Fresh Political View

To my fellow liberals who continue to blame the Electoral College for Trump's win Tuesday, I ask you a few simple questions. Was it not the same Electoral College that Obama was elected by in 2008? Was it not the Same system that saw Obama reelected in 2012? As well was it not the same Electoral College that as of the morning of November 8th we all thought would sweep Hillary Clinton to victory? The answer is yes, yes it is. It just so happens it didn't work out for us this time. It's with much trepidation that I look to our future, but at the same time I reflect on the real reasons Mr. Trump became President-Elect Trump and the hope I have for the future of our great nation. Trump's win was not caused by the Electoral College that much I feel certain, so let's stop that train right there. The reasons for Trump's shocking win are 3 fold... 1. Polling data did not really take into account the frustration of Americans of both the far left and moderate to far right...

Birthright Citizenship: Jake’s Take By: JM Keck There has been much talk of Birthright citizenship as of late. From The Donald to Canadian born Ted Cruz many are saying we should end this policy. The idea according to Trump and friends would dissuade Mexicans from crossing the U.S. border just to have a baby, thus that baby becomes a citizen of the United States. But proponents of this idea seem to miss a few major issues with their plan, the how and the cost. First, let’s look at the cost of this plan shall we. According to reports it costs tax payers $12,500 per each person deported as of 2011. Now that may not sound like much until you realize there are over 11 million undocumented or illegal aliens in America at the moment. That would be over $137 billion just counting the undocumented or illegal aliens the others we will discuss in a bit. May I ask where the hell this money would come from? Are you going to cut education spending? Maybe cut food stamps and hea...

By: Jacob M. Keck With the up coming Olympics in Sochi, Russia , I figured I'd give my two cents on the event. Many issues can be raised about having the Olympics in Russia and in Sochi in particular, from the significant terror threat to the recent anti-gay laws as well as state supported physical attacks on gays. So lets look at these two major issues and why I could not care less about this years Olympics in Sochi. First, lets take a look at the safety issues of the event. Just last month a group of Chechen rebels sent two suicide bombers that killed at least 31 Russians in response to the Olympic Games being held in, as they see them, their ancestral lands. Also, the Chechen rebels take exception to Russia turning this area into a tourist destination. This has lead to the promise of terror attacks on the games and the millions expected to visit in the coming weeks.  The terror threat doesn't look to deter athletes or spectators, even as there have been reports ...

The four Americans killed in the Benghazi 9/11-12/2012 After a rather long  long wait in the  aftermath of the Benghazi attacks of 9/11-12/2012, the Senate intelligence Committee released it's findings on this tragic event. In the report the committee made recommendations on 13 findings from communication between the State Department and the Intelligence Community to better equipping US embassies and the like to defend themselves against deadly terrorist attacks. In this article we will look at the findings that have been of the most contention the so called Stand Down order, the Talking points and what some see as a lack of response of the Obama Administration. The Talking Points: The Senate report finds fault with the way the CIA handled the dissemination and the content of the Talking Points. The Intelligence Community moved slowly to update and change the Talking points, thus leading to confusion and many misstatements by those in c...

Over 300 thousand Americans have been without usable tap water since last Thursday. It is not due to a lack of water or failed water system, but rather due to human negligence. The water has been poisoned by an unknown amount of 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol used by the coal industry for coal washing. A report from RT.com says at least 70 people have visited local hospitals. This should never happen in this day and age. The spill happened at a facility in Charleston West Virginia owned by Freedom Industries . The question remains how a chemical company was allowed to set-up shop so close to such a vulnerable and vital water way. Latest reports say it was only a mile away from a major source or water and water plant. This question has not and may not be answered for some time. This spill highlights the need for more regulation on dangerous chemicals and how they are stored. Check back here at www.freshpoliticalview.com  

The Obama administration seems to have failed in one campaign promise from both campaigns for sure. This one has gotten so far from his promise that it has proven to be a blatant lie. "I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue," -Obama on Medical marijuana 2008 In both the 2008 and 2012 campaigns Mr. Obama claimed his administration would not waste the time or tax payer money to interfere with states allowed for the use of marijuana by its people. This is right opposite of what his administration has done. The DEA and other agencies had, according to the Rolling Stone, raided over 100 medical marijuana dispensaries in just his first 3 years in office.  Now comes the news that the DEA just raided at least 4 more marijuana stores in Seattle, Washington. Washington has state laws that allows for medical and recreational use of the drug. Yet this did not stop the Obama administration from using federal la...

