A Question That Was Asked in Passing....

While chatting with one of my friends about the political lens of the US, and talking more in depth about my previous piece on the current problems in modern day US politics.  They asked me a simple yet complex question:  If you had the power to write an amendment (or alter one of the current amendments) what would it be?

I really had to think about this one; to imagine I had the power to write an amendment and have it pass instantly, or change one of the current amendments to the Constitution is pretty heavy.  After a round of brain debate I couldn't make up my mind between the two options I arrived at.  I explained both to my friend, and they agreed with me.  Lets see if you the reader agree as well.

I would instantly add freedom of information to the first amendment.  This one word INFORMATION means the world to you and I,  instantly we would gain a vast amount of power over all three branches of government and anything/anyone involved with the government.  Not only would we be ENTITLED to information it would be required by law that we have a freedom to it.  This one addition would guarantee that items like Ron Paul's HR1207 would be passed without hesitation, as auditing the Fed would provide you and I information on where our hard earned tax dollars are going and provide REAL TRANSPARENCY to the US Government.  This does not only apply to government, as all information would be a freedom, there would be a surge of learning and mental growth among the population.

The second would be an amendment would be to finally write into law a free market economic system, think Austrian School economics.  With this addition we would instantly gain economic freedom and not be forced to submit our hard earned money to the government.  Which in turn allows the government to fund programs, wars, and policies that are unnecessary, foolish and at times unconstitutional.  Why should we the people submit our money to fund a disorganized, highly polarized, and extremely volatile corporation like the US government.  By passing this into law we instantly curb Corporatism and Statism.  Since we would go back to the gold standard and in turn rid this horrid, nightmare fiat system that we currently have in place.  There would be no excuse for bailouts, corporate lobbying, and most importantly high taxes and fees that only go to failed programs and policies.  This alone would End the Fed, and the Fed is a different story for a different day...

There are several more options I mulled over, but ultimately one of choices would be the one I would go with.  Both are equally important to me so I found myself in a conundrum trying to chose just one of them.  I wish the question allowed me two chances to make/change amendments.  I would love to hear your feedback.   If YOU had one opportunity to add an amendment or alter a current amendment, what would you do?

The Problem with Modern Day US Politics

Let me start off by saying that the current political situation in the US is horrid.  These career politicians are way out of touch with the public, times and most certainly the very law that allows them to hold seat in office.  The fact that there is a 90+ year old senator is a big red flag indeed, and that most of the current house/senate has been in office for 5+ terms makes me a bit worried.  The fact that times have changed so drastically, with the burst of technology, and with that the speed at which information is sent, received and available for public view is so fast it is hard to measure.  Yet there are people in office, who make laws, and who are voted to represent you and I stated that they DO NOT have a personal e-mail address and who condemn technology as some sort of evil force that is threatening our very freedom.  This is laughable, and very much a "give me a break" situation.  I am not saying that the Internet is 100% good, it does have its bad side.  I love the fact that more and more of these younger senators/representatives have profiles on social networks and their own websites.  Yet a lot of the senior gang on capitol hill either have a Twitter/Facebook that is a list of links or small pointless updates.  I think that just as the President has term limits, so should congress.  By placing term limits on congress we the people are allowed to vote in new faces, who might be/are in touch with the modern world.  The argument against this would be; "well I like Senator X and Representative Y so why should I replace them?"  The answer is as follows,  even though it is reported by the media that they are doing a good job, the current picture of the US board as a whole proves that congress is not doing so well.

The second order of business is the first and LAST time I will ever talk about these next points.  I like to call these points: Emotion Issues.  These are the issues that DO NOT BELONG IN POLITICAL DEBATE, DISCUSSION OR CAMPAIGN.  Such issues are abortion, drugs, religion, etc.  These are all based on emotion, and EMOTION CAN NEVER BE POLITICAL.  The government's sole job (originally) was to provide for the common defence and make sure that all contracts are abided by.  IT IS NOT governments job to tell you how to live.  It is my belief that if you want to smoke cigarettes, and studies prove that they do harm, and YOU STILL smoke; it is not my job as the government to stop you.  The government is not a nanny, parent, guardian.  AND IT NEVER SHOULD BE!  It is your choice what you do with your property (your body) and your life,  IT IS NOT YOUR CHOICE TO FORCE YOUR DECISIONS AND BELIEFS ON OTHERS!  That simple statement is the definition of liberty.  It was a main point in the creation of this country that church and state shall NEVER mix,  yet when I see Jesus being forced into the health care debate, it makes me worried.  No where in the constitution does it say Jesus shall always be a center piece in the government, nor have I seen anything about health care being a right in the constitution either.  All these issues that are the focal points of the American political lens are emotion based and should be ousted from the halls of capitol hill, the white house and the supreme court.  These are PERSONAL matters that you have a right to have YOUR OWN opinions on.  There is no law that condemns you from hating marijuana or from being pro-choice for abortion, however these issues should not be a part of the governments agenda.  As stated above: The government is not your nanny, parent, or guardian.  Nor should we give it the power to take on these roles.  Everyone is entitled to life, liberty and happiness.  And in no time what so ever should we submit these basic rights to anyone.  And in no time should any individual or group impede/trample these basic rights.

