Republicans for Obama

This Is A Bipartisan Bill

Lou — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:50:16 EST

The senate bill looks pretty damn good! Frankly I'm surprised. It’s bipartisan without getting a single Republican vote. What in high hell am I talking about?

1. It’s bipartisan because voices in both parties hate it!

2. It does not include a public option. In other words it does not socialize the healthcare industry. It is true to capitalism and uses non-profits to accomplish the same goal.

3. Its pro-life. It does not provide federal funding for elective abortions.

Aside from that I don't hear a single Republican saying anything of substance in opposition. Just whining that its so bad, it costs so much, blah, blah, blah. It’s going to cost those making over 200k a year. But I got a ways to go before making that paycheck, I don't know about you?

Fact is that democrats should be applauded for this bill which goes against the progressive (extremists) liberals and provides a centered approach. Another fact is that there are many democrats who are voting against their beliefs and are essentially compromising on republican ideals. I believe it addresses the concerns of both party's ideology and arrives at a compromise that will be good for America.

Universal health care is a socialistic idea. Regardless, most decent human beings, republican and democrat, know in their hearts that no American should be without healthcare. The problem was addressed using private markets which is capitalistic! That’s why the stock market jumped on news of the senate's vote. Republicans better get specific if they are going to convince the center that this bill is bad for America after that.

The extreme liberals start screaming, "Ah, it’s a give away to big healthcare", "it’s a conspiracy", "all the politicians are bought off" Blah, blah, blah. Naturally, if you make everyone buy a product because you think they need it, the industry that makes the product is going to benefit. We all want to profit, why blame the industry for the mandate? You just need to regulate them a bit more for the gov't handout.

You don't need Republicans to vote for the bill, for it to contain bipartisan ideas. I was disappointed with Republicans for not following their values during the Bush years so why should I trust them to follow their values now. After I hear them say things like if we sink the bill it will be Obama's waterloo. That’s pretty damn un-American and demonstrates bad faith.

The bill is not perfect and I hope it gets better. The cherry on top would be a provision to end the anti-trust exemption for the health insurance industry. We can only hope for a little more bipartisanship from Democrats!

Until America Wakes Up!

Peter and Linda — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:17:03 EDT

While reflecting on the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I couldn't help but miss the "We're All Americans" spirit. There's a noticeable void, where once was a sense of unity and pride. Hence, I have made a a cognizant decision to rethink my support for various organizations, causes and charities.

I have sent notice, to many charities, of my decision to discontinue any further support. If people elect to act like "animals", then that's exactly how I'll view and treat them. After some forty years of monthly support for such organizations as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the American Red Cross, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and various local churches and charities, (just to mention a few that I've been extremely loyal to) each has been notified of my decision and all automatic monthly contributions have been discontinued immediately.

When we can once again come together as "Americans", as a respectful society, then and only then will I reconsider my position.

Regretfully,

Peter

LETS GET OBAMA's STORY OUT - STOP PLAYING DEFENSE

suerudd — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:07:23 EDT

August 27th 2009

IT IS TIME FOR OBAMA's TEAM to CREATE THE POSITIVE VISION FOR HEALTHCARE & GET OBAMA's HEALTHCARE STORY OUT...INSTEAD OF PLAYING DEFENSE...

Obama did not get elected by responding to every smear but by getting out an overwhelming message of hope, and taking action to make a better world...

Maybe he can start with his Eulogy at Ted Kennedy's Funeral

We Need to Tell OUR OWN STORY - Instead of PLAYING DEFENSE.

Bill Moyers made a good start last week.

See: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08212009/profile.html

NEED some POSITIVE and some SCARY STORIES that both create sympathy and outrage at the inefficiency of the present system and the cruelty of Today’s system to appeal to people’s hearts not just their heads as Obama (and you) have been doing.

Like some of these 8 Topics for Ads and Speeches:

1.Seniors who love their Government supported Medicare Program and Efficient Government “Insurance” Payments

2. Poor people desperate for care – going to Emergency Rooms and costing everyone 3 to 5 X what Preventive Care would – Examples of Diabetes or Infections with associated $$$

3. People dying because they denied Care for Pre-Existing conditions (that were not related to treatment)

4. Insurance company Whistle blowers describing how the Insurance bureaucrats control Doctors decisions and Ration Care arbitrarily TODAY

5. Examples of Outrageous Pricing which show:

(a) that there is No Standard Insurance Pricing and portray how Small businesses pay 20% more than large companies

(b) Doctors who have to hire one administrator for every 2-3 nurses to handle paperwork of 30 different fees from different Insurers for the same procedure

(c) Why the Uninsured (Poor & Unemployed) pay 20 - 40% more than Insured for the same procedure –Must Pay entire Bill instead of Negotiated Rate

(d) Examples of Middle Class People who cannot afford deductibles for hospital stays

(e) Stories of Nice People going into Bankruptcy caused by normal illness or treatment

6. Shock people as to Why Status Quo is Unacceptable

(a) Healthcare taking over the Economy 17% GDP going to 25% - Scare People with size of the Deficit + Insurance Cost in 2020 and picture 1 in X people working for Insurance companies

(b) Inefficiency of spending 16% of healthcare dollars on Insurance company bureacrats vs. 5% in Germany (which has a Government paid Independent Insurance Model)

7. Portray the Insurance companies as Profiteering Monopolists

(a) Lack of Competition in many states means that a single company has 65 - 75% share in Many States (List them)

(b) Insurance Companies in the ‘90s paid out 95% of Premiums for care now they are paying out 80% and keeping the rest for administration and Profits

And finally

8. POSITIVE STORY ON MAKING A REAL INSURANCE MARKET FOR HEALTHCARE

I am a Conservative/Independent Voter that believes like Obama that we need to:

(a) Create Competition from a Non-Profit system (Public Insurance Option or Co-OP or Non-Profit Managed Care) to counter the Insurance Monopolists

(b) Get Doctors the information and incentives to use the “best” treatment for each patient based on

(i) Statistical evidence (Care/Outcome Comparison) and

(ii) Encourage Flat Rate Coverage that maximizes long term health NOT the more expensive tests and treatments based on (consciously or unconsciously) maximizing short term earnings from ‘Fee for Service’

(c) Publishing the Costs/Prices for the same procedure - Today No-one not even the Doctor knows what a patient will pay until AFTER the procedure. would also allow patients to “shop” for care – which they cannot do today. [French Hospitals – also Private Insurance based - post Rates for 100 most common procedures. See NPR Interview with author of ‘Healing of America’ See: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112172939]

So To counter the ignorant Republicans we need to show that There is No free Market today:

• No Competition

• Doctors controlled by Insurance Bureaucrats and motivated to overtreat

• Patients cannot even try to shop for efficient care - if no-one knows the prices

We need Obama’s plan to make a real insurance market for care that will:

• Drive down prices and

• Minimize administrative cost

……but with

• Care and

• Compassion to care for Sick and Dying Normal People!@!

Let’s STOP PLAYING DEFENSE and GET THE EMOTIONAL STORY OUT – not just the facts.

US Healthcare is already like Britain Germany, Canada ...and Malawi

suerudd — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:38:56 EDT

An excellent new non-partisan book "Healing of America" reviews healthcare around the World and concluded that we already have the full range of the world's Healthcare systems today in US.:
**************************************************************************************
Quote from late in Interview with the author on NPR's Fresh Air
See: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112172939 for Podcast
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=112172939 for Transcript

"1. If you're a Native American or a Veteran you live in Britain. They get government health care and government hospitals from government doctors and they never get a bill.

2. If you're an employed person sharing your health insurance premium with your employer, you live in Germany. That's the Bismarck model that was invented in Germany and used in many countries.

3. If you're a senior and you buy Medicare insurance from the government and go to private doctors, you live in Canada. That's the Canadian model. As a matter of fact, the Canadian health care system is called Medicare, and when Lyndon Johnson provided it for our seniors in 1965 he borrowed both the model and the name from Canada.

4. And if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who can't get health insurance, well, you live in Malawi or Madagascar or Mali or something, because if you can pay for health insurance you get it, or maybe you can line up at the free hospital sometime.

"We've got them all and that's really the most important difference. All the other countries have decided that it's cheaper and fairer to provide one model so that everybody has the same access to the same care at the same price...."

**************************************************************************************
In US We do not have a free market today in Health Insurance. You need Choice, Published Prices and Competition to have a market. We have none of those in Healthcare. Creating those is what real conservatives should be lobbying for.

Health Insurance Monopolies.
In many states people only have 1 or 2 insurance companies and the large ones have over 75% share in many states! A virtual monopoly! [BTW - I expect to see some serious Anti-Trust action from the DoJ if Health Insurance Reform is not passed.]

No Prices and No shopping.
These Health Insurance Monopolies are extracting excess profits from customers who are unable to "shop around" - when they are sick and need immediate treatment.
And there no standard prices to shop for - Doctors are paid up to 30 different fees for the same procedure making their administrative costs huge. (BTW In France - Which is NOT Government Run they post the prices on the Wall for the Top 100 Ailments - see Interview above).
10 years ago Insurance companies paid out 95% of Contributions for Health Care today they pay out only 80% and Profits have risen in double digits annually while Health Insurance Fees are going out of sight.

Professional Doctors are overuled by Insurance Bureacrats .
In the last 15 years Doctors have lost their professional autonomy. Doctors are told today by Insurance companies what they can and cannot get paid for. Criteria are set by cost control motive not by best long term interests of patient. If you have been seriously sick lately (My husband was very sick before dying 2 years ago) - you will see the Billing Administrator spend 15 minutes on the phone with your Insurance company at every appointment before you can be told your care options by the doctor. We are letting bureaucrats - who have bonuses based on denying care - telling doctors what to do today.

Administrative Costs are huge and improve no-one's health.
Many Doctors say they would take lower salaries to reduce this huge administrative burden. We pay 16% of our Health Care Bill for Administration, Germany pays 5%, France 4% (both have Private Insurance systems)

Status Quo
The Status Quo will not only make Health Insurance unaffordable within 20 years but is unacceptable to many people including - many doctors, small businesses who pay higher fees than big companies and many patients who either cannot get coverage or whose co-pay is now astronomical - a pretty large group.

The real issue is how to move away from both Profit driven care AND Fee per Service incentives that do not help people get healthier - to Fee for Health which motivates Providers to do what makes patients well in the long term

US is getting lousy care for 16% of GDP because there is no free market here.
We need a real Competitive Option for everyone in every state.

But of course Insurance companies don't want it as they will actually have compete for business and maybe lower their prices
or even (drat the luck) go back to the Non-Profit Model.

Health Care Reform

linyam — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:43:01 EDT

I have sent email messages to all Blue Democrat Senators, Gang of Six in the Senate Finance Committee, and my Representative in the House (Republican) to support Health Care Reform with a Public Option.

Health Insurance Reform

Jane Anne Jeffries Johnson — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:38:35 EDT

I retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District in February. I felt it was my civic duty to give up my job and live on my retirement, since the economy is struggling. I moved to Friday Harbor, Washington, where the economy is doing better than in California. I am able to keep abreast of the changes President Obama is making toward a more viable society and economy. I urge everyone who voted for him to continue to support him now. The sharks are swarming, and there is blood in the water. It's time to come together as a force for change.

LtCol John Flerlage USMC (Ret.) Candidate for CD6 in Colorado.

DocWalsh101 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:03:30 EDT

As many of you know we have yet another election coming up next year. What you may not know is that the race for the 6th Congressional District in Colorado is probably the single most important campaign for the entire state. Why? It's simple the person currently holding that seat is Mike Coffman. Now for anyone that was involved with the campaign last year you know exactly how bad of an individual Coffman truly is for the State of Colorado. After the pruging of the voter lists, and running for higher office while being the guardian of fair elections for the entire state, Mr. Coffman has since gone on to attack our Governor and the President on many key issues, from the Pinon Canyon issue for the Gov. and Afghanistan for the Pres.

That introduction being finished I would like to introduce you to a candidate in CD6. His name is John Flerlage and he is a 22 year veteran of the United States Marine Corps. I don't think I can do anymore justice to John then do use his own words so I have inlcuded them below:

John Flerlage is currently an airline captain who served 22 years in the Marine Corps before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Marine Reserve in 2000. Over his eleven active-duty years and eleven years in the Reserves, John flew the F/A-18 Hornet and A-4 Skyhawk. He also served in various Squadron and Group level leadership and staff positions and taught classes in world affairs, strategic commitments and the operation of fighters and other tactical aircraft at the Marine aviation advanced tactics school. During his reserve years, John also volunteered and flew missions in support of NATO operations in Bosnia, and in 1996, he was chosen to fly the Hornet aboard the USS George Washington in the first Marine Reserve carrier qualifications to be held in over fifteen years.

In January, 1995, in anticipation of retiring from the Marine Reserve, John and his family settled in Littleton, CO, and since then, John has been readying himself to serve again, this time as the Representative from Colorado's 6th Congressional District. To prepare for his candidacy, John has been active in local (Jefferson County) politics, serving at the precinct (PCP) and house district level (Treasurer HD 28). He has also volunteered countless hours on local, congressional, and presidential campaigns.

John is currently a member of the leadership team of a start-up group called South JeffCo Democrats, and cites his election as an Obama delegate, first at his precinct caucus, followed by the Jefferson County, CD 6 and the Colorado State Conventions and Assemblies, as confirmation of his desire to pursue a political career.

While a freshman at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, John joined the Marine Corps officer training program in 1977. He earned a BA in mathematics from Colby College in 1980, and furthered his education by graduating from the Air Force Air War College in 2001.

John was born in Boston on January 29, 1958, and lived in Massachusetts, Maine, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Arizona and California during his school and Marine Corps years. He and his wife, Helena, moved from old Littleton in Arapahoe County to their home in south Jefferson County in 1997. He has volunteered regularly at the schools of his three children: David (21), who graduated from Columbine High School and now attends Columbia University; Lisa (16), currently a sophomore at Columbine; and Karl (11). John played varsity hockey throughout high school and college and continues to play on a local adult team. He particularly enjoys coaching hockey, at all age levels, including a stint as the high school coach at Columbine. John is also on the Governor's Council for Physical Fitness and believes strongly in proper fitness and nutrition for children especially in our schools.

As an airline pilot, John is a member of the Air Line Pilots Association and flies long haul international flights for the largest airline in the world, Delta Air Lines. He has had the great fortune to visit many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America, affording him unique insight as a candidate for Congress.

John needs your help and support. I am asking every person that reads this posting visit John's Campaign website at www.flerlagforcongress.com and see how you can help the campaign whether it's through volunteering or donating any and all help would be appreciated. I know we have all come off of a hard fought and hard won election but John is the person we want representing CD6 and to also support the President so many of us dedicated so much time and effort into getting elected. If you're on facebook look for John there as well!

OBAMA NEWS CONFERENCE 12:30 TUESDAY

darlene matthews — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:36:01 EDT

LIVE

PLease watch

U.S. journalists get 12 years hard labor in N KOREA

darlene matthews — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:21:43 EDT

North Korea jails U.S. journalists, warns U.NMon Jun 8, 2009 2:36am EDT Email | Print | Share | Reprints | Single Page[-] Text [+]1 of 3Full SizeRELATED NEWSSCENARIOS: Further retaliation North Korea may take1:58am EDTFACTBOX: A look at North's Korea's international finances12:06am EDT

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea, facing U.N. sanctions for last month's nuclear test, on Monday raised the stakes in its growing confrontation with Washington by jailing two U.S. journalists to 12 years hard labor for "grave crime."

The sentence follows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's warning on Sunday the United States was considering putting the reclusive North back on its list of states that sponsor terrorism, which would further isolate the impoverished country.

The journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, of U.S. media outlet Current TV, were arrested in March working on a story near the border between North Korea and China. The trial for the two, working for the company co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, opened on Thursday.

"The trial confirmed the grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing as they had already been indicted and sentenced each of them to 12 years of reform through labor," the official KCNA news agency said in a brief dispatch.

The harsh sentence is certain to deepen the chill in relations with the United States which has been trying for years, with scant success, to convince Stalinist North Korea to give up its ambition of becoming a nuclear weapons power.

"We are deeply concerned by the reported sentencing of the two American citizen journalists by North Korean authorities and we are engaged through all possible channels to secure their release," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in the statement.

"We once again urge North Korea to grant the immediate release of the two American citizen journalists on humanitarian grounds," the statement said.

Clinton had also appealed for the two women's release saying the charges against them were baseless.

"(North Korea) is using the sentence as bait to squeeze concessions out of the U.S. amid heightened tension," said Lee Dong-bok, a senior associate with the CSIS think tank in Seoul and an expert on the North's negotiating tactics.

South Korean markets were for the most part unmoved by the sentencing, that came in line with expectations. A currency trader said the U.S. reaction to the sentencing and developments thereafter were more important for local markets.

Analysts say it would take it would take a military clash at sea or on the border to have a major impact on global markets.

MILITARY GRANDSTANDING

U.S. President Barack Obama at the weekend called the North's latest nuclear test, which was followed by a series of missile tests, "extraordinarily provocative" and said that this time there would be no appeasement by Washington.

Communist North Korea kept up its rhetoric which is increasingly unnerving a region that accounts for a sixth of the world's economy.

It threatened to retaliate with "extreme" measures if the United Nations punished it for last month's nuclear test.

"Our response would be to consider sanctions against us as a declaration of war and answer it with extreme hardline measures," the North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary.

It also issued a no-sail warning off its east coast, up to 260 km (160 miles) off the Wonsan area from where it launched a short-range missile in May and a barrage of short-range missiles in 2006.

North Korea has said it would fire an intercontinental ballistic missile if the U.N. Security Council did not apologize for punishing it for its April rocket launch, widely seen as a disguised missile test that violated U.N. resolutions.

The North appears to be preparing a long-range missile for a test that could be conducted as early as this month. It also appears to be readying for tests of mid-range missiles that could strike anywhere in South Korea or most of Japan.

The Security Council may adopt a new resolution as early as this week, but there is clear division among some members over how tough to be on the reclusive state.

Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone called for a strong resolution to make it clear that such tests would not be forgiven. But his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi said a "balanced" resolution was needed.

Clinton said last week Washington wanted the strongest possible resolution.

TERRORISM BLACKLIST

The United States removed North Korea from its terrorism blacklist in October in a bid to revive faltering six-party nuclear disarmament talks, prompting the North to take some measures to disable its nuclear facilities.

Pyongyang has since reversed those steps and said it had restarted the nuclear complex -- including reprocessing nuclear fuel to obtain weapons-grade plutonium.

China is seen as nervous of measures that might push its fragile neighbor into collapse, especially at a time when there is uncertainty of the health of leader Kim Jong-il, who is widely believed to have suffered a stroke last year.

Many analysts say the North's belligerence may be aimed largely at a domestic audience, with Kim, 67, using it to bolster his position at home with the military and to better secure the succession for his youngest son Kim Jong-un.

His eldest son, Kim Jong-nam, told Japanese television over the weekend that he would not be surprised to see his brother take over. If he does, it would be the third generation to head the world's first communist dynasty.

(Additional reporting by Kim Junghyun and Jon Herskovitz in Seoul, Yoko Kubota in Tokyo and Doina Chiacu in Washington; editing by Jonathan Thatcher and Jeremy Laurence)

Ten Things To Know About Judge Sonia Sotomayor

Peter and Linda — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:16:56 EDT

Today, President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next U.S. Supreme Court justice. Of course, the Right is already fighting against her confirmation—so we need to get the facts out about her impressive qualifications and background.

