One Year Later, That Hope And Change Has To Go

On the first anniversary of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, I
will give my grade of his performance. If you are still one of the few
drinking the Obama Cool-aid, don't read on because you won't like this.

My grade, F- (F minus). There are several reasons.

President Obama promised "Hope and change." He promised we'd see more
transparency in Government. We've seen anything but these things. Right
off the bat, President Obama and his cronies in Congress rammed through a
so-called Economic Stimulus bill which was over 1,100 pages in length
without allowing time for reasoned, thoughtful debate. No transparency
there. This bill which will always be known to me as Porkulus Spendulus
hasn't done anything close to what Obama and his supporters claimed it
would. After its passage, unemployment has shot up to over 10%. Taxes have
gone up. There has been no explosion in infrastructure projects as was
promised.

President Obama and his liberal cronies continue to ignore over 60% of the
American people and push for radical health care reform which should be more
properly known as Health Care deform. There should be no greater evidence
of how much Americans dislike this legislation than the stunning victory by
Republican
Scott Brown in the Massachusetts special election to fill the late Senator
Edward Kenedy's seat. When a Republican can win a seat in the U.S. Senate
in one of the most democratic states in the country, heads turn. Health
care reform and the associated fees and taxes and overburdening regulations
is a big reason why. With Brown's victory, I believe we've seen the death
of Health Care Reform. May it never rise again.

No transparency here either. Obama and his cronies have held closed door
meetings, all but bribing politicians to support this legislation. They
talk bipartisanship, but have not entertained a single idea put forward by
Republicans on health care reform. They accuse Republicans and those who
are against health care reform of being for the status quo. In this
Republican's eyes, nothing could be further from the truth. As I have said
before in this forum, I want sensible reforms like torte reform, making
insurance forms easier to understand and allowing Medicare to negotiate for
lower prescription drug prices. None of these are included. I want to see
better access to prescription drug information and Medicare reimbursement
for vision-related services and equipment. None of these are included.

Another reason for my F- is right in my wallet. At the beginning of Obama's
presidency last January, I was taking home $16.40 more a month than I'm
taking home now. Over a year, this means I'll take home about $200 less
than I did last year. This was money I could spend on the things I wanted.
Obama and his cronies feel they can make better decisions on how to spend my
money than I. The more money individuals and businesses are allowed to
keep, the more they can and will put into the economy by investing in
growing business, purchasing goods and services and ultimately, putting
America back to work. But when you have a guy in the White House who has
never held a real job or had to make a payroll, those concepts are lost upon
him.

Finally, Obama has poured our tax money into businesses that should have
been allowed to fail. When I paid my taxes, I did not pay to own General
Motors which should now be called Government Motors. I did not want to bail
out big banks. Yes, this started under the Bush administration, but Obama
had the power to put a stop to it when he came into office but did not.

For all the reasons I've documented here and more, Obama gets an F- after
his first year. He and his cronies better take notice and move more toward
the center, or else they will see a Republican revolution in 2010 which will
make 1994 look like child's play. Unfortunately, Obama is so invested in
pleasing radical liberals he's incapable of moving to the center where most
Americans are in my opinion.

What Dr. King's Dream Means to Me

Today is the actual birthday for one of the greatest men in our nation's
history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Yes, I know we will celebrate on
Monday, January 18.

The holiday that celebrates this man's birthday is more than part of a three
day weekend to me. As I sit and reflect on what Dr. King's dream means to
me, I come up with a couple of things.

First, Dr. King's work for a society in which African-Americans are afforded
equal opportunity and respect has led to other groups being able to do the
same things. As a person who is blind, I am indebted to Dr. King for
fighting so hard for civil rights. The work Dr. King and those who followed
him did has led to such civil rights laws as the Americans with Disabilities
Act. Thank you, Dr. King, for leading our nation toward one in which all
citizens, regardless of race, gender, national origin, physical or mental
disability, ETC. can be all they want to be. My wife and I have spent the
last few years in King day doing business on the community. Thanks to Dr.
King's work, we have the right to go into stores, purchase goods and
services, and know that we have the right to receive equal service as those
without disabilities.

In thinking about Dr. King's work, I cannot help but look at the so-called
African-American leaders out there and shake my head. Jesse Womanizer
Jackson and Al Big Mouth Sharpton couldn't even hold open the door for Dr.
King, much less carry on his legacy. I truly hope African-Americans figure
that out and figure out that they can excel to whatever position they want
too, and that they thank Dr. King for that. Look at our President,
President Barack Obama. He is living proof that anyone, regardless of race,
can strive to be elected to the highest office in arguably, the most
powerful nation on earth. You have to admire President Obama, regardless of
your political persuasion. A later entry I wil post will grade him after
his first year, and it will be very harsh. But, if any President,
regardless of color did the things he has done I'd grade them the same way.

