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Name: ronbaca14
Location: Buena Park, CA
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Fundamental change we can do without

Here's my question. How is it that President Obama has not been able to fill 57% of the more than 500 senior positions requiring Senate confirmation. According to the report in the New York Times, the president is still missing an assistant treasury secretary for financial markets; a director for the Agency for International Development; and even his Army secretary, as well as several top national security posts. Now, I know he's had problems confirming a majority of his picks, some with IRS problems, like Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury, and others, who failed to pay their income tax in recent years. And others like Republican U.S. Senator Judd Gregg who, after being chosen, decided they were not on board with the Presidents radical policies. But why the sudden lack of attention as far as filling the rest of his Presidential appointments to his staff? Could it be that he just wants to bypass the vetting system altogether? I mean, as long as he's appointing his Czars, which DO NOT have to have Senate confirmation and report to no one else but President Obama, why go through the lengthily process?

Wow, I guess Obama wasn't kidding when he stated that he will fundamentally change this nation. One of the changes he seems to favor is to eliminate the checks and balances of power that were put into place, by our founding fathers, so that no branch of government was more powerful than the other. By appointing all his Czars he is doing away with the need for Congressional approval and having these czars accountable, not to the American people, but to him and him alone. Is this how our country was set up to run. I don't think so.

Just in case you were not aware, with over 250 of his presidential appointee spots still open, Obama has found the time instead to appoint the following Czars:


1. Afghanistan Czar - Richard Holbrooke
2. AIDS Czar * - Jeffrey Crowley
3. Auto Recovery Czar - Ed Montgomery
4. Border Czar * - Alan Bersin
5. California Water Czar
6. Car Czar - Ron Bloom
7. Central Region Czar - Dennis Ross
8. Climate Czar - Todd Stern
9. Domestic Violence Czar - Lynn Rosenthal
10. Drug Czar * - Gil Kerlikowske
11. Economic Czar * - Paul Volcker
12. Energy and Environment Czar - Carol Browner
13. Faith-Based Czar * - Joshua DuBois
14. Government Performance Czar - Jeffrey Zients
15. Great Lakes Czar - Cameron Davis
16. Green Jobs Czar - Van Jones
17. Guantanamo Closure Czar - Daniel Fried
18. Health Czar * - Nancy-Ann DeParle
19. Information Czar - Vivek Kundra
20. Intelligence Czar * - Dennis Blair
21. Mideast Peace Czar - George Mitchell
22. Pay Czar - Kenneth R. Feinberg
23. Regulatory Czar - Cass R. Sunstein
24. Science Czar - John Holdren
25. Stimulus Accountability Czar - Earl Devaney
26. Sudan Czar - J. Scott Gration
27. TARP Czar - Herb Allison
28. Technology Czar - Aneesh Chopra
29. Terrorism Czar - John Brennan
30. Urban Affairs Czar - Adolfo Carrion Jr.
31. Weapons Czar - Ashton Carter
32. WMD Policy Czar - Gary Samore

My question for you is, what do we really know about these people who are so closely advising our President?
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Is Congress Lazy or Illiterate?

Don't you just love this? Is this the mentality of our leaders today? The restructuring of the greatest health care system in the world is about to take place, and leaders of our country don't feel it is important enough to actually warrant, taking the time needed to read and, more importantly, understand what is in the health care bill. It's pretty simple. If John Conyers (D), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is admitting that: he hasn't read and, wouldn't be able to understand what is in the Bill, without the assistance of a legal team to decipher it, How could he honestly say that he is earning his taxpayers funded salary, he receives, to represent the citizens of this country? Can he honestly claim he is looking out for Americans best interest? Even if he could care less about how the health care reform bill might negatively affect the citizens of the United States, wouldn't he, and others in office who also have not read the Bill, be concerned about what is in this proposal that might directly affect them, and their families, personally? Unless, of course, it won't. I believe President Obama, his family, and all the members of congress and their families, would be exempt from having to forfeit their coverage and join this beautiful new plan they are putting together for the rest of us. No wonder they could care less about what's in this massive restructuring bill. It doesn't apply to them. The President already stated, in his press conference, on T.V. last week that; this wasn't about him, he has great insurance.

Look, this is really just common sense and the practice of good judgement. Every person, who has ever been involved with agreements, legal forms or contracts, has been advised; read everything before you sign it, make sure you understand what it is you are signing and to take their time, don't rush into anything with out first considering all the implications of what you are about to do.

To Mr. Conyers, and everyone else in congress that refuses to represent us, in the capacity which you were elected, either slow down and take the time needed to do your job, or come 2010, we will get you out of there and put in place leaders who will. I'm just saying.

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Are we losing appreciation for what was handed to us?