Below is a list of 10 key things about Sonia Sotomayor that you might not know. Can you check it out and send it to 10 friends today? If each of us forwards the list, we can start to get the word out about Judge Sotomayor, and help to ensure that she gets a speedy and fair confirmation process.

Ten Things To Know About Judge Sonia Sotomayor

1. Judge Sotomayor would bring more federal judicial experience to the bench than any Supreme Court justice in 100 years. Over her three-decade career, she has served in a wide variety of legal roles, including as a prosecutor, litigator, and judge.

2. Judge Sotomayor is a trailblazer. She was the first Latina to serve on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and was the youngest member of the court when appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of New York. If confirmed, she will be the first Hispanic to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.

3. While on the bench, Judge Sotomayor has consistently protected the rights of working Americans, ruling in favor of health benefits and fair wages for workers in several cases.

4. Judge Sotomayor has shown strong support for First Amendment rights, including in cases of religious expression and the rights to assembly and free speech.

5. Judge Sotomayor has a strong record on civil rights cases, ruling for plaintiffs who had been discriminated against based on disability, sex and race.

6. Judge Sotomayor embodies the American dream. Born to Puerto Rican parents, she grew up in a South Bronx housing project and was raised from age nine by a single mother, excelling in school and working her way to graduate summa cum laude from Princeton University and to become an editor of the Law Journal at Yale Law School.

7. In 1995, Judge Sotomayor "saved baseball" when she stopped the owners from illegally changing their bargaining agreement with the players, thereby ending the longest professional sports walk-out in history.

8. Judge Sotomayor ruled in favor of the environment and against business interests in 2007 in a case of protecting aquatic life in the vicinity of power plants, a decision that was overturned by the Roberts Supreme Court.

9. In 1992, Judge Sotomayor was confirmed by the Senate without opposition after being appointed to the bench by George H.W. Bush.

10. Judge Sotomayor is a widely respected legal figure, having been described as "...an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind," "highly qualified for any position in which wisdom, intelligence, collegiality and good character would be assets," and "a role model of aspiration, discipline, commitment, intellectual prowess and integrity."

Judge Sotomayor is an historic, uniquely qualified nominee to the Supreme Court. Let's get the word out and make sure we get a prompt, fair confirmation on her nomination.

Thank you!

Dear "Dick"

Peter and Linda — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:13:50 EDT

What's up with Dick Cheney? Is he serious? He left office with a 13% approval rating (probably only approval from his family and a few unscrupulous friends). He was never anywhere to be found, while in office. Now, he's most visible and doesn't shut up. Just who the hell does he think he is?

You know, I had said to leave well enough alone and stop the investigations of torture used during that crooked administration. Well, since he wants notoriety and publicity, I think he should get all he wants. Be careful what you wish for, Dick!!!

In his condescending opinion, President Obama's administration is equivalent to "Amateur Hour". I think it's time we give him what he deserves: investigation, prosecution and incarceration. He is simply an arrogant, obnoxious, wealthy "white bigot". He nauseates me every time I look at his miserable, smug face doing yet another interview!

Write or call your senators and representatives and demand a thorough investigation of their torture and abuse of power. Let's show that arrogant group what "amateurs" are capable of!

Peter and Linda Realmuto

Hypocrisy 101

Peter and Linda — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:22:14 EDT

Talk about hypocritical bigotry ... They "pretend" to care, ONLY when it's convenient for their agenda.

Read this email that was forwarded by the so-called "Christian" conservatives. They do nothing but condemn President Obama's policies and slander him and his administration with misleading pretenses and by adamantly insisting that he's a Socialist. If they truly cared about their "brothers and sisters", they wouldn't object to extending a helping hand to those in need.

Read your Bible folks, then live what you learn!

"A holy man was having a conversation with God one day and said, ‘God, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.’

God led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished.

They were holding spoons with very long handles, that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

God said, 'You have seen Hell.'

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one.

There was the large round table with the large pot of stew, which made the holy man's mouth water.

The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, 'I don't understand.'

It is simple,' said God. "It requires but one skill.

You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."

The nezt time you decide to forward your deceitful emails, stop and thnk about the message first!

GOP "faithful" respond to "Send Cheney Packing"

Peter and Linda — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:09:15 EDT

I don't think he would be on the scene if this administration would stop trying to nail the last administation to the cross for war crimes. We are supposed to be going forward (CHANGE), not living in the past.

First of all, the GOP has been very, very negative since day one, way before anything about the war crimes came out. That's just another GOP excuse ... one a day lately. I would have to agree with you, but after the disastrous last 8 years, Cheney should be ashamed of their record and quietly ride off into the sunset. He is a major factor in all the negativity against the new administration, as if his era was such a huge success.

By the way, you're 100% correct. We are supposed to be going forward (CHANGE). That's what the Obama administration is trying to do. That's what the MAJORITY voted for ... OBAMA and CHANGE. Unfortunately, if you look at the GOP voting record, they're doing EVERYTHING in their power to derail any advances toward real change. If the "party of no" continues their spitefulness, we will remain stagnant and we will ALL continue to suffer because of their arrogance and obstinacies.

I'm ashamed to admit I was a lifelong Republican.

new! signup - irvine will have a listening tour meeting !

darlene matthews — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:39:17 EDT

Organizing for America Listening Tour (Meeting)

Organizing for America is dedicated to making real the change we fought for during the election. But to be successful, we need to hear from you -- your effort and commitment are the backbone of this movement and this organization. We'll tell you about some lessons learned during the general election, and ask for your thoughts on how we can organize California going forward.

Your ideas will be used to write a California-specific plan for Organizing for America in 2009 and beyond. Come and make your voice heard!

Time:Sunday, May 17 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Host:Mary Jane Stevenson

Location:TBD (Irvine, CA)Irvine, CA 92602

Organizing for America Listening Tour (Meeting)Organizing for America is dedicated to making real the change we fought for during the election. But to be successful, we need to hear from you -- your effort and commitment are the backbone of this movement and this organization. We'll tell you about some lessons learned during the general election, and ask for your thoughts on how we can organize California going forward. Your ideas will be used to write a California-specific plan for Organizing for America in 2009 and beyond. Come and make your voice heard!Time:Sunday, May 17 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PMHost:Mary Jane StevensonLocation:TBD (Irvine, CA)Irvine, CA 92602

Stop forwarding your trash!!!

Peter and Linda — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:55:38 EDT

I'm sick of all the negative emails, knocking every single thing President Obama suggests or tries, in his attempt to find solutions to rebuild America and the American spirit after the last 8 miserable, disheartening years. Here's just one example of the trash they waste their time forwarding.

"You can say it all you want. Obama is ushering in socialism. One doesn’t have to be a brain surgeon to understand that. Apparently though, you are having difficulties."

I will not even write what I really want to say to them. It would definitely be XXX-rated. If they have nothing constructive or productive to say, let them please keep their wretched opinions to themselves and don't say anything at all. Instead of wasting their time trying to tear the country down, these characters might want to participate in any and every attempt to restore America to it's greatness of yesteryear.

Get over yourself and pray that President Obama succeeds, so all Americans succeed. Think about it the next time, before you begin to criticize and display your arrogance and ignorance.

I call this ignorance. What do you think?

Peter and Linda — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:24:34 EDT

The following email is just one example of the trash my disenchanted right-wing wacky relatives send everyday! They're uninformed, obnoxious and yet very, very arrogant ... what a coincidence ... just like Bush and Cheney ... the losers they admire and revere! Unequivocal ignorance, right???

"Tear the country down? Like badmouthing America to every country he has visited? How about spending more in three months then Afghanistan and Iraq has cost us combined? I don’t have to tear down. OB has done it all for us."

I think it's sad. They'll do or say anything to demean our president and undermine the efforts of his entire administration.

Increase misery, suicide &homelessness! Vote yes on 1E!! OR NOT!

darlene matthews — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:51:55 EDT

ALREADY many OBAMA FEDERAL STIMULUS funds for adultS disabled are being diverted to other programs - huge cuts including to psychologists are planned !

PLEASE VOTE NO ON 1E BECAUSE THAT BILL IS THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY !

DON'T ALLOW MH SPECIFIC $ TO "DISAPPEAR" IN THE CA GENERAL FUND.!!!!!!!!!!

WARning: CA CUTTING CARE TO DISABLED ADULTS on ssi/ssp THROUGHOUT all PROGRAMS increasing disability and inability among Adults with mh and multiple disability!

Act Now To Defeat Proposition 1E

California's Special Election is less than two months away. We must act quickly and take the necessary steps to defeat Proposition 1E.

From NAMI California by Grace McAndrews, Executive Director, March 26, 2009

It's up to us to act now to defeat this harmful act.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO:

FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN

Attached for your convenience is a Fact Sheet & Contribution Form and Endorsement Forms for Individuals and Organizations. Please be as generous as you can. We ask that you share this information with all of your contacts, including members of your affiliate, neighbors, co-workers and friends listed in your address book. Post information on your web site and in your newsletter. Write letters to your local newspaper. Hold parties to support the campaign. Do whatever else is necessary to get the word out.

GET OUT THE VOTE

Voters who are registered to vote must vote at their polling place or vote-by-mail. This is critical. People who are not registered to vote must register by the deadline and vote either at their polling place or use the vote-by-mail ballot. This is critical as well. Historically, voting is light in special elections. We believe there is a good chance that t hose who opt for the vote-by-mail ballot may very well dictate the results of the May 19th election.

Those who wish to vote-by-mail can use the application printed on their Sample Ballot which will be sent prior to the elections, or one can apply in writing to their county elections official. If choosing the latter, you will need to submit a completed application or letter to your county elections official between 29 days and 7 days before the election. You can find the telephone number and address of your county elections official by looking in the front of your telephone directory in the White Pages Government Listing section under County Offices. Look for “Elections”, Registrar of Voters”, “County Clerks”, or “Voting.” For complete “how to” information of Registering to Vote and vote-by-mail, visit the following web site: www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections Go to Voter Reigstration, click on Vote by Mail.

Critical Downloads:

Click Here to download the Fact Sheet and Contribution Form

Click Here to download the Endorsement Forms for Individuals and Organizations

NOTE: 501©3 affiliates can participate in this process as well as donate money to the campaign. Your affiliate's non-profit status will not be affected.

Thanks for helping to defeat Proposition 1E!!

Source: NAMI California

Link: http://namialifornia.org

Increase misery, suicide &homelessness! Vote yes on 1E!! OR NOT!

VETS & others important news on CBS TONITE

darlene matthews — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:31:17 EDT

Hi everyone,

The standoff in the Indian Ocean continues for a second day - with armed Somali pirates holding the captain of an American cargo ship on a lifeboat. A U.S. Navy Destroyer is now keeping close watch, and the FBI is sending in a hostage negotiating team to win the captain's release. Meanwhile, the cargo ship is on the move, toward Kenya, to carry out its original mission to deliver relief supplies. David Martin will have the latest.

David will be back later in the broadcast with an in depth report about the shocking increase of suicide among U.S. troops. He has an exclusive interview with a top general who admits the military needs to do more to address this problem.

Barry Petersen reports from the world's number one car market - China. Sales are booming there, and you might be surprised to learn that Ford and GM are selling lots of cars there. In fact, the Chinese market is providing a much-needed boost to Detroit.

When most people hear about spring break, they think of sandy beaches and late-night parities. But Dean Reynolds has a story about students from Howard University taking a different type of spring break, in order to inspire high school students.

See you tonight!

Katie Couric

Tell it like it is ... period!

Peter and Linda — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:23:24 EDT

A message from one of our southern (Georgia) relatives, followed by our very rapid response.

The message:

"So you are one of "them" that I can blame all the new taxes that are going to hit us.... good thing you are up there and not down here for me to smack the back of your head!"

Our response:

"Actually, you're lucky you're down there. You sound just like your brother. We tried it "your" way for 40 years. We didn't hear you characters complain for the last eight miserable years. Our retirement account is gone, we're working longer hours and more days just to make ends meet, but God forbid we should wake up and take a stand for change. It can't get a hell of a lot worse!!!

If y'all want to continue the red states vs blue states crap, you're going to be the big losers, so keep it up. It's coming!!!

Linda and I were VERY committed and involved in this election, like never before. We had had it with the same old conservative broken promises and their lies. We were very active ... canvassing, making phone calls, mass mailings, registering new voters, got voters to the polls and attended focus groups and rallies, not to mention all our monetary support. What exactly did any of you complaining, sore-losers do to get McSame elected???????

If the GOP didn't turn into "the party of no", maybe you would all see exactly what could be accomplished, if we ALL acted like Americans, instead of being divisive, blind party followers! Oh, I forgot, only the Christian conservatives love their country ... according to that white trash Palin."

God bless President Obama and may God bless America!

Richard O'Neill - a legend and leader lost.

darlene matthews — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 15:46:57 EDT

Dear darlene,

I have very sad news to report. Last evening we lost a great leader and Orange County legend, Richard J. O'Neill. Richard was larger than life and the Democratic Party of Orange County owes its existence and success to this great man.

For those who did not know Richard, let me tell you a little about him.

A sixth-generation Californian, Richard was born in 1923 and was raised on the 230,000-acre Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores. During Richard's lifetime a portion of the ranch was sold to the U.S. Government and became Camp Pendleton; many acres were set aside as O'Neill Regional Park and Caspers Wilderness Park; and the communities of Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Las Flores, and Ladera Ranch were developed on a portion of the remainder of the ranch.

Richard graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he met and married Donna Newman, with whom he later established the Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy. After Donna died in 2002 the Conservancy was re-named in her honor.

The presidential campaign of Harry Truman was Richard's first foray into politics. He continued to work in Democratic politics, becoming a member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Orange County in 1964 and serving three terms as our Chair. In 1974 he was elected Southern Chair of the California Democratic Party and became State Party Chair in 1979. For his many contributions the Democratic Party of Orange County created the Richard J. O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and made him our first honoree.

In spite of his success and influence in Democratic politics, Richard considered himself primarily a restaurant owner. His flagship restaurant, El Adobe de Capistrano, was frequented by President Richard Nixon. The two Richards, Nixon and O'Neill, were quite the political odd couple when they met at El Adobe.

Richard was always there for his friends. To the end his mind was as sharp as ever. His body just failed him.

We will all miss him, his advice, and his friendship, but most of all his presence.

Services are tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 13. We will send details in a later email.

In sadness,

Frank BarbaroChair, Democratic Party of Orange Countyemail: info@ocdemocrats.orgphone: (714) 835-5158web: http://www.ocdemocrats.org/

Democratic Party of Orange County | 200 N. Main St., Mezzanine | Santa Ana | CA | 92701

How proud we were today!

Peter and Linda — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:10:03 EDT

Today, Friday, was amazing. We were so proud of President Obama ... how he handled himself and how he represented the United States. There's no doubt, in our minds, that America, led by President Obama, will now regain respect around the world!

Thank you, Mr. President and thank you, First Lady Michelle.

Respectfully, with pride and admiration,

Peter and Linda

Obama, Brown Meet Ahead of G20/IRAN TO HELP USA

darlene matthews — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:35:04 EDT

http://digg.com/world_news/Obama_faces_high_stakes_China_Russia_meetings
News Alert 3:17 a.m. ET Wednesday, April 1, 2009Obama, Brown Launch Meeting in London Ahead of G20 LONDON (AP) - President Barack Obama is starting talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com

http://digg.com/world_news/Iran_offers_to_help_US_rebuild_Afghanistan#
guardian.co.uk — Iran made a significant conciliatory gesture towards the Obama administration today, offering to help US-led efforts to stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan.

breaking news 3 items KSelbus/AFranken/ CA layoffs

darlene matthews — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:16:37 EDT

News Alert6:10 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 31, 2009HHS Nominee Kathleen Sebelius Corrects Three Years of Tax Filings Sebelius and her husband paid a total of $7,040 in back taxes and $878 in interest. It's the latest tax issue to hit an Obama administration nominee. His first Health and Human Services nominee withdrew because of major tax problems.

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com
News Alert5:42 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 31, 2009Minnesota Senate Election Ruling Issued Three-judge panel convened to review election contest brought by Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman (R) in his race against Al Franken (D) has dealt the Republican a serious setback. Both campaigns have organized conference calls to discuss the ruling; Franken's is set for 5:30 p.m., Coleman's for 6 p.m.

Updated: Database of California lay offs

In March, roughly 15,000 California workers received lay off notices, including 300 in the Sacramento area. Use this database to see which companies or communities have pink-slipped the most workers. Read More
http://www.sacbee.com/1098/story/1463790.html

"Please Support My President's Plan For My Future.!"

Peter and Linda — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:21:06 EDT

As "Obama Baby" says, "Please, do it for me. President Obama really cares about me and you. That's why I'm always smiling. Thanks to President Obama, I'll have a brighter future."

Let's give President Obama a chance and support his plan. We might just have a brighter tomorrow ... for all of us and future generations, too!

A special "thank you" to the Lane Family.

A fellow supporter's suggestion

Peter and Linda — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 01:23:12 EDT

We just signed a pledge of support for President Obama's plan to renew and strengthen America's economy.
Please help "our president" to succeed. By helping President Obama succeed, America will succeed!

Unless your sentiments are in agreement with such ignorant, malicious people like Rush " I hope he fails" Limbaugh and "the party of no" (the GOP), who are determined to see President Obama fail, thus causing America to fail ... please show your support for America and get involved now.

Watch the video announcing this new initiative and pledge your support now:

http://my.barackobama.com/pledgeproject

Thank you.

Peter and Linda Realmuto
"2 Reals 4 Obama"
NJmort@aol.com

Dear friends,

I'm very enthusiastic about the efforts of this campaign and indeed pray that it succeeds.

However...

I feel that in order for this campaign to work and be as grassroots based as it claims to be, it will need to better respect our working time and enable us to contribute in ways made possible by the web rather than traditional phone calls and door knocking, or weekly physical gatherings.

Many of us have very real financial responsibilities that require working long hours and these responsibilities seem to be ironically lost on those who are organizing this campaign, whether locally, or at the national level.

I also feel, for these reasons, and out of respect for the time of my representatives that it would be easier to email them than call them. In this way too, I have a record of what's been said, and can compose these emails when I have time.

I would also like to see the minutes of any local meetings published on this or some other forum for those of us that do not have the time to attend these.

Thank you for your service, and understanding in reading this.

Sincerely,

David Evan Karasek

Dear David,

I totally agree. In an average week, I personally work over 60 hours, just to keep afloat. I want to see America recover and succeed as much as anyone else. I also want to stay productive and as involved as possible, even though time constraints are very real. Many of the events and gatherings take place on weekends and unfortunately, I'm not able to attend. I work weekends, so I miss the bulk of them.

Maybe your suggestion, of using the internet, could help as all to stay totally involved ... like our own cyber town hall meetings. The more we do to help President Obama succeed, the more we do to help America succeed and God knows we need all the help we can get.

Thanks for the suggestion. Let's see, if together, we can't promote this idea.

Peter

will you support me on this issue?

darlene matthews — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:24:23 EDT

Will you support me on this?and maybe help put it together better?Should someone homeless on ssi or less -help to support someone living on $83K per year?

