I just sent out an email to the people who write content for OpEdNews. It's an invitation to think about a more positive future for America. Since anyone is welcome and encouraged to submit articles to OpEdNews, I thought I'd expand the invitation to include all our readers who could become writers-- and that includes YOU.
For the next few weeks, with congress out, I encourage you to write about positive things you'd like to see the new congress do-- besides investigate and impeach. Where can a more left-leaning congress take America? What visions for America's future have a better chance of rising on the horizon? We who contribute content to OpEdNews have an opportunity to help set the path, to light the way towards a brighter, more positive future-- to identify opportunities Americans have to heal the world, to make humanity a better species.
I encourage you to wax hopefully and enthusiastically, grounding that optimism with pragmatic discussion of the barriers to fulfilling those hopes. We've come a long way since the 2004 elections and there is no reason to doubt that, with strong, visionary leadership, we can't continue to make gains.
We progressives on the internet (I'm not calling us the blogosphere because OpEdNews is a hybrid, with a different "flavor" than the typical blog sites) do have power. We can best exercise that power by speaking out, by expressing our ideas, sharing them, reaching concensus and using the tools of the net to get the message to our legislators and local media.
I am not convinced that the old forms of demonstrations and protest come close to the power of the passionate progressives on the web to push for change (that said, I have been very impressed by the work of Cindy Sheehan and a small group of allies, including our regular writer, Missy Beattie.) We have seen that we can make a difference and, my friends, I am certain that we have NOT yet seen the full power and influence we are yet capable of achieving.
We need to keep working together, building new, stronger, more effective organizations, empowering our organizations and efforts more effectively with the new tools of the web. That is happening and will continue to happen.
So, please let loose with your heart and spirit, articles that give your readers a vision of the near and distant future that portrays a better America, a better citizenry, a better world.
Thanks,
Rob Kall
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
To learn more about me and OpEdNews.com, check out this article.
and there are Rob's quotes, here.
To Watch me on youtube, having a lively conversation with John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here Now, wouldn't you like to see me on the political news shows, representing progressives. If so, tell your favorite shows to bring me on and refer them to this youtube video
My radio show, The Rob Kall Show, runs 9-10 PM EST Wednesday evenings, on AM 1360, WNJC and is archived on www.whiterosesociety.org Or listen to it streaming, live at either www.wnjc1360.com or here.
A few declarations.
-While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans.
-My articles express my personal opinion, not the opinion of this website.
'Cadres decide everything'.
Those words were uttered by Stalin and he knew what he was saying.
Aside of the necessity to restore order and the rule of law in this country (and the first step must be a criminal probe into Katrina disaster) the one and only global national project of this country is the development of the national administrative cadres of the civil servants. It has not been done in this country; it never was even touched and now we have what we have- all civil service is for sale.
Congress must start with the process of inspection of the situation with the national civil service from top to bottom: from the cop on the beat to the President. It has to identify structures which are wasteful ( like TSA) whole criminal (like Homeland Security) work for themselves ( like CIA and others like it), paralysed (like Pentagon) and incompetent (like FEMA). Congress has to open debates on the national level on the duty of the civil servant, duties of the government employees, state and Federal responsiilities, power and law enforcement. There has to be a code of honor for the administrative people in all levels, so that they forever should understand that their employer was and is the US public and no one else. Congress has to introduce a public control and accountablity of the administrative branches, at the same time revising the wqay people can be hired, their compensation, promotion, etc. The US government has to open an Advanced SCHOOL of the US Government to train the new leaders in the Area. That SCHOOL has to be of the same level as West Point and the tuition there has to be fully covered by the taxpayers' money.
There has to be a mechanism of the accountability of the national cadres and that one has to include a yearly report to the appropriate Congress body + Public representatives (invited from the different levels of society) of the administrative leadership of the country on what they had achieved and where they are planning to go. That body has to have a power to fire anyone including the President of the US for low performance and if fired such person cannot enjoy the privileges of other Presidents, neither pension and he/she cannot be employed in a private sector for the period of 5 years.
In short, Congress has to develop a new administration of the new nation.
Of course, as I have said before it has to start with the criminal probe. That is all what our administration currently deserves.
by
Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3454 comments)
on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 1:09:49 PM
Some neat ideas here. I don't think cadres is the right word, but the concept of some national oversight, ethics and standards policies on civil services could be very valuable. Try writing an article on it.
by
Rob Kall (808 articles, 3921 quicklinks, 332 diaries, 1703 comments)
on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 1:24:55 PM
Unquestionably it is easier to offer complaints than to offer solutions. We are all guilty of this, myself included. So, thanks, Rob, for reminding me and us to step outside of our usual complaint-based activism and offer solutions for restructuring the status quo. And thanks for giving readers and writers the gift of such a great website in OpEdNews.com!
Here is my personal top ten wish list, in no particular order:
1. Restore habeas corpus and revoke the Military Commisisons Act
2. Work towards defining "living wage", and begin to raise the minimum wage towards it. (see: www.LivingWageCampaign.org)
3. Begin to coalesce around the rought outlines of a national health-care plan (see: www.WeCanDoBetter.org)
4. Pass a progressive energy bill with higher fuel standards, and increase federal support for alternative fuels and energy sources, that we might wean ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil and fight global warming
5. Enact the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission
6. Preserve net neutrality
7. Return Fairness Doctrine to radio and television
8. Amend the Constitution to guarantee all American citizens the right to vote and for their vote to be counted.
9. Examine the federal response to and since Katrina, so that we might better accomplish what remains to be done, and better respond to the inevitable natural disasters that lie ahead.
10. Establish a college savings account for every child born in America beginning at birth.
by
Todd Huffman, M.D. (80 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 109 comments)
on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 1:23:29 PM
If all of these came to pass, and you were very, very hopeful that ANYTHING was possible for an empowered straight shooting, honest America that was led by legislators who were uninfluenced by creepy corporate lobbyists, what else would you want?
by
Rob Kall (808 articles, 3921 quicklinks, 332 diaries, 1703 comments)
on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 1:30:05 PM
I know it's a pipedream, but how about amending the constitution to allow civil rights to gay Americans? With that would be the understanding that those who use gay Americans as whipping boys or political pawns, or fundy preachers who spew hatespeak in our direction must face penalties for their words and actions.
I know that one will never come to pass while I am alive. It would be a nice idea for the next few generations of gay Americans.
I can dream, can't I?
Blessed be!
Pappy
by
Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 860 comments)
on Thursday, December 14, 2006 at 3:46:01 AM
Wind power holds some of the most sensible answers to a host of problems. I have read some very good ideas in this area. We could create a large industry in manufacturing these turbines. Currently many are purchased from other countries.
These ideas include putting in well over a million of these turbines according to wind studies and producing hydrogen along with electricity from them. The hydrogen can run our vehicles or virtually any internal combustion engine with no adverse enviromental impact.
If we did that oil would have very little demand. I would rather have offshore wind turbines then oil rigs. This equipment could become a major export and do wonders for our global enviroment.
by
Sleeper (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 276 comments)
on Sunday, December 17, 2006 at 11:31:30 AM
6 comments
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