I'm looking for friends in Fayette County, Ohio, who are strong, empathetic and responsible citizens in our mutual state senate district to help promote HB 159, the Ohio Health Care Plan.
We have a small window of opportunity to organize grassroots support of this public policy direction and also consider running for our own precinct elected representative to our county party and elect a county chairperson who will (1) encourage their respective county board of health to endorse the Ohio Health Care Plan (2) encourage public employers to endorse the Ohio Health Care Plan (3) identify small business owners who will endorse the Ohio Health Care Plan.
Are you interested in joining this Empathy Surplus Campaign? Do you know people in Fayette County who can join this campaign?
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The journey of fatherhood provides unique and lasting joys. Cradling a baby in his arms, a father experiences the miracle of life and an unbreakable bond. Fathers imagine a world of possibilities awaiting their children and contemplate the privilege of helping them reach that expanse of opportunity.
As kids grow and mature, they look to their dad for a special kind of love and support. Providing these necessities can bring great happiness.
Fatherhood also brings great responsibilities. Fathers have an obligation to help rear the children they bring into the world. Children deserve this care, and families need each father's active participation.Fathers must help teach right from wrong and instill in their kids the values that sustain them for a lifetime.
As they encounter new and challenging experiences, children need guidance and counsel. Fathers need to talk with their kids to help them through difficult times. Parents must also help their children make the right choices by serving as strong role models. Honest and hard-working fathers are an irreplaceable influence upon their children.
Communities must do more to counsel fathers. Family and friends, and faith-based and community organizations, can speak directly with men about the sacrifices and rewards of having a child. These groups can support men as they take on the great challenges of child-rearing.
Through honest and open dialogue, more men can choose to become model parents and know the wonders of fatherhood.
On Father's Day, we pay tribute to the loving and caring fathers who are strengthening their families and country.
We also honor those surrogate fathers who raise, mentor, or care for someone else's child. Thousands of young children benefit from the influence of great men, and we salute their willingness to give and continue giving.
We also express special gratitude to fathers who serve in the United States Armed Forces for the sacrifices they and their families make every day.
All of these individuals are making great contributions, and children across the country are better off for their care.NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, in accordance with a joint resolution of the Congress approved April 24, 1972, as amended (36 U.S.C. 109), do hereby proclaim June 21, 2009, as Father's Day.
I direct the appropriate officials of the Government to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on this day. I urge all Americans to express their love, respect, and admiration to their fathers, and I call upon all citizens to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
/s/ BARACK OBAMA
Remembering What Makes a Good Father
Words from Barack Obama
Father's Day 2007:
"Let's admit to ourselves that there are a lot of men out there that need to stop acting like boys;
who need to realize that responsibility does not end at conception;
who need to know that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise a child."
Father's Day 2008:
"Any fool can have a child. That doesn't make you a father.
It's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father."
Father's Day 2009:
"We need to step out of our own heads and tune in.
We need to turn off the television and start talking with our kids, and listening to them, and understanding what's going on in their lives."
The President intends to indorse responsible fathers programs for Father's Day, but what about responsible mothers for Mother's Day?
The President's own mother abandoned her children to be raised by the grandparents, while she spent years in India. Why just target fathers over his own issues with his father, when his mother was just as irresponible?
Like you, I am dismayed at our country's condition this spring of 2009. It seems everything has broken down that bound us to our humanity.. Trust, respect, loyalty, kindness, tenderness appear to have been replaced by being coarse and vulgar, shallow and selfish, greedy and uneducated. And yet, never before has there been so much hope and optimism that this breakdown is the healing we all sought. Perhaps it is that dynamic tension between the power and yearning of our hope and the fear and doubt that it will not be actualized that causes the pain. As we watch the destruction of the economy and the foundations of banking that were it's underpinnings, we see government trying to fix and mold everything.
My fear is that as we rely on our government to parent us, we will never develop the maturity and restraint to return to a climate of personal responsibility. President Obama has two enormous challenges. To rescue us from our despair and hopelessness on one level, while demanding of us that we begin to be responsible for ourselves. If we cannot make responsible decisions on our own there is no amount of government that can pick up the pieces for 306 million people here in the US who choose to live recklessly and fail to plan for the future.
