Random rantings and keen observations of life and my surroundings by an open mind and unbiased eye...most of the time...undercover geek, gamer, music lover, movie lover and deep thinker...learning from life as I live it...people watcher...continually gathering information even when you think I am not...always aware...always wary...rarely suprised...non judgemental...respect all ways of life...love...that's all...(for now...)
…email and election time…
…President Obama and The First Lady along with many other Democrat leaders have ‘written’ me MANY emails this election year…I have read them all, knowing that now, more than ever, I will be standing and voting on the side of progress and open minds…I received another today and it demanded my attention because it had one of my personal idols in the header Dr. Maya Angelou…this is just part of what she ‘said’…
‘My grandmother and my uncle experienced circumstances that would break your heart. When they went to vote, they were asked impossible questions like, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” When they couldn’t answer, they couldn’t vote.
I once debated with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. about whether an African American would ever be elected president. He believed it would happen within the next 40 years at the time — I believed it would never happen within my lifetime.
I have never been happier to have been proven wrong.
And since President Barack Obama’s historic election, we’ve moved forward in courageous and beautiful ways. More students can afford college, and more families have access to affordable health insurance. Women have greater opportunities to get equal pay for equal work.
Yet as Rev. King wrote, “All progress is precarious.”
So don’t sit on the sidelines. Don’t hesitate. Don’t have any regrets. Vote.
Go, rise up, and find out what you need to do to vote and ask your friends to join you. We must make our voices heard:
Your vote is not only important. It’s imperative.’
Thank you,
Dr. Maya Angelou
…my point is, when she speaks, I am always moved…yes, I am aware that this may just be a ‘I am Dr. Maya Angelou and I approve this message..’ sort of mass email but what is in it is still poiniant. I voted for Obama not because he is black, I hate when people imply that notion, I voted for him because I vote Democrat. I have since the first time I voted. The fact is that I never thought I would see this historic presidency in my life time. I am so proud that my daughter, who is half white also, now has the President of the United States to look up to. I, honestly thought they would nominate Hilary before they would ever nominate a black man. Still, he was nominated by the party, and I stood behind him. This election IS extremely important. No matter what side you vote for just make sure that you do vote. It is EVERYONE’S right and responsibility as an adult in this nation. Yes I am and always planned on voting, and no debate was going to change which way I swayed, but it took this random mass email to make me realize how important it really is…
End rant…thanks for listening…if you did… :-)
I’m about to get all sorts of political. If you don’t like it, this is not the blog you’re looking for. Move along.
Four years ago, I voted for a man who promised to bring change to our country. This year, I am planning on making the exact same vote. Plenty of people have many negative things to say about Barack Obama. Out of everything that has been said throughout not just this election year, but throughout the last four years, there is one simple statement that I absolutely cannot stand…
“Obama hasn’t done anything the entire time he’s been in office.”
(well, that and the whole, “OBAMA IS A MUSLIM TERRORIST” because believe it or not, there are still some idiots out there that truly believe this…)
Here I have for you, ladies and gentlemen, is a list of 108 things Obama has accomplishedduring his presidency so far.
1. Saved the collapse of the American automotive industry by making GM restructure before bailing them out, and putting incentive money to help the industry
2. Shifted the focus of the war from Iraq to Afghanistan, and putting the emphasis on reducing terrorism where it should have been all along
3. Relaxed Anti-American tensions throughout the world
4. Signed order to close the prisoner “torture camp” at Guantanamo Bay
5. Has made the environment a national priority, and a primary source for job creation
6. Has made education a national priority by putting emphasis and money behind new ideas like charter schools, but speaking directly to school children in telling them they have to do their part.
7. Won the Nobel Peace Prize
8. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
9. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
10. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
11. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
12. Renewed dialogue with NATO and other allies and partners on strategic issues.
13. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force… this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
14. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
15. “Cash for clunkers” program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulates auto sales
16. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
17. Closed offshore tax safe havens
18. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
19. Ended media “blackout” on war casualties; reporting full information
20. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
21. . Ended media blackout on war casualties and the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB.
22. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
23. Ended previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
24. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
25. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has created 2.1 million jobs (as of 12/31/09).
26. Ended previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
27. Ended previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
28. Ended previous policy on torture; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
29. . Launched Recovery.gov to track spending from the Recovery Act, an unprecedented step to provide transparency and accountability through technology.
30. Ended previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry’s predatory practices
31. Ended previous “stop-loss” policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
32. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
33. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
34. Established a new cyber security office
35. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
36. Expanding vaccination programs
37. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses
38. . Provided the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with more than $1.4 billion to improve services to America’s Veterans.
39. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
40. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
41. Responded with compassion and leadership to the earthquake in Haiti
42. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
43. . Launched Business.gov – enabling conversation and online collaboration between small business owners, government representatives and industry experts in discussion forums relevant to starting and managing a business. Great for the economy.
44. Improved housing for military personnel
45. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
46. Changed failing war strategy in Afghanistan.
47. Improving benefits for veterans
48. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants…) after years of neglect
49. Donated his $1.4 million Nobel Prize to nonprofits.
50. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
51. Provided tax credits to first-time home buyers through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 to revitalize the U.S. housing market.
52. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
53. Increasing student loans
54. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return “home” to visit loved ones
55. Cracked down on companies that deny sick pay, vacation and health insurance to workers by abusing the employee classification of independent contractor. Such companies also avoid paying Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance taxes for those workers.
56. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
57. Limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House
58. Protected 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors through the Recovery Act that would have otherwise been lost.
59. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
60. Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act on February 4, 2009, provides quality health care to 11 million kids – 4 million who were previously uninsured.
61. Lower drug costs for seniors
62. Making more loans available to small businesses
63. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration
64. . Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the lives of Americans living with paralysis
65. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
66. Announced creation of a Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record for members of the U.S. Armed Forces to improve quality of medical care.
67. New federal funding for science and research labs
68. New funds for school construction
69. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
70. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
71. . Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals.
72. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren’t even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
73. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
74. Provided tax credit to workers thus cutting taxes for 95% of America’s working families.
75. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
76. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
77. . Helped reverse a downward spiral of the stock market. On January 19, 2009, the last day of President Bush’s presidency, the Dow closed at 8,218.22. In February 2010, the Dow closed at 10,309.24
78. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
79. Restarted the nuclear non-proliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
80. Provided attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles.
81. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
82. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
83. Unveiled a program on Earth Day 2009 to develop the renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents. These regulations will enable, for the first time ever, the nation to tap into our ocean’s vast sustainable resources to generate clean energy in an environmentally sound and safe manner.
84. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program
85. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
86. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced
87. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
88. The FDA is now regulating tobacco
89. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date.
90. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
91. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
92. The “secret detention” facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
93. US financial and banking rescue plan
94. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
95. . Signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop fraud and wasteful spending in the defense procurement and contracting system.
96. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
97. Improved relations with Iran
98. Improved U.S. policy on climate change
99. Set timetable for exiting Iraq (already started removing troops)
100. Improved relations with Russia
101. Improved relations with the Islamic World
102. Made progress towards greater cooperation on limiting nuclear proliferation
103. Economic stimulus plan has created jobs. (Unemployment rate decreasing)
104. Drastically slowed down the recession
105. Saved Wall Street
106. Passed the Lilly Ledbetter Act (equal work for equal pay)107. HEALTHCARE REFORM
108. Ordered the military operation that killed Osama Bin Laden
On top of all of this, Barack Obama has just become the first president to endorse gay marriage.
Yup, here we have just described a man who has clearly done nothing but sit around the oval office and twiddle his thumbs the last four years. Obviously, voting for someone who is for universal equality and bettering not just this country, but the entire world, is the wrong way to go. -___-
OBAMA 2012
Just gonna leave this here, dudes.
