Fixing the Two Party System

Hi, my name is Chris Wilson, founder of Show-Me Independents. Today will be our first ever Video Blog, so I hope you enjoy it.

Now, today I will be talking to you about the state of the failed two-party system in American politics and how we can go about fixing it. when we talk about the current two-party system and it's problems we are really discussing two main issues here.

The first issue is the inability of Democrats and Republicans to accomplish anything legislatively. The government shutdown was a perfect example of Washington's crippling gridlock but America's problems are not going anywhere and will only worsen as they go addressed.

We have a broken immigration system in this country and the issues over undocumented and illegal immigrants only scratches the surface of what the real problems are with our current overly complicated system filled with huge backlogs, long waiting periods and is historically inept at assimilating new immigrants into American society.

Next, our infrastructure is falling apart. In fact recently the American Society of Engineers gave the country a D+ grade for its infrastructure and $3.6 Trillion is needed by 2020 just to keep it from falling into total disrepair.

This in addition compounds to the fact that two-thirds of state pensions around the country are drastically underfunded and even worse, many cities are even filing for bankruptcy due to their failed pension programs. Detroit is the one on everyone's mind with it currently being involved in its bankruptcy proceedings.

The list of problems goes on, without a single Washington politician willing to sit down and actually develop the solutions needed to address these pressing issues. We here at Show-Me Independents think that this is wholly unacceptable and will in the future offer our own solutions to these problems and others, as well as work to highlight rising Independents willing to tackle these tough issues.

Our Second major issue, to the failed two-party system, is the growing number of Americans, 40% to be exact, who are registered Independents with Moderate political views who have absolutely no political representation especially as Democrats and Republicans move further and further to the extremes leaving a plurality of Americans disenfranchised. Being that this is supposed to be a Representative Democracy that is completely unacceptable and we as Independents must fight back and end the choke hold that two-party special interests have on this country.

This is the first of many more videos to come. So make sure to rate, comment and subscribe to our channel and for more information on the State of the Revolution, as well as Independent political news and analysis go to geekedoutpolitics.blogspot.com. Thanks for watching and don't forget. Crash the Party Vote Independent.

US Congress Unwilling to Fix American Immigration System

US Congress continues to spin its wheels, while refusing to solve America’s most urgent problem. Despite the fact that a majority of Americans support a legal pathway for citizenship Republicans and Democrats refuse to get anything accomplished. Democrats are still reeling from the negative press of the botched Affordable Healthcare Act, while Republicans refuse to act out of fear of the far right and Tea Party activists who have hijacked the party. The prospects for immigration The reform do not look any better in the coming year with congressional elections on the horizon in 2014. The President had hoped to accomplish Immigration Reform by the end of 2013 and has urged congress to adopt the senate’s immigration plan. A majority of Americans, however, are fed up with Obama and the Presidents political clout has waned. The need for leadership in the congress and the senate is appalling. Americans continue to overwhelmingly disapprove of congress’ actions while the number of registered independents continues to skyrocket hitting new all-time highs. The ever increasing gridlock within the house and the senate leads one to root for independent candidates who can actually solve America’s biggest problems. Granted there are numerous pros and cons within the current senate bill but inaction is far more dangerous. It is time for the American people to rise up and end the chokehold that the current two-party system has on America and the legislative process. It is the only way to solve immigration and the numerous pressing issues that America faces. The current atmosphere only insures one thing, that America’s problems go unsolved and ultimately destroy us.

GOP Senator Jim DeMint To Join Heritage Foundation

It has been announced South Carolina Republican, Senator Jim DeMint will vacate his seat at the end of the year and take the helm at the Heritage Foundation. Jim DeMint has been a powerful Conservative within the Senate and has aligned himself with the Tea Party Movement, though he may be stepping aside this will not diminish his role in politics but merely strengthen it. The Heritage Foundation is a powerful Right-Wing think tank and will give DeMint the power to lobby and support other Far Right Socially Conservative Republicans. Already in the Senate DeMint has lended his support to help elect six Tea Party Candidates. There is a strong argument that his hand has been strengthened by these elections, as well as his new role as President of The Heritage Foundation. Celebration amongst Liberal Media outlets is premature.

