The Choice is Always OURS

My son asked me the other day, “What happens if the Dow Jones falls to Zero?”

 

um… brain BROKE.

 

What WOULD happen… COULD it happen? Zero would mean NO work was happening, no profits being made. In theory, it could never happen. Someone has to pump the oil, turn on the waterfall at the power plant, milk the cow BEFORE sunrise… so, what happens?

 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has always been just a “rule of thumb” about how things are going in America. It’s never been a solid indicator of our economic strength. In large part, the “BOOM” witnessed from the Obama Administration through the Trump Administration has been theoretical… speculative. A huge amount of that financial growth comes from the Baby Boom generation and the DECADES of investments they’ve made saving for retirement.

If the growth was theoretical, in the form of interest and gains from investments, how does losing that detract from the value of the overall economic engine, the physical infrastructure, and the personnel that maintains and operates it?

 

What is the “American Dollar”… what is our economy BASED upon? It’s the hopes and dreams of a child. Promises made and placed on the back of the wings of a butterfly…

 

The economic strength and security of the WORLD is backed by the BLOOD, SWEAT, and TEARS of every citizen of the United States of America.

 

 

US_one_dollar_bill_obverse_series_2009

 

And as long as we still BELIEVE in the promise of ONE NATION UNDER GOD, then we will HONOR the value inherent in every dollar we print. That is what we give to the WORLD, and what we gain is a bigger market and a stronger community for all of us to live in.

The economic security we’ve created is NOT by accident. It is the product of trial and error, science and speculation, and lessons learned from knowledge received. Standing behind the portrait of George Washington is the face of every American Citizen. Should he FALL, behind him stands ANOTHER. And in every transaction made, on every continent, in every corner of the globe,

The WORD of the American People is HONORED as the standard, and is accepted as such no matter where you go.

 

It’s not because of the INK.

It’s not because of the paper.

It’s not even the promise of GOLD or SILVER that could come from it.

It’s the words written within our CONSTITUTION, and the value we place in it.

 

In this moment, when we are asked to bring our economic output to ZERO, when the choice we face is truly LIFE or DEATH, we are failing to meet our challenge. This is not being asked of us out of GREED. We are asked to do this out of CHARITY, for the benefit of our neighbors… and ourselves.

We must listen to our hearts and act as we know we should. To do what’s right for our COUNTRY. It is a challenge that we MUST meet, and anyone who attempts to push us in another direction is NOT advocating for the health and safety of ALL Americans… as our elected leaders should.

 

Our Nation was once given a promise, of rebuilding a Union from the ashes of War. With malice toward none and charity for all he wrote, and we were once again, ready to be made WHOLE.

That promise was STOLEN from us, that vision never came to BE. What could have been was left to our imagination, and the consequences of that day still reverberate in every corner of our society… following us where ever we go across the globe.

Today, we face a new struggle. Testing once again if ours is a Nation that can stand the test of time. It is a battle that stretches throughout Human History, and a fight that afflicts ALL MANKIND.

 

Right now, the markets have de-coupled from our economic activities. How they move in this moment is NOT a reflection of our nation’s economic strength, it’s a reflection of our government’s ability to LEAD. Based on historical data points, created by previous actions taken under similar circumstances; the rise and fall of the numbers tells us what the markets PREDICT will come, based on those actions within historical contexts…

If we do what has been done BEFORE, we will continue to see the SAME RESULTS.

 

Trust in the DATA… it cannot lie. Only the people who interpret the data can do that.

With confidence in yourself, believe in your ability to spot the LIES. Our best defense is a good bullshit detector… and an overabundance of CAUTION never hurts as well!

 

With charity for ALL… because we’ve ALL been lied to. Be sparing with your BLAME and HUMBLE in the light of knowledge, as the MAJORITY of us still have much to learn. Arm yourselves with knowledge and demand accountability for those who would continue to celebrate ignorance, even when presented with overwhelming evidence and are fully informed.

 

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“Governor Rejects State Lockdown”- Jackson Free Press (03/23/2020)

 

Educate them NOW… SAVE LIVES.

And if they continue to dispute the numbers, and willfully do not act… then the tally of the dead will educate us this fall when we VOTE.

 

STAND UP and SPEAK OUT!

 

Let everyone know exactly where you STAND! The line is drawn. CLEARLY… let there be NO DOUBT! We must do what is necessary to SURVIVE, and that means going AGAINST what we’ve been taught. (Once again we find ourselves through the looking glass. When libraries reopen, don’t look for it in the fiction section. It’s now been permanently relocated under reference… but I am confident, we will find our way!)

