I'm asked, almost on a daily basis, if I'm planning on running for County Mayor next year. Honestly, I don't know the answer to that question right now, but I do have a pretty good idea of how I'll figure it out.
First of all, my decision will have nothing to do with who else runs. If I want it, I'll fight for it, and I'll fight to win regardless of who else is in the race.
Secondly, I guarantee that if I get in the race, things will be different. Lord knows I learned a lot the last time out, and made MANY mistakes that I won't repeat.
Those two things aside, the decision for me will most likely be made one way or another by what else is being offered to the voters.
If somebody runs because they honestly want to help lead this county forward, because they have no interest in using the County Mayor's office as a stepping stone for something greater, and because they aren't simply padding their retirement for a few more years, then there may not be any reason for me to run....
If somebody runs because they want to serve the people of Anderson County with no regard to party labels or divisiveness over issues that have nothing at all to do with county government, then there may not be any reason for me to run....
If somebody runs because they want to wake up each morning and break their back to grow the local economy, create jobs, and broaden the tax base, with no concern over who gets the credit, then there may not be any reason for me to run....
If somebody runs because they realize that government needs to play by the same rules that people live by every day, then there may not be any reason for me to run....
If somebody runs because they have experience managing with very limit resources, balancing budgets, making payroll, and being accountable to the people who own this government, then there may not be any reason for me to run....
If somebody is running because they want to talk straight to the voters, and throw away the one liners, empty promises, and rehearsed speeches, then there may not be any reason for me to run....
Finally, if somebody is running because this is their home and they were raised to believe that the only way to make things better is to roll your sleeves up and do the heavy lifting, then there may not be any reason for me to run...
However, if somebody is running for their own gain...if somebody is running to put party over what's right for our county...if somebody is running for a pat on the back or a spotlight on themselves...if somebody is running who doesn't recognize that this is a government of the people....if somebody is running on empty promises and pandering...or if somebody is running for any reason other than making Anderson County a better place for all....then there may in fact be a damn good reason for me to run.
So, to those who have expressed an interest in running, and to those who ask what my plans are, all I can say at this point is that I'm watching, listening, and waiting to see if my county needs me. If it does, that's all that matters.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Outside the box...
I've been ranting a lot lately about ways that we need to reform our government, and for good reason. After all, the only thing that our political "leaders" in Washington seem to be good at these days is mismanaging our interests.
Because I'm so sick of the political Dog Chow we're being fed, I've decided to throw out a few more ideas that your not likely to hear on the campaign trail.
We've heard a lot of talk about health care reform, and everyone probably agrees that it's needed, in one form or another. However, why do we have to be so reactive? Why can't we do some things that encourage people to be well? For example, why not eliminate sales tax on health food, and raise it on junk food? Granted it's not a federal tax, but since when have the feds been shy to impose their will? Along those lines, why not make things like gym memberships tax deductible, and give a tax credit for a those that pass a healthy yearly physical that gets larger for every consecutive year of good health? If you put forth the effort to keep yourself well, it ought to pay off.
Speaking of tax credits and deductions, how about a tax credit for people who put a certain percentage of their income in a savings account? Not everyone can afford to have capital gains, but everyone can afford to put back a few dollars for an emergency. From there, let's keep rolling and give a tax credit for those who maintain no outstanding credit card balances. If people are willing to pinch pennies and live responsibly on what they have, they should be rewarded for doing so.
Everyone loves saying "our children are our future", so let's put our money where our mouths are to those who make it happen. If your child has good attendance in school and makes good grades (both of which take serious parental involvement), then you should get a tax credit for that. If you set a good example for your children and don't do things like getting arrested in front of them for beating up momma or daddy, or cooking meth in the basement, it should pay off as well.
Finally, and this is one of my favorites, how about a tax credit for voting? If you're willing to step up and be part of the solution, rather than sit in your easy chair and bitch about how bad our government is, I say that you should be able to keep more of your hard earned money. I would be willing to accept less money in the treasury for a more involved group of citizens.
Again, don't expect to hear to any of these ideas in the upcoming Presidential debates. But, to quote one of my favorite movie characters of all time..."it'd be a whole lot cooler if you did!"
