Debt Ceiling

 There really is no debt ceiling if it constantly be raised!

Consider your own credit card. It has a limit (a debt ceiling). Can you raise it? NO the authority which granted you the card may or may not raise your limit debending on several factors; most importantly your ability to pay your debts.

We The People have (in the 16th amendment) granted the government the right to incur debt. But congress seems to think that they can continually raise the limit themselves. Shouldn't We The People be the ones to authorize any increase? After all We're the granting authority and congress is the recipient of the credit?

The current national debt is OUTRAGEOUS! It should be a national embarressment. If any individual incurred a debt of such relative proportion we would be forced into bankruptcy.

The national debt  is currently more than $94,800 per citizen and $247,000 per taxpayer. The national debt is a House Of Cards that is ready to collapse. And it is climbing at an exponential rate.

Isn't it time for them to BALANCE the budget and stop overspending? Should we continue to allow congress to continue driving the nation into further debt? I say NO!

I've asked my congressman to stop raising the debt ceiling and become fiscally responsible. Why don't you ask your representative to do the same?

The Meaning of Democracy

Democracy Definition

a. Government by the people; that form of government in which the sovereign power resides in the people as a whole, and is exercised either directly by them.

b. A state or community in which the government is vested in the people as a whole.

Oxford English Dictionary

Are we losing our democracy in the United States? 

I believe that we are losing it! We The People as a body are no longer the governing power. Instead, money interests, lobbiests, corporations and the elite rich are the ones who actually control the government. They control who can run for office and then dictate what they should vote for or against. 

This is a very sad state of affairs. And the Supreme Court's decision re: Citizens United as actually made things even worse. IMHO no "artificial person" like a corporation should be able to have any influence over the government. Yet, the court says that corporations may pour infinite money into swaying the government towards their advantage.

It is time that We The People regain control! Everyone who is eligible should vote to remove those who do not act in the public interest.

The addage "Divide and conquer" is quite true. The politicians and the media are currently working overtime to do just that. This country has never been more divided. And if we remain divided, we shall fall!

Clean Energy

The situation with global warming requires humanity to find a way to have abundant energy without destroying the environment. The problem with wind and solar energy sources is that they are not constant. Nuclear energy (though fision) creates radioactive byproducts that take centuries to become safe. The only source that seems to be both constant and safe is geothermal.

Heretofore, geothermal energy has been expensive when compared to coal, wind and solar. However, breakthrough technology promises to reduce the cost of geothermal significantly. Several companies (Gyroton Technologies, Quaise Energy, AltaRock, and others) are developing Gyroton-powered drilling devices that will blast through rock by vaporizing it. These technologies promise to deliver boreholes deep into the Earth's core in a matter of days instead of years.

Many existing electric generators depend upon superheated steam produced by boilers fired by coal or natural gas. Injecting water into boreholes located next to these existing generators could produce the superheated steam needed to run the generator turbines making coal or natural gas unnecessary. This would also bypass the need to build new and expensive power plants, wind farms and solar arrays.

I believe that deep geothermal offers tremendous advantages over solar, wind and nuclear approaches. It warrants significant government support and investment.

If you have any comments, ideas or suggestions, please send me an email at alan.doering@gmail.com 

Divided Nation

 Divisa et Imperator (Divide and Conquer).
This addage is in full operation today.

It is sad to see the United States in such a state of divisiveness and polarization. It should be obvious that this divisiveness only serves to keep a clearly broken government in power. I believe the media and the politicians are working overtime to keep it that way. For so long as the population remains divided, it cannot amass the strength to oppose those who are in power. 

In his book 1984, George Orwell predicted a situation much like today. The Ministry of Truth (the Media) rewriting history and distorting the facts. Big Brother (the government) watching the citizens every move, etc. I believe that if the current trends continue, Democracy itself will be lost and a revolution will be likely within the next 20 years.

A sad, sad state of affairs!