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Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I'm getting a little nervous about President Obama's stimulus plan. It
seems to be filled with a lot of big spending with no stimulus help in
sight. We do not need a working class tax rebate. $500 or $1000 to
American taxpayers will do very little to stimulate the economy. Former
President George W. Bush tried that last year and throughout his
administrations with no tangible success. I will be glad to take that
$500 tax rebate, but I really don't need it. My receiving a $500
government payout will do nothing to stimulate the economy. I won't even
spend it. It will go into my checking account to be spent on necessities,
not perks. Most Americans would probably do the same. A tax rebate is
proposed to stimulate PR, public relations for the current
administration. A real economic stimulus would be totally concerned with
growing jobs. That will stimulate the economy. People working or getting
back to work will stimulate the economy. Who or what grows jobs? The
wealthy, business grows jobs. Give the tax breaks to the businesses and
jobs will grow. The Republican point of view is correct on that
point. Americans need to get back to work. They need to make
livable wages. The American worker is the variable in this and every
economic recovery. Make the jobs, people will work and the economy will
thrive. I thought that President Obama was interested in change? Real
change would be to do the things in government that will produce
economic growth not necessarily growth in the political polls. And all
that irrelevant spending? An economic stimulus plan should contain no indiscriminate,
inappropriate governmental spending. Grow jobs, that is the answer to
our current economic problems. No more money to banks and other
financial institutions. Let the free market work. The financial credit
crunch and the housing mortgage problem were caused by creed and
corruption. Let the free market system do it's job. Grow jobs and the
American economy will improve.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Super Bowl XLIII is one week away. Go Steelers. Actually I don't even
follow the Steelers anymore. It's more of a family thing. I'm not
invested in any sports team to the extent that it makes a heck of a
difference to me one way or another. I enjoy the events, super bowl,
world series, etc. for the fun and excitement. I guess it's for the
entertainment value. I think the athletes make too much money as it is
and they are inappropriately glorified. After all, they play ball for
goodness sakes. Children do that much. However, I realize that sports
provide a vital and much needed outlet in the lives of children of all
ages. The competition, character building and comradery that organized
sports develop in young people affect the developmental processes of
maturation. I guess it's the importance and priority that adults
associate with sports that cause the problems, immediate and far
reaching. That be as it may, Super Bowl XLIII is Sunday. Go Steelers! I
watched a very moving and timely movie on Lifetime last night. Prayers
for Bobby, starring among others Sigourney Weaver,
was a contemporary look at the development of a Gay and Lesbian Rights
supporter. Bobby was the gay teen of Sigourney Weaver, who committed
suicide because he couldn't deal with being gay. More to the point, he
could not come to terms with the religious aspects of being gay. From
birth his strict religious conservative mother made a lifetime of
adhering to the literal interpretation of the Bible, condemning anyone
or anything that didn't conform. The lack of communication, openness of
ideas and unconditional acceptance in the family were the reasons for
Bobby's suicide. After his death, his mother started to question and
investigate the relationship between the literal interpretation of the
Bible and life in the 21st century. With much effort and close allies
she realized that the Bible was written thousands of years ago by men in
relation to the customs of the day. In other words, in the 21st century
life is different than that of thousands of years ago. More importantly
customs, the meaning of words and traditions are different. In any case,
she became a most ardent supporter of freedom for Gays and Lesbians.
This movie was based on a true story. In my opinion, love, respect, openness
and unconditional regard for all people are the most important
ingredients to a satisfying and successful life. I believe God loves all
people equally. Each person is
uniquely loved by God and must be loved by other people. In the end, it
is God who will determine the appropriateness of each of our lives. In
my way of thinking, civil rights protection is the same for Gays and
Lesbians as it is for African-Americans or any other minority or group
of people who are different. Each of us has the responsibility to ensure
the same civil rights are applied to all people. I take great pride in
being an Obama supporter because President Obama is committed to
ensuring civil rights protection to all people, even Gays and Lesbians.
