Citizen Speaking

Observations about politics and society from a citizen who still thinks citizens matter.

Search This Blog

Showing posts from January, 2016

View all

Posts

Still Unpopular After All These Years

January 21, 2016

+

1

Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

I'm a White Rural American. Nobody Left Me Behind.

I live in southwestern Oregon, eight miles from the nearest town and a five hour drive from the nearest sizable city. I have lived here for forty-two years. My county votes Republican regularly. I choose to live here because I love living in the woods, I like to let my dogs roam free, and because I don't feel crowded or have to deal with traffic. On a moonless night, I can see the Milky Way clearly. The bees have adopted a knothole in an oak and swallows inhabit an old rickety birdhouse my daughter made in elementary school. I can walk every day along a canopy-covered gravel road, past the log in the creek where the turtles line up, to get my mail. I can ride my bicycle on a twelve mile loop where the challenge is to count more deer than cars. I can hire a band to play on my lawn and invite my friends to come dance. I can float the river in an inflatable tahiti for no cost. I can chase the shy woodpeckers around my yard with my camera. I accepted having to commute an hour...

Specific Steps to Address Gun Violence

249 people in the US were shot today . Over 95,000 were shot so far this year. ( Source ) Finally there seems to some measure of political will to address the problem, at least to begin talking about it. Sure, there are still those who oppose any limitations on weapons ownership. And there are those who want all firearms banned. But between those extremes lie the rest of America. Senator Feinstein said today she will introduce a bill restoring the expired ban on assault weapons and limiting clips to 10 rounds maximum. Other than that, I'm hearing very few specifics. Well, I'm hardly a weapons expert but someone has to put forward some proposals. Humbly I stepped into the breach. (Okay, line stolen from the Limeliters .) Here's what I would do: 1. Legislation or voluntary action by the media to control coverage, beginning with leaving the perpetrators anonymous . The glorification of mass murder encourages copy-cat...

Meet Low Taxes, Small Government

For those who dream of a Utopia where taxes are low and government puny, I know just the place. In fact, it's the county where I've worked and volunteered for the past 30 years. Welcome to Josephine County, Oregon! Josephine County in southern Oregon has 83,000 people, 41% of whom live in the city of Grants Pass. Those in the city limits pay for city services. The 59% in the rural areas have low taxes and meager county services. Voters in the county haven't fallen for a Democrat since FDR. The state of Oregon is a low tax state overall, ranking 40th of the 50 states in overall tax burden. There are no sales taxes and property taxes are kept low by a ballot measure passed by voters 20 years ago. But each county has a different situation and rural Josephine County's property taxes (the primary funding source for local government) are the second lowest in the state at just under $6.00 per $1000 of assessed value (about half of actual ...

What the $10.10 Minimum Wage Would Buy

I was curious how well a single parent might manage on the new proposed minimum wage of $10.10 per hour. This is $2.85 higher than the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 and $1.00 more than Oregon's minimum of $9.10. I'm assuming full-time employment for a single adult with two children, one in public school and one in daycare. I've used Oregon averages for housing and utility costs and assumed no employer-provided health plan. This is likely since full-time employment at minimum wage typically requires multiple part-time jobs. I've also assumed an average commute of ten miles each way to work with an average mileage car. Gross Pay per month: $1,616 Monthly Subtractions: Social Security contribution: $100 Medicare contribution: $23 Federal Tax Withholding: $0 State Tax Withholding: $90 Net Pay per month: $1,403 Net Pay per year: $16,836 Basic no-frills expenses for Oregon : Rent for 2-bedroom apartment or house: $880 Utilities (Power...

If only...

There were warnings, warnings I didn't heed. And I of all people, I should have responded. I just scrolled on past. Her October 20th Facebook post : "Well, the day wouldn't be complete without at least one 2-minute-long psychotic voice mail from an ex. That's a wrap." She was clever and sarcastic like that. Witty, smart, impressive. I saw the post. I smiled and moved on to whatever appeared below her post. Some friends responded though. And she added later " I will be eternally grateful that I don't have to negotiate the house-of-horrors that is co-parenting with an ex." Then a few minutes later, " Oh good, another 2-minute psychotic voice mail. Actually, no, I apologize to schizophrenics. I meant sociopathic voice mail. Apparently the "auto reject" option on Androids still lets them leave messages ." The discussion from friends was about how to block voice mail on your phone. I should have -- could have ...

