I am writing today, asking that you elect me President of the United States on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. I would like to be clear that I'm not running because I want the job, I am running because I cannot, in good conscience, support either of the candidates from the two largest political parties. I am completely disillusioned by Obama's last four years, and I don't believe a word that comes from Romney's mouth.
I'm going to restate my agenda, first by freely admitting that I don't have all of the answers, and acknowledging that I don't have a strong opinion about everything. I am also confessing that I may be wrong about some things, which means that I might change my mind on minor issues. With that said, let's talk about my stand on various topics.
Let's start with Federal spending. Last I read, we borrow about $.30 of every $1.00 we spend at the Federal level. This is obscene, and it cannot continue! To illustrate this problem differently... if we were to stop borrowing money today, we would need to instantly cut Federal spending by 30%, raise taxes to cover this 30% spending, or some combination of the two. In order to pay our debt in any meaningful way, this figure increases to 40%. There is no painless method of fixing this issue. The rich are going to have to pay more taxes, and the needy are going to have to accept smaller handouts. The longer we wait, the more this will suck. Deal with it.
With that said, the President cannot fix the budget. My opponents keep talking about what they will do. Well, there's not much they can do, other than make recommendations and sign or veto the budget. The line item veto was a wonderful thing, but the Supreme Court struck it down. It's up to congress to make and pass a budget. By the way, they've failed to do that for something like three years now! This is a pox on both parties, and only shows that our current legislators are unwilling to put aside their petty differences for the good of the country. I can't promise to fix this, because, as I said, writing the budget is Congress's job. I can, and will, however, call shenanigans when I see it.
I do believe that we should cut some of the chains that tether business. Since I'm not a businessman though, I don't really know where to start. I will need a bit of help here, so I'll talk to a few prominent business individuals from several different industries, put together a comprehensive plan, and propose it in 6 months to a year. This would take another 6 months to a year to pass through congress, assuming they can play like grown-ups, and another year or so for the payoff. In other words, I will change things, but don't expect instant results.
As for foreign policy, I'm tired of being the world's piggy bank and police department. I just think it's time to back off a little bit overseas. This is an oversimplification, but it gives you an idea where I'm coming from. I like the idea that sparked the UN, but in practice, it's a toothless, petty bureaucracy that only likes us when they can get something from us. I will honor our previous commitments, but will be disinclined to take on anything else until we get our own house in order.
I'm a fan of personal responsibility and personal choice, with a generous serving of humanitarianism thrown in for good measure. If you don't support abortion, don't get one. If you don't like guns, don't buy one. If you don't like gay marriage, don't marry a homosexual. If you don't like our laws, change them or leave. If you don't like drugs, don't take them. My overall philosophy here is that you can succeed or fail to any extent that you see fit, as long as you don't take down everyone around you. As for the humanitarianism, I believe that social programs such as unemployment benefits and welfare can be a good safety net. The problem is that they're being abused. Maybe a good solution would be to make a basic welfare/unemployment requirement, but leave implementation completely up to the states, up to and including collection and disbursement of the necessary funds.
Federal employees should be subject to the same laws as its citizens... up to and including social security.
Corporations are not people.
Our tax code is crazy. We need to simplify. I suggest getting rid of loop holes and having a mildly graduated tax schedules. This will hurt everyone... no more earned income credit... no more mortgage deduction... capital gains will pay the same tax as income tax... No favorites here!
A balanced budget amendment sounds good on the surface, but there will come a time when this would bite us in the @$$. Furthermore, it would most likely be a toothless law with no consequences for failure. Instead of making another law, how about we just elect people with commmon sense and the ability to balance a checkbook?