When I was a child, my father taught me some of his bacic rules for living.  These rules, he learned from his father and found such merit in them, that he passed them on to me.  Some of you might have even heard them, from your parents, growing up as well.  Simple rules really, but still, very profound.  Rules like; Finish what you start.  You are only as good as your word.  If you can't afford to pay cash, than you can't afford it. ( I wish I would have paid better attentiont to that one )  He also taught me that nothing in life is free.  If it comes too easy, you take it for granted, but, if you work hard and earn what you want for yourself, and in life, you will appreciate it more because of what you had to go through to get it. 
 
The last one has gotten me to think about our situation in America these days.  It's no secret that our parents had to work harder, to achieve what they did, than we had to.  We live in such an age of convienence, compared to them, I'm not sure if I could have even walked in my fathers shoes, let alone my grandfathers.  And my kids, forget about it, modern technology pretty much insures that, unless they are playing a sport, they probably will never break a sweat.  Is this our problem today?  Have things come to us too easily? Have we lost our appreciation for liberty and freedom because we, as a generation, personally didn't have to fight to obtain or keep them?  How many times have we seen our children, who after begging for that certain something, that they just had to have, express sheer joy, when unwrapping that gift found under the christmas tree, only to discard it after a few weeks of use?  Or even I myself, Knowing fully the pain and suffering that my Lord, Jesus Christ, went through to offer himself ,as a sacrifice, so I could recieve his gift of salvation, just to take for granted, at times, what he has done for me.
 
Thomas Paine once said, "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value."  The American Crisis, No. 1, December 19, 1776.
 
I fear that, if we don't hold on dearly to what was given to us, as a nation, freely from those who fought so hard so we could have them.  We won't truly appreciate our freedoms and liberties, until we have to fight to obtain them ourselves.
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I refuse to accept "Politics as usual" anymore

I am so tired of hearing, in response to the lies and deception in Washington, phrases like; "That's just politics, Politics as Usual or What do you expect? they're Politicians". When did this all begin? How long has it been the Status Qua that, it's OK to allow our nations leaders to lie and deceive us? And when they do, just write it off as politics as usual. I'm no historian and maybe I am wrong, but, I can't imagine our founding fathers sitting around the room, when they were drafting our constitution, saying; "We can't put that in there, it might offend this group over here" or "If we don't include this, this group over here won't get what I promised them" or what seems to be going on, more and more, in the Bills flying through Congress these days; "If we use this language, it will give the impression we are looking out for their best interests and still leave it open to do what we want" When did it become OK for us to be lied to and deceived? When did we decide as a nation that; we have no choice but to settle for leaders who say one thing and do another? When did we drop the ball; when it comes to holding our elected officials accountable to do the job they were elected to do? Think about this. We let Congress pass Bills on TARP, Cap and Trade and Health Care without reading what's in them. How can they possible be protecting the citizens who elected them when ,they don't even read what they are putting into policy? I guarantee our founding fathers not only read what they signed and passed, but also, had full knowledge and understanding of what they were voting on. Remember this?:



The problem is; We as Americans are letting our so-call leaders do this to us. We are letting them lie to us. We are not holding them accountable for their actions or lack there of. We are justifying their playing games, with our freedoms and future, by letting them off the hook with a simple excuse of; "What do you expect, they can't help it. That's the nature of the game in Washington" "That's how politics work" ENOUGH ALREADY!!

As long as we just sit back and allow our leaders to keep doing this, to us and our country, they are going to. If we don't hold them up to a higher level of accountability, then we deserve what they give us. I can't speak for anyone else, but, I for one will be writing letters to, calling and emailing my elected officials, State Senators and Representatives, letting them know that; when it comes to their role as my elected official, They are expected to do the job they were elected to do. When it comes to communication with the voters, that they say what they mean and mean what they say. When they don't, I will hold them accountable and they WILL hear from me.

I have a right and an obligation to keep our leaders in check, and, so do you
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Are we looking for Labels or Leaders ?

It seems like all I keep hearing about, in regards to the 2010 and 2012 elections, is; Who will be the next great leader to emerge from the Republican Party. With Sen. "X" gone or Gov. "Y" out of the running, who will be the parties next rising star ? Or, with both parties losing face in the public eye and more and more outrage is being heard, against Republicans & Democrats, through events like the "Tea Parties", Is America looking to an Independent to rise from the ashes and rubble and steer our nation back in the right direction?

Here is my concern. As voters, what are we looking for in deciding who will be the next candidate we choose to support ? Are we saying; "Oh, I like this person because they're "pro-life" or " I don't like this person because of their position on " gay marriage" ? Maybe it's as simple as," they're a Republican, they're a Conservative, they're an Independent or they're Black, she's a Woman, so, They have my vote". With the shape our country is in, we need to be focusing on the core problems that affect everyone. The economy, National Security, Health Care and Energy Independence. To put our own personal "special interests" before the needs of our country, as a whole, is just plain selfish. We need to get behind, as a nation, the person who will best Lead us, in regards to our core issues, rather than a person who just wears the Label that most reflects our self interests.