The Refugee Responsibility

The discussion so far about thousands of child refugees from violence-torn Central America has failed to distinguish between refugees and undocumented (illegal) immigrants. I've seen little from the media, from Washington politicians or even from the Obama administration acknowledging there might actually be something distinct about "refugees". Lest we think of refugees merely as numbers, here are a few prominent refugees you may recognize: Madeline Albright , former US Secretary of State. Refugee from the Czech Republic in 1948. Isabel Allende , novelist. Refugee from Chile in 1973. Hannah Arendt , philosopher. Refugee from Germany in 1941. Bela Bartok , composer. Refugee from Hungary in 1940. Charlie Chaplin , actor. Refugee from US in 1952. Frederic Chopin , composer. Refugee from Poland in 1831. Marlene Dietrich , actress. Refugee from Germany in 1939. Albert Einstein , scientist. Refugee from Germany in 1932. Victor Hugo , writer. Refu...

Why People Disengage

I learned something. I am the child of a news junkie with a five-paper-a-day habit. I have always craved information about the world around me -- the good and the bad -- and valued keeping informed. I can't say I've valued what the mainstream media believes I need information about -- endless loops of footage on the latest tragedy or celebrity gossip -- but I've known that there are sources to find out what I need to know. I need to know what the new developments are in my community. I need to know how the world is changing -- socially, politically, economically, culturally, and environmentally. I need to know what my state government and federal government are up to. I need to know how special interests get their way and what their objectives are. I need to know what's coming down the pike educationally that could help or hinder children's learning. There is so much to know, very little of it available through headline-only, if-it-bleeds-it-leads television...

Free Enterprise Run Amok

What do the Costa Concordia and the Deepwater Horizon have in common? This week the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground in a well-traveled corridor of the Mediterranean Sea. The top-heavy ship capsized and the search continues for lives lost. Apparently the captain fled. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, destroying all life for hundreds of miles and damaging sensitive gulf coastlines and estuaries. They are one and the same story. The Costa is owned by Carnival Cruise Lines, an American company carrying mostly American passengers but Europeans as well. The CEO, Mickey Arison, is the richest man in Florida, worth many billions. Though American owned and embarking from American ports, Carnival flies the flag of Liberia. Liberia does not inspect the ships, regulate safety or environmental standards or collect taxes. For a fee to the Liberian governm...

The Social Security Quiz

Here's a little true/false quiz to see how well you understand our Social Security crisis: T F Raising the retirement age or reducing benefits would help reduce the federal deficit. T F Social Security pays out more money than it takes in every year. T F The money current workers pay into Social Security is paid out to current retirees. T F Everyone pays the same rate (percentage of income) into Social Security. T F The Baby Boomers will receive a windfall from Social Security, leaving little for their children. Social Security and the Deficit Perhaps the biggest myth is that payments from Social Security contribute to the deficit. In fact, Social Security is a creditor of our national debt. One quarter of US government debt is actually money owed to the Social Security trust fund. In the 1980s, President Reagan supported legislatio...

Still Waiting

I'm still waiting for anyone in the GOP or Tea Party to acknowledge... Osama bin Laden is gone The Bush recession is over The federal deficit continues to fall under Obama Unemployment is down Obamacare is working America's only POW is now free The Iraq War was a mistake Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz and Oliver North are not credible foreign policy analysts The Iraq War was completely mishandled Eight years in Iraq was enough We are not at war in Libya, Syria, Iran, Ukraine or Nigeria and that's a good thing The campaign to stonewall anything the President tried to do has been a disaster America has a gun problem The haves and have-nots in the US are growing further apart Money in politics is a problem 64 bills in the past year and a half to outlaw or restrict abortion are a tad too many for a Congress that won't even consider a jobs bill A perpetrator of the Benghazi attack was captured The Republican-controlled Hou...

Linda: Citizenship is about participating. And asking questions. And reading. And engaging. And working. And speaking out. Education is about creating citizens.

