There is still slavery going on in the world today from children to the sex industry.  It is big business. People are brought to America with promises and forced to work in sweat shops or the sex industry to pay off there debt.  They are all around you all you have to do is open your eyes.

Now in America the British started bringing slaves into the country before the revolutionary war.  Then America fought a war amongst it own people to among other things end slavery.

But we are all slaves to our country where ever you live in the world.  Try not paying your taxes or your mortgage payment, just because you don’t have the money and see how long you live in your house.  Try voicing your opinion to the police and see how long it takes before you get beat up, tasered or even shot.

You actually think you are free, where I live if you forget your wallet you can go to jail and get a $500 fine for not having your id with you.  Your politicians have it set up so that they can track you from the time you wake up in the morning.  Just try getting a passport to go on vacation when you owe money to some one or back taxes.

All over the news you see Iran protesters getting beat up or killed, and Americans say what a shame, how can go on in the world.  I say open your eyes people it happen in America to, and no one does or says anything about it.

When will you get involved, when they come into your house and drag you out, or will it be when your social security check isn’t in the mail?

A smoker is supposed to have rights too.  In some states you can’t even smoke in your car if there is a child in the car.

Have you ever seen a smoke free building where all the people that smoke line up outside to smoke a cigarette?

Wouldn’t you think that if it was that bad the federal government would make it illegal, and just ban cigarette sales in America.  (They won’t.)  The government (federal and state) makes so much money off of cigarette sales that it is a federal crime to take over a specified amount across state lines.  (In the places I know of it is 3 to 4 cartons.)  That sort of explains why they don’t want you buying them on the internet.

Have you ever heard of the SHIP program? It is part of the federal network of State Health Insurance Programs available in every state. This is the program that gives uninsured children and seniors in many states free insurance.  It is paid for by smokers 100%.

So maybe instead of complaining about smokers we should thank them.

Our fine Government (state and federal) is blowing smoke up our butts.  They tell you that second hand smoke can cause cancer, when the UN spent millions of your dollars to do research on this and found that there was no evidence of second hand smoke causing cancer. The federal government squashed it.  After all, it would be unethical for them to admit they were wrong.

How can states all across the country sue the tobacco companies when they make money on every pack?  I wonder, did they give the money to the people that were dieing from smoking?

I’m not saying smoking is great. It is horrible for someone to have cancer, (my father passed away from it.)  I can remember seeing him in the hospital. But one thing comes to mind- there were a lot of people in the cancer ward of all ages that never smoked one cigarette, and were dieing of this horrible disease.

Recently the FDA was given control the tobacco industry.  What has the FDA ever done that was in the interest of the American people.  When they make a mistake in the drug industry they have more excuses than your local congressman. Will the tobacco industry be the same thing?

The question is not if you smoke. What rights will be taken from you next? Where will the tax money come from for all the programs that smokers pay for?  Where will it stop?

Standing in line to register I asked my mother what are we, she told me were Republicans because democrats take your money  away and give it to other people that don’t work for it.  Republicans don’t do that.

That was 30 years ago- my how times have changed.  In today’s America they are the same thing- both groups have set things up so that even if you wanted to make a difference you can’t.  Just ask any of the freshmen senators or congressmen, they go to Washington DC full of ideas and promises only to be told to sit down and shut up.

This is true for state and local governments too. In states like mine, they pass laws stating they can kick you out of the party if you don’t go along with their agenda.

This is to deter any up and coming politicians with thoughts that will actually help people rather than saying their intentions are to help them as soon as their pockets are full.

You can say, “Why aren’t there more political parties?” There are- I couldn’t believe how many there are! When I moved to the state I live in several years ago, I went to get my drivers license and register to vote.  The clerk asked “what party do you want to join?”  I said Independent because I don’t like any of the people that are there now. He laughed and handed me a paper with 20 to 30 different political parties on it.  (That is enough proof for me that my fellow Americans couldn’t agree on any thing if they tried.)  You ask yourself why? Everyone should know you can’t even get on an election ballot unless you file papers and get signatures and that takes years.  Look how long the Libertarian party has been around and they aren’t recognized in many states.

So what can you do? We have to start in the towns and cities across America. Go to your school board meetings, your town or city counsel meetings, and even your courts -go in and have a seat. Listen with an open mind. Take notes and get organized. Meet with people in your area. Keep one goal in mind, making our country better place, for your kids and grand kids. When we do this, leaving all our personal little beliefs at home, you will start to take your country back.

Now I know that many people don’t have time with work, school, and childcare and on and on. Let me ask you this- will you have time when your family is living on the street or in a shelter or you have to choose between feeding your kids or putting gas in the car so you can go to work? I am talking about several hours a week.

I have one other thing to say then I’ll shut up.  In the city I live in I have never seen any more than 20 to 30 people tops at a city counsel meeting. There are about one million people that live in my city. Yet when you talk to people they all want to cry about what they are doing. Why is that?

New York, and a few other states, has banned trans fat.  But they don’t tell you why.  It seems the problem is artificial fat doesn’t get along with regular body fat. Meaning since the brain is mostly fat; there is a problem with seizures, tumors and other things. Why doesn’t the FDA ban trans fat on a national level? Well, that’s simple! When does the FDA do any thing?

It’s ironic when schools across the country are cutting out recess and gym class.  Then they tell you your child is too big for their size. (Have you ever seen the size of some of these teachers?)  You are told they now serve healthy lunches.  How did we survive for decades eating non healthy lunches?

