The Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve, created in the Winter of 1913 by Woodrow Wilson, has been in control of all the currency in the United States for over 100 years. However, the fact that it has been here so long does not mean that it is beneficial to the United States. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Thomas Jefferson, one of our countries greatest leaders, once said, “[The banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered….”. He was right.

Today, the U.S. is currently over 18 trillion dollars in debt; a hole from which it will never recover from. This is because the Federal Reserve prints all the money and is in charge of the monetary policy. A country with so much debt will someday collapse. If Andrew Jackson could see what the Federal Reserve has done to America, he would turn in his grave at the sight.

The Federal Reserve is beyond powerful. They have the power to create inflation or deflation; pump massive amounts of money into our economy or take it all out. The Fed owns every single U.S. dollar; not the people. At the top of the dollar it says “Federal Reserve Note”. They’re not even part of the government.

The only man brave enough to do something about this issue was John. F. Kennedy. In the Summer of 1963, the president signed executive order 11110 which would take the Federal Reserve out of business forever. However, before it was officially ratified, the president was assassinated and Lyndon B. Johnson did not follow through with his plans. Very suspicious if you ask me.

Overall, I believe the Federal Reserve must be shut down. The government should have the power to print its own money. Not a decentralized central bank which is privately owned. It is corrupt in nature. It has been feeding the rich money for years now, yet the poor suffer immensely. All though our debt will never be paid off, there is still time to save the country we love, if we eliminate the Federal Reserve and allow our government to print its own money. Like the Great Abraham Lincoln once said,

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”

He was also correct.

http://www.ratical.org/corporations/Lincoln.html

http://www.john-f-kennedy.net/thefederalreserve.htm

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/11-reasons-why-the-federal-reserve-is-bad

The Underground Economy

In the economy of the United States of America, businesses are taxed on how much money they make. However, businesses that are in the underground economy remain under the radar and are not taxed on the money they make, nor do the employees of those businesses have to be taxed on the money they make as well.

Last year, it was estimated that the underground economy made about two trillion dollars in revenue. This “hidden” economic system can be very beneficial the normal economy. The people who make money in the underground or “shadow” economy are the people who usually spend their money. This gets the cash flowing in the economy which is great for business. Another benefit of having a secret economy is its a way of employing people. Giving people jobs in an economy is very important. Government regulations are making it very hard for businesses to hire people. This is a way of hiring workers.

With the benefits of the underground economy, there are also the disadvantages that go along with it. Last year, the government lost over 500 billion dollars worth of tax money, which is used in Social Security. Also, the workers in this economy do not reap the benefits of being in the normal economy like having health care, or Social Security after retirement.

Overall, having a growing hidden economy shows that there is much change in the United States that is needed and that more and more people are being forced into this kind of labor.

Internet Neutrality

The internet is one of the greatest inventions ever created by man. It allows us to watch videos, and gives us a world of information in the blink of an eye. However, the United States is in a major discussion to change the way we browse the internet.

Net Neutrality is an agreement between all internet providers to receive equal amounts of power to their servers so that all internet websites can be ran at equal speeds so that one is not faster than the other. This is largely important. If the wealthier corporations are able to pay for faster internets and streaming, it will run the small internet servers out of business and cause a monopoly. As for the consumers, if we use the internet corporations that have faster streaming, the consumers would have to pay more for their services because the corporations are paying more for faster internet streaming.

The FCC controls which internet servers get more power or less power to their servers. If internet neutrality is eliminated, the FCC will give more power to internet corporations who pay more for faster streaming, and the less wealthy who can not afford faster internet will no longer exist. I personally do not want to see this passed by our government because monopolies will begin to grow and that will ruin innovation for the future of the internet.

Spoils or Merit?

Deep within the confines of our federal government’s bureaucracy lie two systems that determine our government officials: The Spoils System; and the Merit System.

The Spoils System, developed under president Andrew Jackson, is a system within our government which the president takes advantage of and provides government jobs to family, friends, and supporters in order to maintain popularity, and support. Most of the people who are appointed these jobs are not properly qualified and do not perform the proper tasks that one in that position would need to fulfil under the current president.

