About

I have created this blog as a way for citizens to present criticism and ideas about government.  This will be an inclusive blog welcoming posts from all political viewpoints.  However, it will be a moderated blog – I will only publish posts that present a compelling position on issues.  For example, if someone sends in a posting that provides general criticisms, such as “the president is an idiot and a socialist, impeach him now” I won’t accept accept it, but if someone presents a cogent well-articulated post, it will get posted regardless of the political view it espouses.

It is my hope that this blog will be a place where people will post well-drafted communications that they have actually sent to The White House or other elected officials containing ideas and proposed solutions to our country’s problems.  I would also encourage visitors to copy posts that they agree with (and alter them if desired), and use the links to The White House and members of congress to submit their thoughts.  If enough of us share similar ideas, perhaps the government will start to listen to us.

In the interest of full disclosure here are some of my biases:

1. I believe that capitalism and free markets have flaws, but are still the most moral and honest economic systems and provide the highest benefits to the most people.
2. I believe that government is usually far less efficient and effective at providing products and services than private enterprises do in a competitive market.
3. I believe that government should have a very limited role in our daily lives – and should largely be confined to roles of national security and defense, law enforcement  and a judicial system, and perhaps ownership of national parks.
4. I believe that the government has been very irresponsibly run for most of the past 50 years by both parties – with outrageous deficit spending year after year, and ever-expanding entitlement programs that have been operated like a Ponzi scheme.
5. I believe that rigorous discussion and debate of ideas results in a more informed populace, and I abhor political correctness and reticence to share controversial ideas because of concern of offending others.  It is only by sharing and discussing dissenting ideas that we can determine whether or not an idea has merit.  One of the skills that seems to be woefully missing from public discourse is critical thinking, for example when someone who questions public education funding is dismissed as being “anti-child”, someone who is against gay marriage is dismissed as being a “homo-phobe” or a “bigot”, or someone who is against tax increases is dismissed as “greedy.”  It is time to get past name calling and marginalization of those with differing views, and instead have an open-minded rigorous discussion of the merits of ideas.