Hi FriendThere is a new group that just started on Facebook that I thought Organizing for America members may be interested in joining. Please see United Against Racism -
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/354956/80588439?m=9dc74a6eUnited Against Racism
posted by David Apperson
As President Obama recently related to me regarding local service; "Now is our time to work together, reaffirm our enduring spirit, and choose our better history."
It is our responsibility as Americans to vote, and vote we must. And now is the time to prepare for the next election. I invite all citizens of Missouri to post a message on the Missouri Election Blog.
Missouri Election Blogmissouri-election.blogspot.com
During the first 100 days of the Obama presidency we have seen outstanding leadership in tackling the many issues facing our great nation. And it seems that overwhelming poll numbers indicate that America agrees with President Obama. see THE WHITE HOUSEThe question remains; What can we as fellow Americans do to help our neighbors and countrymen? Included are nine things you can do to help the President celebrate his first 100 Days in office:1. Donate unused suits to the Salvation Army2. Donate time to Americorps3. Donate toys for children at Toys for Tots4. Donate blood at the Red Cross5. Donate a can of food each week to a Local Shelter or Food Pantry6. Donate money to Save the Children7. Donate time at local a Veterans Hospital8. Donate an hour a day to your Child9. Donate to the Make a Wish FoundationParticipation is greatly appreciated. What you do for the least of our brethren, you do for yourself -http://donate.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxWJh
Barack Obama First 100 Days posted by David Apperson
Daniel Zamlen - Endangered Missing - Minnesota
Nathaly Alonzo 12 - Abducted - Delaware
Joshua David Avara 11 - Abducted - Texas
Sandra Cantu 8 - FOUND DECEASED
JACK CONNOLLY 7 - FOUND DECEASED - KILLED BY NON-CUSTODIAL FATHER WITH VIOLENT HISTORY - NO SUPERVISED VISITATION
DUNCAN CONNOLLY 9 - FOUND DECEASED - KILLED BY NON-CUSTODIAL FATHER WITH VIOLENT HISTORY - NO SUPERVISED VISITATION
BRITTANY WELLS 17 - SUSPECTED RUNAWAY - NORTH DAKOTA
Rochelle Denise Battle 16 - MISSING - MARYLAND
ALLYSON CORRALES 4 - ENDANGERED MISSING - MISSOURI
Mariah Sparks - MISSING CHILD - ALABAMA
Amber Leeanne Dubois - Endangered Missing - California
Haleigh Cummings - Endangered Missing - Florida
Tierny Perry 16 - Endangered Runaway - Florida
Adji "Ji Ji" Desir - Endangered Missing - Florida
SAMANTHA CHER HOWELL 15 - ENDANGERED RUNAWAY - NEW MEXICO
Jeff Renaud - Missing - Ontario
Crystal Ann Fox - Missing - California
Mystic Dawn Salazar - Missing - Colorado
Omar Qutaiba Mahoud - Abducted - New Mexico
Nadia Mahmoud - Abducted - New Mexico
Pebbles Jace - Missing Endangered - California
Max-Gian (Max-Jon) Alcalde 7 - Missing - Idaho
Ashley Nicole Lopez 18 - Endangered Runaway - New Mexico
Wendy Rameriz-Beristain - Endangered Missing - Florida
Marlene Torales - Endangered Missing - California
Claudia Vanessa Yat - Endangered Missing - California
Tangena Hussain 2 - Endangered Missing - Michigan
Jaliek "Jay" Rainwalker 12 - Endangered Missing - New York
Elian Amilcar Majano 2 - Endangered - Texas
Benjamin “Ben” Melvin Roseland - Missing - Iowa
Yasmin Acree - Missing - Illinois
Amy Fitzapatrick - Missing - Spain
Adrian Gonzalez 7 - Endangered Missing - Florida
Neida Rodriguez-Gonzalez 3 - Endangered Missing - Florida
Thor Danielsson Wang 1 - Endangered Missing - California
AMBER ADELIA BITTINGER 15 - ENDANGERED RUNAWAY - NEW MEXICO
Latoya Fleming 6 - Endangered Missing - New York
JOANNA CANO 15 & ANGEL 6 mo. - "PERSON OF INTEREST" WANTED FOR 1ST DEGREE MURDER - NORTH CAROLINA
XYLONIA BEGAY - MISSING - NEW MEXICO
MADELEINE MCCANN 4 - MISSING - INTERNATIONAL
Tabitha Tudor 18 - Endangered Missing - Tennessee
Kyle Fleischmann - Missing - North Carolina
Justin Gaines - Missing - Georgia
Donna Jou - Missing - California
Jason Michael Rourk - Missing - Georgia
Jennifer Keese - Missing - Florida
Mark Degner - Missing - Florida
Brian Hayes - Missing - Florida
Maura Murray - Missing - New Hampshire
Tabitha Tudors - Missing - Tennessee
Branson Perry - Missing - Missouri
Suzanne "Suzy" Gloria Lyall - Missing - New York
Karen Wilson - Missing - New York
Michael Mayfield - Endangered Missing - Texas
Pamela Mayfield - Endangered Missing - Texas
We Make Money the Old Fashion Way – We Earn It
Back in December when it was pretty assured in my mind that the economic crisis was here to stay; my first though was “businesses will have to find a new way to stay alive.” Sure enough some of the Fortune 500’s came across with different marketing strategies, in essence to down size their profit margins while appealing to an American public, which was suffering from the burdens of the crisis also.
Starbucks introduced lower prices on certain coffee drinks along with the introduction of its newest product offering “Instant Starbucks Coffee”; a great example of adapting to the burdening times. Others have done the same, Pizza Hut, McDonalds and many more established American businesses have remembered how to compete for our business.
So why haven’t the banks?
I’m not even going to attempt to get into “banks” are a primary cause of our troubles, but the upsetting part, for me, is they’re so arrogant about what’s going on in our beloved country and develop the stance “it’s just one of those things that sometimes happens.”
Here’s a fine example of our “banks” in their finest hour (today):
Presidential Inaugural Address Delivered by President Barack Obama on 20 Jan 2009
My fellow citizens -I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. 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.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. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that 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.We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.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; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. 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.To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. 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. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.President Barack Obama
My fellow citizens -
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
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.
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. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that 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.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
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; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. 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.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
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. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
President Barack Obama
Presidential Inaugural Speech - A message for all peoplehttp://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxHqT
source: David Apperson, webmaster
The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.
Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.
Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when
Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
Obama-Biden PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is giving all people a voice in the administration -
The PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is doing a great job. Thank the Almighty Creator that this is a new day in the history of this great nation.