As a mid centurion I grew up with Fathers Knows Best and the Cleavers. I saw calm rational adults making selfless decisions for the good of the family. And in those sweeter times, we weren't serenaded by CNN with every disaster in the world to unnerve us. We were not all racked with anxiety about our eminent doom. Now, with global warming, terrorism, gangs, drug cartels, political kidnappings, aging planes, satellites falling from space, to name a few, we have a low grade, or not so low grade of nervous tension running through our systems daily. We worry for our children, our children worry for their future. Without a future, there IS no reason to sacrifice. And it is the act of sacrifice that gives context to our lives. It defines what we love enough to sacrifice for. Whether it's loving our health enough to sacrifice our desire for a pint of ice cream, or loving the environment enough to be disciplined in our energy consumption.
We went from citizens, who planned for a family, lived more innocently and with less materialism, to consumers with a case of affluenza that drove us like lemmings over a cliff. Work hard, no parents at home, to buy more, have more, use more. We let our technology run away with us and now we suffer with absent presence, the phenomena of being with someone while completely disregarding them to text, talk or email with a PDA. Babies have mothers whose attention is on their cell and children who cannot get a moment of attention from parents who are too consumed with work or social sites to spend real, present, engaged time with them.
We just might need to slow down and analyze whether all the options we have at our disposal are good for us. We could benefit from becoming choosy. We might be better off if we limited our consumption, from the consumption of food and alcohol, to the consumption of news. Let's give our systems a rest and be present with the people we love, let's get to know them, let's get intimate with our families and friends. Let's be responsible for our choices and let's get our impulse control under check.
I am in full support and hold nothing but admiration for our President and how he is trying to change Washington. But as he asks the Washington network to give up business as usual, we should also give up our destructive routines. This is the Great American Renaissance. You will either be part of the problem or part of the solution, so slow down, eat smart, exercise, speak kindly, talk to the elderly, and live simply. Quality has always trumped quantity.
Here is a better way to address the failing housing market. The government opens up a new hosing department. One that is understood to have a hopefully temporary life span. This new agency will negotiate a new value for the home. The new housing authority will then buy the house from the bank for whatever “payoff” is. They get their money back. If they had planned on that interest coming in, they are no different then the home buyer who though he would be employed and healthy for 30 yrs. “You guessed wrong. Here is your consolation prize, your money back.”
People who sign onto these programs are relinquishing the ownership of the house. The difference between the payoff value and the newly negotiated market price becomes a debt to the participant. Strict limits would be placed on their ability to hold credit. The ex-homeowner has proven by their situation that they do not grasp the risk of credit. A 5% increase in their taxes will be asses in order to pay off the remaining balance.
I had worked for nearly 50 years, starting with pumping gas when I was 14. I paid my way through engineering school. Worked my way up to what you'd call middle management, before I semi-retired this year. My wife and I raised our children, put them through college, and they are productive, good citizens now. While we scrimped early on, going pay check to paycheck, other than a mortgage, we never carried debt. Paying off the mortgage was one of my pre-retirement goals, and we managed to do so. Mind you, we've lived in our house since 1980, the only thing flipping since then were hamburgers on the backyard barbeque. My pension is reasonable, we have no debts, we've done all the right and responsible things, and now I am starting to feel like a sucker! You might ask why?
Because I will be paying off the debts of irresponsible consumers and the salaries of high paid financiers. I will be getting no tax breaks, while Washington is creating them for those who want to borrow, and live beyond their means once again. My biggest uncertainty is not about the Dow Jones, not about housing prices. It is about taxes and inflation.
What is currently going on is eventually going to have to be paid for, either by more taxes or by inflation. Maybe it will be creatively deferred until past my time. But we have also gifted our children with the "responsible gene". If Washington doesn't get me, then it will make suckers of our children. Social conscience is OK by me. Helping those in need is also. But throwing my tax dollars at greedy crooks, greedy idiots (lenders and borrowers) and adding more pork to wasteful programs and pet rocks is not.
President Obama, perhaps this is not the story you wanted to hear, but it is a real, true, and American story. Thank you for your time.
We cannot be surprised that the Republicans distance themselves from the stimulus proposals brought forth by a Democrat Congress and a Democratic President when it is of no political benefit to Republicans to vote for these proposals.
We have the next two years to make credible progress in correcting the economic disaster brought to us by the eight years of Bush's laissez faire economics and distrust of government regulation. That is enough and more. It is well marked out, now, the divide between us and them, for all to see. They have voted no, voted to sit on their hands while we commit to extraordinary spending by government to put people and projects into motion. Now it is up to us to make sure that the promises and the expenditures become a workable reality. If it works, we will win the Congressional elections two years from now in record fashion.
