A completely non-political but important message

Hi everyone,

As many of you know, my new book is for sale on Amazon.com.  In case you want to check it out, I've put a link at the bottom of this post.  But that's not what I'm writing about. That book is on its way and I'm already working on my next book.  My next project deals with violence, everything from online bullying to global conflict.  It won't be as tongue in cheek as the first book.  This is a much more serious subject.  Ii is something that has affected my life by way of people that I cared about.  I say cared about because, unfortunately, some of them are no longer with us as a result of abuse.

Each of my books is connected to a charity.  50% of my digital royalties go to that charity.  The first book is connected with Fisher House, an organization that works with the families of veterans who are undergoing extensive medical treatment.  I haven't chosen the charity for the book that I'm currently writing, but that will come later.  I'm open to any and all suggestions from my friends.

In conjunction with this new project, I have started a GoFundMe campaign with two objectives in mind.  The most obvious is to raise funds in order to aid in the research, writing, and promotion of the new book.  But the other objective is to invite input from people whose lives have been touched by violence.  I really want to raise awareness of this problem.  In my first book, I wrote that all politics is local.  It depends on how any political move affects the individual voter.  The same could be said for violence.  Even a global conflict eventually affects each and every one of us.

I am also using this platform to kick start a project that I began working on several years ago.  The Marchese Foundation for Adult Victims of Child Abuse is an idea that I began working on as a nonprofit corporation.  After spending thousands of my own dollars, the IRS and I were unable to come to an agreement on operational guidelines.  I have decided that the foundation will work best if it is not a nonprofit corporation.  Some of the proceeds from this fundraising campaign will go towards the creation of this foundation.  I am still working on the exact operational details and I will keep everyone updated on a new website, ChildAbuseNeverEnds.org.  The only detail that I know at this time is that my salary for running the foundation will be $1 per year.

I'm asking all my friends to go to the GoFundMe page and watch a 3-minute video.  After watching the video, there are several ways in which you can help this project move along.  1.  You can donate to the project.  There are gift packages at every level of donation.  2.  There is a link below the video that enables anyone who has been touched by violence to share their story.  Everything is in the strictest confidence.  If you or someone you know has been touched by violence, please share your story with me.  3.  Probably the most important thing you can do to help this project is to share the GoFundMe page with family and friends.  Getting the word out will help to bring the specter of violence out of the shadows.

I expect the completion date for this project to be March of 2017.  I am looking forward to this book, the charitable donations, and the foundation to leave a lasting impression on our world for decades to come.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.

The GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/2wzksgzg

My Amazon book page (50% of the royalties go to charity): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HVSRUP6

A Political System for the People

Here’s my idea of what would work better.  Keep in mind that this will never come to pass.  I’m just proposing a different way of doing things.  Feel free to disagree or propose your own suggestions.  So here goes nothing.

I propose that we get rid of the two party system.  That means no more donkeys, elephants, or any other animal.  Everyone should have an equal opportunity to run for political office.  Despite what you may think, this doesn’t exist in our electoral system.  The opportunity to run for any political office should be open to anyone, whether they are homeless or a live on a palatial estate.  But there is one thing that keeps this from happening and I will get to that in a moment.

My election process would be overseen by the Federal Election Commission.  Every potential candidate must pass a standardized test on their basic knowledge of how our government operates and global politics in general.  Believe it or not, many candidates don’t possess this basic knowledge.  The potential candidates would only be allowed to take the test once.  The window for taking the test would be from June 1 - November 30 of the year preceding the election.  The ten highest scoring candidates would be allowed to run for any federal political office in the upcoming election.  If candidates did not pass the test, they would not be allowed to run for any federal political office for a period of one year. The election cycle would run from January 1st of the next year until one week before Election Day.

Now let’s talk about the one thing that keeps the average American from running for political office.  That one thing is money and I have a radical proposal for correcting this situation.  Keep in mind that I’m talking about candidates running for U.S. senator, U.S. representative, or POTUS.  I propose that we get rid of Citizens United and every other method of fund raising.  Now, you’re probably asking yourself how anyone could possibly run for office without any money.  The answer is simple.  If you’re running for federal office, your campaign should be financed by the federal government.

Here’s how my proposal would work.  Upon passing the standardized candidate test, the top ten candidates would be given one million dollars which would come out of the federal treasury.  This would be the only financing allowed for a political campaign.  Any candidate who knowingly accepted campaign funds from any outside source would have to bow out of the race, return any remaining funds and would be disqualified from running for office for a period of one year.  Federal campaign money would be deposited into a campaign account in the same way that college students have scholarships deposited into student accounts.  Every expenditure would have to be approved by the FEC and would be published on the FEC website.  Proper money management would ensure that candidates would be able to finish the campaign process.  It would also show the voters how well each candidate can handle a budget.  If any candidate should drop out of the race, the remaining funds would be forfeited back to the federal government.  Any funds remaining at the end of the campaign process would also be forfeited back to the federal government.  This would level the financial playing field and allow anyone, whether they be unemployed or a billionaire, to run for political office. Media would be required to charge the same rate for every candidate and those rates would be capped by the FEC.  Without political parties, there would be no need for primaries, caucuses, or party conventions.

Now for the fun part.  Voting would be done via the Internet and would begin one week prior to Election Day.  The website would be overseen by the Federal Election Commission.  Computers would analyze the social security database in order to determine who is eligible to vote.  Voters would have twelve months prior to the election to verify social security number and address information.  If the information on file with the FEC did not match the information entered at the time of casting the actual vote, that vote would not count.  There would be no electoral college because the winner of the election would be determined by the actual number of votes cast for candidates.  It would truly be a system of one person, one vote.

Read more at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HVSRUP6#navbar

Copyright 2016 The Year of My Life: reminiscences and rants: Politics by Mark I. Jacobson. All rights reserved.

Why does the mainstream media love Donald Trump?

The mainstream media is finally coming around to the fact that Donald J Trump may not want to be president of the United States.  I write about this in my book.  Actually, I wrote this section of the book about eight or nine months ago.

I never understood why the media didn't start alluding to the fact that he wasn't really a serious candidate a long time ago.  They knew that he was a narcissist who loves being in front of a camera almost as much as he loves being in front of a mirror.  They also knew that he loves to make outlandish statements strictly for the sake of self promotion.

But the media loved the gravy train that they were riding on.  Ratings and readership were up and that's all that mattered.  Now, Trump's statements are nothing more than self destructive and the gravy train is coming to a stop.  It was inevitable that any love affair that burned so hot was destined to burn out.  Now the media has to start talking about politics and the country.