Ah yes, the "death panel" movement goes on. I heard a rumor that the band "Death Cab for Cutie" was considering a name change to "Death Panel for Grandma." Sounds scary, doesn't it?
Yet, out of all of us, grandma is the least at risk because she has Medicare. The average working American under the age of 65, however, is at risk. The problem I have with this "death panel" debate is that the your health and wellbeing are already controlled by your employer and the insurance companies. COBRA coverage runs almost 4 times more than normal health insurance, if you lose your job... there goes your life. Sound like a "death panel" yet?
Worst of all, the constant drumbeat of "NO TAXES FOR HEALTHCARE" is another problem. How insurance is different from a flat tax, I have no idea. We pay about 25% of our salary, which we would much rather take home, to health insurance. The rich and poor pay the same amount, unless one of the two wants more or less "care." Here's another problem, paying more doesn't necessarily mean "more care," it just means that you pay less for more care than someone who pays a lower premium. If you were healthy and used less care, you really are just throwing your money away to the insurance company. How different is this from paying your money to the government as a tax?
It is a sad day today, as we must mourn the passing of a truely great woman. Much as we must mourn her passing, it is a stark reminder of how important tomorrow should be to all of us. We are now reminded that we are not just voting for ourselves, but we are voting to honor Madelyn Dunham, who has waited 47 years for this day to come. We are voting for those who dared to hope, and those who have given their lives, and bled so that we may have this day. Let us honor these great people this Tuesday, November 4, 2008, and fulfill the dreams of a woman who could not see this day and so many who are no longer with us.
My brothers and sisters, we are now reminded that a 6 hour wait is not too long, for there are those who have waited a lifetime for this moment... for this opportunity to cast this historic vote. Stand together tomorrow, no matter the weather, no matter how long, for tomorrow, we are one and we are on the side of history.
This vote is historic not because Barack Obama will be the first African-American President of the USA. This vote is historic because we are voting for a new America... where life and death is not decided by the health insurance companies... where we believe again that we are "One Nation, Under God" and we are all equal...
Many of us live out our lives without the opportunity to have a significant moment. This one moment, that will be shared by a nation... One moment, where we forget about the color of our skin. One moment, where we all come together... with hope... that tomorrow will be a brighter day.
Remember this day... Remember the day we changed the world.
We are now in the last week, and I felt that it was necessary to look at what's at stake in this election. I was shopping at the local grocery store, and I watched a family, a father, a mother, and their 3 boys shopping. They were standing over the bargain section that was filled with near-expired canned vegetables. It was a heartbreaking experience having to watch a family decide if they were going to buy the garbanzo beans or the kidney beans that were only selling for 29 cents, because that was all they could afford.
Everyone is probably thinking that this family was poor prior to the economic downturn... Not true... upon closer inspection, they were a working family with two incomes. Now that their jobs have evaporated, they are forced to control their spending down to the last penny. With the credit crunch, they could not sell off their cars or house. Trapped... by the economics of growing the wealth of the wealthy.
This truly reminded me of the importance of coming out to vote for Obama this election year and bringing every family member, friend, and colleague out to vote. Lives are at stake here. Families are going hungry and have to choose whether to spend 29 cents on one can of food or another. What frightens me is that there are those who still think that McCain is actually looking out for our interests. He is willing to keep the wealth in the hands of those who are already extremely rich. The middle-class needs help...
I understand that capitalism works when it rewards those who succeed. But, the current climate of placing cronies and buddies in lobbying positions and hiring CEOs into cabinet positions to dole out multi-billion dollar contracts is not the capitalism of old. I hardly blame anyone for feeling that the only way to get employed these days is to know someone in the HR office. Look at the current administration.
McCain has no interest in rewarding success, he wants to maintain the wealth of the richest Americans so that they are able to maintain control over the nation. This is our time to stand up for ourselves. This is the time that we get what we deserve. Let us stand together in these closing days, fighting for that family that has to worry about buying food at the grocery store, fighting for the American dream that is slowly slipping away.
The Palin drag on the McCain campaign has now surpassed the Bush drag. There are good reasons why we should clearly despise this woman, because she represents everything that America is not.
1. She is DISHONEST (aka LIAR)
After being found to have abused her power and in violation of Alaska state ethics laws during Troopergate, she proceeds to tell the press that she had been exonerated. She has refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing.