Because I'm so sick of the political Dog Chow we're being fed, I've decided to throw out a few more ideas that your not likely to hear on the campaign trail.
We've heard a lot of talk about health care reform, and everyone probably agrees that it's needed, in one form or another. However, why do we have to be so reactive? Why can't we do some things that encourage people to be well? For example, why not eliminate sales tax on health food, and raise it on junk food? Granted it's not a federal tax, but since when have the feds been shy to impose their will? Along those lines, why not make things like gym memberships tax deductible, and give a tax credit for a those that pass a healthy yearly physical that gets larger for every consecutive year of good health? If you put forth the effort to keep yourself well, it ought to pay off.
Speaking of tax credits and deductions, how about a tax credit for people who put a certain percentage of their income in a savings account? Not everyone can afford to have capital gains, but everyone can afford to put back a few dollars for an emergency. From there, let's keep rolling and give a tax credit for those who maintain no outstanding credit card balances. If people are willing to pinch pennies and live responsibly on what they have, they should be rewarded for doing so.
Everyone loves saying "our children are our future", so let's put our money where our mouths are to those who make it happen. If your child has good attendance in school and makes good grades (both of which take serious parental involvement), then you should get a tax credit for that. If you set a good example for your children and don't do things like getting arrested in front of them for beating up momma or daddy, or cooking meth in the basement, it should pay off as well.
Finally, and this is one of my favorites, how about a tax credit for voting? If you're willing to step up and be part of the solution, rather than sit in your easy chair and bitch about how bad our government is, I say that you should be able to keep more of your hard earned money. I would be willing to accept less money in the treasury for a more involved group of citizens.
Again, don't expect to hear to any of these ideas in the upcoming Presidential debates. But, to quote one of my favorite movie characters of all time..."it'd be a whole lot cooler if you did!"
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A time for solutions....
Former Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN) said it best recently when refering to Washington's actions in addressing our fiscal woes as "kicking the can down the road". I couldn't agree more.
Since the Presidential election is now in high gear, one would think that there would be no shortage of ideas and specific plans on how to address the problems we are facing. Sadly, this political season has so far brought nothing more than the empty one liners and political catch phrases. Neither party, to me, seems serious about getting our house in order, and that is unacceptable.
So, I am taking it upon myself to offer up some specific ideas on how to give our economy a boost. Sure, some may be a bit extreme, but we live in extreme times. If we are going to dig ourselves out of this hole, it's time to start shoveling. Here goes....
First of all, we need a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. As long as Washington has free reign to spend more than they take in, all talk about fiscal responsibility is just that. Forcing them to live within their means would give a strong signal to the world that we're finally serious about this.
Secondly, we need to reduce spending to 2008 levels and place strict limits on the percentage that it can grow going forward. This will require significant cuts in federal spending, across the board, and will no doubt be painful on a number of levels, but we as a nation are going to have to admit that right now we simply can't afford to do all the things that we want to do. Fixing such a huge problem is going to take this type kind of sacrifice.
Speaking of sacrifice, we have to raise taxes. Nobody wants taxes to go up, but cutting spending alone won't put a dent in it. However, my tax increase proposal is a bit different. We need to raise taxes on incomes over $250,000 per year, and mandate that every penny of new revenue goes toward paying down our national debt, which is now over $14 trillion. For the first time in the history of our nation, we'd be raising taxes to pay our bills, and not to have more money to spend.
Next, we need to finally bring our troops home. We're neck deep in a war that can't be won, and that we can't afford to fight. There have been over 6000 fatalities in the "War on Terror" and God knows how many more injured. We're currently spending over $700 billion on war, depsite that fact that any rational person knows that you can't force ideology through military means. We need to end these wars, and look inward at rebuilding our country. I would propose taking every penny that we're spending on this war and put it in an Infrastructure Fund, dedicated to rebuilding roads, bridges, water and sewer lines, electrical grids, etc. Our nations foundation is crumbling, and the house can't stand without it.
