Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Character issues always matter when electing leaders, especially those in the federal government, but they are not as important as policy issues. The government is made up of humans who are fallible and have a wide variety of shortcomings. Character plays a role with voters because most voters at least subconsciously need to “like” a candidate enough to vote for that candidate. But voters should focus more on what policies the candidate will advocate for because those policies will more directly affect voters than will the fact that the person for whom they voted is a womanizer, or an alcoholic, or said some nasty things about someone years ago.
Government
Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: What are your thoughts on early voting and voting procedures in the US? Is it time for reform?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-This country’s voting procedures are adequate but rapidly falling behind the times. An upgrade is needed in when to schedule elections, how and when to allow voting, how to tabulate votes, and whether the time has come for ranked-choice voting. Continue reading
Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Donald Trump stated in a late September Council Bluffs, Iowa campaign rally that if elected president he would “take on the special interests, the lobbyists, and the corrupt corporate media that have rigged the system against every single American.” How would he go about tackling these monumental tasks?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-The first and best way to rein in the special interests that have turned congressional votes into a commodity to be bought and sold is to run the lobbyists out of the process. No matter how you slice it, using money and influence to get close to legislators is bad business. We have to get the foxes out of the henhouse. There are, of course, First Amendment issues to be dealt with here, but if Trump is elected and allowed to appoint a couple of right-thinking justices to the Supreme Court, perhaps sanity will prevail.
Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Briefly, what are the top five most important issues that you believe the next president should address and why?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-The top five issues the next president needs to address are the domestic economy, foreign policy, immigration, the tax system overhaul, and resolving the coming entitlement crisis (which includes health care and health insurance). Continue reading
Computer Hacking and National Security
From Our Gastonia, NC Correspondent
Do the denial of service attacks have other implications for US national and economic security?
The denial of service (DDOS) attacks last week which took down Netflix, Amazon and other large sections of the internet should be a huge wake-up call to our nation’s IT security experts. The evidence so far is that the attacks were launched not with PCs or laptops, but with millions of internet-enabled home devices such as refrigerators, baby monitors and door cameras. The “internet of things” was used against us in a scenario reminiscent of some bad dystopian sci-fi movie. Continue reading
Should felons, no matter their race or crime, be granted voting rights?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent– This is a tough one for me. I firmly believe that the right to vote is one of our most sacred. While I might secretly wish that there was an intelligence test administered before the franchise was granted, the fact is that if you reach the age of 18 with a pulse, you get to register to vote…unless you commit a felony. Among the other indignities visited upon those whose life path takes an unfortunate turn into criminality is the loss of the ability to step into a voting booth and cast a ballot for whoever they think most likely to grant them a pardon. Continue reading
Should the National Park Service Be Privatized?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-Privatization of the National Parks Service would be considered a break from tradition, though a number of national parks have already incorporated private operations within the parks themselves without detriment to the traditional sense of the government’s management and protection of the parks. Continue reading
Some members of the Congress want to allow the USPS to engage in financial services and banking. Is this really a good idea?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-Postal controversies have been brewing in one way or another since financial inefficiency and deficits have become part of the post office’s legacy for a number of years, so whether the USPS should be allowed to expand upon its existing financial services and possible banking services is questionable. Continue reading
If Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s Presidential nominee, earns his way into the Presidential debates, could that signal the end of the two-party political system in the U.S. and a change to a more permanent multi-party system like those found in many European nations?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, is the most popular third-party candidate for President since H. Ross Perot in 1992. He’s closing in on 15% approval ratings in many polls, the benchmark by which candidates are invited to the nationally-televised Presidential debates. Continue reading
A recent Rasmussen poll indicated that a majority of voters want to see Hillary Clinton’s health records. With her health issues becoming apparent to the public, should she and other high level candidates for office be forced to release their medical records?
Sheffield, Jamaica Correspondent-If you’re delving into the deep dark pits of politics, be prepared for the worst. On that note, if the Rasmussen poll indicates that the vast majority of voters would love to glance at Hillary Clinton’s medical history, by all means, appease them. It’s called politics and in most instances, they say the voters are always right. My vote will be buried at the bottom of the sea. I’ll never allow those politicians that honor. I know…It’s not about me, but I just felt like ranting because I can. Continue reading
Thinking Outside The Boxe 