It has been a long standing policy of the United States to not negotiate with terrorists. While we cannot imagine the unthinkable decisions the President has to make in times of crisis, I'm sure that this policy has not been broken and the President firmly believes in this policy.
Or does he?
Consider this train of thought for a minute. Donald Trump has been criticizing (harassing or whatever else you want to call it) the President recently for not adequately proving his citizenship. In a sense, Trump has been a "terrorist" to the Obama administration. Early this morning, Obama finally gave in and published his long-form certificate of live birth. Is this not a form of negotiating with terrorists?
You decide. It's a slippery slope...
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
We All Bleed Red
The United States is in a desperate situation. Our economy is struggling. Unemployment runs rampant through a majority of our cities. Political parties, democrats, republicans, libertarians, independents, tea party supporters, literally everyone, has recognized these as huge problems that need fixing. Each branch of political thought has its own "plan" for fixing the issues.
This is great, competition breeds innovation. However, there come times when the need is so dire that we HAVE to work together in order to accomplish the same goal. I believe that time is now. Ronnie Dunn said this very powerfully when he sings:
We all need jobs. We all want a thriving economy. We all want lower gas prices. We all want to not stress over financial problems.
We all bleed red.
This is great, competition breeds innovation. However, there come times when the need is so dire that we HAVE to work together in order to accomplish the same goal. I believe that time is now. Ronnie Dunn said this very powerfully when he sings:
"Sometimes we're strong, sometimes we're weak, sometimes we're hurt and it cuts deep. We live this life, breath to breath, we're all the same; we all bleed red."America is in critical need of solutions. Right now, I don't give a damn if one person, or a combination of 50 people, proposes the Golden Plan. I just want a friggin' answer.
We all need jobs. We all want a thriving economy. We all want lower gas prices. We all want to not stress over financial problems.
We all bleed red.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Citizen Plea
Ever just get fed up with things and have no other way to express what you're feeling than to just rant? Yeah, that's where I'm at right now. I've read a couple articles recently that really put this country's deficit into perspective. The one that hit hard was about this country's credit rating.
Standard and Poor's announced that unless the United States can announce a plan to substantially lower our country's deficit, the S&P will lower the US's credit rating. As a personally financially responsible person, I find this absurd. I just don't understand how our government could be trillions of dollars in debt. I don't spend money if I don't have it. Plain and simple. I understand that sometimes situations arise where HAVE to borrow money. But, then you make cuts immediately after in order to pay that money back. It seems like the US government has never made cuts. Nor is it planning to under current leadership. This has to change.
At this point I really don't care which party the new administration comes from, I just want fiscally responsible leadership. Is that so hard to ask? Apparently it is. Hopefully someone steps forward with a tangible plan to get our debt under control.
Standard and Poor's announced that unless the United States can announce a plan to substantially lower our country's deficit, the S&P will lower the US's credit rating. As a personally financially responsible person, I find this absurd. I just don't understand how our government could be trillions of dollars in debt. I don't spend money if I don't have it. Plain and simple. I understand that sometimes situations arise where HAVE to borrow money. But, then you make cuts immediately after in order to pay that money back. It seems like the US government has never made cuts. Nor is it planning to under current leadership. This has to change.
At this point I really don't care which party the new administration comes from, I just want fiscally responsible leadership. Is that so hard to ask? Apparently it is. Hopefully someone steps forward with a tangible plan to get our debt under control.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
GET NERDY
Yesterday, President Obama did a Q&A from Facebook headquarters, streaming live on the White House Facebook fan page. The President was asked many questions, but the one topic that hit home with me was America's need for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skilled workers. Why? Because I am one of these people! My friends are these people!
With most of my social network having already graduated, or graduating within the next year, we know first hand the shortage of our special skills in the market. I can't tell you how many times I've been out at some bar and I meet someone and tell them I'm a computer scientist and they just give me a blank stare. This is good for me with my upcoming job search imminent. It means I'll be in high demand. However, with the shortage, it means there are not enough talented people to do the work necessary to get our country back on top. Basically, Uncle Sam's message is this:
Look at the huge, money making companies in America right now. What are they? Technology companies. Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon. They all started from a couple nerds in a garage, or dorm room, hacking away to come up with a beginning product. I know some of you are saying, it's a bubble, it's bound to pop. Will it? Facebook was founded 7 years ago. Google, over a decade ago. Microsoft? Almost 40 YEARS ago. That's a long time for a bubble to be still around...