Next, I would go after the banks. At a time when we desperately need people buying homes and expanding businesses, money is nowhere to be found. I would tell the banks, in no uncertain terms, that they will either start loaning money to credit worthy customers, or they will be stripped of their FDIC insurance. If they don't want to loan money, let's see how many people line up to make uninsured deposits, and how many go down the street to the bank that is insured. This would pump money in to the economy more so than almost anything else we could do.
Finally, we need to make it easier to replace politicians who don't want to do the work that they are elected to do. I would start by limiting the amount of money that can be spent on a political race. Then, I would limit donations to individuals, and ban all corporate, PAC, and Union money. By capping donations at $100 per person, a nurse or construction worker instantly has the same influence as a CEO. It's time to take the "For Sale" sign down, and put the American people back in charge of their government.
I'm sure that everybody can find things in these suggestions that they don't really like. I know that I can. However, it can't be about what we want anymore, it has to be about what we need. Until our house is in order, we're all going to have to swallow our medicine. We've come together as a people before, and we can do it again. We'll have to if we want our children and grandchildren to have a country left to love.
Since the Presidential election is now in high gear, one would think that there would be no shortage of ideas and specific plans on how to address the problems we are facing. Sadly, this political season has so far brought nothing more than the empty one liners and political catch phrases. Neither party, to me, seems serious about getting our house in order, and that is unacceptable.
So, I am taking it upon myself to offer up some specific ideas on how to give our economy a boost. Sure, some may be a bit extreme, but we live in extreme times. If we are going to dig ourselves out of this hole, it's time to start shoveling. Here goes....
First of all, we need a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. As long as Washington has free reign to spend more than they take in, all talk about fiscal responsibility is just that. Forcing them to live within their means would give a strong signal to the world that we're finally serious about this.
Secondly, we need to reduce spending to 2008 levels and place strict limits on the percentage that it can grow going forward. This will require significant cuts in federal spending, across the board, and will no doubt be painful on a number of levels, but we as a nation are going to have to admit that right now we simply can't afford to do all the things that we want to do. Fixing such a huge problem is going to take this type kind of sacrifice.
Speaking of sacrifice, we have to raise taxes. Nobody wants taxes to go up, but cutting spending alone won't put a dent in it. However, my tax increase proposal is a bit different. We need to raise taxes on incomes over $250,000 per year, and mandate that every penny of new revenue goes toward paying down our national debt, which is now over $14 trillion. For the first time in the history of our nation, we'd be raising taxes to pay our bills, and not to have more money to spend.
Next, we need to finally bring our troops home. We're neck deep in a war that can't be won, and that we can't afford to fight. There have been over 6000 fatalities in the "War on Terror" and God knows how many more injured. We're currently spending over $700 billion on war, depsite that fact that any rational person knows that you can't force ideology through military means. We need to end these wars, and look inward at rebuilding our country. I would propose taking every penny that we're spending on this war and put it in an Infrastructure Fund, dedicated to rebuilding roads, bridges, water and sewer lines, electrical grids, etc. Our nations foundation is crumbling, and the house can't stand without it.
Next, I would go after the banks. At a time when we desperately need people buying homes and expanding businesses, money is nowhere to be found. I would tell the banks, in no uncertain terms, that they will either start loaning money to credit worthy customers, or they will be stripped of their FDIC insurance. If they don't want to loan money, let's see how many people line up to make uninsured deposits, and how many go down the street to the bank that is insured. This would pump money in to the economy more so than almost anything else we could do.
Finally, we need to make it easier to replace politicians who don't want to do the work that they are elected to do. I would start by limiting the amount of money that can be spent on a political race. Then, I would limit donations to individuals, and ban all corporate, PAC, and Union money. By capping donations at $100 per person, a nurse or construction worker instantly has the same influence as a CEO. It's time to take the "For Sale" sign down, and put the American people back in charge of their government.
I'm sure that everybody can find things in these suggestions that they don't really like. I know that I can. However, it can't be about what we want anymore, it has to be about what we need. Until our house is in order, we're all going to have to swallow our medicine. We've come together as a people before, and we can do it again. We'll have to if we want our children and grandchildren to have a country left to love.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Show them the money???
