For two years, the Republicans have said "no" over and over to legislation that would help Americans -- no to extending unemployment benefits, no to creating jobs, no to the Recovery Act.

But that's not enough -- if the Republicans take back Congress, they've pledged to repeal health insurance reform and pursue policies that would end Social Security and Medicare as we know them.

They're convening in Washington, D.C., with Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin this weekend. Palin has said that the plan for keeping taxes low for the middle class so they can stimulate the economy, while repealing fiscally irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthiest 2%, is "idiotic." And Beck said last week of some of those who are unemployed, "you'd be ashamed to call them Americans."

These are the folks that the Republican party draws its energy and ideas from. But Americans have a much better source -- you.

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A fox newscaster openly discussed the use of perception vs reality by TV reporters in discussing the Illinois Governor scandal and even going so far as justifying the creation of perceived problems such as with President-elect Obama's transition team -

Our media has officially degraded to the point where they readily admit on air that they are distorting news by over emphasizing or under emphasizing facts but in many cases they just fabricate a series of "what-ifs" or "perceptions"

This prolongs the anxiety and interest level for viewers of what otherwise should be shelved until more facts arise - this would probably be defended as a form of free speech - then again is it lawful to mislead the public? - or to twist facts to paint a distorted and often inaccurate picture - isn't that just a sophisticated form of lying?

Statistics is another tool used to distort and create news where there is none - polls which are a form of a statistic can be easily contrived to produce news worthy results - while painting a biased and often incorrect perception of the truth -

It's all really just propaganda designed to sell advertising.

When you have less you appreciate less.

Some of us can remember when eating out was a luxury while nowadays many more of us feel it is their right.

In a world where the disparity between those with and those without is widening - even in the USA on a relative scale, it is time to step back and be thankful for what we have and not complain about what we can't have.

The simple solution to the Israeli - Palestinian conflict is international intervention AND control.

The United Nations needs to construct a significant joint multinational military apparatus that will act to deconstruct on a worldwide basis criminal military organizations - drug cartels, terrorist organizations or even rogue nations. For this to happen the worlds major military powers must put aside self-interest and ambitions which are not beneficial to the world at large.

The global economic crisis provides an opportunity and a platform for reaching a consensus forum on what is good for all countries and to understand that joint efforts to solve economic problems and social problems are also an integral part of eliminating acts of violence such as wars.

It must be understood that no war is a just war - and that the underlying causes and problems are always economically and socially based.

Nationalism and protectionism can only survive where there is greed and selfishness and when there are a few with a lot and many with a lot less.

Peace and happiness comes with the human race sharing the responsibility to care for all of mankind on earth as well as caretake the worlds natural resources.

Charity does not begin at home as many would like to think. Charity is not a luxury tax nor a tax shelter - it is a humanitarian obligation for those of us who have to help those who have not.

The window of opportunity to change for the better is now when so many have less and so many more have nothing.

A few recent news blurbs when pieced together along with what we already know preview a dangerous ideological trend.

In no particular order of significance:

1. a Russian economist projects the separation of the united states into groups of adjoining states
2. several republican governors have thumbed there nose at our President-elect - saying that they would in effect take care of their own states - as if they were not part of the United States.
3. Palins comments about "real America" coupled with her husbands involvement with a group advocating the succession of Alaska from the USA
4. the divisive policies of the Republican party
5. the empowerment of the rich over the non-rich - financially, socially, legally and politically

What do you think?

Our education system is broken down for the most part into 4 segments - young children (elementary), young children(pre-high school), teenagers(high school) and young adults (college)

I believe these segments should be homogenized and "smoothed" out - so that two things are accomplished: THE FIRST is that the student's rate of progress not age determines how fast they traverse the segments.

The SECOND is that where a student is at on this "path of progress" is transparent. By this I mean that there is no discernible difference in what is being taught - just the level of difficulty. So for example math is being taught at all points in this education path etc.

The objective of this non-linear system of education is to build a progress ladder - at any step in this ladder the students on that step are roughly equivalent in terms of the progress they've made - YET any one students criteria for making progress can be adjusted to that individual based on their strengths and weaknesses.

Sports is an important health and social component of education BUT should be treated as a separate path and not dictated by age or sex.

There is no reason to prevent an individual who excels in a given sport from traversing this path as quickly as logically permissible without regard to their age or where they are on the academic path.

What do you think?