John Barrow must really be busy in Washington and he will finally get around to us folks back here sometime around election time. The staff must really be hard at work because apparently they do not have time to get back with the regular people here at home.

I’ve tried multiple routes to reach my congressman, but either he is swamped with work or the fact that I am competing for his job has kept him or anyone else in his staff from contacting me. I was sure it was just an oversight on his part but now I think differently.

A while back I contacted his office via e-mail concerning HR1940. This bill Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to consider a person born in the United States “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States for citizenship at birth purposes if the person is born in the United States of parents, one of whom is: (1) a U.S. citizen or national; (2) a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States; or (3) an alien performing active service in the armed forces.

This bill is cosponsored by 98 congressman, 97 (R) and 1 (D). Oddly enough for someone who is tough on immigration that (D) does not belong to our congressman. The bill has been languishing in committee since April of last year. John’s reply was no reply.

A few months later I received a mailer telling me how much John had done for our district. Interestingly, I paid for the mailer. Later, I received another mailer, that I paid for, telling me how much John had been doing to fight for my tax dollars and few other things that John did for me. The entire front page of the mailer was a sinking piggy bank. I’m sure John could have put a lot of information on that front page but instead chose to do a full page picture of a sinking pig and yes, I did get a sinking feeling that once again my tax dollars had been wasted.

During that time I and my friends began receiving robo-call messages telling us that John would be in the area to listen too us. John also took the time AND the tax dollars to run adds on the radio that he would be in town to visit with us. I called Johns office to inquire how much of our tax dollars were used to pay for all of this information on John. I was told that the Chief of Staff wanted to speak with me personally. I have called 4 times and left my number 4 times but apparently they are still looking for the Chief of Staff. Interestingly, one call from the local paper and the Chief of Staff came out of hiding to report that the Sinking Pig mailer only cost a little over $40,000 of our tax dollars. I have no idea what was spent on the second sinking pig, the robo-calls, or the radio adds.

John has had several “tours”, the Ag tour, the Veterans tour, and who knows what other tours. I guess that is good that John is getting out, especially since it is getting close to election time. Maybe we should hold Congressional elections every year since that seems to be the only way we can get John to show up?

Finally, in my effort to see what John was up too I figured I would go to his campaign web site. Surely, a man this in touch with his folks would keep us abreast of what he is doing and using a website that reaches almost everyone, for FREE, would be the preferred method to communicate with us. Sure enough, John has his own blog page.

Eureka, John is communicating with the voters. A tour of the blog started off with a couple of endorsements, the AJC for one, which by the way is NOT even in the district or even close for that matter. Then there were a few attack pieces on, Max Burns? Hmmm.

Then I started looking at the dates. The most recent entry was November 1st, 2006? Here is a place for John to reach out, to talk to us, to tell us all kinds of things and it is FREE! All we have to do is reach out and it is there. Problem is, nothing is there. John would prefer to spend our tax dollars to tell us how good he is rather than putting out information that we can gather anytime we want.

A look at the Congressman’s web site showed his latest “news” item, dated March 14th, over a month and a half ago, as another announcement of yet another tour. Of interesting note was the March 12th testimony where John stated that “What we’ve learned in my community since this disaster hit us is that the experts in the field have known about this problem for decades.”

The fact that John admits there are problems in his district that he had no clue about, but was known for decades, just shows how out of touch most Washington folks are with the real world we live and work in. I don’t expect John to know everything about everything but I wonder how many experts tried to tell John about this but he and his staff were too busy to listen?

John must be really busy, busy doing what? Maybe they are working on a new brochure. Run Regina! RUN!!

Course Description: Politics 101 is the basic course required for entry level candidates in the political process. This course will engage the student at the basic levels of politics including the art of communication and presentation. The course will focus on creating issue positions that have little or no real impact and yet gain the attention of the voter. At the end of the course the student will be able to address an issue in such a manner that every voter believes you have solved the problem without you actually having to do so.

