11 minute read
TIGER KING SERIES (2016
These words certainly resonate with the voting public. But we are not excerpting from a speech written about Senator Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump. Both men are Presidential candidates, and both are better known. Their faces have dominated the airwaves, and along with Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton, most Americans naturally assume that statements like these would come from a short list of people running to become our next Commander-in-Chief. However, there is another candidate from Oklahoma running for America’s highest office. You may not have have heard or seen any commercials on your nightly news discussing his campaign. Yes, Joseph Maldonado, otherwise known as Joe Exotic, is also running for President of the United States of America. In preparation of this interview, Hollywood Weekly focused our attention on addressing the most controversial issues confronting our nation. We also wanted to address the public’s concerns. The following is our candid interview with the candidate affectionally known as “Joe Exotic.” According to a Facebook post composed by Jennine Roth, “Joe is a wonderful man who has dedicated his life to animals. He takes on abused or tortured animals that have given up on life, and cares for them in a loving, dignified and compassionate manner. He works hard every single day. His place is way better than any zoo.” In America there are two primary political parties. If you are an independent, you have no chance of participating in the final fall 2016 presidential debates, and if you aren’t in the debates you can’t become president. Why can’t an independent stand on the stage with the Democratic and Republican nominees? Because rules set by a commission dominated by the two major parties stand in the way. For the men and women who run for president and vice president of the United States, the national debates are a great rite of passage in the long political campaign. Every four years, tens of millions of Americans watch the nominees make their case to the voters in the final weeks before Election Day. Some voters decide who “wins” each debate; others use the debates as the means to decide for whom to vote. That is why Mr. Maldonado is so deeply concerned
about a rule that was established 15 years ago that serves only the Democratic and Republican nominees and blocks third-party candidates from participating in the presidential debates. Mr. Maldonado feels a rule that has the effect of excluding independents is unfair and harmful to our democracy. “The politicians and the Electoral College pretty much has the say so over who will become President in America. Until they met me… I have a platform that none of the others want to talk about.” It’s well known that Mr. Maldonado cares for over 214 tigers and over 400 other animals located at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, located in Wynnewood Oklahoma. The first thing on his list is to get rid of Animal Rights Organization’s that want to force their life opinions on other people and stop allowing them to make campaign donations. He also is against lobbyist hired by campaigns to swing votes to force Americans to live by their views and rules. Mr. Maldonado believes it should be considered Domestic Terrorism, when you don’t have the right HOLLYWOOD MONTHLY • 27
to live by your own choice. So if you want to know more about this candidate, stay tuned-in. HW: Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to speak to Hollywood Weekly Magazine. For purposes of this Q & A , may we referred to you as Joe Exotic? JE: Yes, please call me Joe. HW: Joe, as you know, our country and frankly our world needs help. What are your thoughts on how to change this country? JE: There is nearly 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States I can name just 3 that are using this as nothing but a loophole around taxes totaling the sum of over 12 hundred million dollars a year. If we got rid of every one of these except live saving hospitals like Children s hospitals, Shriner’s etc. and lifesaving research centers I could have this country out of debt in 3 years only by making all of these nonprofits pay 8% tax a year instead of getting around paying taxes. Hillary Clinton
foundation is setting on 432 million alone. HW: Our country is a land of immergrants. What is your position on illegal immigrants living in the US? JE: We cannot throw 10 million illegal immigrants out of this country because we do not have 10 million people to fill these jobs. So lets give them a Social Security number, charge each one a fine of lets say $1,000.00 and put that tax money and fine money into a health care account that we will reform called medicare. We then could turn that money into 10 Billion dollars and give everyone in the United States Free health care insurance. And it is as simple as that. Why would we want to spend 30 Billion rounding them up and throwing them out and another 10 Billion keeping them out when for once they could be legal and do something for the people of this country.
HW: When I hear politicians taking about doling out money, I have to ask, where will this money come from? JE: We have way to much being wasted on our military. 300 new tanks never used sitting in the bone yard in Arizona. $10 billion dollars wasted on a hot air balloon that crashed in Pennsylvania. $10 more billion on new camouflage that did not work. It is time to put some sense to this and cut the favors being given for contracts on things we don’t need and don’t use. This wasted money should be used on our veterans that are being left homeless and kicked out of their tents in the middle of snow storms two days before Christmas in Denver Colorado and Phoenix Arizona. If Congress can get paid for the rest of their lives after serving our country the people who give up their lives deserve the same pay.