As I was standing in line at the grocery store, thinking in my mind how pointless it is to have all those aisles and 2 cashiers working (I'll save that one for later), I overheard two sporty young guys going on and on about how college football players should be paid.
Listening in, my gut reaction was to assign a yes or no to my own personal opinion. However, the longer I waited, the more I realized that I'm kind of yes and no on the subject.
Should they get a straight out salary? No. For playing football they are receiving something for free that I am still paying for to this day. The value of a college education clearly makes up for their lack of a paycheck. Even if the player doesn't have NFL potential, they have a chance to earn a degree for playing football. I promise that there are a lot of kids out there slinging pies and waiting tables who would trade roles in a second.
With that said, I think it may be time for the NCAA to look at some type of bonus system, and I'm not talking about for yards carried or tackles for loss.
It seems like every time you open the sports page, a college player is being busted for something. Granted, very few are committing major crimes. In fact, most are doing the same things that you and I did when we were in college. However, we weren't on free rides, and we weren't representing our fans, our school, and our state.
In addition to getting busted at the club, we all know that most college football players don't graduate. At UT, for example, the graduation rate for a football player is around 52%. That means that almost half of the kids that get a once in a lifetime chance completely blow it.
So, what would be wrong with a player getting a check for not getting in trouble, or maintaining a certain GPA? Who knows, maybe rewarding good behavior might actually motivate some of these players to behave, which would pay dividends on and off the field. After all, the star RB isn't doing anybody any good if he's riding the pine for fighting at a strip club.
Despite the fact that they wear nicer suits and drive nicer cars than I do, I realize that these guys can't hold jobs, and that many come from families who don't have the means to support them. Having a little change in your pocket feels good, and so would fewer headlines in the sports section about "Players Gone Wild".
Just thought I'd share that with you, since the guys in the grocery store didn't ask....
Listening in, my gut reaction was to assign a yes or no to my own personal opinion. However, the longer I waited, the more I realized that I'm kind of yes and no on the subject.
Should they get a straight out salary? No. For playing football they are receiving something for free that I am still paying for to this day. The value of a college education clearly makes up for their lack of a paycheck. Even if the player doesn't have NFL potential, they have a chance to earn a degree for playing football. I promise that there are a lot of kids out there slinging pies and waiting tables who would trade roles in a second.
With that said, I think it may be time for the NCAA to look at some type of bonus system, and I'm not talking about for yards carried or tackles for loss.
It seems like every time you open the sports page, a college player is being busted for something. Granted, very few are committing major crimes. In fact, most are doing the same things that you and I did when we were in college. However, we weren't on free rides, and we weren't representing our fans, our school, and our state.
In addition to getting busted at the club, we all know that most college football players don't graduate. At UT, for example, the graduation rate for a football player is around 52%. That means that almost half of the kids that get a once in a lifetime chance completely blow it.
So, what would be wrong with a player getting a check for not getting in trouble, or maintaining a certain GPA? Who knows, maybe rewarding good behavior might actually motivate some of these players to behave, which would pay dividends on and off the field. After all, the star RB isn't doing anybody any good if he's riding the pine for fighting at a strip club.
Despite the fact that they wear nicer suits and drive nicer cars than I do, I realize that these guys can't hold jobs, and that many come from families who don't have the means to support them. Having a little change in your pocket feels good, and so would fewer headlines in the sports section about "Players Gone Wild".
Just thought I'd share that with you, since the guys in the grocery store didn't ask....
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tom and his Crystal Ball...
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."
When Thomas Jefferson wielded his mighty pen to write the above passage (in a document that I highly recommend reading...often), he was both making a statement and, to a large extent, predicting the future.
Jefferson knew, as we know today, that our nation and our form of government is the greatest engine of freedom in the history of mankind. He also knew that it must preserved at all costs, even it that meant defending it from itself.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not proposing that we all move to rural Montana and sew our own version of the Stars and Stripes. However, I do think that ol' Tom was on to something, and 235 years later, we may be on the verge of figuring it out.