CAN YOU ALL CUT AND PASTE THE LETTERS AND SUPPORT ME ON THIS.. REMOVE EXIST TYPE IN BOXES AND INSERT THIS.. OR YOUR OWN.

http://capwiz.com/aarp/issues/alert/?alertid=12846746&type=CO

On behalf of millions of American families and businesses struggling in today's economy, I urge you to demonstrate your commitment to health care reform in the federal budget. Moving health care reform forward in 2009 is a critical first step to improve our nation's economy. PLEASE do not tax the poor to support middle class, making us less able, it costs more in the long run. SEE my poorly typed letter below. As you put together the federal budget, I hope you will also make the up-front AssESSMENTs of failure to help disabled be able and make investments needed to enhance the quality of care, expand coverage, and save money in the long-run. Please include enough funds in the fede ral budget to achieve meaningful health care reform, FOR ALL OF US. one issue-

To: ofainfo@dnc.org Subject: PLEASE STOP TAXING THE POOR Hello ALL, PLEASE FORGIVE MY DISABLED TYPNG NAD GET THE URGENT MESSAGE... On budget- do not do anymore tax the poor FOR the middle class. don't approve more cig taxes as mostly poor and anxiety prone (including veterans) smoke. and we have no REAL benefits from the tax we pay. the minimal stop smoking programs usually don't work. AND THEY ARE STILL CHEAPER THAN FOOD nad are better psyche care than we can get and easier to carry for the homeless.

TAX HARD LIQOUR INSTEAD. TO SUpPORT only ONLY, ONLY! ALL THE PROGRAMS AND SHELTERS FOR THEIR RECOVERY. i spent 8 years homeless VA AnD LOCAL PROGRAMS DO FAMILIES, HEALTHY ADDICTS AnD HEALTHY UNEMPLoYED most say able to work in 30 days . some staffed by-the unsupervised recently recovered do real harm. THEY all discriminate against disabled.

PLEASE and no more POOR derived income going to those double above poverty level... WE CANT AFFORD IT. NO MORE HUD RENTAL ASSISTANCE TO THAT GROUP EITHER. CAN'T AFFORD TO RENT ON 60K A YEAR - fix your credit mess. More cigarette taxes that STILL wont benefit smokers or prevent smoking?! LOAD OF DOO DOO. Democratic Party leaders plan another try and are expecting success with fellow Democrat Barack Obama as president

. http://www.heartland.org/article/24637/Cigarette_Tax_Would_Triple_Under_35_Billion_SCHIP_Plan.html The proposal would take the federal excise tax on cigarettes from 39 cents to $1 a pack, on top of existing state and local taxes. Families earning up to four times the poverty level—about $83,000 for a family of four—could qualify for SCHIP coverage. SCHIP has been funded largely through federal cigarette taxes. Critics of the expansion proposal point to the irony of imposing sha rply higher taxes on cigarettes, whose buyers tend to come from lower- and middle-income families, because the very people SCHIP aims to help would be disproportionately hurt by this.

Sincerely, Darlene C. Matthews Irvine , CA 92614

PS: Systems can be broke, but not broken, if all the cogs work. OUR SYSTEMS ARE BROKEN.

US Should Use Our Debt as Leverage over China to Float Currency

RNC_for_Obama — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:56:23 EDT

China is now squealing about their huge US Treasury holdings and calling for financial guarantees from the US not to default on our debt

If I were President Obama, I'd meet with Premier Wen and tell him two things:
1) our countries are irrevocably tied financially and we need to work together on a whole host of issues
2) we'll give him financial guarantees on their US debt holdings in direct response to them freeing their currency to float on the open markets. If they don't float, then we can't guarantee our debt.

Of course, this has to be done in a very private way, under the table, because you don't want to spook the markets. In fact, we should tell them that if they publicize that, we'll deny it. But that we mean business.

Their non-floating currency is one of the major reasons we have such a huge trade deficit with them and if we force them to float it through witholding financial guarantees on their debt holdings, then we'll finally strike a trade deal with them that is fair for both parties.

We have leverage over China for the first time in my life, because of our huge debt and their huge investment in our debt. We'd better not squander it.

----------------------

Wen calls for US fiscal guarantees

By Geoff Dyer in Beijing and Alan Beattie in Washington

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c2770bf0-1002-11de-a8ae-0000779fd2ac.html

Published: March 13 2009 19:19 | Last updated: March 13 2009 19:19

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday urged the US to take measures to guarantee its “good credit”, expressing concern about the “safety” of his country’s huge holdings of US government debt.

Mr Wen’s shot at the US’s deteriorating fiscal position – on the eve of this weekend’s G20 finance ministers’ meeting – was paired with a promise to increase China’s public spending this year to boost its economy if needed.

You have to love Frank Schaeffer ... we do.

Peter and Linda — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:14:30 EDT

Frank Schaeffer
New York Times best-selling author

You Republicans are the arsonists who burned down our national home. You combined the failed ideologies of the Religious Right, so-called free market deregulation and the Neoconservative love of war to light a fire that has consumed America. Now you have thenerve to criticize the "architect" America just hired -- President Obama -- to rebuild from the ashes. You d o nothing constructive, just try to hinder the one person willing and able to fix the mess you created.
I used to be one of you. As recently as 2000 I worked to get Senator McCain elected in that year's primary. (McCain and Gen. Tommy Franks wrote glowing endorsements regarding my book about military service, AWOL.). I have a file of handwritten thank you notes from Presidents Ford, Reagan, Bush I and II. In the 1970s and early 80s I hung out with Jack Kemp and bought int o his "supply side" myth and even wrote a book he endorsed pushing his ideas.) There's more, but take it from me; my parents (evangelical leaders Francis and Edith Schaeffer) and I were about as tight with -- and useful to -- the Republican Party as anyone. We played a big part creating the Religious Right.

In the mid 1980s I left the Religious Right, after I realized just how very anti-American they are, (the theme I explore in my book Crazy For God). They wanted America to fail in order to prove they were right about America's "moral decline." Soon after McCain lost in 2000 I re-registered as an independent in disgust with W. Bush. But I still respected many Re publicans. Not today.
How can anyone who loves our country support the Republicans now? Barry Goldwater, William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan defined the modern conservatism that used to be what the Republican Party I belonged to was about. Today no actual conservative can be a Republican. Reagan would despise today's wholly negative Republican Party. And can you picture the gentlemanly and always polite Ronald Reagan, endorsing a radio hate-jock slob who crudely mocked a man with Parkinson's and who now says he wants an American president to fail?!
With people like Limbaugh as the loudmouth image of the Republican Party -- you need no enemies. But something far more serious has happened than an image problem: the Republican Party has become the party of obstruction at just the time when all Americans should be pulling together for the good of our country. Instead, Republicans are today's fifth column sabotaging American renewal.

President Obama has been in office barely 45 days and the Republican Party has the nerve to blame him for the economic and military cataclysm he inherited. I say economic andmilitary cataclysm because without the needless war in Iraq you all backed we would not be in the economic mess we're in today. If that money had been spent here at home on renovating our infrastruc ture, taking us toward a green economy, putting our health-care system in order we'd be a very different situation.

As the father of a Marine who served in George W. Bush's misbegotten wars let me say this: if President Obama's strategy to repair our economy, infrastructure and healthcare fails that will put our troops at far greater risk because the world will become a far more dangerous place. So for all you flag-waving Republicans who are trying to undermine the President at home -- if you succeed more of our troops will be killed abroad.

When your new leader Rush Limbaugh calls for President Obama to fail he's calling for more flag-draped coffins. Limbaugh is the new "Hanoi Jane."

For the party that created our crisis's of misbegotten war, mismanaged economy, the lack of regulation of our banking industry, handing our country to rich crooks... to obstruct the one person who is trying to repair the damage is obscene.

Just imagine where America would be today if the 14 to 20 million voters -- "the rube base" who slavishly follow the likes of Limbaugh -- had not voted as a block year after year thus empowering the Republican fiasco. We would have a regulated banking industry and would have avoided our current financial crisis; some 4000 of our killed military men and women would be alive; over to 35,000 wounded Americans would be whole; we would have been leaders in the environmental movement; we would be in the middle of a green technology boom fueling a huge expansion of our economy and stopping our dependence on foreign oil, and our health-care system would be reformed.

After Obama was elected, you Republican leaders had a unique last chance to send a patriotic message of unity to the world -- and to all Americans. You could have backed our president's economic recovery plan. Since we all know that half of our problem is one of lost confidence and perception, nothing would have done more to calm the markets and project resolve and conf idence than if you had been big enough to take Obama's offered hand and had work with him -- even if you disagreed ideologically. You had the chance to put our country first. You utterly failed to rise to the occasion.

The worsening economic situation is your fault and your fault alone. The Republicans created this mess through 8 years of backing the worst president in our history and now, because you put partisan ideology ahead of the good of our country, you have blown your last chance to redeem yourselves. You deserve the banishment to the political wilderness that awaits all traitors.

Frank Schaeffer

Limbaugh: "Kennedy Will Be Dead By The Time Health Care Bill Passes"

Peter and Linda — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:34:20 EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/06/limbaugh-kennedy-will-be_n_172595.html

These words from the overweight, cigar smoking, drug addict ... a prime candidate for a massive coronary. With any luck, maybe we could call it "The Rush Memorial Healthcare Plan" ... but then again, he doesn't even deserve that posthumous honor!

A Thoroughly Disgusted American
Peter

The declining market is Obama's fault???

Peter and Linda — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:00:28 EST

Sure ... blame President Obama. At the very least,  our president and his new administration are trying desperately to deliver on campaign promises. That's what the country voted for and thought we would get.

However, "the party of no" is doing everything in it's power to deter any efforts by the new administration.  The fiscally conservative GOP (look at their "conservative" record of the past 8 years) will do whatever it takes to interfere. They refuse to accept responsibility for the mess America is in, through their failed policies. The proof is in the words of the miserable loud mouth, Rush Limbaugh, "I hope he fails."

Unfortunately for us, they all want Obama to fail. If he fails, America fails and we all fail.  That proves just how much they really care about any of us. They only care about their own agenda and their damn failed party   It's time to send a clear message to the GOP ... "Get of of the way. We voted for change and we demand it, NOW!"

LOOKING FOR OBaMA ART -pass it on

darlene matthews — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:55:16 EST

Officially Unofficial - Inspired Art for Obama
Brought to you by CRO in collaboration with The Post FamilyHosted by the Department of Cultural Affairs
April 1st - May 15th, 2009Chicago Tourism Center, 72 E. Randolph

This exhibit will house a collection of prints, photographs, posters and videos that emerged in 2008 as icons of the art movement supporting Barack Obama. The work will feature a look behind the scenes at Obama HQ as well as independent efforts of designers and artists that converged in a groundswell of inspired work.

The internet was a critical vehicle of grassroots success for both the official and unofficial campaign efforts. This network empowered artists to collaborate and disseminate their work across the country — all of which paralleled the official campaign's use of email, text messages, and bypassing traditional fund-raising practices with individual online donations.

The show will feature several facets of the visual campaign including Ray Noland's GoTellMama! poster series and art tour across the U.S., Shepard Fairey's now iconic Hope poster, the Manifest Hope series, and Sol Sender who developed the campaign's official logo and branding. The result was a separate but united project that ultimately aided in the successful election to office of Barack Obama.

Buy Officially Unofficial limited edition poster here.

Open Call to Artists:Officially Unofficial is now accepting Obama artwork created during the 2008 campaign. We are seeking to bring together a representative collection of prints and posters documenting the Obama Art Movement. In addition, if you have any "slapper" posters you would like to donate, we would like to utilize them in creating a giant wheat-pasted poster-wall of collective works. As mentioned above, artwork will be for display only. It will not be possible to return posters at end of exhibition. After the exhibit work collected will be donated to a museum TBD. Deadline for entry is March 16th, 2009. General Info: All work must have be printed during the 2008 election period. Please submit screen-prints, photographs, posters and other print materials. No original drawings or one of a kind works. Ship rolled in a tube or flat.

Please send posters and prints to:

Chicago Cultural CenterPublic Art Program78 E. Washington
Chicago, IL 60602Attn: Officially Unofficial Exhibition
For info or questions please contact us here.
  info Thanks to an email from Go Tell Mama, 1353 S. California Ave., Chicago, IL 60608

Thank ERIC CANTOR, please

darlene matthews — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:11:15 EST

FOR BEING A VOICE OF REASON IN The GOP party.

PLEASE

help STOP THOSE FAR FAR RIGHT WHO would HAVE THE USA FAIL SO THEY CAN REGAIN POWER.

DIGg IT AND WRITE.

http://digg.com/politics/http_blogs_bet_com_news_newsyoushouldknow_gop_leader_says

http://cantor.house.gov/contact.htm

This is the "change" we voted for!!!

Peter and Linda — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:20:11 EST

President Obama's plan ... Read it ...Understand it ... Support it.

Please be open-minded and, by all means, use some common sense. Try NOT to be like the arrogant, ignorant conservative right. They say "no" before they even look at the plan or care about what's best for the American people or what we voted for in November. Their only concern is to attempt to rescue their broken, sad party and ... to hell with the average citizen and what's best for all of us. If they want to say no and display contempt for all of us, we can start from now to send them a clearer message in the next elections, when they lose more seats in the House and the Senate. They want to punish us ... we will PUNISH them. Then, just maybe, they'll start to understand that we voted for change and "we want change" ... PERIOD!

This is the change we voted for. President Obama has done his part, now we need to do ours.

Try doing something constructive!

Peter and Linda — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:25:40 EST

Below is just another example of the trash the "conservative right" is circulating. I have a sense of humor, but with our country in crisis, don't you think their time could be better spent?

Instead of trying to do something constructive to get our country back on track, they deny losing the election and degrade our president and everything he stands for, every chance they get. Everything is a joke to them. They should be concentrating on solutions to begin to heal the "real" people out here that are hurting more and more each day.

The photo below captures a disturbing trend that is beginning to affect U.S. wildlife.

Animals that were formerly self-sufficient are now showing signs of belonging to the Democratic Party . . . as they have apparently learned to just sit and wait for the government to step in and provide for their care and sustenance.

This photo is of a Democrat black bear in Montana nicknamed Bearack Obearma.

Santelli, WHO???

Peter and Linda — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:00:35 EST

I just read this and had to comment.

"This Santelli thing is just total B.S.

He's a self-promoting blow-hard. Before his made-for-TV rant, who'd ever heard of this guy, other than his mom and next-door neighbor?

Anyone can gain a smidgeon of fame by saying outrageous things on cable TV. He's just following the mold of Jim Cramer and Ann Coulter.

The problem is that the media echo chamber can't help themselves when it comes to these fame-seeking blowhards. It's better for ratings to put on a frothing-at-the-mouth lunatic like Cramer, Coulter or Santelli, than it is to put on someone who talks in full paragraphs, like a Robert Reich, or a thousand other economists you've never heard of."

Author unknown ... however, I couldn't have said it better myself.

I'd love to meet this Santelli character. Instantly, he's smarter and knows more about the economy than President Obama. I think not , Santelli, you worthless bum. You couldn't shine Obama's shoes. You're simply a miserable wannabe. You're a big mouth, show-off!

Give an obnoxious Italian-American, with a few bucks, a microphone and there will surely be a scene and for the most part, they will always make an ass out of themselves (just as this jackass did).

I know what I'm talking about. I grew up in an strictly Italian-American neighborhood (being of Italian descent myself). I've seen bums like Santelli come and go. For the most part, simply ignore them. They will eventually go away in disgrace or wind up in jail.

God bless America.

Get real, folks!

Peter and Linda — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:19:38 EST

We get a kick out of the emails we receive, complaining about the direction (or lack thereof) of the Obama Administration. It's amazing, isn't it?

OUR president has accomplished more in his first three weeks than Mr. Bush did in 8 years. Yet, the "blind followers" of the GOP "conservative right" are already complaining that "nothing" is getting done. Get real folks!

OUR president has attained major milestones already, without any partisanship at all. He has really tried (and is continuing to do so) to reach across the aisle. However, partisanship certainly lives on in Washington. To hell with all of us, as long as they adhere to their party's ideals ... even though those are the exact "ideals" that put our country in the sad position it is today.

We must send a clear message to the GOP. We spoke in November. We wanted change. We voted for change. We won. They lost. Will someone please tell Mc Cain and the rest of them that they LOST! Either get onboard or get out of the way of America's President, so he can make the changes promised to ALL Americans.

Let's go get them. God bless.

Peter and Linda

The President's Weekly Address

Peter and Linda — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 13:09:14 EST

First of all, congratulations to the president (and all of us) on the passage of the stimulus package.

I just watched President Obama's weekly address and hope all of you have had the opportunity to see it. He never ceases to amaze me. I love this guy .... Barack!

http://www.politicalpeon.com/2009/02/president-obamas-weekly-radio-address.html

The best to you all. Stay well.

Peter

"Eat This Or Donate Your Left Nut, Mr. PCA"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:30:07 EST

When is Atty General Holder going to get to work on this?

Refuting GOP Stimulus Complaints

Slocs — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:52:06 EST

This is a long and detailed analysis going point by point with the criticisms from the Republicans - sometime I agree but mostly I disagree.

So much for bipartisanship!

Peter and Linda — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:07:48 EST

It's difficult to believe that every single Republican, in the House, actually voted the same way ... negatively! Collectively, they're simply trying to derail any chance of repairing our economy and any opportunity for the Obama administration to succeed in putting American on a path to recovery.

They could care less about average Americans. They're all selfish. They only care about themselves and saving face for their party.

Hopefully, if they continue this debacle, their constituents will send them a clear message in the next election, when they're voted out of office, collectively.

We sent a clear message in November that we want "CHANGE". Now, we must strand together and demand the change we fought for and won!

YES WE DID, YES WE MUST

Carla Mays — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:14:59 EST

YES WE DID! YES WE MUST:

Þ Protect him from harm both verbal & phyiscal

Þ Stay "FIRED UP" by staying active

Þ Work Bi-Partisan to bring "Change" together

Þ Don't just bitch, get active and stay engaged

Þ Start and join a local "Change" group

Þ Be philanthropic, serve your community, state and nation

Þ Stick by Obama, STOP smears on the Right & the Left!!!! Hold yourself responsible as you hold Barack!

Join the future of this movement!!

http://change.gov/joinus

http://www.communityorganize.com

http://www.ourpresidency.com

http://www.usaservice.org

http://www.whitehouse.gov

Barack's DNC 2004 Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWynt87PaJ0&feature=PlayList&p=B1939005B8A4D4ED&index=188

Barack's DNC 2008 Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ato7BtisXzE&feature=channel

Barack’s Election Acceptance Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wJ-2Zu_Iic&feature=channel

Barack’s Inauguration Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4

any 4 real help?

darlene matthews — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:45:30 EST

we DID iTA TOUGH primary and election STEP ONE AND TWO!
please note starbucks has a promotion a free coffee if tou do 5 hourts community service jan 21-25
Here's one need.
ME.
10/10 on mybarack DESPITE MULTi DISaBLED AND HOMELeSS NOW I COULD USE A LITTLE HELP From MY FRIENDS.

this 8 years homeless disabled woman needs ALL furniture

especiailly a clean ARM CHAIR or couch

ORTHO CORRECT BED and kitchen items.

furnishings for spare room for live in aIde

got place finally and pain from sleeping on HARD floor and not a chair sent me to ER and back to the car and sitting in starbucks all day. INSANE to have to do this to survive -BUT TRUE.

SADLY, NO ORANGE COUNTY / VA AGENCIES HELP THIS WAY FOR THOSE PHySICALLY/multi DISABLED.
if it wasn't for DRC, SANDIEGO helping deal with HOUSING discrim and more in berkely and here i wouldn't have made it AT all. email me or the the disablity advocate if you can help.

