The Stimulus Package

It has been a long time since I wrote anything. perhaps I needed a break from politics. Life has its phases.

Today's comments are about the stimulus package. This newest attempt to fix our economy is the second major infusion of money. The first infusion was an attempt to help businesses rebound from their losses.

Was it surprising when the big three automakers flew to their first meeting with congress on corporate jets? Not to me. When it was recently ascertained that banks (Bank of America, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, etc) were not using Americans money to help Americans, congress seemed taken aback again!

This time around, we have passed a stimulus package that goes directly towards creating jobs, helping our environment, improving education, etc. This latest package was approved almost entirely by Democrats in congress. Republicans who voted to bail out the banks voted against creating projects which will put people to work, rebuild our infrastructure and create needed technologies that move us in a positive direction.

Quick fix tax relief does not put people to work. Giving a family food (or money) helps for a few weeks; teaching families to grow their own food allows them to move towards self sufficiency. We must think beyond the present and plan changes which will ensure our future. This is what Obama is trying to do.

A Step Backwards in California

I remain ecstatic about the election but unfortunately we took a step backwards in California with the passage of Proposition 8. Proposition 8 ostensibly overturns the California Supreme Court's decision to allow Gays individuals to marry.

A Catholic Bishop actually said that Proposition 8 does not discriminate against any one group. In an ironic way, he is partially correct. It is not only Gays that are incensed but straight people like myself, as well!

I simply do not understand the logic that would stop two people who love each other from marrying. Anyone who thinks this is ok has some deep soul searching to do.

Marriage is a spiritual decision between two people who love each other. My church (Unitarian Universalist) is fully for Gay marriage. Disagreement is part of our democracy. Imposing our way of life on others is a violation of the freedom our country was built upon and a blatant violation of separation of church and state.

The World is Celebrating

The World is celebrating. I woke up this morning feeling a renewed hope in not only America but for the entire world. Images are flooding in from all over the world of people hugging and smiling.

Americans not celebrating today need to understand that many of us see ourselves as planetary citizens. We want all the people on our planet to thrive and grow. We want our planet to survive. We want happiness to spread. We care deeply about our country but we want to see it as offering solutions rather than adding to problems.

We now stand on the threshold of a renewed moral imperative. We believe that Barack Obama will reach out to a world that has yearned for us to come to our senses.

We have been looking for enemies everywhere. And the more we have looked through this distorted lens of tough guy with the huge tree-trunk sized stick, not walking but stamping on the ground, the more we have unwittingly contributed to the growth of our enemies.

Our greatest commodity can once again be our spirit. Within us is vitality and goodwill. We have the potential to make our economy strong again, this time in a way that serves the needs of more Americans than ever before. We have a vast military that we can rededicate to serve peace and not as a threat. We must announce to the world a promise that we will not be the first to use nuclear weapons. We must downsize our military budget so that it is remains by far the largest and most effective force in the world but not as large as the entire world combined!

We must be willing to reach out, to take the high road as we used to. Then the world will follow us again and the United States will not be a poster child for terrorist recruitment.

We must be willing to talk to our enemies. The result will be that we will again be on good standing with our neighbors and those that choose terror will be increasingly isolated from the world community.

We all want the same thing. As John Lennon said: “give peace a chance.”

The Anxious Final Hours

For the past few days, I have been busy making hundreds of phone calls for the Barack Obama campaign. Now the phone calls are over and I am sitting in front of the tv watching CNN. Not much yet but a tease.

I cannot remember a time that an election has been so important. The 2004 election had a lot at stake too as many of us knew where we were heading with a second term with George Bush. But this election contains elements which distinguish it from all elections in the past.

Yes, part of it is that we may elect an African American as our first president but this is only a small part of the story. Many of us believe that the election of Barack Obama will usher in a new era of understanding.

We all hope that a Barack Obama presidency will heal many divisions. The smaller but still significant part of this is the racial divide that will be challenged and the healing that will occur in the United states. The larger picture will be the message we will be sending to the rest of the world.

Barack Obama is in the words of William Buckley's son, Chris Buckley "what the historical moment seems to be calling for."

So many of us feel that the suffering around us is not merely economical but also spiritual. For this reason, we are praying for a for a Barack Obama presidency. Barack Obama has the potential to unite us.

To all of you who did not vote for Barack Obama. please give him a chance. Allow yourself to hope.

The Sarah Palin Mystique

In my view people have been taken with Sarah Palin because she is more actress than politician. In the beginning, Sarah Palin's star appeal was very strong but the latest polls show that her popularity is waning.

Today, NPR interviewed a woman who is very taken with Sarah Palin. Why? Because she likes her girlishness and she admires how her power as a woman will convey to her daughter that a woman can accomplish anything.

Yesterday, Lawrence Eagleburger who was Secretary of State under George H.W. Bush and who is a prominent McCain supporter said during an NPR interview "of course she is not ready to be president" (referring to Palin). Today on FOX, Mr. Eagleburger, admitting that he had been quoted correctly tried to take his statement back.

On the top right of this blog is a is a link for you to read. It is from a woman who has known Sarah Palin since 1992.

For Those of You who are Undecided

Are “more of the same” and “the change we need” cliches to you? For many people they are not.

We are in urgent need of a president who has the intellectual ability to understand the complex issues in today’s world. We need a president with vision. We need a president who inspires us and deepens our hope that the world can be a better place.

This is why Republican Colin Powell called Barack Obama a transformational figure. This is why William Buckley’s son, Chris Buckley said of Obama, that he has “the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for.”

This is what William Weld, former Republican governor of Massachusetts said: “Senator Obama is a once in a lifetime candidate who will transform our politics and restore America's standing in the world”..... he has the “intelligence, calm temperament, and ability to unite.”

This is why 65 of our country’s greatest minds and the largest number of Nobel Laureates ever have endorsed Barack Obama to be our next president.

The list goes on and on and if you want to see for yourself, navigate over to Wikipedia and you will see that the list of endorsements for Barrack Obama are almost four times the size as John McCain’s list.

There is a movement of enthusiasm sweeping the nation. After eight years of president Bush, our country is about to turn around. We are on the verge of electing a man of mixed race to be our president. Barack Obama will represent all of us. His election will also raise a beacon of hope for the rest of the world. If you doubt this, talk to anyone who has traveled out of the country.

We need this change. We cannot continue in the direction we have been going. We need to find our place again. On November 4th vote with your mind and your heart.

McCain’s Desperate & Flawed Argument about too Many Democrats

In the final countdown to election day, John McCain has been saying that too many democrats would be bad for our country. It is an argument filled with contradictions.

When Bill Clinton was elected there was a democratic majority in congress: FOR ONE YEAR. If we elect John McCain we are stuck with him a minimum of four years. If the American people are dissatisfied after Barack Obama’s first year they can turn the congress around.

Interestingly, republicans running for the house and senate are using the same argument! Therefore, if we take this argument seriously we would have four more years of Republican rule.

Finally, and this is very important, the president’s role in submitting nominees to the supreme court has a major impact on who is chosen. Members of the supreme court are chosen for life! Currently the supreme court is balanced towards Republican leaning justices. As Colin Powell said during his endorsement of Barack Obama: “I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that's what we'd be looking at in a McCain administration.”