108…yeah, he’s done nothing…I know who I’m voting for…
(via youngblackandvegan)
…facts and figures: the American people…
the fundamental problem with the Republican strategy is exactly what they set out to do from the day this president was elected. do anything, say anything and essentially fight tooth and nail just to make this president look bad. filibuster most, maybe just all, bills he tries to pass because it will just make him look better to the American public. complain after that he just isn’t doing anything for the economy while not offering anything solid themselves and denying how we got to this point in the first place. basically the attitude of, ‘look at this shit hole we are in and YOU are not helping to make it better’ when it should be, ‘look at this shit hole we are in and WE ALL need to do something to help make it better’. in the age of information, even misinformation, the American people see this, well, a good majority of Americans see this, and I can only hope, yes hope, that WE as a nation understand what NEEDS to be done. what WE as a majority of middle class, working class, still paying payroll tax, property tax and state tax but maybe not income tax, people NEED to do. make sure that the nation knows that even though now corporations are ‘people’, (bullshit by the way…just sayin’), and money is trying its best to run this country that the people that really count are paying attention now more than ever and we NEED and WANT the man who is going to support those that need it…
…A reply….
I am only posting this because the “I built this..” logic has been annoying me and I finally said something at the end…this is a facebook reply to a friend that was asking about the economy and why people were so angry that Obama hasn’t done anything about it…
“Not sure you will ever get a realistic, fact based logical answer for this my friend. They scream about the economy first. Then do not ant to acknowledge how we got here in the first place. Then do not offer any solutions that do not include screwing the elderly, the poor and the disadvantaged and the women. Then do not want to admit that when ‘he’ came into office that this country was LOSING jobs at a rate of about 8000 jobs a month. Then, again, still do not want to acknowledge who put us in this hole in the first place, (worth mentioning again…). Then do not offer one alternative person that would have done a better job in just four years to turn this problem around… As I have stated before, I understand the economy sucks, trust me, I do, but what was ‘their’ answer to fixing an eight year hole in 4 years?? Support those who support the economy. That’s the starting point. We work, we buy, WE build. Support. Not hand outs elite asses. Support. Some need it. The whole ‘I built this myself!’ idea is absurd. YOU didn’t build the roads you drive on or the bridges you drive over to get to your job. YOU didn’t build the school that you went to to get your education to know how run your business or pay the teachers that taught you. You didn’t stand on an assembly line and build the vehicle that allows you to get to and from you business. YOU didn’t transport the gas to the gas stations that keep your vehicle fueled. Even if you did really, literally, build your own building that your business is in you still didn’t cut down the trees and make the nails and tools that HELPED YOU BUILD IT. Someone else did. NO ONE in this country did ANYTHING without some sort of support or help. Maybe you didn’t realize it or pay attention enough to acknowledge it but you had help. ALL of us did going all the way back to the Pilgrims and Christopher Columbus…(who were the first immigrants BTW…) :-)”
Republican women, All women…
Oh you don’t know me at all. You think I’ve been a conservative my whole life, LOL. Oh trust me, I raged at Bush. I raged at the right. I raged. Now I’m raging at you mindless drones because none of you can fucking understand that Democrats don’t give a shit about you. If they did, this economy would be hella better off than it was back in 2009. It’s not. We are now MORE in debt than we were under Bush! In less than a 4 year period! Can you wrap your mind around that? WE ARE MORE IN DEBT UNDER OBAMA THAN WE WERE UNDER BUSH.First off, I DID click the link. Who the fuck are you to tell me I didn’t? Secondly, do you not realize how small 150,000 a month is in a country with over 350 million people with over 20 million unemployed? No, you dont. The unemployment rate has hovered between 8% and 8.3% through his entire first term. Our debt has skyrocketed from $10 trillion to $16 trillion IN LESS THAN 4 FUCKING YEARS. People SHOULD be fucking angry!…in case SOME people choose to forget or just not see some truth…what the fuck has he done?
