An odd thing happened to me recently during Breast Cancer Awareness Week. My entire place of business was dressed in pink, and I hate pink. I was in the process of saying so when my phone rang. A beloved cousin was calling to tell me she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. With an early diagnosis, however, her prognosis is excellent. That would have been enough of a coincidence; however, an hour later, I got a call from another woman who said exactly the same thing. One hour, two women whose lives had been saved by awareness and early diagnosis. I vowed never to complain about pink again.
Then yesterday at a beauty salon, I chatted with a woman who had just had her toe nails painted pink, with the signature pink ribbon on each big toe. A breast cancer survivor herself, she is big into talking up the value of mammograms with every woman she meets. Having become the (hopefully temporary) guardian of a cat, I then went to the store and bought cat litter for the first time in several months. On the handle of the plastic container was a pink sticker with the ubiquitous ribbon and the message, “We support breast cancer research.”
Here’s a public awareness campaign that works, and thousands of women are alive because of it. The survival rate for those diagnosed early with breast cancer exceeds 96%.
Clearly, mammograms save lives; however, 13 million women in the U.S. aged 40 or over have never had one. For most, it’s a matter of cost. The $600-a-month insurance plan I had last year doesn’t cover them; the $800-a-month plan I was forced to buy this year does, but with a hefty “co-pay.” For many women in America, the cost of routine health maintenance, including mammograms, is simply out of reach.
This is an excellent example of why this country so desperately needs affordable health care, not just expensive emergency care for poor and middle-income families. Optimum health care requires much more than just emergency crisis management. It requires consistent access to health and wellness services—services too many Americans can’t afford.
The status quo is intolerable. Americans have waited forty years for a viable national plan for health services, while the insurance industry and its allies have stalled for time. The wait is over. Now is the time for comprehensive health care reform.
Then send this link out to everyone you know. Please.
We need volunteers to help out at our Central Washington state fair booth in Yakima, Washington especially September 25 to October 2, 2009. The times available change very quickly but they will be between 11 am to 10 or 11 pm. You and your friend will each receive a FREE fair pass for each four hours volunteer time. So go to http://tinyurl.com/VOLUNTEErforYakimaDemocrats and click on the evens like to RSVP you and your friend NOW... Yakima County Democrats are now on Twitter at http;//www.twitter.com/ycdemocratsSo come follow us for all kind of fun information that you just can not live without.
Thanks Randall (509.654.9740 or 509.210.2701) or questions e-mail: ycdemocrats@q.com
I'm certain I will only repeat what has been said hundreds of times since the electoral votes came in proclaiming Barack Obama the next President of the United States. Our Barack Obama! This is a wonderful day for America, and we need to bask in it and congratulate ourselves as well as President-elect Obama for a job well done. We need to do this because there will be hard times ahead calling for faith and sacrifice. Barack has told us that. We have faced hard times before. The difference this time is that we have a real leader to lead us, to encourage us, and to give us hope. We saw that hope last night on the faces of everyone. I hope to see more of that hope in the days ahead. Let us all send our prayers and good wishes and thoughts for strength to President-elect Obama and pray that he knows we are behind him and will follow his lead.
I hope our brothers and sisters of color will allow us to also be elated by the election of the first African-American president, and that we can continue to work together to heal the past and work for the future. Our best thoughts for one another will create the energy that will continue the change that has been too long coming, and spread it to others and future generations. Some of us love them more than they know; mostly it is fear that has come between us. The antidote for fear is love. (I think Jesus said that in some way or another).
I have learned much already from this man and his campaign. I have learned the power of taking the high road regardless of the arrows thrown at us, to be less judgmental, to speak only encouragement and hope, to call on and believe in the best in others, and to hold firm to my beliefs no matter what the cost. This is what won the election, make no mistake. This is a beacon to follow, the beacon continuing from the light of Dr. Martin Luther King, who followed the lead of Gandhi. In all the terrible arrows slung at Dr. King, he never took the lower pathway, but followed his belief and faith and held to his ideals even unto death. That is a man of courage and integrity. They are too few and far betweeen, but they are a standard to which to aspire. Barack Obama is another such a man, and that is why I am SO thrilled at the election of this man to President of the United States.
