It's over, finally we are done with George "Dubber" Bush.

George Bush ruined the economy, turned a huge federal surplus into an even bigger federal deficit and robbed the middle class to pay off the rich. He frittered away America’s moral superiority in the world by adopting a first strike policy, so that we can no longer claim that democracies don’t start wars. He lost us the respect of the world community, because he began a war based on lies about weapons of mass destruction.

The Christian Republic Party

The Christian Republic Party has as its objective exactly what it says, to turn the secular United States government into a Christian republic. Don’t let them do it.

Oppose Religious Fundamentalism

Oppose the religious right here and around the world. Fundamentalist Muslims, Jews and Christians are not content to require the obedience of their own members, but intend to force their social policies on everyone, if the rest of us let them get away with it. Each of these groups believes that, since they have the one true religion, it is perfectly reasonable for government policy and even the Constitution itself to be in complete accord with their principles. This is the necessary result of an absolute belief that they, and they alone, know the word of God.

What to do? Well, here in the USA, don’t vote for religious candidates for office. How do you know? Listen to their message; let them tell you who they are. Oppose uncompromising extremism by speaking up and by contributing money only to moderate organizations intent on finding peaceful settlement of differences. Fundamentalist Muslims, Jews, Christians and others would tear the world apart, rather than moderate their irrational and obsessive claims to exclusive truth.

Faith in the (tax) Dollar

If Churches that operate social service businesses want to hire only people of their own faith they should do it with their own money, not the taxpayers. If they can’t get their members to contribute as much as they want, that is no reason for them to get ours. If we are unwilling to give it to organizations that discriminate, like the Salvation Army, they shouldn’t be able to have the government just take it out of our pockets. There is no justification for a Federal jobs program available only to the members of government approved churches.

Bush Bashed Science

It was the 5th most important science story of 2004, according to "Discover Magazine." The January issue (p. 61) reported that there is "… widespread anger from scientists in virtually every discipline …" directed at the Bush administration.

It is a great error to ignore scientific data and responsible interpretation merely because they run counter to a political ideology. Policy decisions made without regard for the facts are doomed to failure in accomplishing their objectives, and harming the US in the process.

Scientists Fought Back

It isn't just about weapons of mass destruction that the Bush administration has lied. The Union of Concerned Scientists, a group that includes many recipients of the Nobel Prize, charged that they also misled the public in the areas of biomedical research, health and the environment.

In contrast, President Obama is appointing scientists to his administration even at the level of the cabinet.

Free Markets and Democracy

A combination of free markets and political democracy succeeds because they provide a check and balance on each other. Free markets concentrate economic power in a minority of highly successful individuals. They foster creativity, excellence and elitism. Democracy concentrates political power in the majority. It fosters safety nets, social responsibility and mediocrity.

Well, we want creativity, excellence, safety nets and social responsibility and we don’t want either elitism or mediocrity. So when the few become too economically successful the many create progressive income taxes. When the many get overly socialistic, the few use their wealth to influence public opinion in the other direction. It isn’t perfect, but it works.

Who Has the Power?

The only real power any person has is over his own body, and then only if he is not restrained by others. The additional power a person may appear to wield is derived from other people doing his bidding (following his orders) for whatever reasons, most notably for money, but sometimes out of a sense of duty, or just to get along, for example. That is, one person (or many) trades his personal power to another in exchange for something.

Who has the power? You do. Don’t be duped into giving your power away to the wrong people or on the cheap.

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