Let History Be Our Guide

It is becoming increasingly CLEAR… the longer we wait, the more this becomes permanent. The larger the SCAR will become. And on DAY ONE, the Senate Majority Leader sent the United States Senate HOME FOR THE WEEKEND, knowing the spread of the virus was exponential. DAYS. Lost.

In order to SAVE LIVES, the doctors and scientists of the United States tell us we must STAY HOME. We are doing as required by science and by LAW… and the Senate Majority Leader tells the States, if they can’t cut it they should just file for BANKRUPTCY.

The leadership of the Senate GOP wishes to revert to the Articles of Confederation, a system we rejected over 200 years ago! The majority of the Republican Party currently advocates for political de-evolution.

… let them.

If they choose to fight for a lost cause, let history inform them as to their Party’s fate; cast aside and forgotten along with their political predecessors… Our sight is FUTURE FOCUSED. Let history be our GUIDE.

The NOISE… in this moment, the noise becomes deafening. Deflect and distract, not to our benefit, but to our detriment. It’s hard to find a TRUE bearing within all this chaos. The polarity shift within our political spheres has pushed this nation to its extremes. Divided us on things as basic as TRUTH and FACTS… at a time when we should be UNITED.

LIVES are in the balance, yet elected officials in the Senate unite behind a President, asking in GOOD FAITH, if we should investigate using cleaning supplies as a treatment for COVID-19.

Hey! You know… if it had never been investigated before NOW, in all those years of use on kitchen countertops and in toilet bowls… he might have a strong point.

With every passing day, with every insanity uttered. With every life LOST, the agenda of the Senate Majority Leader is laid BARE before his constituents and the American People. Continuing his lust for political power and electoral supremacy in this moment transforms his actions; from something simply unseemly or distasteful, into something historically adjudicated as being complicit.

But these agendas are NOT OURS. These agendas and ill-informed opinions are not those held by the MAJORITY. And, once again… this fall the people must choose the lesser of two evils:

**Damned if you DO or Damned if you DON’T.**

It’s time for the SYSTEM to change… it’s time for the system to represent the PEOPLE from whom it receives its POWER.

The vaccine is in human trials. May they proceed safely… then let us be on our way. This quarantine cannot end until either TESTING for the virus and it’s antibodies is widespread, OR a vaccine is mass-produced. Until then, we must proceed with CAUTION. The choice is CLEAR when cast in this light, yet the Governor of Georgia wants everybody in his State to go out and get a HAIRCUT… while the infection rate continues to GROW.

“Georgia starts to reopen but nervous mayors warn that coronavirus crisis isn’t over.” CNN.com (04/25/2020)

It is not a failure of science. It is not a failure of the PEOPLE. In fact… it’s not a failure of the system. The system has been designed to work this way. It is a government empowered by the people who put those elected officials into office… THE DONORS.

“Bush signs bank bailout, Oct. 3, 2008.” Politico.com (10/03/2013)

“McConnell signals interest in protecting employers from coronavirus litigation.” Market Watch (04/24/2020)

We have the ability to SAVE LIVES, simply by STAYING HOME. The only reason people want to go back to work, is because the United States Government has FAILED to take care of the PEOPLE first… the CORE of our economic engine. Instead of ensuring FOOD and SHELTER for EVERY AMERICAN until this pandemic is over, The United States Senate has focused on business owners… hoping their kindness and generosity would trickle down.

**To that I say, let HISTORY be their guide.**

…

Once again, every American Citizen knows better than Donald J. Trump what the best course of action is to SAVE LIVES… yet he does not act. He goes to great lengths to do the opposite of what is necessary. Just like his businesses, all the risk is on someone ELSE. When things go south… he’ll just WALK AWAY.

Our laws have been set up to enable people like him to be successful. Donald Trump is the shining example of what the GOP wants this nation to BE… and to that end is how they LEGISLATE.

To my ears, a call for a return to normal just rings hollow. I would not send my children to school next week… or next month. I would not go and get a haircut right now. I fear putting the life of my stylist in jeopardy more than anything else… because he is a black man. Even though I have Type 1 diabetes and am at higher risk, I know I have better health insurance than he does.

How would I justify a decision like that to his FAMILY?

“African Americans struggle with disproportionate COVID death toll.” National Geographic (04/24/2020)

…

When faced with a CHOICE, the Senate Majority Leader chose INACTION and IGNORANCE, over PREPAREDNESS and SCIENCE. Briefed in NOVEMBER by the United States Military, on the potential threat posed to U.S. Forces in Asia, the Gang of Eight could have started preparing THEN.

“Intelligence report warned of coronavirus crisis as early as November.” ABCNews.com (04/08/2020)

NOVEMBER 2019.