Foreword by D.E Swain - PBS “FRONTLINE” correspondent and Washington Post reporter T.R. Reid researched Heath care around the World. He is currently writing a book and has made a PBS program on his findings. I have summarized what he found because I know many of you don’t know about the PBS program, have little to no knowledge of healthcare in countries outside the US and, don’t watch PBS or Frontline. Frontline produces outstanding documentaries on numerous subjects from around the World. I strongly encourage you to watch the program online or do your own research.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/.
I also encourage you to look at your own health policy if you have one, and find out what health coverage you actually have and to ask questions if you are unsure. Do you know what your deductible is? Do you know what coinsurance actually means? Do you know what your annual “maximum out of pocket” is and how it could effect you in the future? In my experience of actually selling health insurance in America, I can tell you that 100% of the people who come to me wanting to take out a plan, know little to nothing about what is available and they are so confused that they would rather ignore it all and take a chance and hope that they won’t need it. Most people “think” they know what it’s all about but in this country, it’s extremely complicated. Take it from someone who has been hospitalized in the USA both with and without health care coverage and hospitalized in the UK. Even though I strongly dislike the current system in America and make no secret of that, it’s what we have right now. At this point in time, the risk is too high to take if you have no coverage at all. Any assets you have today might be lost if you are hospitalized tomorrow. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person in America who cares about our health system and I wonder, why doesn’t America as a whole care more about Americans and demand that this ridiculous system be fixed? The media has so far done a good job of scaring citizens into thinking that our way is the only way. Everything else is socialist. Which drug companies are backing which newspapers and TV programs I wonder? Read on and thanks for listening.
The following was taken from a transcript of the PBS program and can be read in its entirety at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/etc/script.html
American health care is the world's most expensive medical system, yet it leaves 47 million people without coverage and drives hundreds of thousands into bankruptcy each year. T.R Reid went to five rich free-market democracies that provide health care for all to compare it to the USA.USA - The richest, most powerful nation in history. But when it comes to providing health care for people, it is a fourth rate power. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the U.S. health care system rates 37th in the world in terms of quality and fairness. All the other rich countries do better than we do, and yet they spend a lot less. How do they do it? Read on….Great Britain – Government run National Health Service, may seem too close to socialism for most Americans. For about half of what Americans pay per person, the NHS covers everybody and has better health statistics; longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality. Britain's National Health Service is dedicated to the proposition that you should never have to pay a medical bill. In the NHS, there's no insurance premium, no co-pay and no medical bankruptcy. The system covers everybody. Health care is paid for out of tax revenue, so the government owns the hospitals and the doctors are salaried government employees. David Sloman, CEO, Whittington Hospital: “I think people are proud of it. Ninety percent of people who use the NHS think it's good or excellent, so people think very, very highly of it. People who don't use it don't think so well of it, actually. Every single person who's born in the U.K. will use the NHS at one point in their lives. The majority of people will use it as the only provider of their medical care, and none of them will be presented a bill at any point during that time.”Britons pay higher taxes than Americans to cover health care. Elective care such as hip replacements and heart operations, used to be an 18-month wait. That's been greatly reduced by the current government (Labour) over the last 10 years (1997-2007). It's down to less than 6 months, and for most people about 2 or 3. The Government reduced the waiting time by spending more money and by bringing some market mechanisms into a government-run system. Today, government-owned hospitals compete against each other for government money. In today's NHS, patients can choose which hospital to go to.(Americans don't understand why people would compete when you can't make more money. In America, people compete to make profit.)Many NHS staffers are angry about new trends of privatization that could close some of the less popular hospitals. They are protesting government plans to privatize some NHS services. While the hospitals struggle with reforms, the General Practitioner’s (GPs) have embraced them. Nobody in Britain can to go directly to a specialist. First you have to go to a gatekeeper (GP). (Similar to HMO in USA). GPs hold down costs for the system. GPs are paid a fixed amount based on the number of patients they have. The average list is 1,800 people. They make a bonus for keeping their patients healthy. It works out about $180,000 bonus a year. With medical access this easy, the doctor and the system have a strong incentive to keep people healthy. The result, Britain has become a world leader in preventive medicine. In Summary - No bills, NHS waiting lists are getting shorter, there's excellent preventive medicine. But there's probably still too much government for American tastes, even if the NHS is trying to be more market-savvy.JAPAN - Has 130 million people. It's a ferociously capitalist economy. They have no natural resources, but they've built the second richest country in the world. They have better national health than the USA. They cover everybody and spend half as much as the United States on health care per capita. For just 8 percent of GDP, that's less than even the British spend, the Japanese have built a system with fabulous health statistics. They have the longest healthy life expectancy in the world and the lowest infant mortality rate. Part of that's due to diet and lifestyle. Everybody's covered, but unlike the Brits, the Japanese don't pay for all of it through taxes. Instead, everybody has to sign up for a health insurance policy. You get it at work or through a community-based insurer. The government picks up the tab for those who are too poor. This system is known as social insurance, and it's a model that's used in many wealthy countries.As for the health care itself, it’s not socialist. Eighty percent of the hospitals are private, more than in the U.S. and, almost every doctor's office is a private business. The Japanese are prodigious consumers of health care. They go to the doctor three times as often as Americans do. And since there are no gatekeepers, they can see any specialist they want. Surveys show the Japanese are highly satisfied with their health system. Japanese patients have much longer hospital stays than Americans, and they love technology, like scans. They have nearly twice as many MRIs per capita as Americans, eight times as many as the Brits.So how do they keep costs under control? The Japanese health ministry tightly controls the price of health care, right down to the smallest detail. Every two years, the physicians and the health ministry negotiate a fixed price for every single procedure and drug. Everything from open-heart surgery to a routine check-up has a standard price, and this price is the same everywhere in Japan.If a doctor tries to boost his income by increasing the number of procedures, at the next negotiation, the government lowers the price. That's what happened with MRIs, which are incredibly cheap in Japan. In Denver, if you get an MRI of your neck region, it's $1,200. In Japan a doctor gets $98 for an MRI. In 2002, the Japanese government said that MRI’s were costing too much. So, in order to be within the total budget, they cut them by 35 percent.So, why don’t Japanese doctors say, "Well, I'm not going to do an MRI. It's not enough money"?The Japanese have only one payment system. If you want to do your MRIs, unless you can get private-pay patients, which is almost impossible in Japan, you go out of business.Does it then shaft the medical device makers and limit innovation? No. Japanese manufacturers of scanning equipment, like Toshiba, found ways to make inexpensive machines they could sell to doctors. Now they're exporting those machines all over the world. But price regulation also hits the doctors hard. Dr’s can only charge what the official price book dictates. A cut that's less than 6 square inches to sew up is $4.30. If you