QUOTES KEN STREMSKY LIKES AND SOME VIEWS ON POLITICS I ran for the United States Senate in 2002 from New Hampshire and President of the United States of America in 2004 because I want many issues to be discussed. I was born on January 13, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts. I am running as a Republican because I believe the best form of government is a Republic that allows people to elect their leaders. Since I first studied the history of Athens, Greece, I have worried that full democracy might lead to very bad mob rule. When I was a student at the University of New Hampshire, I experienced another downside of full democracy. Two Clint Eastwood movies were being shown in a UNH theatre. A vote was held to decide which one would be shown first. Almost every time, someone else came in to the theatre another election took place. Elections kept being held for about forty minutes before the first Clint Eastwood movie was shown. I think our Republic is harmed when major candidates of a political party do not compete in primaries against the President of the United States of America who belongs to their party. I discuss many issues. Some of the issues are controversial. I propose several Amendments to the United States Constitution. I also mention several existing amendments to the United States Constitution as well as other parts of the United States Constititution. If you would like to send me feedback, please e-mail. I might respond to your feedback. I might not respond to your feedback. Please do not write to me at my home address. I have voted in most general elections since I turned 18 years of age. I have not voted in several primary elections since I turned 18 years of age. Most of the primary elections I did not vote in only had one person running for Mayor of Manchester, NH as a Republican. I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans. I have voted for the person I thought was best for our Republic at that time. I have been wrong several times. I have been right several times. I have been writing letters to the editors of newspapers and magazines since I was a student at the University of New Hampshire. Many of my letters have been published in the Union Leader which is published in Manchester, NH. I have also written many letters to elected officials and Presidential candidates. This brochure contains several quotes from Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox and published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. Executive Qualities is the best book I have ever read about leadership and management. The book is currently out of print. The ISBN is 0-201-02437-3. The copyright date for the book is 1976. I hope that many people will contact Pearson Education which owns Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. and ask them to consider making the book available on an in demand basis if it is unwilling to put it in bookstores. I called up Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. and found out that if they want the book back in print, they need to write to Editor Pearson Education One Lake Street Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 I mailed a letter to the Editor of Pearson Education on April 9, 2002. I highly recommend that people read Artful Persuasion: How to command attention, change minds, and influence people by Harry Mills. The book is published by the American Management Association and it has the ISBN 0-8144-7063-7. The book may be ordered from www.amacombooks.org. I ordered the book on a Monday and received it two days later via FedEx. DR. J. A. HOLMES QUOTE The following quote from Dr. J. A. Holmes comes from page 151 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "Never tell a young person that something is impossible. God may have been waiting for centuries for somebody ignorant enough of the impossible to do that thing." PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT QUOTE The following quote from President Theodore Roosevelt comes from page 104 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives violently; who errs and comes short again and again; who know the great enthusiasms; the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumphs of high achievements; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly." ALBERT EINSTEIN QUOTE The following quote from Albert Einstein comes from page 253 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "A successful man is he who receives a great deal from his fellowman, usually incomparably more than corresponds to his service to them. The value of a man, however, should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive." J.F. CLARKE QUOTE The following quote from J.F. Clarke comes from page 202 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "A politician thinks about the next election; a statesman of the next generation." MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ME I want to be a STATESMAN. I graduated from the University of New Hampshire in December 1992 with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Economics. Took four geography courses due to my strong belief that many businesses would do better internationally if they studied foreign cultures. In 1988, founding member of the Emerging Leaders program at the University of New Hampshire which teaches leadership and management skills in seminars. I found out about Executive Qualities from one of the instructors who helped form the Emerging Leaders program. In 1989, attended Operation Enterprise which is a ten day program conducted by the American Management Association that has business leaders teaching leadership and management skills. The website of the American Management Association is www.amanet.org. My political brochure is a work in progress. I do not have all the answers. I am often wrong. I am open to compromise. I am trying to