Prerequisites: Doublespeak 101, 201

Fellow Students,

I am Ray McKinney a fellow student in the world of politics. Welcome to the first day of Politics 101. The professor is out today and will be out through the entire process due to circumstances beyond his control. With my first hand experience at the grass roots level I have been asked to facilitate this course based on personal experience.

Today’s lesson is how to craft a message that (1) says all the right things and (2) doesn’t actually solve anything. The goal will be to impress voters without actually solving the problem. Bonus points will be awarded if you can actually contradict yourself in the same statement and not have anyone notice it and points will be awarded if you can say one thing and actually mean another.

For our first lesson we will use a recent press release from a “real” politician. Here is an excerpt of the press release from a candidate for the US House of Representatives made on April 29th, 2008.

““Candidate” has pledged to vote to temporarily eliminate all gas taxes to lower pump prices by an estimated 50 cents a gallon, and to pay for the tax cut by eliminating the billions in tax subsidies currently given to global oil companies. He also supports a comprehensive 10-year plan for U.S. energy independence.”

This is an excellent position to take. Let’s first take a look at “temporarily eliminate”. That sounds good but it’s kind of like temporarily eliminating Al-Qaeda. When you read the statement did you get the feeling that this would solve the problem or did you realize that it only postpones the return of the tax? The average citizen would view this as a solution, problem solved, no worries for the next 30 years. As a student of politics you must realize that this is the candidate’s way of saying I am going to make things better for the next few days but we will worry about the problem later.

Next notice the “50 cents a gallon” part of the statement. Wow, 50 cents!! That is “red meat” to the average reader. The average person is thinking $8 - $15 per tank of fuel and that really does make an impact. This is what we will call a “red flag” in that (1) it attracts the voter like a red flag does a bull and (2) as a student it should attract your scrutiny.

What you may have not noticed is this is a candidate for US House of Representatives. My point? My point is the Federal Gas Tax is 18.4 cents per gallon which, nation wide, would save the average driver a $1.83 per week. The candidate in question only has the authority to deal with the Federal tax but he is implying that he has the power to remove state and local taxes. When you take a look at the “red flag” you can see that it captures the imagination of the intended audience but in reality has little of no impact. On a side note, the candidate is supposedly in favor of limited government but actually takes the position that the Federal government should be mandating tax policy at the state and local level.

Next notice how this candidate supports a 10-plus year plan? What is 10-plus? The last time I took college algebra or basic math for that matter, the equation X = 10 + ? did not have a solution. The average voter will “see” the 10 and not realize that the answer could be 100 or infinity. You have to learn to craft your message so that when the 10 years expires and the “plan” has not come to fruition and that pesky reporter or constituent brings it up you can always point out the plus part. Facts are not part of the political process and are often frowned upon by campaign mangers and politicians in general.

Next notice how the candidate “supports a plan”, not the plan but a plan. Here is a subtle way to say you have an answer without actually giving the answer. It is rare to find a candidate that will actually propose their own plan because once you do it becomes attached to you and if the plan does not work you are stuck with it. I’m sure we all support a plan for world peace we just don’t have a clue what the plan is. If you support “a” plan you have plenty of room to point out that the plan used was not “the” plan you supported. This is why Double Speak 101 and 201 are required to understand this course.

Now for the bonus part, did you catch it? Not in the same press release, or in the same paragraph but in the SAME sentence the candidate contradicts himself by eliminating two items. This is truly a professional and should not be tried by you at home. The first is the “temporary” lift on the gas tax and the second is the elimination of the evil subsidy. For those of you that are not familiar, the subsidy is a tax deduction for things like exploration, remodeling of facilities, job training, you know, the things required to update, modernize, and keep a facility supplied and functioning. Please note the use and the omission of the word “temporarily” in the statement. This will come up later in the class.

The point is the candidate is going to “save” you money by eliminating the tax he charges you at the pump while he is going to “replace” that money by increasing taxes on the company you buy from before it gets to the pump. In effect he is going to increase the cost of business from the very same company you buy from? Where does this company get the money to pay the increased taxes? You, the consumer. You’ve just had one hand removed from your left pocket and another stuck into your right pocket. Did you even notice?

