Gerrymandering is one way that career politicians make sure that they stay in office. It harms democracy, and eliminates accountability. For example, a super-majority of seats in the House of Representatives are in districts that are not competitive. Take a look at the two links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering
http://listicles.thelmagazine.com/2009/01/20-ridiculously-gerrymandered-congressional-districts/
I support the "Workable Compactness Standard" for drawing district boundaries that is discussed here:
http://www.heartland.org/policybot/results/83/Partisan_Gerrymandering_Harms_and_a_New_Solution.html
We are facing huge long-term problems: a real unemployment rate of 18%, dysfunctional banks that are "too big to fail", a regressive tax structure that's stifling economic growth, prisons that are bursting at the seams, urban schools that are struggling, a health care system that still needs major reform, the lack of a coherent national energy policy that will protect our economy and the environment, and a government that has been encroaching on our civil liberties. For decades we have lived with irresponsible public policies from career politicians in Congress who care more about increasing their party’s power and getting re-elected than they care about solving long-term problems. They haven’t been honest with us, and they have been lousy public servants.
I’m different. I do not want to be a career politician. I am not a Democrat or a Republican. I’m a Problem Solver. I want to force members of Congress to be responsible, and implement sustainable solutions to real problems. Please read the positions I present on this website, and spread the word to friends and family.
Please email me at John@Mertens2010.com, and become a supporter on Twitter at @mertens4senate or Facebook: John's FB
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Complications of Corn-Based Ethanol
Here are two stories that illustrate complications of using corn-based ethanol:
http://www.courant.com/news/nation-world/sns-ap-as-australia-world-food-crisis,0,7053026.story/
http://www.courant.com/features/green-living/sns-green-corn-supplyjun20,0,6183882.story/
Dr. John Mertens Proposes Major Change to $80 Billion Ethanol Law
U.S. Senate Candidate Dr. John Mertens has proposed major changes to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The proposal includes a freeze of the federal mandate of corn-based ethanol production, a gradual elimination of the federal corn-ethanol subsidy over a five year period, and an elimination of the ethanol import tariff. The proposal will reduce federal deficits by almost $70 billion, significantly reduce demands on the water resources of the United States, prevent increases in food prices, and prevent a significant increase in environmental degradation of American farmlands and waterways. It will also maintain incentives to develop cellulosic-based ethanol production.
Details:
1. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 essentially mandates that corn-based ethanol production in the U.S. be increased to 15 billion gallons per year by 2022 (up from 9 billion gallons in 2009). This proposal freezes the federal mandate at 10 billion gallons per year.
2. The federal government currently provides 45 cents per gallon tax subsidy for ethanol. This proposal reduces the subsidy for corn-based ethanol to 35 cents per gallon at the end of 2010, 25 cents per gallon at the end of 2011, 15 cents per gallon at the end of 2012, and eliminates the subsidy at the end of 2013. The reduction in tax subsidy does not apply to non-cornstarch derived fuels (i.e. cellulosic ethanol). This will reduce federal deficits by almost $70 billion over the next 13 years.
3. The federal government currently maintains a 54 cent per gallon import tariff on ethanol. You can read here why eliminating this tariff would be good for American consumers, the environment, and our energy security:
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/18/18greenwire-bipartisan-senate-bill-seeks-lower-import-tari-10211.html/
4. A recent article by Robert F. Service in the October 23, 2009 issue of Science magazine entitled “Another Drawback for Biofuels: Irrigation” shows that ethanol from corn uses 1,000 to 10,000 times as much water per unit of energy than more traditional energy sources. It also illustrates that the land usage required to produce billions of gallons of ethanol is causing significant environmental damage to waterways, the Gulf coast, and farmlands. In addition, using food to make fuel drives up the price of food for consumers. (These points are also detailed in the book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan.)
It’s time to slow down the use of taxpayers’ dollars to fund an environmentally and fiscally unwise policy.