Visit profile

Labels

$10.10
1%
15-119
15% tip
17-58
18 year old vote
2016 presidential election
2018
2018 election
2020

20s
4th Amendment
8th amendment
99%
abortion
abortion stories
abu ghraib
aca
Academi
accidental shootings
aclu
acri
activism
ad block
ad blocking
advertising
affordable care act
african-american
airports
amateur politician
american exceptionalism
american manufacturers
american wars
americans covered under obamacare
anti-immigrant
ar-15
assault weapons ban
atf
athena slavin
automation
avoiding news
baby boomers
ballot measures
barack obama
be informed
be n4md
being informed
belfast
bellamy salute
benefit programs
benefits for working poor
benghazi
bernie
bernie sanders
betsy devos
big five
bilingual
bilingualism
bill clinton
Bill Moyers.
birth control
blacks
Blackwater
blasphemy
blue states
blue wave
boomers
Booz Allen Hamilton
bottom trawlers
bottom trawling
boycott gun dealers
bp
bronze plans
budget deficit
bullying
bush recession
bushmaster
business failure
california
california voting power
cameras
campaign financing
canine conservatives
capital gains
capitalism
car deaths
caravans
carbon emissions
carnival cruises
cave junction
ccc
cdc
cell phone towers
ceo pay
charles schumer
child refugees
chip
chris christie
christian persecution
cities underwater
citizens united
civilian conservation corps
climate change
clinton
Clinton campaign
clinton emails
clinton somalia
clintons
co-chairs
college
compare candidates
compare states
conservative
conservative policies
conservatives
conservatives are like dogs
constitution
coos bay cross
corporate taxes
corporations
corruption
costa concordia
council for peace and security
crafts
credit
CTE
current events
current issues
darrell issa
databases
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
debt
Deep State
deepwater horizon
deficit
deficit commission
defying constitution
delete delete delete
delete files
demagoguery
democratic party
democrats
democrats and trump
demonizing minorities
dictators coming to power
disembowelers
disenfranchised
disparity
diversity
diversity education
divest
divestment
divestment from fossil fuels
divide big states
DIY
DNC
domestic homicide
domestic violence
domestic violence and guns
donald trump
drilling on federal lands
drones
drug testing pregnant women
drug testing welfare
drug-testing
drugs
dsm-iv
election
election analysis
electoral college
emails
emoluments clause
english
entitlements
environment
environmental regulations
epigenetics
ethanol
ethnocentric
ethnocentrism
etiquette
eu
eugene police
european union
exports and imports
facebook
false accusations
family safety
family wage job
famous refugees
far right populists
faux news
fb
federal deficit
federal grants
federal taxes
fedex
feline liberals
filibuster
firearms industry
flags of convenience
flat tax
football fans
for profit schools
foreign aid
foreign language education
fossil fuels
Fourth Amendment
fox news
fraud
fred meyer
free enterprise
free market
free trade
freedom from religion
full body scans
gang members
gangs
gapminder
garbage
gas prices under obama
gay students
getting by on minimum wage
global warming
gmo
golden rule
gop
gop attacks
gop implosion
gorsuch
government workers
graft
graphs
grope
groping
gulf spill
gun control
gun deaths
gun legislation
gun violence
guns
guns and self defense
guns like cars
gutting programs
Haliburton
hate groups
hazing
health care
health care coverage
herman cain
hijacking conservatism
hillary
hispanic poverty
history of voting
hoarders
how many Clinton emails released
how trump won
hud rental assistance
human trafficking
ignorance of politics
illegal immigration
illinois valley
immigration
immigration quotas
immigration statistics
impeachment
imports and exports
in person voter fraud
incarceration rates
income taxes
independent press
indian mascots
individual insurance plans
inspections
insurance for guns
invasion of iraq
invasion of privacy
investigations
iran deal
iran sanctions
iran weapons
iran-contra
israel
issa
jackson county
jeff sessions
jill stein
jim porter
jobs
jobs programs
jonathan haidt
josephine county
josephine county oregon
judicial watch
just war
justice garland
karl rove
KBR
kibbutz
labor
labor law
land
land fills
law enforcement
lbj
leveraged buyouts
liberal
liberals
liberals are like cats
liberia
liberty institute
libraries
library
libya
likud
limited government
limiting debates
local news
low taxes
lumber mills
lying with statistics
lyndon johnson
mail
majority religion
manners
manufacturing jobs
mar-a-lago
marco rubio
marijuana
marijuana laws
marriage equality