Now for the bonus on the bonus. Did you notice that your tax relief was only “temporarily eliminated” while the tax deduction was “eliminated”. This candidate just told you he is going to raise the tax burden on the cost of your fuel by first removing your tax, offsetting it with a tax increase, and then he is going to replace your tax. Did you even notice? Truly brilliant.

In review.

In 2 sentences this candidate has managed to:

1. Convince you he cares and will solve the problem.
2. Will save you money
3. Will tax the evil oil company

And at the same time:

1. Exceeded his Federal Authority
2. Exchanged one tax revenue source for another
3. Told you he will raise your taxes in the future
4. Has no solution of his own

In conclusion I hope this example has been helpful in understanding the minds of a politician. To understand and appreciate the extreme care that it takes to be able to tell someone you are going to raise their taxes and make them feel good about it. On the face of it I would give this statement an A+ but coming from a Conservative Republican Candidate I have to award even more bonus points for sheer audacity.

Your assignment for this week is to find other examples of Political English statements made by candidates and do your best to translate into English.

 

That is a tough question. People blog. Activists blog. Bloggers share information, create debate, exchange ideas and information, and on rare occasions actually change someone’s opinion. Typically politicians do not blog and the bloggers wonder why. Simple, their handlers do not want them to actually tell you what they think except in very canned and in a very scripted fashion. The politician that blogs sets himself up for attacks by others who would use his words against him. A professional politician will not deign to actually engage someone in such a manner. I think this is to the detriment of the process.

Someone who blogs has got to be tough. People either love you or hate you. If you have an (R) or a (D) by your name you automatically make enemies of 50% of those that see your blog. Sometimes the vitriol is excessive and people will often make comments based solely on the title of the blog, the first line of the blog, or just the fact you had the audacity to state an opinion that they do not agree with.

In the world of politics it is considered a no win situation so politicians rarely blog and are advised not to do so by their managers. The sad part is they have so much to contribute to the debate. These people are, for better or worse, representing you and here is an opportunity that “Joe Citizen” has never had before and that is access to his or her representative. Whether you like the person or not, a politician who blogs is actually taking their time to share information with you. Some may do it for political gain but some may actually be doing it for the right reason and that reason is to reach out and get you involved in the political process.

Imagine if you will, how “cool” it would be to post a comment to a blog by POTUS and know that he actually took the time to read what you had to say. Imagine the feel of participation you would have if he/she actually replied to your comment. You have just reached out to the most powerful person in the world and had an impact. We know that mathematically that would never happen. Too many people, too little time to actually digest all of the other info that a POTUS has to deal with.

The same is probably true for a Governor or even a Senator but when you have a Commissioner, Councilman, Mayor, or even a Candidate take the time to blog realize that they are taken a precious item, TIME, and they are reaching out to you. Whether you agree with them or not show a little courtesy, the same that they showed you, and if you are going to comment read the entire post, make sure you got the point, and show the same respect they showed you in the post in your comments.

Please keep in mind that candidates who blog are going against the current in laying out the issues in an open forum. This is the era of open debate, where you can participate at a level that no other citizens have been able too in history. If you want your representatives to listen to you, if you want to be part of the process, try a little civility and you may be surprised at the access you will gain.

I have been very fortunate that the majority of readers respond with civility and even those that do not agree with my positions have posed their views in such a manner that invites debate, not squashes it. Just as you are an individual with your respective opinions so am I. I am also aware that your opinions may actually influence my opinion. I am open for debate and will respectfully engage with any individual who is willing to do so in a respectful manner. As far as I am concerned the purpose of debate is to share and advance issues not destroy the opponent. That is the purpose of paintball!

You probably think I was just trying to grab some attention and would use that to create fear and suspicion but this weekend gas hit $9.35 US per gallon in Scotland.