improve the lives of our citizens. I want our citizens to debate the issues a lot more often in the future than they have in the past. I highly recommend Artful Persuasion: How to command attention, change minds, and influence people by Harry Mills. The ISBN is 0-8144-7063-7. The book is published by the American Management Association and may be ordered from www.amacombooks.org. BENJAMIN DISRAELI QUOTE The following quote from Benjamin Disraeli comes from page 221 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "Time is precious but truth is more precious than time." B.C. FORBES QUOTE The following quote from B.C. Forbes comes from page 255 of Executive Qualities written by Jospeh M. Fox. "Not his job makes a man little or big, it is himself, his spirit, his character. If these be right, then his job will sooner or later reflect the fact. He will not forever be kept down when his merits entitle him to be raised up. The wait may be long. But it will not be heartbreaking. His inner consciousness of faithful effort will buoy him. Life's "failures" do not all wear rags; some of the most pitable of them can write their names to seven-figure checks. The "successes" are not all recognizable on sight." ROGER BANNISTER QUOTE The following quote from Roger Bannister comes from page 251 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "Failure is as exciting to watch as success, provided that the effort is absolute and complete. But the spectators fail to understand-and how can they know-the total agony through which an athlete must pass before he can give his maximum effort...and how rarely, if he is built as I am, he can give it." NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI QUOTE The following quote from Niccolo Machiavelli comes from page 114 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nothing more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order." ROBERT F. KENNEDY QUOTE The following quote from Robert F. Kennedy comes from page 35 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. And I believe that in this generation those wih the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the world." A CANDIDATE'S HEALTH AND WHAT I CARE ABOUT WHEN I VOTE I hope that voters in primary elections and general elections will not care about a candidate's health. I hope they will care about the issues and will value substance more than style. Most people do not know how long they are going to live. Many people are killed by drunk drivers on a daily basis. Many elected officials have been assasinated. I do not care about a candidate's health when I vote because I believe to do so would be stupid, unethical, and a form of discrimination. I would not care if a candidate has sleep apnea, cancer, asthma, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, Cystic Fibrosis, and had several heart attacks. I care about the candidate's positions on the issues, the character of the candidate, and the candidate's substance. I do not care about a candidate's style which includes a candidate's smile, haircut, and suit. I also do not care how tall a candidate is and how much a candidate weighs. I do not care about a candidate's sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, national origin, and the number of children a candidate has. I do not care what level of education a person has obtained. I do not care if a person has graduated from Harvard University, MIT, Cornell, Oxford, and the University of Chicago. I am interested in knowing what the candidate has tried to do to make our country better with the education the candidate has obtained. BENJAMIN DISRAELI QUOTE The following quote from Benjamin Disraeli comes from page 69 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "I have brought myself by long meditation to the conviction that a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and that nothing can resist a will which will stake even existence upon its fulfillment." ABRAHAM LINCOLN QUOTE The following quote from Abraham Lincoln comes from page 83 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his true friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which say what he will, is the greatest highroad to his reason, and which when once gained, you will find but little trouble in convincing his judgement of the justice of your cause, if, indeed, that cause be really a just one. On the contrary, assume to dictate to his judgement, or to command his attention, or to make him as one to be shunned or despised, and he will retreat within himself, close the avenues to his head and heart; and though your cause be naked truth itself, transformed to the heaviest lance, harder than steel and sharper than steel can be made, and though you throw it with more than Herculean force and precision, you shall be no more able to pierce him than to penetrate the hard shell of a tortoise with a rye straw." SOME OF THE THINGS I PLAN ON DOING IF I AM ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Get the issues discussed. I might pardon many people including non violent offenders. I might not enforce laws that I believe are unconstitutional. I might not enforce laws that I believe are stupid. Congress makes the laws, the Supreme Court interprets the laws, and the President of the United States of America decides which laws are enforced. The Congress has the power to remove the President of the United States of America from office. The Congress also has the power to remove a member of the United States Supreme Court from office. The President of the United States of America decides how War is waged. Congress decides how much money is going to be spent fighting a War. Congress has the ability to cut off funding for a War whenever it wants. I might reform the United States military. I might eliminate many regulations. I might have Federal Departments adopt many regulations. I might