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    My Views
    My Views
    My Views
    Ebook120 pages1 hour

    My Views

    By Richard Barton

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    About this ebook

    This booklet is a compilation of my views on several critical subjects of concern in our current national situation. Some whimsical and tongue and cheek, but the majority very serious. It is addressed to our various representatives in Congress and some members of the administration who are mired in disfunctionality and lack the backbone to resolve issues and lead the way forward.

    Contentious times in our society have become a norm. While there are many problems facing our nation, there is one major point that needs resolution within our federal government (and probably at the state level also), and it is the antithesis of good governing. Obstructionism has become the norm and it is wrong. Governance requires compromise and a willingness to see the other viewpoint. To be universally obstructionist, regardless of the issue, is a power play and a head-in-the-sand viewpoint that runs contrary to good governance and the will of the majority of the people. In my mind, this attitude appears to be rife on both sides of our current political spectrum.

     I strongly feel both parties have their problems … and the one problem they share is a near-total disconnect (there are a few exceptions to this) with their constituents; or, at least, that is my perception. The recent town hall meetings show this very vividly and indicate a stark contrast between representatives' opinions and the people they purport to represent. Special, and monied, interests are too prevalent in our governance process and need to be reigned in to allow the will of the majority of the people to hold sway.

    This booklet may not be read much, let alone any actions taken as a result. It is not a detailed analysis of the various issues, since I am not an expert in any of them. But I decided that I needed to let representatives in government know how I felt and what my views were. After all, they cannot read minds, and the results of various surveys that they, and we, are bombarded with can only rarely be trusted. So direct communication of this type, or letters and cards, are a sure-fire way of letting these legislators know the true feelings of people like myself.

    Approximately 100 pages

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRichard Barton
    Release dateJun 6, 2018
    ISBN9780990378952
    My Views
    Author

    Richard Barton

    Richard W. Barton, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and also retired from a major aerospace company, spends his time, when not writing, on the golf course and climbing the trails and mountains of his adopted state of Colorado. He has written three novels in a series, Diversion, Relentless Target, and Elusive Quarry. He can be reached via e-mail at writebarton@aol.com

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      Book preview

      My Views - Richard Barton

      Introduction

      I’m an independent voter. I have not been a member of either the Democratic or Republican Party for many years now.

      I strongly feel both parties have their problems ... and the one problem they share is a near-total disconnect (there are a few exceptions to this) with their constituents; or at least that is my perception. The recent town hall meetings show this very vividly and indicates a stark contrast between representative’s opinions and the people they purport to represent.

      As a natural-born citizen of the United States I am on the bottom of the political scale ... and on the bottom on purpose. As mentioned above, I am an independent voter, not affiliated with either major party. I am not, and never have been, a politician or held a government office. I do not wish to expose myself to the vagaries of political life and all that goes with it. I find the current environment of running for political office to be a bit of a sham – too many totally unnecessary personal attacks and not enough reasoned discussion of issues.

      While there are many problems facing our nation, there is one major point that needs resolution within our federal government (and probably at the state level also) and it is the antithesis of good governing. Obstructionism has become the norm and it is WRONG. Governance requires compromise and a willingness to see the other viewpoint. To be universally obstructional, regardless of the issue, is a power-play and a head-in-the-sand viewpoint that runs contrary to good governance and the will of the majority of the people. In my mind this attitude appears to be rife on both sides of our current political spectrum.

      We live in a world of uncertainty and unreasonable expectations, especially here in the United States. Instant communications, not near-instant, but instant, have become the norm; and, I believe, somewhat of a detriment to our overall society. Many of our views are expressed, without much considered thought of their impact, through these various communications and media processes. Civil communication and conversation has become a lost art and one which needs to be reinstated in our society.