President Obama is once again set to focus on the sagging U.S. economy. This is one of many times since he took office in 2009 Obama has made a so called shift to the economy and nothing has really been done to better the situation. So how can we even believe it will be any different this time? The fact is we can not trust that the folks currently in Washington DC will truly shift to fixing the problems that plague our economy. While this is not only the fault of President Obama and there is plenty of blame on all sides, but in the end in the President is where the buck stops. So much blame is laid at his feet. The issue here is Obama's economic ideas are not all that different from past Presidents even Republican, yet folks in congress act as if he is proposing some radical left wing economic plan.  Why is this? You may ask. That is not an easy answer, but one problem could be Obama's inability to clearly get his message to the m...

Say you apply for a job here in America. You go through interview and you even get the job, what would you expect to be paid an hour if you're an hourly wage earner? Would you expect at least minimum wage? If your pay was below that would you complain that the wage was too low? What if you went to complain about your low pay only to learn a little known law allows some employers to pay as little as 22 cents an hour? This is an issue facing many disabled workers around our great nation. It has recently been reported that Goodwill is allowed by federal law to pay disabled workers in some cases only 22 cents an hour. Goodwill is just one of many US charities and employers that are allowed to to this. The Special Minimum Wage Certificate allows some charities and employers to base pay on how a person's disability affects their job performance. This was exposed as being abused by Goodwill and no doubt other employers as well. All they have to do is claim the persons ...

Last week was a historic week at The Supreme Court of the United States. The justices handed down major rulings on gay rights and on The voting rights Act of 1965. signaling the start of the end of one form institutional racism and the possible re-birth of another.  Since Voting Rights Act got swept under the rug, lets take a look at it and possible issues caused by the High Court's ruling. The Voting Rights Act was first In acted in 1965 during African American fight for equal rights. This law was put in place to stop things like charging poll taxes and other voter intimidation of Black Americans. The law pertained to states that had a past history of voter discrimination.  The Voting rights Act required preclearance from the Department of Justice before changing voting rules or redrawing congressional districts. The states that were required  preclearance  were determined by a formula set forth in Section 4 of the law, the section that wa...

The Supreme Court this week struck down the Defense of Marriage Act( DOMA ), opening the door to Gay Marriage nationwide.  The 5-4 ruling was not a sweeping ruling that legalized gay marriage across the nation. The ruling simply gave access to at least 1,000 different federal benefits and the ability to file joint tax returns by gay couples who have been married in states that allow gays to marry, by striking down section 3 of DOMA. It might not have been a sweeping ruling, but it opened the door to lawsuits to fight gay marriage bans in the states at the federal level. Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority said DOMA violated gay couples right to equal protection guaranteed by the 5th Amendment.  On the same day the High Court also made a decision on California's Prop. 8, that banned gay marriage in the state. The  Court said the supporters of Prop. 8 had no standing to appeal the earlier ruling and ordered the lower court to reverse the decision th...

Let me set a scene for you, if you will:  Imagine the year is 2006 here in the United States. During the "war on terror" and someone was giving our intelligence on the terrorist we had in our sites to these same terrorists. Then imagine that this person was an American aiding the terrorist with information he stole from NSA computer systems. What would you call this person? Traitor, crook or UN-American? Of what crime would you accuse him? Treason, theft or espionage?  Now say this man was named Edward Snowden. Do the labels from the previous scene still hold? Or does your view change based on your political views of the moment. Sure Mr. Snowden exposed NSA spying on everyday Americans. This is something that has been widely known for many of the last years since 9/11. Still it is understandable that the masses where oblivious to this spying. So it is good to have this out in the open to the entire nation, not just those buried in the political s...

Ted Cruz freshman senator has made waves  on the right. He appeals to a large number of conservatives and is fully supported by the Tea Party. Recently it was revealed he may run for President of the United States. There is only one problem, he was born In Canada. This, unlike Barack Obama's birth brings up a real question of constitutionality of Cruz's potential candidacy. " No Person except a natural born Citizen , or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States." from Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution  Article II of the U.S. Constitution says one must be a "natural Born" citizen in order to run for the office of President of the United States. It has been mentioned that no court h...

