Here is a suggestion for use in creating more jobs in the US.
1. Find out what jobs and how many were lost in outsourcing.
2. Determine how many companies closed their doors and why
3. Inventory job skills for the unemployed
4.Determine tooling needs to re-establish a manufacturing base here fo: a) new technology b) existing but lost manufacturing c) current but struggling manufacturing
5. Freeze the minimum wage
6. Establisha process for building well built new energy efficient small homes and a reduced price for the working class.
7. Raise taxes on those making more than $250,000/year
8. Create long range Small Business Startup assistance program using experienced consultants to goal mark the business development proces include financial help on a decreasinf scale.
9. Where progress is too slow have a team of experts get it back on track.
We had our national day of service in tiny Creswell, Oregon. We collected over 500 pounds of food and and a huge box of socks, scarves, gloves and school supplies for the elementary school. We passed out fliers in front of Bi-Mart and employee owned store here in Creswell.
I got to thinking about the employees of Circuit City and other companies being forced to close. What better way to renew America than to help the employees keep these business establishments going as an employee owned business. Perhaps it's impossible maybe not. The companies have most of what is needed to keep going and if their communities knew perhaps they would choos them first.
Then again maybe not but I think it's worth a look.
OK here are some things I'd like to know.
1. Will Barack go Big and Bold of Tiny and Tepid?
2. Will the democratic leaders vote their hearts or heads or both or none of the above.?
3. Will Jimmy Carter's reputation and actions be reviewed and renewed (Tire of Reagan effusion).
4. Will the government make the transition to renewables affordible for everyone?
5. I have an M.B.A. - can I work on the transition?
6. Will the field organizers for the campaign ever forget what they accomplished - they are special?
7. Will the Democratic Party leaders and Congressional members stand up for their own beliefs and stop playing partisan games and encourage the Republicans to do the same. (Compromise doesn't mean you stand for nothing?
8. Will Barack promise to listen to Dennis Kucinich's ideas they are excellent though not politically accepted?
9. What will be done to align wages and SS benefits with the cost of living well?
10. When can Barack and Michelle come visit my home?
We all think we know what Barack should do first. He's connected so well with his supporters we all think he will do what we think is best. The next few months the president-elect will be defining his Mission statement that will tell us the general direction and temperament of his administration. The Mission will be clearly defined if Barack Obama is the pragmatist I believe him to be.At the same time he will be looking for a staff and cabinet who will mesh with the mission he has defined.
After the Staff and cabinet are selected they will all get together to clearly define the Strategic Objectives that shoud be an outgrowth of the mission statement. Strong personalities will hammer out what needs to come firstand what approach they expect to follow. There will be opposition for sure because 10 years of control is hard to change. I do believe with strong leadershipand a good strategy Barack can succeed in bringing back American values of self reliance, ingenuity and social responsibility to those of us who who desire a better America. This is a great country helping each other isn't socialism any more than self-reloance is beinf anti-social(ism).
The Tactics employed in achieving goals and the Operational steps we take will determine success of all the plans that are made. This is where the average citizen plays a part in giving feedback to the government and participating by understanding what is best for our country,region, state, county and city/town. Many of us reduced the use of energy and there are small thing that add up. Properly inflating tires, driving at slower speeds when we can, recycling, proper maintenance of home and autos and many other things. Most important is by becoming knowledgeable about the issues facing the country.
There is a wealth of good information if we can learn to consider the source of that information we hear, read or see. Chain letters are rarely fact and keeping our minds open to ideas is what has made the US a great country.
Barack Obama is a great communicator and will not hide his plans from the country he serves so lets see if we can listen, understand and act for the good of us all.
Is it too hard to see the relationship of wages and Jobs to the current debt crisis?
Why did banks and lending institutions have to resort to "sub-prime" loans? Why did the term "Sub-prime" come into existence? Are those who ended up with sub-prime loans get there because the sellers wanted more money and lenders wanted to increase profits - in the short run?