Details:
1. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 essentially mandates that corn-based ethanol production in the U.S. be increased to 15 billion gallons per year by 2022 (up from 9 billion gallons in 2009). This proposal freezes the federal mandate at 10 billion gallons per year.
2. The federal government currently provides 45 cents per gallon tax subsidy for ethanol. This proposal reduces the subsidy for corn-based ethanol to 35 cents per gallon at the end of 2010, 25 cents per gallon at the end of 2011, 15 cents per gallon at the end of 2012, and eliminates the subsidy at the end of 2013. The reduction in tax subsidy does not apply to non-cornstarch derived fuels (i.e. cellulosic ethanol). This will reduce federal deficits by almost $70 billion over the next 13 years.
3. The federal government currently maintains a 54 cent per gallon import tariff on ethanol. You can read here why eliminating this tariff would be good for American consumers, the environment, and our energy security:
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/18/18greenwire-bipartisan-senate-bill-seeks-lower-import-tari-10211.html/
4. A recent article by Robert F. Service in the October 23, 2009 issue of Science magazine entitled “Another Drawback for Biofuels: Irrigation” shows that ethanol from corn uses 1,000 to 10,000 times as much water per unit of energy than more traditional energy sources. It also illustrates that the land usage required to produce billions of gallons of ethanol is causing significant environmental damage to waterways, the Gulf coast, and farmlands. In addition, using food to make fuel drives up the price of food for consumers. (These points are also detailed in the book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan.)
It’s time to slow down the use of taxpayers’ dollars to fund an environmentally and fiscally unwise policy.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
What everyone should hear about Afghanistan: Rory Stewart on the News Hour
I urge everyone to watch the discussion of Afghanistan that was on the News Hour (PBS) two days ago (October 23, 2009). If you go to the link below, start watching at a time of 29:40. It's about an 8 minute segment.
http://video.pbs.org/video/1305916333/
http://video.pbs.org/video/1305916333/
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
CNN article about John Mertens and the CFL
politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/17/connecticut-for-lieberman-not-so-fast
Here is the same response that I posted to other similar articles (Hartford Courant, Hartford Advocate, New Haven Advocate, Fairfield Weekly).
It would be nice if one reporter would go to the Connecticut Secretary of the State office and look at the CFL file. They would discover that many of the claims by other people in these articles are false.
First, some factual information:
I began working closely with John Orman and the CFL in the summer of 2007. I contacted him in July 2007 because the Secretary of the State (SOS) refused to issue a petition to collect signatures to allow the Independent Party ballot access in 2006. (While, of course, they issued Joe Lieberman a petition. We later defeated the SOS on this issue in 2008.) I explained to John that I had been the Independent Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006, and that we had been refused ballot access, and that he should take control of the CFL more seriously. “John, the CFL has real value. It has a ballot line for U.S. Senate. You need to file real party rules.” The party rules that John had filed with the SOS had no procedures for electing officers or nominating candidates. John supported the use of the CFL to run for office and fight for good government, and John said “I want you to become chair.” I reluctantly agreed, worrying about how much work it would be. I wrote real party rules, created the CFL website, and held a statewide party caucus in March 2008. (An invitation was mailed to every registered member of the party, and more than 50% attended. Note: the members voted to endorse Barack Obama for President, NOT Sen. Dodd, as claimed by Sue Henshaw in a recent Hartford Courant article.) At that meeting I gave a short speech, in which I spoke about “turning this party into something real.” I was humbly surprised by the spontaneous applause that it elicited. (Sue Henshaw and Ed Anderson were present, and heard this speech.) I was elected unanimously as chair, and we ran five people for state rep. in 2008. We had another statewide caucus in early 2009. John Orman again voted to elect me chair. (Ed and Sue were no longer members of the party.)
