"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
Howard Beale (from the movie “Network”)

"The corporations do not control our government; they are our government." Larry Flynt

“Politicians are like diapers.  They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.”  Author Unknown

“Giving money and power to the government is like giving car keys and whisky to teenage boys.” P.J. O’ Rourke

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” Dr. Seuss

Those opening quotes come close to explaining why I am running for office, but there is one more that says it loud and clear: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein. Do you think for one second that continuing to elect the same old, same old politicians will make one iota of difference? Really, do you? Sometimes a simple truth speaks more loudly and way more clearly than, say, a bill on health care reform of 1,990 pages.

In dipping my toe into the immense sea of politics, I have learned how truly little I (and most of us) really know about it all. The current political system (like the tax code) is so complex that only a select few can make it appear they know how to navigate the waves and twists and turns, which may explain why we keep electing the people we do and why they get away with what they do – fool me once, shame on you; fool me every time I vote, shame on me! Since I know so little, I will learn by surrounding myself with people who are smarter than I am and by listening to them.

Government needs to be returned to the real people, not the lobbyists for big business and special interests! I am just an ordinary person who feels he is in touch with average people because I am one. I owe nothing to anyone except my fellow citizens who still believe there is hope for real change. Many (most?) current elected politicians owe big business and special interests! That’s where the big contributions come from and who the politicians really represent.

The following list of points is what’s currently the most important to me, and, I hope, enough of you to get you to support, spread the word, and vote for me by writing in my name. If you are as disgusted as I am about the current state of affairs, read on. If what follows was believed in, promoted, and acted upon by our current alleged “representatives,” perhaps we wouldn’t be in the mess we now are!

My goal here is to win and to send a message – to let our elected officials know that we the people have had enough! We elect people presumably to represent us, but they don’t – they represent people like themselves and the special interest groups! Every time we hold an election, it reminds me of Charlie Brown and the football! You know, “This time it will be different; trust me!” Ha! Let’s give the power back to the people!

My Twenty Points!

The People FIRST!  I will focus on, work for, and support those issues I believe will benefit the most people, not the special interests. We need to get back to a government “…of the people, by the people, for the people…,” not one where just the very rich keep getting richer and the growing number of others don’t really seem to matter. Let us never forget Martin Schur, “the 93-year-old World War II veteran who lay dead on his bedroom floor in a winter jacket over four layers of clothing (AP 1/09). He froze to death — slowly and painfully — days after the electric company installed a power-limiting device because of more than $1,000 in unpaid bills.” (AP) Where now is his “Life, Liberty, and... Happiness”? Is this still the land of the free and the home of the brave?

And how about the ever-growing, never-ending “bailout” (sellout)? I hope I eat my words, but what a farce – 1,100 pages virtually no one read before they voted! That’s NOT very responsible, is it? See my Feb. 8th blog entry at "http://jpdave.blogspot.com". If a company is too big to fail, maybe it’s too big!

“The government can’t give our money away fast enough! Your suspicions of Wall Street greed have been confirmed. Despite last year’s huge losses, multibillion-dollar bailouts and closings of some of the biggest names in the industry, Wall Street still gave out an estimated $18.4 billion in bonuses. Indeed, last year’s bonuses were the sixth-largest on record.” ( "http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com") If they want to give such bonuses, that’s fine, but they need to pay the taxpayers back first!

ALL legal documents need to be accompanied with ALL legal points clearly written out and explained in plain English that is comprehensible to the average person. I am not a lawyer – I can’t read and understand that stuff. Most of us aren’t and can’t. I don’t like surprises!

ALL bills presented in the House and Senate need to have a concise, clear list/index and accurate summary of exactly what’s in them – e.g. a 630-page housing legislation bill contained a provision slipped in that would require the nation's payment systems to track, aggregate (collect), and report information on nearly every electronic transaction to the federal government (can you say “Big Brother”?). As in the “bailout” and the Health Care bill (currently 1,990 pages), politicians vote on things they don’t read (I have tried, but the legalese....). Government Pork is not my meat of choice!

No More Deceptive Fine Print – when I watch a claim in a TV ad, I often see the bottom part of the screen filled with lines and lines of tiny print that almost flashes subliminally or the words “Results not typical” or “Unique experience” or “Your results may vary.” I want to know what I and other consumers can really expect! What are the “typical” results?  We need truth in advertising!

Our troops deserve better - we need to think very hard before entering any future conflicts and when we must, send properly equipped troops. The mission needs to be clearly spelled out so we’ll know it is worthy and when it has been achieved. We shouldn’t hear “Mission Accomplished” when years later it still isn’t! And when our troops come home, they need to be welcomed, honored, and helped as needed! When I went through my 6-months of army basic and Advanced Individual Training, I was deemed ready to fight. Why are these people we’re training elsewhere taking years and years and years (and they still aren’t ready)? There are better ways than continuing international welfare.

