A sad day for America.........

Ted kennedy passed away this week. Character, integrity, loyalty, selflessness these are all atributes we use describe this wonderful public servant. For over 47 years he represented his state in congress. Always loyal, always acting in the best interest of this country. We will miss you, we are stronger because of you, we are better because of the example you gave us.

The test of progress........

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
— Franklin D. Roosevelt

Wages have become stagnant for most Americans, the cost of living, health-care, groceries, gas all of these have gone up at astronomical rates but the income of most blue collar workers is stationary. Now that millions of jobs have been lost then millions of workers will have to start out all over again in climbing the workforce ladder, it is expected to take an entire generation for average Americans to get back the financial status we had prior to the present melt down. While this is happening we are seeing the rich become not just wealthier but we have seen liquidity than any other time in our country....are we truely progressing in our society? I think not....until the average American takes back control of our goverment, our economy and accepts responsability to rebuild this country to its once great status we will again be sliding down the hill instead of up the hill.....

Missing the point...

After watching weeks of the health care debate on television and on the internet I have come to the conclusion that those arguing for or against have missed the point. Their are so many discussions about what the bill is or is not that everyone has forgotten what the intent of the bill is. To save money! for everyone, the hospitals, the doctors, the patients, the insurance companies etc. How, by creating competition, by leveling cost, by eliminating waste and by insuring those which flood our emergency rooms because they do not have health insurance. We are so got up in these tangents that we are failing to see the goal, to stop the growth of this beast which is eating up all our money and destroying our future, lets get our eye back on the ball!

Yes we can.......

The people of this country are pretty beaten down right now. Pessamism is at an all time hight when it comes to jobs, homes and our goverment. But although we are small we are great when we bind together, although we are poor we are rich in ideas and creativity to recreate this country and though goverment may not listen to our deafening voice we have the power not in sinularity but as a nation to change the face of our capital. Yes we can change this country........and yes we will.

crossing the line........

it breaks my heart to see people disgracing our country by comparing our president to Hitler. people have gone to far in this public debate over healthcare reform. Their has to be a line which we do not cross. So many of our veterans have fought and died to defend this country, so many of our citizens have been touched by the terror of a dictator. In this public debate we have to remember that the freedom which we enjoy comes with responsability too. We are free to express our opinions and contribute to the debate to make our country a better place to live, and it is this debate which makes us stronger, but we are to respect one anothers ethnicity, social status and individuality. The anti-senatism in our society has gotten out of control as the disrespect for one another. Its time that we come together as a society and had civil debates about how we can make this country a better place to be.

Is healthcare a right ........

What is the biggest argument in the debate for healthcare for all Americans? Some say the quality healthcare is not a right, and that just because someone is an American they should not have access to the best healthcare possable if they cannot afford it. What individual who needs a heart for their child, or specialized surgery for a spouse, would not sell everything they have to provide the money necessary for this care. If you are rich, or have insurance, then this is not a concern. Yes, your insurance may have life time limits, but you at least can get the access. Many Americans do not have access, are treated inferior, are sent from doctors offices and hospitals without the medications, and care they need to survive. It is time that the greatest country on earth supplies equal care for all its citizens......liberty and healtcare for all.

Bitter August.....

August is turning out to be a battle ground month for the country. We are torn apart by the healthcare reform bill, market tort, and tax reform. The sad thing in this battle that we have lost our ability to reason together what is best for the country and the American people. We must come together in this effort to make these issues better for all Americans rather than just a few.

Finally some hope for student loans.....

There is a petition being signed and sent to the white house to encourage legislation which would forgive student loans for anyone making less than 150 thousand dollars a year. Proponents state that it would boost the American economy and help out the blue collar worker burdened under all these student loans......great idea..........hope it passes

Conservative blow up.........

Conservatives are making a big mistake not controlling their constituients but rather feeding the fire on healthcare reform. So much erroneous information is being disseminated by the GOP to defeat healthcare reform. Their mistake, Americans are internet savy now, the truth will come out, and they may even lose more seats in congress in 2010.

