President Obama-Nobel Peace Prize-Acknowledging Our Hope

I read somewhere that during our Presidential Election, many Europeans stated they wished they could vote.
A worldwide sigh of relief  waved over earth at President Obama's victory. His words -balm from a world of countries, many hundreds if not thousands of years older than our adolescent behaving country.
Sarah Palin spoke the truth about "going rogue". It is how the United States behaved, frightening countries, fearful; of our aggressive and unpredictable behavior. Wary and distrustful of an arrogant and immature government, so full of themselves, we sneered at global warning, ignored our citizens during disaster, and  told others, with a sneer and a spit to , "bring it on".
We believed our 9/11 was the most horrific event on Planet Earth, while genocide and starvation, rape and mutilation took place in a number of countries on a daily basis.
Slowly our own greed eroded our financial system, a cynical corrupt government overrun by lobbyists turned backs on Americans, and eventually, on election day, we watched, as our country's own greed and lawlessness rippled through our citizens, affecting the health and welfare from babies to seniors.

Civilized countries, struggled with the fallout of Americans greed and recklessness, yet the safety nets remain,
health care, senior care, infant care, remains a staple in those countries. We, however, seem to want to self destruct, hanging onto a belief that it ain't broke, so don't fix it.

That Nobel Peace Prize is a dove, holding an olive branch.
A message to President Obama and all those who elected him, that yes, we are on the right road- at last. Civilized countries reach out with that prize, to give us hope, encouragement and a heartfelt message-
Yes, President Obama, Yes, Americans who support his policies, You are on the right track-help us , our world, evolve, move toward a peaceful planet-where each of us is worth the effort to reach out, listen and solve problems in a non aggressive way.
Don't lose hope, President Obama. Stay the course. I believe in you. Do what it takes to lead us into that new world of civilized behavior. We will turn our backs on those who will do whatever it takes to destroy our vision. We will keep moving forward.
Let those who believe they would rather destroy our country than have a government which is led by a black President, who represents the hopes of our world leaders, cry aloud, cry "wolf" let them step up to say their piece so we can disprove them, reveal their lies and true mission-that  they would rather see our country disappear than work toward a better world.
Those of us who are old enough to observe history-we see the damage done to our country-the attitude and feelings of hate and cynicism. The loss of respect, the lack of values. The very fabric of our country's democracy has been torn, burned, mutilated- hardly recognizable.
The Nobel Peace Prize is the civilized world's gentle hand on our shoulder, nudging us forward , as we awkwardly, move through adolescence, into an adulthood of responsibility and consideration for all.

Another "Opt Out" Story We get what we pay for-no more-no less-the end

I bought twelve months of XM Satellite radio.
I paid for it with my credit card.
No contract.
Just paid for one year.
I get a collection bill in the mail for 26 dollars.
According to XM they are authorized to continue my service for one month beyond what I pay for and bill me for it.
Is this for real?
Since when do you get to authorize your own service to me when I paid for 12 months?
Suck it up, XM.
Take me to court..
I am sick of companies screwing us by "fine printing".
There needs to be a new law protecting consumers.
Consumers pay money for a certain service and a certain amount, period.
If businesses decide to not cancel after that  agreed upon amount has ended they need to eat it.
We get what we pay for -no more-no less-the end.

When Irrationality Drives Our Health Care Decisions..

What is it about affordable health care for all that makes normal people act irrationally?
I'm stumped.
Real facts, real figures, real experiences don't cut it with America.

I have worked in health care a good chunk of my life. I am old enough to remember the transition from treating need to treating based on ability to pay.
Twenty years ago the phrase, "Your insurance doesn't cover that" would have been against the Hippocratic Oath.
Now Doctors hide behind HMO's fearing the dwindling of income, mute.

Michael Moore wants to throw in the towel. Truth is not a motivator for outrage and change.
I don't understand and I am to the point where I don't want to anymore.

My country is full of crazy people where the number one TV station is Fox News, and they believe Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. They buy books written by crazy authors who tell them the rich need to be protected and for some reason they believe it.
They go to "Tea Parties" protecting the rich from tax increases.
They refuse to allow the President of the United States to speak with their children.
They believe the crazy media stories about dictatorships and socialism.
They begin to write about harming our President.

Insanity. Crazy, bizarre, unpredictable insanity.

Give this country psychotic meds.
When eighty year olds smugly tell 50 year olds they don't deserve the same Medicare benefits-"quit smoking and drinking"

I can't think about it anymore.
Crazy people will run this country. Crazy people own it now.
The day I have a fistful of dollars in my pocket, my visa, passport and citizenship will be left at the doorstep of the United States.
Don't bother with the insults, I've heard them all. Insults are a national past time.
The United States of America is one mean, ugly country today.

If The Government Only ..Everyone's An Expert..