This fight for civil rights must be fought in the political arena
because politics dictates governmental regulation and operation. Civil
rights must be guaranteed to all people.
It must be legally protected. The Obama administration is the most gay
friendly administration in history and thank God that it is. It is the
right thing to do.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
President Obama is on the job. It seemed liked the transition took
forever. Probably because this transition was one of the most active for
the president-elect due to the financial crisis. It has been one of the
most cordial by the then sitting president, former President Bush.
There's a ring to that, "Former President Bush." That sure
sounds good. George W. Bush in Texas and Barack H. Obama in the White
House, sounds good to me. The inauguration was awesome. It was all
inspiring to most Americans. Most, nearly all, Americans are pulling for
the new president. Now is the time for President Obama to start solving
the nation's problems. If he doesn't or if he is perceived as faltering
or if he "offends" the "other side" as well as the
American people by partisan politics, then that alleged change with all
of it's good feeling and optimism will cease. In that case, the
Washington that we have known very well will return. I do have a major
concern here. I will be blunt. I can't stop thinking that President
Obama is all talk and more concern about rhetoric and perception than
real change. I will give him the benefit of the doubt, but I will be
monitoring his every move. Included in that monitoring, I heard a FOX News
correspondent say that the bulk of the Obama stimulus, if passed, will
not take place until later in his administration. I don't remember the
news person's name, but he said that less than 10%, maybe 8%, of the
stimulus package would be released in 2009 and the rest would be
released in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He said that this would create another
problem, other than the obvious. The delayed infusion of governmental
money may cause an inflation problem. The economy will improve somewhat
on it's own over time. In 2011 or 2012, if a large sum of governmental
spending is released in the economy, this would be overkill, so to
speak, causing inflation. He said that Obama's stimulus plan may have
less to do with the faltering economy and more to do with
"big" spending. This does sound plausible to me. I will be
watching for the amount of money released from the stimulus plan in
2009. I know we are all tired of political bickering and governmental stalemate,
but we must hold politicians, including governmental leaders to their
word and laws of fair play and justice. The Obama administration as well
as the Democratic controlled Congress are no exceptions.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Inauguration Eve. Oh what a feeling. Locally, I haven't seen too much
celebration for the King Holiday or for the Inauguration of Barack
Obama. However, watching the coverage of both on the national network
and cable news channels I get the feeling that America is going wild in
celebration. I guess the closer one gets to Washington D.C. the more
intense the celebration. President-elect Obama has really thrown the
media for a loop on this one. Obama is taking the high road in his
victory and the media is trying to cover it in the same manner. Sooner
or later reality will set in and we will get back to normal behavior.
Americans shouldn't be fooled by this alleged change in government. It's
not real and sustainable change, although the thought is tempting. By
February 1, I predict the media will start their nasty job - challenge, criticize
and misrepresent the workings of the Obama administration. I think the
honeymoon is already over between Obama and the Congress. This will
evidence itself in the coming days concerning the tax breaks for the
wealthy and stimulus relief to business. And then there are those pesky
cabinet confirmation hearings, especially treasury. It's kind of like
when parents know that they are getting a divorce, but hide it until
they can make the announcement to their children. On the other hand,
this political comradery
among all parties concerned may last a bit longer due to the historic
nature of the event and the dire financial straights that face all strata
of Americans. During
this celebratory spirit of this monumental historic event I can't help
but remember the unfortunate and cruel plight of African-Americans
throughout history. To think that something as insignificant as skin
color can doom an entire race to a life of slavery and subhuman living
is abhorrent to me. Throughout history Negroes were cast at the bottom
of the social scale in most parts of the world. It took great men and
women of all races, especially black men and women, to stand up and say,
"No more." Their struggle was devastating, comprehensive and
critically important to the success of the Civil Rights Movement. I am
ashamed of our history of racism and very much in awe of those valiant
people of all races who lived, worked and died so that all people could
share the simple, basic, civil rights outlined in the American
Constitution. On January 20, 2009 an African-American man will become
the leader of the free world. I am still fearful that racism has not
been totally defeated in America. I pray that we continue to fight it
and one day conquer it. Every person in America must be free and enjoy
the civil rights dictated in the Constitution. In 2009 and beyond, all
people must be free and no group of people can ever again be discriminated
against because they are different.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
This is such an historic weekend. We celebrate Martin Luther King's
birthday tomorrow and then on Tuesday we witness the inauguration of
Barack Hussein Obama as the first African-American President of
the United States. I am so proud to
be an American. Yes, Dr. King's dream is becoming a reality. President
Lincoln's legacy is finally coming to fruition. But we have just begun.
