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"Our democracy is founded on the idea of human rights, that the legitimate source of political power comes from the people. Allowing corporations to exercise political power comes at the expense of citizens. It's a zero-sum game." Check Out my latest article on CommonSense2.com! Check Out my latest political discussion on the Matt Heckman-Show! Hot Links !!! Prosecution of George W. Bush for murder! New World Order "War is a racket." ~ Major General Smedley Butler (U.S.M.C.) Daniel Pennock Democracy School Power abhors a vacuum. So in a democracy we all bear a burden of responsibility to shape our governments, communities, as well as our own lives. We need better cooperation among all branches and levels of government. Governments are not a business for they are not profit engines, and as such, governments should never be privatized and operated like oligarchic corporations. As you can plainly see, I am a "small d" democrat, and I strongly oppose the policies and practices of the pro-corporate (Neo-Liberal) Democratic Leadership Council. America is blessed to be the wealthiest nation on Earth, yet one in five children in our United States lives in poverty. The City of Reading experiences concentrated poverty, 35.1% according to the latest report released by the U.S. Census Bureau, up from 26.1% just five years earlier. I find this immoral, and we must do better. We need job creation rather than squandering taxpayer funds on "feel good about Reading" projects. These funds are limited and must be applied wisely. We also need to bolster our education system in Reading since education is the great equalizer. Current funding for our public education system exacerbates poverty in our city by feeding the cycle of poverty. Many families are incapable of building equity, making their future uncertain. Is anyone under the illusion that Act 72 (using gambling proceeds to reduce property taxes) will solve our problem with how we are funding our education system? What about the alarming situation concerning the "No Child Left Behind Act," an unfunded federal mandate, and how the loss of federal dollars, due to our failure to comply, will impact the Reading School District? The federal government must ante up for their failure to enforce immigration laws and the direct impact that is having on the Reading School District's ability to meet the NCLB standards. There are 4,000 to 5,000 undocumented children that cost the school district millions of dollars. Who is responsible for paying this additional cost because first President Bush and now President Obama and our U.S. Congress do not protect our borders? The PA Constitution mandates a public school system but does not stipulate how to pay for it. We must demand an equitable education system. We cannot achieve that without greater assistance from state and federal sources. David Smith, Good Schools Pennsylvania. Then there is Healthcare in America, primarily the insurance aspect, where over fifty million citizens cannot afford private health insurance any more. Millions more are critically under-insured and only learn so after a family tragedy occurs. This is the leading cause of bankruptcy in America and bankruptcies are rising at an alarming rate. Why is the United States the only industrialized nation today without a Single-Payer [universal] Health Insurance system? How much longer can our "Domestic Economy" continue to compete in this "Global Economy," when our elected leaders continue to put our local small businesses into a substantial disadvantage by burdening the employers with providing coverage to maintain a healthy labor supply? Why is the United States the only nation that allows profit to dictate the performance of the health care system? Where is morality found in forcing people to suffer unless they can afford proper coverage? Other states are moving towards a single-payer health insurance system, what is holding back Pennsylvania? What are our legislators in Harrisburg doing about these quality of life issues? Why are leaders containing legislation "in Committees" that would begin to address current inequities? Dr. Noller 610-375-7073 / Coalition 610-624-1891 We need to be asking all our leaders why. Perhaps our leaders are more interested in protecting the profit of the insurance companies, the pharmaceutical companies, and managed care companies rather than the interests of we the people? I continue to study history and law to better understand these types of questions. What I have learned has profoundly effected my life. One can make a strong argument that our political system is specifically designed to facilitate corruption. The purpose of government must not be for enriching a few well connected individuals while ignoring the growing problems throughout our municipalities, Berks County, Pennsylvania, and the nation as a whole. Yet all is not lost. Engaging in dialogue with others who are searching for answers has led me to those who understand the nature of our shared dilemma. Activist judges have knowingly and methodically been undermining our democratic principles, creating a hierarchical corporate system that favors the wealthy. Now there is nothing