Wiretaps and other fun news

Hello friends and readers,

  I could have written about this a few days when the story broke, but what fun would that be?  Apparently, Jane Harman had some conversations with an Israeli agent and was organizing some Quid Pro Quo.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2009/04/jane_harmans_mysterious_conver.html

Seems now that Jane is pretty upset, she is a member of Congress you know.  If it comes to pass that a crime was committed, she will be censured or, at worst, impeached. Jane Harman will likely become the scapegoat of a much larger issue.  If we laid it all out, I am sure that dozens more Congressmen would fall.

 Have a good day all.

Trevor

Wanted: Contacts in our 50 ( not 57 or 58 ) States

  Hello everyone,

  I feel the rush now...fairly close to getting on the flight that will bring my troops and I home.  To get on Washington State's ballot for the November Election in 2016, I will need to hold a convention of sorts and gain 1,000 signatures.  Now, that is the easy part.  I will have to repeat that process 49 more times before my name will appear on each State's ballot for President.  I am confident that I have friends and family across maybe 15-20 State's and will publish lists as I go along.  Being an Independent Candidate travelling through mostly Democratic and Republican States will not be difficult...but finding a setting in which to attract at least the 1,000 signatures needed...yeah, little tougher.  I have no travels planned for this year, but will make a concerned effort to start travelling to gather the signatures needed next year.  If we could spread this message out, I may be able to gather friends in all 50 States, and then plan an itinerary.

  Quite a daunting task, but not an impossible one!  Thanks everyone.

Trevor

Going strong...still

  Hello readers,

  For only the second time since I began the blog ( and announced my intent to run for president in 2016 ) have I been asked the following question:

  "You are running for   President?  Shouldn't you start at Governor or become a Senator first"

I told the person to "read my lips".......  deep breath...

1.  How many of the Lawyers we see running for President have been to a foreign country, except to have drinks on the beach while they get a tan?  Zilch.....nada.

2.  How many years exactly is someone required to serve a political role, milking the system for all they can and losing the trust of those they are supposed to be representing...before running for President?  None, zero....zip.

3. I can only say this so many times....and maybe some day...more people will believe me  "  I may not have political connections, but I don't want them...my only concern is to truly represent the American people and help guide our country back to firmer territory , a stronger economy and a Government that truly represents all Americans "

  You can quote me on that.

Have a great day.

Trevor

Clowns, clowns everywhere

  Hello friends and readers,

  It wouldn't be fair to call our House and Senate and our recent court of candidates vying for the presidency...clowns.  For the most part, clowns are meant to be funny.  Unless you might have Coulrophobia, which is a fear of clowns, our representatives are anything but funny...and the candidates, well...they are funny sometimes. 

I present, for your enjoyment....a video or two of debate bloopers that you may or may not have missed.

This second clip I really like.  Whether or not you liked Ronald Reagan....he was a  great source of Presidential bloopers...and quite funny, in his own right.

  A slow day at the office today.  Enjoy the videos..have a smile and great day!!

Trevor

SOPA and PIPA shelved....at what cost?

  Hello friends and readers,

  I wanted to add a link today that would show you how much money certain congresspeople received to help ensure that the current vote for SOPA and PIPA would be delayed....alas, due to the firewalls on this computer I can't open it or copy and paste....so I will type it out.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politicolnews.com%2Fcongressmen-who-received-money-for-sopa-vote%2F&h=HAQGqLAJSAQGeuNkWXKQsbLRcWtz3LcOMVbUE0CZ7eOBgpg

  I hope the link works...would be interesting to see who received the money...and how many of those are up for re-election ( 33 jobs available post ).

  Why is it important?  Currently, the Internet as a whole is nearly evenly divided on the legislation for SOPA ( Stop Online Piracy Act ) and the PIPA ( Protect I.P. Act )....with roughly all of the people who enjoy downloading everything for free ( even copy written material ) against the measures, and those who would like to be paid...songwriters, singers, movie actors, the guild...etc etc, for the measures.

  Perhaps the measures go slightly beyond ensuring that those who produce copy written material are paid for it...I am for SOPA and PIPA.  The two measures are not nearly as diabolical as many folks make them out to be..really.

