The ‘Duck Dynasty’ Patriarch Issue

          Phil Robertson, “Patriarch” of the ‘Duck Dynasty’, has been so much in the forefront of the news these last few days that I cannot help but comment. For those who have never heard of the ‘Duck Dynasty’ (if there is anyone), this is a television series viewed on the A&E network. Mr. Robertson was recently interviewed by GQ Magazine; and, in this interview which was published in its January, 2014 edition, he made several controversial statements which created such a furor he was suspended from the show.

Asked about sin in his interview with GQ, Mr. Robertson is said to have said, “Start with homosexual behaviour and just morph out from there–bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.” Also, quoting scripture, he said, to the effect, “Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers–they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right”.

Also, “I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once.  Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. We're going across the field. ... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people' -- not a word! Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues”.

Out of these quotations of Mr. Robertson along with his suspension came charges and accusations of hate crimes, racial baiting, religious bigotry, and violations of free speech. Although it won’t get very far, I would add one other–exploitation by the media. Many events worse than this would pass by the wayside and the media wouldn’t even pick it up. They pass up reporting on many other much more important subjects every day, so why this one? Why this subject? Why do they report this over and over and over all through the day, day in and day out–every day? The answer to that is sensationalism. It creates ratings; it sells advertising; it makes money. What it does not do is responsibly serve the public, except to provide crude entertainment to some among us. It helps to feed our appetite for certain forms of gossip–socially and intellectually irresponsible, I believe.

This particular issue is so multifaceted that one cannot rationally discuss it as a whole. It only brings out the bias, prejudice, bigotry, and speculation in all of us with little, if any positive results. Mr. Robertson, according to the various articles written about him, is an intelligent, honest and forthright Christian man raised in the bayous of Louisiana, a product of his culture and upbringing who speaks his mind candidly and honestly. What we see, is what we get. As citizens of a democratic republic and, for those who profess to be Christians, we all have a stake in this. We have a dog in this fight, as they say.

The issues involved are religion, sin, government, racial hatred, homosexuality, freedom of speech, and the social responsibility of business–all major and complex issues in their own right. I would compile these into three central discussions– the social responsibility of business which I have discussed on previous occasions; government, another facet of which I will discuss below; and religion, which I will discuss in the near future.

In this nation, we are guaranteed freedom of religion and worship by our Constitution. Now, I’m not a lawyer; but that means to me the separation of church and state–government does not run the church, and the church does not run the state. When we elect our government in this nation, that government, so elected, has a legal obligation to govern and serve the interests of all the people, every last one, whoever they may be, whether they are green, purple, have pin-pointed heads, whatever; and those people have an equal right to opportunity, treatment, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and to practice any religion they may choose to follow (I must add that, in my view, this does not include religious law that supersedes the law of the land or is destructive of our democratic way of life–that is not in the deal and was never intended to be.). To purposely belabor the point, I will be more specific and say, rich, poor, smart, stupid, educated, uneducated, heterosexual, homosexual, bi-sexual, trans-sexual, male, female–have I left anything out? That’s our country; that’s how it was designed; and that’s how it is. To this end, we must “all get along”. I might, also, remind you that, for us who are Christians, we are commanded to love one another, every last one, all the above factors notwithstanding. We may not like some people, but we must love them–the Bible calls it AGAPE love, and it includes forgiveness.

One more issue in this matter is the question of freedom of speech. There is no question. We are guaranteed freedom of speech under our Constitution. Let me remind you, however, that just because the law says so doesn’t make it so. The absolute fact is we do not have freedom of speech in this country and we never have since day one. It has always been true that one must watch what he says, where he says it, and before whom. Depending on what is said and where, one might suffer ostracism, unemployment, violence, or even arrest and internment–try talking politics in a bar. I just hope I don’t end up that way. I would like to think what I have to say is honest, constructive, and a contribution to the dialogue.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

The Purpose of a Business 

          I’m usually open–minded to all arguments, but one argument upon which I refuse to bend is the purpose of a business. That is, a business exists for one purpose and one purpose only, to provide a service or product to the people or their representatives, the government for one example–no other. When there is no further need for a business’s product or service, the reason(s) notwithstanding, it ceases to exist. Its purpose is not profit; its purpose is not to provide jobs; and, most certainly, its purpose is not to fill the Christmas stockings of politicians. Its purpose, once again, is to provide a product or service, directly or indirectly, to man.

