What a great question I have
heard over the last few days….. “Are we better off now than we were four years
ago?” Of course, I first heard this
while watching the preparation for the Democratic National Convention over the
Labor Day Weekend and found myself pondering on this very question…. Not in how
it relates to the sky high unemployment rate that has indeed inflated since
2008… not in how the median income has decreased in the neighborhood of $5000/yr
….not in how healthcare has been reformed……not in how General Motors has
survived…… not in how gas prices have soared to date…… not in how the national
debt has exceeded $16 trillion and climbing but in why I am sitting in front of
my TV, doing the same thing I was doing four years ago…. watching the
convention …watching all those dollars fund the venue for political blasts
while American families struggle to pay their bills, go hungry, drown in a sea
of hopelessness……….….Sadly, I found
myself disappointed in me. Why was I
supporting the primary cause for the problems we are experiencing in the
nation.............all that wastefulness ………….all those dollars spent doing the
same thing we did four years ago…. The same thing we did eight years ago….. all
those hundreds of millions of dollars spent….for what??
We have the Democrats saying
they can do it better than the Republicans and vice versa. We have all the past action or lack thereof
being placed at the forefront ….. being dissected from every angle imaginable
only to tell us one thing really…. We are exactly where we were four years
ago. We are supporting and encouraging
what we know is the issue…… hundreds of millions of dollars doing what we did four
years ago…. Supporting the election cycle, driving home the one man who can
change the nation if elected.
I am not a political guru. I
don’t understand why we spend so many dollars rebuilding countries that have attacked
us. I don’t understand why we pay
minimum wage or less in service industry situations at times when no one can
make it on a minimum wage (or less even!) income these days. I don’t understand why education is so
critical to our future but we invest so little in the ones who teach our
children. I don’t understand why my son
served in Afghanistan and had so little to eat when we feed other countries in
vast numbers. I don’t understand why we are
so dependent on the resources of other countries instead of growing our own
resources here in America.
I am a single Caucasian woman….
A mother of two….a woman who has worked hard all her life…..aspiring toward the
American Dream (Ah…. Remember what that is?!) …. One that has endured hardships
that have forced growth and internal strength ….one that has tasted the sweetness
of success….one that has been jolted with a downward economy and a decrease
in income…………. Just the average middle class American. I am a military mother, a grandmother…. a
woman with conviction…. a woman with a voice.
Do we really think one man can
fix all the problems we have created as a nation over the last many more than four
years? Personally, I believe it’s going
to take much much more to rise above the chaos we have created. It’s going to take a leader and many many
followers to stand strong in the discipline of what needs to happen in order
for us to gain momentum and start moving in the right direction. With every great reward, there is great
sacrifice. And, it will take someone
strong and courageous to lead this country to a better economic state. I believe it will take someone who is in it
to win it no matter if he is reelected in four years or not…………someone who can
look the American people in the eye and say “This is what we have to do to get
to a better place and do it!”
We need someone who can set
the stage, walk the walk….leading the people by example….saying NO to the
thought of more debt…. Saying NO to excess spending!!! We need someone who can prioritize all the challenges
we face. After all, what is the number
one concern in the US….? My guess
although I certainly can’t speak for others is financial despair. Why not focus on recovery and STOP spending? I
wonder what all those hundreds of millions of dollars could be used for if we
did not use them to fund the election cycle.
I wonder how a man going into a community stricken with ongoing unemployment
putting some dollars to good use would be perceived in comparison to one who
stands proudly in front of the nation speaking of how great things will be with
him at the lead. I wonder….. Do actions
speak louder than words?
You know, one of my favorite pastimes
is to watch reruns of Little House on the
Prairie…..why? Because it takes me
to that place I long for…. One of peacefulness, good will, brotherly love, hard
work, determination….the simple life and a real chance to be all that I can be. I wonder what would happen if everyone pulled
together and just say NO MORE of THIS!!
We want more for our children. We
need to stop spending money we do not have. We need to stop giving away money
we do not have. We need to work together
and be the change we want to see in our country.
With that, we need to stop doing what we were doing four years ago. We need to be better! We need to do better! We need to expect more! We need to encourage and to be
encouraged. We need to stop feeling
sorry for ourselves and get busy doing what needs to be done. One man cannot do it for us!
My expertise lies in process
improvements and streamlining and the one thing that must happen first with any
change is to peel back the layers and get to the root problem. One man cannot fix the problem but the right
man can lead the people to the fix. My
vote is for the people….. the American people.
Let’s take personal responsibility for our lives. Let’s help our neighbors whenever we
can. Let’s stop unnecessary
spending. Let’s work harder than we ever
have before. Let’s feed our Congressmen
and women with ammunition to get laws passed to promote a healthy and stable way
of life! Let’s be one voice together …………. stronger than ever………….. We have a
lot of work to do. Let’s get busy and do
it and see how much better off we are four years from now.
