JJ's World Views

Category: Thoughts

  • Empathy-Driven Senate Campaign: A New Vision

    Written by

    JJ ODonnell

    in

    Analysis, Home, Journal, Political, Thoughts

    This post is to gauge people’s thoughts on my potential run for Senate next year.  Taking Tina Smith’s seat.   I have been working on this off and on for years. I never thought I would seriously consider running for office. The following is a plan to help better our country and the world.  I would like to see us be more empathetic and work for the benefit of all citizens, not just the wealthy. 

    Issues

    Economic equity

    1. Universal Health care (Medicare for all)

    Reason: Our health determines the type of jobs we can have. This also lowers sick calls. If a person is sick it makes it hard to look for a job if they do not have one. This will also cut costs of medical and dental bills. No more co-pays, no premiums, no deductibles.

    This would be paid with taxes.

    2. Universal basic income (social security for all)

    How will this be done? Removing the Cap on how much people have to pay each year.

    Reason: To make sure our citizens would have capital during National emergencies such as pandemics and other natural disasters that the people can not control.

    3. Universal education through a bachelor’s degree

    Reason: most low-wage jobs are going away. This is due to jobs being sent to other countries and automation. This would make our citizens more competitive in the global economy.

    4. Minimum wage $20/ hour adjusted with inflation and overtime at 32 hours Mandatory family and sick leave 3 weeks minimum

    Reason: Due to how highly productive Americans are they need a livable wage. They also need more time with family and friends in order to have a work-life balance.

    5. Raising taxes on the wealthy using a progressive tax rate. (Itemize how taxes will be spent from their taxes) also lifting the cap on social security to coincide with taxes.

    This also puts a limit on how much capital (a form of power) one person is allowed to have.

    6. Ending the war on drugs (legalize tax and regulate all drug use tax to help pay for rehab and Education

    Reason: Considering these are racist and focused on blacks and hippies.

    7. Ending wars and nuclear disarmament

    Wars are one of the most expensive things a government can spend money on. Making a deal with other nuclear powers to dismantle the nuclear arsenals around the world.

    8. Green infrastructure

    Converting to alternative fuels

    (Geothermal, tidal, solar, and wind) heart go planet.

    8. Staying out of other countries’ politics (Allow them to govern themselves without interference except for humanitarian efforts, military involvement is the very last resort.)

    This means no more regime changes like in Iran and Argentina. We have done the people of these no good by doing this.

    10. Undoing the Patriot Act.

    This piece of legislation took many of our rights away. It is time to get them back.

    11. Having a transparent government.

    It is my thinking that people cannot make informed decisions if we do not give them all the information.

    12. Push for Psychological testing for all candidates running for office.

    After this last election do I really need to say more.

    13. Itemized tax returns

    This is where you can see how your money was spent the previous year.

    14. Eliminate Club Fed

    We all know that white-collar crime is rampant throughout our country. It is time to let them know we are no longer messing around.

    15. Ending Citizens United

    This would end the legalized bribery that has brought us to this point in history.

    16. Adding an amendment to the constitution that gives the citizens a way to take a vote of no confidence.

    17. 21 Days of personal leave and 3 months of parental leave. 

    This would give people more time to spend with families. 

    18. Any medications that were partially or wholly financed by tax dollars will be capped.

    This would help curb the obscene amounts the pharmaceutical companies price gouging.

    19. Legalize, tax marijuana

    20. Redirect DEA funds to put more emphasis on human trafficking.

    21. Eliminate for-profit prisons

    22. End wars of aggression and ending financing the aggressors in war.

    22. Get rid of the Electoral College putting the power directly on the citizenry.

    23. Inheritance tax on inheritance over one million at 50% and 100% over ten million.

    24. Put more resources towards the Peace Corps.

    25. Add human rights to the constitution.

    A. All human beings are free and equal.

    B. No Discrimination

    C. Right to life

    D. No slavery

    E. No torture and inhumane treatment

    F. Same right to use the law.

    G. Right to be treated fairly by the courts

    H. No unfair detainment

    I. Right to trial

    J. Innocent until proven guilty

    K. Right to Privacy

    L. Freedom to move and residence.

    M. Right to asylum

    N. Right to nationality

    O. Right to marry and have family

    P. Right to own things

    Q. Freedom of thought and religion

    R. Freedom of expression and opinion

    S. Freedom to assemble

    T. Right to Democracy

    U. Right to Social Security

    V. Right to work

    W. Right to rest and holiday

    X. Right to social services

    Y. Right to education

    Z. Right to culture and art

    AA. Freedom around the world

    BB. Subject to laws

    CC. Human rights can’t be taken away

    26. Putting limits of 5 years after classified operations are finished.

    27. Equal representation in both civil and criminal courts limiting the number of lawyers any human can use

    28. Increase investment in rural areas.

           Subsidies to smaller farms, and rural internet, should help to revitalize our rural towns.  Especially when we allow more people to work from home.

