Politics For Beginners

I am amazed by some of the people whom I encounter every day who do not know anything about politics. Everyone should know how their government works so I am writing down my old college notes as a beginner's guide. As it's the credit crunch some of you will feel too busy and confused by the political situation and the criticism of the government on financial and borrowing matters. This is why everyone should take a little time to understand government rolls and why they affect everything from your home insurance to your grocery bill.

The United Kingdom is run with a democratic government. The House of Commons and The House of Lords hold the government in check although the House of Commons is the more powerful of the two houses.

We live under 'Prime Ministerial' rule - this means the rule of one person.
The powers that the P.M has depends on five key factors.

- The personality of the P.M
- Majority that the P.M has in the House of Commons
- The success of the P.M's policies
- The unity of the P.M's party
- The effectiveness of the Opposition party

Unlike in America where there is a deputy president, in the UK there is constitutionally no such role as a deputy Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister is the leader of the House of Commons. He appoints and dismisses members of the government. He is also the Chairman of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister has his own offices and advisors and is the most important representative of the Government. The P.M holds wide powers of patronage and also chooses the date of the general election.

Now for a bit of economics. There is no excuse not to pay attention to this part if news coverage of the credit crunch has left you baffled. Economics basically means the study of using scarce resources as efficiently as possible so that society's unlimited demands for goods and services can be met.

The term that we so often hear in the news 'the public sector' refers to the sector run by the state like Government departments, Local Government and Nationalised Industries. The main role of the public sector is to provide efficient and adequate services.

The term 'the Private Sector' refers to organisations that are privately owned such as companies, clubs, partnerships etc. The main role of the private sector is to maximise profits.

Recession is a state of affairs that indicate a down turn in the business cycle. Output and investment has dropped, demand has dropped and unemployment has risen. This can be caused by a number of factors i.e. external factors such as a world oil crisis.

Reflation is a policy to combat recession. The policy may include reducing interest rates, reducing taxes, increasing public spending and devaluing the currency.



Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/

4th Of July Patriotism Is Buying American Products -- Everyday

There’s no denying it-- the U.S. economic downturn is evident everywhere from lagging home sales to rising gas and food costs. And as companies downsize and shift jobs overseas to save money, unemployment fears rise. Let’s face it, we’re all looking to stretch our dollars these days but we should also be looking to support American-made products.

Why? Frankly, buying items made here does vastly more good for our country’s employment level than buying goods made in other countries. Now more than ever it matters, as the people who made that product need that job. Keeping them employed helps to stop the downturn from getting worse. In effect, the negative cycle is broken if we buy products made here in the USA.

There are lots of other reasons to care about products being made in the USA.

1) The Next Generation - As the U.S. manufacturing ability fades, future generations of U.S. citizens will be unable to find relevant jobs.

2) Support Democracy - Factories and money are currently shifting to countries not friendly to the USA or democracy.

3) Respect for Workers and Environment - Lack of minimum wage, worker safety, or environmental pollution controls in many countries undermines the concept of "fair and free trade". No nation can ultimately compete on price with a country willing to massively exploit and pollute its own people.

4) Safety – Foreign safety standards are non-existent or dangerously low. There are poisonous levels of lead in tens of millions of toys shipped to the USA.

5) Trade Deficit - The huge U.S trade deficit leads to massive, unsustainable borrowing from other countries.

6) Reliance on Other Countries - The growing lack of America’s ability to manufacture many products is strategically unsound.

7) Wage Exploitation - The minimum wage is low or non- existent in many countries.

8) The Environment – U.S. manufacturing processes are much cleaner for the environment than many other countries. Many brands sold here are produced in countries using dangerous, heavily polluting processes.

9) No Return – Once gone, jobs shipped abroad almost never return.

10) Worker Conditions - Foreign labor standards allow unsafe worker conditions in many countries.

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s downright difficult to find American made products. But there’s something we can all do about that, as well.

We can change things. We can make a real difference. We can use our collective voices and our buying power to affect change.

If you hear a major U.S. producer is considering moving production to Mexico, tell them about your concerns. Senior executives get a lot less mail than you might realize, so if they suddenly start getting twenty letters a day on a topic, it’s a nightmare. Heaven forbid we start writing to newspapers, or standing up at shareholder meetings!

