TERM LIMITS


For the Math nerds:
Lim 
X-->1

In an earlier post, T.P. Voigt mentioned 12 things we can do to fix America. One of those was to set term limits for Congress. I would like to expound upon that and offer a specific solution. That ultimately is the goal of this blog; to not just point out national problems but to find sensible solutions.

Currently, the only limit in place for the federal government is the President. The President can serve two consecutive terms of four years. There is actually a way for a person to serve as President for 10 years. He or she would have to have been the Vice President for a President who was removed from office at least 2 years into the term. The VP would finish out the term as President and then still be able to run and potentially be elected twice.

But as for Congress, there is no such limit in place. Representatives are elected for 2 year terms and the Senate for 6 years. The Supreme Court Justices are given life appointments. They can die or retire, but their jobs are guaranteed so they can focus on the law and not their job security.

Because this blog is about actually offering solutions, here is mine.

I propose that we set the term limits as follows: The House of Representatives are allowed to be elected up to a total of 6 times, giving them 12 years to serve. These can be either concurrent or non-sequential. Members of the Senate are allowed 3 terms totaling 18 years. These can be either concurrent or non-sequential.

Why these numbers? Well, the Senate was set up so it would have a higher turnover ratio so it could there for be a more long term thinking group. The House has a high turnover, every 2 years, and is meant to capture the immediate emotion and feeling of the nation at that given time. These two bodies account for the short term and the long term. With a 12 and an 18 year limit, we still have that.

But we also gain the added benefit of no more career politicians. They would now have to have real skills in another field. We would most likely see an increase of teachers, doctors, farmers, welders, computer programmers, stay at home mothers, be more willing and able to enter the political ring.

The big, behind the scenes groups that use their money to keep politicians in power would be less likely to do so knowing their “candidate” won’t be around forever.  When a person knows their end is near they generally do one of two things: go out with a bang or a fizzle.

Knowing their time is at hand, the politician won’t have to spend so much time worrying about campaigning or raising money or passing laws that only benefit their voter base. It removes some of the burdens politicians face of constantly face. They can focus on actually being productive and not just cater to the masses.

And with the higher probability of newer members of Congress, we increase the likelihood of new, fresh ideas coming in and are less likely to face the political grid lock that happens when long time congresspeople circle the wagons and get into their petty feuds.

I welcome any comments on this possible solution. Am I too generous with my limit? Are limits a bad thing? Is there a different way you would want to limit Congress? This might be a small little blog, but someone might someday read something on here and make something happen

I KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE, WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING

Imagine this: You are watching CNN. The host has two guests arguing about illegal immigration. The guests are touted as experts in their field and their credentials would prove that: one is a Harvard graduate; the other from Princeton. Both have the same degree. Yet somehow these two equals in their fields are able to have completely opposite views and argue them passionately. They both have the same data on the number of illegals in the country.

How is it then that when presented with the same data that two people can disagree while being so similar? It is simple. Normative vs. positive statements.

In economics (the most logical of all pursuits) breaks down all statements and ideas put forth into one of two categories: normative or positive. Understanding these will help to better understand what people are really arguing about.

A normative statement is one that is based on emotion and has no relation to numbers, facts, statistics, or data. It is a person’s statement on anything really that is based on their own thoughts and feelings. A normative statement cannot be quantified or studied. It cannot be correct in and of itself. It is generally not an acceptable way to support ones ideas either. An example of a normative statement: “There are too many illegals in this country”. Or “We should do more to help poor people”. Or this fun gem “The rent is too damn high!!” These statements are all based on a person’s individual beliefs. They cannot be proven nor disproven with numbers. How many is ‘too many’ illegals? How much is ‘do more’? How high is too high?

A positive statement is one that is solely based on numbers or quantifiable data. It is a statement that is correct regardless of opinion. Positive statements exists separate form any creed, color, gender, ethnicity, or political affiliation. Positive statements are what actually prove arguments and are useful in public and private discourse. Some examples are “1.2 million babies are aborted each year in the United States”, “The position of running back in the NFL is comprised of 99% black men”, or “The rent is 68% higher than the national average”. These statements ignore what is right and wrong. These statements actually inform others and are what we need more of.

