Lakewood As Katrina Victim

[Bill Call]

The Federal government will eventually spend $100 BILLION to rebuild the City of New Orleans. That comes out to about $200,000 per resident of the City. If the Feds spent that kind of money in Lakewood the total expenditure would be about $10 billion dollars.

And it's not just New Orleans. The State of Florida want the feds to assume responsibility to repair any future hurricane damage. Keep building! Every time the storm tears it down the feds will pay to build it up.

I could break my head trying to explain why I think it's the wrong policy so I won't even try. Our country has evolved beyond the concept of individual responsibility and accountability.

In keeping with modern American Thinking: What About ME?

Lakewood and other Cities throughout the country are suffering from long term weather related damage, a Kreeping Katrina . It might take longer for the damage to manifest itself but eventually your roof needs replaced, the kitchen gets old ,the sewers need updating and the streets need paved. We are all victims.

Ohio is a key electoral power. Neither party can win the presidency without it. It's been true for quite while but we haven't taken full (any) advantage of that power. It's time we did.

I am not suggesting we sell our votes to the highest bidder but perhaps we can rent them out.

[c. dawson]

forget it ... the candidates all come around here, pretend to be concerned, pretend to listen, and otherwise kiss our collective butts to get votes. After Election Day, they're not seen nor heard from again. We're only important until we cast that vote. Then afterwards, we're ignored, and the folks from K Street (the lobbyists) have the access and influence.

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

It's hard to put a price on a constitutional right.

I've worked for the Cleveland Indians for the past two years, going on three, and I have seen professional sports cram as many advertisements into their buildings as possible.

The outcry from the fan of the game is "it's becoming too corporate, it's a sell-out business". I'm using that example as an analogy to selling your vote.

Space = Air Time = Profit
shouldn't be applied to
My vote = Your Election = A new roof for my house.

America (meaning we the people) in general has a myopic view of things. It's just the way it works, not a negative or a bad thing.

Bill you raise the point of using the power of our vote to influence candidates. Meaning, we give them our vote and they give us what we want to see in our region, street, home, whatever.

What if the scenario is flipped around?

Meaning, what if the developers, investors, and people who have the power of the checkbook and the vote say "we will fund parts of your campaign if you give us a deal once you're elected"?

Then the candidate becomes a lobbyist, unethical and a sell out. Something that a lot of voters don't want in their representatives.

So we can't hold anyone up to a certain standard and then break the standard ourselves.

Any politician that is fueled by the want of money, POWER and riches shouldn't be elected. If a politician isn't in it to help his represented city, county, district, state or country, to better things than at the moment that he's elected, he's violating his right to run for public office. Likewise, if a voter is motivated by anything other than to use their vote to better the lives of their brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends, then they are abusing their constitutional right to vote.

the equation should be more of something like this:
My vote = your election = my child, neighbor, cousin, brother, sister comes home safe from Iraq.
or better yet
My vote = your election = peace for everyone.

because then it turns into what about US and not ME.

Food for thought.

[Bill Call]

Space = Air Time = Profit
shouldn't be applied to
My vote = Your Election = A new roof for my house.

Meaning, what if the developers, investors, and people who have the power of the checkbook and the vote say "we will fund parts of your campaign if you give us a deal once you're elected"?

Then the candidate becomes a lobbyist, unethical and a sell out. Something that a lot of voters don't want in their representatives.

I use to agree. Not any more.

The Federal budget has become a one gigantic honey pot. Money is distributed on the basis of bribes paid. Senators like Trent Lott resign so they can become lobbyists; lobbyists who custom make laws to suit their own needs. The billions spent on lobbyists is money well spent. It earns tens of billions in return.

I don't blame the lobbyist or the people who pay them. Our elected representatives use the power of taxation and regulation to blackmail business and individuals. The action of the lobbyist is just self defense against a corrupt oligarchy that cares nothing about the people they represent.

I just want a piece of the action.

Why should Washington D. C. and Northern Virginia be the wealthiest part of the world?