Over the Finish Line Healthcare Phonebank!!
Wednesday, November 11 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Over the Finish Line Event- Phonebank
EVENT IS POSTED BY OFA REG. DIR. LAKIA GRAY: Event:
Dear President Obama,
we all have come a long, long way from Iowa. When you became President, we were all thrilled. You signed ARRA into law in Feb. The bill was wonderful until reality set in for many States. It became business as usual with funding programs that were failing getting federal funding. I decided to use my skills and extensive understanding of federal grants, state grants, CDA, CAA's, and started to work.
From March till June 15, I helped various groups. Not charging more than stamps and the cost of paper, I set out to help others start to change their areas. Many, many, many submissions later, I find myself sad to see so little going out.
The government has been offering several grants and loans for over 5 months. President Obama, you had an urgency in getting applications in for everything from broadband communication to advanced technologies. The concept was great, pour funding into R and D and the green economy and create jobs and an independence from foreign oil. Everyone was excited at the prospects of finally rolling out some technology that was $500,000 to $5,000,000 dollars away from transformative change.
With great excitement our first team gathered to apply for a NOAA grant. April 6th. Was NOAA deadline for a Costal Rehabilitation Grant. We submitted the required paperwork and an extensive application. We were told the grant award would be sometime by the end of April. In May, we were told without a doubt we would know by the middle to end of the month. June, no new news. The very end of June, our team was told via a letter that over 8000 groups applied. We did not make the cut.
During this time, various teams from across country were asking if anyone has any information on anyone getting a grant. A few grants were closed and no awards except a few DOT or other super large group.
In the meantime, I was told to apply for ARPA-E. We were given a two step process to apply. Step one, apply for a control number, and step two submit an 8 page summary for consideration to step three. Deadlines for every thing were June 2, 2009. Everyone from NY to MM, FL, WI, and many others decided to work together. A network was established and many diverse companies were looking out for their counterparts because the deadline was pushed back a week. The last announcement said over 3500 applications were received. If the rules were followed, the small fry R and D’s would have had a much better chance with the original deadline were followed. Our network submitted over 37, 8 page applications from advanced engineering from various groups. Solar to geothermal, nanotech and data sensors to pick up viruses, road construction, and reusable clean tech cradle to cradle shovel ready projects. This award was to be announced the first week in July and we all do not know what to do next.
Smaller grants, under $500,000 are available but impossible to grant to business unfamiliar with compliance issues. We submitted for a cooperative mini grant to help other applicants secure the funding and also ensure compliance with the rules and guidelines. This grant was moved back another 90 days. The grant managers are just as puzzled as the general public.
USDA and SBA programs are now become the jokes of the business world. If you can show a profit you can qualify. If you qualify, no bank will back the loan. In Miami, FL, the SBA has written zero loans in 2 and ½ years. The ARC program was announced several months ago as a $35,000 debt repayment program. This program was just released two weeks ago and one stipulation is positive case flow. Everyone’s books are lousy and getting worse.
More than one of my close business associates is now facing court action. They were counting on some form of help to drive the economy. They all have been to the SBA, USDA, private sector funding, international funders, banks, and all of the other routes. No funding. Credit scores too low because everyone was checking credit scores.
Frustration and lack of confidence is setting in with most businesses. The shovel ready projects have been sitting for months waiting. The great excitement has led to the great confusion. For some, 20 months of hard campaigning followed by non-stop grant applications has led to total burn-out.
My advice, get the money out. Any amounts for all the “wonderful” ideas we hear about. It is time to step to the plate and throw some funding at us. We are not kids. We have experience and years of training in almost every field around. Heck, a pat on the back would go a long way to rebuilding this wonderful nation.
I write this to all the grant managers who are great and pick up the telephone, the folks at SBA that hear these stories, the hard work on the grant sites, to everyone across the country working extra hard to make this work, and to all those applicants waiting like us.
Hang in there,
Y. Asienberg
L.Quarles
PPS/AVC
South Bay, FL
I have not been on our site much because I have been helping others, as our President has urged us all to do. I heard this call to order and thought, what can I do? I decided to do what I do (business planning, etc.) and extend that to everyone. I work as a consultant to alternative and innovative projects. This work doesn’t pay much but few people know the macro and micro levels of systems.
