5/11/14
The Bloodsport in America we call politics (Part 1)
After posting on other of my sites, for almost a year on spiritual things, I thought I would take a wee break I know that you need one too. My next great love or has been in past years was Political Science (when I came to America I fully intended to study Constitutional law). We Irish know a lot about "rights" and the law. On my way to that Law Degree I was waylaid and never took the Bar exam to become a [Constitutional] lawyer. But that didn’t dim my belief in "rights" human and otherwise.
It would seem that here in America everyone has the right of "free" speech whether crazy, obscene, articulate, intellectual factual or not. One of the things that we learn very early in school even as a child is to be certain of the statements that we make or facts that we are going to use for an discussion or in Ireland (an argument)!
Why Doesn't the Constitution Guarantee the Right to Education?
Every country that outperforms the U.S. has a constitutional or statutory commitment to this right. The United States education system sits at 17th place out of 40 countries, and it’s not just behind those socialist Scandinavians. In addition to the classic northern European bloc—Finland (1st), Netherlands (7th), Denmark (9th)—the superior contenders also come from Asia (2nd through 5th), Oceania (New Zealand, 8; Australia, 13), the rest of Europe, and indeed, even Canada (a respectable 10th).
Every country that bests us in the education rankings either has a constitutional guarantee to education, or does not have a constitution but has ensured the right through an independent statute. Each has constructed law around education as a fundamental right of citizens, at least until the age of adulthood. Finland, the world leader, succinctly asserts, "Everyone has the right to basic education free of charge."(Chapter 2, Section 16). South Korea’s Article 31 on Education has six sections. Switzerland’s constitution mentions education more than two dozen times. For countries with no formal constitution, many have included the right in supplementary documents like the Human Rights Act of the United Kingdom (1998) or the Australian Capital Territory Human Rights Act (2005).
Others still, like New Zealand, form the basis for the right to education by incorporating international laws like the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, whose Article 13 provides expansive assurances of education. In addition, each of these countries—well, almost every country in the world—is also party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely accepted human rights treaty in history. The convention, which prohibits among other things the kidnaping and sexual exploitation of children, vigorously asserts the right of a child to education. Of UN members, only Somalia and the United States have not ratified that agreement.
Now I wrote all of that to make this point. Politics and our governance based on laws has taken a wrong turn somewhere between the founders and present day politicos. It is now not a matter of what is best for the common good of the citizens. It is about two things ‘Money and Power’. We have in this country basically two groups the "liberals and the conservatives". It’s no longer about what is right and what is wrong but about what is right and what is left! The principles of the founders have long since been left in the dust.
Why you may ask? (go ahead, I’ll wait) In a word or two the "golden rule" has been supplanted by what I call the "Wall street" factor "Greed is Good" mentality.
Those with the wherewithal to do that, must rally around themselves those with less education and those who are functionally analphabetic.
So with that in mind we’ll take a short look back at how we have arrived at the point where we call each opposing political group by the most extreme and vile names that one can muster.
I will remind you that you need to bare in mind that even Jesus being crucified had as an inscription above Him And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. (John 19:19) It was for the crime of being political that brought about Jesus’s demise.
To be continued . . .
It would seem that here in America everyone has the right of "free" speech whether crazy, obscene, articulate, intellectual factual or not. One of the things that we learn very early in school even as a child is to be certain of the statements that we make or facts that we are going to use for an discussion or in Ireland (an argument)!
Why Doesn't the Constitution Guarantee the Right to Education?
Every country that outperforms the U.S. has a constitutional or statutory commitment to this right. The United States education system sits at 17th place out of 40 countries, and it’s not just behind those socialist Scandinavians. In addition to the classic northern European bloc—Finland (1st), Netherlands (7th), Denmark (9th)—the superior contenders also come from Asia (2nd through 5th), Oceania (New Zealand, 8; Australia, 13), the rest of Europe, and indeed, even Canada (a respectable 10th).
Every country that bests us in the education rankings either has a constitutional guarantee to education, or does not have a constitution but has ensured the right through an independent statute. Each has constructed law around education as a fundamental right of citizens, at least until the age of adulthood. Finland, the world leader, succinctly asserts, "Everyone has the right to basic education free of charge."(Chapter 2, Section 16). South Korea’s Article 31 on Education has six sections. Switzerland’s constitution mentions education more than two dozen times. For countries with no formal constitution, many have included the right in supplementary documents like the Human Rights Act of the United Kingdom (1998) or the Australian Capital Territory Human Rights Act (2005).
Others still, like New Zealand, form the basis for the right to education by incorporating international laws like the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, whose Article 13 provides expansive assurances of education. In addition, each of these countries—well, almost every country in the world—is also party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely accepted human rights treaty in history. The convention, which prohibits among other things the kidnaping and sexual exploitation of children, vigorously asserts the right of a child to education. Of UN members, only Somalia and the United States have not ratified that agreement.
Now I wrote all of that to make this point. Politics and our governance based on laws has taken a wrong turn somewhere between the founders and present day politicos. It is now not a matter of what is best for the common good of the citizens. It is about two things ‘Money and Power’. We have in this country basically two groups the "liberals and the conservatives". It’s no longer about what is right and what is wrong but about what is right and what is left! The principles of the founders have long since been left in the dust.
Why you may ask? (go ahead, I’ll wait) In a word or two the "golden rule" has been supplanted by what I call the "Wall street" factor "Greed is Good" mentality.
Those with the wherewithal to do that, must rally around themselves those with less education and those who are functionally analphabetic.
So with that in mind we’ll take a short look back at how we have arrived at the point where we call each opposing political group by the most extreme and vile names that one can muster.
I will remind you that you need to bare in mind that even Jesus being crucified had as an inscription above Him And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. (John 19:19) It was for the crime of being political that brought about Jesus’s demise.
To be continued . . .
5/9/14
G(N)OP still at work (doing nothing for American public!) Why?
With millions of people still out of work and millions more working full time yet still living below the poverty line, with students drowning in debt, with roads and bridges crumbling, is this really what the House Republicans are choosing to spend their time on? Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi!!! Even for guys who have so few solutions to offer that they have voted 54 times to repeal Obamacare, this is a new low.
House Republicans are doing whatever they can to distract the American people from what's really going on in Washington – a rigged system that works great for those who have armies of lobbyists and lawyers but that leaves everyone else behind. A system in which Republicans protect tax breaks for billionaires while they block increases in the minimum wage for millions of people who work full time and live in poverty. A system in which Republicans give away billions of dollars in subsidies to Big Oil while making billions in profits off of our kids' student loans.
It's wrong, and it's shameful.
And you deserve better
House Republicans are doing whatever they can to distract the American people from what's really going on in Washington – a rigged system that works great for those who have armies of lobbyists and lawyers but that leaves everyone else behind. A system in which Republicans protect tax breaks for billionaires while they block increases in the minimum wage for millions of people who work full time and live in poverty. A system in which Republicans give away billions of dollars in subsidies to Big Oil while making billions in profits off of our kids' student loans.
It's wrong, and it's shameful.
And you deserve better
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