Though Jim DeMint has only served in the senate since 2005, he has made his mark as arguably the most Conservative member of the Senate. DeMint, as a member of the Sub-Committee on Communications, Technology and the Internet supported a bill that would have outlawed doctors and patients even talking about abortion over the internet. An outspoken critic of Same-Sex marriage, DeMint went as far as to say during his 2004 campaign, DeMint stated his belief that gays should not barred from teaching as well as single mothers who live with their boyfriends. However, DeMint's Grandstanding made him a complicated foe to deal with. He at times proclaimed that he would block any bills that came through the Senate if they were not approved by his staff. What DeMint has made in crazy, he had made up with guile, political posturing and forging strong Conservative alliances. The support he has garnered among like minded politicians he has helped to elect will help to further the lobbying power of The Heritage Foundation once he takes it's helm.

The Heritage Foundation in many ways is a perfect fit for DeMint. Not only does their policy positions align with his own, but their tactics for garnering support also coincide. The Heritage Foundation operates as a Not-For-Profit Policy Research and Education Institution, which affords them a tax free status while still utilizing the tools of a lobbying group and receiving unlimited support from wealthy individuals, corporations and foundations. Though many in the Liberal Media are rejoicing over this news, Jim DeMint's role in Beltway Politics has not diminished but in fact has strengthened. Now with political allies and at the helm of a large Conservative Think Tank he is free to operate behind the scenes with out fear of ever losing an election, a scary thought indeed.

Elizabeth Warren Wins Banking Committee Seat

Move over Wall Street. U.S. Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard University law professor, is poised to take a seat on The Senate Banking Committee after she’s sworn into office January 3rd. Though a final decision on committee assignments won't be made until the new session of Congress convenes reports have been coming that Senate leaders are poised to appoint her. Warren, 63, has been a champion fighting for Wall Street Reform and a Banking Committee seat would give her a role in writing banking legislation including revisions to the Dodd-Frank Act. The financial services industry and Warren have had a combative relationship since her calls for the formation of The Consumer Protection Bureau, in which she was slated to head.

Warren defeated incumbent Republican Scott Brown by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent in November to become the first woman senator from Massachusetts and regain the seat held for 47 years by Democratic icon Edward Kennedy. Warren ran for Senate after President Barack Obama chose not to nominate her as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a Dodd-Frank centerpiece designed to protect Americans from predatory lending and bad financial products. Warren championed the idea as a lawyer and helped build the bureau as an Obama administration adviser.

The banking and financial services industry opposed establishment of the bureau and Senate Republicans banded together to block her nomination as director. Republicans have continued to attack the agency, calling for it to be changed into a five-member commission and subject it to congressional appropriations. Warrens appointment will not be without a fight, however, as Banking lobbyists are already beginning their fight against her. Democrats may also pickup an additional seat on the Banking Committee, Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, is also expected to receive a seat on the Banking Committee. Manchin has acknowledged he has been pushing to receive a seat on the committee.

Republican Congress, White House Play Political Chicken With Fiscall Cliff

In the midst of the battle over the fiscal cliff President Obama met today with top CEOs is an effort to gain headwind in solving this potential crisis. Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans have begun to bump heads and show signs of potential cracks in solidarity, though GOP Speaker of the House John Boehner and Majority Whip Eric Cantor claim otherwise. The dissent within Republican ranks began over the weekend as Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said Republicans would be willing to offer concessions on tax policy and would be willing to eliminate or cap certain deductions in an effort to increase revenue and reduce the countries budget deficit. Today, five-term GOP Representative Tom Cole signaled that he may be willing to accept raising taxes on the wealthiest 2% of American's in an effort to keep taxes at current rates. On Friday President Obama plans to outline his strategy to fix the fiscal cliff to the American people, and the White House has already begun it's Twitter campaign #my2k where people can express how raising their taxes $2,200 would effect them. $2,200 is the average rate middle-class families taxes would increase.

At the beginning of 2013 The Bush Tax cuts are set to expire and income, capital gains and dividend taxes are set to increase, on top of that in an effort to reduce the budget deficit painful spending cuts would also be made to all government departments. Obama's proposal is essentially to renew all Bush Tax cuts except for those making over $250,000 a year and make some changes to entitlement programs. Republicans have stated they would be willing to eliminate certain deductions in an effort to raise revenue while making major cuts to entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.

Like most policy fights over necessary fixes, much of the battle over the fiscal cliff is simply political theater in an effort by both sides to get as close to a bill that they favor. It would be surprising if Democrats and Republicans could not agree upon a deal in the eleventh hour as they always do. Unfortunately, this game of political chicken is harming the economy in the near term. The vast majority of the American people are still shaken by the Great Recession and have little confidence in Wall Street as well as K Street. A real deal will likely look similar to Simpson-Bowles and taxes for the wealthiest 2% are likely to go up coupled with a reduction of the Department of Defense and an increase in the age of Social Security and Medicaid recipients. The important thing is that real deficit reduction is achieved in a manner that will not cause a shock to the economy and allow the economy to continue on its steady recovery.