So in order to keep the market "hot" and priced rising the stop-gap was to lower the interest rate and loosen regulations on lending so more people would be in the market for a new home.
The really sad thing about this economic meltdown is that those who stoked the market beyond reason are the ones we are bailing out.Richard Fuld (Lehman), E. Stanley O'Neal (Merrill Lynch), Chuck Prince (Citigroup) and Jimmy Cayne (Bear Stearns) left their firms with $311 million. That's roughly a third of a billion for four men. Add Carly Fiorina and you have$356 million and one woman
So now we will help the failing companies with taxpayer money. So those citizens will not only lose their homes but also will be asked to pay the freight along with other citizens barely getting by so the wealthy can keep their heads high and small stockholders lose their nesteggs and retirement.
Wouldn't it have been better for everyone if we didn't ship jobs overseas so workers had some stability and means of getting affordable loans. If the jobs stayerd home and wages were better profits may not have been as large but still enough to grow good companies.
Do you think stockholders would have prefered stable profits and reliable dividends to secure their futures, well maybe not while the market was good but how about now.
I thought about the bailout being made to the homeowners losing their homes to pay the portion of their mortgage that they could not pay no more than half the payment and then the loan sharks would get their money but it woulds come from the debtors and the debtors would have a chance of being OK for the short term.
Couple that with bringing jobs back to this country and maybe we could all survive.
What the Republicans forgot was that commerce is financed from the bottom up by consummers and the products that make money are made by workers and managers. It's the executives that really do the least productive but still an important job.
THe Republican Party's belief that regulation isn't necessary is a false argument unless we were back in slavery, feudal times and the days of company stores. Free Market sounds good but the only free thing in a free market is Greed. Supply and Demand sounds good and at times it's not a bad idea but when the product is Health, Housing, Food and Energy demand is a captive audience.
Wow I said much more than my simple thought that Secure Jobs and decent wages are the best solution to the economic woes of America. I believe Barack Obama is the right person to get this done.
Sorry for the long rant butit felt goo. No go help campaign for Barack/Joe and vote.
I listened to Sarah Palin's reading of the speech written for her and in the middle of all the spin and junk attacking Barack she did say one thing the Republican doesn't support but gives plenty of lip service to.
That's respect for the average working person who stands up all day or works with their hands. This is the text:
"They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America ... who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars. They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America."
Now Barack has shown to his sipporters a committment to this community of Working Class Heroes and everything he says about the economy verifies that belief. His work as a community proves a dedication to these heroes of our country - the backbone of America. I do think the breakthrough our party need is implicitly state this fact and show a respect and honor for those who for whatever reason can't or didn't benefit from a superior education.
The Democratic Party was always the party of the people and lost some support from this group during the years of equal opportunity (I am proud the party finally took a stand. Until we can show our belief all people who work hard or want to work hard as equal and not inferior we will will be seen as a party of elitists.
I value my education it means a lot to me but I also value the mechanic who makes my car run well and the farmer who gives us food and the barber who cuts my hair and the clerks in all the stores where I shop. I value the military who defends us and comes to our aid in disasters and the police who make our streets safe. I value those with solid moral beliefs (althought none of us are perfecy) who help us see the better part of being human.
I'll give credit to the other party in their honorable words but I am just as sure we and our leaders need to be specific about all Americans we can't find unity or make a meaningful change unless we honor those we disagree with and find the keys to tolerance.
More people have lost their jobs due to downsizing than ever have from equal opportunity efforts.
Go Barack I'll listen for your words to the Working Class Heroes of this country next speech.
Gilbert Roland, Dana Andrews and "the kid" are getting hung by a possie Henry and Harry (Fonda and Morgan) are in the possie but disagree on hanging the presumed rustlers. Well as the story goes Henry and Harry can't save the three and just after they all die the Sheriff rides in to tell the possie the killers were already caught.
Unlike 12 angry men where Henry Fonda preails and the presumed killer is vindicated and allowed to live the Ox Bow Incident was a tragedy and an act that cannot be reversed.
