SOPA, Protect-IP, Hispan TV, Cordoba Television and You

If you are reading this blog post, you are an agent of change. Right now Congress is discussing and debating two bills, SOPA and Protect-IP, that will limit what you may do in the emerging area of blogging and free speech.

Stop Online Piracy (SOPA) and Protect-IP are both initiatives of the entertainment industry--yes the same industry that sued to stop production of the first VCR machinces.

Essentially, the industry wants the power (of government) used to stop any infringements of copyrighted materials, even those inadvertently put up on the internet. They want the government to impose sentences of up to 5 years imprisonment and thousands of dollars in fines for example if you upload a picture of your dog, and in the background a copyright song is playing.

Wow!

These two bills are racing through Congress, and if enacted, will put a damper on free speech, the Constitution be damned.

Well what about Hispan TV and Cordoba Television. They are new television networks located in Spain with the sole goal of spreading Muslim teachings to the Americas, both North and South.

Both these networks are dedicated to the destruction of the United States and you and me, simply because first we are Americans and secondly some of us are Christians.

What is the Obama administration doing to counter this propaganda. Absolutely, nothing.

As an agent of change, I am encouraging you to use your current freedom to contact your Congressional delegates and demand that they vote down SOPA and Protect-IP. Remember you are fighting corporations who believe they have the right to tell you how you can use your free speech right. They are big contributors to Congress, so take a minute to find your Congressman and Senator and drop them a couple of dollars too. Is that too cynical? I think not when I look at our current crop of movie and entertainment stars. Why in the world do young folks even consider them role models. If you want a role model, look for the person who builds up and doesn't tear down. Look for a role model who respects people, not for one who destroys. Look for kindness not cruelty. Look to you own faith tradition rather than be swayed by some radical TV network.

Get out there and make a difference.

Tumult near Bethlehem

It might have been reported this way:

Jerusalem, December 24

This reporter has reliable information that a miraculous event took place near Bethlehem today. Numerous shepherds in the field with their sheep report brilliant lights in the night sky. Some shepherds report seeing angels and hearing them say that the "Christ is born today in Bethlehem."

King Herod's information officer reports that all is quiet in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

This reporter reminds the reader that the Prophet Micah wrote that the Shepherd would be born in Bethlehem. I am on my way to interview these shepherds. As news breaks, I'll keep you informed.

Crowds larger, night sky brighter

It could have been reported this way:

Bethlehem: December 19

The stir around the census continues to grow as more and more descendents of David arrive in Bethlehem for the census ordered by Emperor Augustus. Already crowded family homes strive to host more and more people each day.

Coupled with the large influx of visitors, the odd light in the night sky is disrupting the autumnal lambing season. David, an area shepherd, said, "the ewes get confused sometimes thinking it's time to graze because the night is so bright. Funny isn't it, these lambs will be used for Temple services, yet we who look after them have to be purified before we can join in the celebrations of the Feast of Tabernacles."

New light in the sky

Maybe it could have been reported this way:

Jerusalem: December 15
People in Jerusalem are all agog over the light display in the night sky. King Herod's spokesperson said that priest, scribes, and astrologers are studying the newly discovered light to find any facts about the new "star." The Scribes have been studying holy scripture and haven't found a description of this new star.

Governor Sulpicius Quirinius said, from somewhere in the field with the XXth Legion in Syria, "it appears to be a flux in the light from a previously dim star. It is of no concern to Rome."

Report from Bethlehem

Maybe it could have been this way...

Jerusalem: December 13
Small villages all across Judah are experiencing larger than normal visitors. This reporter is in Bethlehem, a small village about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. The reason for this is the imperial edict of a new census. Mathais, the person in charge, for the Roman government said, "the census will give the government a more accurate number of the people living in Judah and will be the basis of the amount of taxes due each year to Rome."

Tax collectors say that the census effort will continue through the rest of the month, and people are required to register in their tribal homeland/villages. For people who have moved from their tribal areas, it will mean, in many cases, long distance travel and trying to find lodging while completing the census procedure. Census travelers are urged to contact their relatives for living space while in Bethlehem.

Thanks to the Poll Managers

I wanted to take a moment to express thanks to the dedicated poll workers and managers for the City of Dacula and the two Gwinnett County precincts in or near Dacula. Thank you for a job well done!