4 DEMOCRATS and 4 REPUBLICANS.

Who has acted in the interest of THE PEOPLE?

… who has NOT.

They knew in November. Now 50,000 Americans have died. And that number will only continue to rise. Plans EXIST… plans have been implemented across the GLOBE, successfully, and countries have started their RECOVERY…

INACTION in the UNITED STATES SENATE

“McConnell slams brakes on next round of coronavirus aid.” Politico.com (04/21/2020)

Tests were available IN JANUARY. South Korea was testing hundreds of thousands every day at the peak of their crisis.

Millions of Americans remain in the dark.

Eddie Glaude Jr. said it best this week: “This is an invitation to the grave.” If not for ourselves, then for those around us who are more susceptible, more vulnerable… for those who are less fortunate than ME.

Because any success we realize by surviving this crisis would not be as sweet, if there was something we could have done… if only we had known.

“In New York Nursing Homes, Death Comes to Facilities With More People of Color.” NPR (04/22/2020)

They’ve known since November. It didn’t have to be like this.

Let us ensure it can never happen again.

End the Electoral College.

-JC

#1. ONE CITIZEN=ONE VOTE

As a representative government, the people give their consent to be governed by the elected at the ballot box. Any system that allows selective access to the ballot or relies on an intermediary interpretive process to determine the outcome of an election, is susceptible to CORRUPTION of its integrity. Does our current election system produce a CLEAR MANDATE from the people? If we created a NEW ELECTORAL SYSTEM, what would we want that system to BE…

A political system in which candidates run for office based solely on the merits of their ideas. An election system in which the winning candidate is decided by the people at EVERY step of the process, from the Primary to the General election. When you walk into the booth in November, you already know every candidate on the ballot because every candidate has already faced MULTIPLE statewide primary elections and they have been fully vetted… not by a group of wealthy individuals or entities who stand to profit off of a particular candidate, but by EVERY REGISTERED VOTER in EVERY STATE.

Right now, how do candidates for office make it on to the ballot? MONEY. And that effects EVERY aspect of our daily lives, in the form of the legislative agendas pursued by the winning candidates.

In our current Primary Election Process, KANSAS has just as much Electoral Power as CALIFORNIA… because neither of us are IOWA, or NEW HAMPSHIRE, or SOUTH CAROLINA. By the time the first handful of States have decided who they think should be on the ballot, the impression of being a “viable candidate” has been cast. Any candidate that doesn’t win in those first States, in the eyes of the voters, is irrelevant.

But, then again… it really doesn’t matter what the voters decide at the ballot box. ALL decisions are made at the convention by the DELEGATES. The long days, shaking hands, eating corn dogs, promising this and that… if the DELEGATES can’t agree, it’s all up for grabs.

The Constitution does not outline our current system. It’s a patchwork of precedent and legislative guardrails passed to prevent misdeeds from reoccurring, while ignoring wrongdoing that goes “undetected”, and failing to prevent future abuses of a largely unregulated system.

We should not stifle candidate’s voices or limit their possibilities, but we should more clearly define the parameters in which they are allowed to operate.

Every candidate’s message should be fully accessible to every voter INSTANTLY via a universally trusted source. Without the filter of the media. Without the filter of moneyed interests. If a question of substance arises during the campaign, a voter should have easy access in order to ask that question, and how the candidate chooses to address it will be seen by EVERY VOTER. On the FIRST DAY. On the LAST DAY. Every voter. Every candidate, regardless of party.

No legally binding limitations on candidates’ ability to engage in debate. The vision and direction of the campaign should be decided by the candidate and judged by the voters, not first judged by the FUNDRAISERS and THEN the voters. The current system gives rise to deception, in fact it is REQUIRED to be successful. Candidates are forced to run a campaign that appeals to a majority of HALF of the electorate FIRST, to display PARTY LOYALTY… in order to secure FUNDS.

“The presidential contest — primaries and all — accounts for $2.4 billion of that total. The other $4 billion or so went to congressional races. The tally includes spending by campaigns, party committees and outside sources.”

– The Washington Post (04-14-2017)

… how much of that total is just waste and greed?

All Federal Elections should be 100% FUNDED by the TAX PAYERS. The candidate directs the message and creates the VISION, the PEOPLE fund its creation.

Yes… that is a lot of money. But just consider the amounts currently spent on advertising and appearances on media outlets. The United States can leverage a better deal when purchasing ad blocks for EVERY CANDIDATE and air-time for ALL EVENTS… equally. It unlocks multiple possibilities for SAVINGS, but also for GROWTH.