Not only that, but these companies are worth BILLIONS. Facebook has a valuation of a around $70 billion. Mark Zuckerburg, Facebook's founder, owns some where around 25% of the company. That means Zuckerburg has a personal worth of...wait for it...... $17.5 BILLION dollars. WOW.
As TechCrunch so eloquently put it:
With most of my social network having already graduated, or graduating within the next year, we know first hand the shortage of our special skills in the market. I can't tell you how many times I've been out at some bar and I meet someone and tell them I'm a computer scientist and they just give me a blank stare. This is good for me with my upcoming job search imminent. It means I'll be in high demand. However, with the shortage, it means there are not enough talented people to do the work necessary to get our country back on top. Basically, Uncle Sam's message is this:
Look at the huge, money making companies in America right now. What are they? Technology companies. Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon. They all started from a couple nerds in a garage, or dorm room, hacking away to come up with a beginning product. I know some of you are saying, it's a bubble, it's bound to pop. Will it? Facebook was founded 7 years ago. Google, over a decade ago. Microsoft? Almost 40 YEARS ago. That's a long time for a bubble to be still around...
Not only that, but these companies are worth BILLIONS. Facebook has a valuation of a around $70 billion. Mark Zuckerburg, Facebook's founder, owns some where around 25% of the company. That means Zuckerburg has a personal worth of...wait for it...... $17.5 BILLION dollars. WOW.
As TechCrunch so eloquently put it:
"In a time of rampant unemployment and $14 trillion in National Debt, if that’s not a big argument for teaching kids how to code, I don’t know what is."So, I challenge you America, GET NERDY.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Fly Over States
In a recent post, Scott Solomon said that Florida would be a determiner in this upcoming election. I can agree with that given the state's diverse demographics. However, everyone knows that candidates spend a good deal of time AND money to win those swing states. That's great and all, but I don't want candidates to forget about all those people in the fly over states. Don't know what fly over states are? Jason Aldean does a pretty damn good job explaining in his song titled the exact same thing:
Jason asks, "Who's want to live down there in the middle of nowhere?" That question can be likened to a candidate asking himself, "Why should I care about those people in the middle of nowhere?" Well, Mr. Aldean answers that question as well:
Whoever wins the upcoming election, be it Romney, Obama, or even Trump, I want them to hear one message. Do NOT forget about the little guys busting their ass in the Fly Over States.
-Reg
"They've never drove through IndianaYeah, that's right -- busted his ass for you and me. The people who live in lesser-cared-about states are the ones who break their backs to put food in your grocery store so you can have that family dinner every Sunday night. And it's not just farmers, there are thousands of other professions linked to that industry in which the workers are struggling to make ends meet.
Met the man who plowed that earth
Planted that seed, busted his ass for you and me
Or caught a harvest moon in Kansas
They'd understand why God made those Fly Over States."
Whoever wins the upcoming election, be it Romney, Obama, or even Trump, I want them to hear one message. Do NOT forget about the little guys busting their ass in the Fly Over States.
-Reg
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
RIM - ________ In Motion
Can you fill in the blank?
RIM, better known in the tech industry as Research In Motion, is the company responsible for the well known Blackberry product line. Recently, since the release of it's new product, the Playbook, RIM has been criticized for "losing it's way."
Now, I've never owned a Blackberry, but I remember being green with envy at my friends' Berries. All that constant connection was very attractive to the tech geek in me. That was, until the iPhone was released. Focusing in the mobile marketplace, the iPhone, followed by the Android OS, was infinitely more enticing than the boring ole Blackberry. Blackberries are great for secure email and BBM, but they just can't compete in the "coolness" category. RIM tried to jump in the popular tablet fray with the Playbook, but they only half heartedly jumped in.
With the market changing so rapidly, RIM is at a crossroads. They have to make a decision on what direction to take the company. And they need to do it fast. Otherwise, they'll end up "the next Nokia...laid low by the unwillingness to adapt..."
Sound familiar? Damn right it does. You can substitute RIM for another three letter acronym: USA.
There, I said it.