Let me personalize this point a bit. I am a Conservative Christian, Small Business Owner. Those are my labels, it seems. I would love to have someone like a Mike Huckabee as president. He's a Christian who is for; pro-life, sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman and wants to get rid of the IRS. Unfortunately, the chances of someone like MH, with such outspoken christian morals, being elected as president are very slim. Too many dividing issues. So, if I have to get behind someone who doesn't agree with my ideology on social and moral issues, but, is strong on ( I believe ) the 4 core issues that need to be addressed, than that would be for the good of my country and not for my own personal interests. All that means to me is that the responsibility of teaching my children about; God, His will for us, morals and ethics, falls directly on me as their father. I would then hope and pray that the choices that they would make as adults, in the areas I mentioned above, would be influenced by how I raised them rather than how society might influence them. Isn't that the way it should be anyways ?

Someone I also believe would be outstanding for our country would be Sarah Palin. Now, do I believe Sarah would make a great President ? Yes! Do I believe that she is strong enough to tackle the 4 issues that are holding this great country back? Yes? Do I think that the American people will give her the chance to do the job she is more than capable of doing? I don't know. I'm afraid that because the MSM and the people on the far left had made such a fuss about her, they would refuse to see the ability of her as a Leader, and spite themselves, just to save face. It's the same thing in reverse. Us backing a candidate for the wrong reasons ( personal interests, labels ) is just as bad as not voting for the right candidate for the wrong reasons ( saving face ) when it comes to the overall good of the country.

**In my opinion ( and remember, like my blog title states, "I'm nobody special" ) The best chance the Republican Party has in 2012 is to find their front runner and put Sarah Palin on the ticket as their running mate again. With what she brings to the table, combined with the experience and respect the Republican Presidential Candidate should have ( better have), It will be a winning combination. I don't believe John McCain was that candidate. By the time 2020 rolls around, No one would be able to say anything about Sarah Palin regarding her experience. Remember, this is just my opinion. I'm not a political strategist. **

My point is this, We all desire to have some one who believes and thinks just like us ( I would say like me, you would say like you ) running our country. The problem is, there are so many different us's in the U.S.. It would be impossible to ever find that one person to match everybodies individual ideologies. All we can do is, as a country, agree on what issues are most important for the success of our nation. I named 4, maybe there's more, maybe less. Issues that affect EVERYONE, not just our special interests. Find a leader that will focus on those issues and fix what is most important right now. Then, when we, as a nation, are back to some degree of normalcy, we can then take back up the personal issues on more of local level. That's where, I believe, they should be taken care of in the first place.
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" Promises are made to be Broken "


What do we really expect from a campaign promise? Is it really the Presidents fault? I mean, He was just saying what we wanted to hear. Right ? I'm sure McCain made a few promises that, If he would have won the election, he would have had to break himself. So goes the nature of a politician. Don't get me wrong, I am mad as H**L about this and you should be too. But what really makes me mad is the ignorance, ( yes I said it IGNORANCE : the state or fact of being ignorant : lack of knowledge, education, or awareness. source Websters Dictionary ) , of the people who voted for him, blindly, based on the promises he made. All through the presidential campaign, economic analysts and non partisan news agency's were reporting that, with his platform and proposals, there was no way that Obama would be able to fund his programs and ideas WITHOUT raising taxes. Were they not listening ? Are people that lazy, when deciding on who should run this country, that they wouldn't take the time to research this themselves. Or at least listen to and consider what opposing voices were saying. Sure there were debates, but were they paying attention or just standing "Star Struck " in awe of the messiah who was going to deliver us from....ourselves ??

I am mad at the lies, but I am furious with the " Majority " of this country, who voted blindly and, now that things are not turning out how they hoped with our new president, are starting to complain and whine that " This isn't what we signed up for". Even the media that was " in the can " for Obama, during the election, are starting to get disenfranchised with their leader. All I can say is, " QUIT WHINING !!, We ( as a nation ) put him there. It's nobodies fault but the ones who elected him to office "

OK, I'm done venting. Now, what are we gonna do about it. There is hope, but we have to inform ourselves so as to not be misled again. With that knowledge, we need to inform others. Believe me, people are starting to listen. We need to take responsibility as individuals, come together as a nation of informed citizens. 2010 is coming, research the officials we will be voting on. start now, paying attention to who our next president should be in 2012, Start looking for the right candidate, not the right party affiliation. I believe we messed up last election, but if it happens again, we'll have no one to blame but ourselves.

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