          I was viewing a speech on C-span earlier today by Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader of the Senate in which he presented a defense of the coal industry in light of that industry’s current problems with the EPA–he called it “our war on coal”–not. In his presentation he used the testimony of a young ex-coal miner who wrote a song about coal mining, to the effect, saying coal mining is a “way of life”, and we should not decrease our coal consumption so as not to take away that “way of life” (I suppose the ecology notwithstanding). I submit to you, no business is or should ever become a “way of life”. Just as they have always done throughout history, businesses cease to exist when they are no longer needed, become obsolete, or a detriment to the lives of those whom they serve.

          Looking at the subject from another angle or perspective, in fulfilling its purpose stated above, a business should do so in the spirit of the function to be performed as well as in its execution, ethically and responsibly with the ultimate wellbeing of those whom they are supposed to serve in mind. Anything less is immoral and a farce. I’m sure all of you, by now, know that, under the Affordable Care Act, i.e. Obama Care, people with a pre-existing condition cannot be turned down for health insurance. Guess what. Tonight on CNN, it was reported that United Health Care has found a way around that law by dropping your preferred physician from their coverage. So, what is one to do–especially when your condition is serious and your preferred doctor is critical? What else? You either change doctors (to someone you don’t know and, worse yet, who doesn’t know you) or change insurance carriers, in which case you very possibly will be charged higher insurance premiums. Such action is not within the purpose of a business and is morally reprehensible. I may be idealistic, but I feel a business should not be allowed to exist if it cannot perform in a moral and socially responsible manner. We desperately need to able to trust those with whom we deal.

          Folks, this is just another reason why we need to adopt a single-payer healthcare system, i.e. Medicare for everyone–no confusion, minimal decisions, no muss, no fuss, and, for the people, no bother. I should also add that our proceeding to that end will go a long way toward eliminating our deficit, assuming we establish the same rules governing the negotiations of prescription drug prices as those of the Veterans Administration. This just one example illustrated by United Health Care clearly shows the road ahead for the Affordable Care Act. More United Health Cares will come out of the woodwork every other day. You can count on it. Those who have been blood sucking our people for these many years need to be put in their place, and a single-payer healthcare system modeled after Medicare is the way to do it. Relatively speaking, it’s easy; it’s simple; and it’s doable. Let’s do it. Write your representative in Congress. The Republicans don’t have an alternative plan to the Affordable Care Act. Here’s one for you. For additional info on this subject, please refer to my previous discussion on this, September 30^th and July 23^rd of this year.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Our Depression

We certainly hear a lot in the news today; our government is in serious doubt; and our politicians are flailing in the wind, so to speak. Even though, allow me to list below a few items which I consider to be facts, no matter what the propagandists say.

Fact No.  1. Our country is in serious economic difficulty with twenty million people, more or less, unemployed, under employed, and/or living on poverty level wages.

Fact No.   2. It would appear that our leaders just wish they will go away. Trust me. They won’t. We need jobs, and we need them now–not some Sunday after some Tuesday.

Fact No.  3. Real jobs will not come until there is increased demand, and demand will not reoccur without a massive increase in spending by government and the people, in which event, the people must have living wages.

Fact No.  4. Not one dollar of debt can be paid until our national deficit is eliminated, and our deficit cannot be eliminated until our national budget is balanced–in the end revenues must equal spending.

Fact No.  5. We will not recover from this very serious dilemma in which we find ourselves until our nation, at the very least, gets back to a “real” level of employment (You surely know this reported 7% unemployment figure is pure fiction to give us that warm fuzzy feeling which we all like ever so much [and help us to forget the twenty million discussed above]–don’t believe it.), and our national budget is balanced, i.e. our deficit is zero (then we can start on paying off the debt).