Oh, you want some TRUTH? The economy still sucks! He hasn’t done shit with it!
http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/labor/national-employment-monthly-update.aspx
I would just LOVE to point out that a bunch of conservatives reblogged this post…awesome…obviously did not take the time to actually click on the link…ah the irony…either way…because the economy hasn’t completely collapsed is thanks to our current president and posting a link that says he has been creating over 150,000+ jobs per month on average is not helping your argument…on top of that if you conservatives that so despise our president because he has ‘done nothing for our economy…’ tell me, which conservative could have fixed the hole that the last conservative that was in office left us in four years? and what exactly is, or was, said conservative’s plan? Ah angry people and their blind rage logic…. :-)
So where was the anger before when the economy was on its way to where it was when this guy took office? I sure didn’t hear a whole lot of conservative rage then…from a surplus, then eight years later, a deficit…then a new president, now the ‘anger’…interesting… :-\
The addition to the debt was a necessity to keep the economy from collapsing totally. I get that the debt is worse. But like I said, show me a conservative or any other alternative for that matter that could have turned that around completely in four short years without first trying, at least trying, to help out the working class…and as for not clicking the link, I am absolutely certain you did. You seem like an intelligent enough person to have done that. You, being the intelligent, misdirected anger and all, person you seem to be should know that the process is going to be an extremely slow one and that the alternative we are given to vote for is DEFINITELY not going to help any of the people that need support to grow the economy…you should realize that much…
…in case SOME people choose to forget or just not see some truth…what the fuck has he done?
Oh, you want some TRUTH? The economy still sucks! He hasn’t done shit with it!
http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/labor/national-employment-monthly-update.aspx
I would just LOVE to point out that a bunch of conservatives reblogged this post…awesome…obviously did not take the time to actually click on the link…ah the irony…either way…because the economy hasn’t completely collapsed is thanks to our current president and posting a link that says he has been creating over 150,000+ jobs per month on average is not helping your argument…on top of that if you conservatives that so despise our president because he has ‘done nothing for our economy…’ tell me, which conservative could have fixed the hole that the last conservative that was in office left us in four years? and what exactly is, or was, said conservative’s plan? Ah angry people and their blind rage logic…. :-)
’..peel away the outrageous rhetoric, and Akin’s policy positions on women’s health — his opposition to a woman’s right to choose and support for restricting access to contraception — are in line with GOP orthodoxy.’
Led by Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) and featuring other Tea Party stars like Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), the committee approved a draft of the platform McDonnell said “will reflect the heart and soul of the Republican Party” and one committee member called “the most conservative platform in modern history.”
I am going to keep posting truths like this until election time. Women all over this nation and people in general NEED to know the facts…SMH at those who actually vote Republican…
fortuneandglory:
Republicans are playing dirty.
I was disgusted when Pennsylvania (and a few other states) passed a voter-ID law making it a requirement to show a government issued photo ID in order to be able to vote in the upcoming Presidential election. While the Republicans - who led by Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett, a man who also has a clear agenda of financially crippling public education as a means of pushing for privatization - have claimed this was a means of fighting voter fraud (in which there is zero evidence that this a problem, particularly in PA), their intentions are clear. They are willing to play dirty in order to limit votes for Democratic candidates.
Simply put, Republicans fear domination at the polls by young people, minorities, and poorer citizens and are willing to sink to Reconstruction-era type voting laws (think poll taxes) as a means of crippling voter turnout for PA citizens who generally lean to the left.
Below is the statistical breakdown of voting eligible adults who do not have valid photo IDs:
25% Black20% Asian19% Latino18% 18 to 24 year olds11% of all U.S. adults8% whites
The reasons behind this breakdown are complex, but have been explored time and time again (try here, here, and here, if you’re curious). The reason these statistics favor Republicans is a no-brainer.
Romney could win Pennsylvania and other key election states based solely on these discriminatory voter ID laws.
