The Party of No!

As a country, we have the right to disagree. We can always have an honest debate of the proper ways to govern and the convictions to get the job done. What we are seeing at this time however, has never been seen before. We have 1 party that has decided that above all else, they have to oppose the President and the opposing side. You can try and make the case that it runs both ways but that would be a lie. For all of the ills that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney brought on this great land, including being in office on 9-11 and ignoring the warnings before it happened, going into Iraq for false reasons and trashing the rights of the common man....wiretaps, illegal searches, rendition, torture and many others, the Democratic Party never stood as a single opposition. In fact, when you research the facts, Democrats rarely vote as a unified block. There are times when many will defect and vote with the Republicans on issues. You can also find that The Republicans by far, almost always vote in lock step. The result is irony and hypocrisy at it's best. We have leaders that voted for every tax break, war and expansion of Government, without any questions and now the same folks want to play financial conservative simply because there is a Democrat in the White House. They vote for endless war in amounts over 800 billion dollars and yet cry foul over trying to cover Health care for all at a fraction of the war cost. It's time to pull your heads out of the sand and rear ends of the others in front of you and stand for the people. The corporations already have plenty and so do you. How can you be a part of and participate in Government Health care and yet vote against the public having an option to do the same? If you want to be legitimate, refuse the health care that the taxpayers pay for and pay your own way and while your at it, let's put in term limits so that the job that you have can be as intended, a temporary public service performed on a temporary basis for the good of the Country. It was never intended that Congress should be a lifelong job with great pay and benefits. It was intended to be a service to the Country that anyone could do. It should not be only the wealthy that can run for office. In honor of the Party of No, I have placed some reminders below of the things that they are saying...

No end to any war. Never mind that Iraq never attacked us or that they had no ties to Bin Laden. Pay no attention to the money offered as a sacrifice to the Military Industrial Complex.

No working with Democrats on any issue. If the idea comes from the Dems, it must be wrong.

No hoping that the Country will improve. If Obama fails, then our Party will win.

No refusing the big bucks from the Insurance companies or Drug companies.

No approval of the Presidents Appointed people without a fight over each. We would much rather gripe about the positions not being filled and yell Liberal a bunch.

No guilt over the 40,000+ that die every year for lack of health care.

No belief that the President is a legal citizen.

No helping the common person but corporate welfare is awesome.

No plan on health care but we can hold up blank papers at the Presidents speech and yell..."You Lie" and make fools of ourselves and show disrespect...especially since the President is an African American.

No shame. Vote to impeach Bill Clinton yet when you are caught in affairs and lies about prostitutes, you do not step down.....David Vitter...Mark Sanford...Senator Ensign ...just to name few.

No Knowledge of the fact that Global Warming is real. I wish I could have a debate with anyone that would deny the science of Global Warming. How would the American people view someone that would deny this?

No limit to the hatred that is being directed at Mr. Obama. Skin color bothering you?

No minimum wage increase. Don't you know that those poor people make too much already? Heck, some of them can even afford a junker car.

No, No, NO, No....I'm tired of no. I say no more racist signs, No more guns at political events, No more tea bagging tea party idiots that would have accused me of treason because I did not agree with the war in Iraq or the Bush Doctrine, No more blocking every vote and every idea to better the Country and No more Fox News parrot people, form your own opinion at least one time.

Liberal Media

There is no such thing as a Liberal Media in this Nation. This is a great myth that has been used to rally the troops on the elephant side of the isle for years. Maybe a case could be made many years ago....perhaps just after Watergatergate times, that there was a liberal media bias for a short while. In this age of corporation bundling, most media has been consolidated and by far, these media outlets are conservative. The Conservatives have a huge advantage in talk radio and newspapers as well. Liberal and Democratic talk shows are not even allowed to compete in most markets. When we are given an even chance, we often win the ratings battle. That being said, I have taken the time to locate some locations for you to locate the difficult to find "Liberal Media". I have listed many below and there will be more to follow.

http://www.frangela.com/

http://www.wegoted.com

http://airamericaradio.com

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com

http://stephaniemiller.com

http://billpressshow.com

Lying 101

It is time to put a stop to all of the lies being told by the right wing. Let's take time to review a few of the worst one's here.

President Obama is a Muslim. Mr. Obama has attended the same church for years and states that he is a Christian. Anyone saying the opposite, should be called on the rug and asked to show proof of their own belief system. Religous hatred is a sin.

