The Lessons of Success.

The Lessons of Success.

If you want to be truly successful in America it does not matter what you look like.

It doesn’t matter what your religion, sexual orientation, or social background is. People that work hard, rise above there circumstance and do things right deserve to rise the ranks. That is why America was created; right? One thing that is common among all of America’s most successful people is their grasp of the English language. They know the right words to say, and that gives them power. Knowing how to speak and how to express yourself is paramount for success in the world today.

Whether it’s Barack Obama, ABC anchor John Quinones, or the recent supreme court pick, they all knew that in order to get the respect they deserve they would need to be able to speak and represent themselves on paper eloquently. If you can do that, then you will be respected.

Why is this?

English is the language of law, business, travel, aviation, computers, science, medicine and more. If you want to be successful in this world you are going to need to know it, because you are certainly going to run into it.

With that in mind, it seems a disservice to students in America to give them a pass for not learning to write and speak English correctly. Why would you not encourage children to learn and understand a tool that will serve them so well? A skill that will allow them to rise out of any social strata or economic situation? I don’t think anyone should turn their back on their heritage, but I do think that everyone should know how to understand the most powerful/influential/wide-spread language in the world.

Bilingual education should only be used to quickly bridge students into full English. Anything less is a total disservice to them. It will only hold them back. But don’t take my word for it, just ask the new supreme court justice what she says about it.

The Problem with California

The Problem with California

Ask not what your State can do for you, but what you can do for your state!

California is the edge of Western civilization and one of the worlds largest economies, 5th or 6th in the world. It is thus one of the wealthiest states (not per capita), but in terms of revenue. It is the center of three of the USA’s major and most promising fields of enterprise, movie making (USA’s greatest export products), Silicon Valley, and Stem cell research. California is also home to the world best public higher education system. Many of the worlds top research universities call the Golden State home.

California is the land of Hollywood dreams that come true. California is the American Dream, the land of innovation, the center of the tech, bio tech, and communication, image/media driven future of the global economy. It is bursting with potential and ideas, arguably generating more innovations these days than any other state by a sizable margin.

With so much going for it, and so much money coming in, where is it all going? Why all the problems…

We’ll get to that.

California has some of the most conservative and most extreme liberal people in the nation. It is a huge state that is hard to bring together. It is also one of the most racially diverse states, a true blending of all the worlds colors, creeds, religions and ideals. It has the largest minority population (57% in 2005) of any state.

California is interesting in that the bulk of the people live in the south, but the center of government is in the north. The people that run the government (minus Arnold) are mostly people who have never worked in or been a product of it’s business sectors (long enough to show it at least). If they were they would see that California has become extremely business unfriendly. This means that it is no longer able to support the entitlement programs in loves so much.

California’s are very empathetic people, they have so much, and they see so much money floating around that they want to help everyone. They want to house, educate, feed, provide medical care, childcare, and even drivers licenses to everyone who asks for it. No questions asked, nothing required in return. This is not a bad thing, per say... What’s bad is what happens when that helping hand cannot afford to give because it has nothing for itself. What is happening is that because they state was so generous, people took advantage (Octo-mom, illegal immigrants, unions, Medi-Cal fraudsters, ect.) and now those that are actually paying taxes are seeing what they have paid into disappear, or not be there for them. A sick mother cannot care for her kids as the saying goes.

So how can the state heal itself?

The simple version is this:
1) In the short term, clean house, cut spending and eliminate waste
2) Follow the laws it has on the books, and the will of the people

California needs to deal with it’s problems. It cannot afford to turn a blind eye to it’s woes. Whether they are financial, immigrant, business, climate, political, economic, educational…

The painful truth that no one in California politics wants to say (it’s pretty much political suicide in this state) is that California has a MAJOR illegal immigration problem.

Illegal immigration is a major Problem!

I said it. Go ahead and hate me. Call me names. That won’t help anything.

Truth creates money.

In Wilson’s administration, a study prepared by Philip J. Romero for the Governor’s office found that illegal immigrants and their U.S.-born children received about $3.6 billion more in state services than they paid in taxes. The 1994 study was followed up in 1997 with the Jordan Commission’s study of California conducted by the National Research Council. In looking at California’s budget, the study found that there was “a net fiscal transfer to the average immigrant-headed household of $3,463” and that the “net fiscal burden on native households in California is families from Latin America.”