Whether it works or not, they will continue to chant that all we had to do was lower taxes on those who produce jobs and the great trickle down will create a tide that will raise all boats and bring America back to glory and prosperity.
We have to watch the spending of all this stimulus money and make sure that it gets moving and gets to where it is supposed to go as soon as it can. There will be a lot of obfuscation, a lot of bureaucratic waffling, a lot of waste, a lot of wrongdoing, but it can be done right if we, the people, the interested, the concerned, the stakeholders, keep on watching, keep on pushing. Ignore the criticisms about nationalizing the economy. Ignore the pundits who claim that most of the money won't even be spent for the next two years, but don't ignore your responsibility to watch this process like a hawk, and when it seems to be going wrong, to stand up and say it loud and often.
In a seminar last week we considered that context is decisive. The election and inauguration of President Barack Obama represents an enormous, worldwide shift in context. What was not possible before Obama, in a context of division, blame, violence arrogance and ignorance, became possible in the new context of unity, hope, responsibility, opportunity, humility, tolerance and intelligence. A world that works - communities, schools, governments, economies, etc. - is now possible. Peace is now possible. What created this shift in context? Simply that we said so, and continue to say so, inspired by, represented by, and in support of President Barack Obama.
There's a movement of citizens inspired by the presidential campaign who are now submitting ideas for how they think the Obama Administration should change America. It's called "Ideas for Change in America." See the latest idea for a 21st Century STD and HIV/AIDS Intervention Cure called, S.A.V.I.O.R.
Greetings all and thank you for reading this blog. At this time we are creating an event we hope many will come to participate in. We have been fortunate enough to secure a facility for 150 people to have seats but we can squeeze a few extra into the space if needed. We have noticed many of the small gatherings can facilitate perhaps 20 persons, and they have been turning people away. Now we have the space for meaningful numbers, so if you are in the Portland area, then come on and sign up for the event.
As our soon to be President said, we have the person in the White House to facilitate change, but we still need the people to make it happen. He cannot do it himself, and we all know how Congress and the Senate are rife with special interests and agendas for the status quo. Change HAS to come from US. We have to be prepared to voice our desire for change from the grass roots level. We HAVE to participate in this change, instead of leaving it for others to do for us. We have to be ready to let the career politicians who would stand for the ststus quo, know that we will not stand for obstruction to the plan we are developing here in the trenches of our neighborhoods.
On November 4, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama issued a challenge to every citizen of the United States. In a world of hope, his message will be answered by those beyond the barrier of borders or the positions of the past.
Barack Obama said,
"This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States on November 27. I invite every one of you to find a reason to give thanks and share it with another person. I encourage you to reach out to others in your family and community so that no one will be lost or alone for at least this one day. Individual acts of caring and kindness do not require government programs, formal organizations, or economic stimuli.
I challenge you to act NOW!
p.s. pass this message along, thanks.
I am 45 years old. I can remember being taught about fallout shelters in grade school, of what to do during a nuclear attack. I remember the fear even we children felt... how at times when we looked up at the night sky, it wasn't to see the stars, but rather, to wonder what it would be like to see the bombs falling. Our world seemed built on fear, as daily the newscasters covered the latest rounds of bull-chested huffing between us and the Soviets... we all sensed the hair-trigger we lived under, how our world might end because of the pride, the temper, or the paranoia of a tiny handful of men.
I also remember the things that gave us hope in that time of darkness: the space program encouraged us to work together... to have hope... to think that their might be a future after all, so what did we want it to be like? I remember my Dad calling me into the living room to watch, live, our first steps on the moon. The sight filled me with such joy: not just for the accomplishment it was (and in the face of those who'd said "Impossible!"), but more importantly, because it was a very powerful symbol of Hope.
Then came Watergate, and the turning of the Viet Nam war. Up until that time, while we had, indeed, had many dishonorable presidents, none had ever accumulated such widespread public scandal. The nation's attitude toward presidents, and politics in general, changed at that time.
I've watched over the years as this attitude continued to grow... and the attitude was, "In general, politicians are crooks and liars and power-hungry people." Soon, things that had been unthinkable were common practice, especially in the media: they went from portraying Gerald Ford as a clumsy buffoon, to worse things... to the point that, in the realm of political coverage, our media became nothing more than National Enquirer reporters: All the Scandals, All the Time.
