Secretary of Peace and Non-Violence

In a return to popular politics that would make President Martin Van Buren party like its 1799 in his grave, Pres-elect Obama instituted Change.Org a couple weeks ago. The website was a forum when members could vote on issues that matter to them on an array of subjects, from LGBT rights fair Trade. One that I have to talk about is the Department of Peace.

For more information, see http://www.change.org/ideas

Now, an except from the site that lists the ten winners of all the ideas states: "Over the next week we will be working with nonprofit sponsors for each idea, including 1Sky, Health care-NOW!, and The Peace Alliance, to craft national campaigns around each idea. In the meantime, we have opened discussion for how to most effectively turn each idea into a successful national campaign, and would love your suggestions."

Get this. Hear this: the government asked people what they wanted to get done, and now they will promptly get er done.

The Department of Peace and Non-violence? Martin Luther King, Jr., who we will rightfully observe tomorrow, would be more than proud. And quite frankly, I never thought of it. It's a great idea. If we're going to be a country that always keeps military operations an option, then shouldn't peace? I say absolutely. To restore the moral fiber of this country we must continue to show compromise when it benefits us and the other side. The way that the peace operates is that it is omnipotent. It is always an option. It must be the precursor to fear and anger.

This idea is paramount. Will it be followed through? I'm optimistic. I hope that they do because who know what the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security is spewing in terms of the military? There must always be opposition. There must always be options.

Those elements built the foundation of this country. War has been successfully avoided numerous times and under numerous presidents, from Jackson to Kennedy. A Secretary of Peace maybe able to keep us from making the fatal mistakes of launching two unsuccessful wars.

I am highly disappointed that action to end the genocide in Darfur only made the top 25. But I can understand the situation within our borders has begun to cloud our international foresight. But we can't afford to forget.

My prediction: The Department of Peace and Non-Violence will be up and running by January 1, 2011

With All The Strength Of A Raging Fire

Hello World! It's been two very exciting weeks for me, but I'm back to give you your inappropriate amount of liberalism. Aren't you excited?

A few preliminary things, if you have not checked out my followers' blogs (COUTORI for fashion, The Armchair Quarterback for sports, litter ature for comedy, and Wishful Thinking for everything in between) you are missing out. Trust me, you'll want the bragging rights when they're big timers in ten years. That is, if the world doesn't end in 2012.

Speaking of 2012! It's highly likely the world will end by then. The financial crisis will have actually become a fully functioning machine, akin to China, and devoured the country from the inside out. And by country I mean East and West Coast. And from inside out I mean every city simultaneously. Mark my words, if the Republicans win the White House in 2012 I'm moving to Mars. Call it blue flight if you will.

All silliness aside...wait...no. Let's keep it! After all politics is just as ludicrous as anything else in this world.

President-elect (no longer Senator) Barack Obama was already proven to be more effective than our lame-duck President Bush. He has turned every weekly address into a dual video and radio address. You ca now view every weekly address since the election on his new website, ChangeDotGov. They're accessible on YouTube--I recommend it.

I have some unfortunate lose. I'm already doubting the Administration. Leaks have been pouring out since November 5 more than Joe the Plumber could handle, especially about Cabinet positions. The most controversial being Senator Clinton of my home state, New York. Commerce Secretary, which I didn't know mattered these days, is most likely going to be Gov. Richardson of New Mexico (one of the states in the Southwest that unexpectedly turned blue i the presidential election). This is a real win for me, because Gov. Richardson is a Hispanic-American. As treasury secretary, he has picked the president of the new York Federal Reserve Bank, which is a huge step in the change direction. Timothy Geithneris only 47, just the age of the president-elect himself. No official statements have been made about true cabinet positions, but they're all expected after Thanksgiving.

He must proceed with caution. The right picks, especially in the departments of the treasury, commerce, infrastructure, interior, and department could rally the stocks. Poor decisions would increase the downturn.

The way I see it: Things will get worse before they get worse.

Also, Obama has said it is "likely" the Bush Tax cuts will remain in place until 2011. This is a big disappointment. I'm all for taxing the rich more than the poor. It makes perfect sense. The Busch tax cuts are on good of the economy. As a part of Obama's emergency rescue plan, which is pretty much saying, "Do you exist? Here's a Benjamin. Feel free to burn it.," he should include the repeal of the Busch tax cuts. Sigh. I knew this would be complicated.

But how about some good news? I got an internship with the Goshen Office of my Congressman, John Hall! Talk about WIN. I'll be updating on the amount of wins the internship will be providing me. This is a great opportunity for me, and I plan to keep it.

Back to a little seriousness, I urge everyone who is reading this to start savign your money more than ever these days. Money is becoming a luxury, especially to people like me who are trying to go to college. Spending seems to get the best of us at the holidays, but don't start 2009 of on the wrong foot. If you're going to use a credit card (which you really shouldn't), track every expense and be on the look-out for fraud. Gas has been going down, but this is no time to bring up old habits of spending too much on gas and travel. Be smart, be safe, and save. Spend and save at the same time, and enjoy your holidays.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. My next post will be after the Cabinet announcement.

The National Debt is $10. 6 billion at the end of this post.