment rights. All of them not only agreed with that right, most saw it as a personal responsibility.

Many years ago, while living in Oklahoma, my wife and I had a scare which reinforced and rewarded my motivation to own and carry a gun. We often took long back-road drives to enjoy the peaceful scenery. One day, driving on a narrow country road in the rural Western part of the state, we passed an older pickup with two young males driving slowly in the opposite direction. I watched with growing discomfort as their truck did a U-turn and immediately pulled up on our rear bumper. They started honking their horn and waving for us to pull over. I sped up, but they only became more aggressive. Fearing they would attempt to run us off of the road, I removed my handgun from the console and held it up in clear view of my rear window. These thugs immediately slammed on their brakes, did another U-turn, and sped away. I have absolutely no doubt we would have come to harm that day if we had not had this tool for self protection. 

We see daily news of violent crimes against innocent people. As much as we might wish it weren't so...evil and crazy people do exist. Hoping these bad guys won't cross your path offers zero protection. Honest people must have the ability to actually protect themselves when the need arises.

Look at England; Bobbies (police) only began carrying firearms and wearing body armor after private gun ownership was banned a few years ago. In Australia, violent crimes have increased following the tightening of regulations for privately owned firearms. Criminals are evil...that’s why they commit crimes. Provide them with an advantage over their victims...and guess who loses?

Beyond this personal protection aspect, world history shows many governments have killed incredible numbers of their own citizens. In the past century alone, the despotic leaders in Russia, Germany, China, and Cambodia murdered over a hundred million of their citizens. In every case the innocent victims had few weapons to defend themselves with...and they paid the ultimate price. Imagine standing by helplessly as you watched everyone you loved being slaughtered!

According to biblical legend, Cain became the first human murderer when he killed his brother Abel. Since then our willingness to kill other humans has continued unabated. It's the ultimate negative side-effect of mankind’s God-given ability to choose right or wrong. 

Don’t ever forget the human freedom to do such ultimate wrong also applies to those we elect. Remember when Hitler was duly elected to govern Germany? If such an evil person were ever elected in America, our citizen's right to own arms may be the only barrier preventing another government's extermination of its own people. It is simply naive to hope it won't happen!

It is clear to me, the 2nd Amendment creators primary motivation was the hope individual gun ownership might prevent a tyrannical government in America. This is why We The People must never allow that right to be taken away. Of course, that also suggests citizens should be allowed weapons similar to those used by the government itself. We should never ban assault style weapons. After all, if we are going to actually reduce the risk of a rogue leader...any potential despot must see us as a realistic threat. 

We must identify our mentally ill and provided them with adequate treatment. We must prevent them from buying guns and their care-givers must keep weapons locked safely away. Lawmakers must make sure firearm ownership and usage by criminals is severely penalized. And we must protect our children from the constant bombardment of violence.

Focus on controlling the evil and insane. Firearms are tools, human beings are the killers!

Personally, I will never accept being unable to protect my loved ones from bad people. If you are ever confronted with your own version of my Oklahoma experience, how will you protect yourself and your family?

These are my evolved opinions. What do you think?

Mike Tower

Please take time to visit the blog of a good pal:  Lee's Political Opinions, and also the website for an organization he and I co-founded:  Citizens Against Politics As Usual

Wow! America's leaders averted the fiscal cliff!

Wow! Our leaders averted the fiscal cliff!

Why don't I feel relieved? As this latest example of the political theater of the absurd unfolded in Washington, our elected leaders again proved they cannot take meaningful actions to prevent our nation's continuing march down the path to financial ruin.

Both sides then retreated to their typical truth-spinning mode to persuade their respective loyalists only they stood strong in this fight for fiscal responsibility.

Neither side's BS is worth wasting our time on because their rhetoric continues to ignore the more significant financial danger our nation's future generations face. This recent attempt to reach a non-partisan agreement, at best, smooths out a small speed bump on our continuing path of unsustainable debt expansion.

Approximately 78 million baby boomers recently began reaching the age of 65. The last of them will arrive there by 2030. During their projected life-spans as retirees they have been promised Social Security, Medicare, and Medicare Prescription benefits (some call these entitlements). The expenses for all of which remain completely unfunded. The only options available to pay for these expenses are increased borrowing, taxes, or reduced benefits...or all three. If you go to www.debtclock.org and scan to the bottom of the page, you will see a projection of over $122 trillion in these unfunded but promised expenses during the boomers' life-spans. It doesn't take a mathematician to understand it will be impossible for a nation already so deeply in debt to fully meet the boomers' expectations.

If our elected federal lawmakers' history can predict future results, it's clear they will collectively end up doing what no external enemy has ever accomplished...ruin the greatest nation which ever existed. Our lawmakers' need to retain power has overwhelmed their ability to act in the best long-term interests of most Americans.

What can ordinary citizens do? Clearly we won't use the ballot to make changes. In the recent election over 94% of incumbents were retained...even with an overall congressional approval rating of 9%. Heck, too many of us won't even vote. Individual cards, letters, and phone calls to our elected are too few and also have no impact.

A good friend of mine recently requested I sign a petition containing reasonable solutions and asked me to encourage others do the same.

I'm sure you are familiar with President Obama appointing Alan Simpson(R) and Erskine Bowles(D) to lead a non-partisan committee shortly after he was first elected. Mr. Obama charged them with developing a responsible long-term plan to reduce our deficit spending and debt.

This non-partisan committee did exactly as requested and presented what is now known as the Simpson-Bowles plan (SBP) to our President. Their recommendations called for gradual implementation of tax increases and spending cuts. It mathematically assured our debt problems would be solved with the least amount of pain to our economy and the majority of Americans. The committee's recommendations were promptly ignored by both sides because constituents on the right would not support tax increases and those on the left felt the same way about spending reductions...and neither side had the courage to risk the next election's fallout.

