Hi All,
I'm Dominic. I haven't wrote on here in some time, but I wanted to voice myself now before the election. There is one big lie that the Republicans always use during campaigns and that is to say that Democrats will be bad for small business or business in general. Not so. All we have to do is look at the last eight years as a model. We are on the brink of the Second Great Depression (unlikely now due to bailout legislation that will cost us big time) and even the world is economically in trouble.
I can give you one specific example of how the GOP is bad for small business. The horrible economy forced the principals of the small firm I worked for in Philadelphia to lay me off (my first real job, fresh out of college, after four months) and then most recently, they were forced to cut the other interns (including one who had 6 years there). Now, all they have left is my former bosses and principals (Mary and Kurt) , one project manager (Teisha), and a secretary. I have not talked to them in about a month or so, but I know they are likely in danger of going under or having to suspend their firm until they get work. I really don't think they are worried about Bill Ayers and Obama supposedly raising taxes on everyone.
So please let's not be bamboozled with nonsense. The GOP is bad for most businesses except big oil and the big corporations and ceo's on wall street.
On a lighter note, after moving back home to Ct in July, it seems like I finally have a job lined up as an Office Admin. Assistant on a construction site. It's not an architecture firm, but it is good enough for now.
Yes We Can!!
-Dominic Cacioppo, Jr.
I posted the story of this previously but it seemed to have disappeared or I put it under another e-mail address and I forgot about it.
The weekend of September 13th I traveled from Albany, NY (upstate) to Brooklyn to attend the Camp Obama at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Despite problems with directions (Brooklyn has both a Willoughby Street and Avenue in totally different areas) and 3 hours wandering on arthritic feet I arrived at the location only one hour late.
I have to be honest I was seriously pissed off because I was not given the proper information. But as soon as I arrived I was welcomed, listened to, apologized to and invited in. The first exercise was about the story of self, in small groups people were telling each other why they support Barack Obama. Some spoke of horrid health care stories, others about the Iraq war, others about the right to choose.
I quietly sat by myself and thought of my own stories of self..... my own opposition to the Iraq war from the beginning... I knew they were lying....or my healthcare nightmare spanning the past 14 years or my being a contemporary of Michelle Obama when she was known as Michelle Robinson at Princeton. She is class of '85, I am class of '86. I always admired her and I figured any man worthy of her to marry must be very special. Personally I think Michelle would make an excellent President too. Well maybe someday.
I also attended Camp Obama with some excitement but very little real hope that he could win. I am 43 just old enough to have become politically aware during the Watergate scandal. I just remember being amazed
Dear Obama supporters,
I have come up with what I believe to be an unusual and yet obvious way to garner votes for Barack. I am calling it the 'Friends and Family plan'. Choose an issue close to your heart, and simply write a general, personal letter to your friends and family to whom you think may be on the fence this election season.
Send the letter regular mail...NO EMAIL! It will have greater impact. In the letter, simply ask for them to vote for your cause this time around through Barack. Sounds a little crazy, I know. But you would be amazed at how many times I hear how some republican and independent friends are just not thrilled with McCain. So why not simply ask them for their vote this year? If they do not exhibit passion about voting this year, but plan on voting, ask them to throw the vote your way this time.
The secret is to be non-political, contrite, polite and personal. When it’s personal and not ‘Us’ versus ‘them’ people will respond because you have put a face to this election.
If every one of the 2.5 million Obama contributors convinced one person, that would be the election right there!
Here is my letter:
Dear (Friend, or Family member),
Everyone knows that it is perhaps not polite to discuss politics with people to whom you are not sure of where they stand. I have utmost respect for the personal act of voting. If you have made a decision this year for whom you will be voting, then you have thought this election through, and I commend you for that. However, if you have not made a decision, and are not particularly happy with your choices this year, then I wanted to take the time to do something very unorthodox. I want to explain to you my reasons for voting for Barack Obama.
As many of you know, being Gay or Lesbian in this country we are not entitled to thousands of rights that most non-gay people take for granted. For years, Sam and I have had to jump through hoops in terms of attaining some of those rights through proper channels. Here is a small example of what I had to go through one day. I was riding my bike and a car cut me off, I landed on my head and had to be hauled away in an ambulance. My first reaction was that I would be in the hospital alone, and Sam would not be able to get in. I remember asking the staff there, while in shock to be sure to allow him to see me. Now, my first reaction should have been, what is the extent of the injury, and how do I heal. Not wondering whether or not I will be alone for all of this because of some archaic Florida law. That is one example. The fact of the matter is, simply by virtue of my birthing order, I have had to jump through unnecessary hoops, constantly. Hoops that if the general public had to deal with on a daily basis, there would be no less than rioting in the streets. I have many reasons for voting the way I do, this is one very personal example.