Just for those who need a quick reference, 1 gallon US = 3.785 litres, and 3.785 x $2.47 = $9.35. What really has them mad is petrol WAS $8.10 a gallon before the strike. That was the NORMAL price.

You can’t blame US oil executives for that one. Keep in mind that up until a couple of years ago, Britain was a “net” exporter of oil. When reading the article or related articles that increased taxation on oil companies caused a decrease in exploration and production, ultimately leading to higher prices on dwindling supplies, one has to wonder what our future is with either of the two current Democrat candidates.

Now imagine that Hillary or Barack has their way and heavy taxes are levied on the oil industry in the US. Then imagine, not a strike, but another Katrina or worse yet an embargo by a foreign country. If you don’t realize that our country is on the same path as other countries now paying over $9 a gallon for gas then you must really have your head in the sand.

Band-aid plans like Georgia Congressman 12th District John Barrow’s suggestion to stop filling the Federal Reserve is the typical political rhetoric. The Fed currently buys 70,000 barrels a day, while the US imported 11,174,000 barrels per day as of this year. The Fed purchases are .6 of 1% of overall purchases.

Using John’s logic, if there is any, that prices would drop by 25 cents per gallon if the Fed quit buying up .6% of the current imports. I guess if we all stayed home just ONE day and did nothing but visit the family we could cause the SAME or even greater drop in fuel prices. At .6% we would only have to do this once every 167 days. In this case why not MANDATE a Federal driving vacation where 2 days a year we all just stay home? Remember, I am using the same logic here as the other guy.

The sad part, all of this filling of the Federal Strategic Reserve at over $110 a barrel, which by the way would be over 7.7 Million dollars a day, is being done to replace oil that we put on the market when oil was $69 a barrel. Another hose job on the US citizen. We realesed oil and now we are replacing it with oil that is about $40 a barrel more expensive. That was a wise move. Once again the logic of the current political process.

John Barrows “plan” to drop the price by 25 cents a barrel is even refuted by the agency that he used for a reference. He estimates 25 cents while they estimate a few pennies. I would be on the side of the people that have a clue at what they are doing rather than a congressman, who the last time he came in close contact with oil was when he dripped salad dressing on his pants.

Barack talks change we can believe in. I think he has a point that we do need a change in the way Washington works and we can begin that change by electing people to office that have real life skills, experiences, and deals with the same issues the majority of this country has to deal with on a daily basis.

There are those that can and those that can’t. The glass is half full, the glass is half empty. I need to work harder, it is someone else’s fault. I am responsible, the government is responsible. All of these comments describe one half or the other of Americans.

I was raised that YOU were responsible. Yes we have a government that believes its job is to fix everything, every problem, and provide a safety net to everyone in this country. Even though most people realize this is not feasible or even financially possible there is a rising number of people who believe government is the solution to everything and by promising more and more they are able to retain power. Vote for me and I will solve your every problem. Vote for me and I will give you stuff. Vote for me and I will make things fair. Vote for me and I will take from the successful and give to you.

For example, universal health-care has managed to bankrupt almost every nation that is trying it and only by steadily increasing taxes to cover the rising costs have these countries been able to provide a basic level of needs. Basic needs like months or year long waiting lists. Plans to “cut” services to those that are over weight or do not meet other government criteria. Days spent on a gurney in a hall waiting for a room. Sending critical patients to other countries for care as a “safety” valve.

Remember when we only had the US Postal Service? Would you advocate shutting down UPS, FedEx, and DHL because only a “privileged” few can avail themselves of their services? Remember when you only had the option of a land line and AT&T for phone service? Should we shut down all the other companies now that provide a myriad of services because we all can’t afford them?

I realize these are not life and death scenarios but the principle, like gravity, is the same. Private industry creates competition and a level of services that the government cannot. Why do you think many people travel from all over the world for medical care in the US when their own country provides “free” health-care. Do you really think they have the right solution but can’t quite get it right but we are smart enough to do so?

Democrats have a plan where they take our country closer and closer to a true socialist country where the government provides everything. A farm plan to manage food, a medical plan to manage health care, a plan or agency for everything. Our congress is even holding hearings on “virtual space”. Yes, no kidding.

