What bothers me is a statement made by President Obama pledging to “help however we can”. Does this mean getting involved in yet another war? Aren’t we in wars too long now? This bothers me because it seems we have been sending our young men and women into dangerous areas to fight alongside the people of the regions who are at war. While I am not opposed to the Libyans fighting for their freedom, I am opposed to Obama sticking the U.S. “neck” out again. I hope he knows what he’s doing, but I doubt he thought long and hard about that statement he made.

I spoke to a family friend who is over 50 just yesterday. She said she was told to dye her hair to hide the gray so when she went for a job she wouldn’t be turned down. Her companion had talked to someone about a job over the phone. When he went for the interview he had set up during that call, the interviewer said he had thought he was speaking to a younger man. No, he didn’t get the job. Age discrimination? Yes, but you would have to prove it and it’s your word against theirs.

People are taking jobs that they would have felt beneath them years ago when the economy was good. Minimal paying jobs are being snapped up by older citizens who need to have money coming into their households. Food stamps and food banks have been used more than ever. People are desperate to keep their homes and feed their families. If Congress balks again, I am sure many of them who are set to be re-elected in November will be watching their opponents win their seats in Congress.

The latest news on unemployment is that 13 out of 100 people are able to find at least a part time job. That’s not good. Where are the jobs? We have been told the economy is getting better, but judging from what I have heard on tv and read in the newspapers it’s not the truth. We need to have a future here in the U.S. We need to have Congress do the right thing and pass the bill before them. Word has it this will happen tomorrow. I am not holding my breath.

I don’t feel Obama has been in office long enough to have earned even a nomination, let alone win the prize. He was nominated in the beginning of his presidency. How can it be? What has he really done so far? The answer is nothing but talk. He has promised many things, but he hasn’t quite delivered yet. Why did the board even think he was a nominee? Oh, sure, he promised to end the war in Iraq and Iran, but that hasn’t been done yet. He has promised to open lines of communication among world leaders. I don’t see him getting very far with that. So his winning the Nobel Prize is based on talk, talk, and more talk. I always thought the Prize was given for actions, not pretty speeches. Was I wrong?

I open my comment section to anyone who wants to comment on this. Please keep the language PG13. I know by the reactions of many, including the press who attended the announcement that HUH? became a common word to say when hearing this news. I thought it was a joke when announced on my favorite TV news program. But there it was and perhaps the joke is one the board of 5 who picked Obama. Time will tell.

Those at risk include married couples in which both work, workers with more than one job, retirees who have federal income taxes withheld from their pensions payments and Social Security recipients with jobs that provide taxable income. The IRS has done nothing to warn the average taxpayer, even though they do acknowledge the problems of the withholding tables. The tax credit was designed to help boost the economy by giving consumers more money to spend. The new tax tables went into effect on April 1, 2009.

Obama has said this is one of the biggest achievements of his first 100 days in office. He said 95% of working families will qualify in 2009 and 2010. Some achievement!

The Social Security Administration is sending out checks starting in May to more than 50 million retirees as part of the stimulus package. Payments will go to people who collect Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, railroad retirement and veteran’s benefits. These payments are to supplement the people who did not qualify for the stimulus checks millions received last year. Checks will be for $250, less than the original stimulus checks sent.

So, America, be aware the “free” money from the government won’t be all that free. At least part of it will need to be paid back. (Gathered from an article INSIDE WASHINGTON: Taxpayers to get rude surprise).

What brought this to mind was the news report I saw this morning about the Obama family looking for a church to attend. Any person who is church hunting has to beleive in God. If Obama decides to delete the words IN GOD WE TRUST from the money, from the documents, well, that wouldn’t be right. Perhaps things will change, but we can hope they will change for the better. Important words to remember, yes, but more important words to live by.