For some reason both movies stuck in my mind and perhaps other minds as well. Thought and reason should prevail when contemplating life or death. I've seen that thoughtful judgement in Barack Obama but I am sad to say I have not in John McCain who glefully sang "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, bomb Iran."
I would think a person who suffered horribly in the Viet Nam War would be more thoughtful. I don't mean lip service like "It's not an easy thing to put our troops in harms way." When we drop bombs all over Baghdad or anywhere else we kill innocents. When it is absolutly necessary after we have been attacked I personally hate that act but I can at least understand.
We as a nation should have better morals than to condemn innocent civilians to death. I guess I just don't understand the eagerness to go to war. I guess I also can't understand spending billions when people at home are sufferin. Heck just delve into the Katrina disaster and the deaths and lost homes of those hit so hard with no money to get by. Maybe we can give a prize of $10,000 to anyone who can solve that mess.
If a news story should have legs this is it.
John McCain Criticizes Barack Obama on Judgment especially Military and Geo-political! Barack Obama was received so well in Europe the headline should be about how he is revered amongst our allies but all we got was Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton. Now I guess the McCain people think it's OK to make fun of these young women and his opposition for president but anyone who saw the Paris Hilton response must wonder if McCain is over matched against her. The real legs (Not Paris') I think is in John McCain's lack of JUDGMENT regarding the military and geo-politics. John McCain touts David H. Petraeus strategy and rightfully praises the surge as reducing violence. What John McCain doesn't mention is his (McCain's) lack of support of General Shinseki at the beginning of the war and his (McCain's) glowing support of Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. If his (McCain's) judgement is so good he could have shortened the unnessary war by probably four or five years. Yet he did not. If his judgemet is so fantastically wonderful why did we even go to war with Iraq and why did we call it a war on terror? Why is General Petraeus' Surge any different that General Shinseki's original plan that was made fun of by Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and supported by John McCain? Please read the excerpts and wonder how in the heck John McCain can question Barack Obama's judgment or even present himself as a expert on the military, geopolitics or even Czechoslovakia (No longer Czechoslovakia but two separate Republics - Czech Republic and Slovak Republic) The bigger question for the public and media is why can't we see the farce of someone who has been so wrong on so many things (John McCain attacking the judgment of another (Barack Obama) who was so right about this Pre-Emptive War. Article #1
"McCain is a longtime member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Before the war, Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki famously warned that committee that the Bush Administration planned to invade Iraq with vastly fewer troops than needed. General Shinseki got trashed by Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and the rest of the military hobbyists running the Pentagon. McCain, more than anyone in Washington, could have stood up for General Shinseki and changed history. As a Republican, a veteran, a war hero, an ex-POW, a longtime member of the Armed Services committee, and a supposed maverick, McCain had unique moral authority to step up and insist that we go to war with enough troops. But the maverick didn't step up. Given a choice between General Shinseki's professional judgment and Rumsfeld's amateur judgment, McCain picked the amateur. Rumsfeld's gone now, discredited. But somehow McCain is still here, re-packaged as a visionary, and possibly on his way to the White House. It's stupefying." ~ by David Quigg published in The Huffington Post
"In February 2003, Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee and said several hundred thousands soldiers would likely be needed to maintain order in post-invasion Iraq. Shinseki was publicly criticized by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, and was forced into an early retirement. In October 2002, Rumsfeld ordered the military's regional commanders to rewrite all of their war plans to capitalize on precision weapons, better intelligence, and speedier deployment in the event the United States decided to invade Iraq. The goal was to use fewer ground troops, a move that caused dismay among some in the military, who said that concern for the troops requires overwhelming numerical superiority to assure victory. Rumsfeld refused to listen to his military commanders, saying that his plan would allow the military "to begin combat operations on less notice and with far fewer troops than thought possible - or thought wise - before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks," the New York Times reported in its October 13, 2002, edition. Military officials viewed Rumsfeld's approach as injecting too much risk into war planning and said it could result in US casualties that might be prevented by amassing larger forces. McCain who claims he was critical of Rumsfeld’s war plans, was actually an early backer the former defense secretary’s approach. McCain said against sending a large number of U.S. soldiers into Iraq, telling Larry King in an interview on Dec. 9, 2002 “I don't think you're going to have