 

 

The self-made billionaire President, who went bankrupt multiple times and wrote off a billion dollars in LOSSES on his taxes, calls an emergency aid package a “stimulus”, implying we must BOOST our productivity. Still focused on economic growth, when what’s prescribed is CONTAINMENT.

 

To suggest anything OTHER than what is necessary for the survival of the PEOPLE of the United States of America should be seen as an affront to us ALL.

 

In the spirit of the season, of renewal and rebirth, we’ve been asked to sacrifice of ourselves, only for the promise of what might BE. With malice toward none and charity for ALL, let us fulfill the promise and ensure the vision of our Founders is affirmed.

 

ONE CITIZEN=ONE VOTE 

 

When every citizen has guaranteed access to the ballot and every election is FUNDED in the SUNLIGHT, by the tax payers… we cannot begin to imagine what the future will bring! A restoration of our faith in the Rule of Law, born from the wellspring of our Union… envisioned by a new generation of infinite possibilities.

 

We, The People of these UNITED States… decide, and the choice is ALWAYS OURS.

Let us guarantee that for ALL TIME, and ensure this can NEVER happen again.

 

We must End the Electoral College.

 

JC

Let This Be Our Finest Hour

Ours is not a monarchy, but we entrust our President with immense power. Each piece of our Federalist Puzzle acts independently of the others, yet they are at their BEST when they act in-concert. We despise socialism, decry anything that even smells like it, but we know… charity has always been our strongest suit.

 

The Federal Government of the United States has entrusted to us more than TWO TRILLION DOLLARS, to mothball our economy and support each other as we fight this battle. The Government must pick some winners as a matter of National Security, but the rest is up to us.

 

Today we must choose our destiny.

 

We must decide what we will create for our children. Will we act based on emotion, blindly running away from danger? Or will we act with KNOWLEDGE, and turn our eyes toward the future. We must work to lay out a solid foundation… and ensure this can NEVER happen again.

The sickness has always been there… it’s just taken a PANDEMIC for us to fully SEE it.

 

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Months of inaction… months of misinformation. Months of insider trading and months of delusion… Time lost. Opportunities now GONE… and this is only the FIRST WEEK of a 30 day shutdown in Kansas City.

 

… since January 24th.

 

They’ve asked us to give up so much. Our progress… our future… our security… and they repay us by focusing on ‘Small Businesses’ as they call them: The Airline Industry, The Cruise Ship Industry, and the Real Estate Industry… BOY! That sounds like one hell of a payday for anyone named TRUMP… and every Senator who is subservient to him.

 

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“How a McConnell-backed effort to lift Russian sanctions boosted a Kentucky project”- The Washington Post (08/13/2019)

 

 

To the Congregations of Faith across this Great Nation-

Your faith is needed in this hour! Stay home and PRAY… but also, take ACTION if you can. DONATE to your local food pantry. GIVE all that you can if you have that ability, because SO many of us will now be in need.

Science and knowledge are the gifts we have been given, so that we might begin to understand… and we are to use these gifts as best as we are able, given the limited sight with which we were born. IN UNION, we’ve pledged our fates and fortunes! We must shepherd the weak in this hour, as we are ALL but men… and inaction will surely cost us more lives.

 

 

Our dependence on technology and our need for a clean and reliable energy source to power it, will only GROW because of this experience. My endocrinologist recently told me that insulin pumps in the next five years will be as reliable and accurate as my pancreas used to be. So much so that insurance companies will start requiring them in order to limit the complications caused by diabetes.

And now, we’ll become more dependent on teleconferencing to diagnose sickness, to educate our children, to communicate with loved ones trapped in another city, or summon first responders. All dependent on electricity and a stable high-speed internet connection. If you don’t have either one of those, you are now unable to participate in our society.

 

Will we allow this to become another tool of oppression… another discriminating factor used to keep others out? Or will we ensure it is a necessity, a vital utility that must be accessible to ALL Americans? A RIGHT, protected and secured by our United States Government.

To be clear… we must be CLEAR! We must define exactly what we want our future to BE. The Top-Down economic policies of the last 107 years have brought us to this point. The stability envisioned by creating our Federal Reserve is now being artificially manipulated by individuals who only want to gain INSIGHT… to have KNOWLEDGE of the future that others do not.

 

So that they might profit off of the misfortune of others. 

 

Two trillion dollars, unchecked and mismanaged, will only further that agenda if we do nothing about it.

 

 

In the blink of an eye, roughly ONE THIRD of our nation is now unemployed. Restaurants, bars, fast food… every commercial kitchen across the country has now been hollowed out, out of necessity. To prevent unnecessary loss of life.

