Tag: 2020

“Into the seeds of time” 2024

The future isn’t written. It can be changed. You know that. Anyone can make their future whatever they want it to be. – Doc Emmett Brown

We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future. – John F. Kennedy

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. – Alan Kay

 

Calendar of US House of Representatives
The highlighted days are working days in the US House of Representatives.
2016 Primary by Month
A system that includes no direct ballot vote, no input from all eligible voters.

If you have not read my blog post titled “How Should the Constitutional Amendment Read?”, please read through that for the proposed wording for changing our election system. https://jackcharbonneau.com/2018/04/30/how-should-the-constitutional-amendment-read/

I will attempt to paint the picture I have in my mind’s eye using the two calendars above.

Starting in January of the Presidential election year, each State will begin their State Primary Elections. (House calendar shows term resumes at the beginning of January) A support system of multimedia assistants and directors, staff as needed, press coordinators, will be available for each candidate in each State’s primaries, paid for with Federal Tax Dollars. The focus of this, and the Main Primary, will be in the hands of the candidate, the creative control falling to the candidate. The Federal Election Fund will provide tools, tech, people, staff, communications outlets, as needed as directed by the candidate. The debates and ballots should wrap up by the beginning of March.

The 1st congressional working day in March should be the day the President of the Senate announces, in Joint Session, the names of the candidates eligible for election. I see it being a renewal of our pride, a celebration of our peaceful transition of power. A public recognition of the will of the People. A celebration of what unites us ALL. All States participate, and all States send their best and brightest with hopes that our common good is realized. Proud of ALL candidates, because ONE among them will be the next CinC.

Preparations starting on that day, the first of three National Ballots will fall on the first Tuesday in April, narrowing down the 50 to 25. (Adjustments in number of candidates will be necessary as new States are added to Our Union) Another month of debate and discussion leads us to another National Ballot on the first Tuesday of May, narrowing the remaining field from 25 to 10. One month later, on the first Tuesday in June, the 10 candidates will be narrowed by National Ballot, down to the two final candidates.

At the discretion of the President of the Senate, the two remaining candidates will be announced no later than 4 July, before Congress leaves for the summer. Personally, I believe the tradition of announcement should fall ON The 4th of July for two reasons-

1.) It will provide sufficient time to allow for any contesting of votes or systemic issues that should come to light between the June ballot and announcement.

2.) It is an affirmation! A National Celebration of our Country. Why NOT?!! Fireworks, parades, a Celebration of our INDIVIDUAL POLITICAL POWER! We, The People, realize the dream of our founders, every time we stand up, speak out, and pick a citizen who will lead us ALL into the future.

A fitting date to present extraordinary individuals as the people We choose to represent the US in the world.

This idea must be expanded upon. It is a skeleton to be sure. But it is a starting point for discussion about the size and scope of staff that will be required. MANY thousands of jobs in technology and design, web strategists, media strategists… IF we want participation, this must be a big production. A tour de force in order to captivate our country. AVAILABILITY and OPENNESS with SECURITY and OVERSIGHT. This is an institution of THE PEOPLE, and we demand the BEST system possible. It must ensure that the candidate’s platform is heard by all who seek the information. It must be advertised in all appropriate ways to ensure the public is fully informed about times, places, locations, directions, debate venues.

By working in coordination with Federal level elections officials and the Secret Service, the ability of States to decide how, when, where, certain aspects of the system will work will allow variation. An official set of requirements and laws with enforced punishment, must be met by each State with regard to ballot access and procedures in the process of voting. ALL VOTES MUST BE BOTH DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL. All voters must have their voter ID. A new photo ID, verified via a documentary in-person process (either a citizen goes to a location OR the Elections official will come to them if circumstances demand)  and provided as a FREE SERVICE TO ALL ELIGIBLE VOTERS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Locations opened in all States to be run by the Federal Government, integrity and security ensured by the Secret Service.

These sites could serve a multifunctional headquarters for press centers, voting centers, registration centers… a community level hub for candidate information and Citizen Voter Initiatives, campaign rallies, etc.

This system will allow for a National voice in the selection of a candidate for president, where our current system is… a potato. NO State seems to hold any power in deciding who will be president NOW. Let’s attempt to ensure ALL States have a say in the CANDIDATES, not just the President.