change the way that many Federal Departments conduct their operations. Ask Federal Departments what I can do to help them do their jobs. Ask members of Congress for their positions on the issues. Ask unions and businesses what I can do for them. Ask citizens what I can do to improve their lives. NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI QUOTE The following quote from Niccolo Machiaveli comes from page 134 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "Wise men say, and not without reason, that whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they were produced by men who have been, and ever will be, animated by the same passions, and thus they must necessarily have the same results." CHARLES A. BEARD QUOTE The following quote from Charles A. Beard comes from page 134 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "A SUMMARY OF THE LESSONS OF HISTORY Whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad with power. The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small. The bee fertilizes the flower it robs. When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." Blaise Pascal quote The following quote from Blaise Pascal comes from page 141 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "I do not admire the excess of virtue, such as valor, unless at the same time I see an excess of the corresponding virtue; as in Epaminondas, who combined extreme valor with extreme gentleness. For otherwise there is not a rise, but a fall. A man does not show his greatness by going to one extreme, but by reaching both extremes at once, and by filling up all between." F. SCOTT FITZGERALD QUOTE The following quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald comes from page 147 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." OUR REPUBLIC Our republic needs our citizens to discuss the issues and vote in general elections. People have died fighting for the right to vote. I hope that most of our citizens will realize they have a responsibility to know what issues face our republic and then vote in general elections. I also hope that more people will be candidates for local, state, and federal elections. If people do not exercise their right to vote in general elections, they might lose their right to vote as well as their other civil liberties. I recommend that people read Caesar: A Biography by Christian Meier because it is a great book that discusses how the Roman Republic ended. THOMAS SZASZ QUOTE The following quote from Thomas Szasz comes from page 149 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "Men love liberty because it protects them from control and humiliation by others, and thus affords them the possibility of dignity. They loathe liberty because it throws them back on their own abilities and resources, and thus confronts them with the possibility of insignificance." WINSTON S. CHURCHILL QUOTE The following quote from Winston S. Churchill comes from page 121 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "It is not given to human beings, happily for them, otherwise life would be intolerable, to foresee or to predict to any large extent the unfolding course of events. In one phase men seem to have been right, in another they seem to have been wrong. There again, a few years later, when the perspective of time has lengthened, all stands in a different setting. There is a new proportion. There is another scale of values. History with its flickering light stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. What is the worth of all this? The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through life without this shield, because we are often mocked by the failure of our hopes and the upsetting of our calculations; but with this shield, however the fates may plan, we march always in the ranks of honor." ELECTIONS Federal, state, and local elections should take place on weekends. People should not have to commit perjury to vote by absentee ballots. A person should have to show a driver's license or a state non driver's license to vote in primary elections and general elections. Requiring photo identification may reduce voter fraud. Congressional and Presidential elections should end at 11:45 pm Eastern Standard Time. Congressional and Presidential primary elections could end before May 15. Congressional and Presidential general elections could take place in September instead of November. Ballots should include none of the above boxes for President of the United States of America, United States Senate, and United States House of Representatives. If none of the above obtain at least fifty percent of the votes for an elected position, another election should be held for that position and the people who received fewer votes than none of the above should not be allowed to participate in the special election. A special election could take place in November if none of the above wins. TERM LIMITS I do not support term limits because I believe they would keep the best people from serving especially when we need them the most. Term limits would have kept former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan from serving as long as he did and that would have been a shame. Term limits might increase mediocrity. FEDERAL CAMPAIGN TREASURER COMMISSION Congress should create a Federal Campaign Treasurer Commission. The Federal Campaign Treasurer Commission would allow candidates for the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and President of the United States of America to choose the Federal Campaign Treasurer Commission as treasurer for their campaigns. If a candidate chooses the Federal Campaign Treasurer Commission as campaign treasurer, the Federal Campaign Treasurer Commission would receive a percentage of campaign contributions. The Federal Campaign Treasurer Commission might want its fee to be between 25 percent and fifty