Now, we find out that she spent $150,000 on clothes (probably not just for herself, but for her entire family, we're waiting on the itemized bill). Then, in an interview for the Chicago Tribune, she says that the clothes were 'loaned' to her and that she is frugal. It seems that Sarah Palin's frugality means not spending her own money on her children's travel bill, and passing that instead to the taxpayer. By the way, clothes can only be loaned to you when they are one-size-fits-all. She went on a shopping spree, 'nuff said...
2. She is a HYPOCRITE
What's frightening about Sarah Palin is that she is able to say things that are at odds with each other without even blinking. She says in the Tribune interview that NIH should increase funding for autism research. But... with a McCain spending freeze, there will be NO research money to go around.
She constantly talks about being the anti-spending, anti-lobbyist, anti-corruption candidate. Here's the truth about Palin. She has asked for more pork-barrel spending per capita than any other governer. She hired a lobbyist to go to Washington, while a MAYOR of Wasilla. She violated state ethics laws in an attempt to fire a member of her cabinet.
Worst of all... anti-socialist? During her term as governer, Sarah Palin has overseen the largest wealth redistribution on the planet. She raised taxes on the oil companies to give Alaskans a $1200 check in the mail. If that isn't socialism, I don't know what is?!
3. She is UNINFORMED
When Brian Williams asked Palin for an example of a "pre-condition," the silence was deafening. She is constantly portraying herself as this well-prepared, all-knowing energy expert. I have yet to hear her make a single statement on energy except for "Drill, Baby, Drill." A 3 year-old could come up with that.
Palin has such an insular view of America that she has no knowledge of how any of the world lives. You don't need a passport to learn about other countries. That's what books are for, you don't need mommy and daddy to pay for a trip around the world to learn about other cultures. What frightens me is how she has no ability to understand that America is a unique country.
Finally, how is America all about the small towns? What makes small town America more "American" than the rest of America. The population of New York City is higher than that of Sweden, does that make them un-American?
4. She is a NEPOTISTIC CRONY
*Sigh... this one angers me the most. A maverick that bucks the trend... but, when sworn into office, the first thing she does is fire all of the existing staff and... hires all of her high school buddies?? Her cabinet is filled with nothing but family members and friends from high school. How can you be a maverick when you can't even function working with people you're not related to?
Socialist, at least in the Palin vocabulary, is a four-letter word. Palin is everything I had always feared, an insular, poorly read, minimally educated buffoon who has little appreciation outside the world of her own. McCain, who spent the worst years of his life in Asia, has actually yet to say a nice thing about that region of the world.
Yes, America is a great nation, and with the most amazing populace, able to answer any call-to-action. But, those of us behind Obama, recognize our abilities when united, still, remember that there is a pretty big world out there, with many countries that have been around longer than we have.
To suggest that socialism is somehow an inept form of government, as a presidential candidate is distasteful and downright disgraceful. Two of our allies are still considered socialist nations, namely, Portugal and India. Are McCain and Palin claiming that socialism is such a bad form of government that we owe almost all of our debt to another socialist nation, i.e., China?
How should anyone trust McCain to have good foreign policy when every word that comes out of his campaign offends one part of the world or another? Let's look at some examples:
1. McCain, when offered the chance to say, "What's wrong with being an Arab?" answered, "He's a decent American." What would someone in the Middle East think of such a statement?
2. Socialism is bad. Many governments have socialized parts of their lives. Take Canada and Scandinavia. Socialized healthcare... works pretty well. Should a president ever say that another nation's form of government is wrong? Especially an ally of this nation?
These two are in fact, far worse than "Bomb, Bomb, Iran" or the comment about selling cigarettes to Iran. What amazes me is that McCain professes this love for the unborn, but refuses to acknowledge the right to life for those in other parts of the world. Why should we hate a group of people for the behavior of their government?
I have been around the world enough to know that the world still loves the American people. They just hate the way (half the country) votes.
We're down to the last two weeks before Nov. 4, and the nastiness continues. But, I think it's time to reflect on "Country First." Over the last 8 years, we have been told that in order to be patriotic and protect the country, we had to spend money here at home and fight in 2 wars, sacrificing thousands of lives, and billions of dollars a month. Somehow, the Republican party of family values seems to forget the families altogether. Divorce rates are at an all time high, and the answer is to ban same-sex marriage? Ban abortion? Lip service...