marshall islands
martial law
mass killings
mcconnell
McCutcheon
means of production
Measure 98
media exploitation of tragedies
media lies
medicaid
medicaid expansion
medicaid for working poor
medical marijuana
medicare
medicare advantage
medicare for all
mental health
merrick garland
mexican immigration
middle class
mike flynn
mike pence
military
minimum wage
misinformation campaign
misleading graphs
missing from wikileaks
mitch mcconnell
mitt romney
money
monsanto
moral values
movement
multi-cultural education
multilingual
multilingualism
myth
myths about guns
nanny state
national rifle association
nationalizing banks
new israel fund
new years
new years resolutions
news junkie
newspaper endorsements
newtown
nhames
no fly zone
noriega
nra
nsa
nuclear
nuclear option
nuclear waste
obama
obama vs. romney
obama's accomplishments
obamacare
obamacare misinformation
obamacare totals
objections to iran deal
occupy wall street
ocean rise
offensive
oil
oil drilling
oil exports
oil subsidies
olive garden
open field
oregon lottery
oregon minimum wage
outsourcing
oversight
pacifism
pacifist
packaging
paparazzi
paris attacks
parks
pat downs
patriot
patriot act
patriotism
paul ryan
paying for trump
payroll taxes
peace protests
persecution myths
petroleum exports
pharmaceutical industry
pipeline
plastics
pledge of allegiance
political correctness
political disengagement
political leaders
political values
politically incorrect
politics
politics on fb
polls
populism
post office
postage stamps
postal service
poverty
power grab
prescription
president clinton
president obama
president roosevelt
president's promise
presidential polls
privacy
private prisons
professional journalism
professional politician
progressive new years resolutions
protests
prudhoe bay
public employee unions
public transportation
punishing work
putin's interference
racism
racist
reagan
recount
recycling
red lobster
red states
refugees
regulate guns like cars
reince preibus
religion
republican implosion
republican party
republicans
republicans and trump
republicans can't govern
resolutions
restauran
restaurant workers
restaurants
revolution
rick perry
right to vote
right-wing
rolling back the 20th century
romney
ronald reagan
running for office
rural
rural vote
rural voters
rural vs. urban
rush limbaugh
safety regulations
sanctions
sanders
Sanders campaign
sandy hook
savings
scanners
scans
scotus
sea level rise
Search and Seizure
sedition
self defense claims
senate representation
sex scandals
sharia law
shatil haifa
signing up for insurance
silver plans
single issue
single issue voter
small governmen
small state advantage
small states
snap
social media causing revolution
social program costs
social security
social security and the debt
southern democrats
southern oregon
spitzer
spying
starr
state department
state of emergency
steven mnuchin
stimulus tax breaks
student rights
subsidies
suburban
suicide
superdelegates
Supreme Court
supreme court nomination
Surveillance
sweden gdp
sweden unemployment
syngenta
t sheriff
t waitress
talking politics on facebook
tanf
target ads
tax equity
tax giveaways
tax rates
taxes
tea party
teen deaths
teflon president
terrorism
terrorists
the troubles
theft of scotus
timber industry
tipping 15%
tom price
top 1%
top ten
top ten myths
tourism
toys
trade policy
trash
travelgate
treason
triple trailer trucks
trump
trump business dealings
trump constituency
trump corruption
trump endorsements
trump graft
trump hotels
trump impeachment
trump opposition
trump organization
trump shreds constitution
trump tower
trump vendettas
trump vengeance
trust fund
turn off the tv
twenty somethings
tyranny
tyrants
unconstitutional
understanding terrorism
underwear bomber
undocumented
unemployment
unfair to Sanders
uninsured
unwarranted searches
ups
us refugees
useful idiots
veterans
veterans day
violent overthrow of government
Vocational Education
volunteering
volunteers
voter fraud
voter id
voter id laws
voter suppression
voters
voters issues
voting restrictions
vultures
wage earners pay more
wage growth
waiters
waitress pay
waitresses
war against terror
war number 3
washington post
waste
wastes
watergate
wayne lapierre
we are the 100%
we are the 99%
weiner
welfare
welfare state
what's wrong with the media
which republican
white rural americans
why clinton lost
why democrats lost
why vote for obama
wikileaks
wikileaks hacking
wikileaks targets
women's occupations
women's work
worker productivity
working poor
works project administration
wpa
xenophobia
you might be a racist
youth

Show more Show less

Report Abuse

Powered by Blogger