This afternoon I got an email from some organization asking if I was embarrassed by Barack Obama. Normally I would just delete something like this, but this time I felt like I had to answer them. I clicked through the screens until I got to a place where I could write a comment. I knew what they were after and I wasn't going to fall for it.
I'm not sure whether this post is going to be just a few paragraphs or many pages, so I'll go ahead and get to the point. A lot was happening in 2007 and 2008. We finally realized that the panic of 9/11 wasn't going to last forever. The economy was collapsing because our president allowed bankers to reap huge profits at the expense of working Americans. Our attention had been diverted to security threats that actually didn't exist. And we fell for it. We had a president who didn't know how to lead a country like ours, so he diverted our attention to some thing else hoping wouldn't know ant better. It worked. We fell for it.
Along came Barack Obama. He had a message of hope. During the campaign he was honest with us. He said that the country's problems could be fixed, but it would be painful. And he was right. On the night of the presidential election when I saw that he was winning I thought things were going to change. And it wasn't just me. The next day our country was energized and ready for change. We though that, for once, the United States was going to recover from it's challenges and things were going to be ok. There was hope. We were wrong.
The reality is that a president can't just win an election, move into the White House, and turn everything upside down. That's the whole idea of our system of checks and balances. It protects us from one branch of government taking control of the country and doing whatever they want. Barack Obama's fault was that he thought that, if he was the president, then he would be able to change everything without any opposition.
The reality is that he had to deal with a Republican congress. To those fuckers it doesn't matter if what you want to do is good for the country. What matters is if it's good for the Republican party and the campaign contributors who paid to get them elected. Pure and simple. They are robots, incapable of any logical thought on their own. And big business owns the Republican party. They contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to re-elect those guys and, once elected, they own that Senator or Representative. They have effectively bought a legislator. When a legislator is elected, the first thing he/she does is figure out how they can serve the entities that put them in office. The second thing they do is start jockeying for a job for after they leave office. It's a seriously corrupt and pathetic system.
Legislators will tell you that they represent their constituents. That's not you and me, the people who voted for them. That's big pharmaceutical companies, oil and gas companies, and any other company that does things most Americans would consider unacceptable behavior but are able to write big checks to get these guys elected. They have effectively bought representatives for their interests, regardless of what is right and just for the rest of us.
So much for getting to the point I guess. To answer the question that was asked of me, then no, I am not embarrassed by Barack Obama. I am proud of him and would vote to elect him again. He didn't achieve the things he promised, but at least he tried, which is more than I can say for any other president in my lifetime.
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Some Beauty
So I've been doing this blog on and off for awhile now. I looked back over the 40+ posts I've made and decided to do something different today. Mind you, I'm not changing my opinion of our president or legislators. I'm just trying to break up the bad stuff with something beautiful.
These are some pictures I took a few weeks ago when Tanya and I drove out to Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana (for a minute), And back through South Dakota. I hope you enjoy them.
This one was from Arches National Monument near Moab, Utah. We got there early in the morning. Well, the gate was open and there was no one around so we went on in like we owned the place...
Another one from Arches. Almost all of the park was like this. Everywhere you looked there was a crazy good view of some kind of rock formation. How did this shit get here?
And another. We thought this one looked like a giant ancient penis. You can use your own imagination, but think about it.
This was actually one of my favorites. This is what we saw at the first turnout we came to when we entered the park. There were actually a bunch of people there. Mostly Germans. I guess they like to get up very early. I can't quite figure that out, but whatever...
This was our cabin at Devil's Tower, Wyoming. Yes, that's the Chevy Volt we drove on the trip. The night before we left I had a dream that it gave out on a mountain pass and we filed off the serial numbers before pushing it off a cliff. In my dream we hitchhiked into a nearby town with all of our shit tied to our backs and bought a Subaru for the rest of the trip. I'm happy to report that the Volt made the trip just fine and lives with us happily to this day. We did get a Subaru when we got home just in case.
A view of Devil's Tower from about a mile away. We had this great cabin at a KOA campground at the base of Devil's Tower. The couple in the cabin next to ours got super stoned and watched reruns of Gilligan's Island on an iPad all afternoon and night. We never saw them. Good for them.
This was Devil's Tower from about 10 miles away on the way back from Hulett, Wyoming. If you don't know about Hulett, then look it up. I can't begin to tell you about Hulett, but I can say that the locals were friendly and very drunk by 2 in the afternoon. They tried to get us to go sightseeing and drive up into the mountains on a logging road, but they decided that it would be a bad idea for everyone, especially us. So they just sold us a bunch of beer and sent us on our way. We may have bought a chicken there, but I'm not sure.