I am pledging to all out there to fight the last 2 weeks... saying "My Country Begins at Home." Much like everyone else, I am willing to protect the country at I love. But, that starts with protecting the people closest to me, my family. This means providing a home, food, heat in the winter, and an education. Putting country first isn't about fighting wars and national security... It's about being responsible and defending the people closest to us.
Unfortunately, after listening to Rep. Bachmann from Minnesota, I actually realized that there are anti-American elements amongst us. Sadly, it's not the terrorists...
Let me tell you what is Anti-American...
It is Anti-American to tax healthcare benefits
It is Anti-American to charge Americans a 30% interest rate on credit cards
It is Anti-American to defraud borrowers in the hope that they can foreclose on their homes
It is Anti-American to prevent a child from receiving healthcare
It is Anti-American to stop a qualified citizen from attending college
It is Anti-American to protect the richest 1% at the expense of everyone else
It is Anti-American to take away social security for seniors
It is Anti-American to leave the defenseless unprotected
Here's my pledge from here on out... "My Country Begins at Home" and yes, I put my Country First.
There's been a lot of talk about values voters in the US. But, what we need is a serious review of what we value here in America. I have not heard praise of eloquence being used as a line of attack until this election. These recent events have actually made me fearful of where we stand as a nation, especially since the Obama lead is not yet at 60%-40%.
I don't know when the paradigm shift happened, maybe it was Reagan, but, who knows... All that I see is this view that just because someone speaks eloquently, he/she must be lying. Is it that truth can only be delivered in 1st grade English, as per the Alaskan Lie Machine? Somehow, stripping away the complexities of a complex problem into a 3 word slogan, such as "Drill, Baby, Drill" is becoming what a large portion of voters seem to value.
America used to be a nation where success was rewarded, and where the best and brightest would congregate. Now, there is a disdain for intellect and upward failure is becoming the norm. Here's where things get under my skin. The GOP has attacked Obama for being an Ivy League graduate. Since when is it a bad thing for someone in this country to be successful and to have a good education? Same thing with Biden, working class kid made good. These should be exactly what we are looking for in a President.
Let's look at John McCain... born to a rich navy family. Barely survived the Naval Academy. I don't understand how this is not a disqualifying factor. If any one of us were to apply for a job anywhere and had a transcript full of failing grades, we would not be hired.
Let's look at Sarah Palin... 6 years and 4 colleges for 1 degree. GPA, unknown... Unlikely that she was an honors student or it would have been publicized by now. A clear lack of knowledge of any kind. Honestly, Gov. Palin has a vocabulary of a 1st grader. Is this really what we want running the country?
I know there are probably some reading this blog that are thinking, "should we disqualify individuals based on their education?" Unfortunately... yes... There are many capable people, intelligent people out there without a college education. This is why it should be an option made available to everyone.
Let's take "Joe the Plumber" for example... Would it hurt for a licensed plumber to have a degree in business? He/she would have a grasp of the business world, when he/she opens a company, understand what needs to be done and how a company should be managed. An good education never hurts anyone it only opens more doors.
Here's what's hypocritical about the Republican stance. They're going to go out and criticize successful, educated individuals, while on the other hand saying that taxing the wealthy is unfair? When in fact, a majority of McCain's success in life has been due to the fact that he "failed upwards" through one golden parachute after another!
The truth... McCain's tax program has nothing to do with rewarding hard work or success. All he is trying to do is keep enlarging the golden parachutes that he had growing up. McCain's plan is a DICTATORSHIP, allowing the rich to control the middle class.
Lately, McCain and Palin have been pushing this idea that the tax cuts are socialist and a form of welfare for those who do not pay taxes. Let's get somethings straight here...
TAX CUTS ONLY GO TO PEOPLE WHO PAY TAXES. Even those rebate checks that Bush gave out earlier this year only go to those who file. The Obama plan will only go to help those hard working Americans out there that are struggling with mortgages, high gas prices, and credit card debt. NO ONE in this country who works should have to suffer the indignity of going bankrupt, having to decide between food or heat.
What is perplexing is the fact that McCain, who supposedly puts "Country First" is not urging the same of the wealthiest in this nation. Maybe putting off the purchase of that next Ferrari is too much of a sacrifice to bear? Paying taxes is a patriotic duty, anyone who thinks otherwise needs to start looking for a new home... on another planet... every government on earth taxes its population.
SOCIALISM refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the creation of an egalitarian society. No one is asking for an equality in salaries here. All we're asking is that the uppermost level of society pay a measly 3% more in taxes.
