Make Your Vote Count - Preserve America's Democracy!

History was inevitable in this campaign since we were destined to end up with a black President or a female Vice President (not to mention McCain would've been the oldest President-elect). However, with the result, whether you like it or not, it's hard to not feel a shift as of last night - and it wasn't a small one.

Although many people have steadfast opinions, no one can say for sure how Obama's presidency will unfold. But regardless, and especially if it's successful, we have crossed a significant threshhold, not unlike when we landed Neil Armstrong on the moon.

What's most unique about this accomplishment was the way it happened with support from across the spectrum. It wasn't just that Obama carried the African-American vote handily, as expected, but that he also carried the white vote better than any democrat since Carter 32 years ago and the exploding Latino/Hispanic vote better than any candidate ever has.

Essentially, Obama represents a better cross-section of the U.S. population than any president in history. His father being from Kenya and mother being born here, Obama is a literal African-American. (I'm amazed no one in the media has pointed this out yet, that I've seen.) But on top of that, he was schooled in Indonesia, raised in Hawaii, educated at Harvard, and worked in the inner-city neighborhoods of Chicago. His economic status has had quite a range, and he's the first president born in the 1960s.

If there's any real hope that our new president can help reunite our polarized nation, it's perhaps because he has such an eclectic experience. How could this NOT give him a perspective that's far broader than the average politician?

Of course, it's a long way from mere perspective to substantial results. But it seems fair to say that if he can take what he did with his campaign - astounding and transforming in its own right - and expand that model to his presidency, then he has a real shot at making this socio-political shift even more historic than merely his becoming the first black President.

Election Hangover?: Effective Ways YOU Can Change "Politics as Usual" by Art Woodrow

This timely e-book will identify the reasons our government is failing and demonstrate that -- not the President or Congress -- but YOU, the voter, have the power to restore our republic. Let's reunite our polarized nation.

Here's how, with one simple vote or participation in the political process, you can:

* Reduce government's wasteful spending
* Limit special interests' influence
* Be represented in Congress
* Make bureaucrats efficient
* Eliminate earmarks/pork

CLICK HERE NOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS E-BOOK or purchase it for instant download -- only $7.95!

When the US Constitution was adopted, it was a document unlike any other in the world. It put the control of the government in the hands of the people - something no other country had attempted successfully before.

And now this living document continues to guarantee the right of citizens to vote.

In How to Make Your Vote Count, you'll learn how you can help to make the government the one that the founding fathers dreamed of. Unfortunately, today's citizens tend to feel like their vote doesn't matter. The work of lobbyists and the influence of wealth seem to have replaced the wants and needs of the regular American.

But the truth is, voters still do have power - they just need to know how to use it.

Art Woodrow will teach you how to use your vote to further the items that are most important to you. He'll show you how to vote in an intelligent way that will guarantee you have what it is you want from your government.

What kind of country do you want to live in? What kind of country do you want your children and grandchildren to live in? When you imagine a world that's worthy of your posterity, you probably don't see things as they are right now.

And while you may have feelings about what needs to be done to improve it, you may not have taken much action. But with a simple vote on Election Day, you can get closer and closer to the American you really want.

How can one vote change the course of a country? Believe it or not, there's a lot that your single vote can do. Voting can help to stop the excessive spending of the government and reduce the influence of special interest groups represented by lobbyists.

When you vote, you actually vote at many different levels - locally, statewide, and national. And each vote that you make influences who will represent you and how they'll do it. Voting can make inefficient bureaucracies work with more purpose and proficiency.

You'll determine who represents you in your local government, your state government, your national congress, and your president. And voting in an intelligent way can make sure that your vote is counted.

As you read How to Make Your Vote Count, Woodrow will teach you what you need to know to make your voice heard. By taking just a few minutes of your free time to head to the polls, you can make a lifetime of difference in the way this country is run.

If you've ever thought or said, "My vote doesn't count," you need to read this book. It will open your eyes to the power you truly have to change the country. Don't wait one more minute to change the way the government operates.