President Obama is not an American Citizen. This is a mind blower. These nut bars are always asking for proof...a paper Birth Certificate. Hawaii does not have paper certificates as they have an all electronic or computer based system however, they have provided an electronic copy and this has been posted on The Presidents website and other sites and has been confirmed. If you need more proof, you need to get a life and lay off of the Fox News.

The President is a Socialist and is trying to bankrupt the country and is a Nazi.This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, the truth is that Hitler would be much closer to a right wing Conservative than to a left wing Liberal. If you have any doubts...please hit this link for a larger detail of the facts.http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-hitler.htm.Can you not see the absolute irony in calling an African American....Hitler? Could it be racism is all dressed up in tea party gear?

Obama will take our guns away. Stop buying up all the ammo at the store and stop showing up at political rallies with weapons. No one is questioning your right to have a gun but if you carry them around and take some kind of lunatic action with a weapon, then you might lose them and that would be understandable.

Obama is a baby killer. Give me a break. How is it that when the Rebulicans had control of the entire Government under Reagan and under Bush, that nothing was done to affect abortion? Could it be that the Republicans are using this issue to get elected and as a boogeyman? The truth is that the right wing politicians talk a good game but only use abortion to get elected and then they take care of their real interest...big business and corporate wellfare. This is the party of the fat cat. The stats show that abortions go down under Democratic leaders and go up under Republican ones.

Obama is the anti-christ. All world leaders have been called the same. I can name at least 10 other leaders that were given this title at some point in the past. You can always do some crazy numeric calculation to break a persons name into 666 or satan or devil.

The Government is taking over health care. This is perhaps the most outragous. We are the only major industrial Nation that does not consider health care a basic right. We need a single payer system here that takes the big insurance companies out of the middle of us and the health care providers. No, there are not huge lines in Canada, Europe or France. If you need a small mole removed, yea you might have to wait a bit but if you need something major done, then you get right in. How can our leaders who have government provided insurance and health care, deny us the same? You might want to start by watching the movie "sicko". Then you can get back with me. Keep your overpriced and non usable insurance if you want it but get out of the way of the vast majority that need a better result.

In the end, it is my experience that the Conservative side will say anything to win and will pass along many lies to accomplish their goals. I beg of you all, please take the time to find the facts and don't just form your opinions based on Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck or Fox News. If you disagree, then let's have a calm debate over the points of view but leave the lies out.

Top 10 Reasons to Leave Afghanistan

10. Why do we want to stay in a country that is only famous for funky blankets with holes?
9. We already spent all of our war money in Iraq.
8. Bush said mission accomplished…oh no wait…that was the other place.
7. There is no oil there.
6. Maybe if we rebuilt the place, we can enjoy some afghan anime some day.
5. The place was already wrecked when we got there…honest.
4. We can’t build a Mcdonalds there.
3. There are no beaches to make into a resort area.
2. There are no hot chicks there to rescue.
1. We can always make a Call of Duty Game for X-box 360 about it and say we won.

The Race Card

When you consider the South, racism is a part of the fabric. In many ways, times have changed and in many ways, they remain the same. The amount of change depends largely upon who you ask. If you ask White people, you will often be told that “the blacks” have been given everything and they have full and equal rights and opportunities. If you ask African American people, the answer will be much different and you will quickly find out that there are still many unequal issues out there. At one point, I was living in the land of oblivion as well. Through Church and relatives, I took racial issues for granted and shamefully, I discriminated in my mind and actions as I was growing up. There were 2 changing points in my life. When I was in the 11th grade, I meet an African American named Stanley. Stanley wanted to hang out with me and after a break in period I became good friends with Stanley. My new friend showed me that we have much more in common than we have to fight about. I used to wear some of his clothes including an awesome jacket. I lost touch with my buddy after High School and sadly, I learned later that Stanley had fought Cancer and had passed away. I wish I could have told him how much I appreciated him and the lessons that he taught me through the small things. My second life changer was working with an African American lady at a company that I managed. This lady proved to be a loyal worker and when I promoted her to office manager, I had a steady parade of White co-workers that first informed me that I had made a mistake and when I did not agree, they quit one at a time. I often ate lunch with the office manager and I experienced first hand some of the raw side of Southern Hospitality. While eating our lunch at local restaurants, I was often called an “N” lover. We were daily pointed out and sometimes received poor seating and service because people assumed that we were dating. This lady was old enough to be my Mom but these folks did not care. I also had an occasion when a group of family members called me aside and demanded to know why I was in business with a “Black Woman”? In the end, I learned a lot about myself and my fellow Southerners. There are good people in the South that are not racist. I offer a few pointers to you if you really want to change your outlook and expand yourself beyond the racial divide.
Don’t tell or listen to racial jokes.
Stop looking at sports teams and pulling for them based upon their race makeup.
Stop telling people that you are not racist because most of the time, when people say that, it simply means they are.
Don’t use the “N” word or any other racial terms.
Stop talking about having a “Black Friend” and actually make a few.