THANKS ALL ,
darlene Ann E. MenascheAttorneyDisability Rights California
California's protection and advocacy system

SAN DIEGO REGIONAL OFFICE
1111 Sixth Avenue, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92101
Tel: (619) 239-7861
Direct: (619) 814-8524
TTY: (800) 719-5798
Toll Free: (800) 776-5746
Fax: (619) 239-7906
Email: ann.menasche@disabilityrightsca.org
www.disabilityrightsca.org
www.disabilityrightsca.org/espanol

Let The Remaking Of America Begin

EsquireUK — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:51:24 EST

Wednesday, 21st January 2009

Washington, D.C.

www.whitehouse.gov

Driving the Conversation:

http://www.politico.com/arena/

The Inauguration of President Barack Obama

Michael S. Roth, Historian and President, Wesleyan University (Ct.):

In President Obama's brilliant, deeply felt Inaugural Address, we find echoes of the great speeches of the past: the acknowledgment of challenge and trepidation from FDR, the call to service of JFK, the assertion of strength within a context of justice of Ronald Reagan. President Obama's rhetoric, as we expected, reached back to the cadences of Lincoln, and tied those together with the soaring voice of King. It was a dignified, thoughtful speech -- worthy of the great orator who delivered it and appropriate to our perilous times. More...

My first reaction is to marvel at how this candidate of change, of "yes we can" spent considerable rhetorical force on tying his work back to the core values of American history: "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." President Obama hopes to inspire risk takers and innovators, but he also wants us to "choose our better history," to find, as Emerson might have said, our best selves in the service of a better community.

The candidate of change will be a president of inclusion. And inclusion can be inspired by a shared vision of history - a vision that will allow us to build a common future: "Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true."

President Obama would have us face the challenges of our time by going beyond our self-interest to re-discovery the legacy we have in common. By "returning to these truths" of history, we can reshape our own destiny.

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Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Harvard:

Obama's speech outlined the framework of his new foreign policy very effectively. He reinforced the framework of "smart power" that Hillary Clinton outlined in her confirmation testimony last week. For those who doubt our hard power and our determination to use it, there was "our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." But at the same time, "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." And for everyone, there is the reminder that smart power requires the combination of our hard power with the soft power of attraction that comes from our ideals and example: "our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint."

This is a new tone and a good starting point for a new American foreign policy.

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Mickey Edwards, Princeton lecturer and former Republican congressman:

While Barack Obama's first remarks as president may have been a disappointment to some of his most hard-core supporters on the left fringe of American politics, it was precisely the speech the moment called for -- not a rousing call to redo the world but a clear statement of firm presidential resolve; a recognition of our problems and our strengths and our obligations. This was a man who had already established the fact, sometimes criticized, that he could make the rafters ring with soaring rhetoric. his need this way was not to satisfy those who wanted more rhetoric but to address the nation -- Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike -- and the world with a demonstration that he understands the problems we face, the challenges that some would pose, and the strengths we possess. More...

President Obama held out his hand to the rest of the world, but only if that world's oppressors would open their clenched fists to take his hand. He promised firm oversight of the world of commerce but made clear his understanding that it is the world of business that so often provides progress. The moment called for a thoughtful reflection on where we must go together from here, not a creed, a rant, a narrow embrace of ideology. Lesser men might have continued the campaign; Barack Obama knew that when he stepped to the microphone he had crossed an invisible line and was no longer the candidate of a party or a movement but the president of all the United States. It turns out that when candidate Obama asserted that we were one America, he meant it.

This was a speech without a memorable phrase; good for him; today he not only became president, he became presidential; not the orator in chief but the hand on the rudder who well understood the need to steer a steady course; the time for inspiring words will never pass, but this a moment not for rhetoric but for reflection and well-considered action. As he so often does, this new president seemed to understand the moment and what it called for.

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Andra Gillespie, Professor of Political Science, Emory University:

My favorite line of President Obama's speech came as he exhorted the nation to move past old paradigms. In particular, I was personally moved when he mentioned that the argument was not about big or small government but about what works. I predict that this sentiment will be a guiding force throughout his administration.

Obama's pragmatism is part a reaction to the current state of our economy and foreign affairs and part an artifact of his generation. Though Obama is technically a Baby Boomer, his orientation is decidedly Generation X. A number of Generation X politicians across the racial and ideological spectrum (I.e. Cory Booker, Adrian Fenty, Bobby Jindal, Gavin Newsom) have run successfully using pragmatic platforms. If they are successful in harnessing this pragmatism to implement lasting and meaningful programs, this could be the policy hallmark of this generational cohort of leaders.

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James J. Zogby, President, Arab American Institute:

A century ago, W.E.B. DuBois noted, in "The Souls of Black Folk", that if one were looking for the true meaning of America, they would find it in "the souls of black folk". It was there, in the hearts of those denied America's freedom, that the yearnings for freedom were best expressed. More...

What I love about Barack Obama is the degree to which he continually seeks to project our American history, searching out its meaning and embracing the values that history teaches. For two years now, he has been conducting a kind of running seminar along with his campaign. In the process, we have been learning or relearning our history. .
All Presidents attempt to define what it means to be an American. Obama does so, grounding his discussion in lessons learned from our nation's continuing journey.
In his address, he did lay out an agenda, and he subtly critiqued his predecessor's policies (maybe too subtly for some). But the essential thrust of his message was the challenges facing our generation, at home and abroad, and his call that we, guided by the examples of generations before us, stand and confront those challenges, wisely and boldly.

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Yousef Munayyer, Policy Analyst, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee:

For a few moments on a cold January day in Washington the troubles of the world – war, hunger, oppression and economic crisis – seem to hang in suspense.

As always, President Obama’s words placed hope in the context of the tremendous challenges that confront not only the United States but the entire world. It cannot be understated that today’s events have global reverberations and President Obama will not only be looked at for leadership in this nation alone but in nations across the world.

What is most important, is not that President Obama was speaking to Americans and non-American’s alike, but that all of them are waiting, eagerly, for words of hope to translate to the actions which will bring real change into their lives.

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Molly Moore, Senior VP, Sanderson Strategies, former Washington Post correspondent:

I stood on the Mall in the warmth of a crowd that included a man in a white fur coat behind me and a woman wrapped in a fleece blanket in front of me, and watched President Obama's inaugural address on one of the Jumbo Trons lining the Mall. It felt more like a participatory sermon at a church revival than a political speech. And there was no greater outburst than when Obama declared, "As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals." We all erupted in a spontaneous, "Yeah, yeah, amen!"

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Pejman Yousefzadeh, Attorney and blogger:

Ours is a nation that won its independence from what was the mightiest empire in the world. We maintained--and even strengthened--our Union through the prosecution of a war in which brother had to fight against brother. We outlasted the scourge of slavery, the sins of Jim Crow, "separate but equal" and other forms of invidious discrimination. We persevered through a vicious and brutal Great Depression. We sent the flower of our youth to fight for American security and the freedom of the world in two blood-soaked world wars. We engaged in a nearly 50 year twilight struggle against a monstrous ideology and the superpower that fostered it, a struggle that ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the liberation of captive Eastern European states and the ignominious demise-with-a-whimper of the once-powerful and feared Soviet Union. Today, a man whose skin color would have once made him a slave or would have subjected him to the most evil, pernicious and even violent forms of discrimination, took the Oath of Office and became President of the United States.

And yet, President Barack Obama felt the need to tell us that we Americans ought to "give up childish things"? More...

Did he read the same history of America as the rest of us did? Ours may be a young country. But from the beginning, we have been full of old-yet-heroic souls capable of performing mighty and tremendous deeds, both on the battlefields of war, and in the battlefields of hearts and minds. We are not a perfect nation; surely, we have made mistakes along the way. But in what parallel universe ought we to be told that we need to grow up? We Americans grew up rather quickly ever since the settlement of this land and our founding. We had to; it was essential to our ability to survive and prosper that we mature quickly. And so, we did. Despite our problems, we remain the greatest, strongest, freest, most prosperous nation on the face of the Earth. Our history has been replete with the ability to take responsibility for ourselves and for each other at the most important times. We have observed the rule of just laws and elevated those laws and the justice they embody far above the status justice has traditionally enjoyed in other countries--no matter how mighty they are or were. Our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution are the most grown-up of documents.

We therefore need no condescension from the President of the United States telling us that we ought to act our age, not our shoe size. As John Judis points out, this Inaugural Address had a whole host of faults. It fell well below expectations for its inability to connect with the issues of the day, its apparent characteristic of having been written by committee, its vagueness and generalities, and the fact that it puzzled more than it enlightened.

But never let it be said that there wasn't a memorable line; Barack Obama told us that we need to grow up and forgot that we've been quite grown up for quite a while now. I wish the new President well but I am afraid that there is going to be much more of this kind of thing for the next four years. We celebrated the peaceful transition of power from the 43rd President to the 44th one. But the 44th President appears determined to thwart the transition that would allow power to flow from a centralized, clique-ish Washington bureaucracy possessed of the annoying and Pavlovian tendency to engage in sanctimonious lectures, to a populace possessed of more than enough wisdom, maturity and intelligence to govern itself and hold itself to high standards without Washington's needless and hectoring reminders that it do so.

Oh, and a note to fellow Arena Contributor David Biespiel, who informs us that Barack Obama brings us "a can-do spirit to start shoveling out of the hole." As is well-known, the First Rule of Holes is as follows: "Stop digging!" Let us hope that the new President directs his "can-do spirit" to other activities, preferably activities that don't involve the use of a shovel where shovels are not wanted.

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David Biespiel, Poet and writer, Attic Writers Workshop:
Your nationalism is endearing. I appreciate your defense of American exceptionalism. Your outrage against the passage about "childish things," however, misinterprets the letter and the spirit of the inaugural. In fact, the speech affirms your point. You chastise President Obama for refusing to acknowledge American heroism in his "childish things" comment. But his comments about "childish things" is clearly meant to focus on the current gridlocked political climate, the petty parisanship, and the avoidance of difficult decisions. More...
The passage from the prepared remarks reads:

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

This passage immediately leads to:

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.

This second passage affirms the "grown-up" America you praise. As for shoveling out of a hole. I concede the semantic point. We need to climb out of multiple holes, including the hole of a shattered economy, the hole of American misappropriation of leadership in the Middle East, the hole of Gauntanamo and international renditions, the hole of a health care system that fails to include 40 million Americans, and the hole of putting our head in the sand over planetary climate change.
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- Pejman Yousefzadeh, Attorney and blogger:
  A President who praises American exceptionalism ought to know better than to lecture America on the need to "set aside childish things." No amount of excuse-mongering covers that fact up. As for the "gridlocked" political climate, perhaps you would do well to bear in mind the fact that there are some who do not accept President Obama's philosophy of government. They should oppose in good faith but they are not precluded from taking a stance in opposition. What you call "gridlock" I call "keeping the new Administration honest and offering alternative proposals." I realize, of course, that Rahm Emanuel & Co. don't like having the other side put up a fight when it comes to new legislation and policymaking but them's the breaks in a democratic republic.
  
  Glad to see that you conceded the semantic point. Perhaps you would care to concede as well that one cannot "climb out of multiple holes" as it would be difficult for a particular entity to be in "multiple holes" at the same time. Also, what does "the hole of putting our head in the sand" mean? Is the hole where we put our heads or do we have to be in a hole for our heads to be in the sand and if so, is the sand in the hole shallow?
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- Pejman Yousefzadeh, Attorney and blogger:
  David, in the event that you are tired of discussing the subject of holes, perhaps you would care to answer a question concerning the issue of rendition, an issue which you brought up in your reply to me. You appear to be against rendition. Pray tell, does that mean you have concerns about Leon Panetta's nomination for Director of Central Intelligence?
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Jeff Emanuel, Columnist, combat journalist and contributor to RedState.com:

It's great to see the sudden outpouring of pro-Americanism and goodwill from a population which managed to repress those emotions so successfully over the last eight years. President Obama's inauguration has apparently prompted folks like Ashton Kutcher, Aaron Eckhart, Marissa Tomei, and others to suddenly discover that they want to make themselves better by helping the poor, conserving, working together, and being the best they can be. More...

Contra what many supporters would have us believe, this doesn't demonstrate the mythic ability of Barack Obama to inspire folks to come together across the divide and sing kumbayah in harmony; rather, it shows that the take-my-ball-and-go-home-when-I'm-not-catered-to crowd (of which First Lady Michelle "For the first time I'm proud of my country" Obama is one) has decided to come back and play with the rest of us now that The Other is gone and one of "theirs" is in the Oval Office. To the Hollywood actors, the liberal blogosphere, and my more leftward-leaning fellow Arena contributors: welcome to the party. Most of us recognize that America is America, however much hate you may harbor for its leaders, and have supported it the entire time -- through Reagan, through Bush, through Clinton, through Bush again, and will continue to do so through Obama's presidency. We won't agree on everything -- for example, I hope much of Obama's domestic agenda fails utterly -- but it won't stop him from being "my president too," or me from patriotically supporting my own country.

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Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies, Harvard:

The strength of our patchwork heritage. . .
The huge and diverse, cheering crowd on the Mall was a visual counterpart to a unique part of the inaugural address. Coming right after his powerful words to those "who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror," he spoke of the strength of our "patchwork heritage." In an era in which some have been derisive about "diversity" as some kind of liberal agenda, it is good to have our diversity visible and vocalized as clearly as it was today. More...

"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. . . . " This is surely the first time a new president has mentioned Hindus as part of our great diversity. As a student of Hinduism -in both India and America-I was impressed with these words. It's not because there are so many Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists in America, but because, as he names us, he signals a new religious reality that extends beyond the so-called Abrahamic faiths. In spirit, America is a multireligious nation, where freedom of religion is a recipe for our religious diversity. But equally important, Obama also mentions the non-believers, knowing full well that our freedom of religion also guarantees freedom of conscience for all who want no part of religion. It is rare for a society to embrace it's multireligious patchwork as a strength, especially at a time when many societies seem to be minting their identities in smaller and smaller coins. Obama truly sees this as our strength, and he can help all of us see it.

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John C. Fortier, Research fellow, AEI:

Most of all the speech was serious and hardheaded. The seriousness kept audience interruptions to a minimum. His listeners were no doubt ready to erupt, but for the most part adopted Obama's serious tone. It is time for America to leave childhood, to take on hard tasks, to honor work, and to struggle against the current crisis. The speech was also hawkish, at least in parts. He alluded to his openness to diplomacy and different stance on terrorism and civil liberties, but he said we were at war with a global network and that those who would continue to fight us would be defeated. Tough stuff, and not the way many of his early primary anti-war supporters would put it.

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David Biespiel, Poet and writer, Attic Writers Workshop:

I write this as a Texan who grew up in a racially polarized South, and I write not as a Child of the Sixties but as a child during the 60s. Upon taking his oath, President Obama did more than break a vicious racial barrier in American history, he became the physical embodiment of the ideal of American unification. Private racism is alive and thriving in our country, make no mistake. More...

But if institutional racism can be depicted as a statue in a town square, that statue was pulled down and shattered once and for all today. Obama's assumption of the presidency indicates not that we have mastered racism but that we have mastered some part of ourselves that has long desired to live wisely and true to our bonds of humanity.

President Obama's special ability to link our present challenges with those of the past is at the heart of both his oratory and his faith in national unity. That's where I felt the address crystallized. From the first syllables of the speech, his tone was business-like and he never let up: "For everywhere we look, there is work to be done." When was the last time this nation was called to act upon such an honest note of self-reflection? The speech was admonitory, but refreshingly candid, too, at times inspiring in its boot-strap philosophy. The concluding conceit of the nation being at the frozen riverside like General Washington's soldiers during the Revolution was self-defining, the message clear: Let's cross the river and save our country again.

Obama's dismissal of the Bush era was blunt. I was surprised--OK, a wee bit gratified--how starkly he took the Bush administration to the woodshed for its general malpractice over the last eight years. And yet, as a national scold, he didn't leave out the citizenry either for "our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age." Meanwhile, he indicated to the world that America's role will now be remade. I didn't take that stance to be naive though it could be. His admonition to divisive world leaders--"your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy"--struck me as a decisive goal to firmly address the more intractable conflicts in the world.

Finally, full confession: I don't have a television. So I had to borrow one to watch the ceremony. I was at Bush I's inaugural and Clinton's first one, too, when I lived in Washington during those years. This time, out here in the West, when the Obamas arrived at the North Portico at 6 a.m. Pacific time I was still lying under the covers--with a mimosa at hand, at least. On television, one image caught my attention--well, two, because every time Senator Feinstein came to the podium she looked like she was in an MGM musical and about to break into song. But one image caught my attention right before the ceremony began: The Episcopal Bush family giving way to the African-American Obama family. On the one hand, there's the historic racial implications in that image. On the other hand, the generational shift is evident, too. The torch has been passed. A new generation of leaders has been elected to govern, a new generation of leaders who bring two finely-earned attitudes. One, frustration with the collapse of legislative democracy to forestall and reverse the multiple layers of physical and civic decline in our country. Two, a can-do spirit to start shoveling out of the hole.

That faith seemed evident, as well, in every close-up of the audience on the Mall. As I say, I've been in that crowd at other inaugurations, and from this corner of the country it seemed to me as if the entire country marched on Washington this morning to start afresh.

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Jeff Emanuel, Columnist, combat journalist and contributor to RedState.com:

I was encouraged by President Obama's willingness to address the "Muslim world" as a whole in his discussion of the need to renounce terrorism and violence and to adopt a more civilized worldview. Despite his clear understanding of the terror networks threatening civilized societies the world over, former president Bush was often reluctant to address the problem of Islamist terror by its name. More...

We can only hope that Obama's message to that "Muslim world," on the other hand, was simply phrased as it was to please his liberal/progressive base, rather than an accurate expression of his worldview. "We seek a new way forward," Obama said, "based on mutual interest and mutual respect."
Though the far left often claims that President Bush's policy was unnecessarily heavy-handed and reckless, the reality is that "mutual interest and mutual respect" was *exactly* the basis for Bush's policy with the post-Taliban government and people of Afghanistan, the post-Saddam government and people of Iraq, and with so many others the world over.

Further, Obama's message "To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist," hints at a view of international relations which is hopelessly Utopian, and which has no place the affairs of this world. All too many residents of the Muslim world are happy to judge their leaders on what they destroy, rather than on what they build (case in point: Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has sacrificed infrastructure for the chance to convert water pipes into homemade rockets built to fire at civilian populations in the sovereign country to their north).

President Obama's decisions since the election suggest that his eyes have been opened to a degree by the information he has become privy to (or that he has begun learning now that he's no longer skipping hearings<http://jeffemanuel.net/2008/05/poppies-in-iraq-and-arabs-in-afghanistan/>on
Afghanistan and other foreign crises because campaigning for president was a far higher priority to him than actively serving in his paid job as a Senator). I truly hope that his words today, which demonstrated a simplistic and entirely unrealistic worldview, were just that -- words -- and that President Obama's actions will continue to demonstrate an understanding of the true complexity and danger inherent in the international challenges currently facing the U.S. and its allies.

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Eric Liu, Author and former Clinton White House adviser, WA:

Four words from President Obama's speech resonate still: Service. Responsibility. Imagination. Patriotism.

And four others capture its spirit: Let's get to work.

