I have diplomas in computer programming and electronics, and experience in security, supervisory, and the manufacturing and trouble-shooting of laser communication components. I am currently trying to earn a living as a poet with my first book “Life is a Puzzle” recently published by PublishAmerica.com under my pen name of JosephThePoet.

Wrong Door
There’re too many symbols making it too hard to tell
Both sexes are confused there’s no doubt about it
And if you sit around here you’ll see it all day
There’re too many people going in the wrong door

But the three symbols on each are all the same size
And there are even two of the same on each of the doors
You’d think they’d at least choose to use different colours
Or even separate the first character out from the others

What’s the problem with making the primary larger
After all it’s the first thing of importance to us
If we need to know more we’ll look for the rest
But first we must know if we’re using the right door

It doesn’t take much to make it easier for us
So why just ignore the embarrassment and upset caused some
So when I sit here for awhile I’ll try to help out
And when they’re about to make a mistake I’ll yell
Wrong door!

Teaching Our Youth
Why are we not teaching electricity creation and concepts, and coding programming methods in all our Grade Schools? Please don’t reply with the usual poor excuses as the question is rhetorically asked as an introduction to this teaching concern.

What does this teaching lack bode for their future to compete in an increasingly fast paced high tech world? How about their and our short term future? Our people’s skills must be always, and quickly, updated to keep up with and to create the new technologies used and wanted by the world of us.

Their world is full of electricity, and electrically powered and programmed devices. They will more easily fit into their world if they are given an early introduction into understanding as many of their world relevant subjects as thoroughly and quickly as they can. As technology progresses the skills for the new technologies should be taught to all our children and the necessary equipment for study and experimentation should be made available to them as soon as possible, considering copyright and other protection concerns. An example is to also now include light fiber laser manipulation methodologies and the generally understood light frequency reflection and passing theories that have been used in mass communications delivery for many years now, to further relate and make relevant their education to their world of now and the future.

It would also be smart to teach money management extremely early, as this is a very important skill requirement needed for a better chance of success in their personal and business lives. An easier way for most people to learn math, or other subjects, is by applying the teaching to real life needs and interests so the learners will have an easier way of grasping the concepts through association usage. Even in school new technologies or concepts can emerge as various types of thinkers are introduced to greater amounts of the knowledge we currently have, and even the very young can have a leap in understanding that will usher in the wonders of the future.

Do we want our schooling of our children to be relevant to give them a better chance to have a decent and successful life? The more they know about their environment, and that includes the financial needs and technology in their environment, the better chance they’ll have to survive in and contribute to their society. We should prepare them so they will be able to move more freely between the many employment changes they will have to address during their lives as they strive to be more valuable employees and contribute to their society.

We need for our children to receive the best education we can think of so they can invent and produce the technologies of the future, and so they can better ensure the continued viability of our communities by their success.

Reducing Gas Costs
The best way for us to permanently reduce our gas costs is to reduce petroleum demand worldwide, and the real cost is not just the current fill-up value at the pumps but also what it costs us and the planet in getting and using this energy source.

It makes no sense to go down the additional polluting path of increasing petroleum refineries, and of pumping out and shipping around these large volumes of oil to cause further destruction to our environmental requirements for life.

The more non petroleum electricity we produce for all our power requirements the less the demand for oil sourced power will be. And ensuring local communities have their own power sources will provide a level of protection for these communities against excessive fuel cost increases and any disruption in their power sources from outside influences.

Can you imagine walking around your community without having to breathe in the foul poisonous fumes of vehicle exhausts? We could live like that if our leaders choose to promote it. This lifestyle will help reduce many health problems and help reign in health costs increases also.

We need to remember that our country and world are made up of small communities. All these communities need to be nurtured and protected because together they make up our cities, states and countries. Local community security is not just about guns or borders, as things like local employment and energy are also very important. The best protection for our local community is the protection of all the communities around us as well, and many communities everywhere in the world would benefit from having their own local power sources even if just to provide their drinking and crop irrigating water.

We need leaders who will protect us from threats and lead us intelligently through our lifetime and into the future. That is why we choose leaders, make councils and create governments.

I try to communicate intelligent thoughts for our leaders to consider, like in my open letter to politicians, at sites like:

http://www.myspace.com/josephthepoet

http://rhymster.com/members/Joseph_McNeil/

Where's the Logic?
The US economy is tanking because of things like the large number of unemployed and underemployed, the recent housing mortgage fiasco, the weakening dollar, and higher oil costs.

How do the US leaders address these many threats?

They give a little of the people’s money back to them to pretend they are doing something to stimulate the economy, bail out the first big economic powerhouse that falls, then scatter more borrowed money around while lowering the interest rate to make the dollar even less attractive on the world market.

The country has a problem? Throw more money around. The future looks so rosy now.

If we do not produce, what props up the dollar’s value?

The 0 Billion could instead put tens of thousands of people to work in manufacturing and installing non-oil power generation systems across the country. A byproduct of this kind of action will be a major reduction of US foreign oil dependency while helping the fight against global warming as well. Add a general infrastructure stimulus bill as well and the country will be far better off then it will be after giving a small amount of money to individuals.

We have the resources.

We have the technology.

We have the unemployed.

We need to reduce money and resources leaving the US and create wealth right here.

Where is the political action?

I have posted some blogs, on sites like the two below, addressing a path the politicians could take to stimulate and protect the US economy. Sadly, I doubt the politicians will change their blind course and the US will continue its race towards a major economic crash.

http://www.myspace.com/josephthepoet

http://rhymster.com/members/Joseph_McNeil/

The Iraq Tragedy
The attack into Iraq was swift and well done, but no plans were made for after sadistic Saddam was removed from power.

Without equipment, supplies and people landing to assist in helping the Iraqis immediately in starting the rebuilding of their country the Iraqis were instead left to sit around stewing in their misery which allowed the anti-America forces to gain unrestricted access throughout the country. If there had been any intelligent planning on what to do after wresting control from Saddam’s forces then the people would have acted against those who wanted to come in and cause problems in their country instead of turning a blind eye to them.

President Bush and the UN argued over who would create the Iraqi government while they totally ignored the plight of the people. That is not what liberators act like, or even what a smart conqueror would do. How could they have not realized that they must address the plight of the Iraqis if they wanted to stabilize the country? The first few days gave proof that the Iraqis first welcomed the US troops, but that advantage was lost when the US offered up nothing to improve their lives.

The same lack of insight in understanding, or maybe simply a lack of caring about, the plight of the people is causing the failure of the US today as well. How can anyone honestly think that exporting the good paying jobs of the country’s people, without replacing them with equally valuable local employment, will somehow help the country? And allowing businesses to do anything they please, like the financial institutions abusing mortgage lending practices that promote the failure of those mortgages, is further proof of incompetence in governing.

President Bush’s government is throwing money around like a madman and enacting policies that destroy the economic stability of the country’s masses, yet all his “experts” fail to see the coming fall. The US needs a government that realizes that the people, the masses not the few extremely wealthy, are the country. If the masses fail financially then the country fails too.