So, how can our pretend Harvard and Princeton graduates have the same data and disagree so vehemently? Normative beliefs. One feels that illegals are hurting the country; the other feels we should do more to help them. Both can say that there are 12 million illegals in the U.S.

Why does any of this matter? Because the media uses these to make us react in the way that best sells air time or issues. We are told the normative statement and then given the positive statement that supports that feeling. This is a HUGE problem because numbers never lie but people do. And people can dig deep enough and long enough to find the positive statement they need to support their normative one.

It is important for us to be able to distinguish between a normative and a positive statement. Politicians use the normative to get your vote. They say sweet things to convince you that they can help. We like hearing sweet things. But the sweet things can’t be added, can’t be subtracted, or analyzed.

It is my humble hope that we we gather together to discuss and debate on what is going on and what needs to happen, we do so positively. Lets leave our heartfelt exclamations out of it. It is almost impossible for a human to remove their emotions from their words and actions, but for us to come together to really make things better, we need to bring our facts to the table and discuss the merits of those.

I know you really care about what you care about otherwise you wouldn't care.

 FREEEDOM!!!!!!!!

From the mouth of the Captain:

We sall have had enough

The accepted Lies

Truth.

   Some thoughts on the Gay Rights movement:

 

  My guiding principle on this issue is three fold: 1) I believe fully in liberty and justice for all. Isn't being free to decide one's destiny the whole point of being an American? 2) I will let anybody do their thing, as long as it doesn...'t affect me and my thing. Giving people the right to marry whom they choose doesn't really affect me or my thing. So we're good. You start telling me I have to be gay in order to support gay people and then we will have a problem. And 3) I try my best to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who, does not condone homosexuality, but, he also does not condone my less obvious sins either. He said love everyone. and so, that is what I will do. I don't agree that being homosexual is by any means acceptable. But I also believe that no one should be barred from making their own decisions. Tomorrow I could be forbidden from owning guns or practicing my religion, I wouldn't like that one bit. So I cant be a hypocrite and tell others what they can or cannot do. I support peoples right to marry whom they choose.

   Recently, some people have decided that they hate Orson Scott Card. The author of Ender's Game, a novel that has touched many lives throughout the years and inspired many imaginations, including my own.
Mr. Card is LDS and is morally and religiously opposed to same-sex marriage. He has exercised his Rights to free speech and made his position clear. Others in the opposition to Mr. Card have simi...larly made their position clear. Using very hateful and ignorant language to attack Mr. Card for his intolerance. If you see the profound irony in the above scenario, you are an intelligent person. Here is a sample of some comments:
Ben Plunket writes:" jeebus effinf christmas, wake the eff up people, its not his views, its the fact that he funnels large sums of money into organizations that actively try to take away gays rights, not just on marriage... i hear hitler wrote poetry, own any of his writings? Why not? His works has nothing to do with his views amirite?"
this guy got 16 likes at the time

John Cameron McClain writes: "He's written publicly that he believes marriage equality would lead to the "end of civilization," which means he knows a lot less about reality than he does Science Fiction."
this guy had 245 likes

Fantasy and Sci-Fi Rocks My World writes: "To be honest, the not buying books from someone who believed such things has a point. If he was a passive person who is afraid of homosexuality because he's just one more ignorant then I understand... but if he uses the money he makes to promote his views against homosexuality... which are absolutely horrible, then perhaps I support those who would relinquish his writings in order to stand for what they believe in"
6 likes

I have a sweet idea. How about we let bygones be bygones? How about we all just let each other live their own lives while we live ours? If Cards ignorance and intolerance connects him with Hitler, let history judge him. Don't make yourself a jackass by calling somebody a jackass.

He is "spreading intolerance" Huh? then what is this thread trying to do? Are you not attempting to discriminate against him because of his views/beliefs? You say that you want equality and tolerance for everyone, yet you are intolerant of everyone who disagrees with you. And the cycle of hatred continues. you so-called "progressives" are just as bad, just as closed minded as the so-called "conservatives" you oppose. Both of you only possess half of the tolerance equation, yet you insist that you corner the market. This type of blind insanity will continue to lead America to its downfall. Until you can finally figure out that equality and tolerance is a two-way street, and that it is necessary to love even the ones who hate you, you will continue to be a ignorant person.