The United States is a crossroads right now. For years, our country has been able to coast along doing the same ole, same ole, and been perfectly able to dominate in our market: the world. Now, however, the world is changing faster than ever, and we are no longer the leaders taking the first steps on the moon. Our economy is crumbling and our current administration keeps having money-pile bonfires on the White House lawn.
We someone to pick a direction for this nation. Not only pick a direction, but be confident in that direction. You can't just half-ass something. That's not the American way. We need someone who is an economical and job ninja. I believe that someone could be Mitt Romney.
Could it be someone else? Sure, but Romney has the experience, both in the business world and the political world, to pull it off. Don't believe me? Read the post on An American Blog for the number crunching proof. I need a job. My friends need jobs. America needs jobs. Romney knows how and he will get it done. This, in turn will get the economy rolling again and set America back on her feet.
So I ask you again: can you fill in the blank? ________ In Motion. Research In Motion? Nope. Wrong.
ROMNEY In Motion.
RIM, better known in the tech industry as Research In Motion, is the company responsible for the well known Blackberry product line. Recently, since the release of it's new product, the Playbook, RIM has been criticized for "losing it's way."
Now, I've never owned a Blackberry, but I remember being green with envy at my friends' Berries. All that constant connection was very attractive to the tech geek in me. That was, until the iPhone was released. Focusing in the mobile marketplace, the iPhone, followed by the Android OS, was infinitely more enticing than the boring ole Blackberry. Blackberries are great for secure email and BBM, but they just can't compete in the "coolness" category. RIM tried to jump in the popular tablet fray with the Playbook, but they only half heartedly jumped in.
With the market changing so rapidly, RIM is at a crossroads. They have to make a decision on what direction to take the company. And they need to do it fast. Otherwise, they'll end up "the next Nokia...laid low by the unwillingness to adapt..."
Sound familiar? Damn right it does. You can substitute RIM for another three letter acronym: USA.
There, I said it.
The United States is a crossroads right now. For years, our country has been able to coast along doing the same ole, same ole, and been perfectly able to dominate in our market: the world. Now, however, the world is changing faster than ever, and we are no longer the leaders taking the first steps on the moon. Our economy is crumbling and our current administration keeps having money-pile bonfires on the White House lawn.
We someone to pick a direction for this nation. Not only pick a direction, but be confident in that direction. You can't just half-ass something. That's not the American way. We need someone who is an economical and job ninja. I believe that someone could be Mitt Romney.
Could it be someone else? Sure, but Romney has the experience, both in the business world and the political world, to pull it off. Don't believe me? Read the post on An American Blog for the number crunching proof. I need a job. My friends need jobs. America needs jobs. Romney knows how and he will get it done. This, in turn will get the economy rolling again and set America back on her feet.
So I ask you again: can you fill in the blank? ________ In Motion. Research In Motion? Nope. Wrong.
ROMNEY In Motion.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
A Little, Too Late
In the hole. In the red. Outstandings. Deficit. DEBT. They all mean the same thing. And they all describe the situation the United States is in right now.
Obama gave his speech on the nation's debt recently. He highlighted his plan to overcome the nation's tremendous amount of money owed. Among other things, he plans on $1 TRILLION in new taxes. WHAT THE $#@%! I barely scraped by this year's tax season with my dignity. There are 311 million people in the United States. If the extra trillion were to be divided equally (I know it's not, chill out.) each person would be paying an extra $3,200. I don't know about you, but I'm having trouble filling my gas tank at $50/tank. Ain't no way I have an extra 3 grand laying under my couch cushions.
Mitt Romney responded to Obama's plan swiftly:
"President Obama’s proposals are too little, too late. Instead of supporting spending cuts that lead to real deficit reduction and true reform of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, the President dug deep into his liberal playbook for ‘solutions’ highlighted by higher taxes."Too little, too late? Sounds a lot like Mitt has been listening to his country music lately. One of my favorite country artists (mainly because of his massive support for our troops), Toby Keith has a song that kind of describes how people are feeling right now towards the President. The song?
Mitt has to be a country fan. And I like that.
-Reg
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Social Media Election
Recently Mitt Romney announced his exploratory campaign for President. How did I find this out? Twitter. That's correct, Mitt Romney used a popular social media outlet to reach his closest followers. Being a technology minded guy, this surprised me, and indicated something bigger about the upcoming election.