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Jim Leach, Professor and former member of Congress:

Inaugurals are generally somber events. Despite the seriousness of the issues of the day, this one was uplifting. It might even be considered heroic.

The affirmation of our founders that all men are endowed equally with inalienable rights, which seemed radical political philosophy in the 18th Century, remained radical sociology for many Americans in the 19th and 20th. The nobility of rights and dignity of man, manifest in the Declaration of Independence, are now, finally, self-evident. More...

In a contemporary context, the inauguration, like the campaign, was about change, not simply a shift in political party leadership which is a norm for America, but a shift in direction which is not. For the first time in our history there is a sense that we have erred: the right prescriptions have not been applied to our economy and the right proscriptions have not been advanced in our foreign policy.

The new course that our new President has chartered is shaped by contemporary circumstances but rooted in historic American ideals. His call is for renewed fairness, a commitment to law, and an underpinning respect for all peoples of the planet.

What ties together the various domestic and international themes set forth in the inaugural address is a clear desire of the President to reach out to the un-empowered, to the underdog at home and abroad, to people crying out for respect. It is their hopes and aspirations that must be listened to and addressed if there is any chance of uniting America and diminishing conflict in the world.

For good reason, the American people voted for a new generation of leadership.

Permalink

Bernie Sanders, Sen. (I-Vt):

Today clearly was an historic day. From where I sat on the inaugural platform, the mass of people stretched further than the eye could see. By some estimates, the crowd was two or three times bigger than the entire population of my home state of Vermont. The hope I saw in the eyes of people was very exciting.

With the first African-American being sworn in as president, America has come a very long way since Vermont became the first state to outlaw slavery. Today was an affirmation of the promise and potential of our country, for if the son of a Kenyan father and Kansan mother could become president, what can’t our nation accomplish? What crises can’t we solve? More...

I think the essence of President Obama’s very fine inaugural speech was that we’re in this together. He was very clear in stating that our country faces extremely serious problems with our economy, with health care, with the two wars we’re currently engaged in, with global warming, education and in many other areas.

He was also very clear that while government must play a bold and very important role in resolving these crises, the solution will come not from government alone but from a new spirit and public sense of responsibility within the hearts of the American people.

Permalink

Maurice (Mickey) Carroll, Director, Quinnipiac University Polling Institute:

Even home-run hitters strike out. Or, as in the case of President Obama's Inauguration-speech, hit a respectable, but weak, infield single.

Permalink

Deborah Tannen, Author and professor of linguistics:

The phrase that sticks in my mind is "the price and the promise of citizenship." It combines the "ask what you can do for your country" of JFK and the alliteration of MLK's "not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Both reflect the essence of this address: It was a call to action and involvement by all Americans, and an inspiration (inspiring in both the meaning and the rhetorical sweep of words) to reach for our highest ideals.

Permalink

www.whitehouse.gov

More About Torture

Jim — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 12:18:57 EST

Michael Smirkonish, Pat Buchanan, Michael V. Hayden and others recently have argued that it is acceptable to torture someone to prevent an attack if the threat of attack is imminent. The argument, however, is inherently contradictory.

That a threat is imminent necessarily implies that one is aware of an oncoming attack; and one can only be sure that a threat is imminent if and only if there is clear and direct evidence that an attack is pending.

Hamas launching missiles into Israel on a frequent basis is clear and direct evidence that further attacks from Hamas are not only probably but are likely. Hamas, therefore, poses an imminent threat. On the other hand, North Korea a couple years ago launched a Taepodong II missile that, in theory, was capable of reaching California. There was significant evidence that North Korea fully intended to launch the missile, but there was no clear or direct evidence suggesting that they intended to use it against the U.S. or its allies. What, then, amounts to clear and direct evidence that an attack is imminent?

First, if one cannot answer that, one cannot determine precisely under what circumstance it is acceptable to torture another human being. Also, speculating that an attack is possible, or even probable, does not amount to clear and direct evidence that an attack is likely. Speculation or circumstantial evidence, therefore, are not adequate means by which to measure the likelihood of an attack.

Finally, that there is evidence that is clear and direct must mean that the agencies whose task it is to gather such evidence already know who is going to attack, what those people intend to do, when they will do it, how they will do it, and why they will do it.

Clearly, then, it is an absurd contradiction to say that there is both an imminent threat of attack and a need to torture someone to prevent such an attack, since the need to torture necessarily implies that there is a critical intelligence gap that cannot possibly allow for one to determine that a threat is imminent.

Israel 'S AGRESSION AND American Foreign policy.

CHANGE FOR POOR AND MIDDLE CLASS TOO — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:24:31 EST

America and the world hare keeping palestinians in the largest prison in the world.

srael: positioning in israel for elections, Every leader in israel is looking out for the next election and the person who appears to destroy their enemy more will have more votes.

ethnic cleansing and genocide: Israel want to clean Palestine of its tribes and families to annex the palestine.

caving in to settlers. Israel want to clean Palestine of its tribes and families to resettle its own people.

Positioning in America: Israel wants to be the number one subject of america policy, not just policy. They want more tax dollars,and more lobby is out asking for money than they say. Reality is that Even journalists are making the case for more money to isreal. My take is that there is more problem in the world than israel. How about the congos, suddan, zimbabwe, somalia, and every place else in the world where poverty is killing people in silence?

The world has helped israel for centuries. Yet israel remain in the middle of every turn of help, despite the fact that it is the richest nation in that hemisphere.

Obama needs to tell israel that enough is enough. Obama needs to tell israel that it is high time America had other friends in the world and help the countries in the world that need American help enjoy a peaceful life, not a life of war.

America needs to start rewarding countries that exibit peaceful process to progress, to move faster, not those countries that are constantly vie for international and american attention with killings and genocide. WE NEED TO START REWARDING THE GOOD GUYS IN THE WORLD, NOT THE BAD GUYS.

I PROPOSE THAT THE US GOVERNMENT INSTITUTE A PRICE FOR ITS FOREIGN AID: 1ST PLACE GOES TO THE COUNTRY THAT HAS MADE MORE PROGRESS AND IN PEACE. AND SO ON, DOWN TO THE 5TH PLACE. NO COUNTRY WITH HUMAN RIGHT ISSUES WILL WIN, AND NO COUNTRY THAT HAD HAD A WAR IN THE PAST 5 YEARS WILL EVER WIN. EVEN IF THEY BECAME PEACEFUL, THEY WOULD HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE IF THE PEACE HELD FOR 5 YEARS.

We elected Obama for American problems, not for israeli problems.

The people's reaction is slow but steady, like a drop in the stream, or fast like a pouring deluge.
Push them hard enough, and there is no stopping the resulting flood and devastation, one election rigging at a time.

Morning Joe And T Boone Pickens

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:49:32 EST

Why don't these folk hold Pickens accountable for his personal plans to PROFIT from his plans to "save the country"? California's Prop 10 and his Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ: CLNE) that stood to take +/- $3Billion from California taxpayers?

Why do they portray him as a successful, patriotic businessman with the desire to help the country?

He's just another old rich guy attempting to line his pockets from the public feeding trough.

Letter to Rachel Maddow on Michael Smirkonish and Torture

Jim — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:58:45 EST

Rachel:

I have been thinking about Mr. Smirkonish's argument on Hardball that he would torture a person if there were "a ticking time bomb" and the person to be tortured allegedly knew where the bomb was. Rachel, I would love to see you address that ridiculous argument. Mr. Smirkonish suggests that any action is acceptable to glean information about an imminent threat. However, at what point is a threat imminent and what actions are acceptable to stop an imminent threat? How exactly does one define a ticking time bomb? Also, if one cannot define it exactly, how does one know what is best to diffuse it? How much information and what kind of information proves that a threat is imminent? If one cannot physically identify a threat, how can one determine that a threat is imminent; and if one can identify a threat enough to determine that it is imminent, would not torture be merely a cruel excess? Does circumstantial evidence adequately confirm that a threat is imminent? Short of catching a person placing a bomb, is not all other information circumstantial? Should there not first be adequate protection to keep Americans safe before there ever is a ticking time bomb? If the agencies tasked with protecting Americans are vigilant enough to guard America against attack, why would those agencies ever need to torture anyone? Rachel, I know you have addressed the point recently when your guest was the Special Forces interrogator who used rapport successfully to glean intelligence from prisoners instead of torture. However, I think this is a subject that goes to the heart of who we are as Americans, and I really hope that maybe on your show you can get Mr. Smirkonish to argue the point with experts and perhaps even with people like Senator McCain, who have been tortured. Thank you so much.

What The Puck? Alaska Racist Emails Against Obama On State Accounts Probed

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:12:17 EST

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska officials are investigating racist jokes about President-elect Barack Obama that have been circulating on state government e-mail accounts.

One of the five e-mails obtained by The Associated Press asks about the outcome of the Democrat's victory after all the time and money invested and concludes: "Another black family living in government housing!"

Three of the racist messages were confirmed by the state's information technology division after an electronic search of the government's e-mail system, Administration Commissioner Annette Kreitzer said Wednesday.

Kreitzer said she alerted the office of Gov. Sarah Palin about the e-mails.

Bill McAllister, Palin's spokesman, said in an e-mail that the matter concerned individual actions taken by a handful of state employees among thousands.

"My understanding is that the Department of Administration is following up on this with the individuals who took action to forward the offensive e-mails," he said. "This is, of course, a confidential personnel and disciplinary matter that has nothing to do with the governor's office."

The Rev. Alonzo Patterson, state chairman of the Alaska Black Leadership Conference, encouraged Palin to address the e-mails.

"They're doing that in a state setting," he said. "She should condemn it."

One e-mail, with the subject line of "Night Befo Crizzmus," was forwarded dozens of times, Kreitzer said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/18/alaska-racist-emails-agai_n_152005.html

digg this!

darlene matthews — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:19:27 EST

http://digg.com/environment/US_Navy_Lieutenant_Boards_Sea_Shepherd_To_Help

Obama urges Illinois governor to step down

darlene matthews — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:18:51 EST

Blagojevich scandal widens
Play Video

Nevada Inauguration Attendance Network

Suzie McKay — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:06:20 EST

Ok, folks, it’s time to ramp up this group.

For anyone who is traveling to D.C. for the inauguration, please join us, if you live in NV or not. As the group expands, and hopefully within the next week, we will begin posting links, travel news, and more.

I realize everyone is busy with the holidays but to make it work, we all need to contribute to the group.

I am posting this to all the Nevada and California groups to which I belong, as well as a few, select others. The first step is joining the group and here’s the link:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/NevadaInaugurationAttendanceNetwork

Thank you to everyone who will help us enjoy the privilege of watching PE Obama take the oath of office.

BOTH KENNEDYS HAVE GRASSROOTS SUPPORT VIA FACEBOOK

darlene matthews — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 14:36:38 EST

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for the US SenateGlobalBasic InfoType:Common Interest - PoliticsDescription:Please let New York State Governor David Paterson know that we'd like to see Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. take the place of Senator Clinton.

You can email Gov. Paterson here:
http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/index.html

Or better yet write him here:
Governor David A. Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

BTW To be very clear: This is a grassroots effort and RFK, Jr. has no idea that we're even doing this (thus far). Basic InfoType:Organizations - Political OrganizationsDescription:A grassroots effort to let New York Governor David Paterson know that we'd like to see Caroline Kennedy for the soon to be vacant U.S. Senate seat.

You can email Gov. Paterson here:
http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/index.html

Or write him here:
Governor David A. Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

This is an independent group with no coordination with Caroline Kennedy.Contact InfoEmail:

Enough Of The Bush-Cheney Romance For Oil Schemes!!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:02:35 EST

CAIRO, Egypt – Saudi Arabia's king says the price of oil should be $75 a barrel, much higher than it is now, but his oil minister indicated Saturday that no measures will likely be taken until OPEC meets again next month.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi said that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will "do what needs to be done" to shore up falling oil prices when the group meets Dec. 17 in Algeria, but for now it was "too early."

throwing out the baby with the bathwater HR

darlene matthews — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:20:48 EST

WHO'S GOT ALTERNATE SOLUTIONS TO HR 2755?

Sounds kind of crazy -throw out the baby with the bath water,
a little anarchist...

Does every single part of our governement need a makeover ?

HECK YEA.!

DO WE NEED TO DUMP IT all with no real solutions

AND HAVE MORE CHAOS?. NO!

opinions from the road,

darlene

On Nov 27, 2008, at 1:00 AM, Twenty and Thirty Somethings for Obama wrote:

1. The Only Solution to Our Economy Crisis... (The Truth )

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Original Message: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/TwentyandThirtysomethingsforObama/listserv-message/rwgGjZyp
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:57:04 -0500
From: The Truth
Subject: [TwentyandThirtysomethingsforObama] The Only Solution to Our Economy Crisis...
Message-ID:

.......IS TO GET RID OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE........Support HR-2755
Obama may fix the economy for now, but what about after Obama? Remember after Clinton?
So, for us to fix the problem is to get rid of the Fed...

Do some research...
CALL YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN AND CONGRESSWOMEN TO SUPPORT HR-2755.

Since the creation of the fed:
1-Our personal debt has increased. Our education system has been going straight down the hill. People have been more on mental health medications.

2-Our National debt has increased. Government always has a war on something. War on education, war on drugs, war on terror, etc. And where do we get the money? From the Federal Reserve.So, as long as we can borrow money from The Federal Reserve,it does not matter under what conditions and for what purpose, this is good business for the Fed. Res. , but guess what? Our national debt will increase, and guess what? Since our national debt will increase, WE WILL PAY MORE TAXES to pay the debts. So, this is a slavery system. The only way to get rid of debts is to get rid of the Federal Reserve.

3-We have had 2 world wars, wars in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, etc.
---- The Federal Reserve (not federal at all) has to create those problems in other to have more and power.

Google: "the Federal Reserve a private entity"

Go to http://www.endthefed.us/

Citigroup Bailout

ted in pdx — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:31:14 EST

(posted to marketwatch, Nov 24, 2008):

Comment: jonesreport.com 2 hours ago (+14 Votes)

Excerpt: Obama's Economic Foxes To Guard Financial Henhouse
Newly announced team consists of the very people who created the crisis
Steve Watson, Infowars.net, Monday, Nov 24, 2008

Today President elect Obama officially introduces his economic team to the world. What many may fail to recognize, however, is the fact that those tasked with rescuing the economy are the very people who helped create the financial crisis in the first instance.

jonesreport.com wrote: We already know that the team will include Tim Geithner
as Treasury Secretary; Lawrence Summers as head of the National Economic Council; Peter Orszag as director of The Office of Management and Budget; and Jason Furman, Austan Goolsbee and Jack Lew in other senior economic positions.

The man that ties almost all these people together is former Treasury Secretary and current Citigroup executive Robert Rubin.
Rubin is as much to blame for the creation of the current financial crisis as Alan Greenspan is, as both men ignored the advice of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and strongly opposed the regulation of derivatives. Over-exposure to credit derivatives of mortgage-backed securities - or credit default swaps (CDS) was a key reason for the failure of Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, American International Group, and Washington Mutual in 2008.

At Citi, Rubin was one of the grand strategists of the speculation in securitized loans, on November 4, 2007, he became the Chairman there.
Rubin is also currently co-chairman of the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Group of Thirty.
Every one of the afore mentioned economic "experts" to be appointed by Obama, with the exception of Skull and Bones representative Austan Goolsbee, is a protégé of Rubin.

Furthermore, as the New York Times pointed out in a weekend feature:
Even the headhunters for Mr. Obama have Rubin ties: Michael Froman, Mr. Rubin's chief of staff in the Treasury Department who followed him to Citigroup, and James P. Rubin, Mr. Rubin's son. All three advisers - whom Mr. Obama will officially name on Monday and Tuesday - have been followers of the economic formula that came to be called Rubinomics: balanced budgets, free trade and financial deregulation, a combination that was credited with fueling the prosperity of the 1990s.
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW) http://www.infowars.net/articles/november2008/241108Foxes.htm

news sources: rense.com, infowars.com, prisonplanet.com,
informationclearinghouse.info, counterpunch.org, globalresearch.ca,
georgewashington2.blogspot.com, bailoutsleuth.com

Reply: chutnerd 2 hours ago (+2 Votes)

chutnerd wrote: Thank you for the excellent post.

It looks like we'll have to wait a few more years to see real CHANGE come to the financial system only after it is completely destroyed.

Reply: nzdugger 2 hours ago

nzdugger wrote: Well Jonesy, you got that right.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The question I have is this: How divergent is this mess? Perhaps Eastern economic forces can bring some sense to the global picture? I look forward to the G20 response.

My reply:

CNN interviewed Rubin as an expert commentator during the early stages of the bailout, and they introduced him as the "Former Secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton". (period) No mention of the fact that after Clinton signed the Phil Gramm legislation which enabled this disaster, Rubin resigned to go to Citicorp and engineer the big merger that got the whole ball rolling. If Obama allows these guys to direct his administration on economic policy, he will fail, and we all will fail. There is an alternate scenario (however improbable): he's picked a team of guys who know exactly how the racket works, and who's responsible for setting it up. They have the capacity to take it down and clean it out if they want to.

How many more times are we going to be told that a given company is "just too big to allow it to fail..."? We have a government run by people who have little or no first hand understanding of free-enterprise, and who consider debt a talking point. It isn't AIG or Citi they're rescuing, it's the exposure of their own incompetence as legislators, and their malfeasance in support of their preferred constituencies which is their primary concern.

The strength of our currency is based on the belief by the rest of the world that our system of checks and balances works: that no individual cabal of self-interested perpetrators could ever usurp the credit of this nation for their own purposes. Over the past two months, we have watched the Bush administration and the corrupt leadership of Congress demonstrate that our system has failed. The only remaining credibility we have is based on the thin hope that our new President will have the courage to let the free-market cleanse itself, and impose legal sanctions on those who have plundered the good credit of this nation.

The guilty include CEO's with 7 and 8-figure incomes, financial institutions which hand-off un-quantified risk to the public while skimming exorbitant commissions en-passante, labor unions and lawyers who game the system at every level and in every way imaginable, and finally voters who turn a blind eye to all of this, as long as their particular safe havens remain intact.

The damage has already been done. The only remaining question is whether our leadership has the wisdom to take it's measure, and get about the job of repairing it, or continue to cover it up, and in the process rendering it lethal to the future of this country. The well is already going dry, as can be seen today in the weakening of the market for T-bills. Is a total collapse months away, or is it only weeks?

Commment: vimal99 vimal99 wrote:

I am not an economist but have a feeling that something seriously is wrong here. Mr Bush and coterie has weakened the capitalistic systems..(bailouts) by claiming to be capitalists and weakened democracy (wiretaps, gantanamo, patriotic act) by claiming to be a democracy. This is insane. These are the people with no character or morals but are guided solely by the demands of the situation.

you dont bailout financial institutions, they will survive or perish driven by the market fundamentals. If one bank goes down another bank which is more efficient will take its place. All they have to do is to strenthen the insurance..(unemployment, FDIC etc) and let all these companies go down. Trying to prop up inefficient systems will only drag the pain much longer. Let them fail. They need not be paid on tax payers money. Please dont pay tax payers money to prop up companies.

All this bailout money and money spent on war should go towards building infrastrucutre, education and alternate energy resources. This country has taken a wrong direction. The current acts of the administration are neither supported by market fundamentals or the future well being of the nation.

My Reply:

I agree with you in principle, there's just one problem: If it really was tax-payer money being used, it would be outrageous, but at least it would be paid for. The electorate would not tolerate throwing real money at these problems, and that in and of itself is the crux of the disaster.