 

Saturday

My Saturday usually starts by being kicked out of bed at 0900 when Jessie (my wife) comes home. Sometimes I get lucky and she lets me sleep longer, but being a night shift nurse, her sleep pattern can be easily disrupted. If you’ve worked night shift or lived with someone who has, then you understand. Some days it’s hard to come home after a 13 hour shift and try to sleep as the birds are singing and the sun is burning off the dew.

Matt and Garrett (my sons, 12 and 10 respectively) spend Friday night binging online games with their friends since they can’t play on school nights. So either they wake up super early or sleep in from being up late. Usually they rotate who plays first and trade off who sleeps in on Saturday and Sunday. My wife is a gamer girl, so when she wakes up in the afternoon, she will jump in and play Fallout 4 on xBox as they find something else to pass the time.

And they all deserve the respite. She spend 12 to 13 hours in an ICU setting dealing with children with cardiac issues. Some of the hardest stories you’d ever heard. Some of the hardest stories I wish I’d never heard. So, she likes to destroy DIGITAL ghouls and build settlements and dress the settlers in each community in various themes. One settlement is all formal wear, another is all lab coats, one is dedicated to making donuts.

And the boys, if they make it through a week of school focused and doing what they are supposed to, then they can spend as much time as they want (within reason) learning and executing the various gaming platforms. That’s what they want their profession to be, digital design, et al. Then they are doing both relaxing and educating. Plus, it’s not like it was “back in MY day…” (Oh no… Here we go…) when we played video games for hours on end we were seen as antisocial or reclusive. Now, players are interacting with people from all parts of the globe, team building, executing prepared strategies, and completing various objectives cooperatively!

As Matt points out, “why can’t we play during the week?” Good question…

Yet, me… I don’t get a weekend off. I am “on call” 24/7. I am “Johnny-On-The-Spot” when things need to be done. When someone gets sick, when something comes up, when we need toilet paper, “Come, Captain Greenback. To the Grocery-getter… AWAY!”

The dishes don’t clean themselves on the weekend. (sadly…) The floors still get dog fur all over them on Saturdays. And allergy attacks in the middle of the night still happen on Saturday. Though not as much as when they were younger, they still need  some assistance. We are lucky to have one parent at home. Not everyone can have that.

And we do it a great cost. No doubt. It is hard to make ends meet, let alone get above water with one person at home. It can lead to some heated arguments about money. It’s not easy, for a guy, to be a “housewife” in our society. It is becoming more acceptable. But the stereotypes persist. It can take a toll on a person mentally. It demands self sacrifice that not everyone knows. My needs have to be the needs of the family. Even if my needs are the most important focus of the day, I cannot plan on anything concrete, because I can be called to pick up a kid with a fever from school, asked to get snacks for an ICU full of nurses that someone forgot that it was today and needs it in 2 hours before she has to go to work.

And all of that can be upended by the weather. It is Springtime in Kansas. No one here doubts for a second that, at any time, the sky could decide your game is over. It ads a bit of urgency to your day when black clouds roll off the prairie. It forces a person to take note of what matters most. And to work toward protecting that as best as you can.

As my wife and I struggle to keep it together, financially, as we put so much time, money, and effort into making our house a “net zero” house, with self sufficiency and climate change preparedness our priority, doing the “right” thing over the “wanted” thing is hard. As I sit here writing, and hear a “baby boomer” roar down the street on Harley-Davidson, I wonder if I should have not spent money on the granite we put on the outside of our home, the R30 insulation in the walls and attic, and the wind turbines I still need to install.

All of my time, effort, and money is invested in a future outcome. Gambling, in a sence. With such high stakes, I hope I get it right. Granite’s not as fun to ride as is a Harley-Davidson! It will last a bit longer, though.

Keep your head UP!!

So Here I Sit…

fbtwitter

Facebook closed my account in the first three days of starting it. (back in February)

Today, Twitter says something is “technically wrong”… but Twitter is up.

I guess every Presidential campaign has it’s setbacks. Some are huge. Some are bumps in the road. Overcoming obstacles shows what a person is made of. HOW that happens displays either courage or incompetence. How someone reacts can show what their motivations truly are. It can also stand as a ‘great filter’ of sorts. Keeping elements segregated. Sorting the wheat from the chafe.

