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My Mission Statement and Statement of Values and Beliefs (Updated)

Mission Statement And Statement of Values and Beliefs by Chris Stanley Ossman Mission Statement I believe that the country in which we live currently is not the one the founders of this nation sought or proposed when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.  I believe that our Democracy has been undermined and over-taken by plutocrats who have been reshaping America based on an ideology that only seeks to; further the fortunes of the few, eliminate the will of the majority and segregate us all by the standards that they set regarding an individual’s status. I refuse to allow what has happened, over the past twenty five to thirty years, represent the next few decades.  In this regard, I will fight to usurp the authority of any person group or organization that seeks to do harm, purposefully or accidentally to the United States of America. I am of the belief that those who lead a sovereign nation should hold, above all else, t

Lies, lies, lies, Yeah

    I've heard many people say that we should dwell on the past and by the past, I'm speaking about GW Bush. The problem I have with not dwelling on the past is, as the old saying goes, dooming one's self to repeating the mistakes of the past.     With the presidential election coming up, people need to think about the presidency we got that was based on lies: In the end it was proven that Gore had ... won Florida and it was known at the time of the election that the head of the elections board worked on the Bush campaign. And then we got the war in Afghanistan (justifiable) and the war in Iraq (not justifiable) and if you believe Richard Clark, a war that was forced by Bush, based on untruths. So, in 2012, we have the republican candidates for the presidency campaigning on outright lies.     Worst than their falsehoods however is the fact that republican voters don't seem to be outraged by these falsehoods. Instead they seem to be going along for the

As boring as it may be, America will never recover fully without campaign finance reform

It is my fervent belief that the biggest problem facing America today has nothing to to with the economy, nor the environment.  It it not social issues, as most elected republicans and those who hope to be elected are telling us with the laws that they're passing in the states and the rhetoric they use on the campaign trail.  It's not education nor the fact that the United States of America has a broken educational system.  It's not even Wall Street or greedy CEOs who have stolen the futures, dreams and hopes of so many in this country.  Americans have to look more deeply into the source that allows all of these tragedies to occur. While all of these things do present severe problems that we, as a nation, must overcome before we can consider ourselves on the mend from the greatest recession since the Great Depression, the truth of the matter is that we need to look past them all to get to the root.  We have to stop arguing about oil subsidies versus those for clean energy

The Fallacy of Privatization: My Life As A Consultant

In the past few decades, the argument for privatization of practically every service normally run by public entities, such as cities, counties, states and even the federal government has been pushed by the Republican party.   The claim that private enterprises could do a better job for less expense has been a compelling one.   So compelling was this argument, that when presented to the public, there were few to question its logic, while the arguments of those few who did oppose things such as charter schools, privately run prisons and the construction of municipal facilities by private contractors fell upon deaf ears and were vocalized by mute politicians. Having worked in both the public and private sectors, I can honestly say that private contractors neither save more money, nor do they provide a better product in many cases.   Sometimes the shortcomings of contractors are only apparent in their failure to stay within a contracts budget.   At other times however, the failure are rela

The Fallacy of Privatization: My Life As A Consultant

In the past few decades, the argument for privatization of practically every service normally run by public entities, such as cities, counties, states and even the federal government has been pushed by the Republican party.  The claim that private enterprises could do a better job for less expense has been a compelling one.  So compelling was this argument, that when presented to the public, there were few to question its logic, while the arguments of those few who did oppose things such as charter schools, privately run prisons and the construction of municipal facilities by private contractors fell upon deaf ears and were vocalized by mute politicians. Having worked in both the public and private sectors, I can honestly say that private contractors neither save more money, nor do they provide a better product in many cases.  Sometimes the shortcomings of contractors are only apparent in their failure to stay within a contracts budget.  At other times however, the failure are related

If Obama really wants to help, why Larry Summers?

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Sorry about the poor quality of the video. Short on time these days. Will post better quality as time permits: Please donate, so I can provide better content as seen in my previous videos. --->>> For more detailed information about Larry Summers and his cohorts in the economic downfall of American, watch this Frontline video and remember, he's Obama's top economic adviser, not Brooksley Born, one of the few to point out the folly of deregulation. Watch all parts

Can the banks be directly blamed for the plight of those they wish to foreclose on?

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I, for one, am interested in whether a actual link can be made between the banks and those people upon whom the banks are so actively foreclosing. Can some research follow a chain of custody that leads directly from the underwater, unemployed, homeowner to their former employer, to whatever entity financed that former employer. In the research that I envision, analysts would speak to homeowners who had lost their jobs and were now on the verge of losing their homes. Eventually the research would begin to profile people who were recently laid off, but a good start would be those who have the greatest need. The analyst would then root out where the company of the person with the hardship received the credit that allowed it to make payroll month in and month out. Said analysts would then expose the bank that refused to loan money or extend credit to keep the company operational, especially those that received any of the bailout money from the federal government. It is my hope that through