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Participating in a democratic society is not supposed to be a matter of dollars and cents, but indeed democracy has become a costly venture. Billions and billions of dollars are spent every election period to pay for the campaigns of those running for office at the local, state and national level. Unfortunately, injecting money into the electoral process has led to numerous problems from corruption of public officials to influence peddling by those seeking to sway the policy positions of those running for office or those seeking to retain their office. The role of money in American politics has become so dominant
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This blog title is not designed to capture your attention with negativity or ridicule our level of education as a people, but rather to show how far too many Americans fail to understand or appreciate our current political and economic condition. Recent data from reliable sources point out that large segments of the public either live in an alternative reality zone or simply refuse to see what’s right before their eyes. Let’s take a look at the Ignorant American. Crime continues to be a top level concern for the American people who regularly claim that our country is in a serious decline
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Deciphering the Electoral College, the system that elects the United States president. By Dr. Michael Kryzanek | January 8, 2024 One of the more confusing structures of our constitution is the Electoral College. While most democracies in the world elect their chief executive by a majority of the popular vote, in the United States the process of electing our president is rather complex, and in some respects undemocratic. The founding fathers in developing the electoral process were concerned that a popular vote for the president would place too much power in the hands of the common people instead of the elites, who
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Most Americans have a general knowledge of the Presidents who have led this country, perhaps not everyone of the 46 Presidents, but the most famous or controversial. Our first President, George Washington, is recognized as the “Father of our Country”; Abraham Lincoln is remembered as the “Great Unifier” during the Civil War; Franklin Roosevelt led our country through the Great Depression and World War II; John F. Kennedy, as the youthful President of a new generation, was assassinated in Dallas; and Barack Obama, our nation’s first African-American President, opened the doors for other leaders of color. These Presidents join other noteworthy
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The opening words of our constitution — the Preamble — is really a job description by the American people that lays out the goals and responsibilities of the newly formed government. The Preamble as presented states the following: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” As the American people state in the Preamble, the government and
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A massive bust of John F. Kennedy was installed in the East Aldine community Wednesday. It was created by well-known sculptor David Adickes, who is 95. The statue is a part of a project the community calls "JFK on JFK." You can find it at the intersection of John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Aldine Bender Road, which is just minutes away from George Bush Intercontinental Airport. According to the East Aldine District, the former president's statue will serve as a landmark and a greeting to visitors coming to Houston and the neighborhood. In addition to the sculpture, the community will also be installing
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Congratulations to the Biden Administration, several major social media services, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Anti-Defamation League and other organizations for joining forces to combat the spread of extremist verbal and political violence in American society. The stakes for our democracy could not be higher, and all of us as citizens will have a critical role to play in this effort in the coming months. Sadly, our recent track record begs critical examination. The erosion of society’s respected norms, left unchecked, has taken on gravity’s accelerating downward force. We’ve witnessed the fall from civility to hate speech; from bipartisan compromise
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Nicole Machiavelli, the Italian political strategist, is perhaps best remembered for his discussion of the most effective way to lead – by fear or by love. Machiavelli chose fear as the best way to lead. Fortunately for Great Britain Queen Elizabeth chose love rather than fear. There are countless pictures and stories of the Queen smiling, laughing, greeting people warmly and being a wonderful mother and grandmother. Now granted as Queen, Elizabeth held a largely ceremonial position in the hierarchy of national power but her national role was critically important as a unifier, living symbol of past and present greatness, and
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