Dirty Politics: Republican & Democrats Both Found Guilty

And guess what? You have the right to write in your choice. Every vote counts, right? Wrong. The write-ins don't get counted.

Guess what else. The Democrats and Republicans get to play by a different set of rules. They don't have to gather signatures to get put on the ballot, it's automatic. How's that for Democracy? Or a Republic? Hey, don't let those Dems lose power, make yourself heard!

We've been led down the path so far, I don't know if there is a way back for us. I am still looking at the candidates, but I feel disgust at the thought of supporting any party that would stoop so low.

Well I just got done looking at the Senate candidates and have made up my mind. But it is back to the lesser of two evils. Now on to the House. A write-in is a wasted vote, doesn't even make a statement because nobody will know the difference but me, and that's not good enough. But if I really want to make a difference I will work on changing the ballot access laws. The immediate action is to deal with this election. But I will have my mind made up within a few days. No need to watch the commercials or debates, it's all on the web, everything I need to know.

Irma, to your first question, where does the money go?

"Are you considering a government job? The federal government employs approximately 2 million federal workers plus 700,000 Postal workers and hires hundreds of thousands each year to replace civil service workers that transfer to other federal government jobs, retire, or leave for other reasons. Average annual salary for full-time federal government jobs now exceeds $79,197.

The U.S. Government is the largest employer in the United States, hiring about 2.0 percent of the nation's work force and the workforce is expanding significantly due to health care reform, in-sourcing, and many new regulatory programs. Federal government jobs can be found in every state and large metropolitan area, including overseas in over 200 countries. The average annual federal workers compensation, including pay plus benefits, now exceeds $119,982 compared to just $59,909 for the private sector according to the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis."

http://federaljobs.net/

This is just Federal. More to follow.

Irma, I forgot where I was posting. It was Jen's blog on education you asked the question, but I will leave the comment here, as it has more to do with government in general.

A new report from the Bureaus of Labor Statistics that was released today, shows that almost 15 million Americans are currently out of work and unable to find jobs. Worse still, those with jobs have not seen their wages increase much in the last 10 years. However, government workers are enjoying a boom in hiring and generous salary increases thanks in large part to very cushy pensions and other benefits.

The pay differential between public sector employees and the private sector shows a troubling trend. Government workers have benefited greatly, even during the severe recession, and their wages now outpace the employee compensation in private industry. According to recent research done by Mark J. Perry, professor of finance and economics at the School of Management of the University of Michigan government employees make on average 45% more than private sector employees.

http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/2010/02...

One more. This is what I was really looking for.


Poll: 17 percent of workers employed by government
By Eric Zimmermann - 08/06/10 01:05 PM ET

About one in six American workers are employed by the government, according to a new Gallup poll.

Seventeen percent of respondents said they were employed by either the federal, state or local government.

Not surprisingly, Washington, D.C., has the highest portion of government workers at 38 percent. Alaska placed second, with 31 percent, followed by Virginia and Maryland, where a large number of federal employees live.

Ohio had the lowest percentage of government employees with just 12 percent.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-roo...

So we need 1 person to govern every other 5?

Changing Federal Service

Public service has undergone much drastic change during its more than 200-year history in America, in five distinct phases:

One: The staid, able service of the founding period.

Two: The spoils era, when national elections were gigantic lotteries, with Government employment as the prize.

Three: The early, unspectacular years of the competitive civil service, when high-level professional and executive career jobs were relatively few.

Four: The beginning of the modern civil service, whose career employees serve worldwide in assignments requiring high levels of professional and executive capacity, judgment, energy, and skill.

Five: The 25 years since passage of the Civil Service Reform Act in 1978, with continuing commitment to merit principles, and increased emphasis and sharper focus on performance management.

http://www.opm.gov/biographyofanideal/PU_S...

From the article in Wikipedia article on the Great Depression. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depress...

Recessions and business cycles are thought to be a normal part of living in a world of inexact balances between supply and demand. What turns a normal recession or 'ordinary' business cycle into an actual depression is a subject of much debate and concern. Scholars have not agreed on the exact causes and their relative importance. Moreover, the search for causes is closely connected to the issue of avoiding future depressions.