stay in a hospital room with four people its $10 a night. If you have a private room $90. Doctors can't get rich. They have to live with the price book, but Japanese patients have to play their part in financing the system by paying into a social insurance fund. If you lose your job in Japan, you don't lose your health insurance. Unlike the U.S., you switch to a community insurer. And these insurance companies have very little in common with their American counterparts.It is forbidden to turn down a client for insurance if they have a preexisting illness such as heart disease. The health care plans don’t make a profit because they are not allowed to make a profit, and anything left over is carried over to the next year. If there's a lot carried over, then the premium rates go down. Insurance companies are barred from making a profit. The average premium for a Japanese family is just $280 a month, with the employer paying at least half, a lot less than most Americans pay. It's good news for Japanese employers, as well. J.R. Tokai, the company that runs the bullet train in Japan, says its health care costs are about half of 1 percent of operating expenses. General Motors in the USA pays eight times as much as that.Japan is a country with the longest life expectancy, excellent health results, no waiting lists and rock-bottom costs. But, the downside is that today 50 percent of hospitals are in financial deficit.So here's the weakness. While Americans spend too much on medicine, the Japanese seem to spend too little. In a country with $10 per night hospital stays, the prices are just not high enough to balance the books. But the Japanese system is so popular that they're not going to rip it apart. The expert’s say they'll have to increase prices a little to save the hospitals from going broke. In the USA, patients are going broke. In Japan they have never heard of medical bankruptcy. GERMANY - the nation that gave us aspirin and X-rays, has the third richest economy in the world. Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian chancellor in the 1880s, invented the concept of health care systems, the notion that a government has to provide mechanisms so all its people can get medical care when they need it. And today, the Bismarck model is used all over the world.Everybody in Germany is offered health care. While the rich are allowed to opt out and pay privately, about 90 percent of Germans choose to stay in the national system. And that system is famous not only for covering all the basics, plus mental health, dental and optical, they also pay for alternative therapies, like homeopathy. They'll pay you to go to a spa even. As in Japan, the delivery of health care is largely a market affair, carried out by private doctors and private hospitals. A non-emergency visit to the doctor could be a two-week wait. If it were a serious issue or an emergency, it would be the same day. It takes another one or two weeks to see a specialist and perhaps three weeks to get surgery. That's about the same waiting time as the U.S. It's faster than Britain, but not as quick as Japan would be.To finance health care, Germans pay premiums based on income to one of 240 private insurers. They call them "sickness funds." A worker earning $60,000 would split a $750 monthly family premium with her employer. It's more expensive than Japan and the U.K., but still a bargain by U.S. standards, about two thirds of ours. It is a system where the rich pay for the poor and where the ill are covered by the healthy. It is a social support system, which is highly accepted by the population.Pregnant women pay nothing to have a child but there is a co-payment for most patients of about $15 payable once every three months. Health insurance continues with no change if you lose your job. People who become unemployed are at an increased risk of becoming ill, and therefore becoming unemployed is about the worst time to lose health insurance. So, everyone who loses a job remains in exactly the health insurance system that he or she is in. German insurance plans actively compete among themselves for customers, even though they're not allowed to make a profit. So what's in it for them? Sickness funds do not want to perish. They want to survive and grow, and the management is better paid if the sickness fund is growing. The German health care system is between a for-profit system, on the one hand, and a single-payer system on the other hand.Mike McGury, an American living in Berlin for six years describes the health system as “top notch! You have many different choices, and the cost is a fraction of what is covered in the States. Most of your prescriptions are covered with very, very small co-pays.”Surveys show Germans are satisfied with their health care. The system is also efficient. Medical providers and sickness funds negotiate standard prices, and this cuts administrative costs. They're only around 6 percent. That's a quarter of what they are in the U.S. And drugs are a bargain too. The same drugs are cheaper in Germany than in America because, obviously, if all sickness funds negotiate with the drug companies for a single price, then the market power of the sickness funds is fully used. Every year, the sickness funds also negotiate standard prices with medical providers. And just as in Japan, some of the doctors feel undervalued and underpaid. By U.S. standards, doctors who work in hospitals in Germany are not paid very well. A 35-year-old might earn about $80,000 a year, about half of what he'd earn in the U.S. A family doctor makes around $120,000 a year, about two thirds of what they’d earn in the U.S. But they have a lot lower overhead in Germany. The malpractice premium is just $1,400 dollars a year, about a tenth of what it is in the U.S. And medical school doesn’t cost a penny. In March of 2006, German doctors felt sufficiently angry to stop work and take to the streets to protest in the heart of Berlin. But nothing changed.For Americans, there's nothing particularly foreign about German health care. You get health insurance through your employer and the company makes you pay for it. And the coverage is great. They get mental, surgical and dental. If your doctor says you're tired, the health insurance pays to send you to a spa. And the Germans have made this work. They provide universal coverage for a lot less money than we do. They did it by taking the profit out of health insurance, and they also pay doctors a lot less than in America. Re-cap - The Brits pay no doctor bills and have great preventive care. In Japan, there's no waiting time and doctors still make house calls. In Germany, insurance companies compete for business, even though they can't make a profit. What if you could pick and choose the best ideas from around the world? That’s what one small Asian nation did.Taiwan - an island nation of about 23 million that became rapidly industrialized and went from poor to rich in about 20 years. And when Taiwan got rich, the government said, "Wait a minute. We need a rich country's health care system." They set up a committee and they looked all over the world at different health care systems, looking for good ideas, and then designed their own." In the late 1980s, Taiwanese health care was even worse than America's is today. About half the population had no coverage at all. So they consulted experts from around the world, and asked William Hsiao, a Chinese-born Harvard health economist, to head a blue ribbon panel. They looked at 10-15 countries. The program that they finally set up in 1995 is like a car that was made of different parts imported from overseas, but manufactured domestically. They examined the major systems of a dozen European countries, Britain, France, Germany, the Nordic countries, Switzerland and Holland etc. Dr. Hongjen Chang: says of the American Health system: “It was the best system in the world, we thought. Well, American is not really a system that you can copy. It's a market. So if you let things happen, it will be like the United States. There are many supporters, but in the end we said, "No, this is not the way we want to go."The Taiwanese wanted a system that gave everybody equal access to health care, free choice of doctors, with no waiting time, and a system that encouraged lots of competition among medical providers. To finance the scheme, they chose a national insurance system that forced everybody to join in and pay. Professor William Hsiao thought Taiwan could improve on other countries like Japan and Germany. “We try to correct their mistakes. Japan has many funds, and we unified it. Germany let the rich people opt out. We do not let the rich people opt out. So we're building on what they have done correctly, but trying to overcome their deficiencies.”The solution: To have one government insurer collecting the money and no chance to opt out. The result: A system that works a bit like the U.S. Medicare system for the elderly, and in fact, a lot like Canada's.The Taiwan system has drug benefits, vision