In 2007, Romero updated his earlier work and estimated that illegal aliens in California now receive somewhere between $9.6 and $38.2 billion more in state services than they pay in state taxes.
(“COST OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION EQUALS COST OF CALIFORNIA BUDGET DEFICIT, By Diana Hull, Ph.D., April 7, 2008 @ http://www.capsweb.org/)

"California is melting down with an unemployment rate of 9.3 percent, 257,400
jobs lost in 2008, median home values plummeting 50% since spring of 2007, and
the lowest S&P bond rating of all fifty states," said Dan Stein, President of
FAIR. "While Governor Schwarzenegger is proposing draconian cuts in spending,
ordering furloughs for state employees, and delaying expected taxpayer
refunds, he continues to ignore the budget-busting cost of illegal
immigration. With the highest concentration of illegal aliens of any state -
nearly one in eight residents is illegal - it's no wonder California is in the
mess it is." (FAIR, California Budget Meltdown Would be Lessened by Combating Increases in Illegal Immigration, Feb 6, 2009)

California will not be able to financially recover until it addresses the illegal immigration problem. California is sick with Lung Cancer and illegal immigration is it’s cigarettes. There will be no healing until the cigarettes are dealt with.
If California cannot afford to pay for it’s legal citizens and their state parks, libraries, hospitals, social services, or workers, then it certainly cannot afford to pay for illegal citizens. This is a given and must be corrected immediately.

It seems harsh, and some say it’s not fair, but what is not fair is bankrupting the state of California to support/house/treat/support people who broke (and show no respect for) state and federal laws and should not be here. What kind of message does that send to those who follow the laws? Once we fix the illegal problem we can have a normal functioning immigration and temp worker system.

Prop 187 must be re-enacted.

The state cannot afford to educate, heal, and support every person that enters its boarders, it’s actually quite simple. It is a recipe for collapse and collapse hurts everyone. The collapse of California, the back bone of the US economy is not good. As goes California, so goes the USA.

California (politician) needs to understand that it must obey the will of the people. To ignore the will of the people is what is called: A Failed State.

Please don’t let California fail.

Social Networking

Social networking is the future. There is no getting around this. You may as well get aboard before you are hopelessly behind.

In the future our social networks will merge with our phones (as they have begun to already) and will be the center piece of our communication functioning. Through them we will email, call, video chat, watch TV, text and dare I say virtually live?

Myspace was the first to really catch fire. Myspace is the place for Entertainment types, people who want to showcase themselves, their music, ect and count profile views. It’s a simple format that is open the flexibility, you can keep it simple or make it horribly complex and convoluted, it’s up to you.

Facebook is for the everyday person. It’s not about putting yourself out there, it’s about networking with your friends, family and colleages. Facebook has brilliantly shown us the power and possibility of social networking; playing scrabble with your friends, posting and tagging photo’s viewable only by your family, Fan pages, groups contact info. Facebook is setting itself up very well in the social network driven future of communinication. Facebook offers something a little different than Myspace, it has built on Myspace but there is very much room for both.

People are talking a lot about Twitter these days… what is Twitter you might be wondering?

Twitter is a social networking site on which people ‘Tweet’ what they are doing. While it seems to be stealing all the social networking thunder these days, it is not really a competition to myspace or facebook (except for use time of course). Twitter is great for Politicians, entertainers, news outlets and blogs because it’s not about friends --friends are needy. Twitter is about ‘Followers’. If you like someone/something you follow it. They don’t have to follow you. This is exactly what newspapers/entertainers/Politicians want! They don’t have to be your ‘friend’ (this can be controversial for them) they just want you to follow them.

Twitter is unique though, it is bringing the true postmodern media interaction up to levels that Facebook and Myspace just were not able to. Twitter allows people to throw there media size thoughts (140 characters) to the media as things are happening. Because you can use a plethora of confusing tags you don’t even have to ‘follow’ someone to target a message to them… it truly is genius. It brings people access to TV shows, Celebrities and Politicians like never before. It also allows them to ‘feel out’ their base. Because of it’s practicality and ability to connect it shows great potential.

While I don’t think Twitter is for everyone, and there are a ton of ‘fakes’, ‘follower hungry psychos’ and sales pitchers on Twitter) there is a definite place for it, and I look forward to the future of it. What next? One minute video clips?

