Occupy WallStreet, Is This The Beginning?

I completely admire the people that have taken over WallStreet in New York City and hope this spreads to other areas of the country. We should all be ready to support and back our fellow Americans in any way. They are taking the fight to the very people that have destroyed our economy and way of life. The financial barons that reside in their money lairs along Wall Street are going to face a reckoning soon. Remember in Egypt there was a small outcry, that continued to grow. Soon other countries throughout the Middle East were coming to grips with the hard lesson that when you take away people's hope, they will rise up, to take it back. Michael Moore raised the question, why are the people that are responsible for trillions of dollars being lost or stolen, not in jail, and yet the demonstrators who are fed up with this, are arrested for talking about it?  What a country!

Think about the sadness in a country, when one small group of greedy, lawless people can take retirement funds and destroy them. They strip hard working people of the value in their homes, that was being relied upon for retirement. They take lives and hope and throw them from the skyscrapers in New York and sit back with the self-satisfaction, they will get away with it all. To this point they have. That may change and if the American people have a voice they should raise it loud and clear, "The Wall Street Barons must go!"  What a country!

If it was not so sad it would be funny, but I read that Reebok has to pay $25 million dollars for falsely advertising their shoes, would shape your legs and firm up your butt. They have to pay for not fixing asses and the asses that destroyed our great nation's economy, do not have to pay anything. What a country!

Why Do We Have To Protect The Constitution?

The people that say they want the Constitution protected are the ones that are attacking it so hard. I stated the other day, the Constitution is not needed to protect the majority it is needed to protect the minority. People are homophobes, with their wanting to Constitutionally ban same sex marriage. What are the so afraid of. I have been married to a wonderful woman, Pat, for 35 years and if some people, who are of the same sex, want to get married and have legal rights, great. Why would I care? Does that diminish my marriage? Not in the least. We do not need a constitutional amendment to ban this, we just need people to understand that our Constitution, guarantees them the same rights as everyone else.

We want to drug test a group of people because they need government support, either in food stamps or money. Why, because they do not meet our expectations and have enough money to support themselves? Let's throw away the idea innocent until proven guilty. Drug test them all and the few that fail the test, throw them off  welfare. Again what about the Constitution protecting these people.

The last group that has drawn my attention is, Personhood, USA. This group of self righteous fools is pushing the idea that a fetus is a person at the time of fertilization. No concept that the child could not survive outside of the mothers womb, just they are a person at fertilization. Think about this carefully. They have or are attempting to get this on the ballot in all fifty states. Mississippi voters are going to have this on the primary ballot next year. One of the side thoughts is this could also make birth control pills illegal. Pills sometimes prevent the fertilized egg from implanting in the womb. So not only are they stopping a women's rights to choice, they are also stopping a women's rights to use the pill. One of my first thoughts are what are we going to do with all of the unwanted children. I understand that in a perfect world we would not have to use abortion for birth control. One way to reduce abortions is, not, by eliminating the pill.

What do these issues have in common? They are all assaults on the rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. They are all rights, that people who say they support the Constitution, want government to be smaller and have less influence in our daily lives, support taking away. In their minds the Constitution is only good if it fits their opinion. When it doesn't then we should change it. The Constitution is only as great as the people defending it. We all need to start being great and stop the narrow minded attacks on our country and our rights.

The Last Bigot Out Turn Off The Lights!

Are the bigots in this country for real? My only thought is that if freedom, for everyone is not to your liking, "Get the hell out!" That goes for all of the bigots, who believe that Islam is a religion of hate. The intolerant people that believe our President was only elected because he was black, or resent the fact that a black man was ever elected in the first place. The uncaring people that are under the false assumption that all unemployed persons or poor people are drug addicts or alcoholics. The uneducated, that feel letting someone die outside a hospital because they cannot pay for treatment. The thugs that harbor the belief that we should applaud when a governor sticks out his chest and proudly announces, "How I sleep like a baby", when talking about putting someone to death. Lastly, one of the most embarrassing moments in American history, when cowards, at a Republican debate, sit in anonymity, and boo one of our own soldiers for being gay.

