Survive LVAD for a year for this!

Survive LVAD for a year for this!
I had told myself that the primary reason for this blog was to document my journey with my LVAD implant, pacemaker, and AIDS, etc; but for this entry I have to step outside of that primary objective.

I DID NOT SURVIVE THIS LAST YEAR TO LOOK FORWARD TO ANOTHER 4 YEARS OF MCBUSHIAN POLITICS.

Let's see, by my last blog post, that would be 2,098,400 minutes for a 4 year term. Over 2 MILLION MINUTES!

Before McCain picked his running mate, I was not too worried about McCain as having a significant chance of beating the democrats. ( I actually voted for Hillary, but will take Obama over McCain any day.) But now after picking Palin as his running mate and the response in the polls, I now fear that the American public maybe letting him pull the wool over their eyes.
I will give him credit for his service to this country in the military, most specifically his service in Vietnam. (My older brother had multiple tours of duty in Vietnam and I wouldn't want him for president, sorry brother.) Nor will I discredit his years served in the senate for his state, assuming he has represented their interests fairly. But these two facts do not add up to him being the best candidate for president in these times. After the last 8 years this country and its citizens are in the worst financial shape in as many decades. The country and the average citizen are in the deepest debt ever in American history. We have the lowest respect politically globally in at least as many decades.
Then let’s look at his choice of running mates, Sarah Palin. In everything I have read that didn’t come from the McCain campaign; I have had a difficult time finding the integrity of his choice or within the candidate herself that we as citizens should expect. In her short time in politics, she has shown to be an astute opportunist. She definitely knows how to manipulate the system to her benefit. She may have said the final work of “no thank you” to the bridge to nowhere when it was popular, but she was a strong supporter prior to that. She may say she is against earmarks now, but it certainly did not stop her from getting 27 million dollars in earmarks when she was mayor.
She touts fiscal conservatism, but she assumed the office of mayor for Wasilla, Alaska; a town of 7000 with $0 debt and left it with more than $20 million in debt. (That is almost 3,000 dollars for every man, women, and child of the town of Wasilla!) Is this the sort of fiscal experience we are looking for?
There are many other untruths uttered by her. However that brings me back to wonder how sound a decision was it for McCain to select her out of a field of significantly more qualified and capable folks, men and WOMEN. Or was this one of those brain farts we come to expect as we grow old. (I know, I have them to; but do we want this as a shining quality in the man who will be taking that call at 3:00 A.M.?)
In the last few days we have received announcements of unemployment rising again up to 6.1% (6th month of consecutive increases to a 5 year HIGH). The federal Government has assumed control of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac (and therefore the debt and securities – 5 trillion dollars – I forget how many ZERO’s that is behind the 5!, but it works out to about $1,600(CORRECTION $16,000) per US citizen - I know i don't need another bill for $1,600...(CORRECTION $16,000). Then to allow the CEO's of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac to walk away with millions of dollars in compensation bonuses! That we have spent more on the war in Iraq than it would take to shore up our education and social security programs!
I do consider myself a very spiritual person; but to think that the religious right may have undue influence in a country that prides itself with separation of church and state and at the same time providing for freedom of religion, this does not represent the rights guaranteed us under the U.S. Constitution. They have made it clear they do not believe that all men (women too) are created equal in the eyes of GOD. It used to be that it was only right for a white man to marry a white woman. And in the unwritten rules on top of that: catholic must mary a catholic, Jew to Jew, protestant to protestant, Negro to Negro, Irish to Irish, Chinese to Chinese, etc…..there were so many unwritten rules as to who it was appropriate to love whom. Do we want to go back to this way of thinking, where women did not have the right to choose whether early stage abortion was right for them? After all it is their body! Do we really want a government that continues to erode at our right to our privacy? Our telephones, our email, our BEDROOM?

I have to say proudly that I will be voting Obama & Biden!

