Contacting Your Representatives

Hi all,
I thought I might give you some information on contacting your representatives in both the House and Senate. These are at the federal level - hopefully tonight or tomorrow I can get a page up on this blog with info on individual states' contact information - but as you can see, that's a bit of an undertaking.

The US House of Representatives
http://house.gov/representatives/find/
All you need to do is input your ZIP code to find contact information

The US Senate
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Not as user-friendly, you have to select your state from the dropdown menu

These people should definitely be on your twitter feed, and you should really consider reading up on their views on all issues. I did find that a couple of my states Representatives weren't even on Twitter!

Here's to you - Lacy Clay, Sam Graves, and Blaine Luetkemeyer - get with the times, get on twitter!

#VOTEVIRAL

What you need to know about House Bill 2

As I'm sure you are aware - Texas Senate passed legislation restricting abortion rights in the state. This was fiercely assaulted by democrats in the Texas Senate and House, but texas being a red state, it was pretty much a matter of time before the heavily conservative actions made it through.

This is one of those trivial time-wasters that grabs media attention and popular opinion - and boy has it done just that. It's ALL over the twittersphere, and practically every news outlet in the country is featuring stories about the bill. People from every state are voicing their support or detest of the bills' passing.

So what do you need to know about the bill?
-Abortions that take place past 20 weeks of gestation are banned
-In order for abortion clinics to remain open -they must be a fully staffed and equipped ambulatory surgical center; a measure which is implemented for health precautions.
-Requires doctors who preform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic
-Tighter restrictions on the pharmaceutical RU486

A little bit of information concerning RU486, or Mifepristone - it is a synthetic steroid compound used as an "abortion drug" during the first months of pregnancy - and in smaller doses as an emergency contraceptive. Studies have shown the medication to have a 96-99% success rate at terminating pregnancies up to 49 days in. (It may be relevant to add that one study reported a lower 92% rate in the mid 90's) The stuff has a ridiculous amount of off label uses over a wide range of treatments from breast cancer to psychotic depression. Side effects are generally mild and include abdominal pain, cramps, and spotting. Of course there are the rare circumstances where this is severe bleeding instead, and nausea to boot.

Essentially what this is doing is closing down all but about 5 or so abortion clinics in the state of Texas. Supporters say that these are efforts to protect the health of patients, while the opposition fears that Abortion patients will seek out so called 'back alley' abortion solutions. Images come to mind of the coat hanger or baseball bat.

Demonstrators for both sides of the issue took up arms in the senate gallery and outside, as well as across the state, feces and tampons were confiscated by security, and loud, violent protests occurred.

It's amazing to note that the Farm bill issue at the federal level has no vocal support - considering that the Food Stamp benefit was removed from it - a move that could have drastic implications on the millions of Americans who use food stamps (or SNAP) as a supplement due to their financial situations.

SO In conclusion. What will come of this? Bickering like crazy. Democrats will most likely file suit - and be joined by supporters nationwide. This will continue to be a media field day, and continue to increase squabbles in the democrat/republican ring.

Hopefully this information was presented in a way that is fair and unbiased and factual. If you are a registered Texas voter, feel free to contact your representatives/senators and voice your concerns in a calm and collected manner - it is, after all, their job to represent your views.

You can find your representative in the house here:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/resources/frequently-asked-questions/#who_rep
You can find your representative in the senate here:
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/Members.htm#FYI

As always, #VOTEVIRAL

What the Hashtag Means

I have been throwing it around constantly, and I figure I should clue you in on what the hashtag means. #VOTEVIRAL is a pledge, a badge, an oath. It's a promise that you, as an American Voter, are tired of the current political agenda. As an American Voter, you are tired of the government running itself without our input.

Put the hashtag on every tweet you make, every facebook post, every instagram photo. Spread the word. The ONLY way this country is going to change is if we make it happen. If our generation keeps up its lack of interest in politics - there will be nobody to run the government, aside from those who wish to take advantage of the system.

