Last night, a diverse group of Knoxvillians met to talk about our ideas, our politics, and our goals. Our gracious facilitator, a much younger UT student, hosted five middle-agers into his home and we sat together, each of us with our own ideas of how to move forward. Our backgrounds were very different - our soft-spoken host, interested in information and technology and looking to explore new options, two women who had spent a considerable amount of time assisting with the campaign in North Carolina, another gentleman planning on attending several of these homemeetings to experience a new side of Knoxville, my husband, Frank, philosopher and skeptic hoping for a "greener" view, and myself, a social work student, deep in the trenches with the most needy among us.
We were unfocused and unsure of what this meeting was intended to accomplish. I'm still not sure what the purpose of our gathering was to be, but it felt a little exciting to sit with strangers sipping tea and sharing our ideas and hopes for change. My analysis of the evening produced this "wish list"...
I may not have captured everyone's thoughts and I beg forgiveness if I misrepresented anyone. Perhaps I have become too task oriented. Maybe our culture is too keen on production. I propose a few more gatherings, to listen to one another, to share our stories. Then we can find a way to synthesize our enthusiasm into effective teams.
I'm all about the roots. I guess it's my socail work ecological perspective. Contributing to the overall health of a system, nourishing the roots, stimulating growth and fruition. Maybe if we exact too stringent an agenda, we fail to observe and provide the right care.
53 trillion dollars is the sum of the government's current liabilities and unfunded entitlement promises, which translates to $455,000 per American household. Growing our way out of this crisis would require real economic growth in double digits for the next several decades. Even during the buoyant 1990s, the economy only grew at an average rate of 3.2% per year. Faith-based money represents our fervent hope our government, specifically the Federal Reserve, the Treasury and Congress, will do whatever necessary to keep history's greatest confidence game - our economic system - alive and well. This game only works if there are players at the table who will be willing to buy our debt and finance our continued deficits. The annual surplus of collections minus payments of Social Security is borrowed by the government to finance its day-to-day operations. The government in turn gives its IOUs, in the form of Treasury bonds, to the Social Security system, which now holds considerably more than a trillion dollars worth of these obligations. A tax cut financed by deficit spending is economically stimulative. Government revenues decline, but government spending is unchanged and personal spending or saving is increased, leaving the equation out of balance, to which increases in government borrowing to fund the shortfall are required for equilibrium. Economically there is no difference between a tax cut and increased government spending when both are financed by increasing national debt. It becomes merely a question of who or what is doing the spending: consumers or government. Our current financial path is not sustainable, and it is up to us to make fundamental change.
IT IS A CHECKBOOK, NOT A SHELL GAME. Respect it as you would Tennessee basketball.
Peter G. Peterson Foundation
Anecdotal Economics
Energy Industry Today
East Tennessee for Sustainable Infrastructure
I wept salty tears as I thought back over the years to the many sacrifices made by so many to bring this to fruition, to the work done by both blacks and whites to help eliminate our nation's ignorance. I thought of my own marches during the Civil Rights Era in Washington and in Chicago, even when to march risked terrible consequences. I thought back to Dr. King and his eloquence and the agony of hearing the words, "They shot Dr. King." Tonight I saw Jesse Jackson biting his lip with tears streaming down his face, and I saw the light in the young people's eyes as they realized it was a new day. I pictured Michelle and the kids living in the White House, the promised puppy scampering from room to room. Then I thought how never again can anything any ignorant racist says have the same impact because today my county, my beautiful America chose to elect a president based on his beliefs rather than the color of his skin. This was an amazing act of trust and an act accompanied by great joy. It will take a while to sink in. Over the last few weeks a black Republican friend of mine kept saying cynically," Do you really think this country is ready to elect a black man?" Well today I can tell him. Today I can affirm what he was afraid to dream. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we did.
Caroe Borges
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/03/obama-on-grandmother-and_n_140698.html
Here's a clip of Sen. Obama talking to a crowd shortly after his Grandmother's death. I couldn't help being reminded of my own Grandmother's death a little over a year ago, and my own unrealized hope that she would be at my wedding. Now I know that my Grandmother was so proud of my accomplishments that she probably didn't need that pride affirmed with ceremony. I'm sure Obama's Grandmother had a similar pride in her grandson and in what he has made of the life he was given. Though it seems sad that she was unable to see him elected, from the way Obama has described her, I'm sure that she (at least) did not need that affirmation.
Listening to the Senator talk about honoring these heroes of our lives, it recalls the strong desire I had following Grandmother's death to do just that. I had a powerful need to honor her love and sacrifice to my utmost ability, in every action. It made me want to carry on her tradition and uphold her quiet strength, the way that I think would make her proud. In a strange way, I think that my Grandmother's death has made me a better, stronger person. This is sure to be an extremely painful time for this family. However, I think that it could provide new perspective and focus as well as a renewed emphasis on family values, in the same way that watching his mother's struggle with HMOs in her final days has shaped Obama's health insurance policy. This slight shift in perspective is evident even now in this moving clip. I think there are many people in our lives who deserve this type of respect and honor, and I look forward with hope that this future administration will synthesize compassion, respect, and policy.
Deficit spending and increasing our taxes are one and the same. To run up huge deficits then take an anti-tax position is ludicrous. With over 30 years of executive financial experience, I promise you if you deficit spent, you just effectively raised taxes, period.
