Friday 30 August 2013

bribes and political corruption

Politics has a profound impact on our lives and knowing more about politics locally and nationally helps you to better understand the good guys from the bad.. that's why I study politics. But sometimes it feels that hope is lost as all political parties seem to merge into one corrupt ideology fueled by money and greed.
Politics is a game of money not beliefs anymore, bribes and corruption help promote a political party... but the politicians who are being bribed wont be caught because after all politicians are cunning individuals and will find all the ways in the law to avoid prosecution after all they write the law.
It is not just me that thinks that there is a problem in our democratic system a vast majority of other Americans also think their is a ever increasing problem of corruption in our government and the power of the vote has been diminished by the power of money.

Bribes do not have to be the good old fashioned cash in hand types of bribes but can come in many different forms like party donations to help fund the political partyies campaign costs... Would a political party really thwart plans that their biggest sponsor is wanting to do?

Even just favors which can be anything from a job when they leave poetics to other lucrative favors could be considered as bribes.

Thursday 29 August 2013

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court dont worry you wont be able to have your say in this court just be judged.

Somewhere in America there is the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA). This secretive court is where they determine who should be spied on and how. 

It is here at the FISA court where they allowed the NSA to collect telephone records and Internet activity from websites, even if you are not from America what they decide in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court can impact anyone anywhere whether you are a American citizen or not.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is biased very biased... this court does not hear both sides of the story only the governments! The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is just a excuse that creates a illusions that there are legality and rules behind spying on people but really the truth is this secretive court is run by the government and makes secretive decisions. The government can hide behind the FISA without worry of public scrutiny or opinion. The right for the accused to defend themselves in non existent in this court meaning you cannot have a say.... and the government can do what they like to you even kill you.

Free trade rethink on the Jones act


America has taken it upon themselves to bring freedom and democracy to other countries including the third world. However here in America free trade is still quite restrictive despite our effort's for free trade in other countries. Don't believe me? Well the Jones act set up in 1922 mandates the following: that boats that are only built and with the American flag flying are allowed to transport goods between American ports. Despite this act being 91 years old back when globalization was in its earlier days has meant that America is suffering many negative consequences because of this old act. The act has meant American built ships cost significantly more than other foreign ships to be built due to low competition in the ship building industry (Some foreign vessels of the same type made in other countries can cost 5 times less!).

The Jones act doesn't just effect the shipbuilding industry the act also thwarts other industries including one of the biggest! The oil industry cannot work as effectively as it could with the Jones act in place... Inefficiencies in transportation of oil has meant that oil companies are loosing huge sums of money because of a act made 90 years ago when technology was much less advance.
Reports have estimated that the Jones act actually increases the price of transporting a single barrel of oil by $6 to $8.

There are people who support the Jones act have spoken out syaing that the Jones act is still relevant in today's world as it secures the shores of america and secures jobs for americans.

But those who oppose the Jones act say that America cannot afford these extra costs and the wasted time the Jones act creates and it doesn't secure jobs only makes America less competitive in the globalizing world.

As oil prices rise their is no doubt that the government will have to rethink the Jones act whether people like it or not.

The cold war idealogy is coming to a end

In the year 1992 George w bush declared that the cold war was finally over.  As the two super powers disarmed the world could finally relax.
The ending of the cold war was quite abrupt caused by the demise of the USSR in 1991! The cold war had huge implications through out the world where countries sided with either Russia or America effecting economics and paranoia worldwide. But here in America the effects of the cold war where not just economical the war had significant cultural consequences... the cold wars spanned for quite some time and as the cold war lived so did the growing cultural and political divisions in America.
The cold war shaped a new America which still stand today which isn't all a good thing the paranoia and beliefs of those who lived in the cold war have created political paralysis for the American government to manage and govern.

The paranoia is evident and spoken in modern day politics, when president Obama was elected for a second term as president a  Representative Paul Broun of Georgia said that Obama represents more of the soviet unions values and beliefs and not Americas, in other words Paul Broun is saying that Obama is a communist because some of his policies do not fit into the shaped America the cold war created.. with politicians left right and center accusing others of being communists if they do not fit in with their own beliefs. This all creates that political paralysis that i was talking about above... making it hard for America to develop from the cold war era.

Politicians can use the cold war as a way of swaying votes their way by accusing their rivals of being communists.. using discourse similar to "If you where a real American you wouldn't let that communist into power would you?".

America has a huge defense budget out of the paranoia! Health care isn't needed weaponry is! Even in the recession that we are now in military spending has not been reduced... despite the arms race of the cold war being over the paranoia still remains strong.
The American people who grew up in the cold war who make up the large portion of voters ask for a leader who is powerful and cares about America and will protect them against the evil communists who will invade and destroy America eventually.

Despite the cold war ideologies still being present in modern America slowly as those who did not grow up in cold war times are able to vote a new fresh load of voters will eventually takeover slowly but surely... People who did not grow up in the paranoid times of the cold war... who do not prioritize military power over health care and education... What the cold war politicians would call communists.

Monday 19 August 2013

Dont polticians have opinions?

What is wrong with politicians nowadays to me they seem to be like robots without feeling. Yes they have to come across as leaders but a good leader shouldn't be one that is too scared to express opinion on the basis that it may offend a few people and loose votes. That is the problem nowadays and what fuels conspiracy's as we just dont believe politicians have moral's or opinions as politically correctness stop them! We do not want a leader who is to up tight about being PC that they cannot speak out! A great leader leads the people and is not too liberal and afraid to speak out for the people because they are to afraid of causing offense! But there should be a fine line between expressing the opinion of the people and only expressing that of the upper class elite <<<I think also that the politicians opinions are so disjointed and a far cry away from the majority of peoples views that speaking out their own real political views would alienate them from the majority of people too!

Economics is the study of human behavoir

Economics is only the study of human behavior but we all know how unpredictable that is at the best of times that is why i have came to very obvious conclusion that economics really is a fools game of gambling and exploitation rather than science and math. Investors are gambling with peoples money on the stock market on things that they just dont know a thing about in the future. We just dont know where the world will be in the future yet speculative investments go on. The bankers dont really worry about consequences in the future only whether they are getting profit today.. meaning they will squeeze as much as they can to ensure maximum profit today! Because they ar gambling with fake assests means that they have no real risk and because they are investing and quickly trading the stocks so quickly it really is impossible to track what exactly is going on in the stock market for that matter. We just dont know what the economy will be like in the future but the bankers think they do... when they dont really.

Thursday 1 August 2013

Is avoiding tax moral?

Is it moral to avoid tax? Is it moral not to pay tax when everyone else has to... Many big cooperation's here in the Uk are avoiding paying their taxes.. tax avoidance is legal but tax evading is illegal.. but if you ask me both are just about the same thing only the tax avoiders are within the law. Some one once questioned me on another blog saying that finding loop holes in the tax system is moral as these loopholes have been set up by the government for this to happen.. which sounds like plutocracy to me as simply only the big business can go abroad to avoid tax not the small ones.

If it was up to me i would ban big business form doing business if they are avoiding paying tax whether it is legal or not!

Taxes go towards healthcare and other much needed services if everyone was able to avoid paying tax what sort of country would we live in?