Make a stand

#VOTEVIRAL

Upset the Established Order

Hello America, it’s time to upset the established order

In 2012, President Barack Obama was elected for his second term in office. This milestone in US History was made possible by an estimated 118 million voters, and a margin of 300 electoral votes. In 2012, the one-hundred-and-twelfth congress officially became the most unproductive congress ever. Less than a year later our government sits with extremely low approval ratings, and things don’t seem to be improving.  

The problem in the US is our party system. Our elected officials, as a whole, are spending all of their time countering the opposing party’s accomplishments. We’re either celebrating the right for the LGBT community to get married, or working on ways to once again remove that right. We’re busy concerning ourselves over whether abortion is a legal or moral issue. We’re fussing over legal use of marijuana. Often times our federal government doesn't even agree with our state governments. It’s time to step back and look at our options. We can either keep going like this, fighting back and forth, or we can re learn what it means to compromise. We all have our values, what really matters to us. Whether it is religious in nature, or a simple moral code, and these values influence our voting trends. The truth of the matter is, however, that we are focusing so much energy on seeing our values win over others’, that we don’t allow ourselves the chance to think it through. We need to get away from this selfish mentality, and realize that our votes, and opinions can be used much more effectively for the good of all US citizens. Marriage wasn’t invented with Christianity, same-sex marriage wasn’t unheard of in ancient roman and greek cultures. It was done in Mesopotamian cultures, and in china. Abortion, on the other hand, has pretty much been frowned upon to some degree or another since the days of Hammurabi. This country was built to honor the freedom of religion, yet we seem to spend a lot of effort putting our religious beliefs into law.

You probably knew that our representatives in the house are elected every two years. Do me a favor and ask yourself this: Are they really representing the views of their constituents? (and by that – I mean you) Have you ever been polled by their offices? Probably not. You can call them up, and list your complaints to an aid who answers the phone, and maybe the message will get passed along – but they are basically voting based on their own personal values. They are elected every 2 years because if the constituents for whom they represent are unhappy with the results, they can elect someone else, who will then vote based on their own personal values. So essentially, when a bill makes it out of the house and heads to the senate, it’s because it was approved by the 435 members there, not because it truly represents the accumulated needs of their constituents. Now, I’m not saying that our representatives are bad people, furthering their own agendas. With the current party system as it stands, a good bit of our values overlap. Perhaps you can see, however, that it is insanely important to really look at who we are electing to represent us. Beings these elections are held every 2 years, and these representatives don’t get near the campaign funding as the presidential candidates, a lot of people are realistically voting blind. The senate has its own issues with representation. With a fixed 2 senators per state, and a lengthy 6 year term, the senators were instituted to give a broader view on issues, affecting the entire nation, as a whole – as such, they don’t particularly pay attention to the opinions of the individual. Maybe now you can start to get an idea as to why it is so hard to get anything done in congress, aside from the petty squabbles between parties. On top of all that, or below all of that, depending on how you look at it, we have the same exact thing happening 50 times over, on the state level, and often times the state governments disagree whole heartedly, with the federal government. You've probably heard about this, at least to some degree. Same-sex marriage, marijuana legalization, and the infamous Universal Healthcare are some examples of issues that have caused several states to actually file suit against the federal government. I guess it’s no surprise that our present congress, the one-hundred-thirteenth is shaping up to be the most unproductive in United States history.

Then there is the POTUS, Mr. President. More often than not, there are different parties in control of the house, senate, and oval office. Since 1945, we’ve had only 20 years of full-coverage party representation in Washington. With party lines where they stand, that means that it is just ridiculously difficult to get anything done. Republicans have their agenda to push, and so do the democrats, and you guessed it – they are hardly on the same page. In recent years our elected officials have become so uncompromising that they’re reminiscent of preschoolers, unwilling to compromise, at all. The president steps in and throws down ultimatums, which are usually not met. With our system of checks and balances, there is no semblance of control.