          At this point in the discussion, we come down to another very important matter–our national debt. The Nobel winning economist, Paul Krugman, for whom I have immense respect, tells us in his book, End This Depression Now, that we should not consider government debt in the same vein as we think of personal debt–government can print money and people cannot. I, also, read his book, Depression Economics; and, as I understand his thinking, he believes our level of government debt is not presently critical–we should concentrate on increasing spending, stimulate the economy now, and get out of this depression. Austerity at this point in time is a danger to our economy. Again, we should spend. To put people back to work we need to increase demand. A jobs bill is one way of doing that. At this point in the discussion, we move to my opinion.

          One of our ex-vice presidents, Richard Cheney, has said that deficits don’t matter (there is no way I believe that although the opinion of Paul Krugman borders on it), and his administration operated accordingly–a matter of record. Of course, in addition to enriching themselves, they had another motive in mind–the reduction, if not elimination, of our so-called entitlements. If the debt and deficit were high enough to become critical, they could force the negotiation of their elimination or reduction in the requisite budget battles. That’s where we are presently.

          Where am I going with this? I think our government should get their head “out of the sand” and pull this country out of the depression in which we find ourselves. You claim we aren’t in a depression. I submit to you that the only reason you may be right is the relief we enjoy from our safety nets of Social Security and healthcare, both of which enable most of us to hold our heads above water–one of which, Social Security, came out of the Roosevelt Administration in the thirties; and the other of which, Medicare and Medicaid, came out of the administration of Lyndon Johnson in the sixties (Without them, we would really be in deep doo in this country). We need to get out of this economic mess and we need to do it now, politics notwithstanding; and we need to spend the money to do it. In conjunction with this, we need to develop a ten year plan to eliminate our deficit and, after that, a twenty year plan to pay off or pay down our national debt (Dr. Krugman would probably say this is unnecessary, time will take care of the problem. He may be right; but, with all respect, I disagree.).

Deficit reduction could begin with implementation of the single payer healthcare system I recommended in an earlier blog, and serious cuts in waste, fraud, and abuse in government, defense, and intelligence. One suggestion to this end might begin with an auditable accounting system and integrated budgets and data bases in defense and elsewhere where they are needed. With all the computer intelligence in the NSA, one would think we would have been smart enough to do have done that already.

By the way, before I quit this for today, have you thought of the billions of dollars we have wasted with this ACA, Affordable Care Act– the division among us, and everything else? We could have just signed everybody up for Medicare and had this thing going already with much less muss, fuss, and bother. We just don’t make sense. We just don’t make sense. I’m sorry. I can’t stop. Look at the relief this approach would give to business and the economy. For the third time, we just don’t make sense.

Good night, folks.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

South Africa

Have you seen the news of South Africa in the wake of Nelson Mandela? The television screen was replete with pictures of the impoverished black people of the land, walking in streets of mud among the shanties in which they lived. It went on to tell us that the white population among them owned all the land while the natives had nothing. The augury of the presentation went on to show how the black people were forming armies and training their young to fight. The white landowners were understandably fearful of what might be in their future and that of their children.

Why am I telling you this? This situation in South Africa didn’t come about because it is a nation of lazy loafers and ne’er-do-wells. It is the direct result of the inequality of opportunity in income, wealth, education, and due process under the law over these past many years–a carryover of colonization and apartheid. This is what happens in a land where peoples are suppressed and there is a lack of equal opportunities for all, economically, educationally, and politically. This is what has been happening in our country over the past half century–especially in the past thirty-plus years. No one has to tell you about how the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. You know it. You are probably among the latter.

As I have pointed out on previous occasions, wages and income (in real terms) is decreasing in our country, and the preponderance of our people is in debt up to their ears (personal as well as national debt). Unemployment is exceedingly high with, current statistics notwithstanding, over twenty million people out of work, and jobs (and money) flowing profusely from our country to nations around the globe. Many just cannot make ends meet. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of our people, go to bed at night hungry. Even more is on some form of welfare or another–our welfare rolls (state of dependency) have literally exploded. The standard of living for our economy as a whole is in decline, a trend I anticipate will continue for the foreseeable future; and as you might expect, worry, unrest, and discontent among our people is rampant. The sale of firearms and ammunition in our country has increased significantly, and the establishment of internment facilities and massive purchases of ammunition by our government’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security has also been reported (Ref: infowars.com). As if this isn’t enough, our government is politically broken. For all practical purposes it has become inoperative–almost beyond repair. As just one example, Congress literally threw $24 Billion into the trash vis a vis a completely unnecessary government shutdown (small change compared to other travesties in the past). They, also, cut food stamps, despite this plight of our people.