Southern by Birth

American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God is a bumper sticker that was popular in the past in the South. Many stereotypes exist about Southern Culture and Southern Ways.
Southern People are not too bright.
All Southerners are Rednecks.
The South is full of Racist.
They all worship Nascar.
We are gun freaks.
Hunting and Fishing is required in the South.
Dating of your relatives in allowed.
College Football is King.
The Mullet hair style never died.
You have to be a Republican.
Country Music is the best and Southern Gospel music is even better.
We are litterbugs.

Although the above assumptions have some basis, there are many exceptions to the rules. As a Southerner, I defy many and as such, it is hard to box me in and truly understand me.
I Hate Country Music.
I am a Liberal Democrat.
I own many Guns but I do not hunt anything.
I could not name 3 Nascar Drivers.
I believe that Global Warming is real and we need to change our littering and polluting ways.
I actually do have African American friends and not just the one invisible one that people always say they have in order to prove that they are not racist.
I am not a Redneck and I don’t date relatives.
I do not have a Mullet…anymore…I lost the war with my hair.
I do like to fish but I release most everything that I catch.
I like College Football but my favorite team struggles a lot….Go Gamecocks. Of course, I actually do have non Southern teams that I pull for as well and I like pro football.
I am not a vegetarian.
I drive a truck and not a hybrid.
Southern Hospitality is always acceptable.
As you can see, it is o.k. to break the mold and be yourself. Just because there are influences and pressures in your local society, it does not mean that you have to conform. Be true to yourself.

Liberal is not a Bad Word

Contrary to popular Southern Belief, the word Liberal is not a bad word. I have heard for many years now that all of problems in society and in the world are due to Liberal politics and Liberal politicians and voters. Our “friends” on the right love to preach the virtues of conservatism and the evils of Liberalism. According to the right, all of the newspapers and news media are liberal and have a liberal slant. These same folks will further tell you that fox news is a fair and balanced network and not slanted. Let’s be clear. There is no Liberal Media. I have searched high and low for it and it is much like searching for a Sasquatch. Liberal media does exist but it is a small minority. MSNBC has allowed some Liberal shows to be aired and there is a very small Liberal talk medium through small AM stations and satellite radio but it is very confined and not allowed to compete. The funny thing is, that when the Liberal shows are allowed to compete on a level playing field, they often beat much larger and established shows and host from the Conservative side. There used to be a fairness doctrine back in the 80’s and that was the basis for the modern day horrible news set up. In that time frame, media and news shows were required to give each side of the issue, equal time. If a Democratic leader had 5 minutes to speak, it would then be followed by a Republican speaking for 5 minutes. This doctrine has been gone for several years. The problem is, there seems to be a lack of actual reporting these days. The news channels are caught up in still expressing two opinions on each issue, even when one party is in the wrong. The facts will stand on their own and there is no need to have a contrary point of view on when the facts point to one side or the other as being in error. I am a Liberal and I would like to end this session with the true definition of the word Liberal.

Liberal-broad: showing or characterized by broad-mindedness; "a broad political stance"; "generous and broad sympathies. Tolerant. having political or social views favoring reform and progress. tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition. a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties.
Let us also not forget that the terms Liberal and Conservative were largely born from the “New Deal”. “Roosevelt altered the nature of the party, away from laissez-faire capitalism, and towards an ideology of economic regulation and insurance against hardship. Two old words took on new meanings: "Liberal" now meant a supporter of the New Deal; "conservative" meant an opponent.”

Pro Life!