Stores, even big ones, really do care about customer suggestions and complaints -- as long as they understand customers have alternatives and are willing to pursue those alternatives.

If a local merchant offers Made in the USA products, but an imported version is available at the local mega-mart at a cheaper price, we have to put our wallets where our mouths are and be willing to spend more. It does no good to say you don’t like that an item is made in China and could be toxic, but you buy it anyway because it’s $10 cheaper.

Ultimately, it is about protecting America’s future. Where in history has a country outsourced its ability to produce and continued to thrive?

Author : Todd Lipscomb

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=249705&ca=Politics

US Military Resigns - Choosing Court; Bring On The Draft

What would happen if many in the US Military simply resigned?

Benefit to them: If US military volunteers would just resign, their risk of war zone deployment or any further service would be over! The military’s “back door draft” (Inactive Ready Reserve) policy subjects them to be called up, again, for active duty service even after their current enlistment periods are over. They could just refuse to serve and go through the judicial process instead of being subject to more active duty time. In such a circumstance, the ACLU would work to jettison their court-martial cases into civil courts where many judges would understand their confessed foolishness for enlisting in the first place. Once that precedent is set, if it is not already set from the Vietnam era, all future cases could refer to existing precedent.

The result: Probable suspension of any jail periods due for violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice including dereliction of duty. Our military members could then return to their families and get on with their lives. The American people, via Congress, would probably not withhold their military benefits whether in agreement with their resignations or not. It is a likely scenario, if our service members would just get over their egos and concepts of Duty, Honor, Country.

Why would they resign to face due process and potential prison terms? Envision a mission left unfinished because the American electorate quit the mission. Imagine being required to accept the deaths of your comrades and your own limbs lost in battle, for no gain, after being ordered to withdraw from the battlefield before real victory is achieved. Why would they not resign, in such a circumstance?

The best way to enact a new military draft is to get our current volunteers to resign. The best way to get our volunteers to resign is to ignore and subvert their majority political wishes during wartime.

Voters only have the three choices below:

1) Don’t vote to ignore our troops’ majority political wishes, during wartime.
2) Vote against What Our Troops Want so they fail in their current mission and resign.
3) Align your votes with What Our Troops Want to provide real voting support of them.

There are no other options. Voting as the majority of our volunteer troops vote is not subjugation to our military, as the Nazis required. It is proper alignment and support of them with your votes. It puts the most important right you own (your right to vote), which they protect for you, into action and enforces your verbal support of them. Objective understanding of their political wishes is required as well as making the following decision. Is what you want or is what our troops want, during wartime, more important? What those majority troop political wishes are, and when they change, is what matters … so your votes don’t subvert what our troops want.

The next US military draft will likely include females so offer up your daughters to Uncle Sam. Vote for option two above, or don’t vote at all, and usher in a new military draft. This is simple, my dear Watson.

When we judge our military members no longer deserve our voting support, we will publish a new website on the theme of Subvert Our Troops.

Votes affect morale (on both sides) – Connect the Dots!

Author : Average Joe Boomer

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=256060&ca=Politics

Obama to Attack Tax Havens

America and Europe face a pretty bleak 2009 as the world starts to feel the recession biting, and millions of people could be made unemployed.

And as unemployment rises and politicians see their poll ratings slip, part of the blame for the economic downturn will be put on tax havens, with astronomical sums being banded around of how much each country would benefit if tax havens didn't exist.

Tax havens are an easy target for politicians - voters who take up residency in tax havens often legally are no longer able to contribute to political parties in their home country, and politicians have nothing to lose, but quite a few votes to gain by bashing the wealthy who have opted to move abroad.

And with a new President in the White House, and the next election campaign starting all over again in just a couple of years time, America as well as Europe will be putting tax havens such as Monaco under the spotlight in the months to come.

Obama campaigned in the Senate to reduce the effectiveness of tax havens, and it's thought that the US Treasury Department will be given more manpower to investigate what can be done to stop American citizens money leaving the US for tax havens, with new legislation likely for 2009.