This system, however, was soon squashed after the Civil War. They soon realized that giving unqualified people government jobs was extremely inefficient. While Benjamin Harrison was in office, he fired 31,000 postal workers every year to hire his hand-picked employees. Andrew Jackson also fired 910 of his government officials to make room for his supporters as well. This was the birth of the Merit System which gave the proper people for the job, jobs. The Merit System came into play after the Pendleton Federal Civil Service Act of 1883 was enacted into the government. That was the end of the Spoils System forever… or so we thought.

“... Obama has doled out ambassadorships…” (The Wire). Presidents often break their promises once they have finally claimed their presidential victory over their opponents. Obama being no exception. President Obama has also given government jobs to up his popularity and support while he was and is in office. Although the Spoils System still lingers within our federal government, it is not nearly as impactful as it was 200 years ago. Our Government will never be perfect, however, with the Pendleton Act still in effect, the Merit System still dominates the government.

Cell Phone Arrest

In 2009, a man named David Riley was pulled over after the police noticed that the vehicle he was driving had an expired registration date.  However, this is not why he was apprehended soon after. Inside his vehicle, the police noticed two guns, and his cell phone containing incriminating evidence of him involved in violent gang behaviors.

Shortly after, he was brought to court and found not-guilty. The fourth amendment protects everyone’s private property rights. The police searched through his phone without a warrant and this was seen as intruding on his private property, even though the information on his phone would have sent him straight to prison. The court room unanimously voted in the defendants favor.

I personally believe that it was not an intelligent move for the police officers involved with this arrest to search the man’s phone without a warrant. The officers should have known that it was David’s property and that it was out of their power to look through his phone, even though the contents within the phone revealed the man’s true nature. “...Riley was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison” (14). The seriousness of the crime he was convicted of was immense. However, because the police did not have a warrant, he did not get in trouble.

“... “unreasonable searches and seizures”, but figuring out how to apply that 18th century phrase to 21st century electronic devices is challenging” (15). This is a common problem in our country today. The amendments protecting our rights as citizens were created almost 300 years ago. There were no smart phones or any other electronic devices. Times have changed tremendously since the 18th century, making it difficult to make clean-cut courtroom decisions. David should be in prison for the incriminating evidence found on his phone. However, his fourth amendment rights were violated, he was found not-guilty.   

I do agree with the court’s decision for the fate of David. Although I wish the decision went the other way because obviously he was a criminal, the police officers should have waited for a warrant to search the man’s phone first. This is a common issue with the law today. Perhaps new modern amendments should be added to the constitution of the United States of America.

Electoral College

Our country has a very unique process when it comes to voting for the president of the United States of America. The people vote for who they want to win the presidency. One would think, who ever wins the popular vote should win the presidency right? Not in the U.S.

What the vote comes down to is the electoral college vote. This is implemented into our constitution in order to give states with a larger population, more representation. Every state, no matter the size of population, is allowed one vote automatically. There are 538 votes altogether. In order for the president to win, he/she needs to acquire 270 of those votes to win. In rare situations, a candidate may receive the popular vote, but still lose the race.

I personally do not like this system. I believe that which ever candidate has the most votes by the people should win the race because it is what the people want. Unfortunately this process is permanently installed into our constitution.

In the 2004 election, Al Gore and George Bush ran against each other for the presidency. Al Gore received the popular vote by the people, however, since George won the electoral college vote, he claimed victory and was the president. This shows how the system can fail.

Recent News Story

The Legend of Stuart Scott

This past Sunday, ESPN, America, and the world lost one of it better human beings. After a long ongoing battle with a rare and often deadly cancer, Stuart Scott finally passed away at the age of a young 49 years old. He will forever be remembered for his hard-work, the influence on his colleagues, his humor, and his incredible speaking skills.

He was a terrific sports analyzer for the popular television network, ESPN, and this July following his final birthday he received a prestigious award from ESPN. During his incredible acceptance speech, he says that, “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.” I believe this was the most moving quote of his speech. He was an inspiration to all people who are fighting cancer and to people who weren't

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I, being an avid ESPN fan, always enjoyed and listened to what he had to say about the world of sports. He had a voice that made you want to listen to him. In my honest opinion he was one of my favorite reporters on the show and I will miss him deeply. I watched his speech after receiving his award and it made my eyes water. He was a dedicated man, a loving father, and a true hero. He will be missed by all.