If you vote for me, I promise that you will disagree with me on at least one issue. That's okay. I am willing to listen. But I am not willing to compromise the needs of everyone else so that one select group can avoid discomfort. If that costs me your vote, so be it. As for those of you voting for one of my opponents because I can't win, I will say this... You're buying in to a false choice. Some say that a person voting for a third party candidate is wasting thier vote. I say bullshit! The only ones wasting their vote are those who don't use it, and those who squander it on the lesser of two evils, as opposed to voting for the person they truly support. Those who don't vote aren't speaking. Those who vote for the lesser of two evils are not saying what they really believe. Furthermore, they are buying into and perpetuating the lie that keeps the two major parties in power. The only way to break the cycle is to select a candidate that you support. Stop perpetuating the lie, and vote for me. You know you want to.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Lifestyle Changes
In a couple of my previous posts, I mentioned going to the doctor for heart palpitations. For those of you needing a reminder, the palpitations were caused by caffeine, meaning that I had to give up coffee in order to get rid of the extra heartbeats.
Despite what most people seem to believe, it wasn't that difficult to remove caffeine from my diet. Yeah, I had the withdrawal headaches, and every now and then I wake up a bit more groggy than normal and wish that I could snag a cup of joe on my way to work. But for the most part, the adjustment has been relatively easy. My only slip-up was having a Jack and Coke at a birthday earlier this month. I was halfway through the drink before remembering that Coke has caffeine. And no, I wasn't drunk when I ordered it.
Giving up caffeine brought about a second lifestyle change. Those of you who know me realize that I enjoy beer. I'm not an alcoholic, but I will freely admit that I have historically been a heavy drinker by medical standards. (The CDC defines heavy drinking as two or more alcoholic beverages per day.) When I gave up caffeine, I instantly started getting raging headaches from beer. In fact, I've completely given up on beer. (For now.) I have started drinking mixed drinks, which don't seem to give me the headaches, but I don't enjoy them as much, so I'm not consuming as much.
This means that, in the past year, I've given up tobacco and caffeine, and significantly reduced my alcohol consumption. I pondered this all quite a bit, and came to the conclusion that my body is telling me that it's time to start taking care of myself. With this in mind, I've also started exercising.
In the past, exercise and I have not had any positive, long-term relationships. It's not inaccurate to say that I had a strong dislike for exercise. But something seems a bit different this time. It's not that exercise is any different... it's that I'm different. I'm starting a bit more slowly, instead of diving into the routine; and I'm switching things up, instead of doing the same regimen every time I visit the gym. Finally, I'm hitting the gym solo, instead of going with a friend. This last item seems a bit counter-intuitive, but believe me, it's not. In the past, when I'd go with a friend, it was easy to skip... if either of us would decide to skip, we'd both skip, and before you know it, we'd both quit. This time, there's less motivation to skip, because the I'm the only one that I'm accountable to. Additionally, since I'm by myself, it's easy to just put on some music and tune out the whole world. with a workout buddy, you've got to focus on the other person as well... especially if you're lifting weights.
Lifting weights... that's an activity that I've never particularly enjoyed... so I'm not doing it. What I AM doing is a varied routine of running, biking and swimming. I choose what I'm going to do at the spur of the moment. I supplement the cardio with push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. I have several goals...
-I want to run three miles in less than 30 minutes.
-I want to swim a mile, with no time limit.
-I want to be able to do at least ten pull-ups.
-I want to be able to do at least 50 sit-ups in two minutes or less
-I want to be able to do 50 push-ups
-I want to do a first-class Marine Corps PFT.
I've been at this for two to three weeks, working out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I've been taking it slow, but keeping these goals in mind. I've already improved in every category. I hope to achieve these goals within six months.
Despite what most people seem to believe, it wasn't that difficult to remove caffeine from my diet. Yeah, I had the withdrawal headaches, and every now and then I wake up a bit more groggy than normal and wish that I could snag a cup of joe on my way to work. But for the most part, the adjustment has been relatively easy. My only slip-up was having a Jack and Coke at a birthday earlier this month. I was halfway through the drink before remembering that Coke has caffeine. And no, I wasn't drunk when I ordered it.
