The Day After...

So crisis averted...at least for now. With a stroke of their magic wands the powers that be kept the government open and agreed to a record 38 billion in spending cuts for the 2011 fiscal year (of which we are halfway through). This is 22 billion less than what was originally passed by the Republican House. But what's a few billion here or there when the deficit is in the trillions. These people act like they are playing with monopoly money and we are just 300 million pieces on a board.

Why? Because we allow them, we the people roll over and accept the slop given to us and smile. At the local level and in our communities we are saddled with ineffective and inefficiency. Latest reports on spending from BP oil spill funds revealed spending on items that have nothing to do with the clean up. In Arizona state officials complain of health care reform sending people to the "Death Panel" while cutting several families who needed organ transplants from medicaid. Arizona is the same state that has been using state funds to fight the injunction against its law requiring suspected immigrants show proof of status. It is the same state that has tried to ban multicultural education. After such long strides to get a piece of the pie...to establish that which is our own place in the sun we are here in a place with coded language run amok. We have Mississippi which may give permission to the creation of a license plate for Nathan Bedford Forest aka the first Grand Wizard of the KKK. Mississippi is the same state where over 40% of Republican voters believe miscegenation should be illegal.

So what does this have to do with anything? Things are not new...we have been here before. We have just forgotten and lost our way. Once upon a time we did more with a whole lot less. We knuckled down and understood what it took to get ahead.  The world around us is going crazy and we are busy twiddling our thumbs.  It is time to take a stand and demand better from those around us. To hold people accountable for what they are supposed to do...instead of allowing them to sit around scratching their heads wondering which way is up. We must hold ourselves and our inner circle, and our children to a higher level. That is the only way we will push through this phase of ridiculousness. Across ideological lines, religious views, and race/gender/sexuality we all want the same basic things. It is our commonality that bonds us together and will strengthen our efforts to move ahead. Stop allowing the powers that be use divide and conquer strategies to subjugate us to our particular points in life. Time for us to break through...we've done it before.

A People Divided Will Never Be Defeated

Words long past that resound loudly today...we have spent so much time over the last decade being divided by partisan debates over pennies while those in power have pulled the wool over our eyes. They have passed laws that have benefited us in some respects, but have mainly solidified 1)their power base and 2) their personal wealth. On the brink of a government showdown, the last which was caused do to a personal hissy fit of a former speaker of the house, we are shown exactly how little those who we have elected to represent us really do not care. They do not care if big corporations ship jobs overseas while paying fewer and fewer dollars in taxes each year. They do not care if our schools continue underfunded, if our children go off to fight to protect their oil shares.  They do not care if 800,000 workers are left without pay while they have ideological debates. It is We the People, not they the overpaid elected officials. Both parties should be ashamed of themselves, acting like 3 year olds fighting over toys in the sand box. Please do not be fooled, what is happening and will continue to happen is not about protecting our future or cutting spending. In reality they are debating over things that are a small percentage of our actual debt. We need to get back to the old ways of helping ourselves and our communities. We cannot rely on any of them, regardless of the (D) (R) or (I) behind their name to look out for our interest. Do not be mislead into the blame game...pointing fingers has gotten us no where fast. It is time for real people with real solutions to take our country back, not from each other, but from the pompous leadership that is out of touch with the people. The people are watching...and we do not like what we see.

Divide and conquer is the oldest trick in the book....they are robbing us all blind. Stop the madness and demand better from our elected officials....ALL OF THEM!!!