Some have said that those who work hard and work well should earn more money. I couldn't agree more. But, the CEOs of the major corporations have run these companies into the ground and still continue to demand higher pay. If good CEOs are meant to lose the money that shareholders invest in the company, we might as well start replacing these idiots with trained chimpanzees.
Let's look at the problem of wealth distribution. I am summarizing from the following webpage that the more economically interested can check out in their free time. Look at the wealth distribution by type of asset. 90% of America has 74% of the debt!! If we do not help the bottom 90% soon this nation will be run into the ground. Many of the individuals in the bottom 90% of the income ladder can barely afford to pay the monthly interest charges. Is an extra 3% really that much to ask? How selfish and greedy can you be?
On one final note... I would like to challenge the "tax-cuts for growth crowd." I would like anyone opposed to the Obama plan to find evidence from any economic textbook or peer-reviewed journal article that conclusively demonstrates that lower taxes actually promote economic growth. This is the biggest fallacy that continues to be perpetuated by the Republicans and even many "financial pundits" in the media. Where's the beef??
Ouch! How low will the Republican Party go? Planting a fake plumber at an Obama rally? Time for a little debunking. So it turns out, Joe isn't even a licensed plumber. He only earned $40,000 in 2006, and worst of all, owes $1,183 in back taxes. All of this is in the Toledo Blade report here. I think any journalist should dig deeper into this to see if in fact the GOP paid this liar to appear at the Obama rally and ask his inane question.
Let's look at the facts. In order for Joe the plumber to make a gross salary of $250,000... he would have to earn $684/per day and would have to work all 365 days in the year. Assuming he works 24 hours out of the day, he would need to make $28.54/hour. The median salary for a plumber with over 20 years of plumbing experience... a whopping $21.57
This would mean that even working for every waking second, Joe would need to make over the median wage of a very experienced plumber. Joe, sadly, has no license and little experience, bringing his median wage down to $16.58. Yes, plumbers seem to charge a lot, but, once you factor in their costs, materials, gas, worker wages, health insurance, etc. It really isn't as much as you think.
The blatant McCain trick here is to try to make everyone think that increasing taxes would somehow dampen the American dream and slow growth. So, a company that has the opportunity to make a lot of money would resist growing the business just to avoid paying more taxes? That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Honestly... what economic textbook has anyone read that provides concrete evidence that lower taxes actually promote growth in the economy?! Poppycock, I say!
It's the day after the final debate. One of the questions that I keep facing is "Why should I pay taxes to cover uninsured people?"
Answer: Just the same as car insurance, the more uninsured or underinsured drivers there are in your area, the more money you pay for your insurance premiums. Simply, uninsured individuals run in and use the emergency room and you pay for these people twice! Your tax dollars subsidize the hospital and your premiums go up to cover the spread.
It makes absolutely great sense to provide healthcare to all children, as they do not have a choice whether their parents choose to cover them or not. In fact, not insuring your children is borderline child abuse. By allowing everyone to buy into a national program for less, I can guarantee you that the overall cost to the taxpayer will be far lower.
McCain's plan will cost the taxpayer an ungodly amount for two reasons:
1. Taxing health benefits from employers will cause them to stop paying these benefits completely. I would like to see what health insurance can be bought for $5800. Even the cheapest healthcare runs at least $12,000.
2. No one will want to buy health insurance if I they have to pay $7000 more than they were paying before. When these individuals are rushed to the emergency room with life threatening conditions, we all share and pay for that through our premiums and taxes.
The McCain idea has to be the stupidest I have ever heard. What has become clear up to now is that the conservative agenda is both false and hypocritical. On one hand, they try to reduce government and cut spending, but, when there are costs, they heap it onto the taxpayer anyway. Conservatives are narrow-minded and extremely short-sighted, they ideologically want to reduce government responsibilities and heap it on everyday Americans. Every conservative plan cuts costs up front, but leads to deficits in the future, the Reagan trickle-down economics as a great example.
I said this before, and I'll say it again. We need government to invest in America again and not in the rich, megacorps. We need to believe in ourselves enough again and have the strength to stand up and say "Yes We Can." Every dollar the government invests in us, we will return tenfold, because with an Obama presidency, we can say "WE'RE BACK!"