Giving up caffeine brought about a second lifestyle change. Those of you who know me realize that I enjoy beer. I'm not an alcoholic, but I will freely admit that I have historically been a heavy drinker by medical standards. (The CDC defines heavy drinking as two or more alcoholic beverages per day.) When I gave up caffeine, I instantly started getting raging headaches from beer. In fact, I've completely given up on beer. (For now.) I have started drinking mixed drinks, which don't seem to give me the headaches, but I don't enjoy them as much, so I'm not consuming as much.
This means that, in the past year, I've given up tobacco and caffeine, and significantly reduced my alcohol consumption. I pondered this all quite a bit, and came to the conclusion that my body is telling me that it's time to start taking care of myself. With this in mind, I've also started exercising.
In the past, exercise and I have not had any positive, long-term relationships. It's not inaccurate to say that I had a strong dislike for exercise. But something seems a bit different this time. It's not that exercise is any different... it's that I'm different. I'm starting a bit more slowly, instead of diving into the routine; and I'm switching things up, instead of doing the same regimen every time I visit the gym. Finally, I'm hitting the gym solo, instead of going with a friend. This last item seems a bit counter-intuitive, but believe me, it's not. In the past, when I'd go with a friend, it was easy to skip... if either of us would decide to skip, we'd both skip, and before you know it, we'd both quit. This time, there's less motivation to skip, because the I'm the only one that I'm accountable to. Additionally, since I'm by myself, it's easy to just put on some music and tune out the whole world. with a workout buddy, you've got to focus on the other person as well... especially if you're lifting weights.
Lifting weights... that's an activity that I've never particularly enjoyed... so I'm not doing it. What I AM doing is a varied routine of running, biking and swimming. I choose what I'm going to do at the spur of the moment. I supplement the cardio with push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. I have several goals...
-I want to run three miles in less than 30 minutes.
-I want to swim a mile, with no time limit.
-I want to be able to do at least ten pull-ups.
-I want to be able to do at least 50 sit-ups in two minutes or less
-I want to be able to do 50 push-ups
-I want to do a first-class Marine Corps PFT.
I've been at this for two to three weeks, working out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I've been taking it slow, but keeping these goals in mind. I've already improved in every category. I hope to achieve these goals within six months.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Statement of Faith
At some point, any candidate for President will be required to talk about his personal relationship with God. With this in mind, I am going to talk about mine today.
I should start out by acknowledging that religion... faith... requires some level of cognitive dissonance. For example, the Bible says that the Earth is what... 6000-odd years old? But science says that the world has been around for billions of years. I will freely concede that, as a believer in God, I suffer from this cognitive dissonance from time to time.
Regarding the separation of Church and State... I should start off by saying that the Constitution says nothing about the Separation of Church and State. The Constitution says that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Based on my understanding, Thomas Jefferson used the phrase "separation of church and state" to express his interpretation of the spirit of the Constitution's text. With that said though, I don't specifically believe that the framers desired to abolish any reference to religion from the government. In fact, the Declaration of Independence refers to God, and my understanding is that many of the Constitution's framers were religious men. The idea was to make sure that the American government didn't create an official religion, and/or crush non-officially sanctioned religions... like what many Muslim countries are doing today. Technically speaking, abolishing any reference to religion is promoting Atheism, which is the belief (faith -- because there's no proof) that God doesn't exist.
It should be apparent to you by now that I am a Christian. I was raised Southern Baptist, and currently attend a Wesleyan Church on a regular basis. I believe in God, but I am not 100% convinced that the only way to Heaven is through Christ. In fact, I must concede that I occasionally have doubts of God's existence. I have felt God's presence, but I am also rational enough to wonder if what i felt was truly God's presence, or if was simply serotonin or some other chemical being released in my brain at a specific moment. But then again, these doubts most frequently occur when life is good. When things go wrong, that's when I lean on God most, and, not surprisingly, when He's most likely to reveal His presence.