In conclusion: Social networking is the future. The sooner you get on the bandwagon the better your seat will be!

Breaking down the Bailout

Breaking Down the Bailout

Did you get upset when you heard that AIG executives were giving themselves $165 million in bonuses? It gets worse…

At the core of the AIG meltdown was the rampant sale and lack of regulation of ‘credit default swaps’.

“Credit default swaps are a type of credit insurance contract in which one party pays another party to protect it from the risk of default on a particular debt instrument. If that debt instrument (a bond, a bank loan, a mortgage) defaults, the insurer compensates the insured for his loss.”

The crux is you don’t have own the “bond, bank loan, or mortgage” to buy or sell an insurance policy on it. Like the “60 Minutes” report said “it was effectively a bet”. We were living in Casino Capitalism.

Since Credit Default Swaps were (along with almost everything else) unregulated and didn’t require collateral to back up the policies, AIG sold BILLIONS of dollars of them and posted huge ‘profits’. This ‘income’ listed as ‘profit’ was in fact liability. But AIG, Lehman, and other banks used this ‘income’ (actually liability) to swallow other companies and to pay out billions in bonuses. Much of this income was hardly (if at all) taxed because of the Bush tax policy. Many Wall Street types became fantastically wealthy, cash wealthy, and since cash is now king, most of them still are.

AIG and other companies merged themselves into a mega-conglomerates “to big to fail”. This effectively meant that they would be forced to be backed/bailed by the government if anything happened. Any Wall Street tycoon could tell you a company that size collapsing would be a bullet to the heart of the US economy: very bad.

If you ask me this was done ON PURPOSE because it would allow Greedy Wall Street types to sell even more CDFs and devise other complex and exotic financial ‘instruments’ and take huge risks because they and those buying them knew the deals are essentially backed by the US Treasury… and they have money, they are literally printing money.*

* They are actually borrowing it from the Federal Reserve which is a privately held company, but they do print it. It a complicated issue that there are books written about. I recommend checking them out.

Since most of America’s economy wasn’t real i.e. the ‘income’ was actually ‘liability’ and the mortgages were never going to be paid because they were mostly given under fraudulent circumstances to make money in fees and bonuses it was all destined to fail. You could bet on it… but I’ll come back to that.

Bush effectively delayed this unraveling/collapse a few years by loosening the Fed Purse strings creating “cheep or even free money”. FannieMae and FreddyMac were told to give mortgages to anyone basically. This kept people happy while Bush Co. spent trillions on a war. Trillions of dollars America did not have because it’s economy was 30-40% liability.

The public and congress was lied to about this. They were told by Bush Co. that everything is fine. The insiders knew all this, they knew it was going to crash so they bet on it. They bet against (or bought insurance on the debt in case it defaulted) America and it’s consumers. They paid pennies on the dollar for these CDF policies that had made AIG and other institutions wealthy, and when the crash came they made out huge… With just one catch.

The problem was since the money wasn’t there to pay these CDF “bets against the US economy” insurance policies, (the bets that essentially created the collapse) how where these going to be paid? All that ‘income’ (liability) was listed as profit and had been given as bonuses, it’s gone. How were these people who wanted the US to fail and bet on it going to be paid?

Bush Co. (under pressure??) had the solution: The Tax payers

The Casino Capitalism economy Wall Street lobbied congress for and were given in 2000 was used to effectively rob the middle class of it’s wealth. Not just by creating the illusion of wealth and pushing people to buy what they could not afford and then take it back, but also by strapping the tax payers with the massive debt (the "bailout" money to pay these CDFs was borrowed) that will take decades to pay off. The interest on the money given to AIG to pay in full (another contentious issue) it’s CDF debt will amount to billions a year. That’s billions the government in all likelihood won't be getting back, will be paying interest to the Federal Reserve on and so it won’t be going to schools and national parks.

Basically the US was set up to fail by people that wanted to make money from it defaulting. In the New World Order most large international institutions have no allegiance to any country. In fact many corporations are bigger and more powerful than most countries. They will bet against or crash the US if it can make them richer. They can take the risk because they can force the government to bail them out if they are wrong. They can’t loose!

