What a Ten Days

Incredible! Over the past ten days we have seen financial crisis like I have not seen in my nearly 40 years. The dramatic influence of short sellers on Wall Street, single handedly bringing down some of our most prestigious Wall Street names. The $700 billion bail out, that didn't save Washington Mutual, the nations largest Bank failure in history. Republicans and Democrats, once again, trying to prove who is right. Two Presidential candidates who have no business experience, riding into Washington to save the day. Both ended up leaving, without any measures taken to solve the crisis. Is this a sign of what is to come?

Average people are left wondering,, "I didn't know we had an extra $700 billion stashed away for a rainy day? Where is this money coming from and why weren't we using it before to assist in what has been a year long financial unraveling. The two candidates have done a nice job of giving us sound bites for the news, most of which tell us very little about what each candidate is actually going to do, to move us in the right direction. Also very little has been said about the fact that this may just be another correction in our market. I would say most people, who had no political agenda over the past couple of years, saw financial disaster coming a few years ago. Over history, we can see, all markets correct themselves at some point in time, if they didn't, anyone who invested would have a portfolio that always goes up. The "Creative Mortgage," where someone making $40K a year buys a $300K house, seems to have been based on the fact that our housing market would always go up, but there was no way it could.

This is going to be an exciting couple of months and I hope all of us are doing our homework to make sure we are electing the right officials in November, as there could be no more important time than now to do so. These are my opinions and as always, I look forward to yours...

Interesting Fact

I just read a very interesting fact that really puts or priorities, during the election in perspective. One out of every 733 births results in a child with Downs Syndrome. Compare that to our current foreclosure rate of 1 in 1000.
We hear everyday about our struggling economy, which arguably can be linked to the actions of "responsible adults." Look at the credit card industry in which less than seven percent of all balances are actually past due. People bought mortgages they couldn't afford and charged balances they can't pay back. Yes it is true that many people's financial difficulties come from unforeseen circumstances, but they are curable with lifestyle cut backs.
Our children do not have this privilege. Imagine the good that could be done with the billions we are using to bail out "responsible adults," if we put that money to work to help those who had no choice.
As an upper middle class father of two daughters it would make more sense to me, but I am only footing the bill...these are my thoughts and I look forward to yours....

Collapse of the Democrats

I was talking to a colleague of mine today and we both couldn't escape the fact that the Democrats may be in big trouble. Riding the high tide of Bill Clinton in 2000, they should have won by a land slide. In 2004 they lose to a president with the worst approval rating ever. Now it looked like a landslide for them in '08, but look what has happened. If they lose this year I think it would be hard to recover. The Republican candidate lost the Republican nomination every try until now. McCain is in some ways a candidate by default and the Dems still might find a way to lose. These are my thoughts and I welcome yours...

Times of "Change"

As I watched the news over the weekend, chronicling the changing polls, I noticed a regression to Junior High politics. To hear Barack Obama talk about pigs and lipstick gave me flashbacks of the playground. What's next? " My mom and your mom were out hanging clothes...?"
When Barack spoke, he appeared to not know what to say. It is hard to come back from being " check mated." He ran on the idea of change, but with all the revolutionaries available in politics today, he chose Joe Biden. I have to be able to figure out what Joe Biden has to do with change. Barack cries that McCain stole his message. To me it looks more like John did some walking, while Barack was talking. These are my thoughts and I look forward to hearing yours....

Wow

Well, the conventions are over, the speeches have been made. The Democrats are united and excited. The Republicans are focused and feeling change. Now, the race for the presidency hits high gear. After the Democratic convention it seemed like the "rock star" was going to walk away with the election. After all America has been begging for change and who talks more about change than Mr. Obama.
Then came the announcement of Sarah Palin, as McCain's running mate and her electrifying speech at the Republican convention. McCain is often called the maverick, but Palin seems to be the true "wild card." I don't know about anyone else, but i went out and bought the respective candidates books. It is one thing to learn about them from sound bites on TV, but for me I think I will learn more reading the books they wrote before they were campaigning for President. These are my opinions and I certainly look forward to hearing yours.....

Governor Palin - Vice President

It has taken a couple of days for me to get a handle on whether John McCain's pick for VP is brilliant or just political. The fact that Hillary Clinton had 18 million popular votes, tells us that the female population is going to be very active in this years election. Governor Palin's speech was impressive with her having a son in Iraq, proof of a pro choice stance, the turning away of federal dollars for the bridge to no where. This could be interesting. These are my thoughts....

Playing for keeps...

Wow, the Democrats are really firing on all cylinders at this weeks convention. After what seems like years of campaigning we get to see the Democratic team in action together.

After Hilary Clinton's rousing performance last night, I was wondering how Biden would do tonight. One thing is for sure. Joe Biden is ready to go on the attack and support who he believes to be the next President of the United States.

Obama & Biden

Well it's official; Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden from Delaware to be his running mate in the 2008 election. As I have said before, it is going to up to all of us to do our research on everyone involved in the "Run for the Presidency." I, for one, will be heading to my local bookstore to get some books and literature to help me understand our candidates. I have attached a couple of videos of the candidates to help us do just that....

Hillary and the convention

For all of you that listen to Bob and Tom, you have already been thinking about what could happen at the upcoming Democratic Convention. The fact that she will be on the nominating form absolutely baffles me. If I were Barack Obama, I would be fighting like crazy to keep her off. Having her at the convention makes sense, as she did garner over 18 million popular votes. To have her on the ballot only leaves room for disaster for Obama. This is my opinion and I look forward to yours.....