Part of my struggle with God is His condemnation of homosexuality, which I don't consider a choice, and his absolute silence on slavery, which I find morally reprehensible. These are two of many questions I have for God... questions that I plan to ask when I finally meet Him. Since I have questions and doubts, I believe that it would be ridiculous of me to condemn others who believe differently than I do. Whether my fellow man is Atheist, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, or whatever, faith is a deeply personal thing. In fact, I believe that it's so personal that America genuinely has no right to demand a statement of faith from their presidential candidates. With that said though, I am willing to discuss my faith openly in connection with my candidacy, because I am willing to discuss my faith openly in general.
I should start out by acknowledging that religion... faith... requires some level of cognitive dissonance. For example, the Bible says that the Earth is what... 6000-odd years old? But science says that the world has been around for billions of years. I will freely concede that, as a believer in God, I suffer from this cognitive dissonance from time to time.
Regarding the separation of Church and State... I should start off by saying that the Constitution says nothing about the Separation of Church and State. The Constitution says that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Based on my understanding, Thomas Jefferson used the phrase "separation of church and state" to express his interpretation of the spirit of the Constitution's text. With that said though, I don't specifically believe that the framers desired to abolish any reference to religion from the government. In fact, the Declaration of Independence refers to God, and my understanding is that many of the Constitution's framers were religious men. The idea was to make sure that the American government didn't create an official religion, and/or crush non-officially sanctioned religions... like what many Muslim countries are doing today. Technically speaking, abolishing any reference to religion is promoting Atheism, which is the belief (faith -- because there's no proof) that God doesn't exist.
It should be apparent to you by now that I am a Christian. I was raised Southern Baptist, and currently attend a Wesleyan Church on a regular basis. I believe in God, but I am not 100% convinced that the only way to Heaven is through Christ. In fact, I must concede that I occasionally have doubts of God's existence. I have felt God's presence, but I am also rational enough to wonder if what i felt was truly God's presence, or if was simply serotonin or some other chemical being released in my brain at a specific moment. But then again, these doubts most frequently occur when life is good. When things go wrong, that's when I lean on God most, and, not surprisingly, when He's most likely to reveal His presence.
Part of my struggle with God is His condemnation of homosexuality, which I don't consider a choice, and his absolute silence on slavery, which I find morally reprehensible. These are two of many questions I have for God... questions that I plan to ask when I finally meet Him. Since I have questions and doubts, I believe that it would be ridiculous of me to condemn others who believe differently than I do. Whether my fellow man is Atheist, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, or whatever, faith is a deeply personal thing. In fact, I believe that it's so personal that America genuinely has no right to demand a statement of faith from their presidential candidates. With that said though, I am willing to discuss my faith openly in connection with my candidacy, because I am willing to discuss my faith openly in general.
Friday, September 7, 2012
There are More than Two Options!
A vote for me is a vote for integrity. A vote for me, is a vote against the two-party status quo. Choosing between the Democratic or Republican candidate is a false choice. Vote your conscience. If you genuinely believe that I'm the best Presidential candidate, then dammit, vote for me! In fact, if you believe that Mickey Mouse is the best candidate, then vote for him. Choosing to vote for someone other than Obama or Romney is not "throwing your vote away," it's following your conscience. Your conscience is far more important than the political Kool-Aid that the machine is trying to convince you to drink. Now, with that said, if you genuinely support Obama or Romney, then by all means, I urge you to vote for them. After all, your conscience is far more important than the political Kool-Aid that I'm trying to convince you to drink.
I'm Dave, and I approve this message. Hell, I wrote it!
I'm Dave, and I approve this message. Hell, I wrote it!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Opening a Savings Account
This a follow-up to an earlier post about my trip to the ER last week. I visited my primary doc and found out the results of my tests. Basically, I'm experiencing extra heartbeats. The doctors don't seem to be incredibly worried about my immediate heart health, but they have asked me to eliminate caffeine and reduce alcohol consumption, and then follow up with them in a month. These are relatively minor lifestyle changes that I believe I can accomplish relatively easily. I've also got the green light to start a moderate exercise program in addition to the aforementioned recommendations. I've also switched from beer to red wine, because I've heard that it's more heart healthy... and, since I don't like it as much as beer, I won't be so inclined to overindulge.