Perhaps, no other single issue has so divided Americans. I used to not really know how I felt on this issue and frankly, at one point, I did not even care. We should look back historically at this term and realize that this term has indeed changed over time. The people and groups that opposed abortion were at one point referenced as anti- abortion and the people that supported the right to choose were called pro-choice. The religious crowd and their political gurus got involved and decided that the term anti- abortion was a negative term and they wanted to change the term to pro-life. They also wanted the pro choice folks to be called pro-abortion. This change was made through the so called “liberal “media and was pushed by pastors and churches and through the exploding medium known as conservative radio. The change was such a success that no one seems to even remember the former terms. My first comment would be that I am a male and as such, I feel that I am not qualified to decide what is best on this issue. Until a man can have a baby, I don’t think that we should be making these decisions for women. I can guarantee you that if men were the ones that got pregnant, then abortion would not only be legal; you would be able to get one at any grocery store 24 hours a day. I do agree with President Clinton when he said…”abortions should be safe, legal and rare”. I also would like to dispute the perception that abortion is used as birth control. There is simply no truth in women using this embarrassing procedure as a way to control pregnancy. What person in their right mind would want the cost and health risk and self guilt of going through this process over and over? My last question would be the same as I asked a group of conservative Christian people recently. I simply want to know if these same people supported the war in Iraq? The obvious answer is of course they do. My next question would be, you are anti-abortion as well? Again, the answer is yes. The final question would be, how can you be pro-life and yet support the killing of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of innocent lives in Iraq? I was shouted down after this question and was told that we were justified in killing the people in Iraq because that was keeping us safe. How could this be? Maybe because the facts have been blurred? Iraq had nothing to do with 911 and had no way to harm us as a Nation. I’m afraid that these same people were brain washed by the Bush administration and somehow believed the propaganda about Iraq. If you have any doubts, simply perform a Google search and view the myriad of articles and interviews that admit such by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and all the others involved in the march to war. The point I want to make is, if you are a pro-life person, how can you support the killing of innocent people anywhere in the world? How can you care about an unborn baby but offer no care or support after they are born? I think that what we are looking at here is a case of ironic behavior. The same people that support small Government and keeping Washington out of your lives are more than happy to have the government involved in your life in the case of abortion.

Patriotism Please!

I was patriotic, when patriotism wasn’t cool. Back in the day…1990, I was the boss of a small Real Estate Company with the word “American” in the title. I wore a coat and tie every day. The shirt was white, the jacket was blue and the tie was red. I also had a flag lapel pin and a magnetic sign on my vehicle with a flag. I was often picked on for being “Mr. Patriotic”. It was not simply a gimmick but I really had pride for my Country and all that was American. My patriotism had nothing to do with politics but I assumed that the flag was a uniting symbol. I know that we have our differences…North, South, East and West but when push comes to shove, we stand together. Of course after I left the above named company, I no longer wore the daily patriotic gear. After the events of 911, the country rallied and proved that no matter whom the President was or what party was in charge, we could unite as a Country. The problem is, that over a brief period, it seemed that the powers in control took advantage of the support and unity in this great Nation and took us to a divisive place where patriotism was considered a requirement and if anyone even questioned the leadership, you were shouted down and told that anyone not offering blind support to the President and his policies, was in fact against the troops and pulling for the enemy. People started supporting Party over Country. Places of worship also became patriotic show places….I even witnessed a person trying to worship in a church service to the star spangled banner. The ironic part is that some of the same people that were so “patriotic” and supportive of the former President, are now openly wishing for failure and worse for the current President. You cannot have it both ways, you either are a patriot and support the Leader and the Troops or you are simply a party hack and only interested in following your party or hating the other party or even worse, maybe you are simply interested in chaos and anarchy and that would be truly sad. Can you even imagine what would have happened if a group of African American men had shown up at a Bush speech with weapons of any sort? I think we all know the answer to that one. The last thing that I need is a lecture on patriotism or supporting the Country because I’ve been there and done that. If you find yourself filled with hatred and pulling against the United States, simply because your political party lost an election, you may need to take a long look into the mirror and question your own patriotism.