I don’t usually copy other people’s writings in my postings to this blog; but, if you will indulge me, I would like to make an exception and post a recent letter to the editor of a national newspaper. Except for a couple spelling corrections, I have not edited it one iota. I just want to give you one example of the feeling in this country. It reads as follows:

“In fact, the federal deficit has been inching down. And why must deficit reduction always fall on the backs of the least among us? The rich have been left happily alone on their pinnacle of invulnerability, there is about $33 trillion in offshore taxes left un-pursued, and no one on the right will so much as consider the phrase "raise revenues".

You can't turn the clock back to the mid-19th century. When enough people are marginalized and realize that they have no stake in a nation that doesn't give a tinker's curse about healthcare, public education, access to higher education, and has cooperated in building a workforce of terrified serfs at the behest of behemoth corporate interests with no national or ethical boundaries - the peasants will begin rioting, and the baby will go with the bathwater.

The rising inequity between the very rich and everyone else, and that includes a frustrated, hard-working middle-class whose corpse is being picked over by the corporate rich in this country like a dead pigeon is, I assure you, far more dangerous than the federal deficit. The government can print money any time it likes. But it won't have a fire hose long enough to put out the fire that will eventually ignite from the spreading gasoline pool of failure to thrive among everyone but the rich.”

I think that says it all, folks. That says it all. We need to change our direction before we, too, become like South Africa. We need to take back our government from the Shadow Government of the Corporatocracy and Power Elite. We can only do this with election and campaign financing reform; and by becoming politically active and eliminating private money from the election process, which will never happen if we never get with the program.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

It Seems To Me

It would seem to me (I have had a lot of those lately, and they “seem to” keep coming). It would seem to me that if one really and honestly in their heart believes in democracy, they would believe in it for all people–not just themselves. If one believes that (if one  really does), would it, therefore, go without saying that he or she would, also, believe all people within any given unit of a democracy be included in the electoral process–our nation, for example, or any nation for that matter? Can a nation really be democratic if its people or any significant portion of them is excluded from the process?

Think about that. Is a government wherein its elected representatives are significantly controlled by major contributions of money from outside private interests, taking precedence over the best interests of the people, a democracy? Is gerrymandering consistent with democracy? Is passing laws deterring voting by certain segments of the population democratic? How about those who pass laws ostensibly with one effect for the underlying purpose of, effectively, achieving another, thereby constraining the democratic process, i.e. voter suppression? What do you think of excluding other political factions from the electoral process? Do you think that to be democratic? Should we have more than two political parties within our system of government to better recognize the needs and desires of our people? Should multiple parties continue to be restricted in our electoral process?

Having asked these questions, do you believe that those who practice or contribute to practices of voter manipulation and suppression really believe in a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people; or, on the other hand, are they serving just their own special interests through control of the vote with little or no regard for the benefit of the people?

I have one last question under “It seems to me”. Does it “Seem to you” that you can continue to enjoy the benefits of a democratic republic without the active and robust participation of you and your fellow citizens? Do you really think our democratic republic can continue to exist given the direction in which it is going if you fail to actively take part? Surely you cannot be happy with things as they are.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Our Budget Compromise

Its lack of real accomplishment notwithstanding, our illustrious House of Representatives and United States Senate have finally come to a bipartisan budget agreement. In the course of its announcement, Paul Ryan, a member of the House of Representatives and United States Senator Patty Murray jointly stated, to the effect, that no better deal could be made under the circumstances of today’s political conditions. That remains to be seen, however, as it still must be approved by both bodies of Congress and signed by the President.