Jake's Take: Food Stamp Cuts How many of you rely on SNAP benefits to feed your families? If you are one of the 40 million Americans that need this program to feed your kids and yourself you need to know your very benefits are under attack. The GOP in the US House are aiming to cut yet another $20 billion from the program. This will lead to a cut of about $90 a month for a family of 4 at last check. The SNAP program has seen relentless attacks and cuts since the TEA Party takeover in 2010 in the house. These cuts are real cuts that real Americans feel and they are unacceptable. At a time when congress is cutting funds for school lunch programs families can not provide their kids with nutritious foods for all 3 meals of the day without this program. Sure there are some freeloaders milking the system, but a majority of those on SNAP are hard working Americans who through no fault of their own do not get paid enough to cover rent, bills, kids needs and food. So what ...

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" - First Amendment On Thursday the US Supreme Court banned the American people from protesting in or on the grounds of the Court. This flies right in the face of our first Amendment rights of free speech and the right to peacefully assemble.  The regulation states: "No person shall engage in a demonstration within the Supreme Court building and grounds. The term “demonstration” includes demonstrations, picketing, speechmaking, marching, holding vigils or religious services and all other like forms of conduct that involve the communication or expression of views or grievances, engaged in by one or more persons, the conduct of which is reasonably likely to draw a crowd or onlookers. The term...

As we continue to wade through some of the most recent "scandals" the most concerning to Americans is the IRS reportedly targeting conservative groups. It has been suggested that this is a sign of a government run amuck and out of control. Sen. Ted Cruz has even called for the abolishment of the IRS. Is this most recent "scandal" really a "scandal" or simply a story thrown out of proportion? Lets take a closer look at the facts before you make a decision on this "scandal." A History lesson:  Before the 1950's 501(c)4's were required to be exclusively to better the social welfare of a community or the nation. This was to prevent these organizations from using their tax free funds to influence elections.This was changed under President Ike from exclusively to primarily to promote social welfare. Thus, allowing these groups to use their funds to make political ads and donations to candidates without having to identify who i...

Jake's Take: Conservatives the NSA and Hypocrisy "Jake's Take" is a Fresh Political View OP-ED if you want to write an OP-ED please contact us at freshpoliticalview@gmail.com. Foreword: This is in no way a defense of President Obama or an attack on President Bush. Funny thing about conservatives they seem to feel things that were okay under the Bush administration, should now be considered impeachable offenses for the current administration. The hypocrisy of the Republican Party knows no bounds. In 2001 the Patriot Act was passed under the guise of national security. Anyone who did not support this law was cast out as a communist, a terrorist, un-American and told in no uncertain terms "Love It or Leave It." Now the very conservatives who supported the patriot act and the warrant-less wiretapping etcetera  of the Bush administration are calling for the impeachment of a President who was simply following the same policy as George W. Bush for the ...

In recent weeks the Department of Justice and the Obama Administration have been met with fierce criticism from all sides in their collection of phone records from the Associated Press as well as Fox News. According to the DOJ and the Obama administration these records were subpoenaed in search of finding a government leak in two different stories one by the AP and the other by a Fox News journalist. In total, records for at least 30 different phone numbers were obtained according to reports based on court records. Both leak investigations were sparked by stories that had national security ramifications. One by Fox News journalist James Rosen over the North Korean nuclear program. The other about an active CIA intelligence operation in Yemen that led to the operation ending weeks before it was planned to end. Without getting into an in depth analysis of each story lets take a look at the criticisms and their validity, as well as how this was able to happen in the first place. M...

In a move that left many liberals in a party mood and seen by some as a potential blow to the Tea Party Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) announced yesterday that she would not seek a 5th term for her U.S. house seat amid an FBI investigation into her campaigns finances. Bachmann, said she knew she could win another term even with the investigation going on and that the FBI looking into her campaign did not affect her decision. Saying she would continue to push for her political ideals such as traditional marriage, family values and her opposition to abortion rights. Liberals who found her views to be archaic and even radical are seeing her departure from congress as a win for the rights of women and LGBT Americans. On the other hand Ms. Bachmann was a major voice with-in the Tea Party. She even started the Tea Party response to the State of the Union. But her sway with-in the Tea Party ranks began to fade with the undoing of her 2012 campaign in the republican primary rac...