I am thrilled to have seen this in my lifetime. I am thrilled to believe once again that the future for America can only get brighter. I believe in Barack Obama, and in his ability to make this future possible, and I pledge to support him in the days ahead as well.
Keep the Faith!!
Reading some of the blogs and hearing the reasons for not voting for Obama has made me ask this question. I remember going to church and learning that we are our brothers' keeper, that we are all equal in (God's) sight, and to do unto others as we would have done to ourselves. There was the parable of the Good Samaritan, who stopped to help someone on the road while others continued on by. Good thing it was not in America, he could have been branded a socialist. The others must have thought they were upholding the capitalist system.
Jesus' keeping company with tax collectors and Samaritans would have labeled him a terrorist, and since he argued with the Saducees I guess rather than a Jew he'd have been labeled something else. (I think Mohammed came years later). He certainly couldn't have run for office if he weren't following the right religion.
But the Right seems to keep bringing up this thing about "spreading the wealth" as though it were a really bad thing. Since when did Americans turn their backs on others who needed help. Isn't barn raising socialist then? Or the Salvation Army? Or the funds set up by banks to allow neighbors to contribute to someone who cannot afford funeral expenses or whose home burned down?
I realize these are voluntary contributions, but the very idea of government is that it is a collective institution set up to manage the infrastructure necessary for all its citizens to have available roads, health care, education, and safety. Otherwise, it is called anarchy.. or fascism. I'd rather pay taxes and have a highway to drive on, a safe car to drive in, and be able to depend on my neighbor than live without laws and community services.
If you cannot call that other side of the coin anarchy or fascism, let's call it out for what it is: greed. Greed not only for money and material things, but for power. Now it is clear how the financial system collapsed, and how the Bush regime was able to slice away at our liberties and our constitution.
They can call it socialism, I call it kindness to care about those less fortunate than yourself.
Make me an instrument of peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
To be understood, as to understand,
To be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying
That we are born anew.
Poetry is my thing, and on LibraryThing.com there was a call in the "Political Haiku" bulletin board (blog?) for more on the election, both sides. Haiku only. I'd be glad to hear yours as well, or post there.
I know we all want to send our good wishes and prayers with Senator Obama as he travels to Hawaii to see his grandmother. When a newscaster asked him if it was hard to “suspend” his campaign at this point in time to go to visit his Grandmother, Barack replied. (my paraphrase) “No, it is not hard at all. My mother was a single Mom and I was raised by my grandparents as well as my mother. This is one of the most important people in the world to me. Besides, I am not suspending my campaign. There are hundreds of thousands of volunteers out there working hard to make sure we win this election, knocking on doors and dialing phones. So the campaign will go forward without me being physically on the mainland.”
I want all of you to know that when Barack Obama says this is your fight and that you have to believe, not in him but in yourself, he means it. This campaign is about the country and about you, not about Barack. He will take us in a new direction and be a true Leader at this crucial juncture in history, repairing the damage of the last eight plus years of Republican (GOP) rule. Barack knows and appreciates all your hard work, and we dare not let up. I personally would like to see a Landslide victory.
I also am wondering why McCain, who is such a noble Maverick, has not offered to suspend HIS campaign while Barack visits his family in Hawaii. He could show his compassion rather than the hate calls and lies he has presented as a campaign.
Keep on working and support Barack Obama at this crucial time so close to the 4th of November. Vote early if you can. Encourage everyone you know to show up at the polls or mail their ballot. We cannot let the vote be stolen again. This is a democracy only if the vote is free and unobstructed. Exercise your rights, and stand up for Obama. As Joe Biden says—“Get Up! Get Up!” Stand up and be counted!
God be with you, Senator Obama, and your Grandma. May she be watching you as you win this election. Our wishes & prayers go with you this week.
VOTE FOR OBAMA!! VOTE FOR CHANGE!! VOTE FOR COMPASSION!!