The last one I would like to take an extra moment to address. The idea that a soldier who is sitting in harms way or any part of our military is booed because of their sexuality is moronic. I wish they could identify the people that reacted this way. I wonder if they would feel proud if we all knew who they were. Better yet why don't all the people that booed and anyone who supports them, grab a rifle and uniform and stand guard in some faraway post. Our vialant soldiers, straight or gay,  are willing to provide you the freedom to boo them, while you sit in your homes fully protected. During and after Vietnam, many of our military people were harassed by the public, when all they did was serve. This is no different. DADT is gone and I am glad that we stopped taking someones rights away. What makes America great is not how we protect the majority of our people, but how we protect the minorities. So to all of the bigots, and you know who you are, "America, love it or leave it" and when it comes to bigots I wish you all would leave it.

We Need To Invest In Education!

What is the best investment we, as a country, can make to ensure our future?  Education. There is nothing profound or revealing in this, it is simply the truth. For over forty years we have been sliding backwards in educating our children. They are the future for all of us. If you think that because you do not have children in school at this time you are no longer responsible for the public school system, you could not be more wrong. Our entire nation will either become irrelevant or we will regain our standing as the most powerful and affluent nation in the world. The choice is clear and simple. It will be determined by the path we take forward.

On one path there is the continuing downward spiral that we currently are on. We keep cutting the investments to our schools. We cut back on teachers. We reduce the money spent on technology in the classrooms. We can say no, to updated textbooks. We can shorten the hours that our children spend in the classrooms and even shorten the number of days they are in school to save our precious money. We will then be able to spend our future funds to build larger and more secure prisons. We will then, truly have, a welfare society. There will continue to be high unemployment. The cost and debt, to each of us will be staggering compared to the amount it is today. China and several other countries will streak passed us as they become the economic super powers of the world.

The other path is the one where we realize that prosperity for all Americans come at the price of investing in ourselves. We can pour the needed funds into our schools. Reward the best teachers and find a fair way to compensate them as the professionals they are. We should lead the way in technology in the public schools and ensure that each child has Internet access and the newest and fastest systems to learn on. We will give every child exposure to art, music, literature and make our young people not only competent in the core subjects, but see that they have a command of every part of their education. We will give the schools, administration and teachers all of the resources they need to accomplish this goal. Parents and others in the community will be available to assist in any way that we can to make sure each child, no matter where they live will reach their fullest potential. We will set the bar very high and then assist in placing our young people, not just at the bar, but over it. Everyone will be held accountable, from the parents, to the schools and teachers, to the administrators, to our local school boards, the state government and finally the federal government. We will teach our children to think, not just to some standardized test. They must be able to talk intelligently. Write and convey thought that are precise and insightful. Their math and science skills will be the best in the world. Their will be no stone left unturned until once again America  has the education system that everyone else looks to emulate. I would recommend that everyone go to www.educationnation.com and look at the seminars and discussions that are taking place this week in New York. It should inspire each of you to find out ways to help our children.

At this time everyone is focused on the budget and cutting services. Now is NOT the time to cut. It is time to invest. I am right about this and all you have to do is look at investors to see how they do this. They invest in down times. They look at the opportunities that are in front of them when we have an economic downturn and they snap up the bargains. This is our time to grab the bargains and invest in America. Is there any better investment in the world, then in ourselves? We all know the answer.

If You Support The Republicans, You Must Be Rich Or Stupid!

I certainly do not know any other way to say it. The President proposes a jobs bill and a way to pay for it and all I hear from John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell are about the tax increases. We really need to show the Republicans the front door and kick them out of office. They will cut benefits for the elderly, while they protect General Electric's 3.3 billion dollar refund check. They will not support giving our children an education, but they will make sure that Exxon gets to keep their corporate welfare. They will not help American citizens to have the opportunity to get a good paying job, and yet they will bail out the big financial services industry. The sad part of this, is that regular people are out their supporting them. WHY? Why would you vote for a politician that is doing nothing but helping big business and the wealthy elite? Why would you vote for a politician that will not support investing in America and the American people, by not passing a jobs bill that would put millions of people to work? Why would you vote for a politician that is willing to watch our country be destroyed because they want the political power? Again I ask, why? Either the American people are not as smart as I think they are, or they are bigoted and do not want a black person to be president, or they just don't give damn about our country. What ever the reason they need to get educated very quickly and do the right thing. Vote the Republicans out of office. Give the Democrats enough time to get things turned around and if they don't then we can throw them out. If we start and turn the politicians out of office enough, maybe they will start to work for us, the people!