Anonymous Launches #OpIsrael In Support Of Gaza

Israel has launched a fresh round of attacks on the Gaza strip, some of the deadliest in nearly four years. Israel has bombed 20 or more sites and risks launching a new war in the Middle East. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has been especially hawkish over the summer towards Iran but without American support he has turned his attention over to the Israeli occupied territory of the Gaza strip in Palestine. The brutality against the Palestinian people is further proof of the need for Palestine to be a free and independent state and occupying forces to leave their territory. The tyranny over and oppression of the Palestinian people has gone on to long. Israel is attempting to cut off internet access to the region but Anonymous has stepped in to offer their support. We here at Geeked Out applaud their effort to fight such oppression. Anonymous is no stranger to supporting dissent and fighting tyranny. During Iranian protests before the Arab Spring the supported the people through DDoS attacks on Iranian government websites and helped support the Egyptian people during ousted President Mubarek's reign.

Anonymous released in a public statement:

"For far to long, Anonymous has stood by with the rest of the world and watched in despair the barbaric, brutal and despicable treatment of the Palestinian people in the so called "Occupied Territories" by the Israel Defense Force. Like so many around the globe, we have felt helpless in the face of such implacable evil. And today's insane attack and threatened invasion of Gaza was more of the same. But when the government of Israel publicly threatened to sever all Internet and other telecommunications into and out of Gaza they crossed a line in the sand. As the former dictator of Egypt Mubarack learned the hard way - we are ANONYMOUS and NO ONE shuts down the Internet on our watch. To the IDF and government of Israel we issue you this warning only once. Do NOT shut down the Internet into the "Occupied Territories", and cease and desist from your terror upon the innocent people of Palestine or you will know the full and unbridled wrath of Anonymous. And like all the other evil governments that have faced our rage, you will NOT survive it unscathed. To the people of Gaza and the "Occupied Territories", know that Anonymous stands with you in this fight. We will do everything in our power to hinder the evil forces of the IDF arrayed against you. We will use all our resources to make certain you stay connected to the Internet and remain able to transmit your experiences to the world. As a start, we have put together the Anonymous Gaza Care Package - http://bit.ly/XH87C5 - which contains instructions in Arabic and English that can aid you in the event the Israel government makes good on it's threat to attempt to sever your Internet connection. It also contains useful information on evading IDF surveillance, and some basic first aid and other useful information. We will continue to expand and improve this document in the coming days, and we will transmit it to you by every means at our disposal. We encourage you to download this package, and to share it with your fellow Palestinians to the best of your ability. We will be with you. No matter how dark it may seem, no matter how alone and abandoned you may feel - know that tens of thousands of us in Anonymous are with you and working tirelessly around the clock to bring you every aid and assistance that we can." 

 We here at Geeked Out will keep you posted on developments as they happen within Gaza regarding #OpIsrael. 

What Legal Weed Means For America

If your like us here at Geeked Out, you love to smoke weed. If you're also like us you wished you lived in Colorado or Washington right about now. On November 6th Colorado and Washington passed historic measures to legalize recreational marijuana usage. This has huge implication not only for weed smokers but for all Americans. The American economy has been reeling since the 2008 housing market collapse, one of the main arguments for legalized weed has been tax revenue. Not only could this be a boon for the two states but could also lead to increases in tourism for the two states from weed smokers who would like to do so legally, much like Amsterdam whose economy thrives on such tourism. The reduction of non-violent marijuana related incarcerations could also lead to major savings for these states.

 If the new Marijuana regulations do lead to state budget surpluses these laws could have a massive rippling effect and spread to other states, that is if The Federal Government does not seek to thwart the effort. Marijuana is still regarded as a schedule 1 drug by the Federal Government, which is legal jargon which claims Marijuana has no medical viability what so ever. It is within the power of the Executive Branch, i.e. the President, to remove such a label but many point to the Federal Governments crack down of dispensaries in California. Washington's I-502 and Colorado's Amendment 64 leave huge loop holes which could lead to huge problems with Federal and State regulation. Washington's I-502 also opens up DUI laws for driving under the influence and only actually decriminalizes under an ounce, so legally you could still come under major fire for selling it. Colorado's law seems a little more thought out and seeks to integrate the sale of marijuana with Colorado's already thriving dispensaries. I think these laws though imperfect are a step in the right direction. The drug war has been an epic failure and even if the Federal Government does step in a majority of American's support legalization so if the Fed's do choose to fight it it will be a long uphill battle for them.