Julian Assange: Our Necessary and Contemporary Dark Knight

When our government discourages the public from reading something, we have reason to be suspicious.

When one man's organization takes the task of whistleblower that media outlets like CNN and Fox News refuse to do, we must be worried.

When Democratic governments around the world collaborate to shun, cover-up and silence one man's work and free speech, we need not apologize for our curiosity.

When political leaders call someone a terrorist, despite that person never causing any violence or responsible for anyone's harm, we need to see through the fog.

When the media and the government demonize one man and his efforts to speak out on ANYTHING, we must ask “Why?”

Julian Assange is 2010's Dark Knight for the simple fact that he has taken on the spoiler role to the many secrets governments around the world possess. Governments like England, France, Spain, Australia, the United States and other Democratic governments are making attempts to minimize Assange's reach to the internet community and taking steps to prevent people from reading the leaked documents Assange has released. I find this disturbing considering the extent of how international governments are working together in order to silence one man and the secrets he possesses. Keep in mind Assange's documents aren't entirely military secrets. According to reports, banks and major corporations are aware that Julian Assange has thousands of documents concerning their ways of business; most likely cases of corruption, fraud and other illegal practices they are afraid of being revealed to the public and stockholders.

I worry Julian Assange's necessary 'evil' will be silenced due to international pressure and organized attempts to keep the secrets from reaching the public. Ask yourselves.. Why do the governments and businesses want to keep the secrets concealed so bad? What exactly are they afraid of?

Ron Paul recently came out in support of Julian Assange and said “When truth becomes treason, we're in trouble.”

I hope you all agree.

Timeless Democracy,

David Javier Solis

Good Point, Ron Paul.

Ron Paul, while not someone I always agree with, is someone I'm always impressed with. His ability to raise questions very few are willing to raise is a trait I believe more politicians should possess. Here are a set of questions he rhetorically asked to Congress on February 12th, 2009 that I believe we can all ask ourselves, as citizens and as students.

What if we wake up one day and realize that the terrorist threat is a predictable consequence of our meddling in the affairs of others?

What if propping up repressive regimes in the Middle East endangers both the United States and Israel?

What if occupying countries like Iraq and Afghanistan - and bombing Pakistan - is directly related to the hatred directed toward us and has nothing to do with being free and prosperous?

What if someday it dawns on us that losing over 5,000 American military personnel in the Middle East since 9/11 is not a fair trade-off for the loss of nearly 3,000 American citizens, no matter how many Iraqi, Pakistani, and Afghan people are killed or displaced?

What if we finally decide that torture, even if called "enhanced interrogation techniques," is self-destructive and produces no useful information - and that contracting it out to a third world nation is just as evil?

What if it is finally realized that war and military spending is always destructive to the economy?

What if all wartime spending is paid for through the deceitful and evil process of inflating and borrowing?

What if we finally see that wartime conditions always undermine personal liberty?

What if conservatives, who preach small government, wake up and realize that our interventionist foreign policy provides the greatest incentive to expand the government?

What if conservatives understood once again that their only logical position is to reject military intervention and managing an empire throughout the world?

What if the American people woke up and understood that the official reasons for going to war are almost always based on lies and promoted by war propaganda in order to serve special interests?

What if we as a nation came to realize that the quest for empire eventually destroys all great nations?

What if Obama has no intention of leaving Iraq?

What if a military draft is being planned for the wars that will spread if our foreign policy is not changed?

What if the American people learn the truth: that our foreign policy has nothing to do with national security and that it never changes from one administration to the next?

What if war and preparation for war is a racket serving the special interests?

What if President Obama is completely wrong about Afghanistan and it turns out worse than Iraq and Vietnam put together?

What if Christianity actually teaches peace and not preventive wars of aggression?

What if diplomacy is found to be superior to bombs and bribes in protecting America?

What happens if my concerns are completely unfounded - nothing!

What happens if my concerns are justified and ignored - nothing good!

Kiva: Where You Can REALLY Make a Difference

Most of us wonder what charity we can contribute to and which charity can contribute the most to those who need it. I asked myself this question for years and made up my mind after I spoke with my economic development professor. Organizations like the Red Cross, March of Dimes, ACS, Salvation Army, and other charitable organizations do a great job in helping out towards the causes they stand for. The problem with these types of organizations though, is we often do not see our donation make a particular difference and while we know the donations given to these charities make a major difference in the causes they work for, the lack of visible results can sometimes discourage a prospective donor from contributing. With Kiva, donors can see their contributions at work and even have their contributions returned to them after they've served their purpose and paid back.