care, traditional Chinese medicine, kidney dialysis, inpatient care, and outpatient care. To satisfy the patients in Taiwan, there's no gatekeeper and no waiting time. Clinics are open on weekends. Wait time to see a specialist – immediate!High-tech Taiwan designed its new health system using state-of-the-art information technology. Everybody has to have a smart card to go to the doctor. The doc puts it in a reader, and the patient's history, medications, etc; all show up on the screen. And then the bill goes directly to the government insurance office and is paid automatically. So Taiwan has the lowest administrative costs in the world, less than 2 percent. Compare that to the endless paperwork and all the denied claims we get with for-profit U.S. health insurance.The smart card can also be used in other ways. If a patient goes to see a doctor or hospital over 20 times a month, or 50 times in a three-month period, then the IT picks that person out and then gets a visit from the government, the Bureau of National Health Insurance. That may be too much like Big Brother to get by in the U.S., but surveys show the Taiwanese are highly satisfied with their health care. How many people in Taiwan every year go bankrupt because of medical bills? None.6.23 % of Taiwan's GDP is spent on health care. In the USA it’s 16%. So the US spends too much on health care and doesn’t cover everybody. But the Taiwanese spend too little, less even than Japan and they just don't bring in enough money to pay for all the services they offer. The government is borrowing from banks to pay the providers. Taiwan's politicians are reluctant to increase premiums. They think voters will punish them. They know the solution is fairly straightforward, increase the spending a little to maybe 8 percent of GDP. Now, there's a problem the U.S. would love to have!Like the other countries, Taiwan is struggling to balance the hopes of patients and the expectations of doctors against the price people are willing to pay for health care.SWITZERLAND - People say it's politically impossible to fix the US health care system. And in fact, the last time we tried it in 1994, the result was a disastrous failure. But that same year, Switzerland, a country famous for huge insurance companies and drug companies, did take on health care reform and changed the system. Today they have universal coverage with high quality. Why did they make the change and how is it working?Like Americans, the Swiss tend to think they're exceptional. They don't follow the crowd. It's a nation of eight million people at the center of Europe, but it won't join the European Union. It denied women the vote until 1971. And it has higher gun ownership than the USA.In 1994, Switzerland's health care system resembled America's. Medical insurance was voluntary, generally linked to employment. If you lost your job, you could lose your coverage. And many did.Ruth Dreifuss back then was health minister of the left-leaning Social Democratic Party and later the first female president of the Swiss Federation. She spearheaded a new law called LAMal, or the sickness. It mandated that everybody buy insurance, with the state paying for the poor. In return, it guaranteed a comprehensive package of medical care for all. Amid opposition from drug companies and insurers, the Swiss voted in a referendum by a tiny margin.Once the law was passed, insurance companies could not cherry pick the young and healthy to avoid the old and the sick as they do in the USA today. And they were not allowed to make a profit on basic care, although they could profit from supplemental policies. People who refused to get coverage were automatically assigned to an insurance company and had to pay the monthly bills. More than 10 years later, LAMal is well accepted.Pascal Couchepin, from the center-right Free Democratic Party, is the current president of Switzerland. Originally unenthusiastic about LAMal, today he's a supporter. Quote “ Everybody has the right to health care.”In the USA we say everyone is entitled to education and legal protection if you get in trouble with the law but we don’t say that everyone's entitled to health care. Pres. Pascal Couchepin: “Why? Because it is a profound need for people to be sure that if they are struck by destiny, by a stroke of destiny, they can have a good health system.” Dreifuss, from the opposite political camp, agrees.Ruth Dreifuss: “I think it's a basic human right. This is really the aim and this is really the reason why I think that everybody now, or a large, large majority, would renew the confidence in this system because they see what it means to have a universal coverage.”What about LAMal's impact on drug and insurance companies? Pierre Marcel Revaz is CEO of Groupe Mutuel, one of Switzerland's biggest insurance companies. “What's different in Switzerland is that many Swiss insurers were already non-profit, so the transformation was easier than it might be for the USA. Ten years on, the insurers are doing fine. As in Germany, a lack of profit has not meant a lack of competition.Pierre-Marcel Revaz, CEO, Groupe Mutuel: “It's very competitive because each company wants to keep its old customers and get new clients. So there's extreme competition for service and price.”So, the benefit package here is fixed, it's the same for everybody so, companies compete in other ways like how quickly they pay. In Switzerland administrative costs are 5.5%. In America health insurance companies average administrative costs are about 22 percent!Swiss insurance companies can make a profit on supplemental coverage such as better hospital rooms. This is also how they attract more customers. But what about the drug companies? In America, the drug companies say, "Well, if you cut the price we get for the drugs, then we won't have as much money for research and innovation." Is that a legitimate argument?The Swiss pharmaceutical industry 10 years later, are in the top 10 internationally. Interestingly Swiss drug companies still make more than a third of their profits from the less-regulated U.S. market. One of the problems in America is that many people go bankrupt because of medical bills. Some studies say 700,000 people a year. In Switzerland nobody goes bankrupt.Switzerland has a challenge. Having achieved universal health care, it has to decide how much citizens are willing to pay. Today, an average monthly premium for a Swiss family is about $750. But there's pressure to raise the premiums. And it's already the second most expensive health care system in the world, although still much cheaper than the USA.What's interesting about Switzerland is that after LAMal's success, people in this proud capitalist country see limits now to the free market. Could a 100 percent free market system work in health care? Pres. Pascal Couchepin: “No, I don't think that. If you do that, you will lose solidarity and equal access for everybody.”What T.R Reid found is that it's not all "socialized medicine" out there. Many countries provide universal coverage with private insurance, private doctors, and private hospitals, using market ideas that might work for the USA. But these capitalist countries don't trust health care entirely to the free market. They all impose limits. There are three big ones. First, insurance companies must accept everyone and can't make a profit on basic care. Second, everybody's mandated to buy insurance, and the government pays the premium for the poor. Third, doctors and hospitals have to accept one standard set of fixed prices.Can Americans accept ideas like that? The fact is these foreign health care ideas aren't really so foreign to Americans. For American veterans, health care is just like the Britain's NHS. For seniors on Medicare, we're Taiwan. For working Americans with insurance, we're Germany. And for the tens of million without health insurance, we're just another poor country. But almost all of us can agree that this fragmented health care mess we have today cannot be ignored. The longer we leave it, the sicker it becomes, and the more expensive the cure.Excerpts from SICK AROUND THE WORLD, WRITTEN BY Jon Palfreman and T.R. ReidCORRESPONDENT T.R. ReidInformation provided by:University of Colorado DenverAmerican Medical Response, NWOregon Health Sciences UniversityKono Medical ClinicNagoya Central HospitalWhittington HospitalCharite University HospitalKladow Medical ClinicTaipei Medical University - Wan Fang HospitalYin Shu-Tien Memorial HospitalBai-Sheng ClinicPrinceton UniversityYou can watch the full program on line, find out more about correspondent T.R. Reid and his reporting of this story, read interviews with some of the world's leading health care experts and learn more about how the U.S. health care system compared to those in other countries. FRONTLINE's Sick Around the World is available on DVD. To order call PBS Home Video at 1-800-PLAY-PBS [$24.99 & s/h] or order on line at Shoppbs.org.April 15, 2008 Please view the program at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/.