I decided to attempt to help a fellow inventor type with a design project. A few years ago, all doors would have shut. This year, something has changed in Washington D.C. When I made a call, someone called me back! I was shocked. That was an opening that let me feel like this is really my country for a change.
The issues we face as a county and planet are daunting to say the least. America has more talented people that anywhere else in the world. Once we all stop backbiting and focus on the task at hand, remarkable things can take place.
My advice to everyone is simple. Everyone has something to give of themselves. When you are thinking of others you tend to not dwell on your own self pity. With that said, hey, we have a country to fix!
Thanks to everyone out there!
Larry
P.S. Good job to everyone.
Show your Support for our President and join the entire country in the PLEDGE PROJECT CANVASS on Saturday, March 21 from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm in the Oregon District. We will meet in front of the Neon movie theatre and canvass the Oregon District patrons.
President Obama recently submitted his first budget and this bold plan is needed now more than ever as we continue to face an unprecedented economic crisis. Now it's up to you to organize the support President Obama needs for this plan throughout the country. A canvass is an organized effort to talk with community members face- to-face about the issues that matter to them. • Canvassing in local neighborhoods (both at the doors and in high traffic areas) is one of the most effective ways to reach out to community members about the issues that are affecting our nation. • In order to realize the change that we all fought so hard for, we must continue to reach out to our neighbors and involve them in this movement. • Collecting pledges in support of President Obama’s budget and its investments in health care, education, and energy will allow us to demonstrate the urgent need for leadership in Washington around these important issues.
SHIFTS: 2 hrs. (1 hr. available if necessary)
PARKING: Free at all meters on streets (Jefferson, Patterson, Fourth and Fifth) AREA: http://oregondistrict.org/
*All Canvassing supplies will be provided but..... PLEASE VIEW TRAINING VIDEO BEFORE ATTENDING: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/pledgecanvasstrainingvideo/
CONTACT: Jolene 937-344-6606 Monica 937-241-7179; RSVP to this message!!!!
ATTIRE: Be prepared to walk. RAIN OR SHINE!!
AMERICA IS counting on YOU! :)
“A budget is more than simply numbers on a page. It is a measure of how well we are living up to our obligations to ourselves and one another. It is a test for our commitment to making America what it was always meant to be -- a place where all things are possible for all people. ” - President Barack Obama
GIVE PRESIDENT OBAMA A GRADE!
YOU KNOW I GAVE HIM AN "A"!
AND SO SHOULD EVERY "THINKING AMERICAN" - LET ALONE "THINKING AFRICAN AMERICAN" AND OTHER MINORITIES WHO HAVE BEEN KEEPING UP WITH "WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN AMERICA FROM PRIOR TO 2001 AND 2007 THROUGH 2009"!
[The Republicans are flooding the poll with "F's"]
[Forward to friends!]
Live Vote: Give President Obama a grade - White House- msnbc.com
On Sunday, February 8 the grassroots organization Dayton's Ambassadors of Change gathered a dozen citizens who shared their stories on recent economic hardships.
"I have never seen anything like this. Never this bad," said Barry Quarles as he began to address the group.
The group of concerned Dayton citizens adamantly agreed with Quarles.
They pointed out the many job losses by educated professionals.
"How can people feel comfortable to start their own families?" asked Jennifer Clarke.
Monica Burton who works in social services noted many uneducated adults don't "stand a chance" when it comes to getting a job right now because they are competing with those professionals who are now laid off.
I shared with the group that I too was laid off two weeks ago and just want money in the system to get the economy going again.
"Whether it means hiring 100 extra police officers...just do it so they have money to spend at the stores I need to sell to," I commented.
The group discussed important topics like healthcare.
Bill Davis works for a local hospital and noted people aren't getting the medical care they need right now because they simply can't afford it. Many people are living with pain and postponing certain procedures to avoid more bills.
Although computerized health care records would save money it is a security concern to some citizens.
The group discussed education spending for working programs instead of the failing ones. If money is to be spent it is wasteful to continue funding the No Child Left Behind system of teaching.
The group thought forgiving a certain amount of student debt would also help this bleak economy.
Also, mortgage and home ownership relief were top of mind for many. Most agreed that complete effective oversight of relief money should be included in the Recovery plan.