We know families throughout the world are struggling to find adequate work and many are struggling to even feed their families. Through Kiva, we can contribute a small loan to families in need throughout the world (including the United States) and as opposed to other aid programs, these contributions often allow the borrower to become self-dependent and not rely on future donations to get by. Secondly, the contributions are paid back to us, the lenders.

Whether your passion is economic development, universal education, health care, human rights, medical causes or other social awareness causes, I truly believe organizations like Kiva provide opportunities to contribute to all these areas. Think about what you would look for in a charity and take Kiva into consideration.

Trying to make the world a better place then I found it,
- David.

Investment In The Next Generation

Improving the American Economy has been the focus of all political talk for years now, yet we've failed to understand that without first enhancing the American workforce, we can do very to little to retain our Economic advantages and edge in the global economy. I believe it's time to bring education reform to the attention of everyone from students, parents, school boards, state governments, non-profit organizations and most importantly, Congress. For too long, our American government has recklessly spent trillions of dollars that gave back to America very little in return,  and the one issue that can most significantly improve the state of our country and economy is being ignored. There should be nothing political about educating the students of our country and in education reform, partisanship and political bickering will only hurt OUR generation and the next to come. If fixing the economy is the number one issue among all Americans and American institutions, why then, do we ignore education reform? We must all realize that we cannot have one without the other.

For tomorrow's America,

- David.

The Meaning of Faith

WHAT IS FAITH? 

"complete trust or confidence in someone or something"

I often struggled with the term, 'faith'; not because I did not have trust and confidence or believe in a higher being but because I did not know how to interact with that higher being. I struggled with the idea that you can acquire strength from a belief you never could've had without it. One of the greatest assets in human nature is the idea that we are stronger than what we hold within ourselves. Here's a few quotes on what some people believed was faith and how they felt about it. Hope this clarifies the meaning of Faith for those who aren't quite so sure as I was. Enjoy

A FAITH that hasn’t been tested can’t be trusted.
- Adrian Rogers 
 
FAITH, as Paul saw it, was a living, flaming thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commandments of Christ.
- A. W. Tozer

FAITH is different from proof; the latter is human, the former is a Gift from God.
- Blaise Pascal 

A FAITH to live by, a self to live with, and a purpose to live for.
- Bob Harrington

FAITH is the art of holding on to things your reason once accepted, despite your changing moods.
- C. S. Lewis

Obedience is the fruit of FAITH.
- Christina Rossetti 

FAITH is building on what you know is here, so you can reach what you know is there.
- Cullen Hightower

FAITH is the refusal to panic.
- David Martyn Lloyd-Jones 

FAITH makes all things possible… love makes all things easy.
- Dwight L. Moody

The key to FAITH is what we are willing to sacrifice to obtain it.
- Elder Cloward 

If you desire FAITH, then you have FAITH enough.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

FAITH is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.
- Elton Trueblood

Flatter not thyself in thy FAITH in God if thou hast not charity for thy neighbour.
- Francis Quarles

There are no miracles for those that have no FAITH in them.
- French Proverb 

The beginning of anxiety is the end of FAITH, and the beginning of true FAITH is the end of anxiety.
- George E. Mueller

To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. FAITH means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.
-Gilbert K. Chesterton 

FAITH is a higher faculty than reason.
- Henry Christopher Bailey 

The smallest seed of FAITH is better than the largest fruit of happiness.
- Henry David Thoreau 

FAITHless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.
- J. R. R. Tolkien

FAITH is not believing God for the inevitable but for the impossible.
- SoulSupply

Patience in the present, FAITH in the future, and joy in the doing.
- George Perera

The greatest act of FAITH is when a man understands he is not God.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes

FAITH has to do with things that are not seen, and hope with things that are not in hand.
- Saint Thomas Acquinas 

FAITH is to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this FAITH is to see what we believe.
- St. Augustine 

Vision looks inwards and becomes duty. Vision looks outwards and becomes aspiration. Vision looks upwards and becomes FAITH.
- Stephen S. Wise 

You can judge the quality of their FAITH from the way they behave. Discipline is an index to doctrine.
- Tertullian

The errors of FAITH are better than the best thoughts of unbelief.
- Thomas Russell 

Painting is a FAITH, and it imposes the duty to disregard public opinion.
- Vincent Van Gogh

It’s not dying for FAITH that’s so hard, it’s living up to it.
- William M. Thackeray 

When you put FAITH, hope and love together, you can raise positive kids in a negative world.
- Zig Ziglar

Gotta learn to live with regrets.