It’s no secret that this election year is important, however if it does not exactly matter to you who you vote for this time around, I am asking you to throw your vote my way, and Sam’s way. It means an opportunity to get the wheels of our cause moving again in a major way. A cause that has been ground to a halt for eight long years.
I know your major concerns are small government and taxes. So take it from one who has truly done his homework on this election. Your taxes will actually decrease under Barack Obama’s plan, and our government will be fixed by someone who is not beholden to special interests and lobbyists. There is little to no conflict of interest.
Thanks for your time-
Love,
Mark
Nice blog posts about some issues that aren't getting much play yet in the election:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/nancyfinegood/gG59hH
I have one house with a mortgage.
I'm an architect and I sometimes design houses, big ones, for wealthy people. They often have two or three houses. Or even four. And maybe a timeshare condo.
I also design buidings for developers and landlords. They have lots of houses and condos and apartment buildings and often house their family members and firends and business associates in them. These are often held in ownership by various corporate entities and agents, for tax purposes. These are people who live around the tax laws, all very legal, but not quite ethical either. Especially compared to those of us with a house and a mortgage.
John McCain isn't like me. He's not like "normal" wealthy people. He's a business. His wife is a business. They seem to think like abusiness, as in: "I have my staff count the houses." When you are a business, it's not really clear anymore. I'm not so clear about John McCain.
When I watched the interviews of Barack Obama and John McCain by the pastor of the Saddle Back Church, Rick Warren the primary talent that stood out the most to me is Barack O's diplomacy. John McCain exhibited no diplomacy at all when the issue of evil was questioned. He just said "Beat It". It is not as simple as that. Any accomplishment is a process and can not be done all at once.
I remember a story that I was told in grade school about two frogs in a cream can filled with cream. One frog swam consistently and eventually the cream turned to butter and he was sitting on top. The second frog battled the process trying to get out quickly and consequently was buried when the cream turned to butter. I think that is how the story went. The two frogs, McCain and Barack O.
That's my two cents for what it is worth.
When Colorado voters were deciding whether to require that 10 percent of the state's electricity come from renewable fuels, the state's largest utility fought the proposal, warning that any shift from coal and natural gas would be costly, uncertain and unwise. Then a funny thing happened. The ballot initiative passed, and Xcel Energy met the requirement eight years ahead of schedule. And at the government's urging, its executives quickly agreed to double the target, to 20 percent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/17/AR2008081702193.html?hpid=topnews
I’ve seen some of the following questions posed on other sites, and thought they were pretty good questions and a fair way to address which candidate would be best to serve our country. With that in mind, here are the questions, and my answers with information to back them up. Please ponder these questions for yourself, and forward them to your friends.
Which candidate shows more intelligence? Barack Obama, there should be no argument here. Barack Obama has a law degree from Harvard and has taught constitutional law. McCain graduated at the bottom of his Naval Academy class. Having a president who understands the constitution would be a refreshing change.
Which candidate proposes the best economic plan? Barack Obama again, he has provided detailed information about his proposals, and his tax plan will only increase taxes if you make more than $250,000 regardless of what untruths McCain tries to spread. I’m not near that tax bracket, and if I were I would expect to pay a little more. Although the McCain team will try to say that Senator Obama has no details or experience, it is actually McCain who provides little or no detail about his proposals. He says we need wind, solar, etc. etc. but he provides no detail about how to implement such programs, just drill, drill everywhere, and drill now.
Which candidate has the highest stature throughout the world? Barack Obama, hands down. Don’t think I need to say anything else. Although Paris Hilton may have more celebrity status, I’m not taking her candidacy too seriously.
Which candidate has the best family values based on their history? Barack Obama wins this category as well. He’s had only one wife; doesn’t have a history of ‘carousing’ and chasing women. McCain left his first wife after she was injured in an accident and immediately set out to get another trophy wife. He lied to his future wife about his age and his marital status.