When you get hot, you don't take off your red jacket and put on your blue one, or vice verse. You take the jacket off and put on something that makes a little more sense. When we, as a nation, change labels and bring in one group to replace the other, time and time again, are we really ushering in fundamental change, or just changing scenery?
Jefferson said that sometimes we need to find "new guards" to provide for our security. He didn't say that we should keep recycling essentially the same ones over and over.
In the latest numbers I could find, 34.6% of voters surveyed considered themselves to be Democrats, 34.3% considered themselves to be Republicans, and 31% considered themselves to be Independents. Of the three numbers, two consistently vary back and forth by a percentage point or two. Only one has seen a significant rise. Care to guess which one?
There is a lot to be said in those numbers. People are fed up. For a long time they've wanted government to work, and they've trusted a lot of people to get the job done, only to end up with that same old bitter taste in their mouths. They've worn both jackets and, quite frankly, they're sick of sweating.
Democrats and Republicans will never get along, as long as they are at 34.6% and 34.3%, respectively, or some variation thereof. However, that 31% is gaining fast, and they better take notice, or the big two could soon become the bottom two.
Jefferson said that it's "our duty...our right" to do what it takes to preserve this great country. Nowhere in that document do I find any reference to protecting Elephants or Donkeys.
When Thomas Jefferson wielded his mighty pen to write the above passage (in a document that I highly recommend reading...often), he was both making a statement and, to a large extent, predicting the future.
Jefferson knew, as we know today, that our nation and our form of government is the greatest engine of freedom in the history of mankind. He also knew that it must preserved at all costs, even it that meant defending it from itself.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not proposing that we all move to rural Montana and sew our own version of the Stars and Stripes. However, I do think that ol' Tom was on to something, and 235 years later, we may be on the verge of figuring it out.
When you get hot, you don't take off your red jacket and put on your blue one, or vice verse. You take the jacket off and put on something that makes a little more sense. When we, as a nation, change labels and bring in one group to replace the other, time and time again, are we really ushering in fundamental change, or just changing scenery?
Jefferson said that sometimes we need to find "new guards" to provide for our security. He didn't say that we should keep recycling essentially the same ones over and over.
In the latest numbers I could find, 34.6% of voters surveyed considered themselves to be Democrats, 34.3% considered themselves to be Republicans, and 31% considered themselves to be Independents. Of the three numbers, two consistently vary back and forth by a percentage point or two. Only one has seen a significant rise. Care to guess which one?
There is a lot to be said in those numbers. People are fed up. For a long time they've wanted government to work, and they've trusted a lot of people to get the job done, only to end up with that same old bitter taste in their mouths. They've worn both jackets and, quite frankly, they're sick of sweating.
Democrats and Republicans will never get along, as long as they are at 34.6% and 34.3%, respectively, or some variation thereof. However, that 31% is gaining fast, and they better take notice, or the big two could soon become the bottom two.
Jefferson said that it's "our duty...our right" to do what it takes to preserve this great country. Nowhere in that document do I find any reference to protecting Elephants or Donkeys.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
We owe our souls to the company store....
"Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go...I owe my soul to the company store...". The words of Tennessee Ernie Ford have a little extra meaning today, as our nation teeters on the brink of default, and our elected officials fight over whose palms will get greased the most before they inevitably raise the limit on their own credit cards.
In Dec. of 1973, not long after I was born, the debt ceiling of the United States was $475 billion. Today, it's over $14 trillion. That's almost $50,000 of debt for every person in the United States. To make matters worse, 32% of that debt is foreign owned. To make matters even worse than that, you can rest your heads at night knowing that over a quarter of our foreign debt is owned by communist China.
As this battle has played out over the last several weeks, you can't turn on the TV without the Republicans blaming the Democrats, and vice verse. Partisan spin aside, make no mistake that both parties got us in this mess. Ronald Reagan fought just as hard for raising the debt ceiling in the 80's as President Obama is today. In Washington, swiping the credit card seems to be one of the few things that both parties agree on.
We have to raise the debt ceiling. Like it or not, there is no way around it at this point. Letting our nation default is not an option, and doing so should be viewed as criminal. So, let's get it over with and then get serious about solving this problem.