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Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, and Virginia here is the endorsement all of you have been waiting for...
President Bush remains hopeful that John McCain will pull it out tomorrow night and win the election." Perino added that Bush thinks McCain and other Republicans "have the right ideas when it comes to the economy and national security."
so here we are: one day remaining. doesn't seem too long ago that i kept catching glimpses of this obama fellow in 2007 and thought how wonderful would it be... never expecting him to come this far up against edwards and clinton. as i have said before, from a marketing perspective, gaining a significant share of the market (in this case: eligible voters) is complicated in today's environment. any start-up firm would be hard pressed to snatch away a significant portion of p&g or coca cola customers. that same start-up firm would exemplify modern brilliance should it manage to overtake the market and gain control for any period of time. that is, in essence, what obama did in 2008. i recognized his potential. i praised his marketing campaign. yet, until super tuesday, i remained unconvinced that obama would succeed at becoming the nominee and beat the two well-established brands of edwards and clinton. once we knew obama was our nominee, i often joked that the only way mccain stood a chance against obama was by selecting a female running mate. i certainly did not mean "that one." when mccain announced palin in dayton, i first cringed. then i googled her investigation to confirm that she had been exhonerated. to my surprise, his popular governor from alaska was still under investigation for abuse of power and likely guilty as hell. was the crime all that bad? not really. yet, just as getting a blow job or sticking a cigar in your chubby aide's kootch is not that bad... when you lie repeatedly and attempt to disguise your blunder... that is often far worse than the original crime. what people i have met and people like palin do not seem to understand, many of us are forgiving of a mistake or two... just not the pattern of lies or unfaithfulness that accompanies deception. its the compulsiveness, the ease, and the noticeable pattern that deteriorates and ultimately destroys trust.needless to say, prior to the veep picks, i began imagining an electoral map in 2008 that mimics the map ross perot carved out for bill clinton in 1992. while initially i was nervous to see what became of clinton's stalwart supporters of which,in exit polls, many had proudly proclaimed gender as major factor in their support. however, with time, palin did backfire in the sense that she was ineffective at luring independents and former clinton voters. arguably, i assert that palin has been effective in igniting the base to match the sweat behind obama. only tomorrow will we know whether the fire palin lit in the far right-wing nuts of our country is burning strong or whether it turns out to be like a rash between your legs after a good date gone bad.to refresh your memory, review the electoral map in 1992 where clinton pulled out a huge upset against the incumbent thanks to ross perot who remains the only successful third party candidate in modern elections.
first states i would point our are louisiana, kentucky, and tennessee. i knew this summer that those states were outside the realm of possibility. in fact, tennessee turned against gore in 2000 largely due to his environmental convictions. given that bobby jindal is about as far too the right as sarah palin, i assumed louisiana was also outside the realm of possibility despite the outcome in the primary in obama's favor. and kentucky... well that ole kentucky home is a thorn in my side, but i will defend her natural beauty until my dying day... just not the folks' politics. ross perot's impressive 18% popular vote splintered the would-be republican votes and carved out a victory for bill clinton in additional states that stay with mccain: arkansas, montana, and west virgnina. while its true that mccain's lead in arkansas is presently only in single digits, i was always hopeful that with help from bill and hillary, obama would remain more competitive as far south as arkansas. like kentucky, west virginia seems to be very confused as to who has their best interest at heart. and, i might as well say it within this blog since i had to slam a door on my fingers a few weeks ago when i thought about writing a blog strictly targeting the separation of church and state. for those of you who forgot, we are suppose to acknowledge a separation of church and state! separation of church and state is among the founding principles of the united states of america. heads up people! when we fail to pratice our civil duties and vote for the best qualified leader to restore economic and foriegn matters because we want a candidate that agrees with the majority of our religious doctrine... hello... that is how you end up with george w. bush twice and the deteriorated condition of our country today. vote for the best candidate. don't vote based on religious convictions. if we transfer our country's power and wealth to china, russia. or the middle east... you may not have always have the freedom to practice that religion you love so much and wanted to shove down my throat. obama appears to be strongly competing to win with an electoral map much like bill clinton's first win. the difference, and what makes this especially remarkable, obama will accomplish this without a strong third party candidate which means he is winning with a more united country and a greater percentage or the popular vote. a percentage not seen since the eighties. obama's net reduction would be 39 electoral votes after losing these five states which is still enough to make him the victor tomorrow. however, obama will likely and hopefully pick up states that even bill clinton could not win in 1992. according to new sources such as real clear politics, abc and msnbc news, toss up states include: montana, indiana, missouri, north carolina, ohio, georgia, virginia, and florida. the other three that are sometimes considered a toss-up are: nevada, north dakota, and arizona. however, i am relatively confident that nevada will break for obama and north dakota and arizona will break for mccain... albiet narrow victories no matter what the outcome. with that said, my electoral predicions for tomorrow night:
given the nature of a predicion, i have to make a few tough calls and my map is admitedly optimistic in the sense that i really want obama to win in north carolina and georgia and prevent mccain from narrowly squeaking by him. since the beginning of the summer, i have envisioned a 1992 map where obama gave up four or five states and replaced them florida, virginia, and georgia which is a net 51 electoral votes. the end result would be a few less states, but a greater electoral and popular vote win on election day for barack. based on a series of recent polls and early voting results, i feel good about viginia and florida. i may still be overly optimistic about georgia, but it now looks like obama has an equally optimistic chance in north carolina so i moved both to obama's column. if you read my earlier blog during the primaries, i liked to mention obama's performance in north and south carolina. he alone, had more votes cast for him than mccain and his republican counterparts combined. early voting and polls show the margin in the general election tight in south carolina while virtually tied and potentially leaning to obama in north carolina. amazing! as for georgia, a relatively strong third party candidate in georgia, bob barr, could "help" tip that state to obama like ross perot did in 1992. barr polled around 8% this spring, but third party candidates generally poll better early than the final outcome because more and more voters fold into the two major parties. presently, "other" in georgia is at 4% and bob barr, a georgian, is believed to compose the majority of that 4% or better... as he has been gaining in the polls this last few weeks by picking up undecided georgia independents.last week's cnn/time poll revealed that among "likely" georgia voters — presumably those who are both registered and have a proven track record of participating in elections, the race breaks down as follows: mccain: 50%, obama: 46%, barr: 3%
however, if the pool of voters is widened to include simply registered voters — which would include first-time voters or those who rarely participate in general elections — then the georgia vote shifts in obama's favor: mccain: 46%, obama: 49%, barr: 4%
so there you have it, i was dissappointed when the obama for america campaign shifted resourced from georgia last month, but happy to hear that more than half of registered voters have voted early thought to benefit obama. i was also happy when obama shifted resources back to georgia last week and may help see my wish to fruition.
