Day: June 12, 2011

The Amazing Recovery Of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords!

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One of the most pleasant developments of recent times is the publication today of the first photographs of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona since the attempted assassination in Tucson in early January by a crazed gunman, Jared Loughner.

The fact that Giffords has even survived being shot in the head is astounding in itself, and while there is much therapy still needed, it is clear that Giffords is successfully recovering from the grievous wounds she suffered.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the head of the Democratic National Committee, and a close personal friend, reported today that Giffords is able to speak in full sentences and have real conversations.

Considering what she has been through, her recovery is a miracle, and she looks extremely attractive, much as she did before her unfortunate confrontation with a near death experience!

We can all unite in saluting her recovery as one of those rare bright moments to be celebrated by all Americans, no matter their political persuasion!

Debate Over Value Of College Education Rages!

Ronald 1 Comment

This is a difficult year for graduates of colleges and universities all across America, with the high unemployment rate, and arguably the worst economic outlook that we have seen in many decades.

Not only are college graduates faced with a daunting challenge to find work that is relevant to their degrees. It is also the issue of finding any work at all.

But additionally, there is the growing debt faced by college graduates and graduate students, which can be the equivalent of a mortgage on a house, and set back the future of a graduate, and even more of couples who wish to marry, but face a dual debt of both to pay off, making it hard to see a future in the middle class.

So many have speculated that a college degree is not worth it, that learning a skilled trade is better, and that the value of a college education is overrated.

The answer to these assertions is to state that it is a terrible burden that college graduates face, but in the long run, it has been shown that they do earn higher salaries and have greater satisfaction in their work lives.

Additionally, having a college education allows someone to learn lots of things that expand one’s horizons, create new interests and hobbies, which are important for a full life.

Socially, one learns how to analyze, evaluate, debate, solve problems, and learn how to disagree agreeably during a college experience.

Having an education exposes people to others who are different and makes one more tolerant and open minded, not so quick to pass judgment based on hysteria or emotion.

Education is the way to promote a free society, and democracy, and fulfills the Jeffersonian idea of an America where over time, social and economic mobility are possible.

It is hard to imagine anyone who has been exposed to college who would argue that he or she gained nothing from the experience, and there are many intangibles that cannot be seen or understood at the time, but enrich our lives long term.

So to tell a young person, or even an older person, NOT to pursue higher education, is a fallacy and a fraud that undermines the long term future of individuals and American society!

Would It Be Better To Have More Females In Political Power? The Answer Is Yes!

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Because of the Anthony Weiner scandal, on top of the scandals involving John Edwards and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Lee, and further back to Larry Craig, Mark Sanford, John Ensign, David Vitter, Eliot Spitzer, Mark Foley, and Bill Clinton, and many others, the question arises: Would America be better with more female political leaders?

The answer is YES, as history tells us of very few cases of female political leaders misbehaving, at least in a sexual way, as women are wired differently.

It is not saying that women never become involved in sexual liaisons and scandals, but at least in political terms, it seems not to occur very often, with no outstanding cases that come easily to mind.

Women, of course, are a small part of American political life, although the numbers are growing. According to a Rutgers University Research Center, women hold only one out of every six seats in Congress, about one fourth of all seats in state legislatures, and six governorships and eight mayoralties of the top 100 cities.

Women who run and win office do so, according to research, to accomplish something, while men run to be somebody! According to the research studies, women in the House of Representatives introduce more bills, get more involved in legislative debates, and give more one minute speeches in daily session, in fact double the amount Congressmen give.

The argument is that men in politics are motivated by testosterone induced connections between sex and power, with the thought that powerful men attract women, while powerful women turn off men! Men are more reckless and more likely to feel invincible.

So with the growing role of women in politics, the emphasis should be on them being encouraged to run, and the American people overcoming sexual stereotypes, and start to accept powerful women such as Nancy Pelosi, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn as legitimate figures in the House of Representatives, and to see women Senators and Governors and Mayors as qualified for themselves, not to face discrimination because of their gender.

American politics would be far better with more of a balance between men and women, and get rid of the old myth, that in politics as in business, it is a man’s world!

The Decline Of The Senate As The Home Of Presidential Candidates

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It is hard to believe, but 2012 is the first year since 1900 where not one sitting Senator is running for the Presidential nomination of either major political party, not including incumbent Presidents and Vice Presidents.

Only one former Senator, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, is attempting the run for the White House, but with 47 Republican Senators in office, one would think that at least two or three would be seeking the GOP nomination, but that is not the case.

In the lifetime of the author, there have always been numerous Senators competing for the nomination of either party, as the comment often made is that the Senate consists of 100 individuals who envision themselves as future Presidents, and think they belong in the White House!

And yet, in actual fact, only three Presidents elected since 1900 have come directly from the US Senate–Warren G. Harding in 1920, John F. Kennedy in 1960, and Barack Obama in 2008.

Presidents Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon reached the Presidency after having been Vice President, following time in the Senate.

But otherwise, in reality, it is the office of Governor which has been the favored route, as with Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

Also, Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge reached the Presidency, after having served as Vice President, but first being Governors of their states.

At the same time, Senators who have lost the Presidency include Barry Goldwater, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, Walter Mondale, Al Gore and John Kerry.

Governors who have lost the Presidency include Charles Evans Hughes, James Cox, Al Smith, Alf Landon, Thomas E. Dewey, Adlai Stevenson, and Michael Dukakis.

But notice all of the Senatorial losers are since 1964, while all but Dukakis among losing Governors are before 1960!

So if you add up Senators and Governors who have run for President, we come up with the following statistical totals:

Senators elected–6
Senators defeated–6
Governors elected–8
Governors defeated–7

So since 1976, we have seen four Governors elected President, and only Obama coming from the Senate.

Is this an institutional factor, that the Senate is less outstanding and prestigious in its membership than it has been in the past? Or is it just a blip on the political spectrum, which will be reversed starting in 2016? We shall see!