    29. Divest from big Agro

    39. Incentives for moving to move to more rural areas.

            More work-from-home jobs and incentives for small businesses should help bring back small-town America.

    40. Investment in rural hospitals, clinics, and schools

    41. Tax breaks for pets and increased animal abuse laws

    42. Putting more limits on the presidency

    Votes of no confidence if the citizens feel that the president is not working in our favor.

    43. Open up elections and debates to more than just the 2 parties

    44. Trimming the defense budget.

    Considering that they have failed the last 7 audits.

    45. Canceling student loans

    46. Fix international relationship

    47. Bring back the scam police

  • It Has Been Awhile

    It has been awhile since I last wrote anything.  I have been busy working two jobs.  One that I love working as an Educational Assistant.  I get to work with some remarkable kids.  They all have their issues but I love them all.  I just got done making a video with them which is funny as hell.  We are promoting Marker Recycling doing our own version of both Avengers infinity war and Endgame.  It took me an hour to write and hour to shoot and 3 hours to edit.  I loved every minute of it.

    My second job I am not in love with it but it helps keep me in my home for now.  I work at a local convenience store.  I have done this type of work too many times before.  The people I work with are cool.  But my other job takes so much out of me that i am exhausted when I work there.  I have found that when I work there I hate people more and more.  Don’t ask me why.  I would just say “I feel like I have sold my soul for a paycheck.”  That is how I have felt at many of my old jobs.  The advancement they talk about is only working to make others rich, instead of enriching myself.

  • A Humanist’s View of Life After Death

    A Humanist’s View of Life After Death

    Last night I was watching Star Trek: Voyager and the episode Mortal Coil came on.  This is an episode where Neelix dies and comes back to life via nano-probes from Seven of Nine.  When he awoke he has a crisis of faith in his afterlife because he did not see any of the thing while he was dead.  This got me thinking, what do I think happens when we die?  I do not believe in heaven or hell, a god, gods or even the devil.  So, what does happen when we die? Well, I feel our bodies go into the earth in order to help nourish it.  As for our energy that we use, it is all used up while we are alive.

    What motivates someone to be a good person in life if there is no reward or punishment in death?  That all comes down to being human and putting out positive vibes and helping make the world a better place.  Yes, I would like to see peace on this beautiful planet in my time.  I know that it most likely will not happen, at least not while I am living.  But, this is where it can start.

    We has humans like to think of a soul as something that can be transferred from this world to another.  Though I can neither disprove or prove this hypothesis, I see things in a much different light.  In the centuries that came before us very few people knew how to read or write, even less would be published.  This is why we wanted or needed to believe in an afterlife, in my opinion.  In our current world many can read and write and almost anyone can be published for the entire world to see.  In this way we are becoming immortal in a sense. If we are putting out negativity history will show that, if we put out positivity history will show that as well.  To me heaven or hell is the way history will see who I am.  I do not need a threat to be a good person I just need to be myself.

    But, if I had to chose a religious version of an after life, I think I would be closer to reincarnation.  This is because as we die and decompose we are transforming into something new.  We are helping to create fertile ground in which plants may grow, so that animals can eat and in this process we live on in the greatness of our planet.

  • How to Curb the Obscenity of Wealth

    How to Curb the Obscenity of Wealth

    Kids born into wealth will never know what it is like to serve something bigger than themselves.  While kids born into poverty see the only way out is to serve our armed forces.  The poor uneducated children fight for what they believe is a noble cause only later to find out that, they are fighting for the wealthy’s privilege.   The people above have never known what it is like to give their lives for anything but themselves.  They have never had to risk anything yet, they are some of the most wealth individuals in the country nay the world today.  Why should these people be so entitled?  Why should they not be obligated to serve our country? I can tell you one thing, I am not in favor of a royalty like they have in England.  In fact I think it should be done away with completely.  But I do have respect for the royal family at least they served in the military.  That is more than I can say about these people.