particularly wrong with having money, though it sure is wrong to allow money to decide who gets access to our elected officials. It is also wrong to allow money to control media access. We need public financing of our elections so they are no longer sold to the highest bidder. We can surely afford this by conditioning broadcast licenses to demand the media companies provide this as a public service since these are "public" airwaves that these companies never paid a single dime to use. The nexus of our problems centers upon corporate personhood, a legal fiction created through a clerical error. May 10, 1886, was a day that lives in infamy. That day, a Supreme Court decision was incorrectly characterized by a recording clerk as ruling that "Corporations are persons within the intent of...the 14th Amendment to the Constitution [providing] equal protection of the law." The Supreme Court never said that - in fact, the Court declined to consider the question, but ever since that day, unscrupulous companies have exploited and expanded that bogus rendition of their legal status. Long ago, our Founders wisely placed restrictions upon corporations to prohibit them from directly influencing our government. The Civil War brought and end to those restrictions all in the name of the war effort. Benjamin Franklin's remarks about our government being a "republic, if you can keep it" surely come to mind. Over the past 150 years, the Judiciary has "found" corporations within the people's documents that establish a frame of governance for this nation, including the United States Constitution. In doing so, Courts have illegitimately bestowed upon corporations immense constitutional powers of the Fourteenth, First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments, and the expansive powers afforded by the Contracts and Commerce Clauses. Today corporations wield their unfounded constitutional rights to overturn the majority will of the citizens, communities, and states. They shape our legislation and our nation's policies. We the people, not yet having formed that perfect union, may have in fact lost our republic to the usurping corporations. Sincerely, Stefan C. Kosikowski With the anniversary of September 11th, 2001, there are millions of Americans asking: Why? Surely it can not be so simple as these terrorists HATE FREEDOM, that is patently absurd Mr. President. I have found 10 Key Questions For Israeli Zionists by Adrian Salbuchi. This is a must read for all those seeking the truth as to why millions of people hate America. _________________ Why does President George W. Bush and Corporate America so strongly support Communism? The evidence is the Peoples' Republic of China, better known as Red China, where the communist dictatorship has ruled for 61 years now. On his second day in office, President George W. Bush and the Republican dominated Congress changed the law of our great nation to grant the communist dictatorship of China, Permanent Normal Trade Relations, which has had a profound effect upon both our nations. Now transnational corporations are free to fully invest in Communist China without fear we will not renew normal trade relations with them the next time they crack down on democracy, such as the infamous attack on Tieneman Square in 1989, coincidently during the former George Herbert Walker Bush presidency. There is a popular myth, exploited by this President Bush and the Corporate Media, that free trade and democracy are synonymous. This simply does not reflect reality. Red China is not becoming a free nation due to open trade. If anything is changing, the communist dictatorship is becoming more recalcitrant. We also have the lessons from history to remember, specifically the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Our large and powerful corporations invested heavily in both of these nations in the 1920's (Russia) and the 1930's (Germany), despite their despotic leaders, only to create world powers that eventually launched a world wide war. Millions of people died as a result of greed gone wild. Corporations never promote democracy where ever they do business. Dictators allow the board of directors more latitude to exploit the labor force, despoil the environment, and repatriate profits... so long as they sufficiently satisfy the despot with a healthy cut of the action. We must review our China trade policy before it is too late. The communists of China are already moving military assets into this hemisphere, taking over the Port of Los Angeles, the Panama Canal, and a whole host of facilities through out South America. Remember, those who forget the lessons from history are doomed to repeat them. Article I, Section 2, Pennsylvania Constitution “All power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority and instituted for their peace, safety and happiness. For the advancement of these ends they have at all times an inalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may think proper.” Authored by Benjamin Franklin Click here to learn why we need reform now! “The punishment suffered by the wise who refuse to take part in the government, is to live under the government of bad men.” Plato Paid for by Friends of Stefan C. Kosikowski. ______________ |