Which candidate is better prepared to serve as president? While many argue that Barack Obama does not have enough experience, the facts would argue otherwise. Depending on your affiliation you might disagree with this list, but arguably the following presidents have been considered ‘good’: Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, Woodrow Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Barack Obama has similar government experience to each of these leaders. On the other end, presidents such as Gerald Ford, James Buchanan, and James Monroe all had many years of experience, similar to McCain; any of those strike you as great leaders? All things being considered, having a balance of state experience and federal experience is helpful. Barack Obama has a balance of both state and federal experience (6 state/4 federal), while McCain has no state experience at all (0 state/26 federal).
I believe that we need a president who can objectively look at a situation and make a reasoned decision, and work collaboratively with other world leaders toward a common objective (presumably a safer world for all), not a leader who’s initial instinct is to be critical, increase tensions among our adversaries, and utilize a military option as a first choice. Once again, I give Barack Obama the nod.
One final point for those of you who tout experience over judgment I simply point out that in the 1980s IBM was the undisputed world leader in computers, they were the industry standard and dominated the market. They had the experience, the knowledge, the people, everything to keep them on top of the industry. Then a funny thing happened, a couple of guys in a garage, with no experience, no fancy degrees, and no money came along. They had nothing but an idea a desire for change, and good judgment; they were literally laughed at by IBM. Today, companies like Microsoft and Apple dominate the computer world.
What are each candidate's voting records on issues like Veteran's Affairs, Women’s Rights, domestic issues and foreign relations? Barack Obama has been supportive of veterans, women’s rights, and has been a strong advocate for improving relations with our neighbors. McCain has voted against providing more benefits for veterans, voted against women having a right to choose. McCain wants to bomb Iran, stay in Iraq as long as it takes; he has threatened Russia and wants to throw them out of the G8. I’ll give the nod to Barack Obama.
So, by my count Senator Barack Obama wins 6-0.
Bonus question: Which candidate has demonstrated a more unifying approach in their campaign? Once again, Barack Obama wins my support on this one. He has not stooped to cheap tricks and attacks, while McCain on the other hand has thrown every attack imaginable and called it an honest campaign. He has looked the other way while his republican friends and 527 groups have spread the most vile lies and rumors about Barack Obama. The cheap tricks that McCain has put forth and called them a means of injecting humor and fun into the campaign are demeaning not only to Barack Obama, but are insulting to his many supporters.
According to McCain, he was just playing up some of the perceptions when he made and approved his ‘celebrity’ ad, and ‘the one’ ad with Charlton Heston; I disagree, to me these were offensive, smacked of desperation for attention, and had undertones of promiscuity, a lack of responsibility, and references to the antichrist in an effort to promote fear and mistrust of Barack Obama.
I doubt that people would find it funny if an ad were to run in which a senile old man with a walker chants war, war, war, as he crosses the oval office, then pushes a big red button and you see a mushroom cloud rise in the distance as you hear the announcer ask: John McCain, where will he lead us? Is there any supporter of McCain that would find that humorous and consider that fun? I doubt it.
.. and Bush is so out of touch he is still pushing for drilling in Alaska daily !! Alaska Scandal: More to Come?
Alaska's Sole Congressman Also Reportedly Under InvestigationBy EMMA SCHWARTZ and JUSTIN ROODJuly 30, 2008 Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) isn't the only U.S. lawmaker whose fortunes are likely threatened by his ties to an obscure oil services company known as Veco.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5479544&page=1
Republican Don Young, Alaska's only congressman, has reportedly been under investigation for his ties to the company, as well.
According to "The Wall Street Journal", which broke the news of the Young investigation a year ago, prosecutors have reportedly been looking at whether Young took bribes, illegal gratuities or unreported gifts from Veco.
Young, who has met with Justice Department lawyers and has reported spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, has declined to comment on the investigation. Michael Anderson,
a spokesman for Young's re-election campaign, said Tuesday the congressman was not aware of any new developments in the investigations into him, "but it's not inherent on the Department of Justice to keep
us informed. . . about [its] progress or the lack of progress."
Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney declined to comment, noting that "we have not confirmed or denied any such investigation."
On Tuesday a federal grand jury charged Stevens with failing to report gifts from Veco, including cars and free labor for a home in Girdwood, Alaska the senator called "the chalet."
WATCH: Stevens Indicted for Alleged False Statements >>>> http://www.abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5473830
While prosecutors alleged that Stevens took actions to benefit Veco, he has not be charged with bribery. Federal investigators already have a number of cooperators.
Among them are, Veco's former chairman, Bill Allen, who pleaded guilty to bribing at least four Alaska legislators.
