http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog Preserving the democratic representative government of the United States of America Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:42:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We can save more than $73 billion annually by discontinuing paying Congress because they’re not representing us; they’re representing their large campaign contributors. This year after a 2.5% pay increase, each of the 43 members of Congress earn $169,300, the majority and minority leaders are each paid $191, 265, and ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/67   Recently, there has been a rash of white-collar crimes. Illinois Governor Blagojevich, Bernard Madoff of Wall Street, Alaska Senator Stevens, and on and on. Crime of greed, which seems to occur in bunches, is as old as civilization. White-collar crime is defined as fraud, embezzlement, etc., committed by a person ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/66 Membership in unions representing employees in manufacturing have been steadily declining since 1983 because American corporations are making products overseas where wages are significantly lower. The recent United Auto Workers (UAW) union’s offer to make concessions in their contracts with the big three auto makers may be a harbinger that ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/65 The November 2008 election of Barack Obama was the reaffirmation of the democratic principles of the United States of America. His election is proof that "all men are created equal" and anyone can be President of the United States. All Americans can rejoice in the results of this election, including ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/64 You may be surprised to learn that there is little difference between Democratic and Republican Congressmen. The common denominator is their primordial drive for their political future, the urgency to remain in office, to be re-elected. The basic philosophies of the members of these two political parties are quite different ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/63 CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION Our constitution was written in the 18th Century, with such different conditions than today that we are operating this nation with some obsolete standards. This precious, important document was written in the 1770ies when primitive transportation and communication were extremely difficult and slow. The country consisted of 13 colonies, ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/62 United States exerts a disproportional influence on the world. One, with harmful consequences, is our puritanical devotion to criminalizing mind-altering drugs. The laws of Nature are as valid as the laws of Physics. It is impossible, absolutely impossible to control people’s behavior. Trying to influence individuals not to use these ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/61 All past elections are history, by the very definition of the word, however, this one is unique because no matter what the consequences there will be an historical first for the United States - the first black President or the first female Vice President of the United States. Women supporters of ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/59 For years, CEO’s outlandish wage packages were tolerated by the stock holders of publically traded corporations. The rational was founded on false premises - They were worth the expense because there were so few individuals capable of successfully running these companies and the competition for them warranted their astronomical pay. ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/58 The Constitution of the United States is open to interpretation because of the nature of the written word. This is disconcerting because it is so much more comfortable to think that this important document is the rule of the land, etched in stone. Written words are imprecise because they are ... http://www.democracyconservator.org/blog/archives/57