Realistically, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, too! We, as a nation, and even as a global community are in the midst of a terrifying economic crisis. While the government may tell us that unemployment is dropping, it’s still unacceptably high. And what do they do about it? Instead of restructuring tax brackets for small business or offering incentives in an effort to create jobs, they repeatedly slash unemployment benefits. They are raising interest rates on student loans, which as of last year, over 9% of existing student loans are in default. And they are cutting Medicaid and medicare benefits – essentially trying to ease their bottom line at our expense.

So the government’s approval rating is low? Guess what? It’s your fault. Now a lot of you are probably saying “Hey, I didn’t vote for that guy,” – and while this may be true, the vast majority of you did, in fact, vote for our elected officials. Maybe you did so blindly, maybe they didn’t follow through with campaign promises, maybe they were your party and you vote for your party, because that’s how you were raised. It’s their job to try and get elected, and they will do so by any means necessary. It’s your job, no – it’s your obligation to do. Your. homework.

So what does all of this mean to you. To us. The American voters. Am I trying to tell you to change your party allegiances? No. Odds are, you are either a republican, or democrat at heart, because you share views with these political institutions. What this means, is that it’s time to stop voting straight ticket. Do some research before you cast your votes. There is no shame in voting for the opposite party – in fact, it’s sort of how things were supposed to be.

It’s time to make a stand. It’s time to turn this government around, back into a real representative democracy. It’s time to reclaim our freedom, and do away with our preconceived notions, and party ties. It’s time to reclaim the American dream. It’s time to reinstitute a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

And it starts today. Take an interest in your government. We are an independent country, full of independent thinkers. It’s time to stop following, and start doing. Share this blog, tweet this blog, like this blog. Show your friends, show the world.

We. Can. Make. A. Difference.

#VOTEVIRAL

Welcome to Tomorrow

Hello,
I address this to the American Voter. If you are 18 years or older, and a US citizen, I am addressing this to you, for you are an American Voter. Our generation is being labeled as the idiot generation, as the stupid generation. The generation caught up in technology, greed, and material wealth. We're the future, and it's scary. So many of my friends, and probably your friends are horrifyingly uninterested in politics, but as Pericles once said, politics are interested in you.

It seems common now-a-days for the average voter to complain about the government endlessly. This is technically a representative democracy. What this means is simple: We elect officials to represent our goals, and turn them into law. We are unhappy for something that we, ourselves, are responsible for.

Facts and figures is what #VOTEVIRAL is all about. Let me break it down clearly. We are an underrepresented democracy. An estimated 118 million votes were cast in the 2012 Presidential election. The entire population of the United States today? Over 315 million*.

It's a common thing for crisis to unite the American people. After World War II, we kicked the depression's ass, and became an industrial powerhouse. We were united in our dream for 20-30 years. We prospered. After 9/11 We were united in our hatred of terrorism, and our pursuit of justice. This unity lasted less than 3 years. Now we are a nation of bickering and fighting, of conflicting ideals, and political agendas.

It's time to truly and permanently unite. It's time to reclaim the American Dream. It starts with you. You are the American Voter. We, not congress, not President Obama, not the NSA, WE - the American Voters - are in control of this country, and our future.

#VOTEVIRAL is a platform for change. I will hopefully be joined by other like-minded contributors who are much better at writing and speaking than I am. You will find videos, blog entries, opinion polls, and unbiased information concerning candidates and legislations that are important to you, and to us. I need your help, I need your contributions, email me at voteviral@gmail.com - we can work together to change our destiny.

Share this blog on facebook, twitter, and any other means of social media. Make your own videos and upload them to youtube. Make #VOTEVIRAL the most trended term on the internet, because there is NOTHING more important than a safe, stable future for the generations that will be OUR legacy.

*I'm aware that 315 million isn't the number of registered american voters, it's just an impressive figure, jog on.