The simple fact is, all of this is being funded on the theory that our democracy is strong enough to remain the guarantor of abstracted wealth on this planet. Every time Congress takes another trip to the well, it undermines that theory a little more, and we won't know when the well has gone dry until it's too late. Unless Obama is willing to face down Reid, Pelosi, Frank and a rather long list of other thieves and thugs who are protecting themselves, we're headed for a disaster of unimaginable proportions.

It's Time To Talk About Secy Treasury And P-E Obama's Economic Plan

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:53:38 EST

Gov Huckabee Back In Des Moines Tomorrow... P-E Obama Not Yet Sworn In!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:11:15 EST

Sam's Club
1101 73rd St
Des Moines, IA 50311

Thursday, 11/20
6:00-8:00 PM

"Mike Huckabee shocked the country by winning the all-important Iowa caucuses and seven other states, while spending far less than the other major candidates. He created an army of passionate volunteers and small donors, transforming his campaign into a true movement that will endure long after Election Day."

Think he might run again?

Gov Jindal Kicks Off In Iowa Before P-E Obama Is Sworn In!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:55:20 EST

Critical IFPC Issues:

Marriage:
Believing that marriage is a permanent, lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, IFPC equips pastors and community leaders to support and defend healthy marriages.

Sanctity of Life:
IFPC actively supports the protection of life from conception to natural death.

Education:
Believing truth exists and educational responsibility lies first with parents, IFPC works to ensure parents can choose the type of education that reflects their values and best meets the academic needs of their children.

Gambling:
IFPC challenges the establishment and spread of gambling because it wreaks havoc on individuals, families and communities.

Sexuality:
IFPC affirms sexual relations within the bond of marriage, and opposes distortions of sexuality or special rights to those practicing distorted sexual behavior.

IFPC depends on the generous support of individuals like yourself.
Please pray about how you can help IFPC defend Iowa's families.

Heck, Why Not Just Dust 'Em Off And Bring 'Em ALL Back?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:04:40 EST

Logistically, maybe it is just easier to name all these old pols first - before going to the top players in industry and academia.

Why Americans Hate Washington ... Bastardizing The 'Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007'

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:46:49 EST

After spending years and hundreds of millions of dollars fighting governmental efforts to get them to produce fuel-efficient vehicles, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler today (September 27, 2008) scored $7.5 billion in taxpayer funds needed to guarantee $25 billion in low-interest loans to help the American automakers produce fuel-efficient cars and trucks. http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2008/09/senate-oks-25-billion-in-loans-to-help-automakers-produce-fuel-efficient-vehicles.html

The loan program was authorized, but not funded, by an energy law enacted last December. The same law requires sharply higher fuel economy standards in the 2011-2020 model years -- standards that will force automakers and suppliers to spend tens of billions of dollars on factories and equipment.

Falling new vehicle sales, dramatically higher borrowing costs and a lack of foresight compelled the Big 3 to make funding of the program a top priority. The effort included recent Capitol Hill visits this month by the automakers' highly compensated chief executives.

Industry lobbyists succeeded in getting the funding attached to a bill that Congress had to consider before going home for November elections.

The $25 billion program represents unprecedented governmental intervention in the automotive industry -- far exceeding 1979 loan guarantees for Chrysler and long-running federal support for vehicle technology research.

The $25 billion direct loan program was set up by the energy bill signed into law in 2007 and is intended to help automakers retool plants and develop technology for more fuel-efficient cars. But until now, Congress had not acted to appropriate money to fund the program, which will be administered through the Federal Financing Bank. Loan recipients may defer their loan payments for up to five years.

So, the auto industry lobbysts on K Street see a $634 Billion bill likely to pass in late 2007. They get the Michigan Congressional delegation to take a (relatively) small $7.5 Billion bite out of the bill for loan guarantees. Who's going to argue against the principles of Energy Independence and Security or loan guarantees that are neither direct loans nor grants?

In late September 2008, the money gets authorized with 60 days to write conditions. Here we are today and they want a 'general purpose' loan with minimal restrictions!!

Clinton is Not the "New Face of America"

Citizen — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 05:45:04 EST

Leading up to the election, foreign newspapers were filled with expressions of hope that Obama would be elected as President of the United States and put forth a "New Face for America".

There are several reasons Clinton would be a disasterous selection Secretary of State: 1. Clinton represents the same old face of America, albeit not as much as Bush the Lesser does.

2. During the primaries, Clinton expressed herself time and time again as antipodal to Obama's foreign policy positions.

3. Clinton is a limelight seeker and would detract from the importance of both Obama and Biden on foreign affairs issues.

4. Over half the Democrats and all of the Republicans have expressed that they don't trust her judgment on foreign affairs issues.

5. Clinton can do more in the Senate working for Universal Heath Care.

6. Clinton has a history of mistaking little girls with gifts of flowers as machine gun fire and the need to duck into airplane hangers. (If she lied about that, ...)

An Open Letter to Our Republican Family and Friends

Suzie McKay — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:43:05 EST

Fred and I have worked very hard for the past eleven months. For the last three weeks of the election, we were a canvass-staging location, transforming our home into an outlying headquarters with training, refreshments and debriefing for local and out-of-state volunteers, with local candidates detailing their platforms. Our efforts were rewarded and we are delighted with the national and local outcomes.

We realize that most members of our families and friends do not agree with us or the new administration and that’s perfectly fine. Any society must have room for disagreement. However, Fred and I are compelled to avidly work toward the actualization of our beliefs. We now support a non-conservative agenda and will continue to work tirelessly for those who have little or no voice in our democratic process.

Anytime you wish to visit, you are certainly most welcome but please remember this is now a liberal household and we certainly intend to keep it that way. We are a volunteer headquarters. You may encounter members of the Black Caucus, Gay Pride, Si Se Puede, Asian/American Caucus, Grassroots Coalition for Change or Western Atheists for Obama (which Suzie founded). We will be hosting and attending meetings with any and all of these caucuses, working very hard to further the spirit of volunteerism, brotherhood and patriotism that President-Elect Barack Obama has fostered in all of us.

Some of our immediate plans include teaching English to Mexican immigrants so they can take the citizenship test, the repeal of Proposition 8 in our neighboring state of California, assuring reproductive rights, and finding new ways to help the homeless here in Las Vegas, where rampant foreclosures and a high percentage of unemployment are hindering efforts to return these families to a mainstream lifestyle centered on work and reward. We are also supporting the Sierra Club, which promotes awareness of endangered Western and Alaskan wildlife, including mountain lions, wolves and polar bears, which are faced with the deterioration of their habitats due to global warming and human encroachment. In addition, veterans’ services must be expanded and enhanced to meet the needs of our service members and their families. And most important of all, we demand government funding for embryonic stem cell research in hopes of a cure for Fred.

We love our family very much but also want to be very clear. We are happy that our lifestyle and our home have changed from complacency to idealism and activism. If you are uncomfortable in a diverse group with conversation promoting liberal ideals, please stay elsewhere during your visit but you are always welcome and we’d love to see you. If you would like to know more about our activities, we can provide information in print, on the Internet, or with volunteers in your city. We welcome your help and invite you to join with us in any or all of our goals – there is much work to be done if we Americans are to take back our country.

When we are in YOUR homes, we will refrain from discussing controversial beliefs or other insensitive behavior. Please afford us the same respect. If we don’t make this mutual promise, we will remain estranged.

We sincerely want to put our differences aside. We hope Barack Obama’s Presidency brings us common understanding, allowing each of us to pursue our chosen paths, and that we can work together to create something better, something bigger than ourselves, for all the children of our Earth.

All This Clinton Talk Is Making Me Crazy....

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:25:44 EST

Leave her in the Senate. Majority Leader? Committee Chair?

And free ex-Prez Willy to pursue his own interests.

As Long As Their Fortunes Are Tied Together, BOTH of Their Motives Will Be Suspect

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:14:47 EST

The best place for her is in the Senate... maybe some leadership role.

"Seriously, Rick... It's Not Funny. You Need To Step Down As CEO - No Severance Pay"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:07:40 EST

Am I fired up?

You betcha!!

How Many US Citizens Really Need A Hummer For Work, Or To Support Their Lifestyles?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:02:41 EST

Detroit needs to 'get real' before asking for my tax dollars!

No Bailout For Chrysler/Cerberus... PERIOD

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:38:56 EST

Former Bush #43 Treasury Secretary and Cerberus Chairman John Snow is a "big boy".

Chrysler President Robert Nardelli got his buckets of gold from GE then from struggling Home Depot.

And Cerberus's Stephen Feinberg ain't hurtin' too badly himself.

Am I fired up?

You betcha.

Who Says There's Nothing To Do After The Election?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:51:53 EST

"I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington ... I'm asking you to believe in yours."

There's transition work going on at www.change.gov . There are issues of public policy at the state local and national levels.

There are the scars of a partisan fight just concluded (Huckabee and Jindal will be here in Iowa in less than 2 weeks). 3 US Senate races are still undecided.

We are still in an economic recession and the unemployment rate is its highest in 14 years - another 240,000+ people lost their jobs last month. We are still in 2 wars. The stock market - and our savings - continues to plummet.

The mismanaged domestic auto industry with 2+ million jobs is running out of cash and panhandling for our wallets.

Why would anybody be wandering around with nothing to do?

Am I fired up?

You betcha?

An American President for Everyone

Rhonda Lipson — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:17:59 EST

"For those of you for whom I have yet to earn your trust, I want you to know that I will be your President too." Today I am overwhelmed by the ability of our nation to come together. I live in a swing state, Colorado. A few days ago the neighborhood I live in was covered with political signs - some McCain-Palin, some Obama-Biden. Arapahoe county was one of the most divided swing counties in the country. Now everyone has taken their election signs down. Today I saw two American flags flying, in those neighbors yards who had previously had the McCain=Palin signs and other Republican election aigns. I realize how lucky we are. When the election is over it is over. There are no rebels trying to overthrow our government. We have traded ballots for bullets. I am deeply proud of the way our nation transitions it's leadership. We hold elections and when the voting is done and the people have spoken we have our new President - without bloodshed or violence. Eight years ago I was sad when Al Gore conceded even though he had won the popular vote. We have a system and we stick with it. Last night Barack Obama won such a complete victory - what joy that there is no "Bradley effect" and that our country does work the way that it was intended to work. I love my new President. He is my President and I have never before felt that I had a President who represented me, but I know that I love my country and next Tuesday, on Veterans Day, I will display my flag and be more proud of it than I ever have been in my life. President Obama, you face the most difficult problems - but you are up to the task. I am so proud of you and I am so proud of my country - we will overcome the challenges. Yes We Can! I hope we, your supporters, will always continue to have some venue to express our feelings. That has always been the cornerstone of this campaign. President Obama, you are the best and I am so glad I had the sense to support you from the start. Keep up the good work! Your press conference was terrific today!

A Real or Statistical Solution

ted in pdx — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:23:10 EST

The opportunity President-elect Obama has now is either to fix the fundamental problems in our economy, or to turn out yet another statistical solution, one which produces favorable numbers, but which does not fix the underlying problems. They are:

1. An economy based on credit.

We need to reward savings and investment, and discourage the use of credit as a basis for defining the things we value. One way to accomplish this is to require proof of the ability to carry credit before it is granted. Another is to limit the interests rates accordingly, on the theory that credit should only be granted to those who are reasonably able to pay it back. In other words, our economic principles and regulations should discourage profligacy.

2. Regulatory incompetence and misconduct.

Some of the major problems with regulations are selective and subjective enforcement. Those authorities imply choice on the part of human beings, and we know that authority, by it's nature, tends to become corrupt over time. Now that we have the ability to instantly calculate and communicate information, we should attempt to write regulations such that they may be applied using software to 100% of the transactions in a given venue.

Our massively complex tax-system is actually moving in this direction already: there is very capable software now which makes it possible for very ordinary citizens to compose and submit a perfect tax-return, at a very modest cost. The same principles can and should be applied to a wide range of financial transactions which are based on government funds or guarantees. By exploiting the government's position as holder of critical financial information about all people and corporations, software systems can be developed which protect individual privacy, while at the same time requiring that objective standards be met in the use of public funds.

3. A failed paradigm for free-enterprise.

The importance of free-enterprise is that it uses opportunity to fuel productivity. Capitalism distorts that purpose by reserving opportunity to those with excess capital. We need to change our definition of free-enterprise and focus on hours worked ahead of capital acquired. In order to do that, we need to change our tax-code so that corporations benefit when they create compensation systems which encourage their employees to put part of their compensation at risk, in return for a piece of the pie expressed in terms of profits and increased equity.

Trickle down economics fails because it attempts to commodotize the work force, and reserve variable compensation to the owners of capital. Opportunity is the critical resource in any free-enterprise system, and our government's role should be to regulate free-enterprise such that opportunity is widely available at all levels, not just at the top.

This principle is revolutionary in a sense, but it may also prove to be decisive where the future of our civlization is concerned. In 1939, the population of the world was less than 2-billion. We are now approaching 7-billion. When large populations of people, particularly young men, find themselves contemplating a future with little or no opportunity to achieve success, they become angry and in so doing, form the nutrient base of terrorism. We must re-tool free-enterprise to compensate those who make the best use of their productive hours each day, even if the things they do may not be the most exalted tasks contributing to the useful product of the corporation.

GOP Begins To Vacate White House

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:18:28 EST

First: sending condolences on the death of your grandmother; and Second: Congratulations

lauretta — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:01:35 EST

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

God Bless you, Barack Obama, and be with you, right with you, in the days ahead.

Yes We Did!

Chuck — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:42:08 EST

I am so proud and humbled to have worked with so many amazing, inspiring people in our successful effort to elect Barack Obama for President. We did it with a positive, issue-based campaign that is now the model for future campaigns. Thank you, everyone, and congratulations.

I have free Yes We Did! computer wallpapers at http://www.cafepress.com/yeswedid as well as Yes We Did! gear with all funds going towards The Obama '08 Historical Archive Project.

Now let's get started!

Chuck Lasker
http://www.chucklasker.com

And Now Change Has Come!

Robert B Follett — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:12:25 EST

God has blessed America with needed change... Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America. Congratulations President elect Obama and all of us.

The healing of a COUnTRY Begins

darlene matthews — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:06:44 EST

Barack Obama and Joe Biden

Have won the opportunity to lead a bankrupt and wounded country

back onto path of honor and prosperity and hope.

LETS CONGRATULATE each other for all the hard work and let's make sure to stay involved so it can happen

THE OBAMA TEAM will still NEED US ALL TO HEAL AMERICA

TO CHANGE THE ATTITUDE OF AMERICA FROM FAST FLASH ME AND MINE

TO ONE THAT CELEBRATES GOOD MODERATION AND THOSE OLD FASHINOED AMERICAN VALUES

THAT MADE USA BOTH POWERFUL AND BENEVOLENT WORLD LEADER.

- DONT STOP NOW.

HELP CREATE CHANGE

BE the Change,

SINCERELY,

YOUR FAVORITE HOMELESS MULTI DISABLED SHORT TIMER VET

GOTV!! Whatever It Takes - Republicans Do Know How To Win Elections..

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:47:54 EST

Call 3 friends to each take 3 friends, neighbors, strangers to the polls today.

Let's WIN this thing!!

Obama's grandmother dies of cancer in Hawaii

RevSkull — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:09:13 EST

On behalf of my, I would like to wish the Obama's my sincere condolences and I realize this will make his election tomorrow bittersweet.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4A26GV20081103

Yes We Can!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:42:36 EST

Fired UP?

You betcha!!

Letter to My Kids--Vote Obama

sffantasy — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:39:12 EST

Dear Ken, Kevin, Michael, John and Patty,

Over the years I have watched, and argued with each of you as your political philosophies vacillated from left to right and vice versa. However, none of you have ever known me to support a Democrat. I have always been proud to be a fiscally conservative, socially liberal member, in good standing of the Republican Party. We have joked about the many Christmas cards, photographs and invitations to inaugurations that I have received from George Bush and the Republican Party. However, on the eve of this election I wanted to write to explain why I am supporting Barack Obama for President of the United States.

Put starkly, I am very concerned about the mess that my generation is leaving to you and particularly about the future facing my grandchildren. In foreign affairs, John McCain’s views are more hawkish than Bush’s and his principal advisors are Neo-Cons, or lobbyists who have represented foreign countries. Your children, like it or not, will live and work in a globalized world. We must regain the prestige and leadership that Bush has squandered.

On the economy, we risk another great depression. Yet John McCain says "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" then "suspends" his campaign to fly to Washington to showboat. He demonstrated that he was ineffective. The only "solutions" for our economic problems that John McCain promotes are to maintain and even increase the Bush tax cuts. This approach has led to some of you having trouble getting credit or a mortgage, employment insecurity and the plunging stock market that is cutting into retirement savings. Under Bush we have borrowed billions from Japan and China that, unless we change the policies that Bush and McCain support, your children will have to repay with a substantially reduced standard of living.

John McCain, espouses the "trickle down theory" of economics that has led to the current mess. He proposes more tax cuts for the rich and seeks to scare you that Barack Obama will increase your taxes. The truth is that it is John McCain who is proposing to tax the value of the medical benefits you get from your employer in exchange for a $5,000 tax credit to buy your insurance. I seriously doubt that any of you can replace the insurance you are getting from your employers with a $5,000 credit–it will cost you substantially more and I have a seriously doubt if you could get insurance covering preexisting conditions for you or your children if your employers cut back their medical plan since they would no longer be getting a deduction. John McCain has suggested deregulating the medical insurance industry just as was done for the banking industry. No thank you Senator McCain.

Since none of you are currently making over $250,000 the Obama tax plan will give you a tax decrease as opposed to an increase. What Senator Obama has proposed is to increase the top tax bracket from 35% to 39.6%–what it was under Clinton. Such a tax increase is neither socialism nor a redistribution of wealth. While you were growing up, I remember a top tax bracket of 90% and 70%. In those days we paid for wars and government rather than borrowing the money. As your grandfather used to say "the country has been good to us and we have an obligation to contribute to the common good by willingly paying taxes, government service and/or charitable activities." John McCain’s belief that if we just give tax breaks to the rich and to large corporations the wealth will "trickle down" to the middle class just hasn’t worked.. In the past eight years the income and wealth disparity in the country has spiraled out of control. 20 to 40 million dollar salaries to CEO’s, entertainers and athletes are becoming commonplace while the middle class is struggling to stay above water–a loss of job or an illness away from foreclosure. We are approaching the level of disparity between the top and the bottom that foments revolutions. Even if Barack Obama were to raise your taxes–which he will not–it would be far better than the McCain alternative where the rich would get richer while the middle class suffers.

As you know, on his birthday I wrote a letter to John McCain questioning whether, at age 72, we were both too old to be President. That letter was sent the night before John McCain put temporary electoral advantage ahead of country and brought us Sarah Palin. Since then, I have closely observed John McCain’s demeanor, temperament and judgment. The conclusion is inescapable that he is too old to be President for the reasons stated in my previous letter. However, apart from questions of age, the nature of the campaign that he has presided over disqualifies him for the job. Simply put, John McCain and his "sidekick" have conducted a totally negative campaign based upon character assasination and lies. Listen to a McCain and Palin speech–it is all about tearing down Obama. You never here the details of a positive program. Just pandering and spite.

