Dan's Words

The Short Version of how Policy is Enacted and Influenced in the US

2009-11-09T16:49:00.005-05:00

Few people seem to understand how policy is enacted in this country, so here's how it works.The people who write the legislation these days are called "lobbyists." Their salary is paid for by some corporation, and their duty is to affect policy in ways that financially benefit the corporation that they represent. An example of this would be a business that recycles tires has proven that ground

The Political Contest, the Divide of the People

2009-09-09T15:47:00.004-04:00

Watching TV today I saw a commercial where a group of people at a bar wanted the game they were watching to continue into overtime so that they could continue their fun. The referee's instant replay camera was actually a live feed to this bar, and when the people at the bar told him that they want the game to go in to overtime so that they could continue their fun, he made it happen. I believe

Health Care Bill Shapes up Like a Typical American Election

2009-08-25T02:28:00.008-04:00

After reading the Health Care Reform Bill, HR3200 a few days ago, I decided I would take some time to let it digest before taking any particular stance on it. After the first read, I definitely felt there was extreme sensationalism on the part of Republicans as they lambasted it for containing parts about death panels, and that it was a complete takeover of the US health care system. It

Health Care Reform - HR 3200 - Without the Spin

2009-08-23T16:46:00.007-04:00

The sensationalism plaguing both sides of the debate on Health Care is quite astounding. From elected officials, to American citizens you hear people discussing "death panels," and complete government take over of our Health Care system. You hear about a single payer system with only a public option and the elimination of private insurance in American health care. You hear people saying that

The Nature of Things...

2009-08-17T16:31:00.003-04:00

It was very easy to predict that Obama would not fulfill many of his promises. The notion that he wasn't going to additionally tax anyone who makes less than $250k/year has been scrapped. His promise that all bills would be viewable online for a week prior to a vote being taken was broken in his first month. It was easy to predict that his budget would include an increase in offense spending (

Obama's Approval Rating is Above 60%, Yet 67% of Americans Would Give him an "F"

2009-03-11T03:30:00.004-04:00

An MSNBC poll running gives people the chance to score Obama's job thus far. At the time I voted, 67% of the people had scored him an "F." I imagine the results are slightly biased simply because people are more apt to spend time criticizing than praising, however the gap between the "F" grade, and the others is staggering. 17% had scored him an "A" while 24% make up the rest of the

Ron Paul Kicks Ass Week Ending 2/27/09

2009-02-27T03:26:00.009-05:00

Congressmen Ron Paul went on a tirade this week and did nothing but kick ass the entire way.In this week, he rattled an entire news team here. Their reaction is priceless.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Also this week, he had a chance to talk with Fed Chairmen, Ben Bernanke and they had this to say:--------------------------------------------------

The End of Monetary Fines for Traffic Violations

2009-02-23T01:12:00.005-05:00

Currently, all people are penalized the same dollar amount for the same violations. I find this system to be completely archaic. While it seems natural to think in terms of dollars, what you really have to look at is how many hours you are punishing this person for. Time is the most simple constant to charge people for and by choosing to fine people dollar amounts, you end up with a scenario

Economic Stimulus FAQ

2009-02-17T18:55:00.005-05:00

FAQ for those that made wise decisions:Q: I decided not to buy a home in the last 8 years when they were dangling these no down payment, low interest loans because I didn't think I could afford it even though people making less than me with more debt than me were buying them, what do I get?A: You get to chip in and pay for the difference between what they can actually afford, and what they

Geithner Wishes to Create a Bad Bank, and Sell it to the Taxpayer

2009-02-11T13:59:00.002-05:00

While all the hoopla surrounds the "stimulus," there is an even larger economic investment that is a near slam dunk for the Obama Administration, and specifically for Timothy Geithner. On Tuesday, Geithner announced that there is a plan to immediately buy up to $1 trillion of the troubled assets that are clogging our credit markets. This will be achieved through a combination public-private

More States Take Stand Against Fed Involvement

2009-02-07T16:24:00.003-05:00

Early this week, I reported how New Hampshire had started this year off by introducing HCR 0006, a resolution that stated their Constitutional right to govern their citizens and to not tolerate US Government involvement in matters that are legally to be upheld by the state. Since New Hampshire introduced this resolution, 7 states have followed the lead to declare sovereignty under the 9th and

State of Washington Introduces "Restore Sound Money and End The Fed" Resolution

2009-02-06T23:30:00.001-05:00

Taken Directly from the John Birch Society Website.Written By: Larry GreenleyLate in 2008, the John Birch Society (JBS) posted a model "Restore Sound Money and End the Fed" resolution for state legislatures (this resolution includes live links to thirteen resource documents) on its website for consideration by state legislators in their 2009 sessions. (Click here for a PDF version of the