Even though this system has NEVER produced a successful country many Democrats believe the socialist system is “fair” and the only problem is the leaders of those other countries just weren’t smart enough to do it right. They do not look at the success of our country as a validation of our current system, they only see a pile of resources that they can turn into the “best” society.

Sure we are not all at the same level but we are ALL playing on the same field. Some have better equipment, a head start, maybe even a silver spoon but we all have the same opportunities. Take Obama and his wife. They both claim to have come up from nothing and now look at them. Did the “system” keep them down? I came from a blue collar background and somehow managed to make a good living without government support. I even paid back my student loans after several years. My wife is currently paying back hers.

Last year at this time I was a guy working in an office, sitting at a computer and walking the floor making “stuff”. Today I am a congressional candidate and a delegate to the National Convention. No one handed it to me, I went out, borrowed, scraped, walked, talked, and met people to get there.

The Republican Party has a system where even the most humble can participate and make a difference. I even had a resolution passed at the District level and hope to take it all the way to the National Convention this fall. Can you imaging from office geek to speaker at the National convention in less than two years? Can you do that in a society where everything is “fair”.

That system will not reward hard work, dreamers, thinkers, or people who are willing to put it on the line. It will only reward mediocrity with a standard of living that is “fair” to everyone. Life is not fair. Two year old’s die of cancer every day and people who smoke can live into their 90’s. No one promised it would be fair and our constitution never said anything about “fair”.

Take a close look at the system in Cuba, one of the armpits of the world. This country is managed, “fair”, and can trade with any country in the world except the US. Why has it not succeeded? Why does the election ballot only have ONE name for each office? When you vote you have no choice because someone has already decided for you. You have no voice in the matter.

In the perfect system their is NO CHOICE because having a choice means someone disagrees with someone else. Do you really want to turn everything over to a group of people who believe their way is the only way and you are basically too stupid to make a decision?

Our party system is not perfect but the alternative is a disaster for this nation. I believe that Republicans believe in what YOU CAN do and many Democrat leaders believe that YOU CAN’T but THEY CAN.

We know you are smart. We know you are doing your best to help us middle class people back in the Georgia 12th. We appreciate the fact that you took the time to move from your home in Athens to live here in the district you represent. We’ve been told over and over how “conservative” you are even though you just endorsed the most liberal Senator in Washington to be our Commander in Chief.

Yes, we know you totally supported the energy bill. The bill that is doing absolutely nothing to change the fact that gas prices are through the roof. It is also the reason milk is over $4.00 a gallon and anything with “high fructose corn syrup” is also going up. Did you really think that converting one of our foundation food products into fuel was actually helping us? Even when the government determined that the use of corn into fuel actually used more energy than it produced you still supported the bill. John, you do realize that eggs come from chickens that eat CORN, that beef comes from cows that eat CORN? Do you also realize that with higher corn prices farmers in the mid-west have quit growing barely to grow corn and now the price of barely is going up which means beer is going up? Did you also know that this year corn production is DOWN by 8% which means prices are going to go UP?

John, we have some real problems here. Fertilizer that was $200-$300 a ton last year is now $800-$1200 a ton this year. I know you’re not a farmer and probably couldn’t spot the difference between a tomato plant and a corn stalk but John this is what we EAT for a living. Do you have any clue what food prices are going to be for us “normal” folk this fall?

John, the facts are simple. In 2001 you could buy 10 barrels of oil for an ounce of gold. In 2008 you can buy, yes, 10 barrels of oil for an ounce of gold. Part of the problem we are facing is the NINE TRILLION dollar debt you guys have run up in Washington. There is so much US currency in the foreign markets they are using it like monopoly money. Show a little fiscal responsibility, start paying off some of the debt, and maybe our currency will start having some value.