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. - Barack Obama
As John McCain’s so-called “campaign” continues to degenerate to a series of unfounded, vitriolic, and inflammatory accusations against Barack Obama as a person, perhaps it’s a good time to reflect on the one thing both sides seem to agree on: change is needed. That, at least, is an idea that seems to resonate.So what kind of change do we need? Let's begin by reminding ourselves that when a complex problem needs to be solved, there are virtually always more than two ways to go about it. Unfortunately, here in America, our democracy is firmly locked into a two-party system. Anyone outside the two mainstream organizations who makes a serious run for public office is viewed in one of two ways: a hopelessly unrealistic idealist (at best) or a crackpot who can’t fit into any of the established niches (at worst).There have been times when this either-or system seemed to work well—usually when the country has been threatened by outside forces and, like a fractious family, came together in a spirit of “one-for-all-and-all-for-one.” That happened during World War II and, perhaps most recently, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.During times of relative peace and prosperity, however, we Americans tend to be led around by the nose by people—be they Presidents or pastors—who are passionate, or even fanatical, about one idea. Everyone is labeled either “pro” or “con,” “right” or “wrong,” “with us” or “agin us.” When things go wrong—as they most certainly have, in every aspect of public life, in recent years—we waste precious time and resources laying blame and trying to defend the old, tired ideas espoused by our own party.So here’s the change we need: a president who’s not a traditional Democrat or Republican. Who brainstorms with anyone who has the brains, background, and creativity to offer viable solutions. Who can build consensus. Who can inspire ordinary people to participate in whatever way they can, large or small. Who is skilled at listening to all sides of an argument and forging a compromise that’s better than the status quo and that everyone can live with.Focusing on one idea is a convenient substitute for thinking, and stirring up hate and contempt for people with different points of view is much easier than doing the intellectual work necessary to solve problems. Any lack of progress can be blamed on those idiots on other side of the equation who persist in not seeing things our way.So as a nation, we need to stop being defensive, blaming others for our mistakes, and avoiding responsibility. We need to grow up. And we need a leader who inspires us to do that.
When did the word “Liberal” become a dirty word? I read articles in Letters to the Editor, and some people seem to think that merely labeling Obama as a “Liberal” ( insert shudder and gasps) is enough to make people not vote for him.
Well, I am a Liberal, I lean further toward things Liberals stand for: the common man, the American worker, labor unions’ right to exist, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, voting rights, and civil rights. The right of every person to be shown respect as a human being regardless of race, sexual orientation or religion. I believe in the individual’s right to decide how to live their life and what to do with their own body in their own privacy, and the right to access to medical and health care benefits, as do Liberals. I, as a Liberal, believe after working for 30 or 40 years and paying into a pension or 401K you have the right to collect a retirement. Liberals believe in fair taxes and expect fair taxes on the wealthy as well as the poor. We believe people don’t mind tax increases as long as they benefit all citizens and not just the top 10% of the wealthiest individuals and corporations. We believe tax cuts should be used judiciously and not just to win an election, but consider the current state of the country’s economy.
Liberals, myself included, believe in the right to voice an opinion, without fear of reprisal. We anticipate the hope to live in peace and not fear. We support policies that do not weigh our children, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren with our irresponsible fiscal policies and lack of oversight, putting them deeper and deeper into debt. We value the opportunity to make a living wage, and being able to walk down the street without the fear of being shot.
Liberals espouse recognition of the value of education in our country and backing up that recognition by funding education for every child in America, as well as recognition of the value of our elderly and our obligations to our elders. Liberals talk about being willing to stop the discarding of the elderly into homes unfit for any human being, or relegate them to poverty and illness at the end of productive lives based on the mighty dollar. Liberals believe in the right to health care that does not force a choice between bankruptcy and medical care. The examples are legion, but if you want to know, talk to your neighbor.
The values Liberals hold I hold: love your neighbor as yourself, choose peace over war whenever possible, hold life (every life) in the highest esteem, empathy, understanding, trust, individual rights, and the respect for the opinions of others. None of us are less, for we are all intertwined and rooted in the same tree. That tree is the Tree of America, and it stands on the Planet Earth. Therefore, we Liberals think globally, trying to work with, rather than against our neighbors. Last of all, Liberals think for themselves and do not believe everything said to them from the pulpit or the soapbox. Instead they look for truth. As individuals we are not perfect, but we are not ashamed of our label either. I am proud to call myself a Liberal.
