Hi my name is Sally. I started this group in order to highlight the issues that caregivers see as the most important. Please keep blogs on this page positive.
I care for my mother. I am one of the growing numbers in the “sandwich” generation. My son has Aspergers, so I now feel like I have 2 children that are both adults. Healthcare is one of the biggest items for me as I have no health insurance. Yet it is not only having affordable healthcare that is important it is having high quality healthcare. There is no need to give up quality healthcare just so everyone can have healthcare.
Education is another issue that I feel is very important, especially special education. Educators need more research and education on how to teach children with different learning styles. Some of our brightest inventors have had learning differences. Classes need to be small to insure that all students get a high quality education.
Caregivers are a tired group of people how need to be heard and cared for. If you are like me your job is 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Even if you get a chance to get away you are still worried or focused on those that you care for.
“We will not elect a person with an Arab sounding name as president.” This is the response I got when I asked my sisters new boyfriend what he thought about Barack Obama. I was at a loss as to how to respond to this at first. I often need some time to formulate a reply. As I had a long drive ahead of me I thought about how I should have responded to this question and how to do so in the future.
The notion that we will only elect a president with a white sounding name is a joke. The United States is not so narrow minded that we can not see past a name. Would you hold your vote back from a candidate because his name was George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or John Kennedy?
We have been able to see beyond race and names in electing Governors, and Senators. We are a melting pot of different countries. We are African-Americans, Native-Americans, Arab-Americans, German-Americans, Asia-Americans, and Hispanic-Americans. So why is it so hard to believe that we can not elect a president that is not white, and has a name that does not sound white.
The only reason that we cannot elect a person like Barack Obama is because we as a nation do not like or believe in his views on the issues. If we like the political views but are afraid to vote for a person based on an Arab sounding name then the terrorists have won, if we cannot see past a child being enrolled in an Islamic school for a few years than the terrorists have won. If we cannot see beyond the ethic background or the color of a person’s skin, then the terrorists, Hitler, and racists have won, and I would no longer wish to be a citizen of this nation because it would no longer be the greatest nation.
I watched Obama’s campaign announcement on TV and the first person I thought of was JFK. Reading his book The Audacity of Hope I was already a supporter based on his views about the growing political divide in US politics. But the more I hear and read and see of him the more I like him and his positions.
I was out of town and unable to see Obama in CR at Kennedy. I am very jealous of my friend for being able to go. I have been talking about Obama for the last couple of weeks. She now knows why I like him and wants to volunteer for his campaign. She really wants him to beat Clinton because like so many of us she is getting sick of the Bush, Clinton stronghold on the Whitehouse.
In reading his book The Audacity of Hope it is bringing me a better understanding of what it is to be an American and what the nation stands for. We have forgotten the struggle of our forefathers and feel that the government has been corrupted by the rich and special interest groups with money. The government is being hijacked by the rich and powerful and the average and below average American is forced to take on the burden and pay the price.
We have lost the focus of what is important in the bid to get more money and power for ourselves. America was founded for the common good of all. We need to think of what that means for today. If the founders of the country where alive today what would that do? If we had to start over and build the US again for the common good of all its citizens what would that look like? I believe that Barack Obama is the only candidate that truly understands what it means to compromise and find common ground. He is the only candidate that has a proven record of working with both parties and all sides of an issue to make positive changes possible.
This country needs to see beyond the issues and look to the foundation it is rotting and we need a man that can fix it and I believe that Barack Obama is that man. It is said that all politics is local and Obama wants to build his campaign in the local communities just like his days as a community organizer. Let’s get out there and organize the community. Together we can help build a more perfect union.