"Any jobs are better than none," was a reverberated thought at the meeting.
"We need jobs in ALL fields," said Patricia Abu-Ghosh. "Not just infrastructure."
She noted that infrastructure was a good starting point though.
"Corporations that go overseas should be forced to pay taxes," said Quarles.
He and most of the group agreed that outsourcing of jobs to other countries was not helping our community.
When asked how their communities are directly affected many referred to home foreclosures. Because of many home foreclosures in the city homeowners property taxes have begun to rise.
Closed plants, including GM, along with closed small businesses and empty homes were among the most noticeable effects of this downturn.
The group also noted our city needs funding to go to hiring and training of local people for local projects.
Accountability of funds was also top of mind for the Dayton group.
Most attendees are ready to contact Sen. Brown and/or Sen. Voinovich to show their support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.
I worked hard and long for Obama to get elected and now in turn he asks a pastor who likens gay folks to pedophiles and incest to speak at his inauguration. I am disappointed and now will not even watch the inauguration. How can you do this Obama?
Here is what Warren said regarding Gay people:
Rick Warren: But the issue to me is, I’m not opposed to that as much as I’m opposed to the redefinition of a 5,000-year definition of marriage. I’m opposed to having a brother and sister be together and call that marriage. I’m opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that a marriage. I’m opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage. Steven Waldman: Do you think, though, that they are equivalent to having gays getting married? Rick Warren: Oh I do. … … Most people, you know… I have many gay friends, I’ve eaten dinner in gay homes, no church has probably done more for people with AIDS than Saddleback Church. Kay and I have given millions of dollars out of “A Purpose-Driven Life” helping people who got AIDS through gay relationships. So they can’t accuse me of homophobia. I just don’t believe in the re-definition of marriage.
Rick Warren: But the issue to me is, I’m not opposed to that as much as I’m opposed to the redefinition of a 5,000-year definition of marriage. I’m opposed to having a brother and sister be together and call that marriage. I’m opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that a marriage. I’m opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage.
Steven Waldman: Do you think, though, that they are equivalent to having gays getting married?
Rick Warren: Oh I do. …
… Most people, you know… I have many gay friends, I’ve eaten dinner in gay homes, no church has probably done more for people with AIDS than Saddleback Church. Kay and I have given millions of dollars out of “A Purpose-Driven Life” helping people who got AIDS through gay relationships. So they can’t accuse me of homophobia. I just don’t believe in the re-definition of marriage.
The challenges are great, the road is long, and the critics say that it will never work. These are the same statements before President Obama started his campaign for the White House. Her it is, December of 2008, and the same exact questions now face the entire populist.
We wanted a change in Washington and in politics. A reformer with a vision to lead us back onto the path of more traditional American Values. A leader that would not allow torture to be mentioned as a tactic of any branch of the US government. We wanted to end an unjust war with some dignity and focus on alternative energy programs.
After eight long years under an administration that has given us huge debt, wars, and not the brink of a depression, what is next?
I have a very clever plan to develop some technology that could radically change our country. It is “green” and would produce jobs. Our factory is manufacturing a unique blended hybrid recycled plastic. This will keep huge amounts of waste out of landfills and would be the raw material for new products.
An economist would say that the triple bottom line would be met or exceeded. I decided to let this be known to some people and everyone has been impressed. Last week, I received a booklet from the EPA. This manual came with a useful CD and many pages of questions. This style of implementing new technologies is outdated. The market is moving too fast. The standard P/L tables do not apply anymore. We will turn a profit, create jobs, pay taxes, and develop new equipment.
So, the booklet sits on my desk as I wonder how our family can afford Christmas this year, a very ill relative in the hospital that has depleted all of her assets, a daughter worried about her job, and cash running out.
I worry that such a great idea is in danger of never seeing the light of day because of the paperwork needed and the time required to do it. Yes we need a change, I am willing to help, but time is very short. Check us out at www.avcpallets.com what the heck, someone else with vision might understand the situation.
Larry Q
I encourage you all to sign up for emails from Change.gov, Obama's website for his presidency and scroll over "American Moment" and select "Share Your Story" or "Share Your Vision." Wow, a president that will actually listen to us.
On ProgressOhio.org you can find or create local and statewide progressive activism groups as well as events, blogs and more. Please join a group today.