 Next,  this video is a must see for anyone who used the site www.megaupload.com or knows someone who did.  15 minutes long...but so filled with plausible fact that it's scary.  Please watch.

  Please spread this message out to all your friends.  Have a great Sunday.

Trevor

Closer than ever.....as each day passes

Hello everyone,

  A quick post.  Closer to re-deploying and finally seeing family and friends again!  It's been a long road, but definitely manageable.  Thank goodness for whatever communication we are afforded.  I think back to my deployment to Bosnia and having no cell phone, no computers ( except for official military business ) or any method to contact family or friends except for snail mail.  That was rough.

 The 30 days doesn't refer so much to when I will be returning home, but more so when I hope to kick off the Video Blog....so we can finally meet in a fashion.  I have been looking forward to making some videos for about 2 months now...and my mind races with such thoughts as 1. How should I start?  2. Should I copyright my videos?  3.  Should I dis-able features such as the thumbs up or down .

  I only know for sure...at least hope...that my videos will have no ads what so ever.  Ads seem to clutter a video.  I want you to be able to see me...and hear me, clearly.  I also am looking forward to making videos in response to other candidates, if they use YouTube....  or will hope that you will forward my videos if appropriate and "on target".

  As my friends and family dig out from last weeks snow storm, as it begins to melt in the rain, I wish everyone a happy and safe weekend!!

Trevor

With candidates flip flopping...let's not forget Congressional elections

Hello friends and reader's,

  Photos cannot portray the ineptitude of our current Congress.  The link below will explain how your Congress only passed 80 Bills last year, the fewest on record since year end records began being kept in 1947.  We must give credit though..since Congress was able to pass a Bill that "reaffirms that our nations motto is, indeed, "in God we trust".  Too bad they couldn't pass laws to prevent themselves from short selling stocks and insider trading, or to nationally affirm that our language is "English"....that would be difficult since our "English" is so far removed from proper "English" where "fags" are cigarettes, to be "queer" is to be odd and to be "gay" is to be happy.  Food for thought.  Without further ado...the link...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/15/congress-logs-most-futile-legislative-year-on-reco/?page=all

Remember folks...in addition to the Presidential Election, there are 33 Senators either retiring or coming up for re-election.  As sad as it may be, I believe less than 5 of the incumbents ( Senators trying for re-election ) will get the boot, and Congress will not get the picture....and we will be stuck at status quo for the next 6 years and beyond.  Please ensure that this isn't true.  Vote, vote, vote. 

Congresses inactivity cost around $93,090,000 for the 2011 fiscal year.
Have a great weekend.

Trevor

Western Wa hit with Snow......really? Yes...really.

  Hello readers,

  While candidates are still collecting mass amounts of donations and trying to climb to the number one spot on the ballot, Western Washington has been hit with more snow than they have seen since the late 1980's.  Having lived there most my life, I can say that it only takes between half an inch to two inches of snow for it to be news worthy, and to wreak mass havoc on the interstates. This year the accumulation well exceeds that...and judging by the various news reports and videos available on YouTube, this may very well be....wait for it...." Snowmageddon ". I couldn't believe it, even after I saw it as a title for a video.  See for yourself....

  I can almost relate...since we don't get hit with much snow in the low lying areas that often...or when we do, it's usually gone by morning.  Now more folks can't make it to work...not because they don't know how to drive in snow, but other people don't..as evidenced by the video below...

  So for family and friends in Western Wa,  this post is for you...and other to read and enjoy at our expense.  Have a safe day.

Trevor

Just another Tuesday......and some cool stuff...

  Hello all,

  Just a short post today.  My wife created some super, fantastic, awesome and really nice business cards and they should be arriving at our house before I get home.  Looking forward to getting out and meeting people and spreading the word.  Without further ado....the business cards for my campaign.

   I can't make any guarantees about the Face Book group beyond next week....but will keep you updated about any changes.  Also, I got rid of the "donate" button since I didn't have it activated and had no idea really when I was going to try and accept donations.  I replaced it with my "Top 5 posts". 

Have a good day everyone.

Trevor

Not just another Monday......

  Hello readers,

  Today, for the government and others, it is a day off.  For everybody else, it is a day to remember a great American, a great leader and architect of rights and liberties that many enjoy today.

  Today, we remember Martin Luther King Jr.