At this moment, I feel scared. Yes, for my Presidential chances, obviously. But I fear more for the future of the First Amendment. IS it an illusion? When one acts in ‘good faith’, with pure motives, OPEN and HONEST, and not be allowed to voice their opinion, to be debated in an open and honest manner, do we really have freedom to speak? I cannot even find out what or why, as both Facebook and Twitter have not contacted me further.

“You can do it your own way, If it’s done just how I say.” -Metallica

keep your head up.

In the Interest of Full Disclosure…

Running for President of the United States is an honor and a privilege that many people won’t get the opportunity to pursue. I hope offer a real alternative to issues that matter to me, and you reading this starts that ball rolling. But, pursuit of idealist views and a brighter tomorrow are not my only motivation.

Our household income is less than $150,000. When I left my last job in 2008, I became the “housewife”, my wife is the breadwinner. The yearly salary of the job of Commander in Chief (CinC) is THREE times as much. I would be lying if I said this did not have an effect on my decision. I am currently running a “charity”, so to speak, by running the house. I would not necessarily want to start another. My wife and I decided my next job will have to have a salary. I have looked at a couple options, but this one would pay a BIT more…

And when you look at it, the salary of the CinC is pennies to some. Especially when you consider hours worked vs. pay. Look at the last two two-term Presidents. Each, in the span of 8 years, went from middle-aged father to grey-haired granddaddy! The toll this job takes on the person seems to be enormous, and no pay would seem to be a good compensation.

This job demands so much because so much is in their care. It is a HUGE responsibility… it is, after all, the defense of the “last best chance for humanity”.

When we hear about a new candidate for President, it is usually announced via an “exploratory committee” to investigate the possibility, then the wealthy individual has to divest from their companies in order to not enrich themselves through this position.

The position of President has become a “joke” in this way. “Will you run for President?” “I can’t afford the PAY CUT!” “Ha, ha, ha….”

Hmmm…. Good joke. Excuse me while I pawn my guitar so I can put gas in the van until payday this week. Pardon me while I figure out what DECADE I will finally get my mortgage out from underwater and, maybe, break even after all the blood, sweat and tears I’ve put into modernization and renovation. I’ll laugh about that one as I wait in line to pay more for my insulin this year.

My family and I stand to do better financially just from the salaried position of CinC. As I see it, EVERY family will stand to do better, though.
I believe the Consumer Protection Agency is a GREAT thing.
I believe the new tax structure is insane and believe it should be changed in 5 years when the current structure is set to expire.
I believe in paid maternity leave for BOTH parents.
I believe in alternative energy independence for individual residences.
I believe we all have a responsibility to prepare for climate change.
I believe we should offer Statehood to our island nations, to ensure future natural disasters are treated with the same importance as ones that occur in Kansas.
I believe that mental health care, dental, and vision should be included in your insurance.
I believe our public education system is capable of SO MUCH MORE and should be FULLY FUNDED to reignite a desire to become an educator, and to give our future a strong foundation to build upon.

We all have the chance to gain more, just by uniting under the simple idea that we can GOVERN OURSELVES! Whether or not I get the chance to move any piece of legislation, the goal of Ending The Electoral College is sufficient enough for me. Once we remove money from our election system, the rotten smell will slowly disappear, along with the super-pacs and think-tanks.

Let me know what you think. I’m not doing this for my benefit… and that’s not lip service… If I didn’t feel I had a very good idea that can change SO MANY PEOPLE’s lives for the better, I would not be running for ANY office. My wife suggested I start with a House run or Senate bid. That’s how it works. I GET it. I see this as a unique time, and a solution to the our problem became crystal clear to me. One that has not been offered in an achievable way. I need to be finishing my house repairs, tending to my two boys’ needs, caring form my wife so she can be successful in her career as a cardiac nurse, and… AND take care of my newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. I got a full plate as it is. A political career is NOT usually top of my list.

John McCain’s last public speech spoke to me. He spoke of being a rebellious young man, then growing up and finding he needed to give something back to that system that gave him the ABILITY to be that rebellious young man. As an Eagle Scout, I can understand that desire. That love of THIS country, is a beautiful anomaly. People are ready to fight and DIE for the belief that you should be allowed to SPEAK YOUR OPINION FREELY without fear, Right now! Some guy in a bar has had one too many three hours ago and is ready to go…. And EVERYONE has YOUR back. Every time someone wants to shut someone else up, everyone stops and PAYS ATTENTION. Usually, someone shouts “Let ’em speak!”