…

All of the effort dedicated to changing the way we choose our candidates would be wasted if we did not address the other side of this issue… who should be allowed to vote in our elections.

Voter suppression. Through threat of violence, through fear and intimidation. Through misinformation and misappropriation. MILLIONS of dollars are spent every year to stop people from casting a vote. To paint a picture in the minds of select groups of voters that says, ‘Your vote doesn’t count’ or ‘Send a message by NOT voting’… all while knowingly aiding their preferred candidate just by keeping people OUT of the process.

LOWER participation in their eyes, means VICTORY on Election Day.

The War on Drugs has created a PERMANENT way to disenfranchise millions of voters through the legal process. Laws carrying punishments that take away voting rights, written by legislators that are BEHOLDEN to campaign DONORS, both of whom will never be targeted by such laws. Even if they were, they could easily afford the legal fees necessary to evade punishment.

Felony convictions, YEARS behind bars… for possession. MILLIONS of people who cannot vote while serving their sentence, and are unable to regain their right to vote once released. The requirements in some States are vague, unattainable, or discretionary depending upon who stands before the governing body that decides their fate.

– Orlando Weekly (10-31-2018)

Elected officials represent ALL of the people in their districts. Right now, prison populations are INCLUDED in Census numbers, deciding how much federal funding goes where.

– The Huffington Post (02-08-2018)

For-profit legislators, beholden to for-profit organizations who FUND their campaign…

Sounds like an easy way to stack the deck.

Every prisoner should have the right to vote, while serving their sentence and after they are released. If the goal is rehabilitation and a successful transition back into society, then they should feel like they are a part of the system and have a say in their destiny.

At the very least, they should be able to hold their representatives accountable when they have failed to protect their interests:

…

What should be required to vote?

CITIZENSHIP.

That, and age.

The age of enfranchisement was lowered under President Nixon from 21 to 18. As the Vietnam War raged and the draft was sending citizens 18 years and older off to war, it made sense to give them a VOICE on who was making that decision. From another perspective, I would not want to send someone off to war without their having a say in the matter, just as I would not want a CHILD deciding my fate.

But our definition of the word “war” has evolved. Since that time, we’ve invaded a country unilaterally without evidence supporting our decision. We’ve declared a war on an “idea” that has no clearly defined objective, and we’re currently under attack in an undeclared VIRTUAL WAR where NO ONE can be charged with aiding and abetting our adversary.

In 2019, more CIVILIANS died in mass shootings than SOLDIERS were killed on the battlefield in the War on Terror.

“The latest fatality brings the number of U.S. deaths in Afghanistan this year to 20. There have also been three non-combat deaths in 2019. More than 2,400 Americans have died in the nearly 18-year conflict.”

– military.com (12-23-2019)

“In 46 weeks this year, there have been 45 school shootings. That’s nearly an average of one school shooting a week.

Of those, 32 of them were at facilities serving Kindergarten through 12th grade.”

– CNN (11-19-2019)

“The GVA said there was a total of 15,381 gun deaths — including homicides, suicides and accidents — and 29,568 injuries in 2019.”

– CBS News (01-02-2020)

… and elected officials in the United States Senate still DO NOT ACT to SAVE LIVES.

At 16 we can get a job, drive a car, and PAY TAXES. The ability to participate in our society begins at 16.

Every United States citizen over the age of 16 should be guaranteed the Right to Vote. That should be the goal of the United States Election System.

-JC

“… an Alternative Narrative”

Donald Trump’s actions as President make NO SENCE when viewed in isolation. Random, chaotic, contradictory… even self-defeating. He acts as if he is POWERLESS in situations where historically, we’ve looked to our President for action. He asserts himself into situations where NO President has before, causing more harm to others than he would if he had just stayed SILENT. He embraces EVERY opportunity to ENRICH HIMSELF through the powers of OUR Office, and he seeks to remove programs designed to provide aid and comfort for those who need it most.

The ends of ANY evil plan hatched by the most VILE among us could be carried out with EASE and in SHORT ORDER if they were to ascend to the Office of President… yet Donald Trump, with his party holding ALL THREE BRANCHES of government, could not deceive enough people to Repeal and Replace Obamacare, a talking point issue supported by the GOP for just shy of a DECADE.

Losing the MAJORITY in the House does NOT advance the agenda of Donald J. Trump.

Not compromising on FUNDING for the Border Wall and SHUTTING DOWN the Federal Government for over a month does NOT advance the agenda of Donald J. Trump.

Advancing the dis-credited theory of Ukrainian Interference in the 2016 US Presidential Election does NOT advance the agenda of Donald J. Trump.