  I would write more, but it would fill even more pages than what I have written since September 2011.  I will include a link to several sites and would encourage everyone to read further...so that today doesn't become just "another day off".  Thank you everyone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html

  Have a great and peaceful Monday.

Trevor

What to call my video log.....since "Trevor for President" is taken........

  Hello readers,

  Another fine Sunday. Coffee is brewed and the newspaper, with full color comics awaits.  Yesterday, I really got started thinking about my upcoming video blog ( VLOG )*  and under which title should I post it to YouTube.  So, I went to http://www.youtube.com/ and started typing suggestions into the search area..hoping that one of them would come up with no hits ( meaning it was available ).  Here are some queries and results...  * Video Blog?  Have seen the term VLOG around YouTube quite a bit.

1.  Trevor for President:  This was my first choice since A) I am Trevor and B) Running for President
   Unfortunately, there are or were, quite a few Trevor's who have run for president in the last few months and maybe years....the only difference is that these kids were running for middle school class president...or my favorite video...a Trevor running for 4th grade class president ( he became fairly animated when he suggested longer recesses for all ).  I commented on their pages, told them good videos..but now I am stuck to come up with a "working title" for my Video Blog....ha ha.

2.  Trevor's Bright Future :  I won't go into detail on this one...ha ha ha ha.


  So, after only a day of searching and trying to think of a name for my videos, I have nothing.  I still have a month to try and think of something, but will be open to any and all suggestions. 

Have a wonderful Sunday and we will see you next week...on Monday.

Trevor M Dodge


P.S.   After viewing results for "Trevor Dodge for President" and noticing that most of the videos were only tagged in part due to a person named Trevor or a Dodge Viper.  Very nice.  Will be looking to see if I can secure that as my title. Thanks again Jane!!  Woo hoo.  Must have been my cold that I didn't think of that...ha ha.

Some good news...and some not so good news....

  Hello readers,

  Another working weekend...but only have a couple more of these...yay!  A shorter post today..it is Saturday after all.

  First the good news:  The Marines in the video I described yesterday have been identified and two have already been interviewed by Military Intelligence ( I know.... I will try to limit my use of oxymoron's from now on...ha ha ).  There will be action taken against them and a positive note in a statement from the Taliban...is that the release of the video will not derail planned talks for an inclusive Government in Afghanistan.

 The not so good news is that the apparent front runner for the G.O.P. is none other than the guy I didn't name from the now viral video.... Mitt Romney.  Huge round of applause ( insert here ).  When I posted my opinion on who will win the presidency this year, I barely touched on the Republican Factor... but if this video of Mitt Romney dissing a dying man gets a few million more views, I can guarantee that even Republicans won't vote for him. 

  Of course, I also didn't add the human factor...will allows for voter apathy, disenfranchisement and the ever standing..until it's abolished, College of Electorates. who can swing the vote which ever direction the money flows.

  Have a great weekend.

Trevor

What now??

Hello readers,

  It has been a crazy week for sure, and now it's getting even crazier.  Videos popping up on YouTube and other sites that show how evil some candidates are ( if you can believe the video )....I won't mention any names, but one candidate was holding a forum of some kind and was approached by a man in a wheelchair...stricken for life, weighing 85 pounds and having severe reactions to the medication he was receiving.  He asked if ( as president ),would the candidate throw him in jail if he received medical marijuana to ease his pain.. the candidate in question said point blank..." I don't support medical marijuana "  and walks away....all the time being chided by other attendees at the forum and luckily for us..the camera guy as well ( the one who took the video ).  It was shameful to watch.

  Also in the news...more videos of US troops...this time ( allegedly ) desecrating a corpse, possibly Taliban in Afghanistan.  Let me explain this...  AT NO TIME EVER IS IT OKAY TO DESECRATE A CORPSE REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU ARE AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES INVOLVED.  Again, this video found it's way first to www.liveleak.com then www.youtube.com.   I saw the one on liveleak and it was difficult to tell exactly was happening...but video supposedly shows Marines urinating on dead insurgents.

  I think I mentioned in a previous post about how people don't need to worry about the government spying on you...it's your neighbors, fellow soldiers and just about anyone with a cell phone.  I am not a big fan of "shock video"...but realize it will never go away as long as we have candidates running for president, soldiers far away and any person who is doing the wrong thing and thinking no one knows...oh well.

