Questions:
- Why haven't we mobilized every asset to the gulf to contain and clean up the spill?
- Why did we deny foreign help when offered more than 2 months ago?
- Why are we making the entire region pay for political games?
- Why are we loaning 2 billion dollars to Brazil's nationalized oil company?
I could go on and on... but why? The simple answer is "POLITICS".
We can pay 10 times the cost of the last census, but cannot get out-of-work Gulf companies work in the clean up process... Come on! Unemployment is incredibly high, the private sector is NOT adding jobs and we are placing a moratorium on all drilling until we figure out what happened? at 10 times the depth of the moratorium no less?
We can put 400,000 people to work counting people, calling people and keeping our government growing, but we cannot mobilize as a country to stop killing the Gulf of Mexico? 1/3 of the gulf has a fishing ban right now!
The broken blow-out preventer and stopping the spill is one thing... the most important thing... so we stop the spill from getting larger... but please for just one minute think about all the oil that HAS NOT BEEN CAPTURED... What are we doing to get that cleaned up? Are we doing enough?
Just because the oil is miles away does not mean it is not doing damage... Just because Louisiana doesn't carry the political weight Florida does NOT mean we can ignore this until it is hitting our shores...
Ask yourself this question: IF the spill was off the Florida Keys, would we be dealing with it better Mr. Obama?
Tonight will be an interesting night. The President of the United States will be addressing both houses of Congress and the citizens about how the past year has gone and what is next for our country. Over the past year, we have seen a movement by ordinary citizens to express real concerns about the direction of our country. This movement has led to dropping numbers for our Preseident and his policies.
Most recently, the President's Health Care initiative has been stopped in its tracks because of concerns about its costs and what it will do to those Americans that already approve of their health coverage. The failed attempts to just push the health care bill through either house of Congress has created enormous questions about how one segment of citizens can receive preferential treatment with respect to an aspect of the bill; namely the exclusion of certain union employees that would not be required to pay a tax on their coverage when another non-union employee may have the same coverage and be expected to pay the tax. It is this special dealings and favoritism that has gotten the President in a no win position.
If the Preseident states that he will be looking to move back towards governing from the center, people will not believe it until he proves that through changes in his policies. If he talks about all that has been accomplished, none of which is tangible to the people. How can you measure a "saved job"? He has not gotten any of his major initiatives through except the Economic Recovery Plan. With only this to show for, the only thing he has to look back on is the $1.2 trillion of debt he has added. So what should the President say a this address?
Right now the President just needs to stem the tide of his dropping poll numbers. If he is unable to regain favorability with a majority of Americans, he is staring at a mid-term election that will dictate back to him what policies the American people will want congress to work on. So my advise for him is this; be humble Mr President. Do not speak of lofty goals and stuff that appears pie in the sky for most people. You need to get down to the process of governing and not appearing before a camera to bash a network or say how we need to cut green house gases and blather on about the "Green Economy".
Give people what they want Mr. President, real tanglable change. Maybe even start with yourself first. This way, we the people can actually see deeds and not just words. We want to see our elected officials live our lives and not that of an intellectual speaking down to us. We have always been resourceful, resilient and we will also persevere no matter what government does or does not do for us. We are the fabric of the country and we will always be. But becareful of how you treat us, because will take back what is truly ours.
Here's to a brighter American future, regardless of who thinks they are leading this country.
The HealthCare Reform Politicians are basically asking ask to start paying for things now... Practically "the day it passes"... For something that doesn't kick in for years... How can that even be something we are considering?
Hey Joe, start paying for this car you want to drive 3 years before you get the keys... and by the way, a portion of your payment is going for the 3 people who want to drive cars too... You wont be able to do anything but DREAM about your car for a few years, but hey... You can feel safe and assured that your car will be delivered to your door... and your neighbor's doors... as soon as we can save enough money to build the car, insure everyone can have the same car and oh by the way... politicians drive something you can never own under this plan....
NOW THAT IS CHANGE! Thanks Mr. Obama, Nancy, Harry and the gang... I now know what 1970's East Germans felt like when they "ordered" their cars... You get what you get and be happy you get it, when you get it...
Are you seriously going to sit back and let OUR elected officials do this to us? Taxes aside, this thing doesn't do ANYTHING for years and they expect us to pay for it NOW!
I am for fixing the waste and abuse of our government run programs... That is CHANGE I BELIEVE IN... Getting our spending under control and living within our budget...
The government cannot run even simple programs well, as I have pointed out before in other posts here. HOW can they be expected to run 1/6th of our economy this way? The number will be "neutral" if we are paying for it for years before ANYTHING is applied... Hell, the numbers will be great year 1, 2 or 3 until the programs start kicking in... THEN we will be faced with more waste and abuse...
Odd too is the fact that we are pushing so HARD for something that really doesn't do ANYTHING but cost us money until after the OBAMA re-election campaign of 2012... Passing this now and asking us to start paying for it NOW, but not getting ANYTHING in return for years is WRONG on so many levels.
Come on people, smell the crap being pushed here...
ANYONE who votes for this is SLAPPING YOU in the face and wallet and saying "What are you gonna do now?"
If this bill gets passed, let alone using some simple majority "hack" we had better all get our VOTE and use it to fix this mess...