Art Woodrow is a veteran of World War II who wants to make sure that his grandchildren inherit a country that runs smoothly by the people and for the people. To that end, he is the founder of The Democracy Conservator Foundation (DCF), a not-for-profit apolitical organization that's dedicated to helping Americans preserve the Republic of the United States of America.

An optometrist by profession, Art has been involved in launching successful companies in his field of optometry as well as in real estate. He's very involved in his local community and participates in such organizations as Kiwanis, United Way, and the Colonial Williamsburg Teachers' Institute.

He lives with his wife of 51 years and is the father of two children. He has seven grandchildren who he hopes will inherit a stronger country where citizens take advantage of the right to vote. He founded DCF in 2007.

With the upcoming national conventions and elections, Art Woodrow hopes that every citizen will make his or her vote count. When you read How to Make Your Vote Count, you'll see how just taking a few moments to cast your vote during the next election can lead to major changes in the government and preservation of democracy.

Pork (earmarks) is one of the techniques used by career members of Congress to be re-elected. These politicians tack on earmarks to bills for unnecessary, wasteful expenditures to impress their constituents with the amount of federal funds they bring to their districts or states. Members of both Houses of Congress are addicted to using pork for re-election purposes.

Earmarks and pork are used as synonyms. The Office of Management and Budget defines earmarks as funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction (in bill or report language) circumvents%u2026.. Budget defines earmarks as funds provided by the Congress for projects or programs where the congressional direction (in language) Congress routinely spends millions, billions, and now trillions of dollars, on a regular basis, doing government business. In time, legislators lose their appreciation of the value of money and treat our precious dollars with little respect. Untold millions of dollars of tax payer's money has been spent on these self-serving projects. Many in Congress arrogantly believe that it is their job to get elected by using pork. There are only a few, courageous, principled Senators and Representatives, who do not use pork: Senators - Tom Coburn R, OK; Jim DeMint R, SC; Richard Burr R, NC; and John McCain R, AZ; Representatives - Jeff Flake R, AZ; and John Boehner R, OH.

Members of both political parties are equally enthusiastic about adding pork to legislation for projects in their own districts and/or states. Senator Ted Stevens, of Alaska, is famous for his attempt to "build a bridge to nowhere." The bad publicity caused him to drop that attempt. However, he did add an earmark, to an appropriation bill, to build a bridge from Anchorage to another sparsely inhabited island for more than two million dollars. Through his numerous years in office, Senator Robert Byrd has been extremely successful bringing an extensive amount of pork to his state. There are so many highways, buildings, parks, and the like named, Byrd, that some wag suggested that the state change its name to Byrdland.

It is unrealistic to believe that these ambitious, career politicians can be weaned from their pork fest. A simple solution would require that all legislation cover a single subject with no amendments or additions. This requirement would make the legislative process completely transparent and simplify Congressmen's voting decisions. Currently, bills are so complex and lengthy, covering numerous topics that legislators find some favorable and unfavorable items; making it difficult to vote, pro or con. Even the President has difficulties making veto decisions because of the many subjects involved.

A few states have successful single-subject restrictions for their legislation. It is unlikely that Congress will self-regulate itself, in this case, because of its member's enthusiasm for pork.

Politicians have successfully polarized this country for their own benefit. Americans blame the members of the opposing political party for the problems of government. It isn't the Democrats or the Republicans that are at fault; its elected members of both parties that are doing the damage. Voters overlook the fact that their own party's Congressmen are wasting their taxes on pork and keep returning them to office.

If and when citizens recognize the true cause of wasteful pork, by voting the incumbents out of office, will we have a better more efficient government.

Art Woodrow, a veteran of World War II who is dedicated to restoring our democratic process, is the founder of The Democracy Conservator Foundation. DCF is a not-for-profit, apolitical organization seeking to increase the involvement of U.S. citizens in the political process and to encourage the discussion and debate of issues our society faces today. To learn more about how to make your vote count, visit www.democracyconservator.org.