The issue I have is that the US tax payers should not be “bailing out” companies that did not have their best interests at heart. They should have been allowed to fail, or only have been partially paid. The 'capitalist' market should have been allowed to correct itself. Some say that would have been ‘catastrophic’ but I think it’s the way capitalism works!!

$600 billion dollars could have kept the US population fed and powered and stable while the market corrected itself. This would have forced out and into the limelight all the people and institutions that created the problem. The US could have created an “Emergency Bank” with say $200 billion of tax dollars that would make loans to “Ma & Pa” small business to keep them going. After all they are the real economy right? This would have allowed time to audit the banks asking for money and put in place measures to keep them from taking the money and using it to reward themselves for failing the US and its tax payers.

It really bothers me because we should have been put onto the green energy and fiscal responsibility path years ago. None of this had to happen. America did not have to have hard times. It was done to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Plus it helped keep the war going and made oil companies rich. So now we are in a recession and are being strapped with trillion in debt used to bailout banks and companies whose extravagance and bonuses created the problem.

It seems we will always be under the yoke, because that’s they way those with the money want it.

Since we cannot go back... well actually we can.

It's called auditing. It's so simple!

It's time for a full audit off all the institutions that took bailout money. All the executives and all the subsidiaries need to have there books checked by a reputable uncorruptable aduitor(s). Time to assemble the worlds most powerful auditing machine, it will create thousands of jobs and will no doubt reveal billions in unpaid taxes! It will pay for itself ten fold! Plus the fees that will be collected from the executives who broke tax laws and will settle with the IRS to avoid prison time... it just keeps sounding better!

Since the government (the tax payers) owns these companies essentially the reports and who got paid how much should be public, and available. I feel as a tax payer I deserve to know where my money is and has gone.

I think it's the only closure and justice that can be had from this mess.

The Mysteries and Secrets of the Universe

They say the real truth is too fantastic to be real. You wouldn't believe it if you heard it.

Have we been conditioned to not beleive it? Have we heard it?

I have been doing a lot of research for the new screenplay I am writing and I am stumbling upon things I can't believe.

They seem so bizzare, so incredible and yet they feel real.

When you see truth it stands out.

It fits like a puzzle piece perfectly with all the other truth you have found, except this truth reveals that the puzzle picture is not at all what you thought it was.

As the picture becomes clear your world view begins to change.

You begin to see everything differently.

You find the other puzzle peices that were always there you just didn't think you could use them.

This is true?

Human history is far more amazing than I realized.

Recent discoveries and new sciences and disciplines being applied to old studies is revealing facts about the world and where we came from the will require the complete rewriting of history.

The world I learned about in school doesn't exist.

I like to think of it as the 'Bohr Model' analogy.

When you see a picture of an atom you always see the Bohr Model: Big red and blue marbles packed together are the nucleus and slightly smaller marbles wiz around them.

This could not be further from the truth of an atom.

Atoms are 99% empty space, but you can't use a picture of that to help people understand atoms and chemistry because it would confuse them. The Bohr Model helps people begin to see.

The truth is that science doesn't even fully understand the atomic world. It's all probablility and uncertianty and because we can't actually see it we have to just beleive and guess.

The History of the world and Humanity you know is a 'Bohr Model'. It's not even close to the truth at all but it helps you o begin your understanding of the world.

Should you want to venture on to a higher understanding of the world (or Chemistry) you have to throw the 'Bohr Model' out.

From the 99% nothing you are left with you begin to realize that everything is on the table.

When you go to measure the electrons of truth it is very hard to know if they are really there, or if they only appeared because you wanted them to.

The more you know, the more you know you don't know.

The science of truth is hard to quantify.

Consciousness creates the world. Matter does come out of nothing.

The universe is in you as you are in the universe.

You can find the truth by going inside yourself.

If you study the cosmos you will be eventually forced to look inside yourself.

The Rabbit Hole is deep, it goes straight back to your mind.

I have come to be open to the fantastic nature of life and have accepted that the world is far more mysterious than I had ever imagined, that I really have no idea how it all works and what it all means...

That is step in learning the mysteries and secrets of the universe.

Selling a screenplay

Selling a screenplay is not easy task, in fact the odds are stacked against you.

You had better love it, and live it, or you don't stand a chance.

You need to be ahead of the curve and aware of the market.

You need to have a vision.

You need to have a story to tell.

It takes passion, timing, and luck.