I don't know why this is so hard for people to figure out: Tolerance and Equality are a TWO WAY STREET. You CANNOT claim you want equality and tolerance for all people, everyone treated the same, no respect to race, creed, sexual orientation, anything; Saying that everyone gets the same rights to do as they please, no discrimination, nothing; AND THEN TURN AROUND AND REFUSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION THAN YOU THE EXACT SAME PRIVILEGE YOU WANT FOR EVERYONE. There is a word for that in the dictionary: Hypocrisy.

I've been hearing it over and over again: "anyone who opposes same-sex marriage are terrible and shouldn't be allowed to vote" or "lets sign a petition to revoke Fox News' First Amendment Rights". It's shameful. And anything but "progressive"

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD

Concerning the Trayvon Martin Case:


A young man's life was lost. A grown man's life is ruined. Guilty or not guilty, the death of any person in so easily avoidable a circumstance is a tragedy. Tragedy is meant to unite us, not divide us. But now it will be politicized, and the American people will become more polarized as a result. Justice may or may not have been done, but there are no winners in the Trayvon Martin case...

 Rest in peace Trayvon. I'm sure you didn't intend for your death to inspire such hatred and violence in your countrymen. All of whom are brothers and sisters and should be acting like it...

someone wrote this on slashdot the other day and i thought I would share it:

"Well gee, "no government" seems to be a bad idea, and "total government" seems to be a bad idea, I wonder if there might be something in the middle?

Perhaps, I don't know, a constitutional republic that exists to provide for the common defense, the peaceful mediation of disputes, and holds only limited and specifically enumerated powers derived from the consent of the governed such that it may not infringe upon the unalienable rights of the people?

I know, crazy talk. Let's go back to flailing widely between equally intolerable extremes."

   America, Why do we continue to let ourselves be lied to? No matter what side of the political spectrum you belong to, whether you consider yourself Democrat or Republican, you have been repeatedly misled by greedy and wicked men in power. Will you continue to be blinded by the dividing lines of party? Or will you forsake the heinous ties of allegiance to a corrupt brotherhood that left your ideals behind long ago? We have become like the abused spouse, who, despite frequent beatings, continues to return to the offender rationalizing that they somehow didn't mean it and will change...hopefully soon. 

     When will we pack our bags in the dead of night and leave? We have been divided as a people for far too long, led along like captives by our leaders, played against each other in some sick game. The people in power have long known that if we were too busy fighting one another, we could never rise up and see the face of our true enemy, because we were too busy grinding our brother's face in the dust. I recently went on an unfortunate rant against someone from an opposite political view of mine. the subject is unimportant in hindsight, but the hallowed words of Gettysburg echoed in my mind: "I killed my brother with malice in my heart. Hatred destroyed my family" and " A house divided cannot stand". We are fighting against our brothers and sisters. Hatred is destroying this house. I don't think it is too late. If we can "dissolve the political bands that have bound us to another, and assume, among the powers of the Earth, a separate and equal station", If we can find common ground on broad principles that we find to be self evident, Principles like Freedom, Liberty, and Equal Justice before the law, perhaps then we can rise again as a Great Nation.

12 Things we can do to 'fix' The United States:
 

1) Relocate the Capital to a more central location. The country is huge. Why do we still have a capital located on a coast? It would create a sense of unity among the Nation if people on the west and east coast knew that their government wanted to be as close geographically as possible to it's constituents. It would also keep from fostering an East vs. West mentality. The new capital should be located IVO Lebanon, Kansas. The geographical center of the United States. As an added bonus, think of the engineering feat it would be to move the capital a few hundred miles. Can you say: job creation? Think of the spirit of goodwill and brotherhood that would be created as we all participated in the creation of a new world wonder. A modern Metropolis that showcases all the greatest aspects of American Ingenuity... I think it would be truly amazing.  I can see it in my mind's eye. It is glorious.  Think about it. A city where the dreams of the nation are brought to life in material corpus.
 