"On the rise to the top, many drop, don't forget;
In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets"

Jay-Z couldn't have said it any better.

Throughout the world we live in, we see the results of someone's success. We fail to acknowledge though, that their success often coexists with that person's mistakes and regrets. When it comes to a person's ability to learn and experience new things, we fear the idea of things like rejection, failure or shortcoming. We're scared that whatever we decide to do with our lives, we'll ultimately regret what we did or didn't do. Regret can sometimes instill a sense of opportunity within us though. If it weren't for regret, how do we learn from our mistakes?

We'll all make mistakes. We'll all have regrets. Some regrets minor; some major. This much is true. My biggest point is this..

Don't go through life petrified of what you may one day regret. 

If mistakes make us better, regrets keep us humble. 

- David

P.S. I'm Backkk.

Jim Crow Laws: 2010 Latino Edition

Recently, the country has seen a number of laws introduced to state and federal government which attempt to aggressively address the controversial subject of illegal immigration. We've seen lawmakers call for enforcing existing immigration laws and pass state laws that give state officers the same federal jurisdiction federal officers possess so for example, since immigration to the United States is a federal issue, state officers have no jurisdiction in enforcing immigration law. With the recent downturn in the economy, we've seen Americans and government once again scapegoat immigrants as being the culprit for high unemployment, crime and ballooning budget deficit. History shows time after time after time again immigrants will forever be demonized in times of economic hardships and embraced in times of economic expansion. Don't believe me? Read an American history book, pal.

- Take citizenship rights away from U.S. Born children of undocumented immigrants.
- Repeal the 14th amendment.
- Deny educational rights to the children of undocumented immigrants.
- Make "immigrant status" a probable cause for profiling (aka Racial profiling)
- Deny undocumented immigrants the ability to purchase insurance.

There are certain inalienable rights in our world; some would argue though, that education, health-care and social equality are not some of them. We've seen society scapegoat the most exploited groups for centuries. The fact is that our country hasn't seen this much emphasis on a person or group of people's legal status since the days of slavery. Once slavery was abolished, the super elite convinced Americans to hate runaway slaves. Now that formal segregation has been done away with, mainstream America is now being taught to despise "illegals" who illegally left their lands in search of better life (sound familiar?)

Of course, Slavery and immigration have their distinct differences, yet the principles of leaving one place to find better life in another is fundamental. When we talk about the logistics and resources to maintain current immigration policy, opponents of comprehensive immigration reform say that we must enforce current law. Funny thing though, is when they rant and rave about how government isn't handling the immigration issue effectively, aren't the immigration laws in place now the problem to begin with? We need immigration policy that is both comprehensive and enforceable. Can we make all undocumented immigrants legal citizens? No. Can we deport all undocumented immigrants back to their countries of origin? No. Can we be realistic and find middle ground; deport all convicted violent criminals who are in the country illegally and legalize the millions of families who peacefully live under the shadows American society; that sounds far more realistic.

Some spew hatred and mask it with their concern for their country... but as we all know..

When all else fails, "Patriotism is a bigot's last resort"

Whose country are you protecting, I ask. Yours or ours?

Stop the Hate,
David J. Solis

P.S. I expect this post to get a lot of heated feedback. I encourage it. Thanks.

Slow Jam Throwbacks for us 80's Babies!

Good ol' times! Enjoy the jams!

There Is No Such Thing As 'The Real World'

"I just found out there's no such thing as the real world, just a lie you've got to rise above."

I graduate in May. This is it; the time in my life I worked so hard to get to and to my advantage (or possible disadvantage), there's plenty left to do in my last 2 semesters in college. After I do all that needs to be done, some have told me that I need to prepare myself for the 'real world' and everything that comes along with it. I've never sat down with anyone and had an entire conversation on why the term 'real world' holds no value for me. Here goes.