Thus, the personal political and policy viewpoints of scholars greatly colors their analysis of historic events occurring eight decades ago. An even larger question is whether the Great Depression was primarily a failure on the part of free markets or, alternately, a failure of government efforts to regulate interest rates, curtail widespread bank failures, and control the money supply. Those who believe in a larger economic role for the state believe that it was primarily a failure of free markets, while those who believe in a smaller role for the state believe that it was primarily a failure of government that compounded the problem.

My brother-in-law's brother is a postal worker who was fired for drinking on the job. He collected unemployment for over 2 years, was then given his job back, with all his back pay for that whole time period.

I also observe every day, two local government workers come out to read a water meter near the creek running by our house. They drive around in the township truck, meander down to the meter, two of them it takes to read a meter.

But it is my fault for digressing from the topic of this blog, which is about ballot access, it's use to limit our choice of lawmakers, and it's abuse by legal challenge against those candidates that don't have the same financial resources as the major parties.

As for working for the federal government, I never have and never will. Nor any other government, with the exception that someday I might work in the public school system, if they're smart enough to let me.

And Clark, nothing I believe or speak on has anything to do with skin color. I thing you know that about me.

I mean in terms of politics.

Clark, I veered off because I forgot the blog where Irma had asked me a question. It was on Jen's blog about closing the education gap. I decided to leave the comment here rather than take Jen's blog off track, and then I got off on a tangent as you know I will sometimes do.

Anyway, I respect and learn from your comments, thank-you. I am posting what I find about the choices here in PA, and am making it a point to present both sides. Here we have only two choices for all the offices except PA state representative, where I have the additional choice of an Independent. I emailed this candidate, and the first thing I asked him was would he work to reform PA's ballot access laws. I haven't heard back from him yet.

Looking at the Senate race still, I read a poll that said voters are likely to vote depending on whether they are for or against the Obama administration. That should not be the issue, but that's what it comes down to with our current political organization.

great, and I know you will be studying more than one resource.lol (smile)...

don't forget I did the write in on Ron Paul in 2008 and, I still feel great about what I did.(smile)

as for who is on the major tickets for senater and governor...I know theri running records and their voting records...I must say I am so so glad that a message may get sent out from my state that all of them can not buy their selves into top political positions. (otfl) (smile)...but this goes for what ever office youare running for and get caught...I remember when I was not oly so sure that our vice-pres would be John Edwards and Bill richerdson for the job the H. Clinton is innow...last minute TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH CHANGED ME OVER NIGHT ON ThIS. (smile)

I trust no one ingovernment be it local, state or federal because it takes lots and lots of money to get there...and, we are dealing with human beings. (smile)

@ADAM, SEE CAN YOU GET MORE INFORMATION FROM YOUR SON ABOUT HOSW oAKLAND IS FEELING...i JUST HEARD ON THE EVENING NEWS THAT THE SENTANCING OF THE POLICEMAN WO KILLED THAT YOUNG MAN AT bART WILL BE COMING INTO TO COURT TOMORROW...

AND, ALSO ABOUT THE PEOPLE RUNNIG FO RMAYOR SPEAKING INFORT OF A MEDICAL MARIJUANA XHOPE CALLED "WE" THEY SAID THE STORE'S NAME CHANGED FROM "I" TO WE...YOU KNOW HOW THEY NEVER GIVE ANY NEWS IN FULL. (SMILE)

Adam,please always vote you conscious and not someone else's, because it is not good to take one's one vote and use it like this is a populaity contest. (smile)

Me, I grew up with being told if I did not vote I had no legal say in how our government is run at all, be it local, state or federal. but, when it is time for Fiestien to be up for reelection and she is on teh ticket for senater, i just the to not mark anyting on my ballet(smile)

a little story about when I lived on campus at UCD...i was to vote in a local election and had signed up as a Green party voter...when i got my ballet, it showed that , that party had chosen who i would be voting for...andy I don't even have to say what came up now do I? (otfl) (smile)just goes to show how life is an ongoing learning lesson...

OH WELL, THIS IS WHAT A.C.O.R.N....USE TO HELP THE LOCAL COMMUNITYS WITH THESE KINDS OF PROBLEMS....BUT, THIS IS AMERICA , RIGHT, THE LAND WHERE TRUTH / PROPER EDUCATION IS NOT ACCEPTED?!? (NUP)