For our Dacula candidates, thanks for a good clean, political campaign during the 2011 General Election. We will have a run-off election for the contested seat of Tim Montgomery on December 6, 2011. Congratulations to Susan Robinson on her uncontested race.

Most of all thanks to those who took the time to vote in the City and County elections. I know it is sometimes thought of as an imposition to have to go to two polls. I, personally, am used to it, having voted in every City and County election since I became old enough to vote. Ain't it a grand place to live--a place you can get mad because you have to visit two polling places. I think of those on our old globe that don't have a chance to voice an opinion nor shape public policy. That ought to make us mad!

Elections...Now and in the Future

On November 8, 2011, the City will hold the Municipal General Election at the Dacula City Hall. In fact, City residents have been able to vote since October 21, 2011 in this election. Gwinnett County will hold the County General Election on the same day at regular county-polling places. This article is not designed to tell you how to vote in any of these elections. However, I hope the questions raised in this blog can be considered by every voter. If you have a better plan, let your elected officials know.

On the City ballot, residents will be voting to fill two council seats, that of Timothy Montgomery which is an opposed race and that of Susan Robinson who has no opponent. Residents will also vote on two referendums about the sale of alcohol and alcoholic beverages on Sunday. If a majority of voters concur, beer and wine will be allowed to be sold on Sunday afternoons in convenience stores and grocery stores. If voters concur on the second referendum, restaurants will be able to sell mixed drinks on Sunday afternoons.

There is only one item on the 2011 County General Election. It is to decide whether or not to extend the one penny sales taxes for educational purposes—the ESPLOST question.

In 2012, Gwinnett County residents will potentially vote on several items. Scheduled currently for July, the issue of providing a new one cent sales tax for transportation improvements on a regional basis will be decided--TSPLOST.

There will be no City election in 2012, unless there are ballot questions to be determined. I know of none now.

In 2013, I assume the Board of Commissioners will vote to continue the regular SPLOST one cent sales tax. The City will have an election in 2013 to elect the mayor and two council seats.

So currently and in the two future years, residents will be asked whether or not to continue ESPLOST and SPLOST and add a new TSPLOST tax. How does a voter decide on these matters especially in a time of economic turmoil?

Will any of these tax matters solve all the problems? The answer to that is NO. A follow-up question, will affirmative votes on these matters keep the situation from further deterioration? The answer is PROBABLY. Will defeating any or all of these tax issues make matters worse? MAYBE. Finally, if these tax issues are defeated, on whom does the problem devolve? THE PROPERTY OWNER AND TAXPAYER.

Let shoot straight from the hip. The City (for that matter Gwinnett County and the Gwinnett County School Board) doesn’t have any funding that doesn’t come from taxpayers. Your contribution to funding the City of Dacula may come from property taxes, other hidden taxes that are considered fees, from paying for services you personally receive such as trash collection and the like, from sales taxes on goods and services that you pay directly, or from business taxes that you pay indirectly. Some amounts, especially for sales taxes, come from outside our community, county, and even State--not from your pocket.

All state and local governments must have a balanced budget. Only the U. S. government can create money from a printing press. How has that worked for you? Every time the President puts a new dollar in circulation, your current dollar is worth less. Hence inflation and higher prices. And since your current dollar is worth less, the need arises for more tax money at every level—just to keep pace.

So what to do in the election cycles mentioned in this article? Every voter must decide the question does the benefit outweigh the cost of the sales tax for me personally? What benefit do I receive for my 1 penny sales tax for education? Better jobs maybe for my children. Higher paying jobs, maybe. A well-educated public or the like.

So what about the TSPLOST? Many have criticized the list of projects to be funded saying it isn’t ambitious enough. And truly it will not solve all our transportation problems in our region. Take a look at the list, and determine what it means for you. Will your commute be shorter, if you work downtown? Will it make your travel in the Dacula area easier? Be aware that more than half the money dedicated from the Gwinnett County TSPLOST list, directly affects the Dacula area.

As far as the regular SPLOST (assumed for 2013), you can look at how the City is spending current funding from previously passed sales-tax votes. You can see where the money is going and how it is helping you.

As you decide how to vote in these critical elections (both City and Gwinnett County), please consider the questions raised in this article. Remember the only money that any local government has to spend on these services and problem areas is from you.