The State of NH Takes Stand Against Fed Involvement

2009-02-03T15:32:00.008-05:00

The State of New Hampshire is taking serious steps towards lawfully protecting their citizens from the non-Constitutional laws that have been put in place over the last 8 years by the former administration. Three Representatives (Itse, Ingbretson and Coverford) along with Senator William Denley have drafted a resolution that "affirms states' rights based on Jeffersonian Principles." Jefferson

No Income Tax for Single Income Families

2009-02-02T15:52:00.006-05:00

One piece of legislation that I strongly believe should be proposed is that the income tax for single income families be eliminated. At the very least, it should be a priority of our politicians and citizens to begin to analyze the effects of the two income family becoming a societal norm.There have been many negative consequences that have resulted from the increased popularity of the dual

The Best Plan for $800 Billion of Taxpayer Dollars

2009-01-28T00:33:00.005-05:00

The bank bailout was a waste of currency going to the rich creating an unfair balance of wealth to that sector.So, for this new bailout just eliminate income tax for everyone who makes less than $100,000/year this year. It's right around the same amount of money and you can eliminate many jobs in the IRS due to the low volume of work necessary this year to help curb the economic downturn.

Exploratory Group Investigates a Peter Schiff Candidacy for Dodd's CT Senate Seat

2009-01-27T02:50:00.004-05:00

Peter Schiff is a President at Euro Pacific Capital in CT and is an outspoken opponent of the recent government bailouts and has spoken against the predatory nature of our Federal Reserve Bank. His voice was a minority, and even laughed at by Art Laffer, an economist with a PhD from Stanford, on Television in 2006 when Peter Schiff had suggested that we were nearing a deep recession that would

To Obama and his Administration - Please Read - A Better Plan for That Other $350 Billion

2009-01-26T18:39:00.005-05:00

Why giving a corporation (or anyone for that matter) money and applying rules by which they have to abide by in order to make it profitable lacks common sense.I see daily reports on the news of politicians criticizing the way different banks and auto manufacturers are spending their (government forced tax payer) money. Just today, Citigroup is being criticized for planning to go ahead with their

The Rulemakers Think You're Ignorant

2009-01-23T17:54:00.009-05:00

The amount of rules placed on a group of people is directly related to how ignorant the rule makers think you are.It should be celebrated when a regulation can be taken away as the governing body has decided the public is intelligent enough to handle the decisions regarding that scenario and it should be considered a huge disappointment when force, as opposed to education, is required to help

Peter Schiff's Redemption

2009-01-17T16:56:00.004-05:00

I remember President of Euro Pacific, Peter Schiff, being the receiver of much ridicule for his views on the US economy over the past 8 years. The highlight of this video is Art Laffer's arrogant stance and how everything he said was untrue has been uncovered as the reality. He even made a public bet with Peter Schiff at around 2:00 minutes.Last summer I remember having a spirited debate with a

Current State of Washington According to Congressman, Ron Paul (TX)

2009-01-14T02:54:00.002-05:00

Congressman Ron Paul tells it like it is.He discusses TARP funds, Bernanke's absence, and the Israeli/Gaza War. There's not really much to say after Ron talks for 5 minutes except, "Yeah."

Ron Paul on Obama Stimulus, CNN

2009-01-08T03:36:00.002-05:00

I know my blog is filled with Ron Paul video clips, but I've looked, and he's the only politician who's getting airtime and who's saying the right things.

Ron Paul Sounds off Against the SEC, Madoff

2009-01-06T02:22:00.001-05:00

Dr. Ron Paul with his eloquent message against regulation:

Weathering the Recession, and Coming Out Stronger

2008-12-15T16:53:00.003-05:00

It seems our country has started some crucial steps towards weathering this recession. Already, people have cut down on their consumption greatly. This of course comes at some cost and that will be less money going to businesses, money that they've grown accustomed to earning and have based their labor and other expenses on. Since September, consumption here in the US, and globally has seen a

My Application for the Car Czar Position...

2008-12-10T17:13:00.004-05:00

Hello - I'm interested in the government position to be the first Car Czar of the United States. While I don't have any experience in the automobile industry, neither did anyone that came up with this idea, so I thought I'd test the waters.I actually do have an Engineering Degree, so I have some amount of experience studying assembly lines and my professional work after college included managing

The Oil, The Dollar and The Euro

2008-12-02T17:44:00.008-05:00

I found this great article written in 2004 in regards to the US oil addiction and how our foreign affairs are guided by this. Professors Sohan Sharma and Surinder Kumar, and scientist Sue Tracy come together and detail the past 60+ years of US activity in relation to enforcing oil.Their stance is that the US is in competition with the Euro and that our actions are to regain our monopoly of the