State of the Union Address 2010

Dear President Obama,

Tonight, I want to hear you talk about 3 things: jobs, economic security and health care reform.

I want to hear about the steps you will take in saving American jobs from outsourcing. Each job we lose everyday is a job lost. You said during your campaign that you would stop the outsourcing of jobs to cheaper countries like India, but you aren’t talking about that anymore. How about some tax credits for small businesses that stay in the USA? How about helping students pay off college debt and really cracking down on Wall Street? How about a stimulus package for everyday Americans? I am tired of the empty rhetoric, your obsession for Republican love and approval, and this stupid “freeze” gimmick. I want to hear you challenge the left and right wing of the House and Senate to write and pass laws that will work for ALL Americans.

You need to forcefully and decisively charge the Democrats to pass a healthcare bill that includes a strong public option. Remind them of the mandated majority that swept them to victory in the first place because in 2012 they might not be so lucky.

And finally, Mr. President, I hope you realize you need to lead and to fight for the promises you made in your campaign. The American People elected a Democrat and you have to start listening to the American People.

The Face of Ignorance

Pat Robertson is a fraud, an uneducated charlatan and snake oil salesman who has neither heart nor soul. He peddles hate and calls it religion while wearing his $1,000 suits and living in his $16 million mansion. Just when I thought religion and religious people couldn't be more comical for the ignorant things they believe, this whack-job opens his mouth. He is the poster child of the conservative movement in this country.

It is hard to believe that people actually believe his garbage. His insane comment about the victims of earthquake-ravaged Haiti as being "cursed" because of a "pact to the devil" is yet another classic example of why our Founding Fathers wrote into our Constitution the separation of church and state. If religious fanatics like this man were elected to high office, he'd be burning witches in front of the US Capital building!

Unless I'm wrong, I thought that one of the main tenets of the christian faith was to love thy neighbor and treat others like you'd want to be treated. Why then, would Pat Robertson say such a heinous thing about Haiti at a time when tens of thousands of people are dying from a natural disaster? If he were a Christian he might be more concerned with the human suffering than assigning meaningless moral blame. He is a sadistic money-maker who will say any outlandish foolishness to start a controversy to get attention.

Then again, his comments are not a big surprise. Reverend Robertson is a delusional, hypocritical, religious parasite who is completely out of line and showing nothing short of complete insensitivity. We have been listening to this type of garbage from the far right far too long. (Unfortunately, we will have to listen to one more idiot now that Fox news has added their new commentator to their lineup).

So send your relief money for Haiti to the Red Cross, UNICEF, etc., and don't send to any so-called Christian relief organizations. Chances are it will end up in the pocket of someone like Pat Robertson, who when he dies, will become fodder for worms, just like the rest of us.

Happy New Year . . . and Don't Look Back

I don't make New Year's resolutions anymore. I do, however, like to believe that at the beginning of a new year -and with 2010, a new decade- that I can wipe the slate clean and make a fresh start. I've finally come to that point in my life when I realize what matters, what never did, and what always will.

This year I will focus on letting go of things (like making resolutions) that deflect my attention from the really important things. What a person pursues in life depends on what she values. My values, basic tastes and preferences determine my priorities and the way I occupy myself and spend my time.

This year I will educate, agitate, and organize, but not necessarily in that order.