In order to move forward we have to end the mindless partisanship that has infected Washington and eliminate the politics of negativism and character assassination. While the McCain camp says that both sides are negative, a review of both sides advertisements, speeches and positions refutes their claim. We have had eight years of lies and spin from the Bush administration. The lies and spin will continue if McCain-Palin are elected.

For all of the forgoing reasons I am supporting Barack Obama for President. This year move than ever, I also believe that it is important in voting for your Senator and Representative to consider their record. Have they voted as a mindless partisan? In particular, do they have a voting record like John McCain of 90% support of Bush policies? If so, you should consider also voting for change in your Senate or House race. Arguments that the Democrats are responsible for the mess in Washington because they controlled the House and Senate for the last two years ignore that progress has been hamstrung by vetoes by George Bush and a record use of filibusters by Senate Republicans. I hope that my Republican Party will see the light, purge the extremist elements and regain the traditions of Eisenhower, Goldwater and Regan. Then I can go back to the party, but for now we need to eliminate the "know nothings" that have infiltrated it.

I am certain that all of you will be voting on Tuesday and I hope this letter convinces you to vote for Barack Obama. Please share it with your spouses and feel free to also share it with your friends if you agree with me that it is vital to future generations that we give Barack Obama the chance to bring real change to our country.

With Love and Hope for the Future, Your Dad

On the Road in New Mexico

Ellee Koss — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:09:52 EDT

I continue to be deeply moved by the enormity of the possibility of an Obama Presidency. Even before watching Barack’s infomercial I was in tears off and on yesterday. I am here in Alamogordo, NM from San Francisco. By the end of the election I will have been here for 3 weeks. In the heart of a very red county, I am blown away at the commitment of local people and other out of state volunteers.

Two days ago I called back a woman who wanted a ride to early vote. I asked her how she was. She said: “ Not too good. My cancer is back and my lungs are filling up. I just want to go vote.” Within the hour she had voted.

This week we had the privilege of hosting Retired Brigadier General Tom Daniels. Tom took the train from Fort Worth, TX to El Paso and then drove to Alamogordo. He has been supporting Barack since day one, is part of the National Security Advisory group and couldn’t just stay at home any more. Eight months ago, Tom had a double lung transplant. This trip was not easy for him yet he was here talking to everybody he met. Not once did he complain. Several other vets came into town, one made it his responsibility to make sure that all of Tom’s needs were met. Yesterday, in dealing with a family death, Tom found the loving support from a group of strangers he had just come to know.

Yesterday, I was privileged to be part of the Northern California Finance Committee Conference Call, our last call before the election. The stories everyone told, from their travels across this incredible country, had all of us in tears.

Last night, we had a local event, for Vets and Military folks at the home of Janie and Dal Ellington. The Brigadier General was there, local people, out of state volunteers, and even people from other countries were there. We were a diverse group and we watched Barack’s infomercial together. We cried together. We laughed together. And yes, we loved together.

This is the possibility of a Barack Presidency!

YES WE CAN!

NOW let's go out and knock on some more doors and make some more phone calls!

Palin Sets Sights On 2012

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:09:23 EDT

Is this 'Obamacan' fired up?

You betcha.

Let's WIN this thing!

Viral spread before Nov 4:enclosed information that is not circulating enough in the US media: Hagel, Palin, McCain articles: Moving beyond [Who is really spreading the wealth around here America?] Looking at [Rep. Chuck Hagel's wise consistent counsel on

Johnathan Waters | Advocacy4change — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:22:26 EDT

A substantive viral spread before Nov 4:enclosed information that is not circulating enough in the US media: Hagel, Palin, McCain articles: Moving beyond the question [Who is really spreading the wealth around here America?] and finding answers. Looking at [Rep. Chuck Hagel's wise consistent counsel on Obama vs. McCain] Avoiding the [Detour media coverage on campaign finance by CNN; and the continuous distractions of marxism economics vs. conservative generosity vs. capitalism]

The following articles below contain truthful accounts from individuals such as [Republican Chuck Hagel] that are absent in some in the media as well as throughout America's news cycles. Some of media like (CNN) still wants to talk about campaign finance instead of substantive issues. The following articles should make us think twice when selecting McCain/Palin at the voter booth this October/November. These articles, particular the one about Chuck Hagel, is one of the best articles I have saw throughout this whole election cycle.

The Hagel article in November's issue of The New Yorker is eye opening; non-bias, vivid with much need lucidness in the midst of our times now. Please take time to read them and past them along to any undecided voter. Chuck Hagel, is a self-controlled, wise individual who echoes the strong relevant leadership need to help counsel America right now, he has consistently stood by Barack Obama side, went with him to vist Iraq, and wants the best [change] for this country no matter which party brings forward the winning formula. He is not a people pleaser, but an American servant.

We need a president, who is not satisfied with the state of America now and understands like JFK and RFK once believed and said,”I think this country, America, can be better than it is now, I think the best is yet to come, if we come together and work together". We are looking at our next president, Barack Obama; Joe Biden is running faithful shotgun with him all the way! :)

Articles To Read and Spread:

In The New Yorker, November 3, 2008 issue: Chuck Hagel senior Republican criticized McCain’s choice of Palin as his running mate. http://tinyurl.com/6e7k6o.5 hours ago

(New Yorker, Hertzberg,2008,p.1) Alaska, which Palin governed has 0 income R sales tax. Instead, it imposes huge levies on the oil companies that lease.

New Yorker, Hertzberg,2008,p.1) Palin helped enabled checks issued to every man, woman, and child in her state amounting 2 four-figure annual sum.

Let's continue to get it done, continue to press forward, run out the election clock, let McCain keeping foul us and foul us and lets hit the free throws for change and bring this victory home on November the 5th! An America that fails to stand for something, will fall for anything, we as Americans must decided [this time] not to be puppets on McCain's unstable string :)

Thank you for listening:)

Johnathan Waters

Free Market Failure Needs to Fixed

suerudd — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:58:43 EDT

Arthur Laffer wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal on “The Age of Prosperity is Over” that blames Taxes and Government. See:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122506830024970697.html

so I wrote some stuff on why much of the recent Financial Collapse is a FAILURE OF THE MARKET TO OPERATE FREELY AND EFFICIENTLY and what a really Free Market requires.

WSJ approved it and it is on their forum site at:
http://forums.wsj.com/viewtopic.php?p=159104#159104

For Non-WSJ Subscribers - here is my response to Laffer:

October 27th. 2008

Dear Mr Laffer

While several of the points you make are narrowly correct, you attack the people who are trying to bring sanity back rather than looking at the underlying original causes.

Much of this Financial Crisis - that may lead to "The End of Prosperity" - is failure of the Market to Operate "Freely" - NOT the Result of Excessive Government Taxation or Deficit Spending.

Without Transparency and Rationality Markets are NOT Free. How can you admit that we have "Financial panic..." and still think that the Markets are "free". [And I agree that the Bush Administration also panicked.]

But you skip over the Key Requirements for Free Markets:

A. "Free Markets" require Good Information;

B. Investors must behave Rationally NOT emotionally or in panic - as many are currently doing;

and

C. We must Control of Deceptive Sales Practices for Buyers - both Investors in Equitized Mortgage Portfolios/Credit Default Swaps and Mortgage Recipients themselves.

Surely SOME Laws aka. Regulations and Government actions are appropriate to guarantee good information, enhance rational behavior and eliminate deceptive sales practices.

A good advocate of Free Markets should want them to Work Effectively.

Can you not admit - even now - an appropriate Role of Government is to MAKE SURE THAT MARKETS WORK FREELY, FAIRLY AND COMPETITIVELY; and that without Transparency and Oversight, Human Beings - being only human - will attempt to subvert markets and exploit information gaps for their individual benefit.

A. "INFORMATION" failures:

A1. No one could correctly price the Equitized Sub-Prime Mortgage Portfolios because there was no way to know the quality of the underlying assets - So NO MARKET COULD PRICE THEM CORRECTLY.

A2. As a follow-on - NO ONE COULD CORRECTLY PRICE THE REAL RISK in Credit Default Swaps. (Fortunately many Swaps were balanced - so the magnitude of default Swap losses may be only one tenth of what some have estimated)

A3. There is often No way to know who the Counterparty is on many deals - so there is now NO WAY TO RE-NEGOTIATE DEBTS or MORTGAGES PRIVATELY.

B. "Irrational Investor" failures:

B1. Banks appear to have panicked too and are now afraid to lend to anyone for fear a few loans may be bad - Risks they uusually to know how to handle. Government guarantees for Inter-bank transactions make sense to stabilize this.

B2. And Stock Markets and Individual Investors around the world are over-reacting and dumping all stocks - even many that have good balance sheets and will continue to have solid earnings in a Recession. We need Leaders on Wall Street (like Warren Buffet) to bring us back to value investing.

C. "Deceptive Sales Practices" failures:

C1. 65% of Home Owners who got sub-prime ARMs were eligible for Prime Mortgages - but the Mortgage sales people were massively motivated to sell the higher priced Mortgages to them that were far more expensive in the long run. They did not discuss Prime options with these borrowers - No real Truth in Lending.

C2. Rating Agencies Knew that many of the equitized Portfolios were not AAA, but misrated them due to Conflicts of Interest.

While I agree that Price Controls hurt Markets and Excessive Deficits will haunt us for Generations - much of the Government outlay to Banks, Insurance Companies and even Mortgage re-Financing, will enhance market operations and will be returned over the next decade. It is NOT Pure Deficit Spending.

[BTW - While the Government "management of the banks" would be a bad idea - this NOT happening. Neither Secretary Paulson nor Barney Frank have Voting Control over Bank Policy.]

And finally ...No one is proposing the magnitude of Herbert Hoover Tax Increases like the Revenue Act of 1932.

No one is proposing to double Estate taxes or to tax every checking transaction.

It is time to start to focus our efforts on how to Make Free Markets truly Free, Transparent and Efficient.

- Sue Rudd

******************************************************

For Laffer's (Generally) Discredited Thesis and Economic Debate -
See Laffer Curve: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laffer_curve

Comments ?

Andrew Sullivan's Top Ten Reasons...

ted in pdx — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:15:40 EDT

Andrew Sullivan wrote a column for The Atlantic called:

Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Should Vote for Barack Obama

You can (should) read it here:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/the-top-ten-rea.html

As usual, I felt I had to add my two-cents worth:

Mr. Sullivan:

As a Republican voter since 1971, I've spent the last 6 months writing blogs and posting comments on forums advocating that Republicans vote for Senator Obama. Nothing I've read has made the case better than your top-10 reasons. I would add however, that his conduct throughout this last month (October) provides the most compelling evidence in support of the proposition. It was a remarkable demonstration of his natural leadership ability, more by virtue of what he did not say and did not do, than what his opponent did do, and did say.

I was angry at the bailout, and wanted Obama to oppose it. He was wise enough to recognize that it's better to pick your own time and place to fight a battle than to rush in, solely in defense of the principle, when there's little or nothing you can really do to influence the outcome. McCain on the other hand, did more damage trying to appear 'presidential' at that moment, than if he had done nothing at all.

When McCain stepped up his attacks on Obama's fitness to serve as Commander in Chief, heaping ridicule on Obama in the process, I found it repugnant. It prompted me to go back and pore over the transcripts of the Cuban Missile Crisis (I was 10 years old at the time) that I found on-line. If ever there were an historical argument that proves the case for a President Obama, and against a President McCain, that was it. When I heard McCain declaring, in his most bellicose voice: "I was on an aircraft carrier during that crisis, I had a target and we were ready to go in...", I realized how fortunate we were that he was where he was: confined to the cockpit of his fighter jet, while JFK carefully navigated this country back from the brink of nuclear disaster, in part because he resisted the Joint Chief's pressure to strike at the Soviet missiles militarily.

Ironically, in spite of Joe Biden's ill-advised commentary on the subject, he may be proven correct. The next President is very likely to face a serious test, one that might turn out to be the closest thing to a repeat since the Cuban Missile Crisis ended exactly 46 years ago. We've announced our intention to install defensive missiles in Poland, and Vladimir Putin has stated that if we do, Russia will remove them, by military means if necessary. I cannot imagine a more dangerous scenario than having our angry ex-fighter pilot, John McCain, occupying the Oval Office and determined to prove how tough he really is, if a confrontation materializes over this issue. Any Republicans capable of honest critical thinking should consider this, and ask themselves if they really want John McCain with his finger on the button in such a scenario.

Yesterday, I filled in my Oregon ballot, voted for Obama and sent it in. To paraphrase Michelle Obama: this is the first time in eight Presidential elections I've voted that I really felt proud of the choice I had, and the choice I made.

In my opinion, this election is the most important and perilous for the future of this country since 1860. Then, as now, voters had a choice between experienced candidates promoting the conventional wisdom, and inexperience, with a serendipitous helping of promise for a better future. They chose the latter, and we should too.

I Voted For Change

ted in pdx — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:31:21 EDT

I voted for Senator Obama yesterday, and I voted against our incumbent Republican Senator, Gordon Smith, even though I actually prefer Smith to the Democrat who's challenging him here in Oregon. My vote against Senator Smith was a vote against vicious, dishonest partisanship which has become the hallmark of my party's conduct over the last 10 years or so. But my vote for Obama was different, and it was in no way intended to endorse the traditional liberal agenda of the Democratic party. Here's my post to the Howard Kurz column in the Washington Post today on that subject. Mr. Kurz suggested that a landslide victory for Obama would put pressure on him to deliver on that agenda, and I respectfully disagree:

As a Republican, who has already cast his ballot for Obama, I have news for Democrats who believe his election (if he is elected), is a blank check for the extreme left of their party: not going to happen.

I didn't vote for Obama because he was an inspirational speaker, I voted for him because he is a very smart man, an exceptionally strong and effective leader, and above all, intellectually honest.

Political platforms based on ideology and dogma are obsolete in the real world we live in now. The problems we face require pragmatic solutions that scale with a world population approaching 7-Billion. You may believe that Health Care is a right, but in reality, it's a service that costs money, and requires real people to deliver it, people who require payment for their services. It requires infrastructure that costs money, lots of it. I voted for Obama in part because I'm convinced that he recognizes the need for pragmatic critical thinking in order to devise solutions which are durable.

If he wins (and he could still lose, believe me), he will have won because he persuaded a lot of independents, and no small number of Republicans like myself, that we have been ill-served by partisan politics, and in order for this country to survive and thrive, we need to form a consensus around the best solutions to these problems, even if they're not always the easiest or the ones that feel the best at first glance. At least that's the bet I placed when I marked the box next to Senator Obama's name on my Oregon ballot yesterday.

McCain says what's wrong with taking your business to Ireland where the taxes are 11-14%

lauretta — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:21:14 EDT

McCain thinks it's fine for a business to move where the taxes are low. How dumb can you get? That business which has gone offshore to cheat on the tax system still has offices in the US, and BENEFITS from police, fire protection. His money is safe in our banks. He just loves boasting about his rights and freedoms, and just loves a good military defense. I say, if he takes his business to Ireland, let him move to Ireland too, renounce his US citizenship; let Ireland defend him with its army, navy, air force and marines. If Ireland nationalizes his business at some point, let him deal with Ireland or Great Britain (if his lives in the North of Ireland). Actually the medical care there is better. The educational system is better too, even though they spend less. Do you think that is because they don't coddle their children and expect them to learn? Yes, it would solve a lot of our problems in this country. We could let in more immigrants, who want to WORK hard for a living and appreciate the benefits this country offers.

Raising Taxes

bfree — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:25:54 EDT

We've all heard the oft-repeated GOP rhetoric that eliminating Bush's tax cuts is essentially a tax increase. Clearly, these tax cuts were intended to be a temporary stimulous package - to expire when the plan ended; however, attempting to explain this within sound bites is problematic.

I've found the best analogy to clarify this issue to conservatives is the following: "I suppose you could call it a tax increase, the same way that you might call returning from vacation a work increase". This usually sinks in better than any logical argument.

The GOP also repeats the mantra of "Tax & Spend Democrats". As a long-time Republican, I cannot disagree with that as a historically accurate portrayal of pre-Clintonian Democrats. The argument I use for this is: "I rather have an intelligent, thoughtful, visionary leader as President than a candidate (McCain) who cannot even manage his own campaign; I would also take the possibility of Tax & Spend policies over the 8 years of Republican BORROW & SPEND practices any day".

Having said that, I do have a fear of Democrats (or any one party) controlling the Presidency, House and Senate. President Clinton successfully dragged the Democratic Party kicking and screaming to the center, managed to balance our budget, and brought incredible prosperity to our country.

I am voting for Obama - and can only pray that he is able to follow in Clinton's foot steps in this regard. The GOP gave up their mantle of Fiscal Responsibility under Bush; Obama has the opportunity to cement this label to the Democratic "brand". If he does this, you will find many more moderates and fiscal conservatives (albeit reluctantly) shifting to the Democratic party.

The McCain Campaign ???

Gene — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:11:10 EDT

As I watch the news, look at the campaign stops, listen to the various tactics the McCain campaign has tried...I ask myself one simple question.

If John McCain can not run an organized campaign, if he can not come out with a clear strategy and clear tactics to achieve those goals...

HOW CAN HE RUN THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE GOVENMENT OF THE UNITED STATES????

THINK ABOUT IT my friends

A handy site to send to everyone you know, esp. in toss-up states - Republican Switchers (aka Conservatives for Obama)

Celeste W. — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:46:07 EDT

You might like this Republican Switchers site, which has been designed to be a handy, one-page, at-a-glance guide that one can easily send to conservative and undecided voters -- grandparents, relatives, colleagues, friends, etc. It provides up-to-date information on conservative leaders and newspapers who have endorsed Barack Obama.

The URL, or website address, is
http://inprogress.typepad.com/republicanswitchers

A shorter address (for Twitter, blogs, etc.) is http://budurl.com/c679

The current post is based in part on a wonderful compilation from John Martin at RepublicansForObama.org. (A friend and I followed his directions to another poster to "disseminate as widely as possible." We'll be watching for his updates and adding them. Thanks, John!)

I actually started the site for Kerry, in 2004:

http://chicagoist.com/2004/11/01/local_mom_creates_republicanswitchersco...

And this week, with much help form a good friend, I revived it.

To other readers, please help spread the word.

--Send to folks in your address book (especially in toss-up states --Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Missourit, Indiana, Montana, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, and New Mexico),

--post on Twitter and on blogs, and

--share on discussion lists and forums.

And if you know of other conservatives for Obama, please let us know.

Thanks so much!

P.S. Also check out the Kids for Obama blog: http://inprogress.typepad.com/kidsforobama

Let me say it for him . . . . because nobody wants to touch it . . .

lauretta — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 10:28:11 EDT

The Moral Equivalent of Stealing

The loud complaint from the Republican camp in this Presidential race is that Republican-branded “socialist” Obama wants to “spread the wealth” around by funneling rich people’s dollars to people who do not pay taxes. Let’s look at that socialism claim realistically. People with a family of four who earn above $250,000 have all of their basic needs covered: generally speaking, they own comfortable houses; can afford good medical care, food, cars, insurance policies, vacations, private education, books, thus less need for library, park, school, health, public transit systems.

The people earning from $100,000 to $250,000 have to plan a bit more and actually can’t afford to send their children to private schools (certainly, not without scholarship assistance, as some schools now charge up to $36,000 a year in the Washington area). These otherwise middle class workers might not be able to vacation in as elegant a style as they wish, but they can still get away, probably can own a house.