This is a major step, but just another step in our quest for true and
real equality of all people. America will continue to face struggles and
obstacles in meeting the needs of her people, all of her people. The
dream will continue and it will be sought, but it will never reach
ultimate success and realization in our human condition. That ultimate
success will never be realized in this life. It will be completed in the
next life. We must understand that our human existence is continually a
work in progress. True success of all humankind will be realized in the
perfection, unity and shared life of eternal bliss. However, we do exist
in this human life now. We must work very hard to continue, motivate and
spread the good news of equality, respect and love among all people.
Over this weekend on CNN a political CNN contributor said that many minorities
especially African-Americans have secured their freedom and place in
history with the election and soon to be inauguration of Barack Obama.
He continued to say that Gays and Lesbians have not yet found their
place in the equality mandate of this historic event, but they will be
next. I sincerely hope that he is correct. The social equality and
freedoms outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America
are guaranteed to all people including Gays and Lesbians. Soon we will
discover that just as majority rule does not apply to the freedoms and rights
of racial minorities, it does not apply to Gays
and Lesbians either. In other words, freedoms can not be determined by
an election, rather they are guaranteed by the words of our forefathers
in the Constitution. Democracy can not erase or violate the rights of
any people in America. The freedoms of all people, including Gays and
Lesbians must be guaranteed and protected from bigoted and anti-American
forces (from within or from foreign attack). Gay Rights will be the next
battleground for equality. We will ultimately win that fight and freedom
will once again ring out. The dream lives on.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Circuit City is about to be history. Announced January 16, Circuit City
is closing it's doors in the United States. Nationwide, about 34,000
people will be losing their jobs. This afternoon I thought it would be a
good time to check out the Circuit City store closest to me. Wrong move.
The parking lot was packed and the store was wall to wall people. Except
for a few higher discounts, everything was 10% discounted. I walked
around the store in disbelief and then departed dumbfounded. Boy they
move fast. Once home I decided to pull up the store's web page to check
the deals. To my dismay I was unable to access the page. A closure announcement
and explanation came up. The site was shut down temporarily. They
advised to check back later for updates of the status of the site. I
can't believe how fast Circuit City acted. I feel sad. I purchased a
fair amount of merchandize from Circuit city over the years. I
particularly liked the web site and purchasing from it. I don't think
that I ever paid a shipping fee. I am sad to see it go. I have the
feeling that similar scenarios will be replayed over the next several
months for other businesses. I guess it's a sign of the times. I have
empathy for the displaced employees, past, present and future. I think
about the empty storefronts. Empty storefronts in South Florida? Seems
impossible to imagine. I've seen many failed businesses in other parts
of the country, especially in financially depressed areas, but never
thought that it would happen wholesale in paradise. Make no mistake,
there are many obscenely wealthy people in South Florida as well as in
the United States, but there are many more financially struggling people
around. I think we must be optimistic and look to the future. Things
will improve. No matter how bad things get, remember, you will survive.
In these desperate times, the human spirit is the key. We are an optimistic
and highly enterprising people. You will get through this no matter what
your situation is at the present time. After all, we are Americans
united in spirit and will.
Monday, January 12, 2009
President George W. Bush conducted his last presidential press
conference today. Listening to the press conference, I had mixed
feelings. I am a centrist Democrat, but I did and still do respect
President Bush. I respect the office of the president and the person who
occupies that office. I never voted for or supported President Bush. I
do admire him for the job that he has done as president. He does love
the United States and he did follow his principals and ideals as president.