"If they just quit wasting the taxpayers money"

"Cut spending"

"Wasted taxpayer money"

"Greedy politicians"

"Greedy (city, county, state, federal) government

"Irresponsible, incompetent"----

You fill in the rest.

Everyone is an expert in finance today.

Your favorite government party, angry newspaper commentators, editorials, yada yada yada

As the United States Economy tangos with failure, the passion of emotion overwhelms the steps.

Have you noticed?

We have no experts..if we did we wouldn't be in this mess.

And you, who zealously believe if the government only did it your way -we would all be just peachy-

are no expert either..

Any "socialist" countries out there need teachers?

The citizens in my country, the United States, do not believe all citizens deserve access to free health care.

The citizens in my country no longer believe we should have a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens.

Is there a country in this world who will accept me? I have two Masters Degrees and a BA in Social Work.

I want to live in a country which believes we are all created equal.

Opting Out-It isn't just banks....

Banks are notorious inventors of sneaky methods for parting you and your money.

The overdraft fee-infamous for the inability to opt out of it-along with debiting the largest amount first, so many overdraft fees can be generated on smaller amounts, are all methods of arrogant banks no longer interested in customer goodwill and if you have noticed, signs of monopolistic behavior. Let's not forget the "holding your money" if deposited after 3pm, but processing automatic withdrawals anytime after midnight, or holding a check 7 days -in the age of computer processing and fast access to accounts worldwide.Banks have become one of those necessities that many of us dread and resent.

Banks aren't the only sinners in this lust for stealing money from paycheck to paycheck Americans.

I find this opt out process is popular with other businesses and it really pisses me off.

I have been a customer with T-Mobile for 10 years. They play the same game. I have a family plan with unlimited texting-with teens-this is a critical component.

T-Mobile invented a new service called Family Allowances where you can pay extra to set limits on minutes, change services, decide what services can and cannot be used.

I have a beef with that.

First, I think buying a plan with allotted minutes means just that. If I buy a plan with a thousand minutes, it is a thousand minutes. If I buy a plan with downloads, it is a plan with downloads.

Phone companies make their money when someone doesn't follow the rules. Overages on minutes are prohibitively expensive.

I think the contracts should provide exactly what a purchaser pays for-no more and no less.

It isn't really a contract for a thousand minutes if it is allowed to go over the agreed upon number, is it?

I believe, once again, services should be an opt in, not opt out. If I pay for thousand minutes, I should get a thousand minutes. When I reach that limit, no more.

I have gone in and set those perimeters so many times, it makes me want to scream. I have paid for the ability to control the phones-and thought that was ridiculous.

Why should I pay to control a contract I am already paying for?

This practice is absurd.

After ten years, I'd had it.

I called them, cancelled the expired phones, and had one phone left on contract-mine.

I said, give me the cheapest plan.

21.95

No frills, I said.

Everyone in my house goes to Boost.

21.95 plus ten dollars for taxes and fees!

Half of my phone bill again, for the cost of maintaining the contract!

I asked, "is there any way of getting out of this contract?"

"For 200.00", I was told.

I asked, "What about texts?" If I receive a text, do I have to pay for it?"

"Yes" customer service replied. Unless you "opt out"

"There you go again," I point out.

"Another service I didn't ask for, which I would have to pay for unless I ask you not to give it to me, even though I don't have it on my plan"

"No texts".

See how it works?

Go Boost.

You get what you pay for.

A New Cliche-"Get Over Playing the Race Card..

We could discuss the meanness of the "new" American culture, but that would take volumes.

Part of this once repressed American cruelty, now blatantly expressed and richly primed by media sources, is the phrase, "Get over the race card, liberals, it's not the sixties".

Ironically, race as an issue hasn't changed since the sixties, minority populations are still at the bottom rung when it comes to education, income, location, professions, access to medical care, housing and just about any census statistic recorded.

Yes, race remains an issue.

Most prominently is the fact minorities are fast becoming the majority in the United States overwhelming the white population with their numbers and a new world order will emerge, whether whites like it or not.

The vested interests in our racist society in maintaining the current status quo no longer sneaks into policy, economics, civil and criminal law. It is obvious and blatant.

President Obama's election as first black President of the Unites States cannot be downplayed.

It is here. We deal with the ramifications of the repressed racist feelings of a nation, who for the past fifty years, pretended it wasn't an issue, all the while, ignoring the ongoing statistics of repression.

The media , while it believes it is ramping up ratings, is recording history, our history, of once again, trying to avoid the label of racist by calling our country's anger, "tea parties, tax protesters, etc."

Since when did this country worry about the national debt? Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a white President spent vast amounts of money pulling the United States out of a serious depression.

The protests of the 2000's are about race.

This is not a "liberal, white, issue". This is a "white, racist" issue, channeled as a weak excuse of protest by a large population of very angry racist Americans.

What is surprising is the vastness of this population in America.