Thursday, September 6, 2012

Cause That Both Parties Could Support



My barber asked his friend who was attending the Republican National Convention,
“How is the platform?”

His friend’s answer was, “Well-carpeted and fully vacuumed.”

Of course, the real intention was to find out the details of the Republican Party’s platform – the fundamental set of ideas, policies and proposed programs that the party envisions to accomplish when given the opportunity to govern.

However, experience shows that party platforms are seldom read and actually disregarded.

This seems to be true in many democratic countries that follow the republican presidential system.

In the last Presidential elections in the Philippines, I endorsed Benigno Aquino III to be president. I read his party’s platform but I knew that it would be ignored so I disregarded it. This is what I wrote as his platform instead:

“On the reforms needed to satisfy the E-Generation, he has a built-in Platform of Government. It is a product of the People Power revolution, written by wise men personally chosen by CORY, and approved, ratified and therefore, co-owned by the Filipino people. It is clear, brief and concise. It is executable, enforceable, mandatory and supreme. It is backed by implementing statutes, adhering legislation, accompanying executive orders, regulations and jurisprudence. It is protected and defended by the Armed Forces and police agencies as well as adhered to by every executive, legislative and judicial officer. It is the CORY CONSTITUTION. Others are encouraged to adopt it too but at this point of our history, the best person trusted to execute, enforce, obey, protect and defend it, is Cory’s son, NOYNOY.”

Surely, it is understood that the aforementioned Platform of Government is something that cannot be ignored. The truth is every Chief Executive, once he takes his oath of office, is mandated to execute, enforce, obey, protect, and defend the Constitution together with all the laws, regulations, executive orders and jurisprudence.

This is true for the elected President of the United States as well. Of course he hopes that, working with the new Congress, laws that he wants passed and implemented would be included in this mandated platform.

Party Conventions happen. They are traditional events that expose rising political stars. They are really what we call “INFOMERCIALS.” Each party is given several hours daily for several days of free TV, radio, print, and now social media to promote its presidential candidate, select Senatorial and Congressional candidates and others.

I am withholding my assessment on how effective the INFOMERCIALS were until both conventions-are finished. I will also wait for the debates to assess the chances of the candidates in becoming President of the United States.

However, there is one cause that attracted my attention as I read about the two conventions. The most significant issue, which both parties agree on, is jobs and/or job generation.

Gary Spiro is the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronic Association (CEA) that owns and manages the annual International CES held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I have been attending CES every year and correspondingly, listening to Gary Spiro as he opens the very successful event.

Attending the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, he and the Innovation Movement are promoting a “Common Cause for Both Parties.” I support the cause and also decided to join the Innovation Movement.

Spiro says, “We have to think economically, not politically, about building a future for our country.” He is pushing for what he calls “strategic immigration”. He supports the changes proposed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) , “which would allow U.S. companies to attract and retain immigrants with degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields and create a new green card for foreign-born entrepreneurs who begin startups and create jobs.”

Spiro also likes the proposal of Rep. Darrel Issa (R-Calif) to reform the Immigration and Nationality Act “to eliminate the Diversity Immigrant Program and reallocate those visas (about 55,000 a year) to immigrants with advanced degrees.”

The legislation (S 3217) introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) would give foreign investors and certain highly educated students a streamlined path to citizenship.

In his article, Gary Spiro wrote that a study found that 84 percent of patents had a foreign-born inventor. He also cited that in the equally critical healthcare sector, 79 percent of patents for pharmaceutical drugs or drug compounds were invented or co-invented by someone foreign-born.

Outside of I’s like Inflation and Interest rates for economic concerns, and Israel protection as a foreign issue, Innovation is being proposed as a center-piece for job creation.

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