Seriously, let that sink in for a moment.
Romney could win Pennsylvania based on discriminatory laws. State election officials in PA recently released data stating that more than 758,000 - or 9.2% - of PA’s registered voters do not have the proper voting ID to vote in November (Corbett’s camp had continuously claimed - lied - that the number was as low as 1%). That’s just the currently registered voters.
The crazy thing is that GOP lawmakers in Pennsylvania aren’t even being shy about letting their true intentions be known - that they passed a law that would make it possible for a Republican presidential candidate to win the state for the first time since 1988. PA GOP House Majority Leader Mike Turzai recently said about the passing of the voter ID law while going over a checklist of Republican accomplishments in the state:
“Voter ID, which is going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania: done.”
It’s insane. It’s sickening.
And the majority of Pennsylvanians either don’t know or are just shrugging it off.
The law won’t be repealed or held off before November. So, where should one aim efforts to combat this clear discrimination?
Educate! Republican lawmakers are banking on young people, minorities, and lower class citizens being ignorant of these changes. First and foremost: this needs to become common knowledge. People need to be educated about this new law: http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/voter/voteridlaw.shtml. Using social media is nice, but that won’t reach everyone: print fliers explaining this in simple terms. Call organizations in neighborhoods that this law will most effect. Get people fired up. It’s up to us.Transportation efforts to DMVs need to be amped up. People need to organize. Transportation should and needs to be free and get people there as effortlessly as possible. Fees for the ID can be waived by filling out a certain form at the DMV, but people have to have a way to get there first and foremost.Get your ass out there to vote. While I’m focusing on PA, this isn’t just PA. Wherever you are in the U.S., you need to vote. Vote for whoever you want, but vote. And don’t just vote in the Presidential elections. Vote every election. Young people, poor people, and minorities are far less likely to vote in other elections and that’s how abusers of power like Tom Corbett get elected. Stay informed as much a possible. Read. Keep people like this out of power.
I’m going to use Erie, Pennsylvania as an example, because that’s where I live and it’s a city that I love. In the past year, the DMV in Erie, Pennsylvania moved. Before, it was located near the heart of the city’s primarily black population at the Eastway Plaza in Harborcreek - within walking distance of the primarily black community as well as a prominent Housing Authority in Erie. Now, the DMV resides in suburban Millcreek, seven miles outside of the heart of the East side. The new DMV is open from 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM - most people’s working hours. It’s pretty easy to figure out how difficult this might be to get to for someone who works full-time and does not have their own transportation. Or, more importantly, someone who doesn’t even know that they need the ID this election.
It’s not going to be easy - and that’s what Corbett and other Republican lawmakers had hoped.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
… Enough said PA… I couldn’t even add to this if I wanted to. It would be redundant…Every person that lives in this state should be aware of what’s going on right under our noses…
… ‘conservative’ comedy…
… I just did some research, granted not that extensive, about an hour and a half or so of many, many internet searches, because I asked myself a question…why aren’t there any actively working, popular ‘conservative’ comedians? The bottom line is basically this: it is not, and probably never will be the ‘popular’ opinion. At least not the modern day version of the ‘conservative’ or ‘right wing’ opinion and attitude. It just seems hateful and angry now and that will never catch on as a good attitude for the vast majority of this country… just an observation…
…OMG, (yes, I just said OMG…), this freaking video is hilarious…just watch…if you don’t think this is funny I don’t know what’s wrong with you…my goodness…
…I hope women all over America realize this fact…
…looks like priorities need to be rearranged. duh. smh. damn Republicans…STFU for a second and open your damn eyes and look at this country…not everyone believes what you do. quit trying to change things to how YOU feel it should be…focus on what the huge MAJORITY want, higher taxes for the rich, (at least equal taxes..), health care that everyone can afford and has access to and jobs…stop focusing on womens uteri and same sex couples that love each other…just let them be…damn…dumb asses…
…and this is just funny…true, but still funny…