Another former company vice president, Rick Smith, who once fundraised for Young, is also cooperating with investigators, according to the Associated Press, and has reportedly allowed the FBI to tape conversations
he had with Young. Contacts with Veco, however, are not Young's only concern.
Federal investigators are also reportedly looking into Young's efforts to earmark $10 million to build an interchange on a Florida highway known as the Coconut Road, and campaign contributions from a developer
who stood to benefit from the interchange. Young's lawyer, John Dowd, has said he has advised Young not to discuss the matter.
Dowd could not be reached for comment. A former Young staffer, Mark Zachares, pled guilty last year in connection to his ties to now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
According to the terms of his plea agreement, Zachares and his wife are cooperating with investigators.
VECO CorporationFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VECO_Corporation
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!! YES . WE . CAN !!
The LA Times ran an article about the news coverage bias in regard to the McCain and Obama campaigns. The study confirmed what many of us knew all along. McCain is treated with kit gloves, and although senator Obama received more coverage it was 1/2 as positive as McCain's for the same week. So much for the liberal bias in the media.
Baracks trip overseas was a triumph by any measure. Yet, the McCain camp has decided to go really dirty and appeal to the lowest common denominator of voter in our country. It is my belief that no matter how outrageous the lie, if you say it enough people start to believe it. There is a name for it: "Truthiness" ie: "Iraq is the central war on terror" (biggest lie of all). And "Obama cancelled his visit to the wounded troops" insinuating in TV ads that somehow Senator Obama is less patriotic than McSAME. Even though vote after vote of McCain goes against our troops. Vet organizations give McCain a 'D' on his voting record, and Obama a B+. But this never gets out in the media.
Why am I going on about this? Well, here it is folks. Sadly negative campaigning works. I am not suggesting the Obama camp engage in negative campaigning. But how about pushing back the lies in a more heavy handed manner perpetrated by the McCain machine?
I don't see the push back that I would like to see by Barack's surrogates, or himself. My concern is that we are allowing ourselves to be swiftoated. Tell the truth over and over with force, speed, and fight back. Keep McCain on the deffensive, or we will lose this thing .....again. Enter, the honorable John Kerry.
The latest polls seem a bit odd, one shows a bounce for Obama this week, and another more disconcerting shows Obama losing ground in the battle ground states, substantially. McCain's negative attacks are working people, and we need to wake up and PUSH BACK! I am tired of hearing things like "John's comments were unfortunate".... screw that. Unfortunate is haveing to wait at a red light a little longer and missing an apointment. This is about taking back an entire branch of government from the thugs of the last eight years. We need strong words, the plain truth, and calling these poeple out on the carpet.
Let's pledge to encourage the powers that be in the Obama camp to fight back, quickly, loudly, and truthfully. Exposing McCain's record is not going negative, it's imperative.
McCain = BUSH.
Joe Biden?? where are you.
The attacks by John McCain on Obama's character have started. The opening shot is the one on Obama's cancelled visit to wounded US troops in Germany. Obama wanted to bring his staff including a retired General. The Pentagon told him that he couldn't bring the General because he was on the campaign staff. Obama had already visited wounded US troops in Iraq without the press as he always does. He usually brings staff members with him.
So let me get this straight, Senator McCain complained that Senator Obama had not been to Iraq in over two years, and constantly spoke out about the lack of visits that Senator Obama had made? Now that Senator Obama has gone to Iraq, McCain is complaining about the coverage that Senator Obama is getting? He's upset that Senator Obama has made stops in other countries to meet with leaders, when Senator McCain also went to Mexico, Columbia, and other countries and made speaches, he also held a fund-raiser in London, and yet has the gall to complain about Senator Obama? I'm very disappointed that the media has not pointed out these facts to Senator McCain.
It would seem to me that Senator McCain is just upset that he can not generate the crowds, media coverage, and general apeal that Senator Obama has. Now senator McCain acuses Senator Obama of being willing to lose a war in order to win the election, once again we get to the fear attacks that are uniquely republican. This is the most appalling attack yet, comming from a man who promised to run an honorable and respectful campaign. So much for that sentiment!
By the way, am I correct in recalling that the great 'awakening' actually occurred when the US started paying the very same groups that were fighting against us to instead join us? Is it a big surprise that they had an awakening, yet there is little coverage of this issue as it relates to Senator McCains great surge effort. We are paying, with our tax money, some 60-80,000 people to fight with us instead of against us. What is likely to happen when the payments stop? will they continue to help us or will they seek another group that will pay them?