what of my other swing state calls? montana is close. originally, that state looked good for obama, but slipped back to mccain after the palin pick. perhaps montana is the one state that palin helps mccain win. yet, we are squabbling over three electoral votes and i my calculations are that obama will succeed with or without montana. i call montana for mccain because the last month's series of polls generally have mccain leading in spite of that gap closing and now close. the same is true of arizona. i was in arizona in may. i kept asking people i met, and i gathered that if mccain was not from arizona, the state would go blue. yet, i see arizona staying narrowly red. meanwhile, long before the pundits and major shift in the polls, i have felt confident that obama would perform better in florida than ohio which was not the case for bill clinton in 1992. however, like nevada, florida's economy is hurting and unlike mccain who hosted a convention centered around terrorism... i have long thought the economy is the greatest security risk facing our country. i trust that florida agrees and i will take back every sand bar comment i've made since 2000.
ultimately, i call ohio for obama... but i predict ohio to be too close to call until after the west coast polls are closed. additionally, for the same reason i foresee ohio ending close, i also see indiana close. however, i see indiana narrowly red for mccain. unlike missiouri, indiana's popular senator is somewhat a bore and moderate. indiana reminds me of northern kentucky democrats. in order to win, you have to market yourself as a virtual republican. with that said and given that indiana did not break for clinton with perot's help, i call indiana for mccain and i call missiouri for obama... home of the likable, well-known, and early obama activist, senator claire mccaskill. if she ran for governor first, she could be president in 2016, eh?
end game: obama with 379 electoral votes. the greatest victory since the eighties. and incidentally, i alway hinted he would prove to be our next great american president. finally, i win a contest... by virtue of association or vicariously or something like that.
a copy of my letter to the editors of Mo. newspapers:
November 4th, more than 80% of the Missouri electorate is predicted to vote. This unprecedented turn-out can easily be compared to the events (and lessons) of hurricane Katrina. Metaphorically-speaking, we know that a category-5 storm is coming; we know the day and hour; we know the levees may not hold—and we know Missouri, a toss-up state, is in the eye of the storm.
Missouri Election Boards: are we ready? Will each polling place be properly staffed, with an appropriate number of machines? Are voting machines distributed equitably, calibrated accurately to avoid any possibility of a hanging-chad moment in Missouri? What's the recourse for worst-case scenarios?
Let voters know what they can do to help ensure a smooth election.
Let the public know your preparations to boost confidence and ensure every vote will count.
If you [or anyone else you know in Oklahoma] is interested in going to Missouri this weekend to volunteer in one of their many Obama HQs, be sure to let them know of the car-pools meeting on Saturday 25-Oct-08 at 7:30 am in Oklahoma City and joining up at 10 am in Tulsa.
FIRED UP, AND READY TO GO TO MISSOURI! (Drive for Change)
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gprct9
Team, I know that some of you would like to travel in carpools to Joplin, Missouri to assist in turning the tide in a very competitive battleground state for Barack Obama. That is why I’m asking you all to please meet-up together in the rear parking lot at the Oklahoma Democratic Headquarters at 4100 N. Lincoln BLVD., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma no later than 7:30AM on Saturday 10/25/2008. I will be there to give you a nice little send off. You should be able to park your vehicles there and proceed in your carpools to Joplin, Missouri. Please make sure the doors of your vehicle are locked and secure. The Oklahoma Democratic Party, entities in residents in the building, or individuals are not responsible for the security of your vehicle. I do know that a group out of Tulsa will be leaving at 10AM. Please refer to the links below, and reserve your time so that we will have a good idea who all will be coming. This is a wonderful time for all of us, and I personally like to thank you all for the time and support that you have put forth on this and all efforts toward getting Barack elected President. I can honestly say that this has become one of the happiest times of my 38 years, and your energy has kept me going. Thank you all for what you do.
GO TO JO' TO DO MO FO' BO #3 (Drive for Change)
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs5swr
Some Tulsa-area volunteers plan to go to Joplin, Missouri, to campaign in that battle-ground state for Barack Obama [BO]. A car-pool leaves from Oklahoma City about 8 am and joins with us about 10 am on Saturday 25-Oct-08 at the Tulsa County Democratic Party HQ, 3930 East 31st; please park across the street or BEHIND the HQ. Some may return that night and others may stay over-night in free housing provided by the Obama HQ in Joplin and return late on Sunday 26-Oct-08. Tulsa volunteer Jack Francis has offered to drive and even pay for gas and tolls for the first 4 firm over-night volunteers that make commitments to go. Future road trips with the same details will leave Tulsa for Joplin every Saturday until the general election: November 1. This webpage can also be viewed at tinyurl.com/mofobo3
Mike Workman
Tulsa+
Who knows that this road trip is more fun when more make the trip
Well, the new polls are out. The news is good, then news is bad. Barack and Joe are up according to all the polls. But as he said the other day. We can't get cocky and complacent. We still have to stay on our toes. We have to vote, we have to make sure we get others out to vote.
Here is a copy of some of the results so far:
As you can see, he is leading in some states so far but in others he is behind. So we still have to really be on our toes and get the vote out. We still have 2 weeks to go and we can't get lazy and complacent now. This is no time to let our guard down.
Joe made a wonderful speech today in CO. At the end of his speech he called for McCain to take down the negative ads and the robo calls. I wish he would, but I am afraid it won't happen. He should, if he has any honor left. Go out with dignity and honor, but I don't see that in McCain. I guess I just don't see it in him, never really did. I may be wrong, but I just don't see it in him any more.