After World War II, the United States became the world policeman and benefactor. These roles have become counterproductive. Let's get real; it's time for other nations to take their proportionate share of these responsibilities.

We contribute more than any other country, $500 million dollars annually to the United Nations' operation fund. The extremely valuable land in New York City, on which the UN Headquarters building stands, was a gift. Included was tax free status. New York spends $200 million on security for the personnel of this world organization.

In spite of our generosity, we are vilified in speeches by leaders of the rogue nations of the world at the UN. The majority of the representatives of UN member nations' are anti-American.

The State Department 2009 budget was $11.456 billion dollars. A portion of this money is for the personnel and maintenance of overseas embassies. Here is a partial list of the rest of the international funds for: programs, organizations, commissions, security assistance, economic support, loans, grants, development, disaster assistance, conferences, migration, health, child support, litigation, civilian stabilization, and the World Bank. This isn't a complete list of expenditures funded by the State Department; the number of categories is overwhelming (www.whitehouse.gov/omb'budget/assets/sta.pdf). It is difficult to believe that there is adequate supervision, let alone coordination, of all of these entities. The money flowing through these programs goes directly or indirectly to a good percentage of the nations of the world; Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza, North Korea, Israel, Egypt, Taiwan, Mexico, Central, and South America to name a few. Here are the dollar amounts for the larger commitments:

$395 million Influence Foreign Opinion through Public Diplomacy
$522 million Engage and Educate through Exchange Programs
$414 million Exploit Information Technology
$1.529 billion Lead through Multilateral Diplomacy
$1.497 billion Contribute to International Peacekeeping
In spite of these huge expenditures, the United States is unloved.

The cost of the American Armed Forces that are stationed worldwide, as protection for our allies, is enormous. The Unite States commits a disproportional amount of money, equipment, and servicemen/women compared to the other members of the North American Treaty Organization (NATO.) Countries, like France and Germany for example, take advantage of our munificence by economizing on their national defense.

It's time to get real about our expenditures, which really aren't accomplishing what we idealistically expect. Actually, we're acting like an enabler to the world, much like a family member supporting substance abuser. We should gradually remove our troops stationed around the world and stop financially supporting all of these nations. Make them become economically and militarily self-sufficient. In that way, they will gain respect for themselves and appreciate us as an ally/friend. Forcefully suggest this to your members of Congress; it will dramatically reduce our oppressive national debt.

"Election Hangover" is a rare, nonpartisan book that presents an unbiased view of our government with practical suggestions for reform. This book is available on Amazon.com and www.democracyconservator.org.

The word, indivisible, is a powerful word because there is no doubt about its meaning; unlike adjectives, warm and bland, which are subject to personal interpretation. Today, it is almost hypocritical to recite the Pledge Allegiance to the Flag and say "one nation, indivisible" . . . . .

Our polarized country hardly seems like one nation. Liberal and conservative Americans are busy battling each other, incited by politicians and fanned by the media. The media thrives on this controversy to hold their audiences. Members of Congress encourage this public contentiousness because it deflects attention away from their poor performance. They also rely on party loyalty for voters to overlook their transgressions and re-elect them.

This divisiveness is the prime reason for our dysfunctional federal government. Every issue is politicized, Democrat versus Republican, left versus right, liberal versus conservative, and red states versus blue states. Consequently, there is no meaningful debate and little compromise. Proposed legislation isn't judged on merits but rather on ideology.

Each political party establishes a policy regarding a national topic and most of the office holders in Congress hue the party line. This is also true of many citizens belonging to political parties, who blindly accept these policies. There is little or no unbiased analysis of proposed problem solving legislation. It is no secret that many of the typically complicated, Congressional, thousand-page bills are unread by the voting members of Congress.