Next, why not help us out by letting us use some of our own oil for a change. In the 70’s we were dependent on foreign sources for 30% of our oil, you know, the days when OPEC decided to close the valve. Today we are dependent on 51% of our supply. Hmmm, imagine what damage Chavez and a few of those nutcases could do to us now. Since you’re such a conservative and all how about you get a couple of your financial supporters like Nancy to change their tune a little. Being a conservative down home kind of congressman that supports the little guy maybe you could threaten to switch parties and help us get a conservative leader instead of supporting, well you know who she is better than we do.

In closing John, do us another little favor. We already know how good you are at helping out the folks so instead of making us pay for telling us how good you are why not tap into some of those campaign funds of yours. Instead of using our tax dollars to send out your “campaign” literature why not spend some of that million plus dollars from the DNC. Yes, I know, it is “Official” congressional stuff, but really, we may have been born at night but it wasn’t last night. I would appreciate it if the next “memo” you send out was not designed, printed, and mailed using US tax dollars. I bet you hate having to put that message on the back of that nice brochure you sent out. I bet your counting on the fact most people never actually read the back page. By the way, the radio adds “paid for by discretionary funds”, hint, try using that money to pay a little on the debt. If you are really trying to do a good job quit making us pay for you to tell us about it. 

Sincerely,

One of your constituents.

PS. A call to your office to request the amount used to “prepare, published, and mailed at taxpayer expense” resulted in an “I don’t know what you are talking about” and a promise to have someone call me back. I’m still waiting for the call.

According to the Congressional Quarterly McKinney is in second place behind Washington insider John Stone. Since there were no polls referenced I must assume it is the opinion of the writer that Stone is the leader.

I guess this is another reference to “top tier” candidates similar to what we saw in the Presidential elections when the “media” announced first and second tier candidates as they declared. Once again the “media” has determined who our front runners or who our viable candidates are without bothering to ask the voters.

Were you polled? Was in fact anyone polled? I guess the only criteria is that John Stone happens to have ties with the establishment, especially those in Washington. It appears we don’t even need to get involved in the process since the writer has determined who the “front runner” is before the first straw poll or even the first real poll has been taken.

I did a little google search using both McKinney and Stone and believe it or not the most popular name is McKinney. In fact the name John Stone doesn’t even turn up the candidates campaign site on the first FIVE pages whereas Ray McKinney turns up the candidates site as the number one spot. I also looked at articles written about or by the candidates and found that the only candidate who has press releases printed on a regular basis is that  blue collar McKinney guy.

It seems that in the 12th district the best known of the two is McKinney but apparently what the 12th district thinks does not matter much to the Congressional Quarterly. I guess the politicians in Washington aren’t the only ones out of touch with the people of this country. 

Well the end has come. 30 days on the road and the feet to prove it. I had though about taking and posting pictures of the soles of my feet, but, decorum prevailed.

It was somewhat of a retreat. I was able to spend days pondering the universe and at the same time taking in the sights and smells of Georgia. I saw blooms on the side of the road that were purely spectacular and were most likely only seen by me while passing.

I also learned one person can make an impact. One day I walked past a traffic jam at a gas station just off of I-95. The light was rather long on the main road, especially since it was the rush hour. Vehicles were backed up trying to leave the station and one person just had to try and get in the outgoing lane but couldn’t quite make it. With the tail end stuck into the adjoining lane, the semi-trucks could not enter the fuel stop.

Traffic had backed up all of the way to the off ramp of I-95 and even though its light was green, traffic could not move. As I walked past the log jam I noticed the second vehicle in line, a motor-home, had about 25′ between it and the car in front. The driver was looking at a road map. I walked up to his window and mentioned that their was a driver who needed to get in behind him if he could pull up a few feet.

He was polite, said “Sure thing”, and pulled up to the car in front of him. The domino effect was fast. The car behind him pulled up and so on until the car with his tail end blocking traffic was able to pull up and the trucks flowed. You never know what difference one person can make. All we have to do is try to pay a little more attention to our surroundings and take others into consideration. Sometimes a small effort on our part can make things go better for many other people.