People earning less than $100,000 are called on actually to sacrifice and make tough choices on what they do, and those making less than $50,000 are struggling in this economy to put food on the table, keep roofs over their heads, and God forbid they get sick, because most of them cannot afford health insurance. ALL of them are paying taxes.

Those families earning less than $50,000 are called the working poor now, and they pay taxes, which even Warren Buffet has acknowledged place a greater burden on them than the taxes he is asked to pay. Even those who have lost their jobs and are collecting unemployment insurance, pay taxes, such that the State giveth with one hand and taketh away with the other. The elite Republicans, who broad-brush paint most of them as welfare cheats, almost universally condemn those citizens on welfare. Public Assistance recipients often find no road out of welfare; surely, a few are gaming the system, and the State goes after cheats and prosecutes them soundly. A criminal is a criminal whatever the income, but it is usually the littlest guy who is labeled first and actually pays a price.

Yet the cry goes up from the likes of Senators Phil Graham and John McCain that this country is a “nation of whiners.” I agree that some in this country are whining, but it’s generally not the working poor. Those on welfare have not even found their voices yet, so they aren’t saying a thing. The gaming of the system is less done by the poor on welfare than the rich, who don’t want to call it welfare but still want their farm subsidies in spite of the fact they are not farmers (don’t mind real farmers in need getting help to keep their farms), and the myriad corporations and individuals taking advantage of tax loopholes, and paying NO taxes. Some of these are even getting government grants and subsidies. I’d like to see some of them locked up too—they are the real criminals here.

So let us see just who is benefiting most from the systems set up in this country? How is it possible for someone to earn $250,000 and does he/she do it single handedly? The bones of this democracy that support all our actions, our individual pursuits of life, liberty, and happiness are made up of the rule of law, the administration of justice, an infrastructure of roads/bridges/electrical grids/pipelines, police/fire/military protections of our freedoms. We the People flesh out those infrastructure bones with the building of enterprises that support the structure, keeping ourselves healthy, and carrying out our civic duties, like voting, keeping ourselves informed/educated, and paying our taxes, as a necessary element of survival. We do that because there is no other way to keep the system healthy and alive.

Those who insist that they are not willing to share for the common good their incomes over $250,000 are committing the ultimate in “White Collar Crime.” If you have your basics covered and think this democracy can thrive without all of its people being able to live minimally decent, healthy lives, able to educate their children, and keep order in their communities, you just haven’t had a look around these United States lately. The pain HAS “trickled up” as Obama has said many times. The top 3-10 percent, however, their basics remaining covered, clinging to unrealistic, unfounded economics, wallow in self-centeredness. They have yet to see the light.

If you are in that privileged set, let me make a suggestion: while you are still in control of your life, you might change your attitude and start thinking of the addition to your taxes as taking out an insurance policy, so that this country can continue to stand and YOU can continue to have the opportunity for advancement to keep earning. If you continue to cheat this system, you are undermining this democracy, eating away at its foundations. All of us have the responsibilities that come with citizenship in this great enterprise to keep the country healthy, and none of us can do it alone. Even Adam Smith, the touchstone of capitalism acknowledged this in his celebrated work, The Wealth of Nations.

Time to VOTE EARLY

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:07:34 EDT

At this point, I can't imagine anything that could happen internally to either campaign or externally in the world that would cause me to reconsider voting for Barack Obama at the top of the ticket.

John McCain has run (or allowed to be run) an erratic campaign fraught with changing tactics and lacking principles and a strategy. That bodes poorly for his ability to lead. He has pandered to the extreme right wing of the Republican Party and fallen in line by voting 90% with Bush #43 the last 7 years. He is clearly no 'maverick'. He tried unsuccessfully to pander to the evangelicals by making up with Falwell, then Hagee and Parsely- he couldn't even get these superficial relationships straight.

John McCain is old and sick. I am not sure he will survive 4 years. He has foisted Sarah Palin onto the national stage. This Governor of a sparsely populated and resources wealthy state has never met the challenges of an Illinois, New York, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania. Its residents pay no state income or sales tax. She lacks intellectual curiosity and is less familiar with the world than the average American.

In pandering to the right, McCain insufficiently vetted this VP candidate. There is nothing wrong with her putting herself and her family first . However, using her public office for personal gain and influence is wrong. Taking public monies to sleep at home is wrong in any state - just because you're taking less than your predecessor is a poor defense.

She professes to be a mainstream "hockey mom" - but she's way off from the middle of our society.

I grew up in the "red" section of Cook County IL during the elder Mayor Daley's patronage machine. Ever since I could vote, I have been registered as a Republican; I have been active in local and state committees.

The Republican Party has lost its way. It no longer stands for fiscal responsibility, can no longer claim moral authority domestically or internationally, has breached Constitutional rights of freedom and privacy.

This is the first quadrennial election in which all 3 of my children will be able to vote. The 4 of us were fortunate enough to be able to meet Senator Obama during the holidays and prior to our caucuses here in Iowa. Along the rope line, he answered my questions about his relationships with the likes of Tony Rezko, George Haywood, the Strogers and others in today's Chicago machine; he described the types of advisers with whom he would surround himself if elected. He actually listened to and responded to my children's policy questions. I changed my registration and was proud to STAND UP for Barack Obama on caucus night.

I don't know who I will support "down ballot", but it is clear who we need at the top. Barack Obama offers intelligent, insightful, inspirational leadership at a critical time in the journey toward 'a more perfect union'. For me, that's 'the fierce urgency of now'.

Is this 'Obamacan' fired up?

You betcha!!

Have You No Sense of Decency-Senator McCain?

sffantasy — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:25:26 EDT

October 23, 2008 Dear John:

On the occasion of our mutual 72nd birthdays I sent you my birthday greetings, expressed my admiration for your career, but explained in detail why upon reaching age 72 and despite our potential to make substantial contributions to our country in our golden years, I had concluded that both of us were too old to assume the heavy burden of President of the United States.[1] I am still receiving emails commenting upon my birthday letter, mostly favorable, but some expressing the view that I am guilty of age discrimination. Many have asked why I am publicly expressing my personal views about aging. It is because I believe that we are facing a true crisis and that it will take an exceptional individual with a broader, more forward perspective to lead us away from the brink to which the Bush administration has brought us and to ensure my grandchildren have any hope of sharing the privileges and benefits that you and I have enjoyed. In other words John, it shouldn’t just be about us, but about our children and our children’s children. Unfortunately, your actions since your 72nd birthday provide a myriad of additional reasons, some age related, some not, why you are not fit to be our President. While your candidacy will shortly pass into the dust bin of failed political campaigns, the legacy and the damage that you have left behind will haunt the Republican Party for years to come. Although you continue to mouth the shibboleth “country first ” it is apparent that an overweening ambition to win at any cost has obliterated your sense of honor and the respect for fairness and truth that was instilled in us as young naval officers. · On your birthday you shot from the hip, subjugated your instincts, pandered to the GOP base, and mindlessly followed the advice of your campaign advisors in naming Sarah Palin your running mate. Enough said. You have subsequently further demeaned yourself by defending her qualifications and inane behavior. · Your demeanor and temperament — as widely reported, displayed in the debates, and revealed in your interview with the Des Moines Register,[2] and your various interviews — reinforce your image as hot tempered and distinctly not presidential. · The final straw for me, however, has been the continual, false, personal attacks by you, Governor Palin and your surrogates against Barack Obama. You have repeatedly and unequivocally stated that you support these attacks which are filling the airways, in robo calls and RNC mailers which falsely suggest that Senator Obama is not a real American, not like us, a terrorist. Your approval and endorsement of a smear campaign of guilt by association against Senator Obama based upon fleeting past contacts with William Ayers is no doubt the result of your choice to surround yourself with lobbyists and former White House functionaries from the Bush administration. These people, John – among them, yet in no particular order-- Nancy Photenhauer, Tucker Bounds, Nicolle Wallace, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Randy Scheynemann, Rick Davis, and Steve Schmidt evoke all too many unpleasant memories of White House spin masters of the past eight years.[3] They lie, change the subject and evade. In responding to questions and attacking Barack Obama they remind me, the parent of five, of the childish plaint “everybody does it” or “he did it first.” As we both told our children, John, you know better than that. For you to suggest that you, previously injured by them, now must use them is absurd. · Lastly, I was especially saddened when your campaign was asked to supply a spokesperson last Friday for the Chris Matthews show and your staff suggested Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachman. On the Matthews show, your surrogate proceeded not only to claim that Senator Obama holds “anti-American views,” but called for the media to conduct an expose to determine who among the members of Congress were “pro-American” as opposed to those who were “anti-American.” I am so saddened, John, that you who suffered in the 2000 campaign the despicable lies promulgated by George Bush, Karl Rove and Carter Askew abandoned your navy principles and not only adopted their tactics but hired the same sleaze-balls to “do unto others” what wrongly had been done to you. I thought once you were better than that. Now, unfortunately, I wonder “have you no sense of decency,” Senator McCain? [4] Senator, you have an opportunity now with twelve days to go to cool this rhetoric, stop the lying and character assassination, and stop distribution of inflammatory talking points to the likes of Hannity, Limbaugh and Bachman. Stop our Republican Party from once again embarrassing itself by baseless allegations of vote fraud, or worse voter suppression. You have the time to end this campaign on a high note, regain your reputation and perhaps limit the damage that you and Governor Palin have done to the Republican Party. Now is the time for you to disavow the lies and slanders that have permeated this campaign and support an interpretation of the First Amendment that exempts “hate speech,” or deliberate lies when uttered in the course of a political campaign, from the protection of the First Amendment. You must do this unilaterally, not relying on the lame excuse that all of the slime in this campaign is Barack Obama’s fault because he didn’t agree with your proposal for joint town hall debates. It is only by taking a bold step and concluding your campaign on a high note that you can restore a modicum of honor to your heretofore illustrative career. Very truly yours, William A Wineberg

[1] A copy of my birthday letter to you is enclosed with this letter, in case your staff did not bring it to your attention, and it may be found at http://cutandrun-sffantasy.blogspot.com/ .

[2] http://www.desmoinesregister.com

[3] At least you appear to have silenced your economic gurus Phil Graham and Carly Fiorina.

[4] Joseph Welch-June 9, 1954

Voters Don't Understand Income Tax

ted in pdx — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:39:46 EDT

I didn't understand the fundamentals of our taxation system until Warren Buffet explained it just the other night on Charlie Rose. When John McCain says Obama wants to send checks to people who pay no taxes, it's a bald-face lie. In fact, the 95% majority who will be the beneficiaries of the Obama tax plan all pay taxes, in fact, they are, as a group, responsible for the majority of the tax revenue our government receives each year. To break that down: Income Taxes accounted for 45% (approximately $1.1-Trillion in 2007), and Payroll Taxes accounted for 34% (approximately $900-Billion in 2007). If you add $300-Billion in income taxes (a conservative estimate) paid by the middle class wage earners, you discover that the middle class is not only paying more taxes, they actually put in over 90% of the actual hours worked each year.

Yes, some wage-earners on the lower end of the scale will end up owing no Income Taxes, and they will still get a tax-credit under the Obama plan. But that money won't be coming out of someone elses pocket. It will come ouf of the Payroll Tax that individual paid through withholdings month after month each year. Putting aside the fact that we are in the process of handing over more than a Trillion dollars to private individuals who defrauded the nation, and paid themselves hundreds of billions in unwarrented compensation each year for the last 7 years or so, providing a tax-credit on taxes you've already paid hardly qualifies as socialism by any definition I'm familiar with. But Senator McCain, "Mr. Straight Talk" himself, has no qualms about trying to plant the impression that Senator Obama wants to use taxpayer money to provide handouts to deadbeats.

That's been the Republican mantra for quite some time: the only people who deserve to be wealthy are those who have enough excess income to invest it in stocks and bonds. And yes, those investments do create jobs in some cases, but only grudgingly. Do they create opportunity? Not if the owners of capital can help it. If you own a business, or you're a part of management at a corporation, you want your employees to function as much like a commodity as possible, particularly as it relates to the more laborious aspects of whatever business they are in. It is that impulse, the hording of opportunity which goes to the heart of what isn't working in our free-market, and explains the disaster that is in progress as we speak.

I did a calculation on Mr. Richard Fuld's compensation as CEO of Lehman Brothers in it's final year before going bankrupt, and althought we don't know the exact figure, he's admitted to compensation somewhere in the vicinity of $400-million this last year. If we assume Mr. Fuld put in 50 weeks at 40 hours per week, it works out to an hourly wage of $200,000 per hour. That's right: two-hundred thousand dollars per hour. That means if Mr. Fuld got stuck in traffic on a given day and arrived 15 minutes late to work, he cheated the company out of $50,000.

I'm definitely not a Socialist. I believe in free-enterprise, and the expression of that powerful concept that I see practiced in our country falls far short of it's potential. I actually disagree with Senator Obama's tax policy, because simply adjusting a wage-earner's tax burden down a few hundred dollars does nothing to really motivate that worker to excel. I would much prefer adjustments to our tax code which gave corporate management incentives to make variable compensation plans available to all of their employees, and tax the income they earn due to "sweat equity" at capital gains rates.

In other words: let the rich invest their excess income on Wall Street, but give the other 95% of our workforce the opportunity to invest their ingenuity and extra-effort when necessary in order to increase their productivity, and make the companies they work for more profitable. The thing which makes free-enteprise the most powerful economic force we know, is that it uses opportunity as an incentive to maximize each individual's productive potential. The more broadly we apply that principle, the more powerful the American economy will become.

That (my friends) is change we can all believe in!

The Polish Missile Crisis

ted in pdx — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:29:42 EDT

As the subject of the Cuban Missile Crisis has emerged in forums on-line, I responded to a posting on the Washignton Post:

KMichaels wrote:JFK pretty much blew it. His military advisors pretty much had to kick his stupid arse into gear to finally get that moron to do something serious.

In fact, the successful conclusion of the crisis was due to Kennedy's unwillingness to follow the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to attack the missile installations in Cuba. Kennedy correctly ascertained that Kruschev was very likely under a similar kind of pressure from his military advisers, which led to JFK to ignore the second formal communique from the Soviets, and agree to the first one instead. That insight is generally credited with averting the necessity to strike Cuba, an action which would have, very likely, precipitated a nuclear war.

As for testing the next President, it's really not a matter of speculation anyway. Thanks to an incoherent foreign policy towards Russia and the former Soviet republics by the Bush administration, the next crisis is already locked and loaded: We have announced our intention to install defensive missiles in Poland, and Russia has stated flatly that if we do, they will use military means if necessary to remove them.

Fortunately, while Senator McCain was reminding voters that he was strapped into the cockpit of his fighter plane back in 1962 ready to bomb Cuba, Senator Obama was holding a high-level conference on foreign policy and our national security (yesterday) in anticipation of the Poland invasion threat, and several other critical security issues he will face if elected. Fortunately, no one had to 'kick his arse' to organize that meeting, he planned for it quite some time ago.

Food for thought

Peter and Linda — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:12:53 EDT

Are they that sincere and concerned or just plain ignorant of their misleading promises? Why are McCain and Palin stressing a tax credit for college, so everyone can afford a college education?

Why then, do they keep equating educated, college graduates to latte drinking elites? Is this more of their double talk?

Going to Follow Osama bin Laden To The "Gates of Hell"?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:51:49 EDT

Fired UP!!

JFK, Cuba and McCaine

ted in pdx — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:02:05 EDT

After the latest McCain assertion that "he has been tested, and Obama has not..." I went on-line and re-read several different accounts of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962. (I was only ten-years old at the time, but I still remember the protracted national anxiety we lived through while our collective future as a nation was in doubt.) After taking it all in again, this time with more historical detail to draw upon, I'm glad John McCain was safely ensconced in his jet fighter on an aircraft carrier, and not occupying the Oval Office at the time. Were it not for a variety of diplomatic initiatives without pre-conditions, none of us might be here today.

It is, admittedly a highly subjective conclusion, but the last thing we needed in the White House back then was a President quick to draw lines in the sand, and enamored of the symbolism required to defend them. As one reads these minute by minute accounts of complex backroom negotiations, contingency planning, and public diplomacy, all occurring simultaneously, it's hard to place John McCain in the role that JFK actually played in leading us through this near-miss with nuclear war.

In fact, the Cuban Missile Crisis probably stands as the best argument in favor of a President Obama, and against a President McCain one could find in the recent history of this country. There was no clear victor when the confrontation subsided on October 29th, 1962. The Soviets withdrew their missiles from Cuba, and the United States stood down from it's plans to initiate "regime change" by removing Fidel Castro. Shortly thereafter, the United States removed it's nuclear missiles from Turkey on the basis of a verbal understanding that was not made public until 30 years later.

In short, the resolution of that crisis was a far cry from the "Total Victory with Honor" that Senator McCain insists is prerequisite to our exit strategy from Iraq. Instead, it was a pragmatic and nuanced solution to a problem with otherwise catastrophic potential. Now, which of the two candidates in this election does that best describe?

Hayes: Liberals Hate Real Americans

Greg from Visalia, CA — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:03:26 EDT

North Carolina Rep Robin Hayes denied saying that "Liberals hate real Americans." His staffers said the journalists were lying and irresponsible. Until the audio recording came out. Now he says he didn't mean it.

I'm tired of Palin, Bachman, Hayes, and dozens of other surrogates suggesting that they determine who loves this country and where the 'real America' is located.

Help Hayes' opponent, Larry Kissell, fight off yet another reincarnated McCarthy. Turn NC-08 to a deep shade of BLUE!

http://www.actblue.com/page/i_love_america_and_so_can_you

Response to negativity, from the right.

Peter and Linda — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:50:45 EDT

Did they mention how Powell said that “having a black man in the white house would be electrifying?” Sounds like a bigot to me! For the record, Obama is from mixed heritage and is a Muslim…not a Christian…or do you ignore everything he’s been taught for 20 years?

Here we go again, dear cousin.

If Powell's only reason to support Obama was that he was black, why then didn't he support him months ago? Did you hear what he had to say about the erratic McCain and his unqualified running mate? What the hell were you listening to .... FOX news, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity???

And just how do you know that Obama is a Muslim? Reading blogs again? PROVE IT!

How does anyone know what's in his heart? He's NOT a Christian? Says who? ONLY God knows what's in one's heart. It's really NOT our place to question anyone's religion? What qualifies you to question Obama, me or anyone, for that matter?

I guess as long as you profess to be a Christian, you can dump your crippled wife, then marry a beautiful, younger millionaire.

How about the Wasilla Witch? She's just an upright Christian ... especially after she had the "witches" cast out of her by that psycho minister. She certainly taught her daughter good, wholesome, family and Christian values, right? That brat runs around like a pop star. If that was me, I'd be so ashamed, I'd be hiding until after the election? What is she so proud of? I guess it's because she's not going to have an abortion and THAT'S ALL that counts.

One more thing, before I really get pissed off!!! Though Obama is NOT a Muslim, what the hell is the difference if he was? Where in the Constitution does it state that a Muslim cannot be President? If you were in a foxhole, beside a Muslim, would it bother you if he/she saved your Christian ass???

Powell's a bigot? Let's ALL search our own hearts!

The Obama '08 Historical Archive Project

Chuck — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:31:36 EDT

I am creating a web site to archive stories, photos, videos and articles to keep a history of the Obama '08 campaign. Whether Obama wins or loses, this race has been historic.

Here is the current link. It will soon be at www.obama08.org.

http://69.16.213.75/~obama/

If you're interested in participating, sign up for the newsletter at the site and I'll send you info ASAP.