Using a personal cell phone, known by the Intelligence Community to be monitored by the heads of State of foreign adversaries, to conduct illicit political activities, does NOT advance the agenda of Donald J. Trump.

Welcoming the Russian Ambassador into the White House while barring all US reporters and allowing Russian media EXCLUSIVELY into the Oval Office, does NOT advance the agenda of Donald J. Trump.

None of this creates effective governance, and none of this lends itself to success. None of these actions would help ANY President find success or achieve their goals… whether their intentions were to do GOOD or create TYRANNY.

They make the President of the United States look WEAK.

They make the President of the United States look CORRUPT.

They make the President of the United States look DANGEROUS.

They make the President of the United States look UNSTABLE.

They make the President of the United States look INEFFECTIVE.

They make the President of the United States look IMPOTENT.

What Donald Trump has done as President of the United States thus far, creates GRIDLOCK. What Donald Trump has done as President of the United States thus far creates DIVISION.

What Donald J. Trump has done as President of the United States thus far does NOT advance the agenda of the President, the Congress, OR the people.

It advances the agenda of the ONE person who worked the hardest to secure his election.

It advances the agenda of Vladimir Putin.

LOOK… the President of the United States is just as flawed and weak as every other democratically elected leader… they’re ALL THE SAME- CORRUPT.

American Exceptionalism is just a MYTH…

… is there anyone in this nation who believes a President should EVER say that?

Vladimir Putin does NOT believe it is POSSIBLE… Vladimir Putin does NOT believe in American Exceptionalism.

Vladimir Putin suppresses the VOICE of his people, seeks to take away retirement benefits from retirees, and STEALS the wealth generated by the sale of the nation’s resources. And when the PEOPLE of Russia RISE UP en masse and demand FREE and FAIR elections… he sees the handiwork of the C.I.A. He doesn’t see his people pleading for a BETTER LIFE.

He sees PARANOIA and ESPIONAGE.

He does not believe in the ability of the Russian people to STAND UP and SPEAK OUT and hold him accountable… so they must have been HELPED by someone else… of course! It was “THEM!” It’s EASY to make America the scapegoat when you feed your people LIES… and America has a PUPPET serving as President.

…

Government by-proxy… EVERYONE’S got a hidden agenda. Political party proxies, business proxies, non-disclosure proxies, and just plain GREED, self-centered and selfish.

I have a mortgage that’s UNDERWATER from all the bullshit that went down in 2008.

I have TWO teenaged boys who will (hopefully) have to pay for college in a few years.

I have a car payment.

I worry about my boys when I drop them off at school, I worry about the divisive conversations they’re seeing online.

I raise the kids and take care of the house while my wife is the breadwinner.

I am the husband of a PICU nurse who saves the lives of babies born with broken hearts.

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in 2016. (…of all the things I THOUGHT I could someday get, childhood diabetes was NOT on that list at age 36!)

I have a pre-existing condition.

This is MY AGENDA. That’s what’s on the FRONT of my mind. THESE are my constituents.

I was BORN and RAISED in this city, and I am proud to call Kansas City my HOME. The problems faced by me and my family are the SAME problems faced in California, or in Dallas, or in Detroit. Racism happens NORTH of the Mason-Dixon Line and sexual discrimination in the work place happens to MEN, too… especially when it comes to raising a family.

I have NO PROXY INTERESTS. I have no DARK MONEY hidden agendas holding me DOWN. FREE and CLEAR… I plan on aiming for the STARS.

We must CLARIFY what it means to be an American. We must REMEMBER who we are!

LONG LIVE THE CONSTITUTION!!

Long live the OFFICE of the President of the United States.

The Case FOR The People

I hear what they’re saying… free tuition for ALL, free healthcare for ALL, debit forgiveness… They want to give away the STORE! To please you… to please “THEM”… to please ME.

But how many times have they promised us THE MOON, then stuck US with the bill on a $400 HAMMER? Talked about being greeted as “liberators”, only to be kicked out by THEIR elected government.

Assuring us that there WAS WMD… but they must have DISPOSED of it.

All of them are clambering around to take a shot at the “Big Banks” and “Big Tech” and “reign in Wall St.” Just as they did after 2008? Statutes and regulations passed, then slowly degraded through DE-FUNDING, eroding protections, issuing fines that amount to “pocket change” when (and IF) laws are found to be broken… actions taken by elected officials BEHOLDEN to the SAME entities for THEIR re-election. It is a COLD HARD TRUTH-

MONEY DECIDES OUR ELECTIONS.

After the Speakership of Paul Ryan ended, for the FIRST TIME in 10 years The House held a hearing on GUN VIOLENCE. For 10 years, The House did NOT actively investigate solutions to PREVENT GUN DEATHS. The Dickey Amendment forbids the CDC to FUND RESEARCH into PREVENTING GUN DEATHS… while the NRA spent over $30 MILLION in the 2016 election, donating to re-elect politicians loyal to their FUNDS.