This was a reservoir in South Dakota that serves Rapid City. I can't remember the name, but it looked great so here's a picture of it. Stunning.
We drove through the badlands and this was one of the views we saw. I took over 100 pictures here, but you're not going to see them all. Sorry.
This was one of my favorite views of the badlands. Imagine trying to drive a covered wagon through that shit.
So, in about 8 days we saw Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana (for a minute), and South Dakota. 2400 miles of driving in an electric car. That may seem like a lot, but it was just great. We didn't have reservations anywhere and we just went wherever we wanted. I don't think I've ever had a better vacation in my life.
If you're really interested in seeing more pictures, just let me know. I'll send you a link. If you really don't care, then that's ok too.
These are some pictures I took a few weeks ago when Tanya and I drove out to Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana (for a minute), And back through South Dakota. I hope you enjoy them.
This one was from Arches National Monument near Moab, Utah. We got there early in the morning. Well, the gate was open and there was no one around so we went on in like we owned the place...
Another one from Arches. Almost all of the park was like this. Everywhere you looked there was a crazy good view of some kind of rock formation. How did this shit get here?
And another. We thought this one looked like a giant ancient penis. You can use your own imagination, but think about it.
This was actually one of my favorites. This is what we saw at the first turnout we came to when we entered the park. There were actually a bunch of people there. Mostly Germans. I guess they like to get up very early. I can't quite figure that out, but whatever...
This was our cabin at Devil's Tower, Wyoming. Yes, that's the Chevy Volt we drove on the trip. The night before we left I had a dream that it gave out on a mountain pass and we filed off the serial numbers before pushing it off a cliff. In my dream we hitchhiked into a nearby town with all of our shit tied to our backs and bought a Subaru for the rest of the trip. I'm happy to report that the Volt made the trip just fine and lives with us happily to this day. We did get a Subaru when we got home just in case.
A view of Devil's Tower from about a mile away. We had this great cabin at a KOA campground at the base of Devil's Tower. The couple in the cabin next to ours got super stoned and watched reruns of Gilligan's Island on an iPad all afternoon and night. We never saw them. Good for them.
This was Devil's Tower from about 10 miles away on the way back from Hulett, Wyoming. If you don't know about Hulett, then look it up. I can't begin to tell you about Hulett, but I can say that the locals were friendly and very drunk by 2 in the afternoon. They tried to get us to go sightseeing and drive up into the mountains on a logging road, but they decided that it would be a bad idea for everyone, especially us. So they just sold us a bunch of beer and sent us on our way. We may have bought a chicken there, but I'm not sure.
This was a reservoir in South Dakota that serves Rapid City. I can't remember the name, but it looked great so here's a picture of it. Stunning.
We drove through the badlands and this was one of the views we saw. I took over 100 pictures here, but you're not going to see them all. Sorry.
This was one of my favorite views of the badlands. Imagine trying to drive a covered wagon through that shit.
So, in about 8 days we saw Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana (for a minute), and South Dakota. 2400 miles of driving in an electric car. That may seem like a lot, but it was just great. We didn't have reservations anywhere and we just went wherever we wanted. I don't think I've ever had a better vacation in my life.
If you're really interested in seeing more pictures, just let me know. I'll send you a link. If you really don't care, then that's ok too.
Assault on the Poor and Middle Class
Barack Obama finally weighed in on the GOP's health care plan today. He didn't mince words -- he said it was an assault on lower and middle class Americans to benefit the rich. Keep in mind that Barack Obama is rich. Seriously rich. He's written a number of books and has collected some unknown sum of money for speaking engagements. But he still speaks his mind, no matter who he's criticizing at the moment. Here's a link to a new story about his comments:
Barack Obama's Comments on the GOP Healthcare Proposal
Even if you don't like Barack Obama, there's something there for you. Unless you are blinded by the slogan "Make America Great Again." In that case, you simply don't have a chance. You fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
In case you haven't figured it out by now, there has been a theme of the Trump presidency. His legislation and executive orders benefit rich Americans and lower and middle class Americans pay for it. Don't tell me that making the rich richer will infuse more money into the economy and create new jobs. It won't. If you were alive, conscious, and aware during the Reagan years, you will remember that making the rich richer did nothing more than making the rich richer. There were no more jobs, no more businesses, no more economic growth. The rich got richer and they kept their wealth. They didn't spread it out to the average American through new jobs, businesses, and opportunity. They just got richer and kept it all.