The republicans are a spend-tax cut-run-up-a-deficit bunch, but no; technically they didn’t raise the taxes. That’s like a teenager responding to a parent aghast that the credit card bill is up a few G’s by taking on a “not to worry” attitude and suggesting the parent is over reacting by suggesting the credit card bill must be paid. How dare anyone suggest we must pay off this bill! Who is buying that.
Don't let them paint us as the tax and spend bunch. Push back on this Republican Spin, my friends.
Be encouraged and not complaicent. We all know to WHOM the battle belongs. No battles waged aginst us shall prosper. Hold on to THE FAITH!
Listen to this passage
This Wednesday, October 15th, marks the beginning of early voting in Tennessee. This is your chance to make your voice heard and vote for change!
Local get out the vote efforts are already underway in Nashville, Memphis, and across the state. Today, Nashvillians gathered at the Victory '08 Headquarters to organize and plan for next week's early voting events.
You can find your early voting location by contacting your County Election Commission. You can find out how to reach them at the Tennessee Secretary of State website.
I am unable to state how many times I have heard the dumbest of reasons for not supporting Barack in this historic election and change to this country. A good old boy, announced who would you rather vote for a "n" or a sexy woman who can moose hunt"? And later went on to compare all blacks as being on welfare, yada yada. Then one of his white coworkers said, we get food stamps or we couldn't eat. Are we so prejudicial, and naive that we boil down all the political issues to old tired racist views?
We Caucasians need to understand that we do hold old views of our parents and the scare tactics of the white fear mongers. How much longer will we punish the disadvantaged in this country? I know too many people of color who would resent that they are all rolled up together as "all being on the dole". It is unfortunate that anyone even needs food stamps in this country, why isn’t that an issue in this campaign?
I get many emails from people with similar false statements, slandering Barack unfairly on a daily basis. I have chosen to reply to all on the email and challenge their decency by bringing up racists views, challenging their lies, but I do it politely. Some I write too will be embarrassed, and it is those folks I hope to reach. Please do not just delete the emails if you get them, reply to all and politely state how out of line many of these emails are. I think many being copied will respond with integrity and give Barack a chance to make a real change for this country. FS
It's another day, another billion dollars in the same old refrain from the Bush White House. I am thoroughly disgusted and ,at the same time, frightened for our country and our world. This thing is bigger than I ever imagined and will reach into every home, city, village, and anywhere else human beings live. The situation is also being milked by the Bush Administration , using the finanicial crisis as an excuse to bilk the taxpayers once again.
I am certainly not alone in this view: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/09/22/groups-mobilize-to-stop-bailout-package.
I watched Barack's response to our current financial crisis and was truly impressed with his honesty and leadership. The Clintonian team assembled behind him reminded me of "peace and prosperity."
As Hillary said, "Remember that?"
Most of the folks who know me can tell you that it is a rare day when I am speechless, but that is exactly what I have been for several days now. I think it peaked this morning when I watched Bush's arrogant response to our mounting financial crisis. His abrupt manner and total unresponsiveness to the hurting American people has awakened my voice.
Is THIS enough, all right, for the Repubs to give into? Torie Clarke, a McCain spokesperson, wrote a book titled "Lipstick on a Pig", I think in 2007. Enough said.....if you read through her chapters you will find how she advised Repubs to use the phrase....hmmmmm.....seems this was long before any of us ever heard the name SARAH PALIN (boy, am I getting sick of the name Sarah - so glad none of my 2 granddaughters ever got that name!) Want to buy the book? - here's a link to amazon for more info.
http://www.amazon.com/Lipstick-Pig-Winning-No-Spin-Someone/dp/0743271165
This latest salvo of slings and arrows over Barack's "lipstick" comment just don't ring true to these feminist ears. These people who are so indignant over the little piggie who went to market wearing lipstick are the same jokers who want to outlaw abortion, blocked the ERA, and actively lobby against families unless they look like theirs. They mock the real concerns of American women while doing everything they possibly can to insure that women's equality erodes and our civil rights wither on the vine.
We have to start ignoring Palin. She is like the little kid who keeps kicking you in the shins to gain attention. She needs a big old time-out if you ask me.
The corporate news channels are awash with news that "white women" are charging into the McCain camp in record numbers. Supposedly they are being lured there by the nation's newest rock star, Sarah Palin, McCain's VP choice. To this I say - horse manure!
None of my friends or loved ones have ditched Obama simply because Palin is a woman. Of course, my friends and loved ones are mostly lesbians, mothers and grandmothers, middle-aged, white, Southern, Appalachian, and poor. I don't believe any of us are storming toward the McCain camp. Hillary fans are not now drawn to McCain. I am sick to death of the "women's vote" being treated as a monolith by the corporate media. Hmmm...let's see, is Gloria Steinem an equivalent of Phyllis Schlafly? Anita Hill and Kay Bailey Hutchison? Rosie O'Donnell and Elizabeth Hasselbeck? Mary Daly and Ann Coulter? Puhleez.
After hearing in today's news the poll results indicating that McCain has taken a narrow lead over Obama, I decided now is the time to get up off the couch, dust off my journalist skills, and do what I can to help Barack Obama win the White House in November.
I watched the Denver convention with a box of tissue nearby at all times. It was a powerful, uplifting experience to witness this historic nomination. I have never been prouder to be a Democrat. The moment Barack finished speaking, my son called me, excited about what he heard and eager to share his views with his Mom. We talked for over an hour about the convention, Barack's nomination, and the important issues that were addressed in the previous four days.