You Might be a Democrat

If you don’t have a retirement account or saving…you might be a Democrat
If your car is older than your oldest kid…you might be a Democrat
If you have more than 1 African American friend…you might be a Democrat
If you Know that Osama Bin Laden is not from Iraq…you might be a Democrat
If you know that there are more than 3 religions in the world…you might be a Democrat.
If you know that God is not spelled G.O.P…you might be a Democrat
If you haven’t used the “n” word in the past year…you might be a Democrat
If you know that Fox News is not a real news organization…you might be a Democrat.
If you respect the office of the President…you might be a Democrat
If you don’t believe the Government is evil…you might be a Democrat
If you form your own opinions and are not a blind follower…you might be a Democrat.
If you know that America is not perfect but still love it…you might be a Democrat
If you don’t believe that torture is the answer…you might be a Democrat
If you believe Country first over political party…you might be a Democrat
If you are tolerant of other ideas…you might be a Democrat
If you don’t make over $300,000 per year…you might be a Democrat
If you believe in helping others in need…you might be a Democrat

The Moral to this story is…that there is a difference between intelligent and informed. Intelligence is doing the work and looking at the facts over opinion and forming your own viewpoints based on your own research and knowledge, informed is basing your views upon the views of others…radio, talk shows and other people that you know. You do not have to have a college degree to be intelligent , you simply have to care enough to find the facts. The problem with being informed is , that a person can be misinformed and be wrong. One of my favorite quotes is “you are entitled to your own opinion but you are not entitled to your own set of facts”. This is this missing ingredient in news coverage today. Everyone is so concerned in offering 2 viewpoints or opinions on each issue instead of reporting the facts involved. In the words of the “good book”, the truth shall set you free.

Judging of the Ironic

Why would you judge the people that you see?
Is it really that you see yourself in me?
How can you be so sure that your way is right?
Stare into your own soul to see if there is light.
Countless wrongs and hurts that last
Could be avoided if we knew our homes were made of glass.
In the name of good, we close our minds
At risk of avoiding the good that we could find.
When others don’t fit our perfect mold
What gives us the right to be so bold?
Before you judge, a look in the mirror would be best
Compassion might then be shown to the rest.

Take one for the Team!

In the current debate over health care reform, our elected officials need to do the peoples work. The people spoke out in the 2008 election and demanded a change. The President and the Democratic Party took total power for good reason. The election was only the first part, now comes the hard work. For 8 years, the Republican Party ran rough shot over the Democratic Party and imposed their will even if the people were not for the agenda. The Democrats were not allowed to be involved in anyway. Even a threat of debate was meet with cries of obstructionist and threats of changing the law to not allow filibusters at all. Now, the Democrats need to follow the mandate that was given to them and push through the reforms and changes that they were elected to do. Now is not the time to be afraid of the noise machine and the fear factories. This is the time for bold action. Why are you negotiating with Republicans that will not vote with you on real reform? What are you afraid of? The Democratic leaders need to be more fearful of their own party if they cave in than of the Republican Party that is a scorpion with no stinger. No matter if you are a Liberal Democrat from New York or a Conservative Democrat from Tennessee, you have a duty to bind together and provide the health care reform including an exchange that would allow the public to participate in your health care options. By the way, if you are in congress, you are already on Government Health Care and a public option. In sports, it is sometimes necessary to take one for the team….taking a walk for the winning run instead of trying to pound out a hit or letting that close pitch hit you in order to get on base. It is now time for the Democrats, especially the ones that are wavering, to take one for the team. This is not about getting re elected or raising monies from the big corporations. At the minimum, these Democrats should vote to kill any filibusters on the health care bills, and then you can vote your gut on the final roll call. Even if it meant paying a price in the upcoming elections, the legacy would be greater because you did the right thing. History would be kind to you. I truly believe that when the Democrats stand together and achieve the greater good of the people, they will be amazed at the ground swell of support. I also believe that the Republicans are fighting so hard because they know that if the Democrats can pass this reform bill, with a Public Option, the American people will know that the Republicans were on the wrong side of change again, just like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Civil Rights. This one issue could relegate the Republican Party to the Southern States and the Religious base and could ensure a Democratic majority for years to come. What price are you willing to pay for the greater good? What price would you pay to know that you did the right thing? Get in the game Democrats. Be bold and be leaders and lay it on the line for the American people, the masses that elected you need you now. Pursue greatness and don’t back down even if it means “taking one for the team”.