This next election will be the Social Media Election. Go back in time to 2008. Sure, candidates used social media outlets to send out information. But, Twitter was still in it's infancy and no one really knew exactly what to do with it. Foursquare didn't even exist yet. The hot, new, group messaging/private social network craze? You know, like GroupMe, Beluga, and Yobongo? Nope, startups were still trying to become the next HUGE network, like Facebook.
Fast forward to today. Millions more people have smartphones, allowing them to be always connected to whichever network they choose. Twitter is now one of the biggest social networks on the internet, and people have started to figure out it's usefulness. Foursquare has millions of users checking in to different locations constantly. The new private social networks allow for longer, more in-depth, discussions about political topics with people you actually know and respect, rather than random comment trolls. I know what you're thinking, "That's great and all, but how does this make the election a Social Media Election?"
It's easy if you think about it. What is a campaign? It's a candidate advertising themselves and determining what the people want. In previous times, candidates had to travel all over the country to do this. Now, however, they can do this simply with a push of a button. Not only that, but also get their message out to more people. I mean, come on, everyone is on some type of social network. Hell, even my GRANDMA is on Facebook.
Furthermore, the economy and job situation is a hot topic. And don't tell me it's not. Romney publicly called Obama out via TWITTER:
The next question is: how do you create jobs? Startups. What startups are succeeding? Social media startups. No one wants to be left out, and in the current world of social media, you know instantly if you are being left out. So, people will jump at the opportunity to be a part of "the next big thing."
Candidates need to reach people. They need to reach them fast. They need to reach them directly, not through the standard news outlets with all kinds of spin, both left and right. What can allow candidates to do these things? SOCIAL MEDIA. Mark my words - this upcoming election, will be the Social Media Election.
-RegAmerican
This next election will be the Social Media Election. Go back in time to 2008. Sure, candidates used social media outlets to send out information. But, Twitter was still in it's infancy and no one really knew exactly what to do with it. Foursquare didn't even exist yet. The hot, new, group messaging/private social network craze? You know, like GroupMe, Beluga, and Yobongo? Nope, startups were still trying to become the next HUGE network, like Facebook.
Fast forward to today. Millions more people have smartphones, allowing them to be always connected to whichever network they choose. Twitter is now one of the biggest social networks on the internet, and people have started to figure out it's usefulness. Foursquare has millions of users checking in to different locations constantly. The new private social networks allow for longer, more in-depth, discussions about political topics with people you actually know and respect, rather than random comment trolls. I know what you're thinking, "That's great and all, but how does this make the election a Social Media Election?"
It's easy if you think about it. What is a campaign? It's a candidate advertising themselves and determining what the people want. In previous times, candidates had to travel all over the country to do this. Now, however, they can do this simply with a push of a button. Not only that, but also get their message out to more people. I mean, come on, everyone is on some type of social network. Hell, even my GRANDMA is on Facebook.
Furthermore, the economy and job situation is a hot topic. And don't tell me it's not. Romney publicly called Obama out via TWITTER:
@barackobama I look forward to hearing details on your jobs plan, as are 14m unemployed AmericansHow does the job/economy topic push the election towards social media? Easy, what demographic is looking for the most jobs? College graduates, aka ME. What do college students do? They use social media. ALL THE TIME. They neglect homework, tests and pretty much anything academic to use social media. Trust me, I know.
The next question is: how do you create jobs? Startups. What startups are succeeding? Social media startups. No one wants to be left out, and in the current world of social media, you know instantly if you are being left out. So, people will jump at the opportunity to be a part of "the next big thing."
Candidates need to reach people. They need to reach them fast. They need to reach them directly, not through the standard news outlets with all kinds of spin, both left and right. What can allow candidates to do these things? SOCIAL MEDIA. Mark my words - this upcoming election, will be the Social Media Election.
-RegAmerican
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Why? Because I'm a REGULAR AMERICAN.
I'm an honest person. Sometimes to a fault. My first blog post was really just a filler to get something on the page. Now I'm going to start opening up. That's what a blog is supposed to be right? Well, here we go, whether you like it or not...
I feel like I represent most of what 20-30 year old Americans are in today's world. Personally, I'm graduating from college soon and am starting to look for jobs. I know unemployment has been high in the past few years and the economy sucked, but both are slowly starting to get better. I'm not gonna spout some percentage statistics about how it's gone up, because, well, I don't follow all the super up-to-date political news. Why, you ask? That's a very simple answer: I DON'T HAVE TIME.