Well, to finish up... again I have to say.... VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Introduce voters to CHANGE.
Obama in this campaign offers change in its most absolute way: change from failed policies but also change in terms of opening a new page which will burry the racial divide in this country. That change, as exciting as it sounds, needs to be defined so it doesn't scare older and less informed people, into voting for Obama. Change should not be perceived as ‘the unknown’ but “the fundamental”
You guys need to emphasize the long terms effect of Change so they understand the impact their vote will have on their children and future generations.
In terms of communicating race, I think you need to confront racism in a very considerate way so people understand this is not about electing the first African American president in history but electing the one who has the judgement to lead us out of this financial turmoil. (Insist on the numbers: over 600,000 jobs lost)
When someone tells you the only reason why they wouldn't support Barack Obama is because he is black, tell them “this is not about Obama, this is about you and your children”.
When someone tells you, I like Sarah Palin tell them, “I hate to break it to you but chances are you're never going to sit with her. Once these elections are over, whoever wins will be presiding from the White House, and what will strictly matter then on are the ways in which their policies are going to affect your life, your children. Children can't vote but the impact of your vote, will be part of the legacy you are going to leave them.”
Talk about the power of democracy. (Insist on everything they are going against by supporting the McCain Palin ticket)
If we have a democracy today where women can vote it is because:
Þ Democratic President Woodrow Wilson stood up for Change in 1918 in support of the 19th amendment which forbid any state to deny any woman a right to political expression.
Þ It is the Democratic Party that promulgated Hillary to almost becoming the first female president.
Þ Sarah Palin goes against every thing Hillary has ever fought for:
Þ she is on a ticket which rejects Equal Pay for women.
Þ Insist on the fact that there are 10.4 million single moms in the United States who live with children younger than 18, up from 3.4 million in 1970 and that today more than ever, we need to support those moms so they can have a decent lifestyle and give to their children a sense of education. You can't say you support those women if you stand against equal pay and you stand against raising the minimum wage.
Þ And make the case that if you support the McCain-Palin ticket, you are also denying those proud American citizens the right to a better existence.
The Democratic Party never stopped fighting for the women's rights.
Þ In 1994, President Clinton provided $1.6 billion to enhance investigation and prosecution of the violent crime perpetrated against women by signing the Violence Against Women Act, which John McCain firmly opposed.
Þ This VAWA was drafted by Joe Biden who now runs on the democratic ticket as VP
Þ It is thanks to Biden that domestic violence became a public health policy and human rights concern. (You need to insist on that)
Þ According the National Organization for Women, which stepped out of its usual neutrality to proudly endorse the Obama-Bide ticket, every day in America:
Þ Four women die as a result of domestic violence bringing the number to 1,400 women a year.
Þ two to four million women of all races and classes are battered each year, and 170,000 of those violent incidents are serious enough to require hospitalization
Thanks to Joe Biden, this has become a real human rights concern.
If Hillary Clinton chooses to put pride aside and step up for a "rally for change" it is because she understands the vital necessity to all be on the road for Barack Obama.
By helping each others, women pave the way for their daughters, granddaughters in ensuring that they won't be denied any fundamental human rights.
As you know, many of these women are affected by the economy crisis and for McCain to stand firm and say that he won't raise the minimum wage is simply unacceptable when he supports sending 10bn$ monthly in US taxpayers' money to a country which has an 80bn $ surplus.
Yes, the war in Iraq needs to end and it will end under the presidency of Barack Obama.
Painting the surge as having worked does not take away the fact that this war, which killed 4,152 (as of September 3rd 2008) and wounded 30,568 American soldiers should have never been authorized. Isn’t it fair to remind people that 600, 000 Iraqi civilians, who had absolutely nothing to do with September 11th, were also killed in this war, along with thousands of other soldiers and journalists.
Careless of all the critics Obama has heard on his experience and position against the war, "soldiers have donated more presidential campaign money to Democrat Barack Obama than to Republican John McCain, a reversal of previous campaigns in which military donations tended to favor GOP White House hopefuls, a nonpartisan group reported Thursday", according to USA Today. (8/14/2008)
Yes, soldiers are putting their trust in Obama and so should we when it comes to handling the economy and the foreign policy of this country.
So when John McCain says he is going to fight, ask yourself for what…or better yet, against what? Is he going to keep fighting against the elements so desperately needed for Change, like funding for education, funding for healthcare…?
John McCain doesn’t have a record to claim that he can bring real change. What has long years in Washington ever brought to a candidate? If it mattered so much why is Palin in a position which puts her heart bit away from the presidency, when more experienced Republican candidates are available? If he just wanted to rally the right wing base, he could have chosen Huckabee, if he cared about the economy, he would have appointed Romney but instead he opted for someone with absolutely O experience.
Are you ready to have Palin as President and take a 10% risk of having change? Well after all, McCain voted 90% of the time with Bush and a 100% in 2008.
If Obama wins, America wins and therefore you win.
You should have banners saying If Obama wins, America wins / If Obama wins, you win.