The federal government currently spends about $1.4 trillion more per year than it takes in. See why we have so much debt? On this day in 2000, we had a surplus of over $186 billion. In 11 short years, we've blown that and much more, and increased our debt by $9 trillion. That's gross mis-management and anybody who dares try to pin the blame on any one party doesn't deserve to be listened to. There is enough guilt in D.C. to go around, believe me.
So, we know the problem, and know that it's not getting any better, but what do we do about it?
For starters, let's amend the Constitution to require that the federal government operate with a balanced budget. Local governments, businesses, and households across America have to make revenues and expenditures balance and so should Uncle Sam.
Secondly, let's put every tax increase and increase in federal borrowing on a national referendum. With today's technology, we should be voting with our cell phones anyway, so it could be done rather easily. By doing this, the people decide if they need their taxes raised, or need to go deeper in debt. But hold on my conservative friends; let us also on said referendum place a laundry list of services to cut should you wish to vote no. This way, majority rules, rather than which ever special interest has the highest paid lobbyist at any given time. Sure, this idea is a bit radical, but clearly what we have isn't working.
Next, let's make it a little easier to get rid of some of these worthless politicians by some real campaign reform. I say put a limit on what can be spent on running for a specific office, and then limit donations to individuals only, and cap them at $500. Start leveling the playing the field, and it becomes more about the issues and less about who has the deepest coffers.
Finally, let's require each member of Congress to send a yearly report to each constituent, listing to the penny how much each of them voted to spend. If they have to explain what they are doing up there, rather than give us the same old election time mumbo jumbo, they may think twice on a lot of things.
I know that this has been a long post, and I hope you haven't turned the channel already because I'm passionate about what I'm saying here, and I hope that you are as well. It's time for us to put aside the labels, shelve the Republican - Democrat blame game, and get busy fixing the problems facing this country. Politics got us in this mess, it's going to take leadership to get us out.
In Dec. of 1973, not long after I was born, the debt ceiling of the United States was $475 billion. Today, it's over $14 trillion. That's almost $50,000 of debt for every person in the United States. To make matters worse, 32% of that debt is foreign owned. To make matters even worse than that, you can rest your heads at night knowing that over a quarter of our foreign debt is owned by communist China.
As this battle has played out over the last several weeks, you can't turn on the TV without the Republicans blaming the Democrats, and vice verse. Partisan spin aside, make no mistake that both parties got us in this mess. Ronald Reagan fought just as hard for raising the debt ceiling in the 80's as President Obama is today. In Washington, swiping the credit card seems to be one of the few things that both parties agree on.
We have to raise the debt ceiling. Like it or not, there is no way around it at this point. Letting our nation default is not an option, and doing so should be viewed as criminal. So, let's get it over with and then get serious about solving this problem.
The federal government currently spends about $1.4 trillion more per year than it takes in. See why we have so much debt? On this day in 2000, we had a surplus of over $186 billion. In 11 short years, we've blown that and much more, and increased our debt by $9 trillion. That's gross mis-management and anybody who dares try to pin the blame on any one party doesn't deserve to be listened to. There is enough guilt in D.C. to go around, believe me.
So, we know the problem, and know that it's not getting any better, but what do we do about it?
For starters, let's amend the Constitution to require that the federal government operate with a balanced budget. Local governments, businesses, and households across America have to make revenues and expenditures balance and so should Uncle Sam.
Secondly, let's put every tax increase and increase in federal borrowing on a national referendum. With today's technology, we should be voting with our cell phones anyway, so it could be done rather easily. By doing this, the people decide if they need their taxes raised, or need to go deeper in debt. But hold on my conservative friends; let us also on said referendum place a laundry list of services to cut should you wish to vote no. This way, majority rules, rather than which ever special interest has the highest paid lobbyist at any given time. Sure, this idea is a bit radical, but clearly what we have isn't working.
Next, let's make it a little easier to get rid of some of these worthless politicians by some real campaign reform. I say put a limit on what can be spent on running for a specific office, and then limit donations to individuals only, and cap them at $500. Start leveling the playing the field, and it becomes more about the issues and less about who has the deepest coffers.