It helps if you are smart, are good with words and know how to network too.

If you are doing what you love, they will come to you.

I love what I do.

Dear Kate Winslet...

Dear Kate,

You are truly one of the most gifted actresses on the screen today. I am a huge fan of your work. 'Heavenly Creatures' was very good, (i wrote a paper on it in college). 'Eternal Sunshine' is one of my favorite films of all time. 'The Reader' I still need to see, I hear it's good. But I don't need to see 'The Reader' to know that you deserve the Oscar this year. You are long overdue and I am so happy for you.

Actresses like you that are so gifted and so grounded are a rarety. You can do comedy, drama, romance and characters. You have proven your edge, your dedication to the craft, and your bravery by baring it all. Not many actors can do what you do, you make it seem so effortless. You can do no wrong.

I think Romantic Comedy would be perfect for you. I loved you in a comedic role and I want to see it again. I know I'm not alone in this. You should do a fun movie to make people laugh, but still has some emotion and character. Good roles for women are hard to come by (I here), but you will have your pick I'm sure. I just want to put it out there that I hope that you will consider mine, I can't imagine a more perfect project for you!

"The Nigerian Letter" See for details ---> www.nigerianletter.com

It's a timely market perfect story. It's a new twist on the romantic comedy and it could be really good. It's a classy and believable modern romance story. A nice balance to the gross-out and crude crap that seems to be everywhere. I'm so tired being dumbed down and grossed out and told that's comedy. Can you please show us what a classy comedy is again?

I wrote the script over a year and half ago. I tried to get it out there (as all new writers do) and in the process I think I may have let it get cannibalized by the media, bits and pieces of it are being stolen and used all over... SNL, Leno, and some ABC show I can't think of, but they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. My script is still intact and solid, and in the end it just goes to show that the market is ready for the story.

In conclusion:

You are awesome Kate, I would be so thrilled and honored if you would take on my project / script. I dream about winning an Oscar myself someday, but I hope to get it in writing!

Sincerely,
JT

Being Here

I sit at my desk and write.

I am writing a new screenplay, but my mind is consumed by the one that is already completed.

It's finally made it's way into the hands it should be in, and all I can do is wait.

Check it out, tell me what you think: www.nigerianletter.com

The new script I am working on is going to be "mind-blowing fun."

A 'tent-pole' film that pushes you to the psychological breaking point. I perfect fit for the market of today and tomorrow.

I better get back to writing...

Kate Winslet

I hope she wins; she's awesome and she deserves it.

--Eternal Sunshine is one of my favorite movies, and performances ever, brilliant.--

Review: Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire

Brilliant. Poignant. Powerful. Fun.

I thought this film was very well done, very timely and beautiful in it’s harshness.

It’s the return of Neorealism.

Neorealism is characterized by a general atmosphere of authenticity. Andre Bazin, a French film theorist and critic, argued that neorealism portrays: truth, naturalness, authenticity, and is a cinema of duration.

It has a definite social context in India, a sense of immideiacy, it’s political commentary on India (and America in a good way, we love that), it’s authentic and has a documentary feel and used ‘Hollywood’ unkowns. It’s the return of Neorealism and it was done brilliantly!

Neorealism in cinema began at the end of WWII as a blow-back to the Classic Hollywood cinema and reflected the darker sentiment of the times in Europe. Slumdog Millionaire is an excellent look at the times in India, the grow of the country and the coming of age of it’s people through the growth of the films three main characters.

The film is disturbingly real at times, blatant and unforgiving in it’s imagery. But it is this same grit and harsh reality that the beauty of the film comes from. It is moving and heartfelt and still manages to leave us happy and fulfilled.

You are on the edge of your seat at times, but Love triumphs against the odds.

It is very much worthy for best picture.

Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Slow. Simple. Warm.

Those are the three words I would use to describe this film.

I thought it was a beautiful film. Very simple, it unfolds very gradually with very little surprise. I was not blow away, or moved to tears but I thought it was well done and heartfelt. Brad Pitt did a good job but I felt like Cate Blanchett over acted a bit. She is a powerful actress but her performances to me didn't come off as realistic.

I reccommend the film to anyone seeking a feel good movie and likes a slow pace.

John McCain

Like I said before, I think John McCain is a good person. I truly beleive he means well.