My Take On 9-11.

I am sure everyone will either read a story or see a special on television, this weekend about 9-11. The pictures and the horror brought upon us all, are forever etched into the deepest furrows of our minds. What I would like us all to remember is the feelings we had on that fateful day, ten years ago. We were moved from disbelief, to being stunned, to sorrow, to anger and then back through each of those emotions over and over again. The one feeling I want all of your to remember, and the one I believe is most important is solidarity.

One September 11th, 2001 we were united. I am not a New Yorker, but I felt closer to my fellow Americans in New York then I ever did. I am not a Washingtonian, but as that plane slammed into the Pentagon, I wept with every other American citizen, as we realized the number of innocent lives lost on that day. Over the next several days, weeks, months and years that have followed we have all had time, to reflect on what happened to our country's people.

Why is it so important to go back and think about how close we were? That is what makes us Americans. It was the idea that whoever did this. Whoever participated in any way, we would not forget, but seek them out and destroy them. Some make think of this as revenge. It is, and when the word came that Bin Laden was dead, we all rejoiced. Yes, our citizens that were taken from us, will not return because we got Bin Laden, but we do know that he will never again plan and help carry out more terrorists plots in this world.

It is also important to remember that this is not the first and unfortunately probably not the last time we will come together in outpouring of grief and support. We are Americans. We rush to each others aid when any trouble or crisis arrives at our front door. Pearl Harbor, Chicago fire, San Francisco earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, tornadoes, wildfires, snow storms and any other catastrophes, nature made or man made will pull us together to fight on. This is what made us great and this is what we need to get back to. We need to stop bickering, have discussions and then move forward, as one united country. We have lost sight of the fact that we are one nation. If we continue to go after our own individual goals we will fail. If we remember to debate and then work together we will flourish and move upward to greater heights.

The first responders that rushed into the World Trade Center and eventual death did it because one of their fellow Americans needed help. The best way we could honor all who gave their lives, not only on 9-11, but at any point in our nations history, is to work together as one people. American citizens. Do they deserve anything less?

Just Pass The Bill!!!

I just listened to the President and I can only say to Congress, "Just Pass The Bill"! The President has laid out the basics for getting Americans back to work and if watching the Republicans sit on their hands is any indication we are in trouble. Mr. Obama has proposed some of the same items that Republicans have already floated out and yet when he stated his support for those areas of action the members on the right just sat there. Where is the enthusiasm for putting middle class people back to work? They stood when the President mentioned our veterans that cannot get jobs. They also were excited when he talked about regulations that he would look at scaling back, but when Mr. Obama talked about middle class tax cuts or benefits for us, they did their best imitation of a civil war statue. President Obama was correct on many things tonight, and maybe his most important statement was when we told Congress that the American people cannot wait fourteen months for action to come. We did not vote for Representatives to go into Washington and do nothing, and that is what this Congress has accomplished. NOTHING! I am going to contact Congressman Daniel Webster, from my district, Senator Bill Nelson and Senator Marco Rubio and let them know to, "Pass the Bill." Senator Nelson will support the President. Mr. Rubio and Mr. Webster will get an earful. They are too busy courting the Tea Party, to do anything that will help average Americans. I stopped listening to all of the media right after the President spoke so that my thoughts and opinions would not be influenced by them. I wanted to write while I still spoke for the average American. That is who I am and who most of the people I know are. We are middle America and we need to step up and be heard. As the President travels around the nation and talks to people about his plan we all need to contact our Congressional leaders and let them know where we stand. For once set aside your feelings about the politician and support the direction that will most benefit us. Do not allow your negative thoughts about President Obama, if you have any, influence your choice. Lose the complacency that has taken hold of the citizens of our great nation and stand. Stand with one voice. Make that voice loud and clear. Let every member in Congress know that the power in America is still  "We the People".