Have a great weekend everyone!!  Looking forward to talking to you through videos and answering any and all questions you might have!!

Trevor

Who in the world am I writing this blog for? Here you find out.........

  Hello friends and readers,


  It's not often, but I get asked a question like "Who are you trying to reach with your blog".  As you know, I will be running as Independent, and haven't really "subscribed" to any particular ideology.

  It's is time that more "free thinkers" become involved in politics.

  So....to answer the question.

  I write my blog for Democrats, Republicans, Independents and Green Party folks....I write it for Christians of all denominations, Agnostics, Atheists, Muslim, Hindu and followers of Judaism....I write it for heterosexuals, homosexuals, men, women, children and transgender...I write it for tall people, short people, skinny people and large people.  In short, I write it for any and all people that care about America and hope to see a brighter future, not only for ourselves, but our children and the world.

  It is long overdue that people look beyond races, skin color, gender and sexual orientation.

  I saw a video on YouTube yesterday that really got me thinking.  I can't share it today, but the title was something along the lines of "  I love Jesus, but hate religion ".  Maybe I will post it at a future date, if you are not able to find the video.  It is only about 7  minutes long, and a form of poem.

  I write this blog for you....if you are reading it...it is for you.

Have a wonderful day and look forward to the weekend!!

Trevor

My opinion ( prediction ) for the 2012 Election results

  Hello readers,

  I figured I would do this sooner than later...not that anything I write here will compel changes to the popular vote or change the minds of the College of Electorates ( remember...the 538 people chosen just prior to the Presidential Election, who will cast their 538 votes among the Democrats, Republicans and few Independents and decide our next president.

 Take a deep breath....let it out. 

  Are you ready?  Okay.

 The final tallies from the College of Electorates will result in approx. 350 votes for our incumbent president Barack Obama, with the remaining 188 votes being split between the Republicans and Independents.  Give or take....maybe 50 votes one way or the other....meaning, a second term.  Why?

 There are numerous reasons...let's start with the recession.  It actually began around late 2006, early 2007.  It was not the fault of a junior Senator ( at the time ) and can not be attributed to him in 2008 until now.  The huge, grotesque bank bail outs and auto industry bail outs....we can thank Congress for those..and they did so to protect their own interests.

  End to the war in Iraq:  Even though it was originally declared by President Bush, it was actually President Barack Obama who ensured that our troops, while maybe not yet home, were out of Iraq before the deadline.  Huge thumbs up.

 Snuffing of Osama Bin Ladin:  Took 10 years, but it happened on President Barack Obama's watch. Big thumbs up.

 Congressional Infighting:  Folks try to find the faults, and perchance even with only partial success getting bills passed ( Jobs Act, etc, etc ) Americans will remember more that Congress fought and accomplished little, compared with what President Obama was actually able to do.

 Here is a condensed list of more accomplishments:

1.  New S.T.A.R.T. ( strategic arms reduction treaty ) with Russia to reduce the number of intercontinental ballistic launchers by half.

2.  Repeal of D.A.D.T. ( Don't ask , Don't tell ) in armed forces.

3.  Tax cuts.  He re-signed to continue Bush era tax cuts through 2012.

4.  Fair Sentencing Act: To reduce the racial disparity that exists for crimes, more specifically drug related ( crack and powder cocaine ).

5.  Childhood Obesity Act:  Good to get it started...but truly, parents need to get their kids off the computers and X boxes.  Kids don't need cell phones at age 5 and need to engage in outdoor sports...or something.  In the 70's, extra curricular sports was all we had....unless you count the video game PONG.

6.  Health Care reform....while controversial and not yet up to speed, he is trying..which is more than any president before has done.  I have friends that are not covered....not by choice...so it is still a ways off....but can be done.

7.  Wall Street Reform Bill:  Put an end to ( hopefully ) tax payer funded bailouts.

8.  HIRE Act:  Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment.  Basically, a huge slab of money and tax incentives for companies that hire unemployed folks.

  There are more items....but I really don't need to fluff this.

