Happy Birthday

President Obama and Helen Thomas share a birthday today. What a cool duo!

Beer at the White House

Currently Vice-President Biden, Professor Gates, Officer Crowley and President Obama are having a beer (or two) at the White House. Let’s hope that they do not get drunk and disorderly.

It’s kind cool diplomacy. It always works for me.

This Is Not Obama’s Fight

Healthcare is not Obama’s issue. It is the issue for the people. I believe that President Obama has healthcare and his own personal physician trailing him. Well, so did Michael Jackson, but that is fodder for CNN to cover. Obama is merely the leader to get us, the American people, affordable healthcare.

My husband has not had healthcare insurance for ten months. I feel like we are playing a dangerous game with his health. He takes care of his health, but approaching his late forties, things can go wrong, despite his lifestyle. He could have an accident. And we are not covered.

I currently have healthcare, but will only use it for general maintenance. I cannot afford the deductible if I need extensive testing.

We were once safely enscounced in employed middle class with health insurance to cover our needs. We are not struggling on unemployment and hope that things will get better.

This is my fight; this is my husband’s fight for healthcare. We would be the victors if it passes Congress, not Obama.

Way to Go, Obama

I loved this when I read it earlier this week:

Last week, Republican Senator Jim DeMint made it pretty clear why the opponents of health care reform are fighting so hard. As he told a special interest attack group, “If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.” Here’s how the President responded:

Think about that. This isn’t about me. This isn’t about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America’s families, breaking America’s businesses and breaking America’s economy. And we can’t afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time, not now. There are too many lives and livelihoods at stake.

We only want what you have, Senator DeMint, affordable healthcare.

Unemployment is Exhausting

Both my husband and I are very down about our unemployment. While money is a concern, our mental and emotional selves are exhausted and down and out. Neither of us has been unemployed this long during our careers. It is very demeaning.

While the big guys are getting assistance, individuals and small businesses are being given crumbs to fend for ourselves. I spoke with a small business owner yesterday whose work is down 50% over last year. He told me about a children’s dentist friend of his who has closed his office two days a week for lack of patients. A general practitioner friend of his is seeing less patients each day than usual. The average person cannot afford to go to a doctor or dentist.

My husband is very upset with Obama and the GM rescue plan. While we have received some scraps from the stimulus bill passed earlier this year, it does not give us what we really need – a security about the future.

I have found myself unable to take care of the simple things, like a checkbook. For the past few years, I never worried about balancing my checkbook because there was always enough money to take care of my needs. Although there is only a few hundred dollars now in the checkbook, I cannot balance it or remember to pay the bills.

I’m out every day looking for clients. I have an appointment this afternoon with a potential client. So far, I have made about $65 a week this year in contract work. It just is not there, but I keep looking.

Let’s hope persistence pays.

Obama Goes to Iraq

I wonder if they still have that fake turkey platter that he could serve the troops. That is the first image that came to my demented mind: George Bush with that phony turkey platter.

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Tuesday, April 7, 2009 — 9:54 AM ET
—–

Obama Makes Unannounced Visit to Iraq

Suspicions were high that President Obama would go to either
Afghanistan or Iraq at the end of his trip, but White House
officials kept the plans secret.

President Obama Admits a Mistake

This is encouraging:

“I’ve got to own up to my mistake, which is that ultimately it’s important for this administration to send a message that there aren’t two sets of rules,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with NBC News. “You know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes.”

I’m glad that my president now admits to mistakes and takes responsibility for his actions.

Politics of Reconciliation

Last week, I received an email from my Republican sister, who congratulated me on “your man’s victory” and tagged herself “a conservative in exile.” I responded that I had been a “liberal in exile” the last eight years because I had become uncomfortable expressing my political views.

Before the invasion of Iraq, I participated in a peaceful anti-war demonstration in Hillsboro Village in Nashville, Tenn, where I was accused of being Pro Saddam. One motorist yelled at me, “They attacked us. They destroyed the World Trade Center.” I wanted to explain to the man that I supported the war against Al Qaeda, who did attack us, but I couldn’t find any good reason to attack Iraq. Instead, I walked back to my car and drove home.

How will President-elect Obama treat Joe the Lieberman? Senator Lieberman hasn’t been a Democrat for the past two years. He spoke at the Republican convention and supported the McCain ticket. Letting Lieberman continue to caucus with the Democrats and to retain his chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee is actually an issue that should be decided by the Senators themselves. Not “exiling” Lieberman would be Barack-esque. “Exiling” Lieberman would be politics as usual.

Get Rid of the Bumper Stickers

For several months, I’ve had this bumper sticker on my rear window of the Mini Cooper. A few days before the election, a co-worker asked me if I would leave the sticker on my car after the election. I told her that in 2004 I removed the Kerry sticker from my car the night of the election and that I probably would remove the Obama sticker, too, regardless of the election results.

On election day, I walked past a car in our building parking garage that still had a W—The President sticker on it. I remembered seeing Bush/Cheney bumper stickers forever. I’m sure that there are still some out there today. A car passed me on I-440 this morning that had a Women for Obama sticker on the left side of the rear window and a Kerry/Edwards sticker on the right side.

I find bumper stickers annoying after the election. I removed mine when I returned home, as I had planned to do anyway.

Personally, I’m not crazy about bumper stickers on my car, but I enjoy putting the presidential stickers on my car every four years. I believe that once the election is over, we should remove bumper stickers and dispose of them properly. The election is over. I used to feel angry every time I was passed on the interstate by a car with a Bush/Cheney sticker on it.

We need to work together for a change to produce change in the country.

Although I used to find it amusing, please also remove that bumper sticker that reads: Some village in Texas is missing its idiot.