Politics Political Articles

I wonder how many Illinois vacations Obama has taken. He appears to be a driven man and, of course, he isn’t taking any vacations right now. With a schedule as demanding as his it’s a wonder that he even has time for sleep. I could never run for the office of President of the United States, by the time it hits six pm I’m pretty much in my down mode. That is the time to relax, slow down, and calm yourself before bedtime. These guys are barely into the middle of their day at that time. Obama looks like he is in good shape and he is defiantly young so maybe he can withstand it better than most. I was going to go and vote for him just because he is so young and I think we need  some new fresh ideas in this country and he is the freshest person running. Unfortunately I was called out of town on the night the vote took place and we don’t have absentee voting here so I was unable to show my support. However he did win my state without my help. In some ways my vote was an anti Hillary vote because I don’t believe her ideas are new and fresh in any way, shape, or form.

Throughout Europe the public dislikes landfill so much that they are willing to pay a hefty premium on their rates bill for expensive (but green, and environmentally positive) recycling, and the European Union saw this campaign and has taken it further by issuing a Directive throughout all member states, including new accession states, that organic waste, that is all waste known as BMW (Biological Municipal Waste) being sent to landfill must be reduced substantially. After all, it is this waste which causes odours, and as it rots and decomposes in landfills, causes the greatest risk to the environment.

Now, on this subject there have been two completely opposite pieces of news with the last few days.

That is while in Ireland there are now serious concerns that their policy will be ineffective and in 2010 the Irish will fail to meet the target for landfill diversion, the opposite is true in Scotalnd where they find diversion and recycling easy.

But the problem is that in Ireland the amount they sent to landfill last year actual still continued to rise - despite all their recycling efforts.

In Scotland they announced that not content with their own success, they will now go better than the EU requirements, and aim for a zero waste (to landfill) policy.

But, across the Irish sea all is so different and the Irish politicans really do have to get their landfill and recycling policy sorted out. Financial restraints alone are not going to be enough to reduce landfilling. Charges for landfilling waste are already extremely high.

Failure to comply with the EU Directive would mean that Ireland would be charged a heavy fine by the EU Parliament.

On the other hand the Scots must surely be applauded for their environmental awareness and commitment to keep their beautiful country clean, and as landfill waste free as possible. For more about the politics of waste management visit the Wastersblog.

 

The United States is not a Democracy? What an outrageous claim to make! Or so it would seem…

In fact, the United States of America is actually a Republic. The other terms bandied about amongst political scientists are “Representative Democracy� and “Constitutional Republic�. And this isn’t just a dictionary-zealot splitting hairs here; there are very important distinctions between a pure Democracy and what we have in the USA. And confusing the issue can actually lead to gross mistakes.

Read more: Why the United States is Not a Democracy

The West Central Iowa Tourism board loved having the first caucus in the nation. The campaigns bring some money into the state, but the thing they do best is bring free advertising to the state. With all the media coverage we get it is easy to showcase the state, most people don’t even understand that. The people watching the news coverage do not realize that they are actually having Iowa marketed to them. They sit and watch the TV blissfully unaware that they are getting subliminal pictures of the things we have to offer in this state.

The democrats seem to do a better job of being in the show places when they have their news conferences. It’s my opinion that they seem to enjoy a little tourism while they are on the trail, and who could blame them. Being on the road most all the time and doing the hard work of campaigning, who wouldn’t like even a short break seeing the sights. Our nation has lots to offer by points of interest and, remember, politicians are people too. If you had a chance to hold a rally in a parking lot or a beautiful historic building, which would you choose?

Iowa recently passed HF 892 which creates the Film Promotion Program & Tax Credits.  Iowa is known for two films, State Fair, and Bridges of Madison County.  With the creation of this Iowa Film Tax Credit program, the state is aggressively positioning itself as a film location for the shooting of television and movies.

The program provides for the issuance of tax credit certificates that are issued to investors in a movie or television production and the producer of a movie or television production for qualified expenditures made during filming within the state.

These tax credits are transferable which allows them to be bought and sold.  This creates a financing mechanism that helps attract producers to the state while selling the tax credits and utilizing the proceeds to help fund the production of their film.

The Political Brain is a groundbreaking scientific investigation into how the mind and brain really work and how it affects candidates winning and losing elections.

In politics, when reason and emotion collide, emotion invariably wins. In this landmark book, scientist and psychologist Drew Westen shows through a whirlwind tour of American political leaders how electorates vote not with their heads but with their hearts and how the marketplace that matters most is the marketplace of emotion, filled with values, images, analogies, moral sentiments, and moving oratory. Listen  to a free sample here…

The first serious investigation into how emotions affect voter behavior, The Political Brain reveals how the political landscape would change if candidates began with a twenty-first-century understanding of how the mind and brain really work. Listen  to a free sample here…

Today instead of approaching midlife with the obligations of work and family, baby boomers are looking to a second half they pretty much design as they wish. This marriage fits their goals in ways a salaried job rarely could. Some work full-time, but some work part of a day, week, month, or year. Many are pursuing work similar to what they did when employed, while others are staking out entirely new careers. The obstacles that post-50s face in starting a business are not substantially different from those anyone else faces when becoming self-employed. No wonder the U.S. Small Business Administration is finding the ages of start-up entrepreneurs is trending older. I know of a friend who after a 30-year career as a journalist found his work shifting from working on articles to working with administrators. Three years later, between the studio sales, galleries that carry his work, annual crafts shows, his Web site and some great publicity his business is growing well. Read also: retirement planning