  Other things in his favor....have you seen the Republican field lately?  Yikes.  Additionally, even though Ron Paul likes to flip flop from Independent to Democrat...or whatever he is running as....is America ready for an 80 year old president?  I am not saying he isn't capable....I just don't see him getting the nod to be on the ticket in 2012. 

So, that's it.....that's my prediction for 2012.  Can I see so far as the day when Al Elliott and I make our run?  No...but I will be chronicling it for all to see and am looking forward to adding true videos...speeches if you will.  I will link the blog to my Youtube channel ( or vice versa ) and boy howdy...we are going to have a great time!!

Have a great evening everyone....or day...or morning...where ever you may be.

Trevor M Dodge

Change of schedule.......

  Hello friends,

  Was already to go to work and get today's post started, but when I got to the office...was informed of a scheduling change...for today.  My regular post, that usually shows up around now, will now be moved about 9 hours later.  Such is life during the redeployment stage.  Must say that I am very excited to start a new video series next month....it is going to be great and the best part...NO ADS ( at least in the videos ).


  So, have a great morning and will catch you this afternoon.

Trevor


Dang office computer.....just wrote a long nice post to finish up and it didn't save it.....May I get a collective "AAAAArrrrrrrrrgggghhh"?   Have a great day everyone..

Trevor pt2.

A lighter post......is it Monday already???

  Hello everyone,

  A shorter post today.  Gearing up for redeployment and will have a few of these "odd" days where I may be busier than usual and not able to write very much.

  Everything is going well...no snafu's to speak of...yet.  I did read an interesting short story in our newspaper today.  As much as I have railed against our Congress in it's short-sightedness and obvious fact that it enjoys being able to do things that would land you or I in prison...again regarding the failed Stock Act of 2011.... I have found extreme greed in lower seats of local government...presenting,

Harry Thomas Jr., who until last Thursday was a Washington DC council member.  In short, he has been charged with extorting more than $350,000 in government funds that had been earmarked ( really ) for youth sports and arts programs.  He admitted that he spent the money on.....are you ready??  A luxury SUV, travel to exclusive golf courses and clothing.  Let's give a huge round of applause...to Harry, who admitted as much and resigned his seat on the council as part of a plea agreement.  Hmmmmmm....no jail maybe?  Ah, the life in politics must be wonderful... to be free from persecution...if that's the direction it goes...which is unlikely.

  Have a great...uh..Monday everyone. 

Trevor

Say no to SPAM, unless your'e cooking up a spam sandwich!!

  Hello friends and readers,

  I deleted my account at http://www.reddit.com/ yesterday.  Here is the scenario that occurred in less than a week.

  The first two links I provided to the site were 'text' links and only asked a question.

1.  Term limits for Congress?   I added my two cents, and let others respond in kind.  Sort of a discussion group, if you will.

2.   Why so much info on the presidential election, when we have 33 Senators resigning or running for re-election this year?   This discussion brought some good communication.

  The second two links I provided to the site were to relevant pages on my blog....specifically, the page where I listed the 33 Senate seats up for grabs and the failure of Congress to police itself ( Stock Act 2011 ).


  Lastly, I provided a link to the site, that took readers to a letter I wrote to a Senator and her response on http://www.opencongress.org/ .


  After leaving work yesterday, I went back to my room and logged into reddit.com and was checking the discussion progress on my links, when I noticed one missing ( the one taking readers to my blog in reference to the 33 Senate seats ).  On further review, it had been sent for review as being SPAM.  Yes, dear readers....they called me a SPAMMER.


  After an attempt to contact the moderator who had labeled me as such, and receiving no response, I decided to delete my account.  Even in their bylaws, it says open access to post links to blogs, news etc etc....this is just a fallacy.  In the process to delete my profile, they even asked why I was leaving....and I explained thus...

  I am an American citizen and Army veteran who decided last year, that I will run for president in 2016 and had started a blog to charter the course from retiree to the presidency, additionally adding pertinent and useful information to my readers about any and all issues and upcoming elections.

  If reddit.com enjoys the pace at which it calls contributors "SPAMMERS", and deletes useful links which may actually create some thought, then woe to be party to that.  Deciding that my news isn't just useful, but SPAM.  Fine I say.

  The good news is that there are many other outlets available in which to spread the news....folks sharing the posts and when people just happen to find them during a search.


Have a great Sunday everyone....and, if anyone out there still has a http://www.reddit.com/ account, please send them the link to this story...