    We send our brave men and women overseas to fight wars that we have no reason being in.  In fact, the U.S. does more harm than good sending our troops over there.  It is so confusing that we are never sure if we are targeting the soldiers or civilians, this creates more people who hate the U.S.  I love our troops I just wish that the Executive and Legislative branches would plan things out better and define what victory meant.  I also so think that maybe, we should bring back the draft or make it mandatory that everyone at the age of 18 does some kind of service to the country.  These would all be low level positions either in the Military or in the civil service; like Americorps or Peace Corps.  This way everyone can get out of their bubbles from a relatively young age.  For that matter the wealthy kids should have the same schooling as the poor kids.  This way we all start off on equal footing.

    I also believe in order to end inequality we need an inheritance tax.  Why should the wealthy be able to horde money throughout generations?  An inheritance tax is like a tree that dies and gets decomposed so that new life can start fresh.  I am not saying take everything from the kids, I mean if they can not make a five million last or expand on it then they are really not that bright to begin with.  Most people do not even get that much when their family members die.  I also think that there should be higher percentage of taxes on extreme luxury goods.  Say vehicles up to $25,000 are taxed at a 7% rate and every $25,000 it increases by 7%.  So, on a car that costs $25,000 a person would pay $1,250 in taxes, on a car that costs $50,000 a person would pay $5,250 in taxes.  This would continue on up the scale.  Where would all this money go you might ask well back the public in the form of small business grants, college institutions, Universal Healthcare, upgrading infrastructure, creating a basic income, and so much more.  These taxes give everyone equality of opportunity, not outcome.  These are just a couple of taxes to help level the playing field and make sure that no one is left in poverty.

    Once we expand our economic base to everyone in our country, we can truly start to help make this a better world for all.  This can be done through cultural tourism.  The more people are exposed to new cultures and people, the less likely they are to fear them.  We would be able to learn from each other and build upon our foundation that is set forth.  This would create less animus among peoples all around the world and help to finally bring some peace in the future.

    It is kind of funny how this turned out I was going to rail against the mega rich, instead it helped me to come up with ideas to help build a better world.

  • Incentives

    Incentives

    It seem that there are many people who believe that money is the only way to incentivise people to be productive members of society.  This is just not true.  Me for instance I am not like that at all.  I am incentivised by helping people and trying to create a better world to live in not just me but for all our sisters and brothers around the world.   The people that think that money is the only incentive I feel have been corrupted by greed.  They project their own desires away from themselves and on to everyone else.  It is a shame that for most of the worlds history this is how the leaders have chosen to incentivise the people. For to me greed brings out the darkest parts of our nature. It fosters hate, fear, war, famine and disease.   It cuts us off from each other, dividing us to the point where we can love one another and bring peace to the world.

    Those who focus on altruism and charity bring light into a society that is filled with grief and despair.  They are the glue that binds us all together and strengthens social bonds.  People like this do not worry about if people like them for themselves and not for what they give others materially.  Looks are dashed for their inner beauty shine through, and people want to be around them for who they are.  These people give with their hearts not their pocket books.  These people see the darkness and do not shy away from what others think or say about them.  This is a constant struggle with temptations and hurdles, which are put in their way.

    Some people have a desire to learn and gain as much knowledge as they can.  This is to help inform and teach the others to become better people as well.  Their are also those who seek knowledge to use against others and gain power over them.  Their hearts are dark with a smidge of light or no light at all.  There are those who are lead by being to discovery, searching out adventure and seeing new things.  Some seek adrenaline to which they skydive and compete in different events.  Some explore the reaches of our minds in order to heal themselves or others.  Others crave physical power over others through fighting or personal physical growth, to feel confident in oneself.

    Many of these incentives overlap with one another.  The people who driven by overlapping incentives can be some of the most balanced of individuals or off centered as well.  It all depends on which of the incentives that guide them.  If someone allows greed and knowledge they may use the power they gain in destructive ways.  Whereas, those who are guided by altruism and knowledge may try to enlighten the population.  Giving of themselves to better the human condition.

    These motivations can be combined in a multitude of ways and used for the betterment of society or it’s demise.  We have to choose for ourselves how we are incentivised and how we would like to use what we have gained.  Whether, it be for selfish or altruistic reasons.  Let me ask you “How do you choose to be Incentivised?”