Change.org is a website where you can learn about and support various causes and nonprofits and take action for positive change. You can even create personal fundraising pages for you favorite nonprofit organization. Consider using this feature to collect pledges for doing a veg-a-thon, where you collect pledges for each day you eat a vegetarian (or better yet, vegan) diet. Learn more about why and how to do a veg-a-thon at my website veg-a-thon.com.
Well gang,
It has been an uphill fight for all of us. I suggest a massive trip to some warm beach and relax. I have made many new friends here and get teary eyed that change spread across the nation.
To all of my wonderful neighbors, who meet me in a blizzard, freezing cold. The long days of SP-45 and knocking on doors. It paid off in so many wonderful ways and meeting HQ staff and the excitement everyone had.
To my new family! We all worked together and are just a phone call away. This is not the end, it is our collective future. We must stay strong and stay involved.
Many blessings,
Larry and Cheryl
Wisconsin
www.plasticpalletssolutions.com
avcusa@gmai.com
It has been a while since I posted on this blog. I have been unwavering in my support of Barack and have been instrumental when I could.
There is much I have wanted to say. That can all wait. I may take some time tomorrow to catch up with posts and tell my stories.
That can all wait.
Right now all I really want to do is to give my condolences to the Obama family for the loss of Barack's grandmother. From the little I know about her, she was an incredible woman. I wish she could have lived one more day to see her grandson become president. But, I am sure that her spirit will be there -- be watching him as he takes the stage.
My thoughts and prayers are with you, Barack and Michelle.
/lisa
LISA SINGH
It is fitting that we meet today on the mall of the American Legion, surrounded by monuments to our nation's heroes. Because on this day, 25 years ago, the Marine barracks in Beirut were bombed. 241 Americans laid down their lives for this country and for the peace they were there to protect. We revere their service. We honor their sacrifice. And we keep their families in our prayers.
We will never forget them.
Indiana, in just 12 days, you'll have the chance to elect your next President. And you'll have the chance to bring the change we need to Washington. That's the good news. But we're going to have to work, and struggle, and fight for every single one of those 12 days to move our country in a new direction.
I am hopeful about the outcome. We were thrilled this weekend when a great American statesman, General Colin Powell, joined our cause. But we cannot let up. And we won't.
Because one thing we know is that change never comes without a fight. In the final days of campaigns, the say-anything, do-anything politics too often takes over. We've seen it before. And we're seeing it again today. The ugly phone calls. The misleading mail and TV ads. The careless, outrageous comments. All aimed at keeping us from working together, all aimed at stopping change.
Well, what we need now is not misleading charges and divisive attacks. What we need is honest leadership and real change, and that's why I'm running for President of the United States.
Now, more than ever, this campaign has to be about the problems facing the American people - because this is a moment of great uncertainty for America.
We're facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The Dow plummeted again yesterday, threatening the job security, retirement security, and economic security of millions of ordinary Americans. Indiana lost 4,500 manufacturing jobs in September alone. And just today, we learned that more and more Americans are filing for unemployment. Home values are falling. Foreclosures are rising. Wages are shrinking. And the cost of health care and college tuition has never been higher.
And that's what this election is all about - because John McCain and I have real differences about how to get us out of this economic mess. You see, Senator McCain thinks the economic policies of George W. Bush are just right for America. In the Senate, he's voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Said earlier this year that we've made "great progress" over the last eight years. And while Senator McCain says now that he's different from President Bush, you sure couldn't tell by the policies he's proposing.
Just yesterday, Senator McCain strongly defended the Bush policy of lavishing tax cuts on corporations that ship American jobs overseas. He made the peculiar argument that the best way to stop companies from shipping jobs overseas is to give more tax cuts to companies that ship jobs overseas. More tax cuts for job outsourcers. That's what Senator McCain proposed as his answer to outsourcing.
He said that's - quote - "simple fundamental economics."
Well, Indiana, my opponent may call that "fundamental economics," but we know that's just another name for the Wall Street first, Main Street last economic philosophy we've had for the past eight years - and that's fundamentally wrong.
If Senator McCain wants to defend tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, that's his choice. But I say, let's end tax cuts for companies that ship American jobs overseas, and give them to companies that create good jobs right here in Indiana - in the United States of America.