He has kept us safe and secure from terrorists and their attacks. His
methods may have been controversial, but he did do the job. His decision
to invade Iraq was unfortunate, but in his mind, he thought he was
protecting freedom and liberating the people of Iraq. In any case,
what's done is done. I feel empathy for the president. I think that he
has been scrutinized in many unjust and inappropriate ways by the media
and disenchanted Americans. I admire President Bush and his tenure as
president. The parties that I hold accountable for the last eight years
are the people who voted for President Bush. After his first four years
or should I say in spite of his first four years, many more people voted
to re-elect him in 2004. The American people are easily swayed into
believing that their individual needs will be met or improved upon by
the rhetoric of any person who says the "right" dialogue.
However, I do believe that the American people do come around to the
obvious truth of the situation in time. We as a people must do better.
We must stop thinking of our own comfort and selfish wants and
concentrate on the good of the whole. In other words, we Americans are
in this together. Our actions and speech must support and reflect this
unity and concern. As President-elect Obama has intimated many times, we
are not Republicans or Democrats, we are Americans. Personally, I
believe that President-elect Obama has the right ideas, philosophy and
program to help mend America and sustain it. It won't be easy. We all
must monitor his progress and call him out on any missteps, hesitations
or misdeeds along the way. The success and betterment of America,
inclusive of all people, must be our first priority. For now, let's
reflect on the current President Bush and give him his due by our
appreciation and respect. Thank you President George W. Bush.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Illinois governor's appointment to fill the Senate seat of
President-elect Obama, Illinois Democrat Roland Burris was turned away
from the Senate today. I think that was a mistake. Let's follow the
rules you good ol boys (and girls). Gov. Rod Blagojevich is still the
governor of Illinois, currently per the law. He selected Burris to fill
Obama's seat, therefore Burris should have been allowed to be seated.
End of conversation. When will these politicians stop trying to usurp
the law? Democrats, Republicans and Independents, it doesn't matter,
most think they are above the law or worse yet that they are the law. Disgusting.
This controversy may end up in the Supreme Court. Now I ask you,
"Is this no drama Obama?" Let's get another thing straight,
racism has nothing to do with this situation. Anyone or any group of any
race who cries racism in this controversy is misrepresenting the real
and evil practice of racism. This is not racism. It is not remotely
racially based or motivated. It is political, but not racial. Some
people use the term racism when they do not get their own way. Who
is the villain in the Israeli-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip? Usually
Middle East disagreements are hard to discern, but in this case it is
clear that Hamas precipitated the conflict by launching missiles at
Israel, thus breaking the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Israel
has the right and the duty to defend itself from aggressive behavior by
any foreign country. It is a terrible predicament, but Hamas is a terrorist
country launching terrorist acts upon a peaceful Israel. Israel should
defend itself against Hamas and any other threat to it's security. That
is the only way Israel will survive subsequent terrorist activity. The
war on terror should be the number one priority of all democratic
countries. I thought that it was, especially after the attacks on
September 11, 2001. Have we grown soft on terrorism? There
is another Senate seat unresolved - Minnesota, Coleman v. Franken. It is
time to end this dispute. It appears that Franken has won the seat.
However, Coleman has the right to take his objection to the courts. Now
I'm not a fan of Al Franken or Norm Coleman, but being a Democrat I
prefer Franken, but Coleman does have the right to pursue his
case.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Miami Dolphins are back, back to normal. Last week they
looked so good. I even thought that they may go all the way to the Super
Bowl - wrong. I had this sinking feeling that they would succumb to
their usual losing status. Maybe next year or the next year. As my Dad
would say, "Whatever." At least his Steelers are still alive.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Steelers at least for the memory
of my Dad. A
quick housekeeping tip: removing indentations in wall-to-wall carpeting.