For Barack Obama's beliefs and stands on the issues see http://www.barackobama.com/issues/.
VOTE FOR CHANGE!! VOTE FOR A NEW AMERICA!! VOTE FOR AMERICAN VALUES! VOTE FOR OBAMA!!!
We are down to the wire, folks, and things are getting ugly out there.While Bush-McCain go on with their smears, enlisting the help of their 'girls', the US government is beginning to look at the powers they coerced Americans to give them to "rescue" (convenient change of terms from bailout, and no rescue in sight so far), the banking and financial industry.
Who was the first candidate to call out AIG for their junket after receiving their bailout? Obama. Who knows the middle class makes under $250,000/year? Obama. Who knows health care insurance costs more than $5000 per year, and who will avoid taxing employer sponsored health care plans? Obama.
Now the Bush/Republican administration is again expanding its powers by getting further involved in the private sector by proposing the takeover of the ownership of banks. This is the party famous for small government? Somehow Bush has engineered an expansion of government and ruin of the economic system that puts capitalism at jeoprady. How did that happen?
Pay attention. Your dollars, not just tax dollars, but your paycheck are at risk. Your health care is at risk. Your children are at risk. Your very system of government is at risk. And McCain's response is to ask for more, more bailout money for the bankers and CEOs. What? One junket is not enough? Are CEOs not happy with their $480,000,000 severance paychecks?
Pay attention. Obama must win this election or we'll be in a socialist economy and standing in food kitchen lines in another four years. Consider contributing to the Obama campaign in these last days.
Obama is too much of a gentleman to go on and on about the Keating Five. McCain is too much of a coward to smear him face to face (age changes people). But whatever you do, whichever side you are on--do Pay Attention!
VOTE FOR CHANGE!! VOTE FOR REAL CHANGE!! VOTE FOR AMERICA!! VOTE FOR OBAMA!!
A FALL POEM FOR YOU
Nothing Gold Can Stay
VOTE FOR AMERICA!! VOTE FOR OBAMA!!
I sent this to newspapers using the Obama action site. I did some editing, but this is the essential letter. The site is great, it lets you mail to about 10 newspapers all at once.
John McCain and Sarah Palin have from the start run their campaign trying to smear the reputation of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Palin uses schoolyard tactics of meanness, attack and innuendo then retreats to beauty pageant cuteness. McCain can't really find dirt in Obama's past,so he accuses him of having shady friends and lies about Senator Obama's personal life. This doesn't surprise me-the Republicans have always played on tricks and dirty deals. Lying is part of their strategy, proven one administration after another.
Now we hear the truth about John McCain as a US representative in the Congress (as an adult, not when he was 8 years old!). McCain's economic policy as a Congressman was to play with the Keating Five, bilking the retirement from hard working middle class Americans and participating in a financial crisis that caused the Savings & Loan scandal that saw the fall of Lincoln Savings, triggering the collapse of other savings and loans and the loss of millions of dollars of Americans hard earned money.
He says he regretted that period of his life.What he regrets is being caught. He regrets turning his back on the people he fought for in another unjust and unpopular war some years prior. How long can you base your values on being a POW? Other men were POWs as well. Your life is not one event, it is how you live everyday and the moral choices you make. I ahve observed McCain's ethical stand by the way he has conducted his campaign.
I want a man for President who has the interest of the real Americans in mind, not his own personal gain. I want a maverick who is for the people of America. I am voting for Barack Obama. Think about your choice-it is critical for our future.
The electoral college determines who becomes the next President. Below are the votes for each State. If you look at the Washington Post they have predictions, and they do look good, but there is still work to be done. There are many ways to work for the Obama campaign. I personally hate telephones. My cell phone is usually turned off and in my purse or car. I even hate using the phone to talk to friends and family.
But what I do love to do and what is easy for me is to write. So this past week and today I have been working on sending out letters to the editor to the high electoral vote States’ newspapers. There is a site called Porject Vote Smart that lists the number of votes each State gets. http://www.votesmart.org It’s a great site with lots of information, voting records, etc.