Some parents aren’t off the hook either. Many children across America come home from school and park in front of the TV, computer or their favorite game console.  Do any children go out to play anymore? How will they deal with life’s challenges if they never learn to communicate with other people?

Many of us are overweight (I could stand to loose a few pounds myself). So what do we do?  Is it like my mother says some people are just big boned?  That is very possible but do you really think your Government cares about that?  Wait until national health care comes, you will have to loose weight regardless of bone structure or possibly loose your healthcare.  You say that can’t happen- I hope you’re right but all you have to do is look around the world and see what’s going on.  Have you ever read a government report? Professional weight lifters are overweight by some of their standards.

No matter where you live, politics probably plays a part in your day to day life. You might not immediately deal with political issues, but you can be sure that politics plays a part in what you do! Whether it is office politics deciding who gets that raise you’ve been hoping for; city politics determining where you are allowed to park downtown; county politics dictating your quarterly property tax or even nationwide politics deciding how your schools are funded, politics plays a part in your daily life.

It is important then that you understand what politics really is. Politics, at its core, is defined by Wikipedia as the process by which groups of people make decisions. At its core, politics sounds quite simple. What makes it complicated are the individuals involved in making the decisions. Because human beings are not perfect, the political system is never going to be perfect. This is something that most people don’t understand about politics. You can put all of the pomp and circumstance into politics that you want, in the end; it is more about human beings getting their way than about the process itself.

It has been said quite often that politics is a dirty business. In the United States Congress, for example, politics has taken on an air of hatred and manipulation. Many citizens of the United States feel that they are left out of the process of politics and that their elected representatives are more interested in scoring personal points than in working toward the betterment of their states and districts. In the last few decades special interest groups have taken on an entirely new role and lobbyists have become particularly vilified.

This disillusion toward politics is nothing new. Plato-the famous Greek philosopher-believed that all political systems were corrupt at their cores and that societies leaders should be chosen from an elite group of individuals who were began leadership training at birth. Aristotle argued that man is inherently political and that personal and political ethics are often the same thing.

One of the most famous political philosophers, Machiavelli advised that leaders of politics be brutal and manipulative and do whatever they could to retain their power. Machiavelli is studied today and his work is considered to be one of the leading authorities on how to behave in politics. Is it any wonder then, that the political systems of so many nations look corrupt?

The heart of politics is good: it is how laws are made and how individuals are judged by the societies that surround them. Without politics, nobody would know what was allowed and what was not allowed when they left the house. Unfortunately, many people view politics as a way to get ahead or to gain some sort of power over the people they live and work with. It is because of these “bad eggs” that politics has become regarded as an evil and ugly business.

writen by Danielle Hollister  read more

I have always believed that political apathy starts at the bottom. That is the citizens. They do not go to meetings when issues are being discussed that impact their lives. They do not speak up at the earlyist opportunity to provide input. I recently came across an article that challenges my theory.

It was written by someone who just refers to himself as Dan. No last name. It was written in 2002. Dan lives in Britain, but what he says could also refer to the United States. Dan believes that apathy comes from the top down. Not the bottom up.

Dan writes, “It is an inevitable end result from the transition of politics from an art form that is dominated by those who engage in politics for the love of politics, and a genuine desire to improve conditions and see good done, to cooler, colder, more calculating ‘career’ politicians, who see it as a job, like in any other company, where the goal is to keep the current party, or company, in power, without the regard to what happens in the country as a whole.

Politicians are, indeed, apathetic. They seem to have no true beliefs these days. This is sad, but also inevitable; since to belong to a major party these days is to allow oneself to be submitted to their rules – namely, you must not have an opinion unless it is that of the party. There is no belief behind their politics.”

Dan continues, “Now, if the politicians really cared and were there for love of country, then they would be more outspoken and genuinely campaign for what they think is right. But they do not, since they love their jobs far too much for that. They stay in the safety and toe the party line. They are apathetic, in short, about genuine politics.”

Dan’s conclusion is, “If politicians or other commentators bemoan that no younger people these days are interested in politics, then how can they be blamed? They should look around them – the politicians aren’t interested in politics, the politicians in power aren’t interested in the public’s wishes, and the public, in term, has nowhere to turn to get things done. They created my apathy. They must remove it.”

Dan is certainly correct. Partisan politics now permeates our government. It does not matter what the issue is. If one party supports an idea, the other party opposes it, just for the sake of opposition it seems. There is no attempt to find common ground to solve problems. The bickering is non stop. Politics as we know it today, is split along party lines. Period. Exclamation point!

I had never belonged to a “party” until about four years ago. I was watching Meet the Press. Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe was the guest. Mr. McAuliffe looked straight into the camera and told me that I was either with him or against him. There was no middle ground. If that was the case, I concluded, I needed to do something. So, I joined my local Republican Party. I’m not an active member. I simply pay my dues. But, if I had to make a choice like Mr. McAuliffe said I had to, that would be my decision.

It is indeed unfortunate that decision had to be made by me. I preferred to keep my Independent status. But, I couldn’t.

Dan, you’ve made me think. I’m not ready to agree that apathy is a problem that starts at the top down. But, you definitely have made me think about it.

Thanks Dan. This is what politics should be about. Making each other really think about the issues and then reaching our own conclusions. We should not being force fed what to believe by any party.