Congress does not seem to be able to get out of the way of itself. Both sides seemed to be doing politics as usual. The Democrats now think it is their turn. After several years of being shut out of offering the programs they believe would be beneficial it seems like they are trying to put many of them in one bill.
Lest you think this only occurs with the Democrats in power it only takes a short trip in history. When the Republicans were in power they shoved anything they could through over the Democrats with the president merrily signing the legislation. Remember, that is how we got in this mess. The difference is at that time, the public wasn't paying as much attention because we were not in one of the worst financial crisis' of our time. Now we are.
The problem is that this President is wanting to have compromise as part of the new Washington. It doesn't seem to be working. After putting in compromise tax cuts into the stimulus package the Republicans don't think it is enough. They still want a Republican stimulus bill. To that end, they are shooting at the stimulus package with everything they have. Of course, the Democrats have put enough measures in the bill to shoot at.
My point is that I don't care how much time you spend on a bill, there will always be something in there that each representative doesn't like. A person can always find lines or provisions in the bill to make headlines. It is time to just get on with it and to pass something. Each day the economy goes more and more in the tank while Congress continues to add things and to shoot down things day after day.
The Republican party has decided it is going to be the "opposition party." It doesn't want to be seen as weak if they compromise. Get over it! Do something for the overall good of the country and not your self interest. I am not sure that is possible. After all what can you expect from a scorpion. It is their nature.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Where did Obama go wrong?
Where did Obama go wrong? Here you have an individual who rose from a family that went through 2 divorces, raised by a single mother and then by his grandparents, that went on to higher education. Obama "pulled himself up by the bootstraps." He ended up taking out loans to go to college and then more college. He rose to become president of the Harvard Law Review. By all accounts he should have been a poster child for Republicans. So where did he go wrong?
Where did he go wrong? He did not choose to decide to make as much money for himself that he could possibly make. Surely, if he wanted to he could have risen equally as high in the corporate world. In the end, Obama chose not to pursue a corporate environment and gain personal wealth.
Instead, he chose to give back to his community. He chose to work in the needy neighborhoods of Chicago where he could help others reach higher. To assist others to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." How could he possibly choose to help the collective whole over just being out for himself? That's Un-American.
So there is where he went wrong. He became Un-American by not choosing his individual right to be selfish with his life. He chose to help others instead of focusing on just gaining personal wealth.
I am elated that more people are seeing the true values of being an American by doing service for the community and others. There is a Native American concept of, the gifts you have are not yours alone, but belong to the community. They are there to make the community a better place.
Gee, maybe we as a nation will see that as not going wrong, but going right.
Where did he go wrong? He did not choose to decide to make as much money for himself that he could possibly make. Surely, if he wanted to he could have risen equally as high in the corporate world. In the end, Obama chose not to pursue a corporate environment and gain personal wealth.
Instead, he chose to give back to his community. He chose to work in the needy neighborhoods of Chicago where he could help others reach higher. To assist others to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." How could he possibly choose to help the collective whole over just being out for himself? That's Un-American.
So there is where he went wrong. He became Un-American by not choosing his individual right to be selfish with his life. He chose to help others instead of focusing on just gaining personal wealth.
I am elated that more people are seeing the true values of being an American by doing service for the community and others. There is a Native American concept of, the gifts you have are not yours alone, but belong to the community. They are there to make the community a better place.
Gee, maybe we as a nation will see that as not going wrong, but going right.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sense of Hope
With the election of Barack Obama as our next president there is a sense of hope that I have. As I listen to Barack, his ability to articulate his thoughts and ideas are amazing. He seems like a genuine human being that has the capacity to listen. I see him as a person that is wanting to give the government back to the people. Let just briefly expound on those three points.
Barack has a command of the English language. When he talks, the sentences are part of a coherent train of thought that seem to roll off his tongue that invite the listener in to the way he views the world. Those view seems to have threads of common sense woven into their very fabric. It has taken us awhile, but we no longer have to cringe when our president is speaking in front of an audience.
The flip side of being able to speak coherently is the ability to listen. A good friend of mine once told me that true listening is the willingness to be influenced by another person. If I have already made up my mind before the other one speaks, not open to be influenced by the words they share with me, then I am not truly listening. Barack appears to be a very good listener which may be the reason why he doesn't jump to the podium every time a new crisis comes up. Instead, he listens to people around him before he comes to his conclusions.
I suspect that sooner or later he will change positions on various issues at which point he will be labeled a flip-flopper. Shouldn't we all be flip-floppers. Not just change our mind at a whim or for political expediency, but to change our mind when presented with new information. To change our minds after we listened to another person's point of view that allowed us a different insight. To often people refuse to change their mind even when presented with information that will contradict our original position. Yes, expect Barack to change his position on various issues because of his willingness to listen.
The last point is giving the government back to the people. His history as a community organizer will be great asset to him. At the heart of community organization is listening to the community and to help them create the community that they want, not what you want for them. It is to assist the community at the local level to determine how they want to make their community a better place. Community Organization will be allowed to flourish under this administration.
So it is with the election of Barack Obama that I have a sense of hope that we the people in the United States, will get back to what really are our core values, respect for all.
Barack has a command of the English language. When he talks, the sentences are part of a coherent train of thought that seem to roll off his tongue that invite the listener in to the way he views the world. Those view seems to have threads of common sense woven into their very fabric. It has taken us awhile, but we no longer have to cringe when our president is speaking in front of an audience.
The flip side of being able to speak coherently is the ability to listen. A good friend of mine once told me that true listening is the willingness to be influenced by another person. If I have already made up my mind before the other one speaks, not open to be influenced by the words they share with me, then I am not truly listening. Barack appears to be a very good listener which may be the reason why he doesn't jump to the podium every time a new crisis comes up. Instead, he listens to people around him before he comes to his conclusions.
I suspect that sooner or later he will change positions on various issues at which point he will be labeled a flip-flopper. Shouldn't we all be flip-floppers. Not just change our mind at a whim or for political expediency, but to change our mind when presented with new information. To change our minds after we listened to another person's point of view that allowed us a different insight. To often people refuse to change their mind even when presented with information that will contradict our original position. Yes, expect Barack to change his position on various issues because of his willingness to listen.
The last point is giving the government back to the people. His history as a community organizer will be great asset to him. At the heart of community organization is listening to the community and to help them create the community that they want, not what you want for them. It is to assist the community at the local level to determine how they want to make their community a better place. Community Organization will be allowed to flourish under this administration.
So it is with the election of Barack Obama that I have a sense of hope that we the people in the United States, will get back to what really are our core values, respect for all.
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