Current Reading Assignments

Well its been a while since I last posted.... I know, I know... I promised more blogs but work in town has taken up a lot of my time and I am really just getting into the swing of things and figuring out what me life is going to be about these next 1-2 years.

With that said I have been reading as of a couple weeks ago several books, because I can't just read one book. Taking Back the Vote by Jane Eisner, The Fair Tax Book by Neal Boortz, Invisible Citizens by Hanesh Sitaraman & Previn Warren. I have finished Invisible Citizens and Taking back the Vote, very good well written books about Youth politics and why "we" are politically apathetic to the whole process. Very good reads. The Fair Tax Book however, has been a little harder to read and I have had to put it down a couple of times because I fall asleep or just want to throw it across the room, but I think that is what the writer intended to do, but oh well.

Back to the Youth situation, because I understand that one slightly a little better than I do the American Tax system... Go Figure! Both books are well written and take into account a lot of different factors. One of the key factors I think and the both books agree with me, more so Invisible Citizens, is that my generation lost Trust in the the Ability for the American political system to take care of its people and do the right things for the people. Instead what we have these days is, even during now during the Democratic control of the House and Senate, a group of people that either see the future problems and will still do nothing or they are totally ignorant of it all as the previous two congresses were. Look I like the fact that the Dems took the back the First portion of the constitution, making, no restoring, congress back to its full power of administration over the affairs of the people. All we had before was a lap dog to Bush/Cheney, really just Cheney. And if I got his name spelled wrong who cares, he can't shoot a gun either.

The other issue that most people my age have is that we are too busy trying to start our lives, aka find a job and start a family, to begin to even think about politics. Even though it affects us everyday more so than we seem to think. With outsourcing and other economic factors the way they are it is down right cut throat out there. I should know.

The other issue that "we" as a group/demographic has is that "we", not all of us, think that community service/outreach programs are better ways of spending our time. Rather than going to the polls in November or writing a letter to our elected officials with concern about a certain environmental/health/energy related issue we are having in our area, we think its far better to go out and paint the same wall at the community center that we have painted every year for the last 6 years since that coal plant down the road went in. When we should be doing that and sending letters to our elected officials and getting engaged not only socially but politically. Not only making and affecting change locally but trying to do it nationally and globally. We have all these resources at our fingertips-Facebook, Myspace, Blogger, YouTube, etc, etc. That we only use it to say Hey to a long lost friend and post photos of last nights crazy party and the video of Tim getting wrapped to a tree and left there till morning is well frightening to say the least. I am guilty of this and so are a lot of us.

Instead of being apathetic we need to be PROACTIVE about how we engage politicians, news media, and our siblings. We are inheriting a lot of bad bills and broken dreams that I truely do not think are important and really think that we as a group should not have to bear, just because some old people decided that it would be a good idea to increase the federal deficit yet again or a bad image problem from a war that was started with no direct action being taken by the nation invaded, Really tell me what the FRAK did Iraq/Saddam do? If we are going off the criterion of how we invaded Iraq would that mean we are going to North Korea next? Tell me I want to know now.

In other news I just finished less than 8 hours ago a book my father has wanted me to read for a long time. The Other Log of Phileas Fogg by Philip Jose Farmer. Gooooooooood book, read Verne's account first and then read Farmer's. Great read couldn't put it down at all.

Now its off to read Lou Dobbs' War on the Middle Class. And no I still have not finished The Fair Tax Book, I do not know when I will even pick the book back up. I just can not keep from falling asleep, which means I know what I am reading when I can not go to sleep at 3 A.M.

Peace to all