With adequate foresight into the current situation, we could have PREPARED ourselves for this and made the transition seamlessly. Instead, we’ve upended families and taken them away from their HOMES. A decade of hard work spent recovering from the LAST recession, slowly fading away… it must NOT be so.

 

Take advantage of every lifeline the Congress is making available to us in this hour, and HOLD THE LINE. If your home loan is backed by the Federal Government, you cannot be evicted… HOLD THE LINE. Money is coming, though it’s not as much as they will be giving to Boeing… take it, and do all that you can, and HOLD THE LINE.

 

Defeat the virus, and then defeat FEAR and DIVISION. Our Nation’s economy is STRONG when the people have money to SPEND… and when people have money to spend, they can take care of the people they LOVE.

It is not the job of our Government to take care of the people, it’s the job of our Government to make sure everyone has an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to take care of themselves.

 

 

 

In this hour, it is our DUTY to protect and defend our Constitution from those who seek to kick us while we’re down, as we fight for our lives… as our attention is turned somewhere else.

No, it’s NOT the first time. BULLIES are as they’ve always been. It’s nothing new. We know who they are… and we know how to defeat them.

 

STAND UP and SPEAK OUT!

 

When you STAND UP and defend the rights of others… you protect those rights for yourself.

 

HOLD THE LINE until NOVEMBER!

 

JC

… Out Like a Lion.

It’s hard to resist the urge.

‘There’s only SIX LEFT… buy them ALL!!’

No. Breathe… I can just drive back to the store tomorrow. Besides, someone else’s dog might want to eat, too.

It’s been pleasantly strange for the past few days. The shelves have been pretty well cleared, but for the most part our family’s unique tastes have been met. Two people with dairy allergies, 3 people who are mostly vegetarian, and a diabetic… but the order doesn’t go into effect until Tuesday… I guess we’ll see how long that lasts.

 

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“How  will the stay at home order work in the Kansas City Area?” The Kansas City Star (03/22/2020)

 

Even for a foggy Sunday evening, the streets between here and North Kansas City are quiet. Hy-Vee was busy. And there was an A.A. meeting in-progress next door to the laundromat on Vivian. It looked like it was a full house. But now, as I think about it, every 3rd or 4th chair was empty. Even with Social Distancing, we MUST stay connected!

Always REACH OUT if you need HELP! Do not succumb to the effects of ONE disease, just to avoid being infected by ANOTHER.

 

Everyone here in the Kansas City Metro is taking this seriously, and it looks like only a few people are out stocking up at the last minute… for the most part, people around here seem ready for what’s next. Anxious because of the unknown, but determined to do what’s needed NOW… to save lives.

Maybe we ARE strange here in the Midwest. That Bunker Mentality is drilled into us as a survival instinct from an early age. “What do you do when you hear the Civil Defense sirens? Go to the BASEMENT and wait for the All Clear.”

 

Only FOOLS ignore warnings.

 

Like trying to play chicken with a train… the train won’t budge, so you’d better MOVE.

Because there IS NO OTHER WAY. Scientifically tested, verified year after year, and practiced DAILY. The risk is just not worth it, and there is no room for error.

 

At the end of the day, we ARE in this together. After the storm passes and we come out to face the unknown, we know there’s work to do… because some people will not be as fortunate as we are. Some people will do everything necessary and STILL fall short, and some people will survive through no fault of their own.

Regardless of our individual walks of life, whether we’re rich or poor, we ALL face the same threats. When the skies open up and unleash their fury, we are all EQUAL… and we should all be grateful that we are STILL HERE.

 

 

Kansas City is a beautiful city and we are fortunate to live in such a supportive community. Stretching across TWO STATES, separated by rivers and governing philosophies, the two cities seamlessly work together in times of need to overcome challenges of all sizes. And we know we will be successful when we support each other.

 

No one succeeds without the other.

 

We may be a little rough around the edges. We may be a bit strange and stick out in a crowd. But deep down, we’re all the SAME. Trying to do better for ourselves than what came before. To make the world a better place for my kids… and yours.

When we STAND united, we can whether ANY storm.

 

JC

 

 

 

THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

 

If we must shelter in place, then we MUST. If we must avoid public places and start going without, then we must remember… we do so because people will die if we do not.

We must practice every act of safety recommended by our health care professionals NOW…

 

So we can be ready THIS FALL when it’s time for us to VOTE.

 

Above ALL ELSE, do not forget. Stay healthy for your FAMILY. Stay healthy for your COMMUNITY. Stay healthy for your COUNTRY and defend Democracy… make sure your voice is HEARD.