In 2009, our elected officials passed the TARP Act to “bail out” the banks. Most news outlets did not call out the fact that these institutions were INSURED… on top of the bailout, they were REIMBURSED for their losses.

… my mortgage is STILL underwater.

Donald Trump inflated the value on a $20 MILLION property to over $200 MILLION in an attempt to secure a loan to buy a FOOTBALL TEAM.

Meanwhile I couldn’t write off snow tires as a work expense for my wife, a PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE NURSE who was designated a critical team member, required to show up during ANY natural disaster… guess I need a better TAX MAN.

In 2003, when my wife and I purchased our home, we knew the school district wasn’t the best, but we hoped we could rehabilitate our house and turn it into a profit, then move somewhere with better schools before our kids reached that age. The housing market has not returned to where it once was, and the schools have not improved.

We decided the work on our house could wait, and we enrolled our boys in a private school. It’s NOT EASY… financially speaking. But not everyone HAS that option! Many families are STUCK with whatever their elected officials provide for education. Elected officials, who are influenced by the FUNDS of wealthy groups who have earned their wealth… in PRIVATE, FOR-PROFIT EDUCATION.

History books are compiled and decided, curriculum, accountability, and standards decided by appointees… appointed by elected officials, BEHOLDEN TO FUNDRAISING.

The DONOR over the VOTER.

The people on the ballot, when it comes time for us to vote, are there because they were the BEST FUNDRAISER. At the beginning, in the primaries, in the LOCAL race for State Rep or State Atty General. MONEY decided who COULD run, and ultimately who DID run.

Look now at the Democratic Primary Debates. The idea of FUNDRAISING deciding who should have the HONOR of addressing the PEOPLE… couldn’t they have just as easily employed a polling/survey method of SOME type?

“If you want your VOICE to COUNT, you better throw in a BUCK!”

INSERT ISSUE HERE ______. IF a politician can manipulate a particular issue in such a way that it motivates DONORS to DONATE to the PARTY, then that issue will NOT BE RESOLVED. It will continue to be “on the verge ” of being “taken away” or you will be “forced to submit” to it ANY DAY NOW…

“… so you’d better throw in a BUCK!”

The question is… are we ready to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?

The system WORKS, so well in fact, the FATAL FLAWS within it have become OBVIOUS to anyone of GOOD FAITH. We must make a CHOICE.

We can either fundamentally alter our system in an attempt to legislate a solution to every possible flaw that could arise, while continuing to correct mistakes AFTER they have presented themselves…

We can CHANGE the way we CHOOSE the people we elect to represent us. Ensure the VOTERS have the ultimate say in EVERY STEP of the election process…

From PRIMARY ELECTION to GENERAL ELECTION.

WE FUND THE CANDIDATES.

Every Federal election.

EVERY time.

Give EVERY candidate EQUAL ACCESS to election funding and the press, and debates will focus on solutions to issues, not stoking fear and anger… pointing fingers instead of TAKING ACTION.

Any candidate who runs on a platform like that will be CLEARLY exposed by full public scrutiny… of their message, of their policies and positions… and without the filter of DARK MONEY. FUNDS donated by people who might prefer it if… SOME people didn’t know they were donating to such a cause. Groups and individuals who DONATE to campaigns on BOTH SIDES, expecting to buy influence with whomever wins the election… because the POLITICAL PARTIES need money, too.

Over the course of the last 16 MONTHS of this campaign, I’ve posted 100 entries here on my website and Tweeted over 15,000 Tweets, clarifying my position on every topic, from Kavanaugh to Parkland. From disenfranchisement in Georgia to disenfranchisement in Dodge City, Kansas. I’ve attempted to be OPEN and HONEST about my positions and have encouraged folks to press me for clarification if needed and will continue to do so. Even though it could be seen as a political cop-out, ducking and dodging policy positions so as not to be tied down to ONE position over the OTHER… I question the entire PREMISE OF THE DEBATE on EVERY ISSUE being tossed around right now. The desire of every candidate to pin down EVERY position on EVERY issue seems premature…

Don’t forget, the United States Senate is where good legislation goes to DIE.

The president ALONE does NOT make the Law. Where do these Senators expect to find the bi-partisan support necessary to FUND all of these campaign promises? BILLIONS on Trump’s wall… TRILLIONS on tuition forgiveness?

What about the SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS that have created the ASTRONOMICAL COST of secondary education? And the financial institutions left unchecked to take advantage of the unsuspecting and vulnerable?

