Owatonna, MN Correspondent-There is a correlating reason the American military has been downgraded (assuming downgraded means reduced in size). We are no longer fully engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which was the primary reason for the buildup in the early 2000s. The number of troops and weapons available should ebb and flow based … Continue reading In the last seven years, the American military has been significantly downgraded. With the end of the draft in 1973 and the development of the all volunteer military and a now dwindling military force, should the draft be reinstated to fill the gaps and attract a wider variety of individuals?
Politics
Should Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Fed-Ex/UPS or another large US-based company acquire the United States Postal Service?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-Efficiency experts, business mavens, delivery brain trusts and thousands of others have for years been kicking around the idea of privatizing the United States Postal Service (USPS). Proponents point to things like charter schools, which in some instances have far outstripped the performance of their traditional public school counterparts. The reason any business … Continue reading Should Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Fed-Ex/UPS or another large US-based company acquire the United States Postal Service?
A number of protests across the country in the wake of recent elections have impacted communities and interstate commerce. At what point do your rights to peaceful protest end and enforcement of anti-rioting laws come in effect? Should peaceful protest be allowed to disrupt use of public roads and thereby impede commerce?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Peace is the absence of conflict. Not necessarily the absence of violent conflict, just conflict in general. If someone attempting to operate their business by selling goods from a storefront or transporting those goods to consumers via public roads is prevented from doing so by protestors blocking sidewalks or roads, then a conflict … Continue reading A number of protests across the country in the wake of recent elections have impacted communities and interstate commerce. At what point do your rights to peaceful protest end and enforcement of anti-rioting laws come in effect? Should peaceful protest be allowed to disrupt use of public roads and thereby impede commerce?
Do police body cameras help or hurt law enforcement efforts?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent- Proponents of transparency in government rightly cheer the widening use of police body cameras to document police interactions with citizens. Anything that encourages open and honest government is a positive development. Unfortunately, it seems that law enforcement officials are uncomfortable with complete honesty. Many resist this new tool for community policing by … Continue reading Do police body cameras help or hurt law enforcement efforts?
Election Day Comments From Our Gastonia, NC Correspondent
Election Day has come and gone, and I would like to take a moment to give a message to a few of my friends: To my Republican friends: You won a BIG one. Almost nobody saw this coming, and you’ve got control of both houses and the White House. Use it well. Remember that you … Continue reading Election Day Comments From Our Gastonia, NC Correspondent
Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Donald Trump has recently been under attack for open mic comments made in 2005. Hillary Clinton has been attacked for defending a rapist early in her law career and comments made in speeches to Wall Street firms. Does this really matter? Should the debates focus solely on policy issues rather than character issues? Would third party participation in the debates help to better manage the dialogue?
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 … Continue reading Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Donald Trump has recently been under attack for open mic comments made in 2005. Hillary Clinton has been attacked for defending a rapist early in her law career and comments made in speeches to Wall Street firms. Does this really matter? Should the debates focus solely on policy issues rather than character issues? Would third party participation in the debates help to better manage the dialogue?
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. Early voting makes a lot of sense, as does increased access to absentee … Continue reading Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: What are your thoughts on early voting and voting procedures in the US? Is it time for reform?
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 … 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?
Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: In the second presidential debate, Donald Trump indicated that, if elected, he would have a special prosecutor investigate Hillary Clinton and her private e-mail server. If Trump wins, should Barack Obama step in and pardon her and others involved in the scandal or should he remain neutral?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-In the interest of the country, Barack Obama probably should remain neutral concerning Hillary Clinton’s scandal ridden career, particularly in reference to her actions as Secretary of State, and he is fully aware of her e-mail transmissions, her access to a private e-mail server and her Clinton Foundation solicitation of foreign donations. … Continue reading Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: In the second presidential debate, Donald Trump indicated that, if elected, he would have a special prosecutor investigate Hillary Clinton and her private e-mail server. If Trump wins, should Barack Obama step in and pardon her and others involved in the scandal or should he remain neutral?
Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Donald Trump has advocated an energy policy that will rebuild energy production in America as well as deliver jobs to blue collar workers in a number of critically important states. His policy stands in sharp contrast to Hillary Clinton’s. What are the stark differences in Trump’s policy as opposed to Clinton’s, and what will the possible ramifications be of both?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Trump's main thrust seems to be the goal of energy independence from the rest of the world, particularly independence from OPEC. He advocates more exploration and utilization of reserves on land and offshore. Clinton's focus is on mitigating climate change as the sole reason to have an energy policy, so her proposals center … Continue reading Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Donald Trump has advocated an energy policy that will rebuild energy production in America as well as deliver jobs to blue collar workers in a number of critically important states. His policy stands in sharp contrast to Hillary Clinton’s. What are the stark differences in Trump’s policy as opposed to Clinton’s, and what will the possible ramifications be of both?