 

 

To do what is necessary, every citizen MUST be guaranteed FOOD and SHELTER.

 

No one should be evicted from their residence for the duration of 2020. Period. Security STARTS with a roof over your head. In this fight, we must protect what little we already have, and give some since of security to our CHILDREN… as financial problems destroy unity so fast.

 

The greatest threat to our National Security is a lack of FOOD. Not due to a shortage at the store, but a lack of FUNDS to feed our families. We can adjust to a new diet. We can put up with rations on staples and essentials. There is no adjusting to the pain caused by hunger as you drive past every fast food restaurant known to man.

If we are to endure the isolation prescribed for this moment, the People must be assured these BASIC THINGS. We cannot permit another fleecing of our National Treasure, as occurred in 2009, without insuring that WE are the beneficiaries.

The American People must come out of this ready to go BACK TO WORK. The bedrock of our economy is the American Middle Class… and the TAXES we pay will be bailing EVERYONE OUT. Our needs come FIRST this time. If businesses choose to participate in this endeavor, they must play by OUR RULES, and they will be rewarded for their honorable sacrifices in our time of need.

Heroes are found on the battlefield, and this war touches us all. This virus is just another battle in an already ongoing war. One fought with digital bullets, and fueled by misinformation…

 

That war ENDS this fall when we VOTE.

 

The American People can face ANY challenge when given the full faith and support of the Federal Government, and every business on EARTH prospers when the American People have money to SPEND. Our fates are inextricably linked.

We will defeat the virus. We will carry on. What that future will look like… we start building TODAY.

When we remove the fear born of uncertainty, we can start to focus on the needs of OTHERS instead of worrying about ourselves. Let us ensure we have a stable platform from which to launch our Nation’s economy, AFTER we’ve stood united and defeated this common foe.

 

The fire still burns just below the surface. A gust of WIND is all that is necessary for the embers to roar back to life!

 

Be SAFE and stand strong.

JC

With the Rising of the Tide

Again I say…

The American People deserve a third option on the debate stage this fall.

 

The truly “Revolutionary” part of my candidacy is simply who I am… I’m just some guy from Kansas.

A husband. A stay-at-home dad. A home owner. A citizen who is concerned for the future of our Nation. A person who’s always had a strong affection for our political system, but could never bring myself to the point of being able to SELL OUT my moral values.

 

 

 

As a young man, I drank and ran with the wrong crowd. Being a musician, many of my colleagues believed that was a job requirement. But my experience with drugs and alcohol is one of the better stories. Many of my friends battled addictions and lost more than I have. Millions more across this Nation are not here today to tell their tale.

 

 

 

I consider myself blessed… in so far as that is under someone else’s control. My actions have always determined my fate, but I know my actions are influenced by circumstances beyond my control. I’ve made my decisions in life based on the options before me, framed in the context of the surroundings I’ve found myself in. As it is with music, if the options before me will not produce the vision I see in my mind… I seek better options. And I do not settle until I’ve realized my goal.

 

If we continue to use the SAME TOOLS, we will see the SAME RESULTS…

 

… and we will never know what SOUNDS we’ve been missing if we just hit REPEAT.

 

 

Who is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump? Which candidate is he truly afraid of facing this fall? Will either of the Democrats be able to crack 50%? Is that the option we want facing Donald Trump in November… the candidate who can hold on to his BASE?

If our decision is not CLEAR CUT, there will be DOUBT in the result. This will NOT empower the American People.

 

Party Politics of the previous era are now gone… TODAY. Because ONE PARTY is all that remains. The other has been hijacked by the current occupant of the White House, and now complacency and rot have started to set in.

 

The politics of FEAR and DIVISION. Quite literally. Don’t forget: WASH YOUR HANDS!

 

 

 

 

“… I would call out the military.” –Joe Biden

“… and we are going to pay for it ALL.” –Bernie Sanders

 

Whoa now! Why are we supporting Unilateral Presidential Executive Actions? Without Congressional support, many of these proposals could only be enacted in that manor…

Isn’t that what we’re fighting AGAINST?

Did we not learn what can come from Presidents who are willing to go it alone?

 

 

 

Let us find COMMON GROUND on ALL these issues, and not lose sight of the main objective that this Nation must secure if it is to SURVIVE.

 

The future of our Nation is SECURE when every citizen’s RIGHT TO VOTE is ensured.

 

ONE CITIZEN=ONE VOTE

Remove the corruption. Restore HONOR in governance.

I believe in EQUAL Justice Under Law.

 

End the Electoral College

 

JC