I didn’t see this in the write-up; but, as I viewed their joint announcement of the deal on CNN, Senator Murray said, in effect to Ryan, “You and I serve a different team” to which he nodded his head and spoke his agreement. He certainly does; but, really, I was surprised that he would openly admit it. Senator Murray serves the people’s team (I hope I’m right on that–one never knows anymore). Ryan serves our Shadow Government. You remember. That’s our government by the Corporatocracy and Power Elite which controls our Congress and others high up in government through their campaign contributions, lobbying groups, think tanks, etc.–overpowering your vote.  That’s the top five percent of us, or so, where most of the money goes. I’ve been telling you about these people. Just tune into the various news programs on your radio and television. Listen to them talk. They’re good, folks. They are really good. They’ve got a line that’ll really “Wow Ya”.

I don’t know all the good and bad of this (as they say, it’s beyond my pay grade); but there is some good to be seen in it. For one, it will get us by a possible government shutdown, January 15^th; and, for another, it might help to facilitate negotiations of the debt limit in March, allowing us to keep going until we can come, hopefully, to a real and substantive agreement. The bad, of course, is that, but for the greed and avarice involved, we could have solved many of our problems permanently. This just, once again, kicks the can down the road.

A really sad omission at this point in time is that of our Congress not renewing the unemployment benefits expiring in December, just after Christmas. Not only will this cause severe damage to the lives of the individuals involved; but, also, it will take from the overall economy a significant stimulus, hurt business, and bring about additional losses in jobs. I don’t care what your political religion is, that’s one hell of a blow to all of us. It’s very easy to make decisions about the lives of others when you have a full stomach, warm clothes, and a roof over your head; but it’s a horse of a different color when you are the one hungry, about to be evicted from your home, or sleeping out in the cold with no hope of improving your condition. Wake up, people! These are not normal times. There are approximately twenty million people out there who are hurting and are hurting badly. It’s freezing out there; and our Shadow Government doesn’t care. They do not feel the cold and can care less about how you feel (Correction: They do care for your money and your vote, however).

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Thinking

          Just from personal observation of people over the years, I have developed a perception, subjective of course, that we all are mentally lazy, including me–especially me. I know for a fact that I am guilty of this impediment–seriously so. Since I don’t dare be alone with this defect (my ego won’t tolerate it), I must assume we are all in this together, including those much smarter–we are all this way. Aren't we? It is just a question of how much more or less. Isn’t it? Think about it.

          What brings the subject to my mind just now is that I have been reading a book (I’m not quite finished yet) by Dr. Daniel Kahneman, titled Thinking, Fast and Slow; and, what do you know? Surprise! I am vindicated. Dr. Kahneman tells us we have two kinds of thinking, Type 1 and Type 2. I’ll probably not be able to explain this as well as he; but, nevertheless, I’ll do my best. These are my words and interpretation.

As I understand, our minds constantly operate under Type 1. We think and make decisions fast; Type 1 is automatic, operating off the information and experience we have accumulated and stored in our mental data base over time–whatever that may be. You have heard many times the statement, “Garbage in, Garbage Out”. This is where that comes into play for better or for worse. You get out of your mind what you put into it. Jesus says, “As you think, so you are”. Type 2, on the other hand is your thinking or reasoning process. This is the lazy side of our thinking. We actually resist using it. It operates to overrule Type 1 when necessary. A simple example of its use might be seen in driving a car when, all of a sudden, you are threatened by an extraneous event–another vehicle runs a red light in front of you, a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, the light turns yellow, etc. A decision has to be made. Reasoning is required. I’m sure by now you get the general idea. Type 2 facilitates decision-making. 

In addition to the facilitation of decision making, Type 2 is used when we read, study, listen, calculate, experience, etc. The more we use this type of our thinking, the better we will  develop our inner database and make better and more reliable decisions, building knowledge, eliminating misinformation, and erasing bias and prejudice in our minds–enabling the effectivity of our Type 1 thinking. But, we don’t like to do that, do we? We would rather take the easy way out. That’s the mental laziness coming out in all of us–a fact of life that feeds our everyday reliance on preconceived notions, opinions, bias, prejudice, and animosities, our level of intelligence notwithstanding. Even the smartest of the smartest is susceptible to this flaw in our nature.