percent of campaign contributions not contributed by the candidate. Donations to a candidates campaign would be mailed to the Federal Campaign Treasurer Commission. The Federal Campaign Treasurer Commission would take its fee and then let the candidate know how much money the candidate has to spend from the campaign contributions in a checking account the Federal Election Commission would obtain monthly statements from. A candidate who chooses the Federal Campaign Treasurer Commission as treasurer would probably not have to worry about being fined by the Federal Election Commission. The fines can be significant and are discussed on the Federal Election Commission's website which is www.fec.gov. CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM Campaign Finance Reform is discussed in the March 21, 2002 New York Times. Individuals, unions, businesses, non profits, political parties, and political action committees should be allowed to spend as much money as they want on political advertising any time they want including within 60 days of an election. If political advertising is restricted, Amendment One of the United States Constitution is weakened. Amendment One of the United States Constitution says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble; and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Individuals, businesses, unions, non profits, political parties, and political action committes should be allowed to discuss issues without mentioning the names of candidates. Individuals, businesses, unions, non profits, political parties, and political action committees should be able to say who they do not want to be elected and why in these political advertisements. Individuals, businesses, unions, non profits, political parties, and political action committees should only be allowed to endorse a candidate and say why they want the candidate elected after the candidate has given them written permission to endorse the candidate. A candidate should be allowed to say in writing when the candidate does not want to be endorsed by someone or some organization and that person or organization has to stop endorsing the candidate. If political advertising is restricted, incumbents have an easier time getting re-elected. Congress does not have the power to limit how much money a candidate may spend on his/her campaign because of Amendment One of the United States Constitution. Congress does have the power to limit how much money individuals, businesses, unions, non profits, political parties, and political action committees may contribute to candidates via monetary contributions because monetary contributions are a type of commerce. Congress could say that individuals may not contribute more than $1,000 to anyone candidate's election. Congress does have the power to say that businesses, unions, non profits, political parties, and political action committees may not make monetary contributions to a candidate's campaign. I doubt Congress will say that political parties may not make monetary contributions to a candidate's campaign. Congress may say that businesses, unions, non profits, and political action committees may not make contributions of any kind to political parties. Congress does have the power to say that individuals may not contribute more than $10,000 a year to any one political party. CAMPAIGN LAW SHOULD BE THE FOLLOWING Campaign law should be the following. A candidate should be able to spend as much money on the candidate's election as the candidate wants. An individual other than a candidate should be allowed to contribute up to $10,000 to a candidate's particular election. An individual should be allowed to contribute $10,000 for a 2002 election and another $10,000 for a 2004 election after January 1, 2003. Unions, businesses, non profits, and political action committees should not be allowed to make financial contributions to candidates. An individual should be allowed to contribute up to $100,000 a year to political parties. Political parties should be allowed to contribute as much money as they want to a candidate's campaign. The Federal Election Commission should only fine a campaign if the campaign has committed significant illegal activities. Unions, businesses, non profits, and political parties should be allowed to spend as much money as they want discussing issues. CAMPAIGN ADVERTISING Candidates for United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, President of the United States of America, and Governor might want to see if television stations, cable television stations, radio stations, newspapers, and magazines would be willing to give them advertising in exchange for a percentage of campaign contributions. EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE I found the following definition for executive privilege in Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary on page 434. The dictionary says executive privilege is the "exemption from legally enforced disclosure of communications within the executive branch of government when such exposure would adversely affect the functions and decision-making processes of the executive branch." I think it is not ethical for the President of the United States of America to invoke executive privilege when the General Accounting Office asks for information dealing with conversations the President of the United States of America has had and his/her administration have had with people or organizations that have given at least $5,000 to the President of the United States of America's campaigns and/or the political party the President of the United States of America is a member. ECCLESIASTES QUOTE The following quote from Ecclesiastes comes from pages 156 and 157 of Executive Qualities written by Joseph M. Fox. "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven; A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 "