I liked him a lot more before he backed down on his torture bill. As the ONLY person in the US Senate who had actually been held and tortured I expected him to stand his ground and get real change made. Instead he backed down to all of the Bush/Cheney administration demands and nothing changed. That was a chance to show real leadership and in my mind he didn't.

Fast forward to today and the crisis gripping the nation and John McCain again is not showing leadership or insight.

Giving a press conference suspending his campaign? Is this a joke?

First of all we are a little over a month away from the elections so 'suspending' your campaign doesn't sound wise.

Second SUSPENDING YOUR CAMPAIGN IS NOT POSSIBLE!

You can't turn off the media. You can't step out of it.

Then...

Why would you want to do that anyway?

You campaign to win? Right? What other purpose does it serve? Why then would 'suspend' something that is set up to win you the presidential office?

"So I can go to Washington and focus on the Fiancial Crisis"

The Economy has never been McCains strong suit, and this ECONOMIC CRISIS is not going anywhere any time soon. This does not bode well for McCain. We need a president who has a strong understanding of the economy and the Economy has never been McCains strong suit.

Music: The Faint

I recently discovered this band by sheer chance, and I love their music!

They have a great sound. It's very neo-80's. Electro clash with extra electro.

They have great lyrics, excellent beats and melodies. I look forward to more of there music.

We Get Seduced!

The Decline of America

The decline of America can be seen in the following shows:

I love New York
I love Money
The Real World
America's Got Talent <---- people actually watch this????
anything with Flava Flav
MTV

it's really sad

Deal or No Deal

I am getting so sock of this show.

The only reason this show, and other lame gameshows are doing so well right now is because people need the money!

Lakeview Terrace

Samuel L. Jackson plays an angry black man...

Again.

I feel like every movie I have ever seen him in he plays the same character.

The Angry black man who is pissed off and yells a lot. The only thing that seems to change is his dialogue.

Entourage 5

Not really digging it.

At first I could not buy Adrian Grenier as big star. And now since he never really rose up, and his acting has never gotten good, I really can't buy it.

I like Kevin Dillon, he's a cool guy. But his character is not making sense to me. They put him in situations that make him look so old. In the newest episode there is a part where he is posing with like ten other models and it is GLARINGLY obvious that his is like 15-20 years older then all of them. No amount of makeup can hide this.

Turtle was always repulsive to me. I can know that there are actual weasly type people like him out there so he fills a nitch or something, but I can't stand him. Jerry Farrar who plays him is also the so baby-ish and anoying it's too much.

Kevin Connelly can't tuck in his shirts because then he looks as short as he really is.

Jeremy Piven is Ari Gold only without the wit, and more of the attitude and sense of entitlement. Piven is by far one of the most 'evil' people I have ever come across.

I think the show peaked at season three. Season four was bad. I worked on that season in the production office. I can tell you first hand the whole season was an excuse for the writers (who phoned the whole season in) to go to Cannes. None of them would be able to ever go otherwise...

The show had so much potential but I don't think they are giving it the creative attention, they are getting lazy and I think it means the end of the show

Immigration

1) Immigration

Immigration is a major issue that MUST be dealt with in the very near future.

Let's pretend that America is an all you can eat buffet. You pay your fee and you get a plate. The fee covers the food. There is plenty of food and it’s good. Then people start to sneak in the back door. They grab a plate and help themselves, not paying the fee. They bring other people in and they don’t pay either. Soon the restaurant is not a pleasant. The lines are longer and the food quality begins to decline. Some of these people are caught. They say they will wash dishes to pay for their food. Soon the dishwashers are out of a job because of all the people working off there food. But the food has never gotten better. Many people can’t afford to order off the menu so they are stuck in long lines, paying there fee (even though some aren’t) and getting bad service and food.

The food is American schools, hospitals, and social services. The fee is your taxes.

Immigration is a contentious issue. But it is actually very simple.

America is not capable of handling everyone that wants to come here. It would be great if it could, but it can’t. The more people that come the more strained America gets. A weak America will not be able to help anyone.

America needs to:

1) Do a full accounting of who is here.
2) Stop people from coming here illegally
3) End the reasons they come (free services)
4) Determine who goes immediately and forever –i.e. violent criminals
5) Determine who will never be eligible for citizenship --petty criminals
6) Determine who can be put on a path to citizenship, if there is a fine associated.
7) Create a powerful efficient temporary worker program.