Take care all....Ciao.


Trevor

Ahhhhhh....the weekend.....and I am working.

  Hello everybody,

  I am just going to do a light post today.....yesterday's post took a lot out of me....seeing all those job openings up for grabs and those Representatives and Senators that have been making an honest buck on a salary of $174,000 a year. 

  Presidential hopefuls ( except me ), parade around touting "CHANGE", which in retrospect will only occur when WE make it happen.  I have mentioned some bills in Congress that have failed, or been slightly controversial.  The fact that Congress needs a LAW to prevent them from short selling stock they own or from engaging in insider trading should have raised more than a few eyebrows.  It doesn't really matter now, since the measure failed to garner enough votes to pass, and the American public has been sitting complacent.  Can't blame Joe Schmo*, because news of this ( Stock Act of 2011 ) rarely made it into print and was rarely, if ever, talked about on National Television. 

  I will say it again....and again.  We need to become pro-active to be more reactive.  If we had known about the Stock Act of 2011 in January of that year....maybe we could have petitioned Congress to ensure the measure passed....or petitioned the President to create an Executive Order...in effect, ordering Congress to not engage in that illegal activity or face IMPEACHMENT, FINES or any number of things....but alas, we didn't know.

  Our current president has created more than 100 Executive Orders since he was sworn in in 2008...and amazingly, none of them rein in Congress and their "holier than thou" attitude when it comes to LAWS WE MUST FOLLOW, and LAWS THEY COULD FOLLOW, IF THEY WANTED.


Have a great weekend everyone.....


Trevor

*  Joe Schmo is a 'made up' name and is not meant in any way to offend anyone who may actually be named Joe Schmo.  Peace.

33 Job Openings of 2012, No Experience Necessary...Silver Spoons Preferred

Hello friends,

  Today's post will be slightly EPIC, as far as the amount of information that I will be posting.  As stated in the title, there are 33 job openings...and they are all in the Senate. To be Senator, you need only these requirements:

 

• at least 30 years old.
• a U.S. citizen for at least nine years at the time of election to the Senate.
• a resident of the state one is elected to represent in the Senate.

The following list, shows which Senators are retiring and which seats will be contested ( meaning the incumbent will spend millions of dollars, to keep the $174,000 a year they receive as salary ).

First, the list of Democrats/Independents retiring.

1. Joe Lieberman of Conneticut
2. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii
3. Ben Nelson of Nebraska
4. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico
5. Kent Conrad of North Dakota
6. Jim Webb of Virginia
7. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin

Continuing list of Democrats/Independents seeking re-election

8. Dianne Feinstein of California
9. Tom Carper of Delaware
10. Bill Nelson of Florida
11. Ben Cardin of Maryland
12. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
13. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
14. Claire McCaskill of Missouri
15. Jon Tester of Montana
16. Bob Menendez of New Jersey
17. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
18. Sherrod Brown of Ohio
19. Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania
20. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island
21. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
22. Maria Cantwell of Washington State* Who received a loan in excess of 3 Million dollars in 2006 for her re-election campaign....a gross violation of campaign finances.
23. Joe Manchin of West Virginia

Republicans retiring:

24. Jon Kyl of Arizona
25. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas

Republicans seeking re-election:

26. Richard Lugar of Indiana
27. Olympia Snowe of Maine
28. Scott Brown of Massachusetts
29. Roger Wicker of Mississippi
30. Dean Heller of Nevada
31. Bob Corker of Tennessee
32. Orrin Hatch of Utah
33. John Barrasso of Wyoming

  Do a little homework and see how many of the following Senators voted down the "Stock Act of 2011" and which Senators voted to repeal regulations regarding Carbon Dioxide Emissions, until other countries institute stronger regulation..thus proving that our Congress has coddled to big business in a bad way.


Now for the fun part of the post....from previous posts you know that over 50% of the US Congress are millionaires.  Here is a list of the 10 richest members of Congress.

http://www.rollcall.com/50richest/the-50-richest-members-of-congress-112th.html

The above link explains their "wealth" in more detail, and oft times, you will see that the "spouse" actually owns all or most of the wealth....yeah, right.