I came into college in the summer of 2007 and since then, my biggest focus was enhancing my resume and gaining every experience possible. I've got a few things under my belt now that 3 full years in college have passed. Everything I've learned are important beliefs, changes, habits, knowledge and experiences that all make me who I am. When I finally graduate and find my first post-graduate job, that won't be the first milestone of mine into what people keep telling me would be the 'real world'. As far as I'm concerned, the life I've lived up to this point isn't fake. It hasn't been artificially made by anyone other than myself. Granted, I don't have a family of children and wife of my own, I don't have a mortgage to pay. I don't even have a car of my own. With all this said, am I defined by my possessions and liabilities? I've lived a life up to this point that's taught me things in classes that I'll bring out with me throughout my life but even more significantly, I've learned things in life that classes could never teach me. I recognize what goes on; I've seen debt, poverty, struggles, violence, discrimination, prejudice.. I know what's real and I know what's false.

The life I've lived, the places I've been, the people I've met, the things I've seen and the knowledge I know are all real. There is nothing false about what I've experienced. There are always mistakes, misconceptions and accidents that happen but if someone takes these lessons and personally learns from them, well then they are made useful and therefore true.

Some say I haven't entered the real world until I have my own house to pay for, my own bills to pay, my own children to raise and my own marriage to maintain. Really? Those will determine the beginning of my real life and my entry into 'the real world'?

To wrap up how I really feel about that one phrase, I say this...

Your world is what you make it.

My world is more than all of that. Shouldn't yours be too?

 Living life,
- David Javier Solis

Henrok: Unrivaled Talent in Hip Hop Production

"Hip Hop is a Vehicle" - Talib Kwali

When it comes to talent, we're told to give credit where credit is due. This is the credit that's due. Henrique Marques III aka Henrok is someone I've grown up with since 4th grade of elementary school. I can honestly say that music has always been his life, his ambition, his drive. Nas, KRS-One, Dr. Dre, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Wu-Tang Clan, The Lox, Jay-Z, N.W.A., The Firm, Eminem and Big Pun were all on blast when it came to Henrok's music selection. From memorizing the lyrics to knowing the track lists of hip-hop albums, Henrok is everything a true Hip-Hop artist is supposed to be. 

Since middle school, Henrok has made productions and tracks that would surprise and impress the most experienced Hip Hop artists and producers. Randomly, I've described to him what I want a beat to sound like and almost instinctively, there it was...

And I don't even rap.

Henrok is someone you'd go to for a hip-hop question, a suggestion for lyrics, a tip in productions or just to talk about music with. Encompassing the old school melodies with 90's hip hop beats into contemporary beats with an old school sound to it puts true hip hop fans into a nostalgic state of mind. Not to mention he ain't too shabby on the mic. Take a listen for yourself:

When looking for a instrumental production, I'd recommend no one else. When asking for someone to collabo with, I'd suggest no one else. When you say underrated and productions in the same sentence, Think Henrok. Anyone he's worked with can attest to his ambition and skill. Take a listen to the radio then listen to Henrok's productions; it's like Sterling Silver to 24K. 

When it comes to talent on the productions, with the lyricism and just an overall knowledge in TRUE Hip Hop; I've heard no better. Henrok; this one's for you, fam. Get 'em.

Giving Credit Where It's Truly Due,

- David Javier Solis

No Idea's Original

Here's a quote that wrapped up what I think is one of the most encompassing saying's I've ever read. Lemme know what you think.

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery—celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.”

"I Think They Call This 'Venting'"

In the past few weeks, I've been asked what I'm going to do next in my career. I was asked when I'm gonna have my first child. I've been asked when I'm going to get married to my girlfriend of almost 6 years. I've been asked if I'm going to open a business and if I am, when? I've been asked who my true friends are. I've been asked if I regret going to college and not the military as I had intended in high school. I've come to a realization that for the first time in a long time, I've got more questions than answers and I haven't had the time to step back and compose myself on what to do NEXT. I never anticipated how much I need to figure out in such a short period of time. Just when I think I've got space and time to myself; I end up feeling like I got all the eyes of the world on me with everyone asking themselves what my next move in life is going to be.

All this on top of making good on the promises I've made in my life. Getting to UConn, I made a promise to my family and myself that I'd do what it takes to progress out of everything we've seen and been through. I promised my girlfriend I'd give her the time, effort and patience the relationship deserves after so much time and energy spent on it. I promised my closest friends that college wouldn't change me, DC wouldn't change me, money wouldn't change me but after all that I've seen, learned and experienced after high school, would they blame me if I did? I'm confused on how to keep certain things about me intact while transforming parts of my whole mentality and personality. I promised my family the world and now I'm stuck wondering.. How do I give it to them?

