Another Global Warning!

While people are pointing fingers and 'blaming', they are dividing and sabotaging the only solution we have for the inevitable erosion of prosperity for rank and file; unity among the multitudes who are paying the price for their self-centered short-sightedness!

So many people have enjoyed the fruits of others' labors for so long they have no clue what it took to provide the abundance they've enjoyed!  As government takes a little more at every turn they don't see the whole picture of what's happening (like the frog in the gradually boiled water) until it's too late.  Each time EVERYONE loses a LITTLE there are those who slip into the 'marginal' group from 'abundance'; those who slip into the 'poverty' and 'public support' group from 'marginal'; and those who slip from 'poverty' and 'public support' into the 'homeless' and 'desperate' groups.  Get a clue people!  If you cannot see the 'writing on the wall', perhaps you can see the writing on your paychecks:  LESS NET INCOME!  Add to that the HIGHER costs of fuel, utilities, groceries, education, medical care, etc. and what do you get?  LESS NET INCOME!  But it doesn't stop there.  Add the foreign labor which continues to drive down wages and benefits and you have LESS NET INCOME!

The 'tipping point' is inevitable and rapidly approaching!  The Congressional Budget Office may call it a "Fiscal Cliff".  The Mayans may call it 'the end of an epoch'.  The Christians may call it "Armageddon".  Regardless of what it is called, how it is rationalized, or how it is denied, it is imminent!  Corporate leaders may cut staff and production to preserve the profits lost to less consumption.  Governments may take out loans to meet the expenses of supporting ever increasing numbers in poverty.  The wealthy can invest in art, precious metals, etc., but their wealth is worthless if there are no CONSUMERS to produce their wealth and give it value in exchange.

When all the trappings of civilization we take for granted are lost or removed, we will once more be reduced to the common denominator and great equalizer:  Survival of the fittest.  Decision makers would do well to remember there WILL be a point when imprudent decisions may no longer be undone.  There WILL be a point when greed and lust for power will push civil civilization over the 'edge' and the outcome WILL be irreversible.

When and if it this disastrous 'tipping point' occurs there will be multitudes of rich and poor, who refused to acknowledge the simple truths of Providence which provided us with our 'natural' laws, crying out to the God they tried to replace with government, to "Save us!"  May God have mercy on their souls.

The Hijacking Liberals: How Edward Bernays and the FDR Democrats Befuddled the Republicans

Classical "Liberal" ideology, still recognized everywhere but the United States, was hijacked by Democrats in the 20th Century when they re-invented themselves as "Liberals" after taking control of our academic institutions. Republicans, who embodied the TRUE "Liberal" ideology have been shaking their heads trying to figure out what happened ever since. "Classical liberalism is a political ideology, a branch of liberalism which advocates civil liberties and political freedom with limited government under the rule of law and emphasizes economic freedom." Still staggering with trying to figure out how everything we stand for and believe in is embodied in a word which we can no longer apply to our principles and values because it has been embraced by those whose ideology and values are the polar opposite...just as the word "gay" has come to represent something completely different than it's classic definition. Still reeling with cognitive dissonance produced when psychology is married to sociology and politics? Welcome to the wonderful world of Edward Barnays and contemporary propaganda! We've come a LONG way since Stalin first applied the concept as a viable means of exercising government control of the proletariate by means of the media!   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_liberalism

Israel: A Western Ideological Oasis

Hate Israel and Zionists all you want, if you please; we have "hated" just about all our current allies at one time or another, but Israel is the oasis of western ideology in the Mid-east, and exactly like the United States, an obstacle to Muslim domination.  (Any woman living under, or subscribing to Muslim ideology is simply abdicating any hope of ever being anything more than an object or possession, simply because of her gender.) We have been in wars with England, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, but they are all our allies now because we share fundamental values which can be assimilated between cultures and ideologies...just as we share the fundamental ideologies and cultural history with Israel.  The Muslim nations, on the other hand, have an ideology and a cultural background which will NEVER be assimilated into ours, or any other nation, which does not share their values.  They are the antithesis of western and eastern cultural values and ideologies, like water and oil, which is why they refer to Israel and the USA as the great evils who will NEVER be allies with them.  They are have established their "indigestibility" with western culture:  "In all these places, the relations between Muslims and peoples of other civilizations - Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Hindu, Chinese, Buddhist, Jewish - have been generally antagonistic; most of these relations have been violent at some point in the past; many have been violent in the 1990s. Wherever one looks along the perimeter of Islam, Muslims have problems living peaceably with their neighbors. ...Muslims make up about one-fifth of the world's population but in the 1990s they have been far more involved in intergroup violence than the people of any other civilizations. (Huntington p. 256)" http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/blis_extrem_west.htm