  • North Minneapolis Police Shooting

    North Minneapolis Police Shooting

    I just saw a news report about another black man being shot by police in North Minneapolis on Saturday Turman Blevins.  There was something that caught me off guard from the report.  That is that the officers involved in the shooting get to look at the shooting before they give their statement.  This to me seems a wrong does everyone accused in a shooting get to see the evidence before they give a statement?  No.  Why should the police be able to? We are supposed to be living in a society that has equal rights.  This means that the police have the same rights as everyone else, not more rights.  This makes it seem as though the police are getting their story straight before hand.

    Now I want to believe that their are good officers out there.  But over the past 5 years I have seen an abundance of police shooting where they nothing is really done.  No officers have been jailed because of the laws and their authority over the public.  I feel that they should not shoot unless shot at.  This makes it clear that they were in danger.  We have become a society that lives in fear from the police.  We should not have to fear the police we should be able to embrace them.  But unfortunately, their actions speak loud and clear.  If you are black you will be shot whether you are innocent or not.  It feels like we are in the movie Judge Dredd, where the police are judge, jury and executioners.  We need for this type of mentality to end.  We need to make sure civilians are treated with as much respect and dignity as the police.

    Now I am not a reporter I just heard something that did not sound right.  I want justice and the truth.  One thing is for sure is that we need major reform in policing throughout our country.  When Dylann Roof shot up a church with a black congregation the police did not shoot him and I feel he was far more dangerous than many of our black brothers and sisters out there who have been shot by police.  This double standard needs to stop.

    The image above is from the Star Tribune.

     

  • Philosophies of a Humanist

    Philosophies of a Humanist

    As a self proclaimed Humanist  I do not believe in a God or gods.  I believe in the power of humanity in and of itself.  I have been to many churches and they all seemed strange to me, even the Catholic Church in which I was loosely raised in.  The whole sit, stand and kneel ritual was quite irritating along with the sermons and the Bible.  They all just rubbed me the wrong way.  When I got in to my twenties I read the Bible from front to back and the contradictions within it drove me nut as well as the whole lineage stuff.

    It was when I was introduced to Bruce Lee and his philosophy of martial arts  that I started developing my own system of beliefs.  I liked how he took the best parts of other martial arts and combined them together to create Jeet Kune Do.   I liked this and wondered why no one had thought of doing this with religion or faith.  So, over the years I started developing my own philosophies.  I did not just stick to the ideas of religion though I also took from themes within fiction and movies where religion lacked.  I try to live by a code that promotes peace and harmony without being hypocritical to my beliefs like many do with in religion.  Some may think it is naive but I see the world as it is and I aspire to make changes with in myself, so that I may help change the course of humanity in a positive way.

    I strive to eliminate hate from myself, for to hate I feel is to give power to that person or group over me.  This is no easy task.  I may get angry at someone but I will not hate them.  Anger will only last as long as I let it.  I do not hold grudges anymore, for this only hurts me.  It darkens my heart and breeds discontent in those around me.

    I remind myself fear can be both a good and bad thing.  Fear can keep me safe from the dangers of the world.  Remember not to let fear control me, for if I allow it to have control it can hinder my journey through this life and lead to hate.  When fear becomes too strong I must face it by putting myself in uncomfortable situations, this way I understand what I am afraid of, henceforth stifling hate.

    Be kind to those around me.  This is can also be hard to do especially if I am angry.  I am not perfect and will not claim to be.  We all make mistakes so, we must own up to them and learn.

    Love everyone no matter the race, religion, sexual orientation or any other way society deems to separate us.  I have come to the realization that I may not be able to love in a romantic sense,  because my heart is filled with love for all humankind.  I am fine with that.  In some ways it is lonely and I crave the affections of someone but this may hinder me from the mission I have taken on.  I vowed to not be with anyone until I have finished my Bachelor’s Degree that was almost 3 years ago.  I have almost allowed myself to fall back into the old routines, of mistaking sex for romantic love.  I do not wish to do this again.

    I put my heart into my goals.  This is why I think I am so good at being an Educational Assistant and why I will be a good teacher.  I put the kids I work with first, this is how I am.  I want to make sure that children no matter where they are where they are from.

    Do no harm is another principle I try to live by as well.  This means I will make sure to exhaust all methods of nonviolence.  I would rather die than to physically harm someone.