If you want more details on their “SPECIFICS”, please use the following link for DETAILS.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
The Obama/Biden ticket may not be perfect(is there such a thing?), it is a hell of a lot better than 4 more years of what we have had for the last 8 years. We do need a change from the Republican Party’s way of doing things. To flip flop and/or lie about what they stand for, unable to decide what the important issues really are, to join the reform and change platform only after picking an inexperienced vice presidential candidate that has already been caught in numerous lies and half truths about her stance on reform; I mean what is it they really stand for? I don’t know about you, but when I was brought up, there was no such thing as a half truth, it was either a LIE or it is the truth.
OBAMA/BIDEN – THE ONLY REAL CHOICE?
CIVIL RIGHTS: To continue breaking thru the barriers that hinder true equality of all citizens.
DEFENSE: To insure proper support of our troops with the right equipment and comparable pay as in the private, and make sure they are properly deployed in fighting the RIGHT battles and war(s).
DISABILITIES: "We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination .... policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities." (Direct from website)
ECONOMY: If we all haven’t been feeling this one in the pocket book, YOU MAKE TO MUCH MONEY. Not that you should be punished for that, but when I made more, I gave more. Now that I am on disability, it is less. And as the economy worsens, it will become more and more difficult. I don’t believe it is fair or right for us to continue giving tax breaks to corporations that seems to be having no problem in improving their bottom line; THIS SHOULD NOT BE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE AMERICAN CITIZEN. I have lived both sides of the coin with regard to wealth, and still feel it is unfair to provide tax breaks that are weighted towards the “rich”. Defining rich or wealthy as those making over $250,000 annually is still awfully wealthy. If I only still made over a $100,000 annually would be a treat in my book!
EDUCATION: What can I say, we have dropped to a tie with Mexico at 19th for the lowest high school graduation rate in the industrialized world. Is this something we can be proud of? No child left behind has only given us more kids who if they make it to graduation, cannot read or write at an 8th grade level or better. Then again, is graduating at an 8th grade level what we should be proud of. We must have proper funding, and consistent and better ways of measuring performance of both teachers and students.
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT: I don’t think Energy could be more important because of its fundamental impact on the Environment, the Economy, and just about every component of our daily lives. Obama has been a leader in the senate to establish a comprehensive energy policy that will support achieving energy independence.
There are many more details to the issues I have noted as well as many other issues and positions. They are detailed, comprehensive, and understandable by the average “jo” like you and me. And for those who think they are better than the average “jo”, then you certainly will have no problem.
All I know is history has proven to repeat itself! Democratic administrations have consistently outperformed republic administrations.
The scoreboard for the Democrats versus the Republicans so to speak:
--the economy has improved during democratic administrations
--number of citizens living in poverty declined by number and percent (except during Jimmy Carter)
--real growth averaged 4.09% for Democrats versus 2.75% for Republicans
--unemployment averaged 5.33% for Democrats versus 6.44% for Republicans
--inflation was lower on average (Dem – 3.81% versus Rep - 4.85%)
--the national debt was reduced or grew at a slower rate under the Democratic Administration
--the national debt took on more than twice the % of the Gross Domestic Product under the GOP on average versus Democrats (Dem-1.21% versus growing by more than 2.74% under the Republicans)
--unemployment rates dropped……
To see more, check out: Economic Performance Democrats vs Republicans.
The Republicans say they want to reduce government spending, but they have OUTSPENT Democrat administrations. “The federal government spent more under Republicans than Democrats (20.87% of gross domestic product, compared with 19.58%), and that remains true even if you exclude defense (13.76% for the Democrats; 14.97% for the Republicans).”( DO THE MATH by Michael Kinsley-Washington Post)
The McCain says he is the symbol of change, but has sided with Bush 90% of the time versus Obama only 50% of the time. Does that sound like change? I could be 200 pounds overweight, and say I lost 10 pounds and that I have changed. It is a start, but not a PATTERN of change we need for president.
Another republican administration will just mean more of the same. Change and reform is needed, and it must start from the bottom up as well as the top down. Therefore get out and support change from the top down by generating support from the bottom up……
VOTE THE OBAMA/BIDEN TICKET – CHANGE THAT WE CAN LIVE WITH!
For those in California, VOTE NO on PROPOSITION 8!
I WON’T APOLOGIZE FOR SOUNDING OFF POLITICALLY, but if I am going to survive life by having an LVAD, Pacemaker, and living with AIDS, I want to have a country that will survive as well.
Namasté