So in closing, I would implore you to get emotion out of politics/government, and to get out there and make a change because we need one about now.  Remember it is the basic rights talked about above that have made us "a land of the free, and home of the brave."  There are many potential senators/representatives that believe in protecting these rights.  All you have to do is support these people, regardless of Republican/Democrat.  The problem is that the government has gotten to big and its time to put it on a rather large diet.  Get rid of these career politicians, allow us economic freedom, and most importantly reinstate the constitution!

It Looks Like the GuitarBand/RockHero Fad is Dying Out...

Let the battle begin! iPhone 3GS v. Palm Pre (Fast Touch) Review

"Tell me what cell phone you use, and I will tell you what you are." -Brillat-Savarin

Erm.  That's not right, wasn't his quote about food or something...*shrug*

Back to business at hand.  This is a new concept review that I am having a go with.  I call it a fast touch review.
This concept is simple to grasp;

In the inaugural fast touch review I took the liberty of checking out two smartphones.  The Groundbreaking, Earthshaking, Universebending, Apple iPhone 3GS or is it 3G S (jury is still out regarding the space or not) and its cosmic competitor Palm's "Lay On Hands" (WoW reference..sad I know) Pre.  Let me get this to you straight off the top,  THESE TWO ARE COMPETITORS NOT KILLERS.  So first lets go with the already proven iPhone.

The 3GS (S stands for SPEED) and it delivers, albeit nothing too mind blowing.  The phone is faster, but not the way they are advertizing as if it were faster than a supercomputer; but still its a speedy little device.  Applications opened in a snap and the phone performed quite well.  I tested a quick youtube video and it played after a small 15 second wait, not bad.  The weather, stocks, notes apps were all quick as well.  With the addition of the OS 3.0 the phone has some quality features.  The Main feature even before video and compass is Landscape typing.  I quickly tapped my way into a sizable paragraph about nothing,  and with only a few minor errors at that.  This is where the iPhone takes it to a new level, this is "that" feature that the user has been begging for since day one.  They also added copy-paste to the phone and this grants a small applause, as I find myself rarely using copy-paste on my phone now.
The compass is novelty, although im sure the customer service rep was amused as i spun around in all directions testing this feature,  it lost its novelty feel after a few minutes.  The voice search is a bit funky to use, I tried to call a filler contact in the contact list on the demo unit, but it had a hard time recognising the speech pattern, again not a feature that I find myself using (nor have I seen many people use it either).
The Camera is the second place BIG feature of the new 3GS.  The auto focus is quick, not like some other phones where it could take a while, and the tap to focus feature is great.  The video interface is just like the still photo interface, tap record and you are off.  As I could not see the video on a PC, I cannot judge the quality, however I have seen some youtube videos and its not shabby at all.
To wrap this up, I like the 3GS.  It beats the living ***T out of my lack luster Sidekick LX (circa 2007).  Plus Apple threw a curve ball at us, $99 for a 3G (non S) iPhone! Plus IMO a 3G with OS 3.0 is like 90% of what you get with a 3GS, you are really only missing Video Capture.

BUT HOLD ON APPLE!

Palm has launched thier new smartphone into the wild and its name is the Pre!  8GB internal storage, same resolution as an iPhone (smaller screen though), All NEW WebOS.  This thing is geared for a fight, a fight not only with Apple, but RIM and Android as well.  Let me let you in on a little secret though, it DELIVERS.  Sure the hardware feels like it was build with lincoln logs and elmers glue, and the keyboard should have come with a toothpick so you can tap the right keys.  But the OS is the homerun.  WebOS is open, clicky, fun and downright addicting. I got lost in the phone with the swipes, taps and pinches.  The OS is responsive, it has the core features that can satisfy any smartphone user.  Its main problem is that its new, and does not have anywhere near the amount of support other smartphones have.  Give it time and this will change,  Palm brought a gamechanger to the public.  Finally a system that is not as archaic feeling as the Blackberry OS, nor as rough and unyeilding as the Android OS.  Its a cuddly, warm, soft, fun OS that begs you to touch it (I just went there).  Its organized, the card system is wonderful and messaging is in one spot, its just great.  If that OS were on a piece of hardware like an iPhone then we would have to press the panic button at 1 Infinite Loop.  I did not get too much time with the Palm Pre, as the Sprint rep was annoying the shit out of me about purchasing some Sony Rokr.  I really am intrigued at where the Pre goes,  I hope Palm offers the WebOS on more phones, I really do.  I loved my Palm Treo 700p and I am already a fan of the WebOS, however the hardware is its weak link.

In the end I do see myself with a 3GS over the Pre,  Only because the support, and the fact that its a more matured platform.  Its the hardware of the Pre that makes it a no go.  Put the OS on a better device and 1000% Definatley I would have a Palm.  With that being said I hope RIM takes note and produces a more 2009 OS and not a 2004 OS.  As far as Android, flooding the market with 5000000 phones with some low budget, rough, unsofisicated linux like OS is NO WAY TO WIN A TECH BATTLE.

I hope you all enjoyed the inauagural Fast Touch Review of the iPhone vs. the Palm Pre.  I hope to write more of these fast touch reviews in the future. :)

---RandyICJ