to see the scale of numbers of troops that we saw, nor the length of the buildup, obviously, that we had back in 1991.” Moreover, McCain told a reporter for the Hartford Courant on March 5, 2003 that he has “no qualms about our strategic plans. I thought we were very successful in Afghanistan.” That statement contradicts assertions McCain has made on the campaign trail claiming he was critical of the way the former defense secretary managed the war. “I believe [Rumsfeld] has done a good job in the early stages of the war,” McCain said during an appearance on Fox News’s “The Big Story” on May 4, 2004. A few weeks after the March 2003 invasion, McCain spoke to Today Show host Katie Couric and told her that he believed Iraqis “will greet us as liberators.” “I believe that they will have an opportunity over time, and it will be difficult, to realize the same hopes and dreams and aspirations that every person in the world has and deserves the opportunity to live in a free and open society,” McCain said in a March 20, 2003 interview. McCain continued to defend the Bush administration’s policies toward Iraq until November 2006, when public support began to wane and when it became clear Democrats—who had just won majority control of both Houses of Congress—would try and force the administration to set a timetable for withdrawal. McCain urged the commander-in-chief to resist calls for removing troops from the region." ~ by Jason Leopold published in The Public Record
"On Feb. 25, 2003, then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki famously warned the Senate Armed Services Committee that "several hundred thousand" soldiers would be needed to take and hold Iraq. Rumsfeld publicly disagreed with Shinseki's estimate. If McCain shared Shinseki's position, he didn't say so at the time. "I have no qualms about our strategic plans," he told the Hartford Courant in a March 5 article, just before the invasion. "I thought we were very successful in Afghanistan." And while he was quiet about Shinseki, McCain shouted down some naysayers who proved to be much more prescient than he. On the cusp of the invasion, West Virginia Democrat Sen. Robert Byrd took to the Senate floor on March 19, 2003, to denounce the war. It was a speech that predicted the future debacle so accurately that it now seems that the senior senator from West Virginia had a crystal ball in his Senate desk. "We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many," Byrd warned. "After the war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe." McCain pounced, taking to the Senate floor to predict that "when the people of Iraq are liberated, we will again have written another chapter in the glorious history of the United States of America." By June 2003, McCain was still generally in the "Mission Accomplished" camp. "I have said a long time that reconstruction of Iraq would be a long, long, difficult process," he told Fox News on June 11. "But the conflict, the major conflict is over ... The regime change is accomplished." By Mark Benjamin in Salon.com
"In early 2003, then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki said planned troop levels for the coming war were inadequate. Many thought he was fired for his outspokenness. McCain didn't back him or other military leaders who voiced similar questions. Instead, he denounced war critics, and on June 11, 2003 - shortly after Bush appeared on an aircraft carrier under a "Mission Accomplished" banner - McCain agreed on Fox News, saying "The major conflict is over. ... The regime change is accomplished." He predicted weapons of mass destruction would soon be found. Asked about that in a Tampa Tribune interview recently, McCain said, "I supported the war because like every intelligence agency in the world I believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. "But the point is ... I saw early on that we were going to fail unless we got more troops over with a different strategy." by William March Tampa Bay Online
"Breaking the post-Vietnam covenant of the judicious use of the American military, the Bush White House and its civilian minions in the Pentagon — Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Douglas Feith — plunged the military into a war the Pentagon brass did not want. Full of arrogance, the civilian leadership dismissed the analyses regarding planning for both the war and its occupation aftermath that Army chief of staff Eric Shinseki, Marine General Anthony Zinni, and dozens of military officers and Middle Eastern experts meeting at the Army War College and the National Defense University, provided them, as Thomas E. Ricks has discussed in his book Fiasco: the American military adventure in Iraq. With the war now in its sixth year, Army General Petraeus, testifying before the Senate in April, candidly stated that it continued "to contain countless sectarian fault lines." Making no claim to a forthcoming end of the war, Petraeus reported to the Senate, "We haven't turned any corner. We haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel." In contrast to the general's sober assessment, President Bush and Sen. John McCain's viewpoint is less layered; they see the war as a teleological struggle between terrorism and liberty. In truth, al-Qaida terrorists are only a small factor in today's Iraq. Of far greater significance are the sectarian fault lines of which Petraeus spoke." by Fred Jordan in the tennessean.com
John McCain reminds me of the Wizard of OZ in reverse where the image on the giant screen is a kindly old man and the person behind the curtain looks more like Dick Cheney on meth and LSD and carrying a machine gun.