If he wants to defend free trade agreements designed to protect the profits of multinational corporations and a trade policy that lets countries like China tilt the playing field against our workers, that's up to him. But I say, we need a trade policy that protects the dreams of hardworking Americans.
If he wants to defend a tax code that's more than 10,000 pages long and filled with loopholes written in by corporate lobbyists like the ones running his campaign, he's got every right. He has every right to defend offshore tax havens that let companies avoid paying taxes here in America. But I say, it's time to close corporate loopholes, shut offshore tax havens, and restore balance and fairness to our tax code.
By the way, did you know that there's a building in the Cayman Islands that supposedly houses 18,000 corporations. That's either the biggest building or the biggest tax scam on record. And I think we know which one it is.
That's the system my opponent defends. That's the system he wants to preserve. Well, Indiana, we've tried it John McCain's way. We've tried it George Bush's way. And we're here today to say enough is enough. We can't afford four more years of their "fundamental economics." That's why I'm running for President of the United States of America.
You see, I have a different notion of fundamental economics than my opponent. Because where I come from, there's nothing more fundamental than a good-paying job. There's nothing more fundamental than being able to pay your health care bills, put your kids through college, or retire with dignity and security. There's nothing more fundamental than the American dream - and that's the dream we can reclaim if you stand with me on November 4.
I know we can do this. I know we can steer ourselves out of this crisis. Because I believe in you. I believe in the American people.
We are the United States of America. We are a nation that's faced down war and depression; great challenges and great threats. And at each and every moment, we have risen to meet these challenges - not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Americans. With resolve. With confidence. With that fundamental belief that here in America, our destiny is not written for us; it's written by us. That's who we are, and that's the country we need to be right now.
But Indiana, I know this. It will take a new direction. It will take new leadership in Washington. It will take a real change in the policies and politics of the last eight years. And that's why I'm running for President of the United States.
It's time to turn the page on eight years of economic policies that put Wall Street before Main Street but ended up hurting both. We need policies that grow our economy from the bottom-up, so that every American, everywhere, has the chance to get ahead. Not just the person who owns the factory, but the men and women who work on its floor. Because if we've learned anything from this economic crisis, it's that we're all connected; we're all in this together; and we will rise or fall as one nation - as one people.
The rescue plan that passed the Congress was a necessary first step to easing this credit crisis, but if we're going to rebuild this economy from the bottom up, we need an immediate rescue plan for the middle-class - and that's what I will do as President of the United States.
Nine months ago, I called for a stimulus plan to provide immediate relief for states, along with tax rebates to get money directly to middle class families and a foreclosure prevention fund to help people keep their homes. Senator McCain's advisors openly mocked the stimulus plan before Congress - one referred to it, and I quote, as "borrowing money from the Chinese and dropping it from helicopters." Another dismissed it as "junk."
Just this week, after nine straight months of job losses, when our Federal Reserve Chairman supports another stimulus to get our economy moving, Senator McCain said he doesn't think we need to pass this stimulus immediately. Well, the working families who've been hard hit by this economic crisis - folks who can't pay their mortgages or their medical bills or send their kids to college - they can't afford to go to the back of the line behind CEOs and Wall Street banks. They need help right here, right now - and that's why I'm running for President of the United States.
I've proposed a new American jobs tax credit for each new employee that companies hire here in the United States over the next two years. And I'll help make sure the fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow are built not just in South Korea or Japan, but right here in Indiana.
Few have been harder hit by our credit crisis than the workers who make our cars and the companies that supply their parts. Now, when it came to rescuing Wall Street, Washington didn't waste a minute. But now that auto-workers are suffering, Washington's put on the breaks. It turns out it could take a year for the auto industry to get the loan guarantees we passed a few weeks ago.
Well, the workers who are being laid off and the companies that are seeing their sales drop - they can't afford to wait a year, they need help right now. That's why I've called on Washington to fast-track those loan guarantees and provide more as needed - because that's how we'll secure our auto jobs and save our auto industry.
I'll also help small businesses by eliminating capital gains taxes and giving them emergency loans to keep their doors open and hire workers. I'll put a three-month moratorium on foreclosures so that we can give homeowners the breathing room they need to get back on their feet. And I will create a Jobs and Growth fund to help states and local governments save one million jobs and pay for health care and education without having to raise your taxes.
