Introduction to the Devil is in the Details

Hello friends, family and colleagues,

I have spent countless hours in the last few years investigating and fact finding to get all the details on what our government and community leaders are up to. I have uncovered details regarding the activities of the Federal Government, State Governments and in some cases my local city government. While not all of the news is bad news; I do see us reaching a critical mass or unprecedented juncture where we are forced with some nationally important decisions in the next few years.

My new blog – The Devil Is in the Details (http://knowthedetails.blogspot.com/) is designed to provide detailed information on any number of issues facing our nation. Issues such as:

·         Government Spending

·         Federal Deficits

·         Federal regulations – tax and regulatory policy

·         Constitutional issues

·         Religious Liberty

·         Personal & Economic Freedoms

·         Etc.

In each post I will be making an effort to not only engage in conversation; but to encourage people to use critical thinking in the examination of the issues; background information and in the forming of an opinion. Whenever possible; I will include links or references to the information I have researched. I will attempt to clearly emphasize which information is a formation of my opinion and when the information is simply facts or data I have accumulated to formulate my opinion.

I want the blog to also be a place where some of you who are also researching these issues, can post back additional information so that we can all make more informed decisions.

Unfortunately; most of the news we get is in the form of mere sound bites; preventing us from knowing many of the details. How can we have an intellectually sound or educated position on the issues if we do not know the details? Secondly, it has become more and more apparent that journalists in our country are more interested in sounding out their position or agenda instead of just reporting the news. This is a sad fact of journalism in our country. I have been an avid reader and watcher of the news since my childhood. I worked for the Los Angeles Times for a decade; I have witnessed the slow death of journalism.

In the spirit of full disclosure; I do feel that our nation is at a critical juncture. That the policies, issues, budgets, taxes and regulations we tackle in the next few years are more important than ever. These are important issues not merely for fiscal reasons, but for reasons of culture and the very soul of our nation.

So; yes – I am trying to change some minds in these posts. I am also however, trying to provide information to those who agree with me to empower us as citizens to talk to anyone who will listen as the November election approaches. Ultimately – I want us to dig into the details so we can better understand the issues, defend our positions with intelligent conversation, in some cases change our mind (me included) and make our nation better.

Lastly – I am not one of the true independents or anti-government dudes who want no government at all. In fact, I believe that our Federal and State governments play a crucial role in maintaining and promoting a healthy society – a United States of American that is the most attractive, freedom loving and people friendly nation in the history of the world. There is more to us that is good than bad; but we are at a critical juncture.

Stay Tuned – and I look forward to hearing from you guys.