This is a blog that comes from the process of making the film – Considering Democracy. I previously traveled around the world asking people what they thought of the United States. After returning, I began the editing process and realized that I needed to understand why the United States was different from the other developed countries that have a representative democracies.

The United States has a powerful multinational-corporate-based aspect within its political and lawmaking process. This power has has stemmed from the notion that corporations have “personhood rights”. These ‘rights’ have been expanded and accelerated throughout the 1980′s and 1990′s so that certain large corporations control more of the media and more aspects of our social and economic lives as individuals and within our communities than ever before in American history. At the same time, the almost ubiquitous corporate aspect has intertwined and lodged itself withing the U.S. government, causing national and foreign policy to shift dramatically toward profit-based goals over the rights of people and communities both within the United States and abroad. Because the United States has also undergone media concentration and conglomeration, there is less debate, less education about issues and more emotionally driven people that simply yell or try to intimidate ideas from being exchanged. It is currently possible for corporate interests to disguise themselves as nonprofits groups entitled something similar to “Americans United for Private Healthcare” or “Hands Off My Healthcare” to muddy the debate while emotionally dividing the American People.

This blog seeks to bring in different aspects of debate that are often ignored by the mainstream media. It hopes to widen the scope of discussion in the United States. It does take a stand. It believes that while corporations and businesses are necessary for societies to function, corporations should not have “personhood rights”. They should not be able to send money, through any channel, to create or influence laws designed for People, especially after the People have voted representatives into office. It believes that the nation and state exists within the bounds of democracy to protect the People that make up its citizenry. Just things to think about.

Update: At the end of 2011, I ended the Hello Policy Maker project. 

It’s the eve of the launch of the new website for the new project Hello Policy Maker! It’s a website that will allow People to see other People’s political concerns and questions from across the country. It has had a launch date for February the 24th and will continue through the weekend. A few things have happened to cause this extended launch. Some of the committees still do not have their subcommittee rosters updated. Most Senate and House Committees have their main rosters up, but some still have the old subcommittees from the 110th Congress. The subcommittees can change, so I’m waiting for them so they will link to the correct issue.

Doing projects and making films are humbling, exhilarating, sometimes frustrating and always larger-than-expected. After touring with Considering Democracy, (it was a rather large, humbling and thought provoking tour) I was at a loss as to what to do. I didn’t know what to do for work, I didn’t know if I should go back into teaching, I was living on the Front Range (Denver area sprawl), and wondering what I had just done with my life. Then I had one of those moments when I thought, “Heck, I have nothing to loose. There’s a need for this type of project. Why don’t I just try it.” The roots of Hello Policy Maker! began. In the meantime, I also thought that I would move to Durango (SW corner of Colorado) and I’ve started a new job (waitressing! I’m actually enjoying it and I need it to pay the bills). But I’ve also been working on the website along the way and I’ll be uploading the next few days. Hence, the Feb 24th – 29th (stretch!) launch. I’m also heading over to Illinois to jury for the Big Muddy Film Festival this Wednesday, so the travel time will also give me a change to work on the website. I’m also looking forward to seeing some great films.

So it is coming. It is getting finalized. And it will be loads of fun. Please do keep checking back, and think of questions that you’d like to ask a Policy Maker. Life is good and we do live in a representative democracy in the digital age. Let’s start asking! There will be specifics by the end of the upcoming week.

Last night as I reflected upon the year, I was filled with a profound sense of thankfulness for the opportunities that were presented, while it was also mixed with a slight disbelief at the events that have revealed themselves in the short span of a year.  On one hand, people – with their strength, beauty and character that are displayed, continue to amaze me, both in their sense of humanity, and others, with their stunning lack of it.  It’s a strange mix of swirling ironies that reflects the complexity of the issues that we face.  I am both hopeful, while harboring pessimism.

I’m hopeful because I have seen people come together, cooperate and support each other in times of crisis.  As a society, we have the qualities to rise above and triumph over difficulties and injustice.  Yet I’m simultaneously pessimistic because the dominant socio-political-economic system that supports, surrounds and has sustained U.S. society has been systemically deconstructed in the last 30 years, so that all the economic safeguards that were set up to prevent another Depression have been taken away.   This has happened in a representative democracy.  Hopefulness – pessimism.   Societies have always gone through cycles of boom and bust, but the scale and scope of the current one is unprecedented.  Hopefulness and pessimism.