THAT’S the Country I know. That’s where I come from. And THAT’S the face I want standing at the helm, steering this ship…. not the guy at the bar… BUT, now that I think about it, “he would be BETTER than the LAST TWO CANDIDATES!” “Ha, ha, ha….”

Now, the real wisdom comes from knowing, if that was a joke or not.

Keep your head UP!!

JC

So, How Do We Do This?

It is the intentional design of our election process that limits who can mount a successful bid for the Presidency. Honest, hard working men and women who have a family, who have bills to pay, who must work 40+ hours a week to keep their heads above water cannot run for President. The amount of effort and money and time necessary to got through the process… primaries through spring, nomination by summer, campaigning all the while, debates in the fall, press, campaigning, gab handing, back slapping, Election. One must be independently wealthy to ATTEMPT a run, then you have to attract the corporate entities’ dollar bills to get your message out.

A minimum of one year with no job. All donated time and effort toward a message campaign, a commercial, a roadside billboard. With no promise of winning. As a middle class American, I can say that is impossible for me to do! My family would go bankrupt.

So, I have to change the rules. That’s why I want to be president, so why not start now? It is not unheard of for someone to run a ‘Front Porch” campaign. Due to illness or incumbent obligations, the candidates can have the media come to them. In this case, I can be virtually anywhere and available 24/7… AFTER I run kids to school, keep my blood sugar at acceptable levels, clean the house, do the dishes, fill prescriptions, make appointments, scrub the toilet…

Also a ‘whistle stop’ campaign can be added, where I will make time to go out an speak in different States, ALL 50 is the ONLY WAY. The 50 State Strategy, only not just a cute thing to say to attract voters… really. ONE CITIZEN=ONE VOTE. We ALL gotta have ‘skin in the game’ here. We all gotta own this.

So that means funding. We shall see? If anyone feels the urge to support this, GoFundMe and Patreon plz… BUT I must be on the ballot in ALL 50 States as an Independent Candidate. Each State has rules that allow for an Independent Candidate to be on the ballot by either a fee or petition. Here is a link-

https://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_for_presidential_candidates#Requirements_for_independents

 

“Generally speaking, an independent presidential candidate must petition for placement on the general election ballot in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. A handful of states may allow an independent candidate to pay a filing fee in lieu of submitting a petition. The methods for calculating how many signatures are required vary from state to state, as do the actual signature requirements. For instance, some states establish a flat signature requirement. Other states calculate signature requirements as percentages of voter registration or votes cast for a given office.”– ballotpedia.org

In Kansas, the petition requirements are VERY tight on time allowed for getting signatures. The amount of signatures is not that high, only 5,000, but the time between the first signature obtained and the last is 180 days. Every State has a unique set of hoops to jump thru, and I CANNOT do it alone! I need volunteers. (Right now, unpaid as funds are….hold on, let me check….. $0. Yep, zero.) I hope that changes, but financial gain is not what were doing this for. With enough volunteers, the metaphorical lift will be light.

If enough honest and good-faith people step up to help collect signatures in each state we can do this. If anyone is interested, email me, comment here or on my YouTube vids, Tweet @MrJLCharbonneau. If we co-ordinate enough little groups in LOTS of places, we might see a point where a day outside of a Walmart or on a street corner for just a couple hours will win this. As I run it over in my head, I bet I could lock in a hundred signatures in an afternoon.

Would YOU be willing to donate an afternoon asking, on my behalf, for an independent candidate to have a CHANCE… I’m not yet asking for votes! Just the ABILITY to COMPETE for votes. The question I want EVERYONE to be asked is simple,

“Would you sign a petition to allow an independent candidate ballot access in the 2020 Presidential Election?”

Just want the chance. Leave the rest to me. I’ll try not to mess it up!

ps- When and IF the time comes, I will file with the FEC and follow the rules. Any donation not spent will be donated to charity, needy children of some sort comes to mind immediately, but it will go toward the benefit of someone in need. It would be the least I could do with donations from caring people.