Why can't we learn from this? It didn't work before, so why would it work now? Things are not different. People are people. They do what they do. Everyone wants more than what they have and they don't care where it comes from as long as they get it.
In Trump's America, people think that things will get better for them. History says that they won't. When you screw over the lower and middle class, the result is that the rich get richer. And that's all. Nothing more. Our "leaders" tell us how great things are going to be for us, but the truth is that we end up paying more than our share in taxes and we have to work harder just to survive. Our government is no longer in our corner. It is there to make sure that the 1% get as much as they can from us. When your government does this to you, then it's time for a new government.
You don't have to agree with me. Think about it for yourself. Work the numbers. Are your paychecks going to be smaller? Are you going to lose your health insurance? Are you OK with that?
Oh, and also work the numbers for the guy/girl down the street who makes $2 million per year. The issue isn't whether the work he/she does is worth $2 million per year. The issue is whether he/she should pay less in taxes than you do and whether he/she should pay less for the same healthcare services than you and your kids pay. That's the issue.
Please think about it and make decisions that are right for you and your family.
Barack Obama's Comments on the GOP Healthcare Proposal
Even if you don't like Barack Obama, there's something there for you. Unless you are blinded by the slogan "Make America Great Again." In that case, you simply don't have a chance. You fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
In case you haven't figured it out by now, there has been a theme of the Trump presidency. His legislation and executive orders benefit rich Americans and lower and middle class Americans pay for it. Don't tell me that making the rich richer will infuse more money into the economy and create new jobs. It won't. If you were alive, conscious, and aware during the Reagan years, you will remember that making the rich richer did nothing more than making the rich richer. There were no more jobs, no more businesses, no more economic growth. The rich got richer and they kept their wealth. They didn't spread it out to the average American through new jobs, businesses, and opportunity. They just got richer and kept it all.
Why can't we learn from this? It didn't work before, so why would it work now? Things are not different. People are people. They do what they do. Everyone wants more than what they have and they don't care where it comes from as long as they get it.
In Trump's America, people think that things will get better for them. History says that they won't. When you screw over the lower and middle class, the result is that the rich get richer. And that's all. Nothing more. Our "leaders" tell us how great things are going to be for us, but the truth is that we end up paying more than our share in taxes and we have to work harder just to survive. Our government is no longer in our corner. It is there to make sure that the 1% get as much as they can from us. When your government does this to you, then it's time for a new government.
You don't have to agree with me. Think about it for yourself. Work the numbers. Are your paychecks going to be smaller? Are you going to lose your health insurance? Are you OK with that?
Oh, and also work the numbers for the guy/girl down the street who makes $2 million per year. The issue isn't whether the work he/she does is worth $2 million per year. The issue is whether he/she should pay less in taxes than you do and whether he/she should pay less for the same healthcare services than you and your kids pay. That's the issue.
Please think about it and make decisions that are right for you and your family.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Am I Ashamed?
I've been ashamed of a few things in my life. I've made some bad decisions and after I made them I was ashamed. When I think back to those things, I know I was to blame. It was my fault and only mine. For some of those bad decisions I paid a huge price and for some I paid nothing. But I learned something each time and I won't make those same mistakes again. I promise.
What happens when a whole country makes a mistake? I guess we're going to find out. As we all start to realize what electing Donald Trump really means, I think we're going to realize that we made a mistake. And when we come to our senses and realize that we were scammed, then I think we're going to be both angry as hell and ashamed of our choice. This man does not represent what we are as a country and he never will. He doesn't want to and he doesn't care.
I spent a few years of my working life doing work abroad and I still keep in touch with some of the people I worked with. After a month of Donald Trump, they started asking me "What the fuck are you people doing? What is wrong with you? How stupid are you? Why did you do this?" Unfortunately, I didn't have an answer. I could have made something up, but I didn't want to. I had done that in the past and I didn't want to do it again. I just couldn't. I had learned from my mistakes.
While I believe that America is a great country, I didn't have an answer to their questions, so I just told them so. It's really hard to get behind something that you just don't believe in and that's particularly true in this case. I just though it was better to tell them what I really thought, but I didn't have an answer and I didn't want to make one up. So I just told them that we had made a huge mistake, we would learn from it, and it would eventually be corrected.
I could write about Donald Trump for a long time here, but I think you're smart enough to figure this out on your own. He's been our president for 100+ days and, in those 100 days, he's succeeded in returning us all to the 1970's with regard to foreign policy, social programs, governmental ethics, environmental preservation, and countless other areas. Most of you know it, but some of you will take some time to figure it out because you voted for what you thought was the best candidate.