I've come to realize that I've had wrong impressions of people; unfortunately, that's a good and bad thing..  I thought I knew people and I always considered myself a person with good judgmental ability of others. I've realized that there's really no such thing. People have surprised me in the past few months in ways I didn't imagine them doing. Some shocked me with their good sense of character and ability where I had to admit to myself that they were better people than I assumed. Others though, just couldn't have shocked me more with their inability to think, judge or even speak. Some of my closest friends unfortunately have showed me their true colors and while I won't just up and stop talking to them; it's a shame how you think you know one particular person so well. Maybe it's the distance, maybe it's the time of the year, maybe they're changing. Hell, maybe I'm changing...


I know I ain't the only person in the world who's sitting at the computer thinking to themselves, "Damn, life's passing me by".

Venting,
David

Back From My 2 Month Bloggin' Hiatus!

These past two months have been my catch-up months in my life from being away at school for so long; now that I'm home and got myself on solid ground with everything, I finally got time to do writing that I actually enjoy. I feel like I gotta change a few things with the blog and format it in a way that helps me write more frequent than before and make feedback a lot more easy for the viewers (you). Promise I'll keep posting on the topics, issues and subjects yall' wanna talk about.

- D.

By The Way; how many of you can relate to the random picture? Haha!

What We Need In Immigration Reform

When immigration reform happens (hopefully sooner than later), there are a set of things I feel we're going to need to make sure the reform sets policies in place that make immigration to the United States under control and sustainable while also respecting the immigrants and their families this reform stands to affect most. Unless you hate the fact that there are immigrants in this country that don't look like they came from Europe, I think we can all agree that we need to fix this broken immigration system and create one which reflects the 21st century society we live in today.

1. Accept reality

We can't deport all the undocumented residents in the United States. It's unfeasible, unrealistic, impossible and unintelligent. Displacing over 12 million people from one country will devastate local economies and communities; not to mention the actual families themselves. Last time that many people were kicked out from their homes and communities was during during the holocaust and uhh.. That didn't go too well. Even the most ardent anti-immigrant opponent must realize mass deportation is not an option. As soon as we have consensus about this in both society and Congress, we're already making headway and progress.

2. Secure the Borders

Like the way I put borderS and not just border? We've got the technology to detect movements over all sorts of terrain; let's put some of that to use in order to alleviate some of the pressures border patrol officers are facing. We've got a great amount of undocumented residents in the United States and in order to first implement something like a guest worker program or amnesty, we need to be able to adequately monitor who comes in and out of the country. I wonder if anybody's mad I think we should secure the border with Canada..

3. Create Guest worker/Path to citizenship program

The millions of undocumented workers in the United States are not here to spite the government; the majority of them are here to give their families and children a better life than the ones they would have in their country of origin. They did in fact violate American immigration laws and as a result, should be accountable for things like back taxes, citizenship process fees and a number of other expenses as a way to make things fair for all residents of the United States; legal and illegal. Undocumented immigrants with a violent criminal record who are hiding in the country should be deported immediately. After this is done, the program should allocate resources for these first generation immigrants to learn English and not naively think they can fluently learn to speak, read and write English by themselves within a short period of time.

There are always complications with programs like these and like we've seen in 1986; nothing in government bureaucracy works as it was designed to entirely do. That does not change the importance of what immigration reform has on so many communities found in the country. With no reform, families stand to be torn apart and social inequalities between immigrants and non-immigrants will continue to be the status quo. There are some in our nation that don't want to see immigration reform because it would threaten the status quo that works just fine for them. Some can't stand the idea of bilingual citizens with an embrace for their non-American culture. The idea of empowering disadvantaged minorities; especially undocumented ones, threatens their sense of security and power they find in their own societies. As a democratic nation of immigrants, it is vital we give this issue the attention and caution it deserves. Without immigration reform, we will be condoning the inequalities that exist in immigrant communities, hurt the American economy and not live up to the standards of the world's greatest nation of Immigrants.


You promised, Obama.