Social Networking: Benefactor or Bully?

Social Networking is a fantastic opportunity for people to meet and socialize in a fashion never dreamt of in the past.  It allows a revolutionary method for a leader to interact and communicate with the public.  It gives us all an opportunity to share our thoughts, opinions, feelings, hopes, dreams, activities, or any manner of intimate or public expression!  It extends our circle of influence and ability to exchange ideas in a fashion limited only by our imagination.  We have the opportunity to conduct a personal "chat" with personalities we may never have been able to reach through previous methods of communication. However, like every creation for the good and advancement of mankind it has the capacity for abuse.

I'm certain there are few of us who have not experienced the intrusiveness of 'spam', 'identity theft', or 'malicious software'.  Creative entrepreneurs have made fortunes protecting us from what, in some cases, may be their own creations. The mainstream media reports frequent occurrences of electronic "bullying" of youth, with tragic results, when hateful remarks lead innocent young people to avail themselves of permanent solutions to temporary problems.  There are people who take pleasure or amusement in circulating electronic deceptions, preying on our innocence and trust, while rejoicing in their deceptions.  There are and I suppose there always will be those who have a malevolent and malicious nature; don't care who they may injure; believe they are serving a greater good which transcends lesser harm; or simply don't understand the consequences their actions.

Hecklers, detractors, baiters, instigators, and provokers go with the territory in politics.  One of the drawbacks of making public decisions is that "you cannot please everyone”.  The electronic media, like hundreds of pounds of steel surrounding automobile drivers, grants the opportunity for isolation and anonymity permitting expression of our darker side embodied in stalkers, predators, and deviants.  They are not only allowed to flourish but to carry out their nefarious purposes with impunity by creating false personas to mislead, disparage and degrade.  Fortunately, Facebook has provided a means of blocking the attacks of these pernicious character types.  Unfortunately it only removes them from our sight and doesn't prevent them from carrying out their mud-slinging and smear campaigns 'behind our backs'.  I'm grateful that I can 'block' these predatory stalkers so I, at least, do not have to continuously witness their hatefulness and malicious provoking and goading – not to mention the fact that it denies them the gratification of their odious intent with the ability to ignore.

Happy Social Networking!  J

Mayoral Candidacy

     I chose to become involved in elective government because I have a deep abiding concern for preserving the virtue and value of Constitutional government by informed consent of the governed. I have always sought to run FOR the office rather than running AGAINST another candidate, and confine my complaints to criticisms of collective behavior rather than personal.

     When I ran FOR the Molalla River School District Board of Education, in 1999, I did so because I believe the public is sovereign, should be allowed effective decision input, and has a right to know what is happening with the education of their children. I strongly and vocally objected to decisions made outside Public Meetings, which undermined the valid efforts and effectiveness of concerned citizens. That is why I always sought the means of providing more open, transparent, and accountable government. My efforts were not endorsed by all my elective colleagues, but my objections were to the TYPE of government being provided rather than individuals.

     I ran FOR the City Council of Molalla in 2008, after being appointed in 2006, for the same reason I ran FOR the Board of Education. During my six year tenure I have consistently been proactive in recommending positive policies and goals which would benefit the citizens of Molalla. These proactive recommendations included, but were not limited to:

• A recommended goal of the City Council endorsement of conducting a Community Summit May 28, 2009 which led to the City's statewide recognition by the League of Oregon Cities' Good Governance Award for Excellence.

• Development of the Molalla Energy Policy, Resolution 2007-14.

• Proposed October 22, 2008 Mayoral Proclamation of 1st November Gratitude Month.