1. Rep. Michael McCall ( R-Texas )  $ 294.21 Million dollars
2. Rep. Darrel Issa ( R- California )  $ 220.40 Million dollars
3. Sen. John Kerry ( D- Massachusetts )  $ 193.07 Million dollars
4. Sen. Jay Rockefeller ( D- West Virginia )  $ 81.63 Million dollars
5. Sen. Mark Warner ( D-Virginia )  $ 76.30 Million dollars
6. Rep. Jared Polis ( D- Colorado )  $ 65.91 Million dollars
7. Sen. Frank Lautenberg ( D- New Jersey )  $ 55.07 Million dollars
8. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conneticut )  $ 52.93 Million dollars
9. Sen. Dianne Feinstein ( D-California )  $ 45.39 Million dollars
10. Rep. Vern Buchanan ( R-Florida )  $ 44.21 Million dollars

  My intent was to show the 50 richest Congress People, but the darn computer here is acting up and not saving the document properly.  You can check out the link above this to see the rest of the list. 


Have a terrific day and an awesome weekend.....to be better informed is to be a better voter.


Trevor

An election year, some facts and insight to use or not......

Hello everyone,

  Everyone likes to complain and assign blame..here's how it works.  The President blames our Congress, and our Congress blames each other ( Dems vs. GOP ).  We tend to blame anyone except those who are culpable ( or actually involved in the mess ).  Now is not the time to coddle our representatives or suckle , while expecting great things to happen.  I made the mistake of going to some congressional social sites and seeing how some average Americans were enamoured with their local Congresspeople and representatives.  Admittedly, not all persons in Congress are greedy, manipulative and out to protect only themselves.....but it's amazing that only one or two members are willing to try and make a difference ( a positive difference ).  Below are some facts...that you can use for good, or double check, or forget about.

1.  Our Congress voted for the bailout that preceded the worst recession in nearly 100 years.


2.  Our Congress recently voted to NOT REGULATE carbon dioxide emissions until other countries fall in line to regulate their emissions....so much for being a leading country.


3.  In 2006,  Incumbent Senator Maria Cantwell, invested $10,000,000 of her own dollars to her re-election campaign, along with receiving a loan of $3.5 million dollars.  She subsequently received a 'Letter of Admonishment' for receiving the loan outside the rules set in place for candidates.

4.  Over 50% of the current members of Congress ( including both House and Senate ) are Millionaires....a true representation of the American People???


5.  A new law, if passed by Congress, would make it illegal for members of Congress to 'short sell' their stocks or for insider trading....laws that WE WOULD CURRENTLY GO TO JAIL FOR!!!

6.  It makes no sense to complain about our Senators..since it was WE that elected them, but thankfully...it's not a mistake we have to make twice.

7.  The United States Government has grown 15% since 2008, while the civilian sector has grown by about 1%.

8.   Since 2000, Republicans have started two wars and Democrats have added more than 4 trillion dollars to our nation debt ( since 2008 ).....some of the debt was a bipartisan effort...but really.


9.   This year offers a possible 33 changes to our current Senate, with 7 members retiring and 26 running for re-election....you can also bet that they will still be receiving their Congressional Salary, while out stumping for donations for their re-election campaign.


10.  More than One Billion emails will be sent out in the next month complaining about our current president, but not offering any solution except to forward the email. 


  Use this information or not....forward this information or not.  My main point, as it always has been, is that folks who are not pro-active really have nothing to complain about...if status quo is your goal.


  Almost the weekend....have a great day everyone!!

Trevor

Other candidates.....them and I or is it me and them...

  Hello everyone,

  Anyone else excited about the prospect of a presidential election???  Thought so...me either.  To be inundated with debates, polls and ads for a full 18 months prior to an election...it can be overwhelming at times.  Granted, we need to know about the person we are electing...or rather, the Electoral College is electing.  Can't we get any information we want or need about a candidate online?  Yes and no.  Usually, online information has as much "slant" as FOX News and the information will lean whichever direction the link provides. 

  Today's post is going to be more about some observations now, and what you can expect from me in 2016.

Candidates for this and all prior elections LOVE to pose near the American flag....and who wouldn't?  It screams "patriotism" when it's in full view or used as a backdrop to a candidate.  I wouldn't.  I will have a blown up picture of my DD214.  That will show my years of Army service ( over 20 ), my deployments ( all four, as of now ) and all the awards I have earned for achievement and commendations.  You can't be more "patriotic" than someone that spent near half their life doing what they loved and believing in it.