What have we become? A nation of debt. A nation that is “at war” within itself…people coming unglued by the debt they are under, losing their homes and jobs, wondering if they have a future at all. Republicans and Democrats who can’t seem to agree on many things. Promises made by a man who ran for president and once he was in office can’t remember the promises or just chooses to ignore them. We are being lied to, manipulated, and shoved into tight corners. We need to speak up, let the people in Washington know we are not afraid to fight for what we believe in. We should have rights yet, but we need to band together to let our government know we are tired of being shoved aside like a piece of moldy bread. Get busy and email or write to your government officials including Obama and let them know how you feel. If enough people complain perhaps America will once again be strong.

President Obama is also disgusted. He signed the bill which gave bailout money to AIG. Right now taxpayers control 80% of this company through the bailout. Obama stated, “Recklessness and greed are the reasons AIG got into this.” He asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to block the bonuses and make the American taxpayers whole. “It’s about our fundamental values”, he said. There will be a hearing Wednesday to see what can be done.

I suggest we all send an email to our state Representatives and Senators telling them just how disgusted we are with AIG. If we let this company do what they want with our money, then we are all to blame for the economic situation we are in getting worse. We don’t need that, nor should we have to bailout these company executives who demand the bonuses. I would be ashamed to work for AIG at this time. If I were one of those who would be getting such a bonus, I would refuse it. Get busy and contact your legislature to let them know you are truly disgusted with AIG.

This mess didn’t happen overnight and it sure won’t be cleaned up quickly. It’s taken decades to get the U.S. to where it is today…in a major “traffic jam” of extremely bad economy. Putting the blame on the past elected officials isn’t entirely true, either. You need to add the bank ceos, mortgage brokers and real estate people to the list. They all helped contribute to the downfall of the economy. It’s sad that no one really can point a finger at the one major person who started the ball rolling, but that will never happen. There are too many greedy people who took advantage of a decent economy, told home buyers they could afford that mortgage over $1000 a month, and then laughed when homes began to be foreclosed. They didn’t care because they had gotten their commissions and bonuses.

We, as a nation, have to be strong and fight back. We can do it, but it will take TIME. That’s something President Obama doesn’t seem to think we have. He is rushing into this and that project as fast as he can. He will run out of steam very soon if he keeps that energy level going. Is he researching these things before he jumps right into the fire? Is he really trying to be the most wonderful president ever to be listed in the history books as not only the first black president, but the one who got the most done in the first 100 days? I have some advice for him. SLOW DOWN! Listen to the people out there, not just the people who surround you in Washington. Listen to the little people, the ones who have the small businesses that have kept America going all these years. The ones who are struggling to make ends meet week after week. Your fellow Americans who want things to improve, but who aren’t willing to go too far to make that happen. Your fellow constituents in Washington were voted into office by these people and they should be listening, too. It’s time to fight again for America, home of the brave and the free. Can we please have America be fruitful again? Prosperous and strong? We need to work together on doing this. One nation under God. I’ll be praying for America and I ask you to join me.

I think by now you have the picture. Here was the President of the United States in front of billions of people worldwide and all he seemed to say was “ah”. It was like he was trying to gather the wool out of his brain to be able to say the things that he wanted to say. Perhaps he should have someone help him next time and rehearse so he doesn’t use that “ah” thing. It was getting on my last nerve!

Now, what he did have to say was that he needs to have this stimulus package pass as soon as possible or we are all going to go down a huge toilet. Obama sounded like a child who needed the toy that was being held just out of his grasp. He was the injured party because both side (Senators and Representatives) aren’t playing nice and being fair to him.  I am not thrilled with the speed in which Obama wants to hurry the stimulus package. I am not thrilled with the pork that is still in it. I am not thrilled with the way this whole episode is being handled by the people we voted for. But, since I am an American and I believe we have rights in this country, I will loudly state how I feel and know I will not be executed for my feelings, thoughts, or efforts to improve life in the United States. This is my opinion. If you want express your feelings, good or bad, please do so. I would prefer you not to use vulgar language on my site.  Thank you.

Rep. Randy Neugebaum, Texas, argued that the entire cost of the bill would just add to the soaring federal deficits. He asked a very important question, but was widely ignored. “Where are we going to get the money?” I would also like to know the answer to this question. I fear Obama will be the biggest spending president ever.