Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-No member of Congress should be allowed to gain financially from their positions. The problem with federal legislators is that many come to their elected positions already wealthy from previous jobs either as attorneys, doctors, dentists, former state legislators, political appointees, business owners, or other high ranking positions and professions, which have afforded them, not only substantial salaries, but opportunities for outside investment and other political advantages before they even enter office at the federal level. Many are able to finance their own campaigns to run for the federal House and Senate, and gain more in campaign funds within their campaigns, as contributors are oftentimes friends and political allies who are willing to give more to an already financed campaign. Many in Congress are millionaires when they take office and remain so in and after their term(s) in office. Continue reading
Government
Symposium 2015: The last two presidential elections were rife with known voter fraud. How do we ensure that our elections remain open, free, and fair?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-I would agree with this question’s positing of voter fraud if the definition of the term were expanded to include criminal and intentional disenfranchisement of large swaths of voters. By tinkering with early voting rules, scrambling the ways in which college students are allowed to vote and where they have to be to do so and through other Machiavellian schemes, Republicans have mounted a concerted campaign to close the voting booths to constituencies that traditionally don’t skew their way. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Torture or enhanced interrogation? How far is too far in dealing with terrorism?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-In a perfect world, we (the “good guys”) would never have to resort to the tactics and methods used by our adversaries to combat them. We’d be able to wrap ourselves in our cloaks of righteousness and overcome our enemies by sheer civic virtue, right-mindedness and devotion to the American Way. Continue reading
Should sanctuary cities be prohibited from receiving federal funds or any federal assistance?
Myrtle Beach, SC, & Orlando, FL February 8, 2016
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-Sanctuary cities should be prohibited from receiving federal funds or any federal assistance. At the present, sanctuary cities continue to receive such funding, and it is the state and federal government’s responsibility to see that funds are barred from being distributed to any sanctuary city. When federal immigration laws are being ignored, there is no choice but to cut funding to any locality, not in compliance with the law. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Is it time for a new round of campaign finance reform?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-Every time you hear the words “campaign finance reform” in the press, they’re inevitably accompanied by “hot-button issue” or some similar harbinger of doom. We’re warned repeatedly that there will be donnybrooks the likes of which man has never seen if we try to modify the current dog’s breakfast of methods by which our elected officials belly up to the public trough. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Are the Democrats and Republicans both becoming more extremist and does this give rise to a viable third party?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-Both the Democrats and Republicans have become more extremist, though in differing ways with varying yet similar characteristics. Democrats have gone from a party of state’s rights to one of progressive and socialist thought and policy, while Republicans have gone from a party of decentralized government philosophy to one that has compromised its conservative values and further weakened itself through alignment with and capitulation to Democrat ideas, along with limited opposition to Democrat sponsored programs, legislation, executive overreach, and Supreme Court and lower court rulings. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Should federal anti-gaming legislation be scrapped?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-If you’ve seen the “Godfather” films, you got a taste of what Vegas and Atlantic City life was like when the Mafia owned a large part of the casino and other gaming business. While the rubes through the door didn’t get fleeced any more thoroughly than they do today, the behind-the-scenes goings-on were bloody, ruthless and heavy-handed. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Is it time to end the current Social Security program for citizens under the age of 18?
Owatanna, MN Correspondent-According to the Social Security Administration website, “about 4.4 million children under 18 receive approximately $2.5 billion each month because one or both of their parents are disabled, retired, or deceased. Those dollars help to provide the necessities of life for family members and help to make it possible for those children to complete high school.” Continue reading
Symposium 2015: In light of recent terrorist attacks, should the federal government increase domestic surveillance? How far should a domestic surveillance program be allowed to go?
Owatanna, MN Correspondent-If the federal government expects domestic terrorist attacks in the future, then unfortunately, they should increase domestic surveillance. This is unfortunate because government is always too eager to place everyone in the “suspicious” category, presume guilt instead of innocence, and end up harassing or worse citizens whose behavior may not conform to arbitrary standards of proper conduct. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Should the federal government increase progressive taxation or the federal minimum wage as a way to address income inequality?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-There’s a reason why Robin Hood is one of the most enduring characters in literature and film. We all love the idea of an outlier, a third party who swoops in to balance the scales, right the wrongs and (of course) rob from the rich to give to the poor. When I was a high school student in Texas, Gov. Mark White introduced a school funding plan that would take some funding from wealthy districts and give it to disadvantaged ones in the hopes of leveling the playing field for all. It was, of course, dubbed the “Robin Hood Plan.” Continue reading
Thinking Outside The Boxe 