But you will figure it out for yourselves when your health insurance premiums go up, your take home pay goes down because billionaires got a huge tax break and a new Ferrari, and the government is no longer there to help you when you really, really, REALLY need it. I'm ashamed that we're letting him do it. Deeply, deeply ashamed that we're allowing this to happen.
When I say I'm ashamed, it's different now than it was 20 years ago. I used to be ashamed of the bad things I had done, but now I'm ashamed to be associated with a person who is nothing more than a cheap, opportunistic game show host who panders to people who don't know any better and never will because it's easier and they don't want to. Unfortunately, he's the President Of the United States Of America. We elected him and he's here to stay until we muster the fortitude to admit that we made a mistake and take whatever action necessary to fix our mistake.
And that's why I'm ashamed to be an American today. This is the first time in my life I've ever said that, but it's true. I'm ashamed of our president and I hope the whole world doesn't judge us based on the bad decision we made during the last presidential election.
Make your own decisions. Fighting the Donald Trump battle might not be for you, even if you believe in it. If it is for you, then fight it. Speak out, go to the Indivisible rallies, call your legislators. DO SOMETHING. Please don't just wait and see what happens. It won't end well for you or for any of us. DO SOMETHING. Speak out here or on facebook or Twitter or in your local coffee shop or workplace, but DO SOMETHING and make people realize what we've done. It's not too late to fix it, but if you wait too long it will be. DO SOMETHING. Now. Please.
What happens when a whole country makes a mistake? I guess we're going to find out. As we all start to realize what electing Donald Trump really means, I think we're going to realize that we made a mistake. And when we come to our senses and realize that we were scammed, then I think we're going to be both angry as hell and ashamed of our choice. This man does not represent what we are as a country and he never will. He doesn't want to and he doesn't care.
I spent a few years of my working life doing work abroad and I still keep in touch with some of the people I worked with. After a month of Donald Trump, they started asking me "What the fuck are you people doing? What is wrong with you? How stupid are you? Why did you do this?" Unfortunately, I didn't have an answer. I could have made something up, but I didn't want to. I had done that in the past and I didn't want to do it again. I just couldn't. I had learned from my mistakes.
While I believe that America is a great country, I didn't have an answer to their questions, so I just told them so. It's really hard to get behind something that you just don't believe in and that's particularly true in this case. I just though it was better to tell them what I really thought, but I didn't have an answer and I didn't want to make one up. So I just told them that we had made a huge mistake, we would learn from it, and it would eventually be corrected.
I could write about Donald Trump for a long time here, but I think you're smart enough to figure this out on your own. He's been our president for 100+ days and, in those 100 days, he's succeeded in returning us all to the 1970's with regard to foreign policy, social programs, governmental ethics, environmental preservation, and countless other areas. Most of you know it, but some of you will take some time to figure it out because you voted for what you thought was the best candidate.
But you will figure it out for yourselves when your health insurance premiums go up, your take home pay goes down because billionaires got a huge tax break and a new Ferrari, and the government is no longer there to help you when you really, really, REALLY need it. I'm ashamed that we're letting him do it. Deeply, deeply ashamed that we're allowing this to happen.
When I say I'm ashamed, it's different now than it was 20 years ago. I used to be ashamed of the bad things I had done, but now I'm ashamed to be associated with a person who is nothing more than a cheap, opportunistic game show host who panders to people who don't know any better and never will because it's easier and they don't want to. Unfortunately, he's the President Of the United States Of America. We elected him and he's here to stay until we muster the fortitude to admit that we made a mistake and take whatever action necessary to fix our mistake.
And that's why I'm ashamed to be an American today. This is the first time in my life I've ever said that, but it's true. I'm ashamed of our president and I hope the whole world doesn't judge us based on the bad decision we made during the last presidential election.
Make your own decisions. Fighting the Donald Trump battle might not be for you, even if you believe in it. If it is for you, then fight it. Speak out, go to the Indivisible rallies, call your legislators. DO SOMETHING. Please don't just wait and see what happens. It won't end well for you or for any of us. DO SOMETHING. Speak out here or on facebook or Twitter or in your local coffee shop or workplace, but DO SOMETHING and make people realize what we've done. It's not too late to fix it, but if you wait too long it will be. DO SOMETHING. Now. Please.
Friday, June 16, 2017
Would You Hire This Man?
If Donald Trump applied for a job with your company and the hiring decision was yours, would you hire him? Set aside the whole idea of qualifications (which is another post entirely). Would you hire someone with his character? I wouldn't. My company does background checks and they look at things like legal actions, credit history, and the person's reasons for leaving their previous jobs.