I've lost what respect I did have for Senator McCain, he has certainly not lived up to the things said prior to the start of this campaign. He has shown himself to be a true Bush republican who will use fear to garner support for his campaign. I've got news for you Senator, Hope > Fear (hope is greater than fear)!
As long as we are going to spend $15 billion building in Guam, why don’t we take the opportunity to do so in an environmentally sustainable manner? Let us build the military bases, hospitals, schools, and housing on Guam using green building design methods. Let us expand power plants to meet the energy needs with local renewable resources. Let us require environmentally friendly cars and trucks on the island - a miliary truck running on diesel can just as easily run on biodiesel. Lets not wipe out the native habitat and eco-system found on Guam in the process.
Will Barack Obama help to make his native state the first 100% free of fossil fuels?
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands collectively use over 183 million barrels of oil per year. At the current rate, this one state and five territories will have consumed over 5 billion barrels of oil by the year 2028. Why is that significant? If we choose to drill for oil in ANWR (the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) today, it is expected that the peak production from this source will occur in the year 2028. Government estimates indicate that there may be no more than 5 billion barrels of oil total in ANWR but perhaps as many as 15 billion barrels. Converting the one state of Hawaii and territory islands of the United States to a 100% renewable energy economy could over the next generation more than offset all of the oil that could be produced in ANWR. The oil currently being shipped to these islands could be diverted to other locations. About 40% of Hawaii’s oil (21 million barrels) is shipped from Alaska annually. If Hawaii converted to renewable energy, this oil could instead be shipped to Washington, Oregon, California, and the other lower 48 states without a drop coming from ANWR. By converting these remote islands to renewable energy the technologies will become more mature and economically attractive on the mainland.
These islands share a number of similar energy challenges. Hawaii is the most oil dependant state in the nation. 95% of Hawaii’s electricity comes from burning fossil fuels – none of which can be found on the island. As islands, they all lack interconnection to larger electrical grids that would provide emergency backup power or economies of scale. Lacking indigenous sources of fossil fuels, they are almost entirely dependent on imported oil or refined petroleum products for electricity generation. This dependence causes electricity prices to track with petroleum prices, contributing to electricity rates that are higher than anywhere else in the United States. Yet each of these islands has enormous renewable energy resources which are not being used to the fullest extent.
The fact that these islands are so distant from fossil fuel resources makes them some of the most attractive places to build renewable energy infrastructure in the United States. Is it possible for a small island to become energy independent? Iceland already has. Iceland, with about as many people as American Samoa and Guam combined, was once almost entirely dependent upon imported fossil fuels for its economy just like the major islands of the United States. Icelanders took it upon themselves to exploit the vast natural energy of their island to produce heat and electricity from geothermal and hydroelectric sources. Today as it converts all of its vehicles over to electric and hydrogen fuel cells, it will soon become the first nation on Earth completely free of dependence on fossil fuels.
These islands have resources which surpass those available in Iceland. Not unlike Iceland, the islands of Hawaii, Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands have enormous geothermal production potential. Hawaii has had a proof-of-concept geothermal power station with a capacity of 30 MW in use for many years. But these islands have many renewable energy resources which Iceland does not. These tropical islands also have solar energy potential Iceland does not have. They have the potential for biofuels such as ethanol from sugarcane and biodiesel from coconut trees which Iceland will never have. Puerto Rico's prime agricultural product through the middle of the 20th century was sugarcane - a far more efficient source of ethanol. Puerto Rico could produce nearly 200 million gallons more of ethanol per year from its trash and reduce its landfills.
These islands can produce electricity from ocean thermal energy conversion which is only possible in tropical climates where a large temperature differential exists. They have the potential to create floating wind farms in the open ocean away from the sight of beaches. They can produce electricity from tidal currents. Conversion of the fleets of cars and trucks to local renewable resources such as electric cars, biofuel vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells especially make sense on small remote islands.
Because of their remoteness, geography, and tropical climates, these islands offer ideal locations to build renewable energy economies. The high costs of shipping fossil fuels make local renewable resources more attractive economically. Energy independence will benefit the local economies of the islands by producing jobs and cutting foreign imports. The rest of the United States would benefit by conserving more oil than could be pumped out of ANWR even while the renewable technologies mature and become more economically attractive on the mainland.
