So I’m doing a little web surfing the other day and I run across an article that caught my attention. Apparently there is a new piece of legislation running through our nation’s capitol. This new proposition does not have anything to do with our economic crisis. It doesn’t lend a hand to our failing education system. It doesn’t even hint at an exit strategy so we can get our military men and women home safely.

Still, in a time when our country is in its most dire need of leadership and guidance, this newly proposed piece of legislation must be an answer to one of our country’s most urgent issues…right? No.

This bill is called the Camera Phone Predator Act. It mandates that all camera-phones make a sound audible within a reasonable radius of the phone whenever a photograph is taken with the camera in such phone.

Apparently there is a major problem in this country with people being spied upon by others and unbeknownst to them having their picture taken with camera-phones. In an effort to prevent this tragedy from continuing to ruin the lives of American citizens, Republican Pete King from the 3rd Congressional District of New York proposed the Camera Phone Predator Act. His constituents must be so proud.

I on the other hand am not. In the words of my elders, news of Mr. King’s bill really “cooked my grits”. I took a pause from writing this column to check our nation’s national debt. As of right now it sits at $10,626,665,152,639.99 or about $35,000 per citizen. That’s about $35,000 more than I have. It continues to grow by the second.

According to the Department of Defense, there have been 4231 conformed US deaths in Iraq alone, that doesn’t include the loss of US troops in Afghanistan. This total also continues to grow daily. I don’t know if Mr. King has friends or family serving overseas but I do.

In regards to our nation’s education system, as of 2008 the US wasn’t even in the top 25 rankings for reading, math or science in comparison to other countries. My mother is a teacher and is in critical need of better resources. Her and other teachers are overworked, underpaid and seemingly unappreciated by our country’s political representatives.

These are the issues important to me. These are the concerns foremost on the minds of my friends. While American citizens are losing their jobs, their homes and their ability to adequately provide for their children, it seems that at least one of our nation’s decision makers is taking on the major issues….camera-phones. Let’s hope he get’s his feces consolidated and begins representing the people of his district and his country.

I’d like to hear from you. If you agree or disagree with my opinion on something, have an idea for a column topic or just want to let me know someone is reading this every once in awhile please e-mail me. My address is dave@gate811.net.