- David Solis

3 Reasons I'm reluctant about the Tea Party

Enter 2008... People are pissed off about George Bush, the economy, the wars and everything else. Out of this frustration, a political climate is set for atypical politicians that don't come off as average lawmakers and voila, Barack Obama is elected president based off his popularity and themes of change and hope. He supported large hundreds of billions of dollar in initiatives such as the bailout and the stimulus package. Upon his election, his first major domestic agenda he decided to work on was health care. Not too long after, a little something called the Tea Party Movement emerged due to the growing unpopularity and outrage against these matters Obama had passed and attempting to pass in health care reform; something that may or may not happen this weekend. While I share a few of the organization's political and fiscal statements, here's why I'm very reluctant to engage myself with the organization and its cause...

1. No room for moderates

It's no secret that Tea Party organization members despise anything that isn't completely conservative. There goes my support from the organization based on my views on immigration, education and climate change. Despite my pro-life stance, fiscal conservative views and small-government-works-best-mentality, I'm not sure they'd reconcile with me on my ideas of universal access to education and comprehensible amnesty or my belief that the Earth is warming from human carbon emissions.

2. Audience connection

I was in Washington D.C. for the September 12th Tea Party protests at the Capitol. No; really, I was there in the crowd with some of the interns I was staying in DC with. What a sight. I liked all the "don't tread on me" flags; I can connect to that message about telling the government to back off. I'll tell you this though, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was a dark-skinned young moderate Hispanic man in an audience full of white middle-aged conservative men with their wives and infant children. There was little to no diversity found in this audience. The Tea Party movement makes frequent statements on why their views are best for the people of the country, yet the organization is hardly a snapshot of the very American people they claim to represent. I'd need to see more diversity within the organization before I can feel they are an embodiment of what is truly best for the country.

3. "Birthers"

I'm not a fan of Barack Obama and this administration, but for some people to question Barack Obama's religion, place of birth or national allegiance is pretty low; even to me. First, that's his business and if his policies are horrible, they're simply bad ideological stances; nothing more. I sense a hint of xenophobia in the Tea Party Movement as I'm sure many of us do as well. To question these things show a sense of insecurity in trusting someone based on what social groups they belong to. I'm  huge on Martin Luther King Jr's dream where he believed a man should be judged by his character; not his color. I don't have to disguise my dislike of the current administration behind claims of the president's background; I judge and criticize him by his character and his methodologies as President.

Again, I believe that small government works best. I believe government has become too big. I believe government should take far more responsibility in how it spends tax dollars. I believe that much of Obama's agenda are rooted in socialism. I also believe lobbying in government has led to forms of corporatism in our government system and economy. Do I believe the Tea Party Movement represents the American nation and its best interests? Ehh.. I'm not yet convinced.

Keeping it 100,
David Javier Solis

Why We Need College Direct Lending

News just recently came out that the Democrats are looking to cram college loan reform in with health care reform through reconciliation. I'm not sure what they intend to put in their package but here's why I think Direct Lending should be included, if anything.

1. Gets rid of the middle man

There's nothing that the banks do with student loans that the department of education can't. If we're going to have these bureaucracies and major departments, it's essential that they work for the people and people only. Banks charge "low" interest rates that the government subsidizes and with these interest payments out of the way, that's extra billions of dollars down the road to either help reduce the deficit or fund other essential programs.

2. Loan repayments are based on proportion

After we graduate college, we're required to make payments 6 months upon our graduation. The problem with this is that often, many college graduates have not yet established steady full time jobs. This was especially seen in the past few years due to the recession. As opposed to paying fixed rates, direct lending allows for proportionate rates of repayment that make it more flexible for recent graduates and helps reduce the financial burden college can have on students.

3. Fiscally responsible

If we can save money in the tens of billions that would've otherwise gone to banks, why not?


4. Increase in Pell grants

Education, like many other essential parts of our life, is not free. In fact, its very expensive and with the increase in its costs, it's only reasonable to believe that we need a system that works better for its students. Increasing pell grants is necessary, given the extent of the financial situation taking place. Pell grants have helped students across the country afford a college education and with an increase in the amounts of pell grants and its value, more wouldn't hurt!

6 economy stimulators

Enough playing politics; the stimulus didn't work to the extent it was designed to work, I think we can all agree on that, can't we? I'm thinking of a few things that might actually help put the economy back on track that involves changing a few things around in a number of places in our society. Let me know what you think.