Our President then creating an even larger, non-partisan, “Super Committee” charged with the exact same objective. This committee couldn't reach a compromise agreement. Instead they created a “poison pill” with identified reductions in spending and revenue enhancements (taxes) to be automatically triggered at the end of 2012 if no solutions had been reached by our lawmakers. This predictable failure led to the creation of the“fiscal cliff” terminology.

Simpson and Bowles are so discouraged by the lack of actions by our political leaders, they have requested ordinary citizens get involved by signing an on-line petition supporting the Simpson-Bowles recommendations. They hope we will sign the petition in sufficient numbers to signal our support of this logical plan. This will also send a clear signal We The People understand the shared sacrifice we must all make to repair the damages from decades of failed political leadership.

I have signed the petition and hope you will consider doing the same, and pass it on to everyone on your email list. It doesn't matter to which party you do or don't belong, we must find the collective courage to unite as Americans first in fighting for our nation's solvency. We all know our elected leaders will never find the wisdom to act appropriately if left on their own. Their need to retain power and serve their election-funding lobbyists is simply too powerful.

I have heard many Americans say they paid for these entitlements and deserve their full payout. It's simply not mathematically possible for all of these promises to be kept. Failure to immediately begin to slowly adjust benefits will inevitably result in a financial crash of epic proportions which will make the Great Depression seem like a picnic. I hope you will sign the Simpson and Bowles petition, and send a strong signal of our dissatisfaction.

Please go to www.fixthedebt.org, and read their ideas.

Mike Tower
miketower@bellsouth.net

I also invite you to visit the blog of a good pal of mine at:  Lee's Political Opinions, and I alsohope you will visit the site for our jointly founded organization:  Citizens Against Politics As Usual

Global and American Demographic Implications

Demographics: globally and in America

Two years ago I wrote an article titled: "If Our World Were a Village". In it our world's 7 billion inhabitants were condensed into an imaginary village of 100 people. (The demographics used are not perfect, but are very close in terms of implications to be drawn). In this new version I have added a new segment with a U.S. Village also converted into a village of 100 instead of the 310+ million humans who occupy our nation.

Consider the implications of the following for the global village:

18 of the villagers are white, the rest are not. (in 1950, 27 were white and by 2050 less than 10 will be)
.
33 are Christians, 19 Muslims, 13 Hindu, 6 Buddhists, and 29 either "other" or no religion.

24 have no electricity, 33 have an unsafe water supply, 50 are malnourished, and 2 are dying of either AIDS or malnutrition.

67 cannot read or write, and only 1 has a college degree.

60 live in Asia, 14 in Africa, 12 in Europe, 8 in Latin America and fewer than 6 in all of North America.

Fewer than 5 villagers live in the United States, yet for decades they have managed to produce and consume around one quarter of the entire global village's goods and services.

As a United States citizen, what are your initial reactions? Do you feel fortunate to live in such an incredibly wealthy country? How do you feel about the massive imbalance in production and consumption? Have we done enough to share our bounty with those less fortunate?

Were Americans entitled to this positive imbalance as a simple birthright? Do you think God did indeed bless the United States of America? If so, do you think we have collectively done all we should to show our gratitude to God?

Does this help you better understand the almost endless supply of labor outside the U.S. willing to work for dramatically lower wages, and why major American corporations will continue outsourcing jobs for the foreseeable future?

Think about how small a proportion of the global village is white, and yet how much incredible power and influence this minority has wielded for centuries.

Had you ever considered only a third of the world's population is Christian?

Do you see why being poor in the global village is likely much worse than being poor in America? 

Is it possible the United States was simply lucky? Do you think it's inevitable our nation will go on forever producing and consuming a quarter of the worlds' goods and services? Do you think instead, perhaps all good things must inevitably come to an end?

If you are a citizen of any other nation in the world, what do you think? Do you better understand why so many other nation's people dislike our country?

Now let's look at the imaginary U.S. Village of 100:

82 villagers live in either a city or its suburbs leaving incredible amounts of land virtually unoccupied.

65 are non-Hispanic white, 16 are Hispanic or Latino, 13 are African-American, and 5 are Asian-American.

Every decade 5 fewer citizens in the village will be white. By 2050 the white population will be fewer than 50, while African-Americans remain at 13, Hispanic/Latinos will be up to 30, and Asian-Americans up to 8. Half of all children today who are one year of age or younger have minority parents.

What are the implications for the future elections...does “se hable espanol” come to mind?

Nearly a quarter of the children are living in families whose income is below the officially defined poverty level. Some will condemn this for being allowed in the wealthiest village in the world. However, don't forget being poor in this village is likely
preferable to being poor in almost any other nation.

The village spends nearly double per capita for health care than any other developed village in the world, yet ranks no better than 32nd in health outcomes. This has much
more to do with government policies than our medical system which is technically among the very best in the world. Our leaders have made it policy to not provide universal health care. Many millions lacking access to quality health care accounts for our poor overall ranking.

75 in this village define themselves as being some denomination of Christian (25 Catholic, 16 Baptist, 33 other Christian denominations, 20 no affiliation, 1+ Mormon,
1+ Jewish, less than 1 Muslim.

As you look at the demographics for the global and U.S. Villages, you cannot escape concluding how comparatively blessed our nation has been and remains. Now if we
can find a way to prevent our politicians from completely failing our nation, we might continue to be one of the greatest nations in the world for generations to come.

However, it's a very big if these days.

These are my opinions. What do you think?

Mike Tower
miketower@bellsouth.net

I hope you will take time to read the thoughts of  my good friend at:  Lee's Political Opinions, and also the site for an organization we co-founded:  Citizens Against Politics As usual