At the last debate, McCain presented his "new plan" of buying up mortgages and helping people stay in their homes. There seems to be some confusion over the plan and some of the McCain surrogates have pointed out that this is already included in the congressional $700 billion bailout.
Let's be clear... McCain's plan is not the same. He is planning to buy back these mortgages at FULL VALUE from the banks. This means that the banks take NO LOSSES for writing out bad loans. The government will then reduce the value of the home for the owner and reduce the interest rate. If you happened to be the owner of that house, you would lose possibly over 20% of the value in the writedown. So, not only do you already lose money on the house, everyone in the neighborhood will suffer the same price drop!
Verdict = taxpayer loses at the purchase, taxpayer loses in home equity, taxpayer loses in neighborhood home values.
Here's the congressional plan as it stands... Federal government buys up mortgages at 80% of the value. This forces the banks to take a loss, but not have to deal with have a foreclosure, which then makes it the bank's responsibility to sell the house. Having the government buy up the mortgage at a reduced price infuses cash into the bank, allowing them to write out other loans that allow the bank to earn back what would have been the standard 30-year fixed interest rate had they not tried to scam the public. Once these mortgages are stabilized, the federal government can then sell these back to the banks for a profit.
Verdict = bank loses at purchase, bank profits from liquidity, taxpayer profits at sale, neighborhood values move with the markt.
The recent clip of the woman accusing Barack Obama is frightening. John Lewis made a great statement, not in comparing McCain to George Wallace, but the hatred that is generated against Obama that is based purely on race. Even McCain's "defense" of Obama was even more shocking. After a woman calls Obama an Arab, McCain "defended" him by saying that he is not Arab and is a good American. What?? Suddenly, it has become a crime to be an Arab... I am surprised that the response wasn't "what's wrong with being an Arab?" This shows McCain's clear inability to deal with sensitive issues that he is not comfortable with. We harken back to the situation where another crazy lady asked McCain "How we defeat the B****? when referring to Hillary."
This is the way in which the Iraq war is justified. Branding the "Arabs" as a subhuman species, where they are the enemy and their body count is something to be cheered for. It is a sad day when we can see in America that there are some amongst us that do not recognize the value of human life. The men, women, and children in Iraq bleed just like we do... they cry just like we do... They too can be patriotic, just like we are... This is why the actions of the McCain campaign are so dangerous, the dehumanization of another individual purely based on race or ethnicity is exactly what happened during slavery and Jim Crow.
Here's the excuse that you all may hear from the right... Bush had it worse for the last 8 years. He has more hateful things shouted at him.
2 counters for that:
1. Bush received the hatred because of his actions as president, not because of his race. It is a very different situation where you cannot change the color of your skin, but you can change your actions.
2. The linking between terrorism and Obama is clearly a racially motivated action. No one constantly reminds the public that Ayers is white. When the low information voters hear terrorist, they think Black Panthers and Al Qaeda. Both were not white groups.
I understand that McCain cannot control who comes to his rallies. However, it clearly shows that McCain only brings out the worst in this country. This is why John McCain is why we can't afford John McCain. I hope that Arab Americans all across the country take a strong stand against McCain.
Yes, we know that John McCain will not pick Tom Brokaw for Treasure Secretary. Barack Obama has suggested Warren Buffett. I beg to differ...
This is a unique time, there has been a constant view that somehow, picking successful businessmen and businesswomen is a good strategy. Despite the success of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has seen only a small subset of the global economy.
It is time that we start putting academics in these cabinet positions, people who actually understand the theory of economics. This is why for years we have ended up with band-aid economic plans and very short-sighted ideas. An economic professor understands the economy for a global perspective and has very little concern over how a company functions. He/she will then generate policy that will affect the economy, and not the businesses.
There is a fundamental change in thinking that is necessary. Rethinking success and the need to intellectual insight, rather than looking at the profit margin. Yes, a good CEO can make a company a lot of profit, but at what cost? I'm sure that before the recent subprime collapse, the stockholders were cheering on their CEOs. Now these stockholders are angry and asking for blood.
The attitude of "those who can't, teach," has to end. Maybe this will remove the stigma of teachers and put a stronger focus on education once again.
Watching the CNN coverage of the election, I have noticed this constant complaining of the "lack of specifics." As far as I can see, Barack Obama has offered some pretty specific plans. Energy, then healthcare, then entitlements. The plan is simple, take away the tax breaks from the mega-wealthy and use that money for energy research and infrastructure building. The infrastructure building will open up millions of jobs all across the nation.