In the meantime, I think that I'm going to store up those extra heartbeats and keep them in a savings account. I'll withdraw them when my heart starts skipping beats.
In the meantime, I think that I'm going to store up those extra heartbeats and keep them in a savings account. I'll withdraw them when my heart starts skipping beats.
For Immediate Release
A potential constituent asked about my campaign stance on burritos. For the record, I am pro burrito. In line with this, I should also clarify my stance on sauerkraut. I am not a personal supporter of sauerkraut, but I do support an individual's right to be pro-sauerkraut. I believe that the government has no place in a person's kitchen. I know that people will say I'm opening up a slippery slope... that sauerkraut is a gateway food... that it's a short road to cake addiction. But I stand by my convictions. The government has no place in a person's kitchen. At some point, the government needs to understand that people are smart enough to make their own decisions... that if we tightly regulate the kitchen, then it's only a matter of time before they assign an au pair to each of us, and turn the land of the free into a nanny state.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Aging as Gracefully as I Can
Part of aging is realizing things you need to address immediately vs. things that you can put off... things you want vs. things you need. I have a kid who thinks that she needs a car, and another who thinks that she needs to get her ears pierced immediately. When they get the flu, they both think that they need to go to the doctor immediately.
As an adult, I have come to realize that I can usually wait an extra month or two to purchase new glasses, that I can completely skip the doctor when I get the flu, and that minor aches and pains should be addressed if they linger long enough. Sometimes, all of the necessities happen back to back.
I had planned on getting new glasses in about six months. Unfortunately, my old frames broke. And since my prescription had changed anyway, it was more cost effective to get an eye exam and new glasses now.
A few years ago, I also developed a bulging disk in my neck, causing nerve pain and numbness in my right shoulder, and occasionally up and down my arm. The pain was low-level and tolerable, but it would be stupid to wait, because that could aggravate the situation, potentially requiring surgery. I eventually got it addressed with an epidural shot. A month or two ago, the pain reappeared, and last week I got another epidural shot of cortisone in my neck.
And a month or two ago, I started noticing that my heart would occasionally beat very strongly in my chest for a few seconds. The symptoms are difficult to describe... it's kind of like how your heart pounds after you finish a strenuous workout, but it would come out of nowhere, last a few seconds, and then disappear. There has been no shortness of breath, no pain, no nausea, or any other symptoms that might make me think I'm having a heart attack. So I figured that it wasn't urgent, but again, it didn't go away on its own, so I decided to follow up on it. I called my family doctor's office yesterday, and they said to go to the emergency room... do not pass go, do not collect $200. I knew that it wasn't an emergency, so I figured that I'd go to urgent care the next day (today). Like the doctor's office, they lacked heart monitoring devices, so I knew that the ER was the only option. I hopped on my motorcycle, rode to the ER, walked in the door, and collapsed at the doorstep with a massive coronary.
Okay, there was no massive coronary. But man, the way they reacted when I said heart palpitations, you would have sworn that I did. They put me in a wheel chair and had me hooked up to a heart monitor within two minutes. I felt like a dork. I told them that I wasn't having a heart attack! I spent the next three hours on a heart monitor, getting blood drawn, peeing into a bottle, getting x-rays and waiting... and waiting... and waiting. I'm VERY happy that I took my Nexus 7 tablet with me. Being able to read and surf the internet made the time pass far more quickly.
In the end, my labs all came back normal, and since I didn't experience any palpitations while I was in the hospital, they sent me home with a heart monitor that I need to keep strapped on for the next 48 hours, while I continue my regular activities. All of this, by the way, is what I predicted they'd do. It would have been nice to be able to go to the doctor and get one of these monitors, saving some time and money, but hey, I didn't design the healthcare system, I just play in it. I expect that I will need to start exercising. That's okay... it'll be an excuse to use that family membership to the YMCA that the wife keeps up.