So we hired a president who, in his first 100 days, has lied to his employers (the American people) multiple times, been sued many times for not living up to his agreements, and is so egotistical and self-promoting that it is simply nauseating. What is really troubling is that, when someone calls him on it, he either tries to discredit his accuser or just ignores it entirely like this type of behavior is acceptable. He doesn't even try to explain his lie. He just moves on to the next one like it never happened.
So here we are, almost five months since this man was elected. He's under investigation for collusion with Russia, obstruction of justice, and who knows what else that we haven't even heard about yet. This man makes Richard Nixon look pretty good.
Speaking of Richard Nixon, I remember the outrage that everyone felt when he was accused of the Watergate crimes in the early 1970's. Where is that outrage today? We have a president who may be guilty of things far worse, yet we are just sitting by and watching to see what happens.
Maybe American citizens' idea of right and wrong has become a little less clearly defined than it was in the early 1970's. Maybe we are more tolerant of behaviors that would have resulted in severe sanctions in 1972. Maybe our views of right and wrong are more elastic today. I don't know, but I want to know. I know I have to follow the same laws just as strictly today as I did in 1972. Why shouldn't my president be held to the same standard? I just don't understand it.
I think Donald Trump was elected because his campaign people came up with a great slogan -- "Making America Great Again." And that's the only reason. After all, who wouldn't want to make America great? And by adding the word "Again" he was saying that America wasn't as great as it had once been. The message that people heard was that America was once a great nation and it wasn't great anymore, but electing him would restore our prosperity, worldwide dominance, and our position as the great influencer of world affairs. It's a great promise, but it's just an empty one. The world has changed and we can't be all those things anymore. Sorry, but the world has changed. It's not like it used to be. There's a new reality and we have to learn to deal with it and find our place in it.
What we don't have to deal with, however, is a leader who puts his ego before our country, abuses his position for personal gain, and then just lies to us and tells us he's making our lives better. It just doesn't add up and we need to call him on it.
To sum it up, I wouldn't hire Donald Trump. Even if his qualifications for a job were a perfect fit, his character is a huge problem. He is not the person I would want to represent my business. And he is not the person I want to represent my country. We are not like him and we shouldn't allow the rest of the world to think that we are.
So we hired a president who, in his first 100 days, has lied to his employers (the American people) multiple times, been sued many times for not living up to his agreements, and is so egotistical and self-promoting that it is simply nauseating. What is really troubling is that, when someone calls him on it, he either tries to discredit his accuser or just ignores it entirely like this type of behavior is acceptable. He doesn't even try to explain his lie. He just moves on to the next one like it never happened.
So here we are, almost five months since this man was elected. He's under investigation for collusion with Russia, obstruction of justice, and who knows what else that we haven't even heard about yet. This man makes Richard Nixon look pretty good.
Speaking of Richard Nixon, I remember the outrage that everyone felt when he was accused of the Watergate crimes in the early 1970's. Where is that outrage today? We have a president who may be guilty of things far worse, yet we are just sitting by and watching to see what happens.
Maybe American citizens' idea of right and wrong has become a little less clearly defined than it was in the early 1970's. Maybe we are more tolerant of behaviors that would have resulted in severe sanctions in 1972. Maybe our views of right and wrong are more elastic today. I don't know, but I want to know. I know I have to follow the same laws just as strictly today as I did in 1972. Why shouldn't my president be held to the same standard? I just don't understand it.
I think Donald Trump was elected because his campaign people came up with a great slogan -- "Making America Great Again." And that's the only reason. After all, who wouldn't want to make America great? And by adding the word "Again" he was saying that America wasn't as great as it had once been. The message that people heard was that America was once a great nation and it wasn't great anymore, but electing him would restore our prosperity, worldwide dominance, and our position as the great influencer of world affairs. It's a great promise, but it's just an empty one. The world has changed and we can't be all those things anymore. Sorry, but the world has changed. It's not like it used to be. There's a new reality and we have to learn to deal with it and find our place in it.
What we don't have to deal with, however, is a leader who puts his ego before our country, abuses his position for personal gain, and then just lies to us and tells us he's making our lives better. It just doesn't add up and we need to call him on it.
To sum it up, I wouldn't hire Donald Trump. Even if his qualifications for a job were a perfect fit, his character is a huge problem. He is not the person I would want to represent my business. And he is not the person I want to represent my country. We are not like him and we shouldn't allow the rest of the world to think that we are.