Privacy Policies – let me tell you if I want my information to be shared; I shouldn’t have to tell you I don’t. The box we would have to check off would read: “Yes! I want you to sell my name so I will get lots of email spam and junk mail.” See how many people willingly agree to that!

Abortion as birth control is unconscionable, BUT I ultimately believe it is still a woman’s choice. More public education is needed here. There are way too many kids having kids!

I support the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership. We don’t need more gun control; we need more people control!

End welfare. From across the political and ideological spectrum, there is now almost universal acknowledgement that the American social welfare system has been a failure. Since the start of the "war on poverty" in 1965, the United States has spent more than $5 trillion trying to ease the plight of the poor. What we have received for this massive investment is -- primarily -- more poverty. Our welfare system is unfair to everyone: to taxpayers who must pick up the bill for failed programs; to society, whose mediating institutions of community, church and family are increasingly pushed aside; and most of all to the poor themselves, who are trapped in a system that destroys opportunity for themselves and hope for their children. (www.lp.org)

I support and encourage an affordable Health Care system for everyone through competition in the marketplace. The ‘what’ is easy – the ‘how’ isn’t. My current share for my health insurance premium is $900 a month (the state pays an additional $700 [that’s close to $20,000 a year]) – that cuts into my “retirement” just a bit. A public option and/or other real competition will help keep the bloated greedy corporations in check.

We need safe and affordable medicines. The mission of the FDA is to protect us from unsafe medicines. In fact, the FDA has driven up healthcare costs and deprived millions of Americans of much-needed treatments. (www.lp.org)

Illegal aliens are just that – illegal. There is a road to citizenship - make sure immigrants have their maps and follow them. As far as legal immigrants are concerned: this is America – it is what it is. There is plenty of diversity! If you come here, work within our framework and first and foremost, be an American first – adapt to us; we shouldn’t have to adapt to you.

English should remain our national language. If I moved to France, I wouldn’t expect everyone there to learn English for me. In America, shouldn’t have to “Press 1 for English!”

Our educational system is broken and needs total revamping from top to bottom. I support a National Core Knowledge curriculum with local supplementation. There are still multitudes of children being left behind in spite of all the newest latests! The first step is to get rid of “the experts”; many are working for themselves and their programs, not for our children. This is another area in which to consider real competition. It works elsewhere – why not in education.

We desperately need to simplify the tax codes. Most sources agree that the complete online Internal Revenue Code contains more than 3.7 million words and is constantly growing. Printed 60 lines to the page, it would fill more than 7500 letter-size pages (seven times the length of the Bible). Even the “experts” aren’t very expert – ten IRS representatives could conceivably give ten different answers to the same question. “The National Taxpayer Advocate's 2008 Annual Report to Congress characterizes the ‘complexity of the Internal Revenue Code’ as "[t]he most serious problem facing taxpayers."  The report asserts that filing takes 7.6 billion hours per year.” (http://lawprofessors.typepad.com)

We need to END the unwinnable war on drugs (!) and focus more on education! Having heard a presentation from Law Enforcement against Prohibition (www.LEAP.cc), I am convinced there are much better ways to make a difference! Drugs should be legalized and regulated like alcohol! A Zogby poll revealed: “If hard drugs such as heroin or cocaine were legalized would you be likely to use them? 99% of people just say "NO!" We need to get tough on real crime! We can make a real difference by creating more jobs, ending welfare dependence, and improving education.

A $54 million lawsuit over an allegedly lost pair of pants? Ha! I see that as an indication that we need to revamp more than a few areas of our legal system! Civil lawsuits cost the US economy over $200 billion per year! According to the US Federal News, every taxpayer in the US is now paying a “lawsuit tax” of around $700 – $800 per year. Another example: the television show "Jackass" was sued by a Montana man for plagiarizing his name, copyright and trademark infringement and defamation of character as well. In 1997, this Montana man legally changed his name to Jack Ass in order to raise public awareness about the perils of drunken driving. Mr. Jack Ass sought $10 million in damages. Or how about the New York City woman who was awarded $14.1 million by a state supreme court jury after she was hit by a subway train as she was patiently laying on the tracks in an apparent suicide attempt. Later, the reward was cut 30 percent, to a mere $9.9 million, because of her "comparative negligence." Puh-leeze!

Get rid of lobbyists! Are they really interested in helping us (“we the people”) or themselves?

Christmas goods shouldn’t be displayed until after Thanksgiving! (Not necessarily a biggie but truly indicative of a loss of tradition and values.)

What else is important to you? I have often asked if a person is elected to represent all of his/her constituents or because of what s/he believes. Because constituents represent every possible philosophy, the latter is why I will try to tell you exactly what I believe in so if you agree, you will vote for me.

(Note: Any so-called future ‘flip-flopping’ or changes in the above could just be a sign of my education, learning, and growth.)

I’M DAVE BERMAN – Vote for Me!

This presentation has been compiled and approved by Dave Berman,
an Independent with conservative Libertarian roots who will accept no special interest money from anyone.