Crude Crusade

With the Energy crisis that we are in with rising oil prices, it simply amazes me that only one candidate, Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton, is the only candidate that addresses the big oil companies making huge profits by gouging the price of a barrel of oil. Other candidates have energy strategies, but are not willing to recognize the record breaking profits of more than $40 billion dollars that the oil companies raked in last year. Senator Clinton has spoken of the tax breaks that continue to be in effect for the large oil companies that help drive the high prices. Her proposal is a $50 billion fund, with the partial assistance of the oil companies, to fund investments for alternative energy, better fuel efficiency and basic energy research.

I have been hugely disappointed in the current administration and how they have handled the strain that has been put on the American people by rising oil prices. This does not only impact the fuel they must put in their cars to get back and forth to their jobs, but it impacts the gas that fuels their homes and not as directly, but the groceries they buy to feed their families. Every part of the US economy is suffering from what I feel is out of control economy strategies. The president is more worried about “winning” a fight than taking care of his own country.

Countries around the world are watching the US economy as theirs depends heavily on what happens to the US dollar. The economy of the world depends on the choices of the US government, and there is not enough effort going into how they will keep the US from entering a recession. We have to make good decisions about a candidate that is going to keep the interests of our country at the forefront of their agenda, otherwise, we will continue to watch our country sink into a recession that will take years to get out of.

Man Behind the Mirrors

Senator Barack Obama has run into a few issues with his campaign staff as of late. With the immediate resignation of his senior foreign policy advisor and the remarks from another adviser on NAFTA, he has a bit of a hole he needs to climb out of.

The resignation of his foreign policy advisor, I think was a bit excessive. A public apology would have been enough for me. If Ms. Samantha Power is good for the campaign you would think one would fight to keep her around. I feel that at one point or another we all get caught up in our passion for what we are doing. I feel that calling someone a “Monster” does not warrant the harsh measures that Ms. Power took, what I am surprised about is that Mr. Obama didn’t value her dedication over the past 14 months. I am hopefully that he will reconsider.

The Senior Economic advisor, Austan Goolsbee, on the other hand, I feel should be the one walking, he has compromised the countries relationship with Canada to a certain extent, and Obama has not even gotten into office. We need to ensure that our relationships with our allies and especially our neighboring countries are upheld and nurtured. I am afraid that this campaign and all the “promises” that go a long with it are not all that they appear to be.

Senator Barack Obama is full of nice, polite promises on the outside. I would be somewhat concerned about what his true intentions were once he got into office based on some of the underhanded stuff that appears to be going on. I know that you can’t trust the hearsay 100% but there has to be some truth to it. It makes me a bit uncomfortable that we may not really be seeing the man behind the mirrors.

Debate in the Lone Star State

The delegates have come to Texas! Have you made up your mind? In my mind the real race is between Hilary and Barack in the Democratic race. They have descended on Texas for a great debate in the Lone Star State. The invitation only debate lasted 90 minutes with a few jabs from Hilary, however she was very gracious about the election and how honored she was to be standing there with Barack Obama. Some of the non-attendees were a bit angry that the debate was for those that could afford a ticket and not for the common folks, when in actuality all the 2,000 tickets were won through a raffle.
A decision shouldn’t be made on the basis of a debate. You have to follow a candidate throughout their campaign to get to the heart of their passion. The content of a debate can get a bit off as the candidates attempt to dismiss the other. Unfortunately, I think that the “cool” candidate will be the one to prevail and not the candidate that can really work for our country to get our country out of turmoil.
They both are working on a health insurance platform as well as the President of the US conversing with a known fascist; both have very different opinions about both. I believe that if you can negotiate common goals and help stabilize the relations between the countries, the president should do that. The Commander in Chief should work to ensure the safety of this country and its citizens if at all possible. I see a leader within the Democratic delegates, I hope that this country see the experience as a plus. Uninsured citizens of Texas is a growing issue, with the economy in the spiral downfall it is in, health insurance rates are on the climb with less coverage, just to offset the costs.
The Texas Primary has taken the candidates all over the state from Houston, Dallas South Texas and back to Austin, we welcome them back anytime. From here they are onto the next stop on the campaign trail, Ohio!

Bush's Delusion of a Budget Surplus

After reading the article about President Bush’s budget realities, I grow more and more disappointed in his administration. He has managed to put this nation in one of the worst budget deficits in history.
The president has made such a mess of the environment that the next president has an uphill climb to just try and keep this country out of an recession. The shortfall of the budget is not the fault of the President, he and his supports refuse blame and instead place it on 9/11, Katrina and the Iraq war. Wasn’t that war Bush’s idea?
Bush’s critics blame his pushing of excessive tax cuts for the wealthy, his inability to veto dissipative spending by Congress and choosing to launch a war among other things. I personally blame him for his inability to control the gouging that has plagued the American public for the last few years, this includes the outlandish fuel costs that have all but suspended recreational travel which impacts areas that rely on travelers for their income. The housing market disaster is also a direct result of his inability to balance the budget, more foreclosure and the continuous drop in percentage rates to try and keep the country upright.
The most troubling piece of the article was the table at the end that put his entire presidency into perspective. Since 2002, the country deficit has been hundreds of billions off of his estimated budget. Is that what he calls fuzzy math?

Proud to be an American

As an American, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are allowed to maintain our freedoms; one of those freedoms is the freedom of speech, which we portray in blogs such as these. We have the opportunity to influence change in our communities, and as Americans, it is our responsibility to actively participate to protect our freedoms.