1. Financial incentives and subsidies to bring outsourced jobs back home



Business is business and while most American corporations would love to stay in the U.S and hire American workers, it has become increasingly difficult to do so and enjoy their large profits, in result of international trade treaties and globalization. In the eyes of many, business in the U.S. has become increasingly unfriendly with more and more tax increases being foreseen for both major corporations and small businesses. Let's reverse that trend and give things like tax breaks, worker tax credits and government subsidies for certain industries that wouldn't otherwise expand their workforce in the United States.


2. Reform Criminal Justice policy



A major chunk of the billions of dollars we spend incarcerating non-violent prisoners is due to drug crimes. With drug addiction playing a major part of this staggering statistic, we need to realize many of these drug offenders are absolutely able to become rehabilitated and with sufficient resources, rampant drug use and drug crimes can become dramatically decreased. That is of course, with sufficient resources.

3. Legalize Marijuana



With reasonable regulation and laws, marijuana has the potential to become a multibillion dollar industry. You put a lot of revenue out of the hands of the major gangs and cartels and what you get in return is substantial business revenue.

4. Reward Education



Higher Education is no longer something that's just desirable; it's becoming more and more necessary in a competitive world market that demands more knowledge. If unemployment is rampant, part of that problem, although not all of it, may have to do with the levels of education employers are seeking or desire. Many of the jobs leaving the states are ones requiring college educated-workers who are willing to work cheaper than American college educated workers. Why not have deductions, credits and financial aid for parents who can't afford to put their child in daycare, homeowners who can't afford to go to school and pay mortgage, business owners who find it difficult to leave their business temporarily for school and other extenuating circumstances.


5. Health care reform



I'm no expert on health care but if you do the math, lower costs = lower premiums and lower costs would lower government payouts to physicians. That would result in a lower deficit. Get SOMETHING done, Congress.

6. Expand services of the Small Business Association



Government should be very business friendly and provide an increased amount of useful resources for future and current small business owners. This could mean anything from counseling, consulting, expertise and other services that every business owner in the country can enjoy; free of charge.

WARNING: HIGH POSSIBILITY OF NOSTALGIA IN THIS POST!! ENJOY!

Every time I go home and see my nieces and nephew watching nickelodeon, I realize.. today's Nick shows really are horrible.. So.. Let's go down memory lane, shall we?

(I don't pretend to own ANY of these videos.. Don't sue me, Viacom. Thanks)

Blog Improvements??

I'm slightly getting bored with the format of my blog; I need to change things up on it. So lemme see:

- I'll put more pictures up
- I'll include my twitter mini-feed on it
- I'll network with more bloggers; including some of you guys reading this
- I'll change the background and layout
- I'll add comment boxes directly under the articles so you don't gotta open any screens
- Add a general feedback comment box
- Record and Leave videos
- Include and discuss more topics outside of politics like I originally said I would
- Start a weekly internet radio discussion on air (Ustream, Maybe?)
- Interview people on random things


What are some other things as an audience might keep you coming back to Davidjaviersolis.blogspot.com ??

Thoughts please, people!

Always adapting,
David Javier Solis

Questions for the World to ponder

In class, history is a topic of which I enjoy learning more and more about. Those of you who know me; Politics is my passion. Politics is local; and while many of us reading this dislike political discussions and conversations, these conversations matter. Here's a few questions that I have asked myself recently that maybe some of you might want to put :

1. Does the U.N. work for what it's designed to do?
2. Does going into politics require you to get your hands dirty?
3. Is it time for a third major political party in the U.S.?
4. Where does our education stand in comparison to the rest of the developed world?
5. Is political correctness what some call 'intellectual tyranny'?
6. Will my generation see a third world war?
7. What will be the U.S. stance be on the war on drugs in the next few decades?
8. What's the difference between federal rights and constitutional rights?
9. Over the next 50 years, will Puerto Rico still be a commonwealth?
10. Will we ever switch over to a popular vote system as opposed to an electoral college system?
11. Will we see Congressional reapportionment (e.g. more Representatives added to congress)
12. Will the American right to bear arms be gradually taken away over the next few decades?
13. Will the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. one day see amnesty or mass deported?
14. Is education, tax, health and governing reform going to take place during this decade?
15. Has post-racist America become a 'classist' America? (i.e. has class bias replaced race bias?)