People began picking apart political figures in the most minute detail, and fanning the flames of infamy over every little fault and flaw they could find. We, ourselves, with our hunger for gossip and scandal, fed the beast. We gave them ratings, we gave them reactions... and the beast fed us in turn, digging ever deeper, turning minor flaws into major scandals, taking the focus away from what a political figure actually did in office, and turning it toward what they ate, how they dressed, who they screwed, what tv they watch, their latest hemorrhoid.
And as this grew, fewer and fewer people of honor and ability wanted to run, much less hold office, under this microscopic scrutiny of themselves, their families, their daily lives, their past personal mistakes. Frankly, we grew abusive, we became gossip bottom feeders... and we got what was coming to us: a political system that grew more corrupt by the hour, one that "dumbed us down" and took pains to make us feel powerless. We consumed propeganda like candy, and rejected the few honest facts out there like they were brussel sprouts.
Corporate lobbyists saw the opportunity for a much grander playing field, and seized it. They ran with the ball, helping to feed the idea that we can do nothing to change things, that "they" are too big, too powerful, that the system is "too corrupt," that all of us are "the little guy."
Tonight, November 4, 2008, marks a change in all that. Somehow, an honorable, responsible, dedicated, honest, and capable person decided to do his part to do something about what our country's politics have become... and by some miracle and a lot of hard work, he won. But as President-Elect Obama stated in his acceptance speech [paraphrased]: The real work is now beginning. This election didn't change or fix anything that's wrong with this country---it merely gave us the opening in that once-locked doorway, to do so.
It will not happen overnight. We have a long haul ahead of us. He will make mistakes. So will we. My question is, will we, as a people and as individuals, do what he is committed to doing? Will we see where we are going wrong, acknowledge it, and step onto a different path to try to fix our errors? Will we become responsible human beings? Will we carry into tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, the knowledge that we CAN create change, we CAN make a difference... or will we act like children who, once they get their treat, stop doing the good work and good behavior with which they earned it? Will we go back to believing we can't make a difference, that what we say or do doesn't matter, that the opposition is too big and too powerful? Will we eagerly seek out, discuss at watercoolers and online, whatever personal details the media drag into the public light on Obama and his family as if they were the most important thing in the world? Will we continue dismissing the rest of the world as "unimportant"? Will we CARE? Will we WORK? Will we take RESPONSIBILITY for our own parts in what has happened, and in what NEEDS to happen? Will we continue to carp at each other while the house burns down... or will we reach out to one another and try to put out the fire TOGETHER?
Obama has opened the door. He stands there, holding it open for us... but it's up to US to walk through it, and keep walking, no matter how hard the struggle may be.
Will YOU?
This is indeed a historic election, and for reasons more significant than its being the longest and costliest in U.S. history. Underlying it all is the almost palpable sense that after decades of abuse, we -- the people of the United States -- are reasserting our fundamental right to power. The pendulum, which swung to the Right -- and shifted the balance of wealth and power to the top -- with the election of Ronald Reagan, has begun to swing in a more liberating direction.
may this day bring us peace and comfort..may we all reach out across the nation..extend our arms, hands, hearts and minds...to create hope, responsibility..and change for each of us..our children and our neighbors..we can and will make change....take the step...hug the hope!
in surging hope wrapped in peace,
join hands now!
ariel
In tonight's closing of the presidential debate Senator Obama said three words that we very infrequently hear from our leaders; "Sacrifice Service & Responsibility".
If anyone has had any reservations about Senator Obama's "presidential" characteristics, his call for America to take some responsibility for itself should seriously put those reservations to rest.
It is rare to ever hear from a politician that we can't have our cake and eat it too. It's almost unheard of to hear those sentiments in the throes of a financial crisis and a national election only weeks away!
I keep thinking about the American people that bought houses that they KNEW they couldn't afford. (if something looks too good to be true; it probably is) Is that a popular thing to say? no. But, there really is something to be said for personal responsibility. Having said that; those homeowners have already paid for their greed by losing those homes. They paid for their mistake. According to Sen. Pelosi; Congress is blameless in this mess. The one that whipped up the Bill that DE-REGULATED the Banks in the first place(Gramm-Leach-Blily Act of 1999) is the CURRENT Financial ADVISOR for Sen. John McCain! So, apparently, they are blameless in this mess too. Has Wall Street or the Government paid for their perfidy? no.
Please check out this link for an idea that might work for the Banks, Government AND Taxpayers!
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1843659,00.html?iid=digg_share
(hint)The American taxpayer might look more kindly on a financial bailout of this mess if it is WE who get the benefits and the ones who put us in this hole are actually punished!