Here is what I downloaded:
U.S. Electoral College 2008 - List Of States And Votes Total: 538; Majority Needed to Elect: 270
Alabama - 9 Alaska - 3 Arizona - 10Arkansas - 6California - 55Colorado - 9Connecticut - 7Delaware - 3District Of Columbia - 3Florida - 27Georgia - 15Hawaii - 4Idaho - 4Illinois - 21Indiana - 11Iowa - 7Kansas - 6Kentucky - 8Louisiana - 9Maine - 4Maryland - 10Massachusetts - 12Michigan - 17Minnesota - 10Mississippi - 6Missouri - 11 Montana - 3 Nebraska - 5Nevada - 5New Hampshire - 4New Jersey - 15New Mexico - 5New York - 31North Carolina - 15North Dakota - 3Ohio - 20Oklahoma - 7Oregon - 7Pennsylvania - 21Rhode Island - 4South Carolina - 8South Dakota - 3Tennessee - 11Texas - 34Utah - 5Vermont - 3Virginia - 13Washington - 11West Virginia - 5Wisconsin - 10Wyoming - 3
Source: United States National Archives & Records Administrationhttp://www.archives.gov/federal_register/ele ...
The top States are the ones I concentrated on sending letters to the editor. I found the newspapers on a site called 50 States.com www.50states.com/news/ Ask Google for daily newspapers and a State name, and you will find this site, or use the above link and add the State.
My home State is Pennsylvania (where I was born & raised). I know hunting & guns are a big item there as are jobs in the former steel town areas. Both are hot items that McCain likes to twist. So I’ve sent quite a number of letters to the editors in those areas. I used some information from the Barack Obama site and then added my take on the issue in my words. It’s hard but I tried not to be confrontative and just give the facts. What I’ve been doing mostly lately when talking to people is encouraging them to go to the source (eg., congressional record) for the real facts or promise to read their candidates page if they’ll read mine. I’m proud to say, and surprised, that Barack Obama is 10 points ahead of McCain/Palin in the polls there. Yea!!
I also had fun adding up electoral votes for McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden. If you include State of birth, college educational States, and political career it comes out like this: McCain/Palin 21 votes; Obama/Biden 134 votes.
I guess what I am trying to say is that if your talent isn’t writing then use the talent you have, or your passion, for Obama. If you sing or play a musical instrument, do that. If you are good at organizing talks, do that. If you cook, gather some folks together for food and an Obama video. I plan to attend the training next week and do some door to door. Every day we are one day closer to the election, and to an Obama Presidency. Let’s stay involved to make it happen!
VOTE FOR CHANGE!! VOTE FOR THE FUTURE!! VOTE FOR OBAMA!!!
When I ended up at the wrong debate watching party (hosted by [shudder] Republicans), I saw that the signs they held said "Ticket for Change." Now where had I heard that word before? Watching the debate tonight I see just how much they want to copy the Democrat's principles, until after the election of course. Why, to listen to Mrs. Sarah (would you keep your baby up till Midnight for a TV OP??) you would think there really wasn't one bit of difference between the Republicans (oops, they are calling themselves GOP now, and if you mention Bush you are looking backward, but if you mention past voting records, that is looking forward--huh?). Anyway, I am posting here the letter I sent to newspapers through this web site, not regarding the debate but regarding McCain/Palin's continued claims that they are the new GOP Party (Grand OLD Party Party), and they will do in the next four years what Republicans have never done in the 40 plus years I have been alive. Here's the letter:
DeRegulation helped to create the financial mess thru which we are suffering and will suffer for some time. John McCain has always supported DeRegulation, all through his long career. Just last month he said he would deregulate the health care industry "as we have done over the last decade in banking."
I work in the health care industry, and have for 40 years. I've seen insurance companies, part of the financial corporate structure of America, line their pockets while people went bankrupt or died trying to afford needed health care. John McCain is now proposing we give insurance companies free reign, we give health care prices our blessing to continue to rise to the point that only the rich will be able to afford health care.