Barack Obama, however has been categorized as a radical liberal a little like the Tin Man - too cerebral. If you listen to him you will quickly realize he isn't the bleeding heart radical but more like Vince Lombardi or who pushed and expected more of his team and won the Superbowl.
It's said Barack Obama is going negative. I hate to tell everyone but there isn't an issue of negative and positive here but there is an issue of truth and perception. The closer perception come to truth the better Obama looks compared to the hostile McCain. It's not negative to show John McCain for who he is as opposed to treating Obama like who he isn’t. Portraying Barack as an unpatriotic novice especially after his views about how to fight terrorism have proven to be correct . McCain can boast about the Surge but if it really worked we should be able to leave now. Nothing was won other than a temporary suppression of violence and the need to stay forever as a military presence. How many other soldiers will die for the honor of making Osama Bin Laden a famous person in the eyes of our enemies and Al Qaeda a gathering point for the scum of the world?
If our goal is to defeat terrorism rather than just suppressing violence The Surge was not the answer to fighting terrorism but only a stop-gap. John Kerry's view of police action and not military wars is the wrong direction (Verified by the Rand Corporation)
"But military force has not undermined al Qa'ida. As of 2008, al Qa'ida has remained a strong and competent organization. Its goal is intact: to establish a pan-Islamic caliphate in the Middle East by uniting Muslims to fight infidels and overthrow West-friendly regimes. It continues to employ terrorism and has been involved in more terrorist attacks around the world in the years since September 11, 2001, than in prior years, though engaging in no successful attacks of a comparable magnitude to the attacks on New York and Washington.
Al Qa'ida's resilience should trigger a fundamental rethinking of U.S. strategy. Its goal of a pan-Islamic caliphate leaves little room for a negotiated political settlement with governments in the Middle East. A more effective U.S. approach would involve a two-front strategy: * Make policing and intelligence the backbone of U.S. efforts. Al Qa'ida consists of a network of individuals who need to be tracked and arrested. This requires careful involvement of the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as their cooperation with foreign police and intelligence agencies.
* Minimize the use of U.S. military force. In most operations against al Qa'ida, local military forces frequently have more legitimacy to operate and a better understanding of the operating environment than U.S. forces have. This means a light U.S. military footprint or none at all. Key to this strategy is replacing the war-on-terrorism orientation with the kind of counter terrorism approach that is employed by most governments facing significant terrorist threats today. Calling the efforts a war on terrorism raises public expectations — both in the United States and elsewhere — that there is a battlefield solution. It also tends to legitimize the terrorists' view that they are conducting a jihad (holy war) against the United States and elevates them to the status of holy warriors. Terrorists should be perceived as criminals, not holy warriors." ~ Rand Corporation
Change is hard, admitting mistakes is harder, sacrifice and hard work is not easy. The sooner we face what we need to do to bring this country the sooner we will see our future improve. Vote Obama!
I'd love to have the opportunity to sit and talk with Barack and his advisors as an equal. I remember years ago going to the Terrace Sidewalk cafe on South Main Street with my friends Vincent, John Paul, George and wish I could say Ringo. We would go there for coffee and conversation and talk about our hopes and dreams.