• Development of the Molalla Economic Development Policy, Resolution 2009-17.

• The 2009 proposal to refinance Water & Sewer Bonded Debt in 2010, which saved the city and ratepayers over $1,000,000.00 over the term of these bonds.

• Proposed a Transportation Advisory Commission to review and recommend City transportation and road improvements - May 11, 2011.

• Proposed an ad hoc committee to review and evaluate options for a Multipurpose Civic Center recommended by TEAM and the Urban Renewal District Advisory Board - May 25, 2011.

• Proposed the City Council support a follow-up to the 2009 Community Summit, November 9, 2011, which the Council later declined to take action on but Communities That Care and the Ford Family Foundation took the initiative to follow through with this event.

     I am now a candidate FOR Mayor of Molalla because I hope to continue the positive efforts and objectives I have established and demonstrated for the past six years as a member of the City of Molalla and the four years I served as a member of the Molalla Board of Education. I hope the citizens of Molalla will join me in a joint effort to preserve and expand the UNITY, Livability, and prosperity of the community which is the Place we all call home.

Fair Elections Fading Fast!

Fair Elections Fading Fast!

When the architects of this nation "ordained and established" the Constitution, they realized government by "consent of the governed" required discretion in who would be granted voting rights - the sacred right to choose who would best represent our values, and how those values would be expressed.  Recognizing there would be great diversity in determining what criteria should be applied in granting sovereignty to "the people", they added the 10th amendment to both allow and ensure broad diversity in granting suffrage.  The abiding concern was always two-fold; maximizing the rights of citizens to participate in self-government; and ensuring the caliber and competence of those who would mold our government.

"When the country was founded, in most states, only white men with real property (land) or sufficient wealth for taxation were permitted to vote. Freed African Americans could vote in four states. Unpropertied white men, almost all women, and all other people of color were denied the franchise. At the time of the American Civil War, most white men were allowed to vote, whether or not they owned property. Literacy tests, poll taxes, and even religious tests were used in various places, and most white women, people of color, and Native Americans still could not vote." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_rights_in_the_United_States)

For as long as the United States has existed there have been those who sought to manipulate government to suit their nefarious purposes by manipulating votes or disenfranchisement of voters.  Although voting is probably the single most important element of self-government, it has become cavalier and careless in those allowed to participate, and how that participation is granted.  Nevertheless, for the past 236 years dedicated and concerned Americans have been seeking methods of maximizing the caliber of government by ensuring the rights of citizens to reliably and responsibly exercise "consent of the governed".

THE SILENT MAJORITY

The paradox in all the discussions regarding 'left' and 'right' is how we measure our effectiveness. We are still basing our policies and values upon the small segment of society who are willing to EXPRESS their opinions while ignoring the multitude who watch and listen, but remain silent! Back in the 60's and 70's there was much more recognition of the "silent majority". They are still alive and well...and still the majority. I don't know if it is universal, throughout America, but in Clackamas County the number of registered Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are ALL down. That does NOT mean that the public is becoming hopelessly apathetic, but simply there is an increasing segment of "we the people" who are becoming disenfranchised by all the major parties. Why? For the same reason there has been an enormous surge in the number of grassroots political organizations - they are all looking for a party which most closely represents the values of the "silent majority". I think "Conservatives" may draw encouragement from the fact these grassroots organizations are leaning toward the values we represent (God, liberty, justice, financial prudence, states' rights & the Constitution and free market competition) – but not completely! The winner of all the political "spoils" (the "pot' in the Poker metaphor) will be the party which tailors its platform to embrace the best qualities of all parties. What if we had a party which recognized the fact that the 'war babies' are getting older and are somewhat decimated; their children are coming of age and are more progressive inasmuch as they are receptive to new ideas and approaches – as children will always be – but still retain most of the values of their parents; their Grandchildren are learning the values of parents and Grandparents. I know there are people I hope will be reading this who are much more qualified than I to recognize and identify the hybrid-values which will emerge from the age of transition. If we continue to stubbornly persist in retaining traditional political values we will discover we have become little more than a footnote in history. It's time we let our hair down before it all falls out.