Hijacking Jesus

As a kid, life was a lot simpler than now. There was school, family and church. Each operated independent from the other but in harmony. There was also freedom to support political parties without hate and anger and vilification of the opposing party. As recent as the mid 80’s, there were no political speeches and agenda being promoted in church. Somewhere, our churches and message have been hijacked by a political party and we have since, allowed ourselves and our churches to be used as a political mouthpiece. I assume that the beginning of this shift was around the “moral majority” and the leaders that came from that movement. These included Jerry Fallwell, Pat Robertson, James Dobson and a myriad of others. I was a faithful listener to James Dobson and his daily radio show for several years. I started to notice around 1986, a change in the message from spiritual to political, so much so that one day Dr. Dobson stated that he understood if people wanted to turn from his show to another political conservative show that was on at the same time….hint, hint, Rush Limbaugh. I had no idea who that was but after researching the other show, I was shocked that a religious leader would endorse a show that was so full of hatred and vitriol toward anyone and anything democratic or liberal. I tried to consider the changing viewpoints offered on Christian radio and in church but I could not support the agenda. My Grandfather was a Democrat and my Dad is a Democrat and I am basically being told that all of us are evil and going to burn in hell unless we joined the Republican and conservative movements. I was working with a church youth group at the time and we were into Christian Rock music. It was a really pure art from and focused on the gospel message. Even this began to change. The change was so dramatic that at a concert, one singer stopped to preach about abortion and how democrats wanted to kill infants. I was so shocked that I sent an email to the band and stated my opinions. My point to him was that Jesus / Religion should not be mixed with politics. Politics should be similar to pulling for your favorite ball team. You can pull hard for your side, but you can’t go to war in the streets over a ball game or ball team. Further, you could not get up in church and state that God loves Alabama and hates Auburn or God loves Michigan and reviles Ohio State and you could not say that Florida is Godly and Florida State is evil and is responsible for the decay of modern society. My ultimate point would be that church and politics do not mix and if you have a church or pastor that spends their time churning up a political fight that simply means that he or she does not have enough biblical knowledge and insight to discuss the real issues about God and the bible. In acting, anger is the easiest emotion to portray and so it is in church. It is easy and lazy to whip a crowd into a political frenzy but it is not the right thing to do. The sad part is that inherent in most denominations and religions is the attitude of “our way is right and everyone else in wrong”. This lends itself to easy political manipulation to consider that if you are a Christian, then you have to be a Republican. The next step in that line of reasoning is that all democrats are going to hell and it is proper to kill abortion doctors in their church and to protest abortion to the point of knocking down a pregnant teenager at a clinic and causing her to have a miscarriage. God does not support any political party and he never will. We would be well served to stay out of political matters as a group because when we insist on being involved in church and politics, then there would really be no reason to keep tax free status in tact because you have become a political agent and not an agent for God. There is no persecution of Christianity here at this time but when we brandish guns at church and justify murder and lies through our political actions and church combined, then we are asking for persecution to fall on us and if that happens, we would have no one to blame but ourselves. You may say, my church is not like that, they never get involved in politics and never preach against political leaders or parties or promote political parties or tell me who to vote for. I say that if you agree with the statements, you probably do not even hear them being said. Take time to really listen and analyze your church and pastor over these issues and pray over them and if need be challenge them. One major Affect that this change has had, is with public education. Many years ago, the public school teachers were by a large percentage, supportive of the Democratic Party because the Democratic Party supported funding of education and schools. There have been Republican leaders that have stated that they would like to do away with the Department of Education and yet, because of the local teachers being told by the church and local Pastors that they should vote Republican, these teachers have voted against their best interest out of a sense of duty and moral obligation. It doesn’t matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat but your decision should be based on your own research and best interest and not on what a Pastor says or radio talk show host say. I have actually heard some National conservative radio show host tell their audience that they will tell them how they should feel and what their opinions should be. Why become a parrot for anyone? Believers in God should take the plane back from the hijackers that have taken over the religious faiths in this Country. I am not for hearing any politics from the pulpit or in the public classroom, not liberal or conservative.

If the Government is so Bad, Why are you in it?