2) Revise the tax code. Have every citizen earning an income pay a flat rate percentage on his/her net income for the year. 10% to a rich man is the same as 10% to a poor man. Fair and Equal. In one fell swoop, you eliminated the mass of loopholes that pervades the current system. Millionaires and billionaires would start to bring their revenue back from overseas, as the taxes they were trying to avoid would no longer be there to take said money. Now those billions of dollars will be made more available to re-invest in the economy, instead of stagnating in the Caiman Islands or Zurich.
 

3) Reinvest in the American People. Lets take a page out of Iceland's book. When they were going through hard economic times, they chose not to bail-out the banks and the big industries, they let them go bankrupt and instead, gave tax-breaks and one-time grants to a majority of private citizens. As a result, their economy is doing fine while the rest of Europe struggles. Imagine what would happen if, say, for one year only, you got your tax return and in it was 300,000 dollars? What would you do with this money? The obvious answer is: pay off debt. the smartest answer is: Invest it. the answer the bulk of Americans will chose is: Spend it. All three answers are good for the economy.
 

4) Get rid of the two-party system. This is a must. nothing has served better to divide the country than our current system. The reasons I think are obvious, and the effects that it has had on our national culture can be readily seen. Its not good. It needs to go. Dissolve the Democratic National Committee and the Grand Old Party, seize their assets and have the proceeds go to paying down the national debt.
 

5) Term limits on elected officials need to be more severe. The career politician is strangling the life out of this nation. We need the lay-man's Republic to be restored. Ordinary, civic minded men and women need to step up and lead the nation as it was meant to be led. With a Congress of peers representing the interests and desires of their fellow constituents. This will help to breath new life into our government. The majority of our elected officials are lawyers and businessmen. Where are the Scientists? where are the Engineers? where are the doctors? where are the stay-at-home moms? Where are the Police Officers? Where are the farmers? Where are the teachers? This nation has stagnated because our leaders have a very vanilla life-experience. How can we expect lawyers to write policy for our farmers? How can we expect business people to legislate for our scientists? It doesn't make sense people.

6) Take further steps to rid us of the career politician. Take away their retirement and pensions, and cut their salaries. Have senators and congressmen be paid the average salary of the people in their districts. Have the president be paid the national average salary. All money saved by these cuts should go to paying down the national debt.

7) Create Change in the Federal Executive branch. Dissolve the NSA, ICE,DEA, TSA and other federal law Enforcement. Keep the FBI and invest in them to make them leaner, meaner, and more efficient. Give them the power to perform the duties they were meant to perform: the enforcement of federal law. Domestically, more power and authority should be given to State and local law enforcement. Next, revamp the CIA. Give them the teeth necessary to protect the interests of the United States abroad. If they do their job correctly, we should have less need for stationing troops abroad. By maintaining a silent, and invisible presence abroad, we can do good throughout the world, protect American lives, and strengthen our esteem in the eyes of our of our peers.
We need a leaner, meaner military. Bulk up the Navy and the National Guard. Decrease the Army and place renewed emphasis on Special Forces throughout all of the branches. Increase spending on military R&D with an emphasis on keeping American lives out of harms way. And dramatically decrease our military presence abroad. In essence, exactly what we are doing right now, but at a more aggressive pace. Also, we must keep our promises to the Service men and women of this country. And increase the pay and benefits of the military to increase the attractiveness of service. We must show our gratitude to our military in more than word, this represents a philosophy and policy change acrossed the board when dealing with our military members past and future.

9) We need to reform healthcare. The way to do it is Dr. Benjamin Carson's way: " Here’s my solution. When a person is born, give him a birth certificate, an electronic medical record and a health savings account [HSA], to which money can be contributed, pre-tax from the time you are born, to the time you die. When you die, you can pass it on to your family members so that when you’re 85 years old and you’ve got 6 diseases, you’re not trying to spend up everything. You’re happy to pass it on and nobody is talking about death panels. That’s number one. Also –
For the people who are indigent, who don’t have any money, we can make contributions to their HSA each month because we already have this huge pot of money instead of sending it to bureaucracy – let’s put it into HSAs. Now they have some control over their own health care"
 

10) Reform the welfare system. Now, most of my economic reforms that I have proposed would take care of a lot of the problems of welfare. But there are still so many problems with it, that I could talk all day about reforming welfare. But the thing that would really make the most difference is a general philosophy change, and that is that a welfare system's whole goal should be to get a person off of welfare and into the job-force. Period. With an emphasis on developing job skills, going back to school, learning a trade. The whole culture of living off the government must be destroyed utterly. Now, that is not to say that if you have fallen on hard times and need some help, that the government can't help you out. Everyone experiences hard times. But the government should be a last resort, after your family or church. And the expectation is that you will get a job, and pull yourself out of your hard times. while the government is there simply to ensure that you and your family aren't out on the street and starving while you do it.
 