It is so frustrating to helplessly watch this great country self destruct. The lack of term limits in the Constitution has corrupted Congress. Members of Congress are primarily interested in preserving their careers. Thus, we are no longer a Representative Republic. There are two methods to correct this loophole in the Constitution. An amendment to the Constitution could set term limits, but it is a near impossible task. The other possible solution is easy and difficult at the same time. It is easy for individuals to vote against the incumbent. The difficulty is to not only persuade enough people to defeat the office holder of their political persuasion, but also to do so consistently each election to ensure that members of Congress only serve one term. The odds for this to happen are comparable to having the winning ticket in the lottery. Hopefully, a majority will remove the incumbents in the next election and be so pleased with the results that they'll continue in the following elections.

"Election Hangover" is a rare, nonpartisan book that presents an unbiased view of our government with practical suggestions for reform. This book is available on Amazon.com and www.democracyconservator.org.

Corruption is rampant in Washington, DC. The corruption starts with many career Congressional members unscrupulously representing themselves instead of their constituents, progressing to political expedient conduct, and ending with some members violating the law. Under these circumstances, the following analogy seems appropriate.

Once upon a time, in the capital of Never Never land, there were two whore houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Many of the long standing residents of these houses prostituted themselves to remain there. There were two political parties pimping to enjoy the benefits of their whores. And finally, there were the Johns, special interests and lobbyists, who paid to gain favors from the prostitutes.

This analogy may seem harsh however; consider impartially the present "State of the Union." Special interests have usurped the representation owed the citizens of this nation. Young people of today are contributing to a Social Security program that will have no money when they retire. Future generations of Americans will be saddled with a huge national debt, whose repayment will devour most of their income.

Restore your Constitutional rights by making your voice heard. You needn't hold protest rallies, the Founders empowered you with the right to vote, a peaceful and non confrontational process, to correct breaches in governance. Starting with the next election, in the privacy of a voting booth, exert your will by casting your ballot against the toxic Congressional incumbents.

Join this populace revolt by sharing this message with others so that, once again, United States is a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people.

"Election Hangover" is a rare, nonpartisan book that presents an unbiased view of our government with practical suggestions for reform. This book is available on Amazon.com and www.democracyconservator.org.

Congress and the Obama administration are treating the effect of the rising cost of health care instead of the cause. Treating the effect doesn't solve problems. For example, if there is a hole in a roof, no matter how often the water is dried and how elaborate the drying method, when it rains, water will always fall onto the floor until the hole is patched.

First, anyone, who believes another government health care program will save money, should accept offers to buy the Brooklyn Bridge and the Island of Manhattan. The basic causes of the increasing health care costs are the inability of insurance carriers to cross state lines, frivolous law suits, and health systems where costs are paid by third parties.

Limiting insurance carriers to one state reduces of the number of companies seeking this business. Competition among all of the health insurance companies would reduce the cost of their premiums.

Frivolous law suits against physicians for malpractice is another reason that health care is expensive. Doctors order unneeded tests and procedures in order to prevent or minimize any litigation. These additional unnecessary tests and procedures significantly add to the cost of health care. These frivolous cases have other consequences affecting the medical profession. Malpractice suits have made the premiums for medical insurance so high that it is reducing the number of practicing doctors. Many physicians, especially specialists, have abandoned their practices. Medicine is no longer a profession that is attractive newcomers. New doctors, in training, avoid critical specialties causing shortages in these important fields of medicine.

Health care costs continue to rise because of Medicare and Medicaid. There are tremendous annual losses through errors and fraud as a result of the lack of proper oversight. These skewed systems, where Medicare and Medicaid, third parties, pay medical bills make costs skyrocket for they remove the motivation for patients to be frugal.

National Health Care programs that are currently being proposed, in a confusing number of bills, will fail to reduce the cost of health care because they address the effects rather than the causes. Actually, this new program will increase medical costs.

There are many Americans included in the 15% of people without health insurance, who voluntarily refuse to seek this protection. The remaining lesser percentage of individuals, who truly can't afford health insurance, could get the coverage in a subsidized plan, easily paid for by the savings of changing the present health care system.

Making health insurance available from all of the insurance companies in the country, limiting or punishing frivolous malpractice suits, and eliminating third party payment of health costs could easily solve the escalating expense of health care.