The government is not here to walk into your house and balance your checkbook for you. JFK's words ring so true right now... "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
Imagine the same situation forty years ago... JFK says that we are going to the moon in 10 years. Did anyone ask him for specifics?? What combustion engine would we use? How would humans handle lower gravity? Where would we find the pressurized suits?? If we apply the same level of cycnism that we have now to JFK, there would have been no trip to the moon.
But what everyone forgets about the space age is that it gave America a techological advantage. Without the trip to the moon, we would not have GPS, our I-Pods, Blackberries, and the list goes on, and on, and on....
Sometimes, in fact most times, the President has no ability to offer specific solutions, Obama is not an economist, JFK was not a rocket scientist. The role of the president is to hire the best people that apply his/her general philosophy and doctrine to shape the process. This is what we call "leadership."
What a great debate performance and gradual decline in the polls for McCain-Palin. Advice to everyone is to keep your eyes on the state polls. I fear that the mass media may be playing up the 264 electoral votes to keep everyone interested in the election until Nov 4.
Two polling webpages have the race as over. Check out Real Clear Politics and FiveThirtyEight.com for more details. In a nutshell, Virginia has pretty much turned blue. Indiana and Missouri will soon follow. I don't understand how the McCain camp hopes to keep up morale on their end and keep their base coming to the poll booth. Pennsylvania is now basically a safe democratic state, I am foreseeing that the McCain campaign will have to pull out of PA in order to put all of their resources into their Florida ground game, especially since they are being outspent on the air.
Shout out to Robert Gibbs for beating down Hannity! Wink!
Noticing that my recent blog posts have been a little too serious, I have decided to take a break from the serious stuff. With the recent Bill Ayers kerfuffle being raised by the McCain-Palin Campaign, I could not resist helping them write up their press statement for the coming week. I apologize in advance to anyone that this piece of humor might offend and I hope that the humor is not lost in the heat of the campaign and is in NO WAY meant to be a statement on behalf of the Obama-Biden campaign.
Press Release
My Friends,
The recent revelations of the tight relationship between Barack Obama and Bill Ayers, the former Weatherman raises serious doubts about Sen. Obama's ability to be commander-in-chief. Sen. Obama clearly shows the desire to sit down with such evil men and have tea. Worst of all, he did this without any preconditions. His sheer lack of patriotism is evident, as Sen. Obama, at age 8, refused to decry the acts of Bill Ayers, and 40 years later, still refuses to act.
These revelations raises questions regarding Sen. Obama's ability to deal with the global terrorist crisis. When seated directly across from a meager, local terrorist, he failed respond and execute a citizen's arrest. How can we expect him to respond to a global terror threat? How would he respond if he were so close to stopping an even bigger terror threat, such as Osama bin Laden??
Here's what Sen. McCain would have done. Knowing the evil man that sat across from him, Sen. McCain would have leapt forth, using all of his (failing grade) skills learned at the Naval Academy and attacked Bill Ayers. Using his mastery of hand-to-hand combat, he would have tied Bill Ayers up and handed him over to the authorities. He would have done this despite being 72 years old, because Sen. McCain always puts his country first.
Gov. Palin would have done the same if she were to ever attend a meeting with Bill Ayers. After putting on her high heels and taking off her gloves, she would have attacked Bill Ayers with hockey stick in hand, like the proverbial pitbull with lipstick that she is. Her husband Todd, swilling a six-pack like popeye's spinach, would have miraculously grown a pair and prevented Bill Ayers from escaping with a fast paced game of patty-cake, giving the governer time to strike him down with her hockey stick.
My friends, the choice for this election is clear. You must pick a team of Mavericks that are ready to act from Day One.
We are constantly bombarded by the "Country First" line at every opportunity possible. But, something astonishing has been the lack of questioning of the McCain-Palin campaign as to what the "Country" means to them. What is America? Who are its people?
Here's my take:
America is not just a country, a piece of land where a group of immigrants decided to congregate. America was founded on a dream. A land where every man, woman, and child was equal when the sunlight shines down on them. America IS the American Dream, a constantly evolving, growing standard, for which continue to aspire to, and that we hope the following generations may someday achieve it.
We are a nation of immigrants. The immigrants came here not to buy into some dream of a better life, or a bigger paycheck. People congregate here because this has always been a nation of dreamers, where no goal is too lofty, with no task too difficult to achieve. Our strength lies in the constant reminder that this dream has not been achieved.