Finally, let's require each member of Congress to send a yearly report to each constituent, listing to the penny how much each of them voted to spend. If they have to explain what they are doing up there, rather than give us the same old election time mumbo jumbo, they may think twice on a lot of things.
I know that this has been a long post, and I hope you haven't turned the channel already because I'm passionate about what I'm saying here, and I hope that you are as well. It's time for us to put aside the labels, shelve the Republican - Democrat blame game, and get busy fixing the problems facing this country. Politics got us in this mess, it's going to take leadership to get us out.
The day the music died?
We've all seen the radical transformation in the music industry over the last few years, and I'm certainly not complaining. In fact, at any given time, I have over 2500 songs on my iPhone, all resulting from a simple click. Buying music at 11:00 at night, while sitting in the bathtub sipping on a cold adult beverage is a pretty cool concept, not to mention convenient as hell.
I've bought in to this revolution hook, line and sinker. I love all kinds of music, so it's perfect for me. My collection ranges from R.E.M. to Run D.M.C., and everything in between, and I can have it all, whenever I want it, for a lot less money. Imagine going in to the record store a few years back and saying that you wanted to buy all the CD's you wanted for $10 a month. Hence the reason that they are vanishing like the dinosaurs.
While I celebrate this new era, I have to wonder if it will eventually bring the music industry to it's knees? Is our almost unlimited access to music going to take the thrill away to the point that we loose interest? Will "on-demand" ultimately equal "no-demand"?
Music used to be a big deal. We knew when a new release was coming out, and often counted down the days. We watched MTV for hours, and probably all remember where we were when they aired the video for "I Want Your Sex" for the first time. We watched Headbanger's Ball and listened to American Top 40 from start to finish. We walked from aisle to aisle looking at CD's, and probably all remember who had the Poison CD with the cool album cover, and who had the one with the crappy censored cover that they sold at K-Mart. Simply put, it was a vital part of our lives, just as it has been since our parents and grandparents danced to the the jukeboxes of the 50's.
Today, it's all different. MTV no longer shows videos, cover art is a thing of the past, and my kids have no idea who Casey Kasem is. Thirty years from now, will they dig out their old cell phone from the attic, dust it off, and relive the glory days through their old music? I seriously doubt it.
I hate to be a hypocrite, because I'll probably download some music as soon as I finish writing this. However, I do so completely realizing that I may be contributing to the death of an old friend. Like Saturday morning cartoons and the 6:00 news, I can only hope that our love for music doesn't do it in.
I've bought in to this revolution hook, line and sinker. I love all kinds of music, so it's perfect for me. My collection ranges from R.E.M. to Run D.M.C., and everything in between, and I can have it all, whenever I want it, for a lot less money. Imagine going in to the record store a few years back and saying that you wanted to buy all the CD's you wanted for $10 a month. Hence the reason that they are vanishing like the dinosaurs.
While I celebrate this new era, I have to wonder if it will eventually bring the music industry to it's knees? Is our almost unlimited access to music going to take the thrill away to the point that we loose interest? Will "on-demand" ultimately equal "no-demand"?
Music used to be a big deal. We knew when a new release was coming out, and often counted down the days. We watched MTV for hours, and probably all remember where we were when they aired the video for "I Want Your Sex" for the first time. We watched Headbanger's Ball and listened to American Top 40 from start to finish. We walked from aisle to aisle looking at CD's, and probably all remember who had the Poison CD with the cool album cover, and who had the one with the crappy censored cover that they sold at K-Mart. Simply put, it was a vital part of our lives, just as it has been since our parents and grandparents danced to the the jukeboxes of the 50's.
Today, it's all different. MTV no longer shows videos, cover art is a thing of the past, and my kids have no idea who Casey Kasem is. Thirty years from now, will they dig out their old cell phone from the attic, dust it off, and relive the glory days through their old music? I seriously doubt it.
I hate to be a hypocrite, because I'll probably download some music as soon as I finish writing this. However, I do so completely realizing that I may be contributing to the death of an old friend. Like Saturday morning cartoons and the 6:00 news, I can only hope that our love for music doesn't do it in.
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