For further information, read "Election Hangover" a nonpartisan, unbiased book that presents a complete overview of our government with practical suggestions for reform. This book is available on www.democracyconservator.org and Amazon.com.

RECALL

Americans are angry and upset with their dysfunctional Congress. This displeasure is expressed in the consistently low approval ratings the Legislative Branch of our government receives, the dissent at the recent health-care town-hall meetings, the numerous critical blogs spanning the internet, including the videos on YouTube, and the steady Tea Party protests around the country.

Some of the protests call for either voting against the incumbents in the next elections or amending the Constitution so that there are term limits for members of Congress. Both of these corrective methods are impractical.

It would be an insurmountable task to get a majority of Americans to vote against the incumbents in one election, let alone in several consecutive elections. Voters consistently re-elect the same politicians because of: party loyalty, habit, name recognition, family tradition, the earmarks their areas receive, and the lack of choice because of gerrymandering.

Amending the Constitution, designed when there were only 13 Colonies, is a nearly impossible task. It took 70 years of sheer persistence to get the 19th Amendment for Women's Suffrage passed. Even the onerous Federal Income Tax took four years, from the date it was introduced in 1909, to get enough states to pass this amendment.

Congressional politicians' main goal is to remain in office. They will do almost anything to preserve their careers. They spend disproportionate amounts of money for a job with an annual salary of $173,800. The average cost of re-election campaigns for House seats is $1.3 million and for the Senate is $9.4 million. Raising these large sums of money begets obligations to the donors, replacing constituents' representation. This year, during this recession, greedy Congress took a $4,600 increase in their wages while seniors were deprived of an increase in Social Security payments because the cost of living hadn't increased in the previous year.

The Achilles heel of Career Congressmen/women is their overwhelming desire to stay in office. Recall is a practical way for Americans to hold Imperial politicians accountable. A recall drive should be started as soon as it is revealed that a Congressional member has acted unethically or illegally. Too often, these misdemeanors have been forgotten by election time. The collection of petitions for recall, especially if successful, will quickly change the attitudes of all legislators. Relying on the chamber's ethics committees to punish legislators has proved to be pointless because it would almost require a murder to get them to act against a fellow member.

Recall drives should have been initiated when Senators Chris Dodd, Kent Conrad, and Representative Edolphus Towns received sweet heart mortgages from Countrywide Financial or when Representative Charles Rangel failed to report income on his rental property. By being proactive, voters can assure themselves that there will be fewer miscreants serving them in Congress.

For further information, read "Election Hangover" a nonpartisan, unbiased book that presents a complete overview of our government with practical suggestions for reform. This book is available on www.democracyconservator.org and Amazon.com.

The dictionary defines an autocrat as - anyone having unlimited
power over others. Members of Congress should be called,
"quasi autocrats" because their power is practically unlimited.

Career Congressmen/women spend all or most of their careers in office. The average length of time senators are in office is almost 13 years, while representatives average 10 years. The U.S. Senators who have served the longest at the present time are: Robert Byrd - 48 years; Daniel Inouye - 44 years. The individuals in the U.S. House of Representatives who have served the longest are: John Dingell, Jr. - 50 years; John Conyers, Jr. - 41 years; Charles Rangel - 35 years; Paul Sarbanes - 35 years; and Ralph Regula - 33 years. How often, in their long careers, have they acted to preserve their seats in government at the expense of their country?

There are generations of quasi autocrats in Congress and the office of President because of name recognition. Here are a few names connected with nepotism: Kennedy, Bush, Gore, Elizabeth Dole, and Hillary Clinton.

Career members of Congress become arrogant because of the indifference of apathetic voters. Here are some of the obvious examples of their unchallenged arrogance: generous retirement plans, passing laws that exempt them, special health care programs for themselves, and accepting raises in salary during this recession.

Legislators seemingly become more arrogant the longer that they are in office. The Congressional Seniority System supports this attitude because the length of service determines positions on the more important committees and chairmanships; including more perks, preferred offices, and larger staffs. Chairs of powerful committees are nicknamed, Cardinals because of the power they wield. Occasionally, these chairmen/women exert their power by keeping legislation and/or nominees, which they disapprove of, in their committee thereby preventing a floor vote by the membership of their legislative chamber.