A few months before John Orman passed away, he called me and said that he wanted to run for U.S. Senate against Chris Dodd in 2010, and/or Joe Lieberman in 2012. I explained that I had been working to get third parties to work together in 2010, and that I was going to seek the CFL nomination for U.S. Senate in 2010. He said “OK, you run against Chris Dodd in 2010, and I’ll run against Lieberman in 2012.” My friend John Orman knew exactly what was going on, and supported it. I wish he was here today to participate in what we are doing. He is sorely missed, and was one of the real good guys.
My motivation is not selfish. I have been an educator for a long time, teaching engineering, public policy, and environmental science, and volunteering in Hartford and West Hartford schools for 18 years. I want to educate voters, especially young voters, to not be “Good Democrats” or “Good Republicans”, and instead insist on Good Government. It’s time for us to stop supporting any career politician just because they wear the label “Democrat” or “Republican”. I will tell the unadulterated truth about the huge, long term problems that we face, the real issues that career politicians refuse to address because they care more about getting re-elected in two, or four, or six years, than they care about doing what’s right for us, the people.
I am running a serious campaign to bring real problem-solving to government. I urge all of you read the 30 detailed position statements and solutions to long term problems that I present on this website. Until you do so, I would argue that you should not criticize me or suggest that I should not exercise my democratic right to run for office. I would wager a great deal of money that you will agree with my positions more than those of any other candidate in the race. And I ask that you elect me to U.S. Senate in 2010.
Sincerely,
John Mertens
Here is the same response that I posted to other similar articles (Hartford Courant, Hartford Advocate, New Haven Advocate, Fairfield Weekly).
It would be nice if one reporter would go to the Connecticut Secretary of the State office and look at the CFL file. They would discover that many of the claims by other people in these articles are false.
First, some factual information:
I began working closely with John Orman and the CFL in the summer of 2007. I contacted him in July 2007 because the Secretary of the State (SOS) refused to issue a petition to collect signatures to allow the Independent Party ballot access in 2006. (While, of course, they issued Joe Lieberman a petition. We later defeated the SOS on this issue in 2008.) I explained to John that I had been the Independent Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006, and that we had been refused ballot access, and that he should take control of the CFL more seriously. “John, the CFL has real value. It has a ballot line for U.S. Senate. You need to file real party rules.” The party rules that John had filed with the SOS had no procedures for electing officers or nominating candidates. John supported the use of the CFL to run for office and fight for good government, and John said “I want you to become chair.” I reluctantly agreed, worrying about how much work it would be. I wrote real party rules, created the CFL website, and held a statewide party caucus in March 2008. (An invitation was mailed to every registered member of the party, and more than 50% attended. Note: the members voted to endorse Barack Obama for President, NOT Sen. Dodd, as claimed by Sue Henshaw in a recent Hartford Courant article.) At that meeting I gave a short speech, in which I spoke about “turning this party into something real.” I was humbly surprised by the spontaneous applause that it elicited. (Sue Henshaw and Ed Anderson were present, and heard this speech.) I was elected unanimously as chair, and we ran five people for state rep. in 2008. We had another statewide caucus in early 2009. John Orman again voted to elect me chair. (Ed and Sue were no longer members of the party.)
A few months before John Orman passed away, he called me and said that he wanted to run for U.S. Senate against Chris Dodd in 2010, and/or Joe Lieberman in 2012. I explained that I had been working to get third parties to work together in 2010, and that I was going to seek the CFL nomination for U.S. Senate in 2010. He said “OK, you run against Chris Dodd in 2010, and I’ll run against Lieberman in 2012.” My friend John Orman knew exactly what was going on, and supported it. I wish he was here today to participate in what we are doing. He is sorely missed, and was one of the real good guys.
My motivation is not selfish. I have been an educator for a long time, teaching engineering, public policy, and environmental science, and volunteering in Hartford and West Hartford schools for 18 years. I want to educate voters, especially young voters, to not be “Good Democrats” or “Good Republicans”, and instead insist on Good Government. It’s time for us to stop supporting any career politician just because they wear the label “Democrat” or “Republican”. I will tell the unadulterated truth about the huge, long term problems that we face, the real issues that career politicians refuse to address because they care more about getting re-elected in two, or four, or six years, than they care about doing what’s right for us, the people.