John Edwards

I don't think the news that John Edwards had an affair should be all that surprising. What does continue to surprise me, is that he got caught, and our obsession with our public officials private lives. Yes, he had an affair and it doesn't look good for him as a national public official. This is especially true in that it comes at a time when America is sympathizing with his wife and family during Elizabeth's fight with cancer.

I'm not sure really, however, that a man’s (or women's) political life. I don't elect people to be roll models for our children any more than I would pick my boss, by his personal life. I want the person, man or women, who is best equipped to move our country forward and help to provide a better future for my children.
If we had these standards back at the founding of our nation, none of our national leaders would have been in congress. They would not have been President and never have lead us to become the great country we are. These are just a few thought and as always, I welcome yours....

Iraq Budget Surplus

I heard yesterday that the Iraqi government actually has a budget surplus of approximately $50 million. This really blew my mind. I can't believe that there isn't an arrangement by which we would be getting paid for all the reconstruction work that is going on. Why are we paying for something they can pay for themselves.
What was more troubling to me, however, is the fact that $50 million may be a great incentive for some radicals to try to overthrow whatever government body is in place when we leave.
Are we going to have to stay indefinitely to protect the Iraqi government and their surplus. I have not heard the candidates address the future ramifications, but only the fact the surplus now exists. Unbelievable!

Education

Over the weekend I was reading up on Senator Obama, as I know my vote this election cannot be based on my party affiliation, or just what I see or hear on TV. I was reading about all the work he has done on welfare reform and how he has been at the forefront during the current attempt at an overhaul. Most of the bills look to assist folks with educational training to help them find a job and advance to future opportunities. They have a system to make sure those folks have child care and healthcare while they are in transition. I did not find a transitional period timeframe, however, which makes me think it could be years.

The part that kept eating at me was the fact that major portions of the money most off us working folks make, goes to childcare and healthcare. We pay back our school loans and pay taxes, which the government uses to assist these folks that are attempting to break generational welfare. It seems to me that we are attacking the wrong issue. We are working to fix the symptom, not the illness. All this money is being spent at a time when our schools don't have enough books. Our teachers are buying their own supplies, even though they are greatly underpaid. Our curriculum is different depending on where you live, which would make sense if we were actually teaching folks what they will need to know to survive.

I ask you this. Can you imagine how much good could be done in our educational system, if the money being squandered by the federal government on welfare reform, was instead spent on education. Not by the federal government, but by the local school districts. Let more of my money stay in my region. That may cause more of us to get involved, who knows. Why would Phil Mickelson and his wife Amy testify before congress in regards to this issue? They know that we are falling behind and need to do something now.
Ask yourself, when was the last time you heard something of substance being discussed by our candidates in regards to really doing something about education? This is my opinion and I would love to hear yours....

It’s the economy…

As I read through the news of the election and what is happening in both camps, today there seems to be a leaning toward Obama because of the economy. For me it is a lot simpler than most have made it seem. The election is going to comes down to whether you believe the “Free Market’ will fix the economy, or do we need the government to step in and create more regulation and exert more control. Voters will be balancing their wishes in regards to a their desired outcome in Iraq, with how they are being affected by the economy.

Believe it or not some people are better off now then they were a couple of years ago. They either work in a growing industry, live in a growing community, or are the best at what they do. Look at major league ballparks this summer. There doesn’t seem to be any drop off in attendance. These are the same folks, however, who may to be busy to actually be involved in any of the polls.

Something to think about…

"The Race Card"

It is coming out again, it seems like we can never get by the look of our politicians. Whether you are talking about Hilary, Barack, or McCain, this year’s political landscape has been dominated by the Sex and Race card. I have a hard time understanding why someone would be so preoccupied with these old themes, when we are in need of a true leader. I would have to say that during polls people say what they want to believe is their opinion, but when you are in the booth and your vote counts, does your mind change? Maybe you go from idealistic to realistic. We have seen a great deal of rhetoric over the past two years, but do we yet really know if either candidate is up to the task?

Two Candidates - One Economy, any ideas?

The title may seem a little odd, but this is what I am constantly thinking as I read about our candidates and listen to them talk. The economy in America is strong, because of its roots in entrepreneurism. Letting the markets dictate success. If Exxon/Mobil is making 11.7 billion dollars in one quarter and we don’t think it is fair we can always stop driving. It's just like TV, if you don't approve of what you see then change the channel. We all have the power of choice and as anyone familiar with business can tell you, business move in cycles. There will be a day when big oil is struggling again and I don't believe anyone will be looking to add them to the growing list of industries on government subsistence. I guess what worries me is that we have candidates claiming to be able to fix our economy when they have no really business experience. This is my thought, as always I welcome yours.

Welcome

Welcome to answer the White House phone. We are here to allow a forum to express views from real people who are concerned about the politics of our country. Coming in November, we are all faced with an important decision. Maybe the most important decision since the election of Ronald Reagan. We have a divided country, not only the haves and have nots, but the educated and non educated, the insured and the non insured, the employed and the non employed. Who we choose to answer the White House phone could very likely determine if we continue as the world power we have been for the last century and a half. Once again, welcome and stay tuned. As always, your opinions and thoughts matter, so feel free to express....