So as we reflect on the words and work of Dr. King, let us strive to keep
our nation one in which all people can equally enjoy te opportunities they
want to take advantage of.

Unimaginable Tragedy

It is impossible for me to imagine the horror, anguish, and other things
those who are still alive in Haiti are going through as I write this. Many
have family members whose whereabouts they do not know. People hearing
cries for help under the rubble rought by the quake who can do nothing to
help.

Many thoughts are crossing my mind as I think about this tragedy. First and
foremost, my prayers are with those still alive in Haiti, with the rescue
teams working to save people, and with the families of those no longer with
us. This tragedy also demonstrates once again the awesome power Mother
Nature has. Think about it. Just two days ago, the people of Porta Prince
and other parts of Haiti were going about their lives with nothing but their
usual concerns. Then, in a few short seconds, their world was tragically
turned upside down.

Haiti may be the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. But neither rich
nor ppoor people deserve to have family members taken from them or have
their own lives snuffed out in an instant like this.

Finally, this tragedy reminds me how precious life is and how we must
cherish every moment we have. It reminds me to take the time and spend it
with those I care most about. Because, we never know when something will
happen to change our world in a significant way, and not necessarily for the
better.

So as we pray for the people of Haiti and those trying to help them, let's
all take a few minutes, call our families and let them know how much we care
about them. Let's make sure those we love know how much we love them. Life
is a precious gift, which God giveth and God can taketh away.

Double Standard Alive And Well, And It Makes Me Angry

Well, the double standard is alive and kicking. In the book soon to be
published, "Changing game," reference is made to comments made by U.S.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reed of Nevada which were along the lines that
President Obama would have an easier time getting elected because he is a
light skinned African-American and doesn;t speak in Negro Dialect unless he
wants too.

Clearly, these comments were hurtful and offensive. They shouldn't have
been said. Reed has apologized to Obama for making these comments and Obama
has accepted. I have no problem with that.

What I do have a problem with is the way the media and others are responding
to this. They seem to be casting it off, saying it's really no big deal.
Even Al Sharpton says he's standing by Senator Reed.

Imagine if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would have made a similar,
dumb, offensive comment and apologized. Would the reactions be the same?
Absolutely not. There would be calls for McConnell to step down from the
Senate. There would be demonstrations outside of his office. Every talking
head would have something to say about it and it would go on and on forever.

Comments like those of Senator Harry Reed are offensive regardless who says
them. Reed apologized as he should. However, as long as you favor liberal
idiology, you can pretty much say anything you want and a simple apology is
all that is required. If you follow conservative ideology, then reactions
are quite different and it makes me sick. Reed said something he shouldn't
have said. Well, conservative folks make mistakes too and should be treated
the same way when we do.

Packers' Season Is Over, But A Lot to Build On

I'm sad that the Green Bay Packers' season has come to an end at the hands
of the Arizona Cardinals. But, the Packers have a lot to build on for the
future and will probably be back in the playoffs next year, going farther.

Offensively, Aaron Rodgers has another year under his belt. He and the team
didn't quit today, that shows guts and determination. Despite the turnovers
Rodgers had today, he's an excellent game manager, and is proving to be a
very good Quarterback. He's going to be a starr in the NFL.

Speaking of stars, Jermichal Finley is emerging into a great tight end.
Finley looks like the real deal, and his ability to stretch a defense will
pay big dividends in the future.

The Packers are still very strong at wide receiver and at running back.
Their offensive weakness in my opinion is Offensive Line.

Although they didn't play the part today, the Packers' defense has greatly
improved throughout the season. Clay Mathews looks like the real deal.
Another year under the 3-4 and a few more players and they've got the
potential to be something special.

Now that the off season is upon us, darn it, here are what I believe the
Packers' needs are. At the top of the list is offensive tackle. Chad
Clifton and Mark Touscher are getting up in years and will need to be
replaced. T. J. Lang looks like he could play one of the tackle spots with
a little more seasoning.

Next on the list, a punter. They need someone who can place the ball inside
the 20 consistently. They need to bring in a kicker to compete with Mason
Crosby as Crosby had a down year. Crosby has a very strong leg, so I don't
want to totally give up on him. Having competition in training camp would
push him to improve his accuracy.

Finally, the Packers need to draft for depth at Cornerback and Safety. It's
time to end the Jarred Bush experiment. With Woodson, Harris and Williams,
they have three solid starting caliber corners, but beyond that they are
week and need to bring in some depth. Also, they need better depth at
Safety, for after Bigby and Collins there isn't much there.

As for the remainder of these playoffs, I'm rooting either for the Cardinals
or Saints to get into the Super Bowl from the NFC. I believe Indianapolis
will ultimately win the big game.