I am running a serious campaign to bring real problem-solving to government. I urge all of you read the 30 detailed position statements and solutions to long term problems that I present on this website. Until you do so, I would argue that you should not criticize me or suggest that I should not exercise my democratic right to run for office. I would wager a great deal of money that you will agree with my positions more than those of any other candidate in the race. And I ask that you elect me to U.S. Senate in 2010.
Sincerely,
John Mertens
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Dr. John Mertens to be Third U.S. Senate Candidate to Attend The Buttonwood Tree Salon, Middletown, CT
Dr. John Mertens, candidate for U.S. Senate, will be a guest of The Buttonwood Tree Salon, 605 Main St., Middletown, CT, on Friday, October 30th from 6:00-7:00 PM. Dr. Mertens is seeking the nominations of four political parties: the Independent Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Connecticut for Lieberman Party. Dr. Mertens, a West Hartford resident, was the Independent Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006, and has been the chair of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party since March, 2008.
Dr. Fred Carroll and John Kilian are co-hosting a candidate for U.S. Senate in Connecticut at The Buttonwood Tree Salon for the third time. Prior guests are Merrick Alpert (D) and Rob Simmons (R). Video of previous guests may be viewed at http://undecidedalliance.blogspot.com
The event will be one hour of open questions and answers, and will be videotaped. It is free and open to the public.
Dr. Fred Carroll and John Kilian are co-hosting a candidate for U.S. Senate in Connecticut at The Buttonwood Tree Salon for the third time. Prior guests are Merrick Alpert (D) and Rob Simmons (R). Video of previous guests may be viewed at http://undecidedalliance.blogspot.com
The event will be one hour of open questions and answers, and will be videotaped. It is free and open to the public.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Results of U.S. Senate Poll, October 10, 2009
Volunteers conducted a non-scientific poll at Bushnell Park in Hartford today (October 10, 2009) during the Hartford Marathon. 457 self-identified registered Connecticut voters responded.
This is the exact wording the pollsters used:
Excuse me. I'm conducting a non-partisan Connecticut political poll. Can I ask you four questions?
1. Are you registered to vote in CT?
2. On a scale of 1-10, how much attention have you been paying to the U.S. Senate race in CT?
3. If the election was held tomorrow, and the following candidates were the nominees of their parties, who would you vote for? (the order of these three names were different on each sheet)
Rob Simmons, Republican Party
Chris Dodd, Democratic Party
Dr. John Mertens, Independent Party
4. What town do you live in?
Thank you.
Here are the results:
Dodd 40%
Simmons 33%
Mertens 13%
Don't know yet 14%
13% is a strong showing for a one-month-old campaign 13 months before the election. Dr. John Mertens should be included in all polls for the November 2010 U.S. Senate election; after all, he is one of three candidates that will be on the ballot: 1 Republican, 1 Democrat, and 1 Independent.
This is the exact wording the pollsters used:
Excuse me. I'm conducting a non-partisan Connecticut political poll. Can I ask you four questions?
1. Are you registered to vote in CT?
2. On a scale of 1-10, how much attention have you been paying to the U.S. Senate race in CT?
3. If the election was held tomorrow, and the following candidates were the nominees of their parties, who would you vote for? (the order of these three names were different on each sheet)
Rob Simmons, Republican Party
Chris Dodd, Democratic Party
Dr. John Mertens, Independent Party
4. What town do you live in?
Thank you.
Here are the results:
Dodd 40%
Simmons 33%
Mertens 13%
Don't know yet 14%
13% is a strong showing for a one-month-old campaign 13 months before the election. Dr. John Mertens should be included in all polls for the November 2010 U.S. Senate election; after all, he is one of three candidates that will be on the ballot: 1 Republican, 1 Democrat, and 1 Independent.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
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