If you think this race is won, two words: New Hampshire. Go to http://www.barackobama.com to get involved right now. We have to keep running through the finish line. It's too important to take anything for granted. It's too important to let up now. The future you seek. - The future we seek together. - The future we seek for our children. It's too important to let up now. We have to keep running through the finish line.! For the change we need. Barack Obama and Joe Biden 2008 ----------------------------------------
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mccain obama palin us election presidential 2008 change America economic crisis joe plumber Debate Ohio Florida New Hampshire Clinton democrat republican Indiana Missouri Colorado
There's still time to win Missouri's Editorial Pages: Please use this list at usnpl.com; OpEdNews Compendium of Major Endorsements Thus Far
taken from this "LIVE URL": http://www.usnpl.com/monews.php
Newspapers Click ( A ) for Newspaper address Click ( C ) for County summary Ashland Boone County Journal (A) (C) Bethany Republican-Clipper (A) (C) Bolivar Bolivar Herald-Free Press (A) (C) Boonville Daily News (A) (C) Bowling Green Bowling Green Times (A) (C) Branson Branson Courier (A) (C) Branson The Branson News (A) (C) Brookfield Linn County Leader (A) (C) Buffalo Buffalo Reflex (A) (C) California California Democrat (A) (C) Camdenton Lake Sun Leader (A) (C) Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian (A) (C) Carthage The Carthage Press (A) (C) Caruthersville Democrat Argus (A) (C) Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune (A) (C) Columbia Columbia Daily Tribune (A) (C) Columbia Columbia Missourian (A) (C) Cuba Cuba Free Press (A) (C) Dexter The Daily Statesman (A) (C) El Dorado Springs El Dorado Springs Sun (A) (C) Eldon Eldon Advertiser (A) (C) Eldon Vernon Publishing Newspapers (A) (C) Ellisville WestNews Magazine (A) (C) Elsberry Elsberry Democrat (A) (C) Eminence Shannon County Current Wave (A) (C) Fulton Fulton Sun (A) (C) Gainesville Ozark County Times (A) (C) Gallatin Gallatin North Missourian (A) (C) Gladstone Dispatch Tribune (A) (C) Hamilton Caldwell County News (A) (C) Hannibal Hannibal Courier-Post (A) (C) Harrisonville Democrat-Missourian (A) (C) Hermann Hermann Advertiser Courier (A) (C) Houston Houston Herald (A) (C) Independence The Examiner (A) (C) Jackson Cash-Book Journal (A) (C) Jamesport Tri-County Weekly (A) (C) Jefferson City Jefferson City News Tribune (A) (C) Joplin Joplin Business Journal (A) (C) Joplin Joplin Globe (A) (C) Joplin Joplin Independent (A) (C) Kansas City Business Journal (A) (C) Kansas City Kansas City Star (A) (C) Kansas City PitchWeekly (A) (C) Kennett Daily Dunklin Democrat (A) (C) Kirksville Daily Express (A) (C) Lamar Lamar Democrat (A) (C) Laurie Highway Five Beacon (A) (C) Lebanon Lebanon Daily Record (A) (C) Lees Summit Lee's Summit Journal (A) (C) Louisiana Louisiana Press Journal (A) (C) Macon Chronicle-Herald (A) (C) Marshall The Marshall Democrat-News (A) (C) Marshfield Marshfield Mail (A) (C) Maryville Nodaway News Leader (A) (C) Memphis Memphis Democrat (A) (C) Mexico The Mexico Ledger (A) (C) Moberly Monitor-Index/Evening Democrat (A) (C) Monett The Monett Times (A) (C) Monroe City The Lake Gazette (A) (C) Mound City Mound City News (A) (C) Neosho Neosho Daily News (A) (C) Nevada Nevada Daily Mail (A) (C) New Haven New Haven Leader (A) (C) Nixa Nixa News-Enterprise (A) (C) Ozark Christian County Headliner (A) (C) Paris The Monroe County Appeal (A) (C) Park Hills The Daily Journal (A) (C) Perryville Republic-Monitor (A) (C) Piedmont Wayne County Journal-Banner (A) (C) Pineville McDonald County Press (A) (C) Platte City Platte County Citizen (A) (C) Platte City The Landmark Newspaper (A) (C) Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic (A) (C) Richland Richland Mirror (A) (C) Richmond Richmond Daily News (A) (C) Rock Port Atchison County Mail (A) (C) Rolla Rolla Daily News (A) (C) Saint Joseph St. Joseph News-Press (A) (C) Saint Louis Chinese American News (A) (C) Saint Louis St. Louis American Newspaper (A) (C) Saint Louis St. Louis Business Journal (A) (C) Saint Louis St. Louis Post-Dispatch (A) (C) Saint Louis The Riverfront Times (A) (C) Saint Louis The Suburban Journals (A) (C) Saint Louis The Vital VOICE (A) (C) Saint Robert Pulaski County Democrat (A) (C) Sainte Genevieve The Herald (A) (C) Sedalia Sedalia Democrat (A) (C) Sedalia Sedalia News-Journal (A) (C) Sikeston Standard Democrat (A) (C) Springfield Community Free Press (A) (C) Springfield News-Leader (A) (C) Springfield Springfield Business Journal (A) (C) Steelville Star - Mirror (A) (C) Stover Morgan County Press (A) (C) Sullivan Sullivan News (A) (C) Sullivan The Sullivan Journal (A) (C) Tipton Tipton Times (A) (C) Troy Lincoln County Journal (A) (C) Tuscumbia Miller County Autogram-Sentinel (A) (C) Vandalia Vandalia Leader (A) (C) Versailles Versailles Leader-Statesman (A) (C) Warrensburg digitalBURG.com (A) (C) Washington Washington Missourian (A) (C) Washington WashMo.com (A) (C) Waynesville The Daily Guide (A) (C) Webster Groves Times Newspapers (A) (C) West Plains Daily Quill (A) (C) College Newspapers Drury University The Drury Mirror Missouri Southern St. Univ The Chart Missouri St. Univ The Standard Missouri Western Griffon News Missouri-Rolla Miner Northwest Missouri NW Missourian Daily Southwest Baptist Omnibus Online St. Louis Univ University News SW Missouri State Southwest Standard Truman State New Media Index Univ of Missouri The Current Univ of Missouri The Greek Chronicle Univ of Missouri The Maneater Univ of Missouri University News Washington Univ Student Life Online Webster Univ The Webster Journal
Editorial Page Victories clarify: Obama will win 2-1 in Electoral College! 4 part compendium---Endorsements at OpEdNews: Washington Post, Houston, Detroit, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Salt Lake, Philadelphia, Portland, Bangor, Sacramento, Kansas City (4 former Red States)
OpEdNews has been the site of choice to post the growing list of major and minor newspaper endorsements for Obama. The Editorials are quoted generally in full, with interspliced commentaries from major editors and commentators, explaining what is behind the Editorials.
Part I Obama's Editorial Endorsements: including Washington Post, Fidel Castro, Richard Lugar, Chuck Hagel, & more!
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-s-Endorsements-The-by-Stephen-Fox-081016-633.html
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Part II Editorial Page Endorsements of Obama Denver Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francsico Chronicle, Los Angeles Times
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Editorial-Page-Endorsement-by-Stephen-Fox-081017-544.html
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Part III New Endorsements: Salt Lake City Tribune, Bangor and Brunswick, Maine, Philadelphia, Miami, Portland, Kansas City
http://www.opednews.com/articles/EndorspLements-Salt-Lake-Ci-by-Stephen-Fox-081018-476.html
More Obama Endorsements IV: Sacramento, Katie Couric, Malaysia, Houston Chronicle, Detroit, Waco Tx (sort of)
http://www.opednews.com/articles/More-Obama-Endorsements-IV-by-Stephen-Fox-081019-492.html
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO COMMENT AND SHARE YOUR INSIGHTS, which become a vital part of a larger on-going dialogue.
Thank you,
Stephen FoxFounder, New Millennium Fine ArtContributing Editor New Millennium Fine ArtSanta Fe, NM