I go to a fairly prestigious engineering school, taking classes that most of Middle America (including my parents) can't pronounce the title. I also have a part time job to make sure I can pay for the roof over my head and the crappy food I eat to stay alive. I also have many school organizations of which I am an active, leading member. I try to find time to exercise and stay some what in shape, but most of the time that falls by way side. Trying to find time to hang out with friends or even watch a television show for myself is almost impossible. So, being completely informed of every potential candidate's platforms, beliefs, and all the minuscule differences between them? Ha...yeah right.
So I thought to myself, how in the hell am I supposed to find the candidate that can read my mind and know what I want and know what I think is important? After, oh about 3.2 seconds, I realized that it was never going to happen. This led me to the idea of this blog. Why not just tell the candidates exactly what I want? Aren't candidates and representatives supposed to listen to what I have to say anyway? Isn't that what America was founded on? A government that "WE THE PEOPLE" created, to be run BY US?
My hope is that, through this blog, I can gain some followers and connect with other people who share my thoughts and philosophy when it comes to how this country should be run. Then, together, we can find the right candidate and let them hear our voices. Hopefully, come next year, we can get the right person who will listen to what we have to say and take action to change what we want changed.
Why is this important?
BECAUSE I AM REGULAR AMERICAN.
I feel like I represent most of what 20-30 year old Americans are in today's world. Personally, I'm graduating from college soon and am starting to look for jobs. I know unemployment has been high in the past few years and the economy sucked, but both are slowly starting to get better. I'm not gonna spout some percentage statistics about how it's gone up, because, well, I don't follow all the super up-to-date political news. Why, you ask? That's a very simple answer: I DON'T HAVE TIME.
I go to a fairly prestigious engineering school, taking classes that most of Middle America (including my parents) can't pronounce the title. I also have a part time job to make sure I can pay for the roof over my head and the crappy food I eat to stay alive. I also have many school organizations of which I am an active, leading member. I try to find time to exercise and stay some what in shape, but most of the time that falls by way side. Trying to find time to hang out with friends or even watch a television show for myself is almost impossible. So, being completely informed of every potential candidate's platforms, beliefs, and all the minuscule differences between them? Ha...yeah right.
So I thought to myself, how in the hell am I supposed to find the candidate that can read my mind and know what I want and know what I think is important? After, oh about 3.2 seconds, I realized that it was never going to happen. This led me to the idea of this blog. Why not just tell the candidates exactly what I want? Aren't candidates and representatives supposed to listen to what I have to say anyway? Isn't that what America was founded on? A government that "WE THE PEOPLE" created, to be run BY US?
My hope is that, through this blog, I can gain some followers and connect with other people who share my thoughts and philosophy when it comes to how this country should be run. Then, together, we can find the right candidate and let them hear our voices. Hopefully, come next year, we can get the right person who will listen to what we have to say and take action to change what we want changed.
Why is this important?
BECAUSE I AM REGULAR AMERICAN.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
What Do YOU Want From YOUR Government?
I know, personally, I want my government to listen to what I have to say. If I feel like an issue is important, I want to KNOW that I can communicate that to my representatives. And not only that, but know that they will actually do something about it.
Being a soon-to-be-college-graduate, I feel like I'm concerned with what the everyday, regular (REG) American is worried about: jobs and the economy. Plain and simple. We all need money to survive right? Whether you want to retire on a beach, soaking up the sun until your skin is leathery, or hole up in the South Dakota mountains with man's best friend and a rifle, you still money to do it, right?
Jobs. Economy. That's what I care about.
What do YOU care about? Let's hear in the comments.
Being a soon-to-be-college-graduate, I feel like I'm concerned with what the everyday, regular (REG) American is worried about: jobs and the economy. Plain and simple. We all need money to survive right? Whether you want to retire on a beach, soaking up the sun until your skin is leathery, or hole up in the South Dakota mountains with man's best friend and a rifle, you still money to do it, right?
Jobs. Economy. That's what I care about.
What do YOU care about? Let's hear in the comments.
About Me
- RegAmerican
- Just a regular guy wanting what everybody else does. Now to find a candidate who can get it done.