11) Create a self-sufficient country. Did you know that France is the only agriculturally self-sustaining country in the world? Its true. If France can do it, so can we. We need to invest heavily in clean, sustainable energy sources. NASA has several ideas to do just that. Mr. Musk also has a lot of ideas. all of which are viable and on the cusp of breakthrough. If we just gave it a little more of a push, we could have an energy self-sustaining country. and we could do it without the controversial coal or nuclear options. Once we solved our energy problem, we could help the entire world. And in so doing, solve our financial woes.
 

12) Reform higher education. We could easily do a similar thing that we do with healthcare, to our education funds. Give everyone a bank account as soon as they are born that is meant to fund their college education. they can put money in, but they can't take it out until they have graduated from high school. then they can use the money to go to college, or get started in life however they choose. Now they are in control of their own educational destiny. The bottom line is, a person should be able to go to college if they choose, and not come out of it with debt to their eyeballs and not be able to breath clear until they are in their thirtys and fortys.

These are just the ideas that lowly, uneducated Thomas Voigtlaender came up with in his spare time. Think about what could be done if an actual smart person thought for a long time about how to fix the country...
I've got a lot more ideas, hit me up if you want to discuss them. thanks for reading my super-long post. you are a true friend!

Welcome to the Minute Men,

  I'm excited to be starting this dialogue with you all.  For far too long the people of this great nation have been caught languishing between two opposed powers. It is time that we as a people 'dissolve the political bands which have connected them to another'.  It's time that we started thinking for ourselves and start developing new solutions to the world's problems, free from the bounds of established mechanisms. Instead using only our common sense, our consciences, and our life experiences to riddle the conundrums of our times. 

 What I am asking all of us to do will not be easy.  I am asking that we set aside decades of strife and ideological warfare, and come together as free men and women to the table of free exchange.  We must come together now, and experience a 'new birth of freedom', before our liberties are swept away by the slow, and creeping tide of greed.

  The single, most beautiful thing about our society is also our most ugly feature: Our dynamism. Our churning vortex of thought and opinion. The United States is a place where the old and the new clash, come together, and spawn new thoughts and ideas in a continuous maelstrom of progress.  Winston Churchill once remarked that "Americans will always do the right thing...eventually." The 'American Experiment' is...ongoing. It is our lot to be the laboratory of the world. It is our responsibility to find pathways through human existence that leads to a future where freedom, human dignity, equality, justice, and a million other virtues are not only enshrined, but are openly practiced.  For all our faults, all our shortcomings, the beautiful thing about the American Experiment is that constant evolution. 

  Our Founding Fathers possessed a remarkable foresight, they knew that their window to history was a narrow one. That the world of 2050 and beyond would be much different than the world of 1776.  And they even had the foresight to know that they had absolutely no clue what it would look like! And so they made no attempt to limit the possibilities for change; they created a Living Document, a genius and inspired Constitution that could be added to and amended to change and grow with the times.  All under the guiding premise that the government ought to be limited, beholden to the People that gave it power. And that in this way, the People could be free to decide their own destinies and mold their own futures in a land of boundless opportunity.

  We are now the inheritors of a great legacy.  It is up to us to preserve the spirit of the Founding. To hold within our hearts that 'all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness'...  It is in that spirit that we create this forum. A place that is safe from oppression in all it's forms. A place where that wonderful chaos of free thought may take corporeal form to the end of making life better for the people of the world.

   So welcome my friends and countrymen! Let not your mind be weighed down in depressing thoughts of despotism! But rather rejoice in our freedom, and the promise that the future is as bright as we make it...


               “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.” “Science is my passion, politics my duty.”
   - Thomas Jefferson

            Hope you Enjoy!

 Thomas Voigtlaender