Term Limits, Forced Budget Compliance and a Third Party are looking better every day!
From the Wall Street Journal:
"WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators are considering whether the government should take greater control of the Internet and ask consumers to pay higher phone charges in order to provide all Americans with cheaper access to broadband Internet service."
Are you kidding me?
Don't get me wrong, I have broadband, and I pay for it... My parents have Satellite because they live at the edge of nowhere... and my neighbor is on dialup still...
But RAISE my rates so that EVERYONE can get Internet access? Even those who "hate those damn computers"! You have got to be kidding me!
The Internet is just as important as electricity was is one of my favorites from this article... Come on Amy Schtaz... The proposals have "sparked criticism" is a bit of an understatement don't you think?
Government Control of the Internet is about as good as let's see:
- Post Office - Failing, can't control costs and workers are, well, prone to workplace violence and running out of money
- Social Security - Running out of money, but taking from everyone
- Medicare/Medicaid - 10 times the amount we were told it would cost, getting ripped off left and right and ummm running out of money
- Tarp - OH MY GOSH, is that working out well
- Stimulus - Created or saved jobs in places that DONT EVEN EXIST! Unemployment was supposed to top out at 8% IF we acted NOW, How is that working for you?
- HealthCare - 2,000 pages of more CRAP to pile on top of what needs to really be fixed
- Cash For Clunkers - Miss managed, ran out of funds in "weeks", needed more and guess what the biggest trade in was? Truck for newer Truck! Are you freakin kidding me!
Now you want to get into the Internet?
Someone needs to take a step back and look at what the heck Washington is trying to do... WE ARE OUT OF MONEY PEOPLE! We are not living on a budget, we are spending more than we make and we are going to go BANKRUPT!
Stop the madness!
If you want to read Amy's article,
click here...
This morning I had occasion to celebrate Veteran’s Day slightly different than I had in the past. I do mark this occasion with thoughts of people I have served with, those lost in battle and those currently serving, but today I was invited to an event at my children’s school to mark the day.
I met many Veterans from every branch of service; A POW from the very end of World War II, a few Vietnam era soldiers and some who have served in various capacities in their lifetimes. We had breakfast together, shared stories of those fallen that the media has forgotten, those friends we will always share a bond with and answered questions from our children about war, service and what it all means, not only to us, but to them.
It has been 19 years since active duty, supporting our nation against all enemies foreign and domestic. But today many of those emotions came to the surface and I wanted to share some of those with all of you today.
Here are a few things that I came away with today:
- Many wear the uniform for different reasons, but all share a bond
- Some love their country all the way to their core and some don’t
- Some see the flag and tingle with respect and reverence and others don’t
- Some see this military service as their greatest self-less act and other do not
- Some tear up when thinking or talking about the fallen, while others do not
- Some would sacrifice all while others would sacrifice nothing more than the time
- Some made life-long friends while others just marked time
- Some take their oath as a moral, spiritual commitment while others see it as nothing more than a contract
- Some see freedom as something worth fighting for, while others take it for granted
- Some mark today as an honorable day, while others live every day like Veteran’s Day
However you fall into the list above, it is your right and I respect that. That is the true nature of a Veteran in my opinion. We served so that our children and the people of our nation HAVE freedom, however they elect to apply it. This is also one of the things that make America… well America… We are a nation built on principles that few nations in the world really dedicate themselves to. This nation has survived this long on the values that we all share and the diversity that we promote in our lives.
I tend to get into some fairly political posts here, because I am passionate about freedom and my country. We have all earned the right to express ourselves and even disagree. I try to teach my children the values that I believe will help them cope as they deal with life. When they see an old soldier get all choked up over a story, to understand why. When they see someone like the POW today, ask questions and understand. When they see the news filled with war, conflict and tragic events like this past week, understand WHY it is important to them.
I happen to love my country, proudly reflect on my service to give everyone the right to freedoms that they can take for granted if they wish. I look at today as a day to reflect and thank those that the media has forgotten about, that don’t make the news anymore. I will thank those that came before me today out of respect, I will remember those I cannot personally thank and hope they are well and I will respect those who choose to follow this honorable path now and in the future, because that is what I believe an American should do EVERYDAY.
To our Commander In Chief I say this: Today is NOT about politics… Today is about your troops, past, present and future… Value their commitments more than any political action group, agenda or issue and YOU will be remembered in history as a fair and just leader. Our government was charged with providing the common defense of our citizens and in my opinion, that is the most important role our government plays in our lives.
I have followed many great leaders in my life and many have followed me. The one common thread has been a that you lead by example, being fair and just, with no agenda other than taking care of your people first. I learned that lesson a long time ago when I first swore my oath to serve. I have applied that throughout my life and use that guiding principle in how I conduct myself both at work and at play. What we choose do when nobody is watching or when it is NOT a special circumstance is what makes us who we are. I care more for the people that place their trust in me, than I do for myself at times because I know how hard that trust can be to give. I hope that my character, my service to this country and to freedom is why people look to me. It molded and created me, the good and the bad.
If you do nothing more today than read this, please… Thank a veteran for their service… a total stranger, someone you know, or someone you meet out and about… Then, try it again tomorrow… and the next day… and the next…
God bless our troops, the families who support them and miss them and you, for taking time to read today about something so important to me…