These are the steps that we must take - right now - to start getting our economy back on track. But we also need a new set of priorities to grow our economy and create jobs over the long-term.
It starts with tax relief. There's been a lot of talk about taxes in this campaign. And the truth is, my opponent and I are both proposing tax cuts. The difference is, he wants to give a $700,000 tax cut to the average Fortune 500 CEO. I want to put a middle class tax cut in the pockets of 95% of workers and their families. My opponent doesn't want you to know this, but under my plan, tax rates for middle class families will actually be less than they were under Ronald Reagan.
It's true that I want to roll back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans and go back to the rate they paid under Bill Clinton. John McCain calls that socialism. What he forgets is that just a few years ago, he himself said those Bush tax cuts were irresponsible. He said he couldn't "in good conscience" support a tax cut where the benefits went to the wealthy at the expense of "middle class Americans who most need tax relief." Well, he was right then, and I am right now.
Let me be crystal clear: If you make less than a quarter of a million dollars a year - which includes 98% of small business owners - you won't see your taxes increase one single dime. Not your payroll taxes, not your income taxes, not your capital gains taxes - nothing. That is my commitment to you.
For the last eight years, we've given more and more to those with the most and hoped that prosperity would trickle down to everyone else. And guess what? It didn't. So it's time to try something new. It's time to grow this economy from the bottom-up. It's time to invest in the middle-class again.
If I am President, I will invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new, green jobs over the next decade - jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced; jobs building solar panels and wind turbines and fuel-efficient cars; jobs that will help us end our dependence on oil from Middle East dictators.
I'll also put two million more Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads, schools, and bridges - because it is time to build an American infrastructure for the 21st century. And if people ask how we're going to pay for this, you tell them that if we can spend $10 billion a month in Iraq, we can spend some money to rebuild America.
If I am President, I will finally fix the problems in our health care system that we've been talking about for too long. This issue is personal for me. My mother died of ovarian cancer at the age of 53, and I'll never forget how she spent the final months of her life lying in a hospital bed, fighting with her insurance company because they claimed that her cancer was a pre-existing condition and didn't want to pay for treatment. If I am President, I will make sure those insurance companies can never do that again.
My health care plan will make sure insurance companies can't discriminate against those who are sick and need care most. If you have health insurance, the only thing that will change under my plan is that we will lower premiums. If you don't have health insurance, you'll be able to get the same kind of health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves. And we'll invest in preventative care and new technology to finally lower the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the entire economy. That's the change we need.
And if I'm President, we'll give every child, everywhere the skills and the knowledge they need to compete with any worker, anywhere in the world. I will not allow countries to out-teach us today so they can out-compete us tomorrow. It is time to provide every American with a world-class education. That means investing in early childhood education. That means recruiting an army of new teachers, and paying them better, and giving them more support in exchange for higher standards and more accountability.
And it means investing in agricultural education. From seeing all those blue corduroy jackets in the crowd, I know there's a Future Farmers of America convention here in Indianapolis. And I want you to know that if I'm elected President, I will fight for you - because America's farmers are America's future. And it's time we had a President who understood that.
We need to make sure every American who has the drive and the will but not the money can go to college. My opponent's top economic advisor actually said that they have no plan to invest in college affordability because we can't have a giveaway to every special interest. Well I don't think the young people of America are a special interest - they are the future of this country. That's why I'll make this deal with you: if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford your tuition. No ifs, ands or buts. You invest in America, America will invest in you, and together, we will move this country forward.
Now, make no mistake: the change we need won't come easy or without cost. We will all need to tighten our belts, we will all need to sacrifice and we will all need to pull our weight because now more than ever, we are all in this together.
At a defining moment like this, we don't have the luxury of relying on the same political games and the same political tactics that are used every election to divide us from one another and make us afraid of one another. With the challenges and crises we face right now, we cannot afford to divide this country by class or region; by who we are or what policies we support.
There are no real or fake parts of this country. We are not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this nation - we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it; patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women from Indiana and all across America who serve on our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.
We have always been at our best when we've had leadership that called us to look past our differences and come together as one nation, as one people; leadership that rallied this entire country to a common purpose - to a higher purpose. And I am running for President of the United States of America because that is the country we need to be right now.