A Band-Aid won’t fix the KNIFE IN OUR BACK… and back ’round we go again, back to the attack on the MAIN financial tool middle class Americans have relied on for the last 75+ years for our social advancement- INCREASING HOME EQUITY. Homeowners can only do SO MUCH to make that happen. A large part of it relies on the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT to do it’s part by making communities SAFER and keeping INFRASTRUCTURE up-to-date and IN GOOD REPAIR, among MANY others.

The NEXT President of The United States should NOT be the candidate who says, “I went out and listened to what ORDINARY AMERICANS have to say.” The next President of The United States should already know what’s on the mind of Ordinary Americans… because THAT’S WHO THEY ARE. Because MY SURVIVAL is tied directly to YOURS.

WE are the BALANCE upon which the entire system is judged…

What do we want our government to LOOK LIKE?

WHO should our government work FOR?

Is our system what we want it to BE? Remove the CORRUPTION and restore HONOR in governance… and we will discover how much MORE our system of governance can BE.

THE PEOPLE, and their UNIVERSAL ACCESS to the ballot, become the SECURITY SYSTEM protecting our Constitutional Democracy. Ensuring FAIR and EQUAL REPRESENTATION, based NOT on DOLLARS… but on EACH OTHER.

ONE CITIZEN= ONE VOTE

We MUST End The Electoral College.

… de minimis.

Why do you lock the car doors when it’s parked in YOUR driveway? Why do you lock the FRONT DOOR of your home? Safety and security can be seen as one-in-the-same-

You would not want an eight-year-old to have access to a brand new sports car… both for the sake of the car, AND the eight-year-old!

To be SAFE helps us to STAY SECURE.

The meaning of these values may have been watered down in the buzz-word, focus group, kid-tested, monetized world we live in. Lady Liberty sells me car insurance in 5 second spots, and Ben Franklin can apparently set me up with some sound retirement planning. SAFETY is JOB #1… because it sells a bunch of cars, but please wait. You are a valued customer, someone will be with you shortly.

CRYSTAL CLEAN, but still somehow FILTHY…

Like the impromptu questioning of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Waiting for an elevator, she was asked about her administration’s decision to cut funding for the Special Olympics, and stood in SILENCE… when questioned.

About HER actions.

… pleasantly!

When HER BOSS was then asked about the same, he TRIUMPHANTLY proclaimed… as any NOBLE KING MIGHT DO when he feels that his SUBJECTS are unhappy… “We’re taking care of it.” Huzzah…

god save the KING of the united states of america.

IT’S DIRTY… everyone can see it just the same! Does it BREAK LAWS… THAT question is NOT being fully addressed regarding MANY ASPECTS of our current elected government officials’ actions. But EACH ONE, every time they are questioned about cutting FUNDING for education, or redirecting FUNDING from military developments to build a wall, or stealing FUNDING from FEMA to imprison refugees, their legalese and dogged determination seems to be enough to let them SLIP… dodging any real accountability for CRIMES COMMITTED… documented.

Ours is a country of LAWS, written in plain terms, so ANYONE can understand them, and if they so choose, pledge allegiance to them. Whether you are a scholar of the Law or a carpenter framing a home, you know the Law! You’re SUBJECT TO IT everyday. And ignorance of the Law is no excuse! I’ve heard stories of judges explaining that to some of my friends. Many of those friends ALREADY KNEW that BEFORE they attempted to use the bogus excuse! And they paid the price. They were served with Justice. And most of them have been better people ever since. Because our Law is fair, rehabilitation is ALWAYS the goal. Encouragement and support is ALWAYS the surest way forward.

Our system of Law has become OPPRESSIVE of the PEOPLE because JUSTICE is now served based on WEALTH… NOT guilt or innocence.

Disproportionately effected by penalties and punishment, financially unable to secure counsel to ensure a fair outcome, and many times corralled into pleading guilty to an offense to simply avoid the appearance of guilt for another crime…

The public defenders here in KCK don’t usually go OUT OF THEIR WAY to get their clients’ case dismissed when they are facing charges of possession. In fact… there’s an old saying in the customer service biz- “Turn ’em and BURN ’em”, meaning get as many customers served as quickly as possible, put the hammer down, cliché cliché…

Justice, weighed against GOLD. The balance can never be fair. At any point in our lives, we can point to a time where we were not financially secure… hell, for me- DOWN RIGHT POOR. But that time did not dictate what I am today, nor who I will BECOME in the future. It may guide my decisions for the rest of my life, but that is just human nature… and sometimes I have to burn my hand on the stove TWICE before I learn!