“I’m from the Government and I’m here to help”. This quote was made by Ronald Reagan and was meant to be a funny quip. It has become a rallying cry of those that would oppose the current Government. “My goal is to cut Government in half in twenty five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub”. This is a quote by Neo Conservative, Grover Norquist. In Case you are unaware of the term Neo Conservative, this is a left over philosophy that basically holds that the United States of America is the greatest country in history and that it is our duty to use our Military and resources to enforce our democracy and free market systems onto other countries at all cost. My contention would be that to have and hold these view points, would be an exercise in insanity, especially if you are in the Government or running for public office. How can one hope to change and better Government when they harbor a hatred of it and in fact would want to take Social Security, Medicare and other public plans away from the people. This would be similar to me stating that I hate all lawyers and the practice of law but I am going to school to become an attorney. I find it very ironic that these same Government rebels, did not voice their concerns during the Bush administration. They also did not voice any opposition to the billions that were spent on a Nation building war in Iraq or on the big financial bail outs that took place under Bush. I can hear it now, I hate the Government, and the Government is not to be trusted. The Government is evil and will continue to be wicked unless you elect me and pay me to be a part of it. I will then be able to take a public paid salary and health care and change the beast from the inside. Of course, I will probably need to be in office for many years and will need to take money from large corporations to make sure that they are given all the advantages possible. Does this sound like solid reasoning to anyone? If you are so convinced that Government is bad, stay out of it and leave it to the folks who want to improve it and not kill it. The Government is a bad term as well. It is supposed to be a Government of the people, by the people and for the people. I will from here on refer to it as my Government. My government is not evil and it is not bad. It may not be perfect but it can be worked on without receiving the death penalty. I fear that lots of the anti Government talk is actually hidden racism because we have a leader that is partly African American. You have every right to be involved with Government but you can’t save something by killing it. Let’s take pride in our Nation and support honest debate. Change cannot take place through a gun or with lying and screaming bullet points at a town hall meeting. If you have nothing to offer but hatred of my Government, then I suggest you go find another country with one that you like more.

Where is My Bailout?

In the current, tough financial times, I hear a lot of talk about bail outs. Never mind that the talk often comes from folks who do not truly know what a bail out is. It is true that our Government has allocated a lot of money to stimulate the economy and yes…bail out the banking and financial systems. It is also true that pretty much all of the economic experts agree that this was neccesary in order to save our economy. Many folks, especially local people that are struggling financialy and either did not vote or did not vote for the current President, love to ask where is my bail out? I have an answer for these people. Your bail out is here in the form of health care reform. Health Insurance cost have increased by more than 100% over the past 10 years. Sure, some have insurance that is provided through the workplace and as a result, may not have noticed the increase. This does not mean that you have not paid for the increase as the increase probably has taken the place of their bonuses or pay increases. Those of us who are responsible for our own coverage can tell you first hand about the short commings and increases in health insurance. I have an insurance policy that has a large deductible of more than $10,000 per year and then is basically a catastrophic coverage beyond that. Because of the deductible being high, I basically have to pay for each doctor visit for myself, my wife and 3 kids, as well as all medications. My total health care cost pretty much rivals the cost of my yearly mortgage debt. I am further paying medical fees that are based on insurance coverage and is often very much higher than it should be for that reason. I get no discount for paying up front or in cash. There is a diffence between health care and insurance. Basically, insurance companies make profit by charging you a premium and then either denying coverage or raising your rates if you do file a claim. There are thousands of horror stories about insurance companies standing between patients and their doctors and costing American people their lives by denying treatments or simply running out the clock until it is too late to save a life. It is shameful that we allow this to happen and that we allow these major companies to scare and fear us into fighting reform and public coverage that would be in our best interest. There are issues that go above and beyond politics and are American issues. Health Care and immigration are two large examples. These issues are National crisis and should be addressed from a Country first perspective. We should not be told what we should believe by radical radio show host or from a Religious leader or a political leader that already has public health care options and the best available coverage. We have been lied to for long enough. Our Doctors and Health care are very good quality but the access is rationed already based upon your income and ability to pay. There is someone between you and your doctor now and that is a multi billion dollar insurance company that have executives that make more in one hour than an average Anerican does in one year. A public option is the least that we should settle for. An option is simply an option for those who can not survive in the current system, myself included. It in no way affects those that are happy with their current health care and coverage. When more than half of the bancruptcies are caused by sickness and lack of health care coverage in this Country, it is time to stand up and make a difference. Stop being used as a puppet by the health insurance companies, politicians with pockets full of health insurance companies money and radio host that have an agenda that the other side should always fail. If economics are a concern, simply consider the cost of the war in Iraq. These same opponets of the Health Care reform were all too silent and glad to spend our kids money and also agreed to the bank bailouts under the previous administration but now that we have changed leaders, we are afraid to support a real bail out of the masses in the form of health care reform and a public option. Break free and use your common sense to form a true and honest and independent opinion on this issue. America first, not party first.