When does a debate become.......a fight

The healthcare reform debate has been just that for decades within our country. We have been able as citizens to disagree with the nature of the reforms, who pays, who gets coverage, and how it is provided. we have been able to keep our personal attacks, our children, our faith out of the debate in respect one for another. Something has changed in our country now, people are carrying guns to town hall meetings, people are slandering our president, they are even bringing the presidents children into the argument. It is time that we clean our act up America, and started acting like the civilized society that we are.

More Banks closing.......AIG turns profit

Three more small banks were shut down this week two in Florida and one in Oregon bringing this years talley to 72 for 2009. When I got out of the military I worked as a milkman for a while, I worked the rural route with a lot of country stores, family owned mom and pop type places where locals could go get a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread, etc. As time passed I never will forget what my route manager said to me one day, "these guys can't compete with the class C's, enjoy them while they last". What is a class C store, Wal-Mart. And he was right, as time passed by all those stores that I worked for years shut down, got put out of business or got bought out, stores which had been open for decades. Why because their prices could not keep up with the competition, the power of the conglomerate. It impacted those small communities, jobs were lost, convience was lost, a part of the communities was lost. I see it now in our banks, all these small town local banks are failing, because they cannot compete with the big dogs. If the playing field is equal then no problem, but if the big banks are getting all the bail out money, the federal assistance, then who is looking out for the little guys. It will change our communitys, our lives for a long time. Is the decline of the small town bank the death of the small town, only the future will tell.

what happened to respect........

Glenn Beck was on TV today with a little sketch of how he would like to poison Representativ Pelosi. This woman is an elected official who resides over the house of representatives! Has he lost his mine, do we no longer have any morals or values in our country which respect the offices of our elected officials! Beck has day after day provoked Conservatives to protest and town hall meetings and disrupt health care reform information sessions held by state representatives. What gives him the right to use his air time to destroy everyone elses opportunity to constructively discuss the future of our country. This guy does not want a debate, he does not want to work things out he is just tee'd off that his side did not win in the last election so he is going to cry, stomp and mess everything up for everyone else in this country! I got one thing to say about that........grow up

We the people.........

"We the people".........wasn't it a novel idea........"in order to form a more perfect union"..........there is even comments about "justice" and "tranquility"................what has happened to the oath that our goverment officials take.........to protect the constitution.........to do what is right for the people........people has been replace by corporations..........perfect union has turned into perfect balance sheet.......and justice is no longer blind...............and the only tranquility you are going to get if you are a blue collar like me is with a miller light.........and monday night football...............

Fear........the new weapon against the poor

Reading an article today about how the elderly are afraid that the goverment is going to encourage their doctors to push euthansia on them. How that the goverment is so desperate that it wants the elderly to die younger so they can save money. Special interest groups are stating that the goverment wants to tax the already burdened middle class. Global warming is destroying our world but our kids do not get enough sunshine! Fear.....a powerful tool which whether informed or not causes people to think and react irrationally. A wise man once said "we have nothing to fear......but fear itself"...........what happened to that school of thought.

Supply is up.....demand is down.......shouldn't prices be too!

Dairy farmers are producing milk today at record levels but their profits are going down and for the first time in several years the USDA is having to support the prices for farmers. Gasoline stockpiles are up and crude oil storage farms are full but gas prices are not down. What has happened to the old addage of supply and demand? Shouldn't prices of milk be going down for the consumer if supply is up and demand is down, a gallon of milk is on average $4 a gallon but farmers are only recieving $1.50 of that. What is happening, is the American consumer being taken advantage of again? Crude oil storage facilities are at capacity, we are using less gas this summer and yet the rice is no going down? What is going on here? The same thing that happened to Wal-street, the middle man, the hedgers, these are the ones manipulating the market. Farmers may be making on $1.5 a gallon but don't think its the store owner, on average most stores only make .25 to .50 on a gallon of milk. It is the distributer, you know their brand names, they are the ones working both sides. Giving the farmer barely enough to survive and sticking it to the consumer but yet making a fortune in the middle. The rules of the game have changed for the American consumer, we could watch the markets, watch supply and demand and predict what will be impacting our lives, not anymore. these hedgers, market and comodity risk takers are manipulating the nations supply and demand of consumer goods and its time we done something about it before we can no longer afford to drive our cars or drink a glass of milk.