Quasi autocrats blithely vote along party lines on lengthy, legislative bills without having read them. They hastily create overly complex laws to satisfy special interests without concern about the unforeseen consequences. These arrogant politicians pass unnecessarily, long, convoluted legislation of thousands of pages that are difficult to administer and provide lawyers with an abundant source of billable hours.

It is time for a nonviolent revolution of the ballot box to remove these rascals and elect patriots, who will serve their country not their career ambitions.

To learn how to change our government, read Election Hangover a nonpartisan book that presents an unbiased overview with practical suggestions for reform. This book is available on www.democracyconservator.org and Amazon.com.

Politically correct speech, like so many societal trends, has reached an extreme level.

According to Wikipedia, politically correct speech began innocuously in the 1793 Supreme Court decision of Chisholm v Georgia regarding an inaccurate statement. During World War I, Arnold Bennett, a British Ministry Officer, used the expression regarding appropriateness.

Since WW I, there has been a steady increase in this societal trend. PC Speak made hateful descriptive nicknames unacceptable. This was a beneficial change because it reduced the overt prejudice of minorities by reducing hateful name calling. Wop, kike, chink, mick, and the like became unfashionable to use and, for the most part, forgotten or unheard of by the present generation. Curiously, it is a sign of brotherhood for blacks to call each other nigger, while verboten for white people.

Another wave of PC Speak was initiated during the Women's Movement. It became unfashionable to use multi-syllable words that ended in the word, man, primarily in the titles of occupations. The reasoning was that it seemed exclusionary of women. So that postman became postal worker, Congressman became a member of Congress, doorman became door keeper, policemen are members of the police force, and so on. Further, because of the Women's Movement, gender exclusive designations were labeled inconsiderate. For example, waiters and waitresses were to be called servers, actors and actresses were actors, and a stewardess was a flight attendant. This pc vogue reached ridiculous levels when expecting substitutes for words like manhole cover, mankind, and man-hours.

PC Speak is a trivial nuisance that becomes dangerous when it influences conduct. Not being able to be candid; instead using waffling and spinning can lead to unforeseen consequences. Profiling is a byproduct of political correctness. Certainly, illegal profiling should be punished. Police work has become much more difficult because of the emphasis on profiling. Politically correct profiling becomes absurd when security can't concentrate on Muslims in trying to prevent terrorist attacks. It would be wrong to quarantine American Muslims like the Roosevelt administration imposed upon Japanese Americans during World War II. It is equally wrong not to profile Muslims, residing in this country, to prevent terrorist attacks.

The recent brutal slaughter of innocent soldiers and civilians, at Fort Hood could have been prevented if concern about being politically correct hadn't interfered with good judgment. PC allowed an enemy of this nation to serve in the military. Major Nidal Malik Hasan raised sufficient red flags throughout his army career to have been stopped before he committed this horrendous crime. During his psychiatric training, there were sufficient reasons to fail him. Yet, his teachers and colleagues were afraid to do so because of the perception of prejudice. Making the excuse that there were very few Muslims in the army, especially in psychiatry, they disregarded not only the potential danger he posed, but also, the damage he could do to vulnerable patients. His inappropriate speech about the Muslim religion at the conclusion of his psychiatric training, his repeated incompetence at Walter Reed Hospital, and his religious proselytizing were overlooked for fear of offending a Muslim. There are 13 individuals and their families that have suffered tragic losses because of the concern about political correctness. The many wounded personnel have suffered too, in this senseless attack. Hopefully, this mindless massacre will end American's idealistic, unrealistic, impractical politically correct bent. It is ludicrous to think that being careful not to offend Muslims will have any effect upon jihadists.

To learn how to effectively counter fashionable trends and, at the same time, change our government, read Election Hangover a nonpartisan book that presents an unbiased overview with practical suggestions for reform. This book is available on www.democracyconservator.org and Amazon.com.