If you BELIEVE in the Rule of Law, if you believe in Our Constitution… STAND UP. See through the rhetoric. See through the agendas. See through the LIES. We know our system of governance is a system that only works when men and women of HONOR put the GOOD OF THE NATION above ALL ELSE. And we know what issues DIVIDE US with ease.

Don’t let them do it! NOT this time around. Every time an elected official or a candidate for office ducks back into stoking FEAR, ANGER, and DIVISION by blaming “THEM”… question it!!

– HOW DO WE SOLVE THAT ISSUE?

– WHO STANDS TO BENEFIT from that issue NOT being RESOLVED?

– WHY IS THIS PERSON SAYING THIS?

– Is the elected official or candidate for office attempting to FUNDRAISE by appealing to WEALTHY DONORS when they spout the newest “Their side sucks!” chant?

– WHO would LIKE hearing this person SAY those things… and would that group/organization/institution DONATE to a political organization LARGE AMOUNTS OF CASH?

The phrase I’ve learned since I began my campaign, that describes this mess PERFECTLY is ‘de minimis’. When dealing with a Presidential Campaign and the VAST OCEAN OF CASH, accounting errors are made. Numbers can be crunched incorrectly or funds can be collected mistakenly… or SPENT mistakenly. NOT with ill-intent, but subject to punishment just the same.

Some amounts are considered to be ‘de minimis’, or lacking in significance. Amounts SO SUPERFLUOUS that investigating criminal activity is seen, in the eyes of the Law, as unnecessary, irrelevant.

Mistakes of $10,000… of $15,000.

“OOPS!”

“… don’t worry about it! That amount of money is MINISCULE.”

A handful of mistakes over the course of a fairly successful campaign, and that amount of money, seen as ‘de minimis’ to the Law, could total MORE THAN THE VALUE OF MY HOUSE. That amount of money could change the life of ANY American Citizen I’ve ever known!

Imagine if we elected a President who saw the salary of the Office as ADVANCEMENT, understanding the TRUE VALUE of the wealth that amount of money holds. (aside: I’m sure if you asked any of them, they’d say it wasn’t enough. BUT, I bet ALL of them would say, they’d do it all over again… free of charge.)

An appreciation for an amount as de minimis as $15,000 is something I cannot forget. Nor do I ever hope to.

To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I had a portrait of Ben Franklin in my pocket- hashtag MAGA.

#EndTheElectoralCollege

For The People

https://jackcharbonneau.com/2018/04/28/the-hastert-rule-full-transcript-of-the-youtube-video/

The tears were real.

At the tail end of my first campaign video, “The Hastert Rule”, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get out the last line! I dropped about a minute from it. I didn’t want to bore everyone with my crying.

At this point last year, everyone had enough tears on their own.

I ended my self-imposed media blackout three days after the shooting at MSDHS and watched “Coffee Joe and the Brew Crew”. And when the “light turned on” in my head, after hearing Senator Blumenthal speaking about The Hastert Rule… I was worried I wouldn’t be heard. I knew I must start THAT DAY, so people could get inside my head. To have some kind of physical, documented case to present to The People. That’s where it began. One year ago today.

Fear? Anger? Excitement? … the only way to describe the feeling of doing this is-

Every emotion. All at once.
Both sides of the coin.
Every side of the die.
All the time.

There is a suprising calmness within it. To realize you are the servant of time, and what is decided is what shall be…

It’s freeing, in a restricted sort of way.

I am excited and optimistic BECAUSE of what can be, and ever mindful of who I am doing this for. All the credit for anything good that I have done so far goes to the people who have lifted me up and given me support. Any victory I attain is not mine alone, because the guiding principle of this campaign is ensuring the POWER lies in the hands of the people.

May the passing of the year to come bring us closer to our goal.

The State of OUR Union

What if there is something else going on… what if there is a hidden element we are NOT aware of? Does that change anyone’s calculations? Would that give anyone PAUSE?

Would anyone be willing to trade their Trophy of Pride for a Badge of Humility, and recognize the truth… whatever that TRUTH may be? If it showed the errors and ACTUALY illuminated where we were led astray, would you be able to accept it… would anyone?

To call into question conclusions reached based on LIES is not a surrender, it is an adaptation. It is a natural progression. Every traveler follows the path East, toward the LIGHT. We are ALL fallible, and anyone can be deceived… for a PRICE.

The political position I have staked out is barron at the moment, but the “tent” I’ve raised has room for EVERYONE… because I cannot do it alone.

BOTH sides have a “boogieman”.

BOTH sides spew venom and hate.

BOTH sides have been VICTIMIZED because we have ALL been lied to. Do you have ANY doubt? Read through Donald Trump’s Tweets.