Overall, this is my point... In each of my three stories, I realized that things weren't optimal. At the same time, I understood what I could put off, and what I couldn't. I'm not a hypochondriac, who equates a sniffle with the plague, but I also don't completely ignore it when my body tries to tell me something. Hypochondriacs spend too much time worrying. And those who ignore messages from their body do so at their own peril. I'd like to think that I've got a healthy balance.
By the way, please don't take this as a sly request for sympathy or anything like that. I really feel like I'm fine. I genuinely think that I'm just being prudent. I'm honestly just trying to relay a story.
As an adult, I have come to realize that I can usually wait an extra month or two to purchase new glasses, that I can completely skip the doctor when I get the flu, and that minor aches and pains should be addressed if they linger long enough. Sometimes, all of the necessities happen back to back.
I had planned on getting new glasses in about six months. Unfortunately, my old frames broke. And since my prescription had changed anyway, it was more cost effective to get an eye exam and new glasses now.
A few years ago, I also developed a bulging disk in my neck, causing nerve pain and numbness in my right shoulder, and occasionally up and down my arm. The pain was low-level and tolerable, but it would be stupid to wait, because that could aggravate the situation, potentially requiring surgery. I eventually got it addressed with an epidural shot. A month or two ago, the pain reappeared, and last week I got another epidural shot of cortisone in my neck.
And a month or two ago, I started noticing that my heart would occasionally beat very strongly in my chest for a few seconds. The symptoms are difficult to describe... it's kind of like how your heart pounds after you finish a strenuous workout, but it would come out of nowhere, last a few seconds, and then disappear. There has been no shortness of breath, no pain, no nausea, or any other symptoms that might make me think I'm having a heart attack. So I figured that it wasn't urgent, but again, it didn't go away on its own, so I decided to follow up on it. I called my family doctor's office yesterday, and they said to go to the emergency room... do not pass go, do not collect $200. I knew that it wasn't an emergency, so I figured that I'd go to urgent care the next day (today). Like the doctor's office, they lacked heart monitoring devices, so I knew that the ER was the only option. I hopped on my motorcycle, rode to the ER, walked in the door, and collapsed at the doorstep with a massive coronary.
Okay, there was no massive coronary. But man, the way they reacted when I said heart palpitations, you would have sworn that I did. They put me in a wheel chair and had me hooked up to a heart monitor within two minutes. I felt like a dork. I told them that I wasn't having a heart attack! I spent the next three hours on a heart monitor, getting blood drawn, peeing into a bottle, getting x-rays and waiting... and waiting... and waiting. I'm VERY happy that I took my Nexus 7 tablet with me. Being able to read and surf the internet made the time pass far more quickly.
In the end, my labs all came back normal, and since I didn't experience any palpitations while I was in the hospital, they sent me home with a heart monitor that I need to keep strapped on for the next 48 hours, while I continue my regular activities. All of this, by the way, is what I predicted they'd do. It would have been nice to be able to go to the doctor and get one of these monitors, saving some time and money, but hey, I didn't design the healthcare system, I just play in it. I expect that I will need to start exercising. That's okay... it'll be an excuse to use that family membership to the YMCA that the wife keeps up.
Overall, this is my point... In each of my three stories, I realized that things weren't optimal. At the same time, I understood what I could put off, and what I couldn't. I'm not a hypochondriac, who equates a sniffle with the plague, but I also don't completely ignore it when my body tries to tell me something. Hypochondriacs spend too much time worrying. And those who ignore messages from their body do so at their own peril. I'd like to think that I've got a healthy balance.
By the way, please don't take this as a sly request for sympathy or anything like that. I really feel like I'm fine. I genuinely think that I'm just being prudent. I'm honestly just trying to relay a story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