Such high hopes for us kids from Houston's near north side. We all worked hard and did ok and like most people had some successes and some disappointments. We still hung out together when I met my wife and for the years my wife and I still lived in Houston. We were still up till 2:00am talking and dreaming then John Kennedy was shot just as the world seemed better despite the Cold War.
Then Lyndon Johnson, who criticized for Viet Nam, pushed through Civil Rights Legislation.
That war and that legislation ripped our country apart and labeled those who wanted peace and human rights as "pinko commies" and "bleeding heart liberals." The Nixon administration divided this country and - in my opinion - committing criminal acts.
I see so much of those sixties today and so much of John Kennedy and a bit of Bobby in Barack. I have no doubt about his ability to reason and seek out counsel from the best people this country has. I'm not concerned about his VP choice even though I have a preference.
More than anything I had to think of Barack's appearance with Rick Warren at Saddleback. I listened as he talked and saw another person who cared and was thoughtful. His charm is not just from his wisdom, experiential life, or speaking style. I think I like him best because he hasn't pigeonholed his life, family, beliefs, this country, or the world.
He isn't dogmatic nor is he passionless. He is kind but not weak and can give a speech with power or carry on a conversation like the one with Warren as if they were friends at the Old Terrace Sidewalk cafe with friends.
I only wish I could be there in person for his inauguration and sit with him for at least one hour and talk about the days spent with friends favorite movies and ask how I can help in my own small way.
Go Barack -
The Obama Crew in Creswell, Oregon participated in the Salsa Contest at the Coast Fork Cowboy Festival in Creswell, Oregon Thursday July 31. It was a chance to also use the booth for registering new voters as well as show an Obama presence in the city.Mandy our fearless leader tried the Obama Blueberry Salsa prepared by Sharyn (in the straw hat) and did give a thumbs-up.
Earlier Carol and Mandy made sure the redistration cards and signs were in place.
Mandy being a stickler for sign placement tried several spots for maximum effectivenes
All the volunteers had a great time and we did sign up a few voters and would have had three more until we discovered they were tourists from Holland.
There are two important dynamics going on in the Republican attacks on Barack Obama and I an sure Barack's supporters have seen through the facade.
Personal character attacks have picked up but I want to note a few of the more subtle and hidden attacks that are really more insidious. Its not new to McCain but its the "Words not Substance," "Young and Inexperienced" junk that has been around for quite a while. It is how you attack a person whose ideas and judgement cannot be attacked directly. So McCain cannot attack the message but is instead attacking the messenger.
The latest is that Obama is arrogant.I suspect its because he looked Presidential at all stops on the overseas visit.I thought he looked comfortable. Now if he had looked too loose they would have attacked him as less than impressive.
I wonder if when Barack went overseas if the machine was already rolling and planning it's attack ads. I carried it further to the false and misleading statements about ignoring the troops. Don't you wish you had insight into devious minds of the attack dogs. I'd love to get a copy of the ad they planned if Barack had visited the troops in the hospital. I think it would go something like this:
"Obama uses troops for his own political advantage."
I suppose it's all a dispicable game being played by people who could care less about they love to fool.
I am getting tired of the press doing their best to keep the playing field level by proping up McCain and pushing Barack down by repeating the political conjecture based on anything other than the truth
Just got word Barack will be in Eugene tomorrow. I'm excited about attending. Tonight is canvasing in Creswell - sounds a little like Christmas Carolling should be good exercise and we will feel like we are having the passion to stand up for what we believe.
I guess the new John "Mr Clean" McCain straight talk express comments are attacking Barack because a Hamas leader likes Obama. I wonder who Charlie Manson likes this year. Perhaps by November the attacks will look a bit like this "Barack once lived in the same country with Squeaky Frome?"
Well the attacks will continue and I'll keep my blood pressure in check as I see Barack Obama, perhaps the best candidate for President in my Old White Catholic Life (b: 1943)
Yes We Can