      This booklet may not be read much, and let alone any actions taken as a result. It is not a detailed analysis of the various issues since I am not an expert in any of them. But I decided that I needed to let the representatives in government know how I felt and what my views were. After all, they cannot read minds, and the results of various surveys that they, and we, are bombarded with, can only rarely be trusted. So direct communication of this type, or letters and cards, are a sure-fire way of letting these legislators know the true feelings of people like myself.

      This writing is simply a collation of my views of many politically controlled aspects of life here in the United States. They are MY views and may or may not align with other’s points of view. And I respect that. I would hope that others would likewise respect these views. We are all humans and have differing backgrounds, education, thoughts, opinions and feelings. But we all want both respect and an uncritical understanding, and hopefully acceptance, of our views.

      There are 30+ subjects addressed, in a brief manner, in this document. The subjects are not in any priority order and their sequence has no hidden meaning. Writing this has been an interesting experience for me. In many respects, I felt that I had a position in mind; then when I actually tried to express it, I had some trouble explaining my viewpoint. From that perspective, I have learned a bit about myself, and the research I conducted has also been worthwhile in explaining issues.

      The following series of briefly discussed selected subjects form my view of what we are currently experiencing nationally and, in many cases, what I feel are required corrective actions.

      Federal Government

      General Comments

      1.  Government Reforms

      When I look at the political landscape of our country, I am highly dismayed at the view. It is very concerning. It is frequently one of greed at all levels and a lack of respect for the common people. That may be a bit of a broad-brush statement, but, ... if it is inaccurate, why do we have so many disparate political views, why are the various levels of political office (local, state, and federal) having so much trouble getting things done, and why are lobbyists and big money so influential? The personal attacks, back-biting, negative innuendo, and flat out lying, have no place in our political discourse. What happened to civilized behavior, common goals, and compromising to reach them?

      It is actually all three federal government branches, executive, legislative and judicial, at fault. I discuss the executive and legislative branches further on but I specifically include the U.S. Supreme Court here. The disastrous Citizens United decision was an inappropriate blow to all of our citizens and effectively put business in charge of our nation’s interests and requirements. We lost a huge portion of our individual freedom with that decision. There are very few individuals who can match a corporation’s cash capability for influencing, through intense media and advertising coverage, governmental processes and results. A business entity is not a person and has no right to free speech on the same level as a human citizen.

      And I would note with distinct dismay, that there are no apparent efforts underway to correct the situation. Where are the Congressional people who are needed to overturn this travesty? The Roberts Court is wrong, and the action is on Congress to correct the situation and bring our election freedoms back.

      There are, undoubtedly, many in our political offices who are straight forward and honest. However, there are enough in office who pander to the moneyed interests, or to their own skewed viewpoints of power and influence, that the actual people’s will is ignored, disregarded, or dismissed as not good for the general population. Those few congressional members who are interested in actually representing their constituents have a difficult time in the political rough and tumble because they are in the distinct minority.

      I find it interesting, and discouraging, to note that many of our representatives are not truly representing their respective areas of the country and the people residing there. Instead, they represent the business interests that prevail on them for favors, paid or unpaid (in one form or another). Thus they are really representing just a sub-set of the population and not the whole. A good example of this type of behavior is the recent relaxation of the requirement for communication companies to protect and not distribute their customer’s personal data around internet usage. The people who use the internet, and that includes almost the entire population, were not the primary focus of the legislators in relaxation of the personal data preservation. It was business; I see no practical use for the dissemination of this information except to badger and cajole the large customer base that is the United States’ population. In other words, our legislators chose business interests over the interests of their constituents.

      Another concern: if you pass a law ... fund it! I get sick and tired of people talking about various laws that have been passed and then find out they are toothless because Congress has failed to fund the effort. Dodd-Frank is one of those. The watchdog functions, with questionable effectiveness as they are on Wall Street, cannot be performed if the funding is not there!

      If you do not fund the bill, or requirement, why pass it? It may be politically expedient and a good talking point with your constituents, but, without funding, it is useless. It is

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