Bored in class,
David Javier Solis

People Over Politics, Mark Boughton? (Part 1)

I've lived in Danbury, CT for a good 20 years... I've seen the places, I've met the people, I've visited the landmarks, I've talked to the local leaders; including Mark Boughton a number of times. I've never left with a good impression of him or anything he's had to say. He's made the claim that he puts "people over politics". My friends, he's lying. He'll tell you to look at his record and ask the people themselves who live in Danbury and they'll tell you how great of a mayor he's been. He, Mr. Boughton, likes to say and/or believe that he is responsible for the success of Danbury as a city. He couldn't be more wrong. My greatest fear is that the true Mark Boughton will be so hidden behind the political smokescreen, people will genuinely believe his claims and not hear the truth of what type of mayor he has been for our city. Some of us here in Connecticut are upset with the conditions of our state as we should all be. I'll tell you one thing though.. You think things are bad now? I'm not sure Boughton's the shot in the arm our state needs now or in the coming years. More to come in the following days.

Principles before Party,
- David Javier Solis

Our Education Has Failed Us.

"Do good in school"
"Get good grades"
"Listen to your teachers"
"Read your books"

We have all been failed by our educational system. We have all been taught poison; intellectual poison that kills off innovation, poison that does away with originality and confuses conformity with ingenuity. As children, we possessed the skill of challenging all that was said to be true with questions and more often than not, rebellion. To challenge what you were taught was not tolerated and to ensure you never challenge authority or ideology again, you were punished.. Punished for thinking on your own and punished for having the audacity to criticize what you were being taught.

Our education has crippled our youth and maimed the legs of which our generation is to stand. We are taught to do well on standardized tests by regurgitating what we've memorized instead of expanding on material we've genuinely analyzed. We've been taught to believe that in order to succeed, we must often adhere to failed policies. The nature of our society is being hijacked by ideological tyrants who can't stand the idea of different world views and perspectives. Liberalism and Conservatism have condemned outside thinkers. Under the guise of "open-mindedness", the brains of these very liberals fall out their heads. On the other side of the same token, traditional conservatives cling to their obsolete and outdated ideas. These two, when placed within the education system, force us; students present and students past, to pick our poison.

In our education system, we are too concerned with our intellectual, social and political games of tug of war, we forget the very reasons for education's existence.

Our professors have meant well. Our teachers have taught. Our instructors have instructed. Yet somewhere between the formulation of educational curriculum and its very implementation, our nation has lost sight of what really matters: innovation. We've forgotten the fundamentals of an everchanging nation amongst a world of everchanging circumstances. We have fallen from our pedestal and in our attempts to climb our way back, we have confused ourselves into believing intellectual conformity with being synonymous to educational ingenuity.

Our educational system has failed us. It's become reliant on statistical rates and percentages. It's commercialized all that is involved and learned in education and hampered our minds with mere promises of 'financial success' and yet the most academically "educated" men and women in the country are often the very same perpetrators of ill-conceived and counter-effective financial, social and political disasters!

The "educated" in Wall Street have shamelessly run our economy to shambles.

The "educated" in our medical companies do away with medical innovation in exchange for profitability.

The "educated" in Capitol Hill have had their loyalties purchased away in the interests of being reelected.

The "educated" in healthcare companies insure that they make the most profit providing the least amount of healthcare.

When we say "We're all dealt a different set of cards", we forget to ask.. "Who's the dealer?"

Mere ideas give birth to change. Change is not something found on slogans. Change is not found in our pockets.

To change, we must adapt. To Adapt is to Sustain.

- David Javier Solis

"An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life."

Trying to figure out twitter: HELP!

A few months back, I got on the twitter bandwagon and decided I'd see what the big fuss is about. At this point, I'm not overly impressed with it; not because I don't think it has its potential.. I just don't know how to use it for what it's worth. Apparently it helps with networking but being on Facebook for so long, I'm not really sure Twitter can do anything that Facebook can't. Twitter's apparently something that you update regularly to let the world know what you're doing and 'tweets' are frequently updated so that depending on what words you use in your tweet, people can find what you're saying about a particular thing. I don't really understand what Retweet is all about but from what I've heard, apparently it's "rude" to make someone else's tweet your own and to give them credit for it; you "retweet"... I want to network. I want to interact with people all around the world and talk about issues I'm interested in and while I know Twitter can help me with all that, it's not very beginner-friendly; at least not to me. Someone out there... Explain to me please how to make Twitter work for me.. Work with me; I'm a noob, sorry.

- David Javier Solis

P.S. "Follow me" at DavidJSolis