I’m thankful for many things, yet realize that some societal and political patterns and mindsets will need to be reassessed, reevaluated and restructured in the New Year.  Such things can be achieved – especially when there’s a need.  There’s hope.

I couldn’t write a New Year blog that was all roses, happiness and joy, because reality casts a strong, sometimes harsh light that can not be ignored.   We are, however, welcoming a New Year, and there are many indicators and people that are pushing for good things.  While this next year will present more systemic economic difficulties, I hope that We as People, and as a society will have the character and strength to face the rapidly approaching challenges.

With all the goodness that can possibly be brought together in one phrase, I do wish for everyone -  Happy New Year!

May your Holiday Season be filled with good friends, festivities, fun, family, and warmth.  Share thankfulness, histories and good ideas.

Be safe in your travels through time and distance.   A new year is just around the corner of the week!

Thank you for your time, your efforts, feed back, conversations and goodwill.

Happy Holidays!

Do you think that it’s interesting, or perhaps peculiar, that all the presidential candidates (with serious ‘go’ power, meaning that they get invited to major media debates that get televised) are current senators? What do you think that signifies about the system? What about the three separate branches of government that are to act as checks and balances on power?  Just things to think about… and discuss!

A recent poll indicated that 81% of Americans believe that the United States is headed in the wrong direction. This belief goes across the span of political groups, geography, age and sex. Because a large majority believe that we’re heading in the wrong direction, perhaps we should change the course of that direction. In order to do so, we must have the courage to seek solutions and articulate the direction that we should go in.

The direction that we are currently going in has been charted and built upon through various Republican and Democratic presidencies. The direction was decidedly pointed and accelerated by the Reagan administration in 1980 as it began the massive deregulation of the financial industry. The financial safeguards that were put in place after the Great Depression have been effectively taken away. This has lead to scandal after scandal, because the laws of the United States were changed to make American taxpayers responsible for the massive economic disruptions from the financial industry. This has happened time after time with the Savings and Loans scandals, the fallout and disintegration of WorldCom, Enron, and many others. In essence, the methods of accounting and regulation have changed and continues to change. Both Clinton and Bush continued to build upon the Reagan deregulation, and continue to use public funds and policy for private or foreign concerns. Some examples of this are the bail out the Mexican peso soon after NAFTA, that benefited not Mexico, but the largely foreign short term investors, and in more recent times, they have used public policy to bailout private entities like that of Bear Stearns.

Perhaps it’s not so nice to take individual taxpayer funds, while puting it toward policy that makes certain individuals very rich, while telling the middle class that there aren’t funds for education, social security or healthcare. Or perhaps it is right and moral to create systemic policy to subsidize major multinational corporations, in essence creating a socialized system for multinationals.

At the core of this debate is whether or not corporations should have personhood rights. This notion is a really odd and precarious one because it is assumed that corporate personhood was established in 1886, when the Supreme Court actually sidestepped the issue and chose not to specifically take a stand and rule on it. Just something to think about. Have a nice day!

It’s encouraging to hear that Nepal has had successful elections for its Constituent Assembly.  There are 601 seats, and I’m honestly saying that I don’t know exactly how it works.  The disposed king, who came into the throne under dubious circumstances (when there was a slaughter in the royal house and his brother, then king, and the royal family were all killed) is now leaving his unelected post.

When I first heard that the Maoists had gotten the majority of seats in the assemly elections, I really couldn’t quite believe it.  I thought surely they had won the election in a small, rural state in Nepal, but not in the whole country.  But it’s true, they won a majority in the country.

I think that Nepal’s  electoral process is quite different and in stark contrast to  the planned (overly) pre-plotted U.S. elections, because of the element of surprise.  It seems that all aspects of surprise have been systemically extermination of any element of surprise.  Super delegates seemingly taking over the element of surprise from the American populace.  U.S. elections seem to have a theatrical storyline narrative arch of good versus evil.  This is the most stunning development.

No where else in the world will you find a population where when one talks of good and evil, where each diametrically opposed side believe that they are on the side of good, whereas the other is trying to destroy America.  Talk to a Progressive, and they believe that The Administration is destroying America, while if you talk to a Conservative, and they believe that Liberals are destroying America,.