Well there is light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope it’s not the headlight on a freight train. 375 miles down and 75 to go. One pair of shoes in the trash and the second pair hanging in strong.

This started as a typical week, meeting folks, seeing the countryside, getting tanned one day and rained on the next. About day 3 I got a lesson in life. I had gotten into a groove of one step at a time. I would take a break about every 2-3 hours and really began eating up the miles. Before noon I was walking along, watching the pavement when I heard a splash.

It was a turtle diving off of a log into one of the prettiest ponds I had ever seen. Cyprus trees, Lilly pads, a few logs, just calm water surrounded by Georgia scenery. It was so peaceful I wanted to sit by this pond for hours and just day dream. I realized I had been so busy going from point A to point B that if not for the turtle I would have walked right past this pond and never noticed. It gave me something to ponder for the next few hours.

So many of us in life are so busy getting through life that we are missing life. We are so busy working towards retirement that when we get there we finally realize all that we have missed or what is even worse is that we never realize what we did miss along the way.

I think it’s also a bit like politics where our politicians are so busy looking at the next election cycle they forgot why they were there in the first place.

I also got another lesson in politics last week. Before I took on this task I met with county chairs, the district chair, state chair, NRCC, 6 out of 7 of our Republican congressman and our last GOP candidate. The one question I had for all of them was what kind of candidate where you looking for and more importantly do you have a candidate in mind. I wanted to know what I would be up against and if there was a “picked” candidate in the wings. Before I jumped into this race with both feet I wanted to know if I was on a level playing field or a stacked deck.

The answer from all parties was they were looking for a “grass roots” candidate and “NO” there was no heir apparent. It was the general consensus that the best candidate for the district was someone who could gain the support of the local people. I received some advice from the last candidate about contacting people, where to get names, and was told that he was staying out of the race and hoped that the best candidate would emerge from the pack.

Fine by me, level field, all I had to do was prove that I could connect with the people and may the best man win. Well, guess what. Last week an endorsement came out for my opponent from none other that the previous candidate.

Okay, I’m a big boy and I can stand the heat. The disappointing part was hearing so much positive feedback on the last candidate about integrity and how it was a shame that he lost the last two elections and then to have him come out an endorse a candidate in a primary race after we had looked each other in the eye. So much for taking some people at their word. I hope that I never become that kind of person.

I had hoped to find more integrity in my own party but then again I think that is part of the problem with politicians today. Whatever is convenient for that day is the position for that day.

On a positive note I have found that most people in the party are people that actually make decisions for themselves and resent being told by someone who to vote for. From the feedback I have gotten I would say the endorsement is a mixed blessing for the both of us. In my mind the only person who lost was the one who gave up his word.

On a final note, JOBS, we need jobs back in this country. I was sitting down having lunch one day when I took a close look at my walking stick. It was made in Brazil. My hat was made in Vietnam, my shirt Pakistan, and my walking shoes with over 300 miles were made in China. I felt like the UN walking around.

Do you realize how few things are made in this country any more? What are we becoming? What future are we leaving for our children? We need to wake up and smell the coffee.

People cannot afford gas, milk, basic needs. People are worried about losing jobs, communities are worried about losing entire work forces. We need to get a handle on things fast. Look at the price of oil and gold.

In April of 2001 Gold was at $260.00 an ounce and oil was at $26.77 a barrel. In other words you could buy 10 barrels of oil for an ounce of gold. In March of 2008 the price of Gold is over $1,000.00 an ounce and the price of oil is over $100 a barrel. In other words you can buy 10 barrels of oil for an ounce of gold. Do you see a pattern?

It’s not the oil is any more expensive now than it was in 2001 it’s just that the value of the dollar is about 25% of what it was in 2001. As far as the world markets are concerned the dollar is getting weaker by the day. Do you think the $9 Trillion dollar debt has anything to do with it? You bet. Foreign countries are probably holding more dollars than we do. China has so much currency that it is currently buying up basic materials like lead, copper, steel, and even fertilizer.

Our fiscal policies are selling our nation out. Is this the path you want to continue on?