WHO’S TO BLAME is spoon fed to us DAILY. WHO’S TO BLAME is shifted from cycle to cycle. The person we blamed becomes the “voice of reason” if given enough time. And through the GENERATIONS, when we look back far enough, we can find the ROOTS of the problems we see today in divisive rhetoric of the past.

We will not stand much longer if we continue to fight the wars of the past. Our future is dying in classrooms and churches because the divisive leadership of the PAST refuses to listen to the People they lead.

WHY? …we know why.

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” -JFK to Congress, May 25, 1961.

This speech gave birth to the Apollo Program. NASA had the vision, the leadership, the daring. THIS speech secured the FUNDING. The program that would send Mankind to the Moon in 8 years was ready to put theory and practice into production. The first contract issued for the production of the Saturn V rocket was to MIT for a navigation system. A flight control computer system that DID NOT EXIST.

We knew we could fly Man to the Moon. On paper, in practice, in knowledge of the Laws of Physics we were prepared to build a vessel that could make the journey. The VERY FIRST piece of equipment NASA invested in was the most infeasable piece of the mission.

Because they BELIEVED it could be done. Because in Our Country, ANYTHING can be done!

History is full of examples of human creativity outpacing what is “possible”. The Pioneers of Flight themselves, the Wright Brothers, did the same thing 66 years earlier. As scientists and inventors were risking their lives attempting to break the laws of gravity, many people believed it couldn’t be done. They risked their reputations and their financial security because they BELIEVED it could be done.

Robert Goddard, the father of modern rocketry, was not recognized for his insight for most of his life. But he understood what was needed to reach orbit, the benefits of using liquid propellant, and multistage flight… and he understood all of this in 1914.

Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, Jobs, Gates, Musk, Dorsey… Great Vision is useless without PROBLEMS to SOLVE. These visionaries would not be know without the hunger and drive of a populace where creativity and knowledge lead to advancement and adapting… No one knew they needed a light bulb until EVERYONE had one. No one knew they needed a radio until EVERYONE had one. No one knew they needed an iPhone until everyone had one.

The SOCIETY creates the need and the inventor, the scientist, the thinker and the doer fills the demand. But sometimes a need is not recognized. Sometimes we have no idea that there was a better way. When I graduated from high school in 1998, I knew everyone needed a PC in their pocket. Now that I have one, I realize I had no idea how CORRECT that idea was!

The computer that assisted the crew of Apollo 11, it’s navigation system, the hard drive is literally magnets and MILES of copper wire-

wire thru magnet= 1

wire outside magnet= 0

repeat…

It had a storage space of 72K bytes and was smaller than a bread box.

The potential of the creation was unrealized and its reliability was unknown. How unknown? Mathematician Katherine Johnson was the ‘computer’ NASA tasked with ensuring the accuracy of the digital computer. She did so through the entire flight. She continued to do so until her retirement in 1986.

From the size of a HOUSE to the size of a bread box, down to the size of a wrist watch. The power to do mathematics at the speed of light to the ABILITY to predict and simulate the outcome of the collision of atoms. When my dad brought home my first PC, I was excited to have access to libraries across the planet, right in my bedroom! In 1996, we had NO IDEA what else we were missing.

ALL of these advances. ALL of the technological evolution of the past 230 years has been influence by The United States Constitution and the SOCIETY it has created. From the elimination of Small Pox, to the creation of the Cotton Gin. Transistor radios to the Arecibo radio telescope.

… and all of these facts and figures. Images and inspiration. Historical words heard ALOUD, as if their speaker were alive today! I find them all in my pocket.

Infinite Potential

The ability for anyone to read the words I write is only possible because of Our Society. The device I use to contemplate and create is only possible because WE created the DEMAND… we just didn’t know it. That is a small example of the POWERFUL force for good Our Country is, and a demonstration of the limits of our ability to see what is possible 230 years from now.

The ability to SEE something that does not exist and make it reality, like the MIT software programmers did for the Apollo program, THRIVES in a Country like Ours! The Liberty to apply knowledge gained, to question answers long established, and realize individual talents within a community of like-minded people all working on bettering the lives of all Mankind, on SOME level, gives Our Union a tilt toward Justice. Our desire to make a positive difference in the world shows in our intentions, if not always our deeds.

And no one should be surprised! The Framers of Our Demorcacy were idealists at heart. At a time when Mankind had been ruled by oppressive monarchs, these Men DARED to say Mankind CAN rule itself, fairly, and in peace! They knew, with a sufficient level of common history, the bedrock ideals of Our Constitution would STAND the test of time. That ability… the Liberty to dream big AND make it happen is the Country I believe in.

… where do YOU STAND?