In Europe, it's Germany leading the attacks on tax havens. Having already secured stolen data from Liechtenstein which identified German citizens with accounts there, Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is thought to have Switzerland in her sights for the year ahead.

Monaco Hotels

But one British company who specialise in tax haven properties, and are the only company to have fully staffed associate offices in both Monaco and Andorra, thinks the politicians would be hard pressed to convince the public that tax havens were a major cause of the world's economic problems if the facts were known.

'The public perception of Monaco is often that it's a glamourous country which is home to multi millionaires, the Monte Carlo casino and the Monaco Grand Prix - and that's it', say Tribune, who through their online presence try to show a more complete picture of Monaco.

'The reality of the situation is that Monaco is much more than just a casino, fast cars and James Bond lifestyles led by millionaires and multi-millionaires in a tax haven. More people are employed in the Monaco manufacturing sector than the finance sector including the Monaco banks for example.'

As well as a misconception of the reality of Monaco, the company feels that the Principality is poorly portrayed by commentators when it comes to her taxes - income tax is famously zero - and points out that while Monaco might be small at just a square mile in size, it's an independent country and a member of the United Nations.

'Politicians in the US and Western Europe always beat the drum for freedom of choice', Tribune say, 'But when it comes to taxes they don't want their citizens to have the choice of where to reside if it involves taxes lower than their own country. Monaco for example is able to subsidise public transport and do her bit for the environment as well as have minimal taxation - the truth is big government doesn't like the competition.'

If the economy doesn't show any sign of improvement in 2009, tax havens might be in the news quite a bit more.

Author : Roger Munns

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=342042&ca=Politics

Election Day 2008: A Time For Diversity

Since I am an advocate for diversity and equality everywhere, the USA presidential election had huge implications for our country and the rest of the world. I love this country today. Today, the United States has a different energy. People are energized. There is hope in the air.

The hope is for a healing, a unity to develop in this country that hasn’t existed up until this point. President-elect Obama didn’t get voted into office solely by the black vote in this country. It took many Whites, Latinos and others to cast enough of the popular vote to influence the electoral vote. And it was that working together for the common good that caused this historic day to occur.

Obama is right when he says he didn’t do it alone. It took all of us, collectively, to get a man in office whose platform is unity and equality and basic human rights for all. Today I am proud of the American people.

I come from a largely Republican family and Republican part of the country. That influence on my development cannot be ignored. I can see value to the Republican platform. However, when it comes to the issues that have special importance and significance to me, this year it was Obama who adressed my concerns.

My brother, a very conservative Republican, called me Tuesday, encouraging me to stay home and not vote. He knew I planned to vote for Obama, just as I knew he cast he ballot for McCain. When he knew he couldn’t talk me out of voting, he attempted to convince me that my liberal way of thinking was wrong. I needed to “wake up” and see things from the “right” position.

This is what I am talking about when I talk about issues of diversity. I wholly support my brother’s right to vote for McCain. If McCain is the candidate who represents his important issues, then he would be foolish to vote for anyone else. I respect his right to cast his ballot. I want him to vote. And, I want to listen to his concerns and attempt to understand where he is coming from in his thinking.

I know he is intelligent. I know he is passionate about the issues. And I love him. I want to see things from his point of view. As a person advocating diversity appreciation, this is what’s needed. In the workforce, we need to listen to those who are different from us and attempt to see things from where they come from, recognizing they have had different life experiences, exposure to different things and different cultural values.

While I don’t think it’s possible to totally understand where another is coming from because you aren’t him or her, you can do your best to understand things from his or her point of view. This doesn’t mean you have to agree. You can still understand why he or she is of the opinion he or she has and maintain your own position.

It doesn’t mean one of you is right and one is wrong. It simply means you see the situation differently. That is the beauty of this country. Everyone has a voice. Everyone has the right to their opinion. Every citizen over the age of 21 has the right to cast their vote for the candidate of his or her choice.

The voice of the American people in 2008 has been heard. I hope we can unite in this choice and help move our nation and its people forward. I hope that we can put petty differences aside and work together for the greater good. This is my sincere hope for our country, our companies and our communities. Are you willing to do your part?

Author : Kim Olver

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=346493&ca=Politics