These are frightening times... We have been somehow fed the idea that America is represented by "joe sixpack" and the NRA. That there is somehow, such a thing as an average American. This is a myth, as each and every one of us that make up this great nation is unique, and a testament to the glory of this nation.
That which is becoming dangerous is a view that this dream has somehow been achieved. When we, as a nation, believe that we can no longer do better, we will cease to be the greatest nation on earth. We were founded on a belief that every generation should do better than its predecessors. Let us not lose sight of that which was given to us by our founding fathers. Not our "freedoms" but our neverending desire to make dreams come true.
It was almost impossible to parse through the memorized lines and actually find anything of substance to discuss this morning. However, one little statement that Palin made actually stood out to me. She said that she and John McCain were going to restore American "exceptionalism."
Here comes the critical question... Why should Americans who want to be exceptional again vote for the candidates that are, at best, mediocre?
If you actually break down the debate, there were only 3 words being played over and over again:
1. Maverick
2. Energy
3. Taxes
For those family-oriented folk like me out there... Isn't it scary to see a woman, who wears here family like a badge of honor go right on the attack after the man across from her just talked about losing a child, a wife, and nearly losing his two sons? Palin's family serve as little more than props. She constantly hands her baby off to her youngest child who is barely big enough to hold on the baby properly.
I am sorry, I know that Biden said that we are not to question the motives of other politicians, but, this is RIDICULOUS!
She clearly got the name of the General wrong, got the quote wrong and continued to go on the attack. It is as if she listens to no one, answers to no one. She must be stopped, or America will dissolve like the Soviet Union.
I have noticed that the McCain-Palin campaign is constantly attacking the fact that Washington is broken. Unfortunately, in a democracy, we must constantly keep in mind that our government is a reflection of ourselves. There has been a sudden shift to think that somehow, "joe sixpack" is a viable choice for President of the United States.
America was once a nation that thrived on being the best. We achieved this by giving everyone an opportunity to make good. Barack Obama is an example of this opportunity. Our history has been riddled with the struggles to overcome biases, but, over time, the American spirit of fairness has always come through.
We must constantly remind ourselves and everyone we come in contact with that our President is the face of America. Every aspect of this great nation is reflected in the demeanor, intellect, judgment, and diplomacy of our President. Over the last 8 years, our standing in the world has been weakened so greatly by a President that barely has a mastery over the English language and makes the world think that America is populated by a bunch of cowboy buffoons. Worst of all, Bush was born and raised in Connecticut.
This election year, we are faced with a candidate who barely graduated from the Naval Academy and a VP who barely graduated college. Their meager command of US and world history makes one shudder at their capacity not to repeat the mistakes that stand out clearly in the pages of our history books.
The choice this year is actually much simpler than the economy, or judgment, or experience... it is a moment for us to search our souls. A time to find out who we really are as Americans, and what we aspire to be. Our plea to those who might side with the McCain campaign is that their choice not be made for selfish reasons, just to have "a president who is like me." Those who truly put their country first will realize that this election will be a defining moment for generations to come.
The pervasive fear over the bailout is actually starting to reveal some other underlying problems in America. Before 2000, I doubt anyone would question whether this plan would return a profit, as Americans would immediately feel confident in their ability to rebound and get our economy up and running in 5 years, tops.
What is evident here is that the self-belief that once defined our nation is gone. We are now at the point where "Drill, Baby, Drill" is actually a strategy that is not laughed out of the room. We have to stop being afraid of believing in ourselves and go back to the days of Kennedy where we went to the moon in 10 years.
Fear has run our lives for the last 8 years. American has cried enough tears over 9/11, Katrina, Rita, and Ike. We have bled enough blood and sweated enough to stain every inch of this great nation and colored the sands of Iraq and Afghanistan. Our time to rise again is now. It is time to cast away the shackles of fear and to embrace the true soul of America once more. It is time to realize that we only cannot achieve what we choose not to do. It is time to believe, not just in ourselves, but in each other, and it is time we got off our knees and defeat the terrorists. Not through bombs or soldiers, but through a clear, resounding demonstration that the American spirit is unbreakable. This great nation's strength lies in its ability to come together, 1st generation, 2nd, 3rd, Native American, and immigrant alike, when we are all called to a cause greater than our own.
Change is not what we need. Believe again, America... Believe...