This country and the dream it represents are being tested in a way that we haven't seen in nearly a century. And future generations will judge ours by how we respond to this test. Will they say that this was a time when America lost its way and its purpose? When we allowed the same divisions and fear tactics and our own petty differences to plunge this country into a dark and painful recession?
Or will they say that this was another one of those moments when America overcame? When we battled back from adversity by recognizing that common stake that we have in each other's success?
This is one of those moments. I realize you're cynical and fed up with politics. I understand that you're disappointed and even angry with your leaders. You have every right to be. But despite all of this, I ask of you what's been asked of the American people in times of trial and turmoil throughout our history. I ask you to believe - to believe in yourselves, in each other, and in the future we can build together.
Together, we cannot fail. Not now. Not when we have a crisis to solve and an economy to save. Not when there are so many Americans without jobs and without homes. Not when there are families who can't afford to see a doctor, or send their child to college, or pay their bills at the end of the month. Not when there is a generation that is counting on us to give them the same opportunities and the same chances that we had for ourselves.
We can do this. Americans have done this before. Some of us had grandparents or parents who said maybe I can't go to college but my child can; maybe I can't have my own business but my child can. I may have to rent, but maybe my children will have a home they can call their own. I may not have a lot of money but maybe my child will run for Senate. I might live in a small village but maybe someday my son can be president of the United States of America.
Now it falls to us. Together, we cannot fail. And I need you to make it happen. If you want the next four years looking like the last eight, then I am not your candidate. But if you want real change - if you want an economy that rewards work, and that works for Main Street and Wall Street; if you want tax relief for the middle class and millions of new jobs; if you want health care you can afford and education that helps your kids compete; then I ask you to knock on some doors, make some calls, talk to your neighbors, and give me your vote.
In Indiana, you can vote early right here, and right now. To find out how, just go to voteforchange.com. And if you stand with me, I promise you - we will win Indiana, we will win this election, and then you and I - together - will change this country and change this world. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless America.
RE: ALLEGATIONS ARISING DURING OCTOBER’S 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DEBATES AND SPEECHES:
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2008, MC LAUGHTON REPORT
PAT BUCHANAN: "OBAMA IS A "MARXIST SOCIALIST"
VIDEO: JOHN MC CAIN: OBAMA IS A "SOCIALIST"
BARACK OBAMA DISCUSSES JOHN MC CAIN’S CHARGE OF OBAMA BEING A "SOCIALIST," AND OTHER NEGATIVE STATEMENTS ... !
ALSO
YOUR ATTENTION IS DIRECTED TO DAYTON, OHIO WHERE LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS ARE AIRING NEGATIVE MC CAIN CAMPAIGN "JEREMIAH WRIGHT" ADS:
IN OHIO, A CRUCIAL STATE IN THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION:
DIRTY POLITICS AT PLAY ...
REPUBLICAN MC CAIN CAMPAIGN ADS - REFLECTING HOW DESPERATE THE MC CAIN CAMPAIGN IS GETTING:
LOCAL DAYTON, OHIO TV STATIONS AIR NEGATIVE MC CAIN CAMPAIGN "JEREMIAH WRIGHT" AD WHICH INCLUDES STATEMENTS ABOUT ASSOCIATION OF OBAMA WITH REV JEREMIAH WRIGHT AND
THE AD ALSO SHOWS IMAGES OF THE RESIGNING TO AVOID IMPEACHMENT, PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON ALONGSIDE THAT OF REV JEREMIAH WRIGHT
My grandmother just had her 87th birthday this week and doesn't really get around much anymore. So I was particularly saddened to hear that Barack's Gram is not doing well. I know how important it is to him to visit with her. Ya see, I understand his relationship with her perfectly. Mum and I were on our own and had the blessing of living with my grandparents on a farm in the mid-west (sound familiar). My grandmother was a GIANT influence on my upbringing and who I am. These are amazing women who faced discrimination, stereotypes, WWII and the Great Depression - and have rarely complained about a thing. These are the women who made sure that their grandchildren got to practices and school functions. These are amazing people.
So as I visit my grandmother this weekend, we will be sure to say a prayer for Barack's grandmother and all of the amazing women who find themselves a little under the weather right now. Get Well Grandma!!