    These are some of the principles I try to live by.  But, I am not perfect and I will never claim to be.  If I do please call me out on it.

  • Changes

    Changes

    It has been a while since I have posted anything here.  Many things have changed in my life in that period.  I graduated from Normandale Community College and now have my first degree.  My brakes went out on my car and I had to struggle to get the money together to fix it.  I am thankful for my brother in law and his friend for helping me with the repairs.  I have started a new job this week as a educational paraprofessional substitute.   I am working to pay off a student loan before I can go for my B.A. in Teaching Social Studies.  So, I am currently not in school for the time being.  I hope to have that all paid off before June, that way I can get back to work on my degree.

    The next few months are going to be tight but I believe I will be able to make it through.  If I do not make my deadline of June I will head back to school by next spring.  It is good to have goals but they should not I believe, so rigid to the point that if you do not make it with in a time frame it kills your motivation.  This is what does happen to me a lot.  I sometimes push myself, to the point where I start to question my own worth and get down on myself.  Then I let everything go and just give up.  I have to make sure I have a secondary plan of action, because shit happens.

    Things happen in our lives that change us for better or worse.  The thing is when we are in a down spin we have to gain our composer and level ourselves off and change direction accordingly.  There is not just one way to get where you want to go in life there are many.  Some are short and sweet, and others may take a bit longer but you will still get there in the end.

  • Why Should We “Shit Hole Countries”

    Why Should We “Shit Hole Countries”

    Over the past few weeks I have been hearing and seeing people talk about want Mr. Trump calls “Shit Holes”.  Did he even think about why these countries are the way they are or does he just assume like many others that it is just the people.  Most of these countries were colonised by white european countries like Britain, France, Denmark and Spain, also the United States of America.  Over the past 200 years or more the pure capitalization of the world have raped and pillaged these countries for their resources.  Giving little regard for the people of these countries.   We have built a world on the back of the less fortunate and people like Mr. Trump are personally responsible for these crimes against humanity.

    They care little about anyone but themselves and how they can exploit people for their own personal gain.  They destroy the potential of people who could help develop the next big enhancements to the human condition, all for the a piece of green paper that if we were not around would not contribute anything to this world.

    So, why should we help out the people of these “Shit Hole Countries” and Mr. Trump puts it.  We should help them out of the kindness of our hearts.  But, the real people who need to help them are the extremely wealthy and those whose money has been handed down from generation to generation.   If it were not for them exploiting these people they may have developed much differently.  Hell, their quality of life could be much better and we may have actual peace in regions that are now in a state of perpetual conflict.

    It is time for us to grow as not just a countries or continents, it is time for us to grow as a species.  We must learn to not take advantage of each other and build a better world together.  It can be done, maybe not in my lifetime, but it can start with in it.  I am not naive to think it will happen overnight or it will be easy.  It will be a long and hard change and there will be many who will die before we evolve to that level as a society.   But as long as we push for the change and leave the world better than when we found it.  We have a chance.

  • A Reaction to the “I’m Not Racist” Video

    A Reaction to the “I’m Not Racist” Video

    I posted the “I’m Not Racist” video yesterday on my Facebook page.  Knowing that many will find it offensive.  It was actually in brought to my attention from a person I worked with at the diversity center at school. The video uses the N word a lot from both a white and black man. It was made to make people feel uncomfortable but you must watch it all the way through in order to get the message that the person is getting at. I left the diversity center because I was hearing the N word being thrown around a lot and it disturbed me. But, it is not up to me or anyone else to tell someone what they can or can not say. It is only when we listen and wait till the person is done talking that we start to understand what they are saying. This is one of the hardest parts of living in America. We must listen to the other person and not try to formulate our responses to what they are saying while they are saying it, even if it is hard to hear. This is how we become better as Americans and as human beings. It is through being willing to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations that we learn and grow as people. Those who know me, know that I help to defend the rights of others especially the right to free speech which in my opinion is the most important of all our rights as Americans. This is why I feel we are having so many issues in our country no one is listening to each other. I have the same problem. I have a tendency to start thinking up a rebuttal without listening to what the other person is saying completely. I have also had it done to me as well. Most of us do not even realize that we are doing it, it is just a natural reactionary response that we have.  I have posted the video below.  Please watch it all the way through before passing judgement.