Think about it. We all vote.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net  

The Minimum Wage

          Once again, the subject of the minimum wage is at the forefront of discussion in government; and, frankly, for the life of me, I can’t understand why it’s even being debated. It seems (the debate, that is) so unnecessary. Raising the minimum wage is either good for the country (our nation) or it is bad for it (I’m talking about the good or best interest of our country, our nation as a whole–not that of individual vested interests). It’s that simple. Once again, as in everything else (it seems), our government is engaging in an exercise in masturbation. How many times over the years in our past have we raised the minimum wage? There is no need for study. There is no need for debate. We know the answers to the questions. We know the economic impact and incidence of raising the minimum wage. We know all the possible effects–all there is a need to know. We have been there. We have done that. We know! We also know it is the right thing to do in these trying economic times after so many years of inflation since the last time. We also recognize the need to adjust Social Benefits, accordingly, to compensate for the resultant inflation. So why don’t we just do it and move on to resolving the many other important issues on our nation’s agenda? There’s too much talk. Of course, we have to decide how much, don’t we?

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Where Are We Going?

It has been several days since I have written a posting to this blog, and I sincerely apologize for that. I really appreciate your following my writing and hope you will continue; but, to be completely honest, some days my thoughts flow, and other days they do not. I, really, just draw a blank. Again, I’m sorry. I hope you will “hang with” me in this endeavor.

One doesn’t have to look back too many years to see the future if they only care to take a look. History does repeat itself. In my final years of life, I will not be around to see (or experience) it; but, looking at the direction in which our leaders are taking us and how they are managing the affairs of our nation, I foresee only a path of poverty, misery and servitude for my children and their descendents. Ignorance, greed, avarice, and incompetence abound; everyone thinks they are right, facts notwithstanding; no one will admit they are wrong; and our world (as we know it), our government of the people, by the people, and for the people, is slipping away before our very eyes, arguably either (thru passive neglect and ignorance) forfeited by the people or stolen from them by an oligarchy of our nation’s corporate and power elite, the top one percent, if you will–our Shadow Government–those who take all the money. I can’t argue the distinction, as the latter could not have occurred without the acquiescence of the former. It’s sad, if not tragic, isn’t it? We have come to the point in our nation’s short history where (as I have said before) we not only have a “Shadow Banking” system (Reference the report of The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, published January, 2011), we also have a “Shadow Government”. We’ve come a long way, baby.

The question at hand is, what are we going to do about it, and when are we going to do it? Not all, to be sure; but, for the most part, the foxes (the power elite) are in control of the henhouse. You know they aren’t going to do anything; so, the ball is in your court. Let me suggest this. In November, 2014, we are going to have a national election for representatives to Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate. To the best of your ability vote only for those who represent the people of this country, the 99%, those to whom God gave this planet in the first place. Don’t forget. When Jesus came into this world, he came to the poor, the disenfranchised. It was Jesus who chased the money changers from the temple because they were liars, cheats, and thieves. Accordingly, cast your votes for representatives of the people, populists if you will, rather than those who represent only the interests of the very rich (and their wannabe's).

Let’s get the show on the road toward taking back our country for the people. We need jobs. We need to take money out of politics. We need to legally affirm that corporations are not people and do not have the rights of people. Only God makes people–not Mr. Roberts or his gang. We need to insure open, honest, and fair elections, open and fair to all citizens and political parties–gerrymandering and discrimination be damned. We need to shore up Social Security to the extent we don’t have to argue the matter for ever again. We need a single-payer healthcare system for all. As one great leader once said, “It doesn’t matter if the cat is white or the cat is black, the cat we want is the cat that catches mice”. We, also, need to amend our Constitution as needed to implement a government, as Abraham Lincoln said in his address at Gettysburg, of the people, by the people, and for the people.

We have a year left before the election, folks. Please. Think seriously and deeply about what I have said. I urge you. Focus on our government being a Democratic Republic, representative of the people, as it was originally established in 1789.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net