It is unfair to the people who followed the laws and took the legal path to citizenship, to just grant citizenship to people who did not.

America has laws. Laws must be followed and enforced or society will break down and decline. It’s time to enforce the laws on the books. This is not about race or anything other than laws, money and the economy.

I know it seems harsh, but tough times call for tough measures. I further believe that it is time to alter the ‘Birth-right Citizenship’. Citizenship should no longer be granted to the children of illegal immigrants. Citizenship should on be granted to legal immigrants children. This falls under #3.

The argument that enforcing immigration laws will break apart families is unfounded. The children follow the parents, it’s very simple.

The immigration issue is closely linked to the crisis in healthcare, the problems with schools and the economy woes. You cannot address those issues without addressing immigration and immigrants.

Again, I know it can comes off as harsh. But there is no such thing as a free lunch. Because if there is, someone else’s lunch suffers. If America can’t help itself and get it’s house in order it will not be in a position to help others.

Change is in the air...

A little change will do you good... Change we shall have.

I have learned a lot these last couple years. I tend to lean left, because the environment is at the top of my list.

I was a Hillary fan, but I can get onto the Barack bandwagon. I like his message. He has aligned himself with and won the support prominent leaders, thinkers and powers. His lack of experience means he is learning and is open to new ideas, new thinking; and this is what America needs.

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks"

With no disrespect, John McCain is an old dog. A good and loyal one, but he ain't learning no new tricks if you follow me...

America is on the precipice. The future is uncertain. Luckily this is the greatest country in the world, with the most versatile economy in the world. America is ready for a leader with a vision, a leader of the future, a person the world will rally behind. I can't see John McCain as that person.

Sarah Palin worries me a bit. She has dirty oil on her hands, and is very much an unknown quantity with unknown agenda. Personally I can see her opening up ANWR for drilling and deciding that the bridges to nowhere are back on the table. I think she is the result of advisors, stratagizors, and polling. He chose his running mate after only meeting her once. She is an attempt to inject life and some kind of enthusiasm into the McCain campaign. People should be weary of her agenda, her energy policies, and her lack of experience. While she has "used the veto pen" and "has Executive experience" there is huge difference between running a 7/11 and a 'Super-Wal-mart'. It's better to know the power players of 'Wal-mart', deal with them, know there style how they do business, than it is to not know or have met them but know what it's like run a tiny company.

I think John McCain is a good guy. He has a great story and is a real war hero. But I don't think he is what America needs right now.

America needs vibrancy. It needs charisma. It needs change. America needs to show the world that it is moving forward.

Going Green

Going Green

‘Going green’ is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days. Many people don’t really know what it means.

Or worse many people think they know but are wrong.

Or worse still they don’t care.

Being green more than driving a Pirus, shopping at Whole Foods, or putting out your recycling for the bums.

Going Green is about waking up the environment; seeing it as the living breathing organism that it is. The environment gives us life and learning how to lessen your impact upon it in a macro and micro way for the betterment of everyone, every living thing is what “Going Green” means. Going green means taking our environmental impact to nill and then restoring the parts that have been lost; creating green spaces where ever possible. It means moving into an era where clean renewable energy and renewable products are the only consumed in use.

Saving energy helps but it is not enough. Carpooling, turning off lights, and buying organic is a good start, but it will not be enough. It’s time that America lead the worlds green revolution. Going Green locally is a good start but it won’t get us to the finish. It is time for America to engage with the rest of the world and help other countries with there Green revolutions. It is far easier to reduce the pollution in developing countries than it is at home or in Europe, so it is best if we do so.

Pollution is a global terror. It kills millions, costs billions and leaves irreparable damage in it’s wake. Pollution knows no border and is a friend to no one. If your business pollutes or harms the environment your business hurts has no future.

In 19th century London a famous Economist was quoted as stating that “at current population projections, and current growth rates and the number horses and buggies London will be buried in manure in 50 years!” What he failed to see was that human innovation always steps up. Shorty after that, the car came along, then the subway, and today you would be hard pressed to find any manure in London at all.

The point is: The world is not ending. Global Warming is not going to kill us all.

But…

That does not mean the threat doesn’t exist.

It means that it is time for the innovators the to get to work. It is time to remake the world and rid it of all the pollution / manure!