To show you how out of touch John McCain is, John is now proposing a $5000 per year benefit to cover health insurance. With minimal insurance running about $500 per month, that's the basics, and when I say basic I mean a few doctor visits a year and high co-payments and nothing for catastrophic care. Employer based health benefits, which will disappear with the McCain health proposal, pay upwards of $10,000 per year for health care that covers hospitalization, medications, tests and some aspects of rehabilitation. Let me tell you, I have seen firsthand what "Basic Health" covers. I had a patient with a double amputation of her legs that couldn't get rehabilitation because it was not a benefit.
We need change in health care, but it is not in providing more for the rich and less for the poor and middle class. We need a comprehensive plan that provides health care for every child, and support for businesses that want to keep their employees healthy without themselves going broke. Trickle Down Economics doesn't work, and neither does Trickle Down Health Care.
McCain tries over and over again to distance himself from Bush and the last eight years of Republican Rule. But to define the Republican idea of change you have to look at how Republicans change things. They changed us from a nation respected throughout the world to a country reviled and mistrusted everywhere. They changed us from a nation other countries turned to in times of need for financial assistance to a nation owing trillions of dollars to China (a communist State). They changed us from a nation with a strong working middle class that made America strong to a nation with a widening gap between the rich and the poor, with the dwindling of the middle class. They changed us from a nation that understood the Geneva Convention and took the moral high ground of refusing to torture prisoners to a nation that imprisons without charge or trial and then tortures without conscience. It took us from a nation that worked with other nations and with diplomacy to avoid war first to a nation that pre-emptively strikes a sovereign foreign nation without cause and without the support of our allies.
I'd rather not sign on to McCain's version of change. I'll take Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden's version of change, because they have spelled out and defended what they would do for America. I'll look at their record for myself and not just believe the lies the Republicans tell with unblinking eyes looking directly at you. I've been watching Republicans for many years. If McCain and Palin represent change, why have we not seen it before August of 2008?
Vote for real change!! (not a co-opted slogan). Vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Nanci L. Warner, RN
Washington
I've been thinking lots about Truth this campaign. Some very important people have asked "What is Truth?" and I am sure that I don't have that answer. But Truth seems to be the one factor that goes out the window when campaigns begin. With Truth goes Trust. Without Trust enters Cynicism, and with Cynicism comes Apathy. With Apathy comes Greed, Graft, and Irresponsibility in the place of Accountability, Patriotism, and Social Conscience.
It seems to me that this is the path America has gone down. Americans have been lied to by politicians for so many years, in so many important ways that Cynicism and Apathy have entered the American consciousness and Conviction, Conscience, Social Responsibility and true Patriotism have been harder and harder to find. We were lied to by Nixon. We were lied to by politicians during the Savings and Loan scandal, we were lied to by a number of politicians now cooling their heels in prison (some pardoned), we were lied to by more than one President and some cabinet members as well.
Why should the American people believe anymore? I guess the answer is that if we don't learn how to trust again, the country will not survive as it was formed. Democracy will suffer, and with it the common citizen will suffer, and when that happens to America, it happens to the world. I do not subscribe to the sentiment that the USA is the center of the world, and the ruler of the world, but I do know that everything that happens in America has a ripple effect in the world (in fact, that is true for every country and every one of us). If we fail, democracy fails.
Why should we hope and dream and trust? Because we have no choice, we must find a star to grab hold of, and we must work to make our beliefs come true. In a way, we must help to create hope by being willing to examine each statement for truth. Once proven, we must then put our hearts into the work that needs done to spread that Truth and Hope all around us to the best of our abillity. We must hold each of our elected officials accountable to Truth to rebuild Trust and Hope in our country, to move forward to claim our birthright and the birthright of our children and our children's children.
Barack Obama has asked us to Hope and to Believe. Not just in him, but in our OWN ability to bring about change in Washington and in the world. It is a call I have not heard for some 48 years, and I think it is a call the young people of this nation have been waiting for. If you are part of the younger generation, I am putting my hopes on you. Think about the future, about your friends and family, and about your country and your place in it. Then act.