Candidates for the upcoming election, both men and women are spending an hour or two before the debates or time in front of the camera getting make up applied.  Got to look your best...right?  My hair is short and receding...but not so bad.  I doubt I will be allowed to participate in the regular debates you will see on TV.....but if I do, I will forgo the make up and forgo the $10,000 Armani suit.  I like tweed.  So sue me.  Understandably, we don't want a president that looks like Quasimodo, but we don't need one that looks like a fairy tale prince or princess.

  Also, remember...polls do not pick presidents, or even predict who will become president.  That's all for today. Have a great Mid Week.

Trevor

2011 naughtiness costing current lawmakers? We will see.

  Hello friends,

  Time to re-state some old news.  Remember those loans back in 2006-2008 that led to the financial meltdown in America?  They were called "sub-prime", meaning that the folks that got the loans, knowingly couldn't pay them back.  That's it in a nutshell.  There were lots of them.

  Why should it matter then..that recently four lawmakers ( members of our Congress ) were investigated and found to have received "favorable" loans, sub-prime or V.I.P. from the same company that our Government gave a ton of money to in the face of financial collapse?  Is it possible that our Congress is still not willing to follow the laws that we must?  Was it just a lapse in judgement? 

  WE MAY NEVER KNOW.  Here is an excerp from www.chicagodefender.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional investigators said Monday that four House members received VIP discounted loans from the former Countrywide Financial Corp., the lender whose sub prime mortgages was largely responsible for the nation's foreclosure crisis.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, declined to name the four but wrote the House Ethics Committee that it should investigate the lawmakers.

( The key word in that last statement is "should" )   Will they investigate?  Doubtful.  I wrote an email to a Senator from my State in regards to this matter.  Again, doubtful I will receive a response.  I am hoping she does, because she is one of 26 Senators seeking re-election this year.

Issa's letter to ethics Chairman Jo Bonner of Alabama and ranking Democrat Linda Sanchez of California said: "Testimony and documents show that Countrywide used the VIP program to build relationships with government officials and others positioned to advance Countrywide's business interests.

"Between January 1996 and June 2008, Countrywide's VIP unit gave discounted loans to employees of the federal government, including the U.S. Congress."

  I'm making my list, and checking it twice, finding out who was naughty and not worthy of re-election.


Have a great day everyone.

Trevor

It's 2012, I'm here and ready to go!

  Hello friends,

  Happy January to everybody and hopes of a better year ahead.  I will be heading home this year, marking the end of my 4th and possibly final deployment.  In the meantime, I want to re-affirm that this is the choice I have made...( running for president in 2016 ) and I am going to stick to it.  Thanks to you and others, the blog was viewed some 2,991 times since it's inception in September of 2011.  It has been viewed, primarily in America, but also in Russia, Germany, Taiwan, India, Latvia, Sweden, Austria, Canada, Cambodia, Thailand, Netherlands, Iraq, United Kingdom and Georgia.  That is quite the mix of viewers for sure...and I have a feeling that some of them may have stumbled onto the site unwittingly or by accident.

  I have written a lot in the last 4 months, and will undoubtedly, write a lot more leading up to the elections in 2016.  I hope folks will break the chains of apathy that have grown in the last decade or so, and seem to be wearing voters down.  People continually voting for the same Congress person that they voted for 6 years prior for no reason except that is who they remember.  If they looked just a little deeper, they could see that the candidate they voted for 6 years ago, recently passed legislation that increases pollutants ( Carbon Dioxide ) and struck down a law that would prevent persons in Congress from short selling stock they own or engage in insider trading ( laws that currently apply to you and I ).

  I believe in people, and their ability to initiate "change".  People hold the power in America, and need to realize this sooner, rather than later.

  Later this year....hopefully,  I will create a Youtube channel,  and post some videos on there that will be directly related to my eventual campaign and run for the White House.  Some of the videos I will post to the blog.  I am looking forward to meeting you, and perhaps, you all meeting me.

  Have a terrific day...and thanks again for a great 2011.....here's looking forward to the next year!

Trevor