Several months ago I read this tip in the newspaper. It said to remove
the indentations in carpeting that furniture or other things cause place
an ice cube in the indentation. It works, amazingly well. I had four
marks in the living room carpet that were caused by the Christmas tree
holder. I placed an ice cube in each indentation. I left the ice cubes
in place until they dissolved. Then I gently fluffed up the carpet and
the marks were gone. The secret is to completely cover the indents and
wait until the ice cube dissolves. It actually works. If
it's January, then it's time to start thinking about tax responsibility.
It's never too early to start preparing. At this point, I have my
TurboTax software purchased, installed and preliminary tax information
has been entered. Now I'm waiting for the actual income tax forms
(income, dividends, interest, etc) so I can double check and formally
tabulate. Actually I had my first preliminary results on December 28. I
don't mess around. My philosophy has always been to get any task done in
a timely manner. Also, in December I revised my budget for 2009, updated
account information and started monitoring my spending, savings, etc.
for 2009. Also, January is an excellent time to review the security of
any potential ID theft related concerns. Done. Please don't think that
I'm tooting my own horn or trying to give the impression that I am on
top of things. This is the way I operate. I do not leave anything to
chance. I double check on everything, especially financial concerns.
Finally, I seek to continually update, monitor and improve these skills.
As I've said many times, financial mishaps can occur at any time, to any
person, but the prudent person will act in a proactive manner concerning
financial matters as well career, family and life matters. We are all
vulnerable to mishap. We may not be able to avoid a mishap, but we
should be able to deal with one and survive. The key is preparation and knowledge.
More talk about taxes later. By the way, I wasn't born this way. I
learned to tackle responsibilities in a timely manner by life
experiences. In short, I did it the old fashion way. I earned it and
learned it. Well,
President-elect Obama and family are in Washington D.C. The Inauguration
is fast approaching. I'm excited about the new president, but I'm more
excited about the optimism of the American people for the new president.
The new administration will have many problems to contend with on
January 20 and beyond. Obstacles and problematic situations shouldn't
get us down. These situations are challenges and they offer us the
opportunity to solve them. Mark my words, an Obama administration will
not miraculously solve America's problems, but it will rise to the
occasions, meet the situations and do the best job possible. Optimism or
pessimism, which will it be? I choose optimism. I always do. It is an
exciting time. Think about the Obama family. They left Chicago and will
never again return the same people. Their lives will be historically and
personally changed forever. Thus far, I believe the President-elect and
the next First Lady have done and will continue to do an outstanding job
dealing with the responsibilities that they were given. In the same
light, I think about January 2010 and the condition of the world, United
States and my personal life. What does 2009 have in store for us? That
is the exciting part of life. We never know, but we will find out, one
way or another.
Thursday, January
1, 2009
Happy New Year! Get ready for a year full of interesting blogging.
Don't forget to make your New Year resolutions. Most people don't keep
their resolutions for long. Most resolutions are ill-conceived, grandiose
expressions of unobtainable goals. For better success make simple,
realistic resolutions. Most people make resolutions involving weight
loss and the like. This year I challenge you to make resolutions
involving your personal or family finances. Promise to save more money,
to prepare more for the future or to be more realistic about your
financial situation. 2009 is the year, if there ever was one, to be more
involved in financial matters. Let 2009 be the year when you come to
terms with your financial situation. Don't just live day to day. Prepare
for your financial future. 2009 is the year to make those crucial decisions
concerning your eventual retirement. If you are working or of working
age, then you should be concerned about retirement, no matter what your age.
Things just don't happen in life. We must make them happen. You have a
choice here - think, plan and secure your financial future or continue a
haphazard existence and let fate determine your future. Choose to be
proactive in all aspects of your life, especially in financial concerns.
In any case, 2009 is the year that the economy will improve. It will not
happen quickly and many people may not even be aware of the improvement
until the end of 2009 or beyond, but it is coming. We must be optimistic
and proactive. Remember the really important part of life - the people.
You are important, people who you care about are important and all
people of goodwill are worthy of our respect and admiration. 2009 holds
many challenges and blessings. It's here, ready or not.
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