This blog tonight isn't about partisan politics, and it really isn't even about Senator Obama. It is about our country and our values and our survival as a democratic Republic, about the values of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It is the most wonderful country in the world, and has created and achieved amazing things in the short time it has existed as a government. Let us not be too cynical and apathetic to demand Truth, and to hold our government accountable. Stand up and be counted. Be the change!!
VOTE FOR TRUTH! VOTE FOR HOPE!! VOTE FOR CHANGE!! VOTE FOR OBAMA!!!
I guess now we know why the color of money is green--for cowardice. The Republican House cares less about the future of the country, and indeed the world, than about their personal political image. True, the vote for the Bailout (or whatever buzz name you want to use) was a no-win proposition for any politician. There was no guarantee of success, sort of like the stock market (interesting, eh?), and could easily come back to haunt the Representatives in the future. The problem being it could figure negatively in a vote in as near future as this election. None of them were willing to risk that for the good of the country. It's called something that is the opposite of courage--it is called cowardice.
I am so proud to support Barack Obama, a man who has principles and will stand by them and stand for them. A man who does less to manipulate the truth for his gain than most politicians. You can tell in the debates and as he speaks that his vision for American politics is one of collaboration and not partisan politics. Obama puts the health and future of the nation ahead of his personal gain. Rare, and if America passes up the chance for that vision, how long will it be until we see it again? I have more faith in Americans, and I think we will have that visionary as our next President. I see him standing behind the Presidential seal and in front of the US flag leading the country to a new era of respect, compassion, educational excellence, and prosperity. Oh, it won't come all at once, and it will take quite a bit of work to undo the damage of the last eight years, but that is so much better than the alternative.
Those who did not understand the bill placed before Congress should read all they can to understand it. They should ask their congressman to explain their vote (or non-vote, since many just refused to put their name on the record) and to tell them why they felt the consequences would not be felt by the average American. Remember these were Republicans boycotting a Republican Administration. Who lead them? McCain was in Washington when the deal fell apart. Most of this is political posturing, and we will have to have some sort of monetary support for Wall Street. It may not come in time to prevent much pain as it stands defeated today. We will see. The Republicans have gone home to campaign and tell more lies. I'd only say, again, find the truth for yourself about what has occurred today before casting your vote.
Aside from the short view of this election, I have some trepidation for the direction in which the Nation is headed. As more and more banks and financial institutions are swallowed by the few, I wonder what happens when the financial welfare of the country is controlled by a few, say three, major corporations. Is that a free market? Is that even capitalism? Is that the kind of power we are willing to give to a few men? People for years have been afraid of communism and socialism. What about fascism? Are we willing to see it emerge, ever so slowly, and to remain silent? Are we willing to let the man who supports division and exclusion win over the man who supports inclusion and collaboration?
All I am saying is educate yourself about the facts, then take a stand, and let your Congressman know that you hold him accountable to the truth and to some sort of integrity. The fate of democracy is threatened, I believe, as never before in our history and not by outside forces, but from within. Only a vigilant populace will keep democracy free. Stand up and be heard.
VOTE FOR A CHANGE IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR PRECIOUS GOVERNMENT! VOTE FOR OBAMA!!!
Well, I know Barack has high ideals, and wants to reach across party lines. He showed that he walks the talk, as he said, and even when McPain tried to diminish him, he responded as a diplomat, without anger or rancor and never lost his cool composure.
McPain was obviously coached to use the "doesn't understand" and "naive" offensive. It was very transparent. Obama did not bite the hook however, which would have been the worst thing he could have done. It seemed to me that on most issues McPain was close to Obama's ideas, except in the area of the middle class. That is the area that attracts me to the Democratic Party and to Obama in particular. McPain doesn't think $250,000 per year is rich. That is telling. Tell that, John, to the workers at WalMart who are sleeping in their cars because they can't make enough to save for a deposit on an apartment. Tell that to college graduates paying off a student loan. Tell that to the nurses I work along side of who have 5 years of education and have never seen six figures unless they work in upper administration (few do).