HW: What are other platforms that you subscribe to that you want to discuss with the American people? JE: Term limits on every politician and Judge in our country. Politicians required to show up for work and
turn in their time. Clean out the politics by making lobbing illegal and accepting donations in the form of campaign donations or political donations to any politician and put a stop to buying votes. It is time the people of this country have a voice, and when any law is introduced that effect the lives, business or otherwise of the people of this country it should be put to a public vote. Right now their vote on who is going to be in office really does not even count. Look at what the Republican party is threatening to do to their very own front runner?
HW: What role does Social Security play in your reform ideas? JE: I am determined that the $2.7 trillion dollars that the current and past politicians took from Social Security is put back and this is partly why we are going to abolish the IRS and just have a flat tax of 8 or 10 %. Its time everyone is treated fair in this country and that money saved and made will put Social Security back. It should be the peoples choice to legalize the sale of Marijuana, without the only people being able to sell it is the rich and who has a monopoly on it. Just the sales tax alone could pay Social Security back and keep it where it belonged and not bad investments by the Government. HW: How to you feel about gun control or laws pertaining to these issues? JE: I am the only candidate you will see with a 357 strapped to my right leg, I believe in the second amendment so much. If you are not a violent felon or a repeat non violent felon you should have the right to carry and protect yourself in this country. When Maldonado “Joe Exotic” filed his papers with the Federal Election Board he never had a clue America would respond like they have. Mailing out over 3000 bumper stickers a week, yard signs and t-shirts America that has heard about him has responded like mad with over 150 million hits on his nightly show website.
I don’t have the millions the rest of them do but I have a live worldwide show Thursdays through Mondays at 6pm cst and this is the main way I get my message out other than the over 160 thousand fans on facebook so far. So give me a shot and listen to someone who wants to unite this country for a change instead of keeping us divided “says” Maldonado. Running for President as an Independent is one of the hardest things Joe Exotic will ever do in his life, however that is not stopping him from giving them a run for their money. Joe believes it’s time the people have a President that lives like they do, in the real world. If you want a bumper sticker, t-shirt or support Joe Exotic for
President go to www.joeexotic2016.com
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about my future and my goals like many have during this Life Livemusic pandemic. Most of us can’t wait to A number of years ago, my music get about the burdens I carry. If there get out there and start living again teacher and I were talking about life in is an instance where something does after Covid19 stops wreaking havoc general. He talked about the number go wrong, I stop and ask myself the on people’s lives. This entire situation of jobs and adventures he had and question “Will this be important to me has made us realize that we need to how he was completely stress-free in five years?” Bringing myself to think live every second to the most. But about all of it. Then, a couple of weeks about the effects of the unwanted sitfor some, it will take a little more than ago, my friend said something that uation allows me to keep my priorities a pandemic to live like they want to. really stuck with me. She said “live in check and move on.
Under the influence of the people life.” I don’t know why, but this phrase around us, teens get peer pressured gave me a completely new perspec- We are still in our youth, after all. We into liking or disliking something, to tive about everything around us. Many can do whatever we want with our creating or breaking relationships with teens burden themselves with past time. There is no point in spending others. Just the way we live can be memories or future worries, unable our hours doing something that does completely turned around by some- to relieve these stresses. Whether it’s not make us happy. We just need to one who should not or does not have being nervous about an upcoming live our life to the fullest. Most of us a valid opinion. test or having an argument with a are only starting our journey. Instead friend, we really are experts in bring- of worrying about our daily struggles,
Based on social norms and the stan- ing ourselves down. Instead of that, we should be excited about what our dards held in our society, we tend to we should be enjoying our lives and future has to offer. Remember our do things that make us miserable. For forget about the things that are not fears prevent us from growing. Workexample, in my community, students important. ing on what we want to, being who take extremely hard courses and we want to be, and living life how we come out of high school with a 4.5 A technique to completely de-stress is want should be our goal. I am writing
GPA and anxiety. Meeting the goals of to start every day with a deep breath this article in the hope to inspire you everyone around is not worth men- and a clean slate. I do this to not think to look at the world differently as I do. tal illnesses and late nights of work about the issues holding me back To help you love life, be happy and with no sleep. As I said in one of my from having a good day and being “live life”. previous articles, the hardest thing we motivated to complete all the tasks need to achieve is acceptance. Not I have planned. Every single day is acceptance by others, but accep- an opportunity to do things we love. tance by ourselves, including our I look at every day as if it’s a new Hitha.me goals and whatever future we want and have planned. After all, we are chapter so that I can live it to the best, filling my hours with experiences that I Social: @OfficialHitha our hardest critics. enjoy and moments that make me for-