Health Care was pretty much swept under the rug by McPain, although Obama tried to include it. If McPain has been working to take care of Veterans for the last 22 years, it is a shame that Walter Reed was in the shape it is in, and that Veterans' facililites and access to benefits is an absolute shame for the nation.
It was clear that the lens through which the candidates see the country is different even though they are close on some issues. It is also clear that although McPain has worked within and for the Republican Party for more than 20 years, he prefers not to be identified with what has happened in Washington the past eight years, not to mention Reagonomics (his hero, did he say?) And Kissinger, wasn't he run out of office along with the Nixon scandal?
I will say that after the debate I feel less inclined to leave the country if Obama does not win, which I really do not think will happen. However, prepare yourself for the Palin/Biden debate. ..have a tape player for the laugh tracks if you can stand to watch her being sliced & diced. How many times --let us count--will she be able to repeat the same rehearsed and memorized phrases without answering the question? And how often will she talk about her children and her husband and try to play the soccer Mom; just a hint, sweety, we're not looking for soccer Mommies--we need a Vice President who can interact on an adult level.
Be prepared for McPain's next shock & awe, mirrors and flash, and attention grabbing gyrations.Today, on Fox news no less, the National Review (a conservative rag) was quoted as saying perhaps Palin should withdraw from the campaign for the good of the campaign & the party. When do you think he'll pull that rabbit out of the bag? I say a week before the election, within two weeks anyway. People might vote for McPain, but Palin as VP with a President that old?? I'd have to think twice even if I were a Republican. (Did I just say that?--I won't watch a debate with Republicans at the Kennewick library, I'll be damned if I'd be caught in that kind of association. leave the high road to Barack Obama.)
Less than 6 weeks to go. Keep on working--we need Obama for change!
I had an epiphany today to answer those who tell me Barack Obama's name is too hard to pronounce, and doesn't sound "American". Just say "Mr. President"! Rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?
The more I watch the events surrounding this election and the unfolding of the economy, the more certain I am that Senator Obama will be called just that in a matter of a few weeks. I cannot imagine how people cannot see the games-playing and blundering going on in the other party. I do see the level headedness of a true leader who puts the country's good ahead of his own ambitions and politics. Every day I am more convinced I have chosen the candidate that the country needs to handle the job of President at this most critical time in history. It is far to scary to imagine otherwise.
I also came up with another plan for the Bailout, not to be outdone by the Republican House. Mine involves getting a contribution of several million dollars from each of the executives making over $200,000 per year toward the Bailout. That should cover a fair chunk of it. Well, now you know why I am supporting a candidate and not running. I know Senator Obama can manage better ideas than that.
I am likely the last liberal-progressive on the planet to find out about MSNBC. I plead innocent because I simply do not watch television. Well, maybe two or three times a year. But I turned it on the other night, just because I was needing to chill mindlessly and it happened to be on MSNBC. Wow! They really can sock it to 'em. I'm giving away my age to say I wish Rowan & Martin's Laugh In and the Smothers' Brothers were part of television now. They could have a field day with this election. Guess we'll have to settle for David Letterman and Saturday Night Live.
Hey, I went to the opening nite of the Tri-Cities Americans Hockey Game. Whoa! I didn't know that many people even Lived in the Tri-Cities. I got there later than I was supposed to (sorry) but still managed to set up a table inside the entrance to the Toyota Center and register voters. A friend once told me, "until you ask you already have a No" so I asked to be let in through the main doors after everyone had arrived, and was told YES! Added an additional 12 voters to total 17!! Young people mostly, one had served 5 years in the military, several address changes, and a number of NEW young voters. Some who encouraged young spouses to register. Great fun. I only wish I could guarantee each for Obama, but I put my Mojo on them (not the witch) and that may work.
I had another great idea, but it's gone now, so guess we'll catch up later. Keep your eyes out for events coming up in your area, most will be fun, and sign up. Keep working for Obama! The stakes are high. The debate is tomorrow. Obama will be there, and I'll be watching. Encourage everyone you know to tune in. Should be instructive. Who's afraid of the Great Debate!!? Not Barack.
Vote for Change--REAL CHANGE!! Vote for OBAMA!!
