The Way I See ItBy cj pollickLocal Elections - If at all possible attend a candidate forum, ask questions, and be an informed voter. USF Football Schedule 2010 - USF football fans should plan for a long and difficult 2010 season. The schedule includes several top ranked opponents: September games: 4th Stony Brook at home, 11th Florida Gators away, 25th Western Kentucky at home. October games: 2nd FAU at home, 9th Syracuse at home, 14th W.Va. away, 22nd Cincinnati away. November games: 3rd Rutgers at home, 13th at Louisville, 20th Pitt at home, 27th at Miami. December 4th, Connecticut at home. If the Bulls can win at least six of these games, they might receive a bowl bid. Six wins? Hmmm, could be a tough year for Coach Holtz. It Is The Economy - 131,000 more jobs were lost in July and the national unemployment figure remains at about 10%, according to published economic reports. Few politicians in Washington seem to care about job creation, but it remains one of the most serious problems in our country. James Carville, a respected political strategist, once said during the Clinton campaign "it's all about the economy…" Carville's comment is just as true today as it was during the Clinton campaign. However, and what frustrates the voting public, is the cavalier attitude career politicians in Washington demonstrate regarding high unemployment figures and the growing debt of our nation. The result of this political arrogance? Some career politicians are predicted to lose their seats in November to fresh, new voices. Results of the September elections for both major political parties should be interesting. Scott vs. McCollum? Scott is leading in all Republican polls. Meeks vs. Greene? Greene is leading in all Democrat polls. Charlie Crist? Polls reflect he is at the end of his political career in Florida. Republican Party Has Met The Enemy - The Grand Old Party has met the enemy and the enemy is the "good old boys and women" who run the national and state GOP. Tea Party supporters have proven that any major political party that associates with conservative, everyday people, will win in November. Neither Democrat Party leaders, nor Republican Party leaders, seem to get this message; yet both major political parties allegedly seek support from the Tea Party movement. And when these major political parties do not get what they want from Tea Party supporters, they quickly refer to tea party supporters as "racists." That charge, of course, is untrue, but mudslinging comes easy to some folks. If ever there was a time when the GOP had a chance to regain lost ground, it is now. But, people in charge of the state and national GOP seem to be more interested in retaining their well-paid jobs than meeting the needs of the people. It is unfortunate that neither of our major political parties are willing to listen to the will of the people. Bottom line? The Republican party will win seats in November, but only because many people have turned against President Obama and Nancy Pelosi's political agenda. The Democrat Party also has problems, big problems. Obama has lost support of the people and the radical left of their party is taking them down. When Obama promised he would bring change to Washington, many independent voters opted for anything other than George W. Bush. Little could those independent voters have imagined that the change Obama would bring to Washington would take our nation to record unemployment and increased national debt. All of this makes you wonder why both major political parties avoid doing things in the best interests of the people governed! What ever happened to the creed, "Of the people, by the people and for the people?" Illegal Baby Boom In Texas - When pregnant women cross the border illegally into America they have their babies in a Texas hospital for free, and the babies are now legal Americans. Regardless of the illegal status of the mother, the baby is treated as a legal citizen. How many illegal babies were delivered in Texas last year? Over 60,000. Illegal immigrant new baby deliveries, according to a Dallas newspaper, represent 75% of all new baby deliveries in some Dallas, Texas hospitals. A few million illegals have been reported to call Texas "home." The issue of controlling illegal trafficking into America is one of the most contentious campaign issues in 2010.Why should American taxpayers pay for 60,000 illegal immigrant newborns every year in Texas? More Filing For Social Security - Thanks to the weak economy, and a marked increase in the number of Americans filing for Social Security early, more people filed for Social Security in 2009 than any year in history, and the program is predicted to run deficits through 2011. Twisted And Distorted Truth - If you follow the media, then you know how they have ridiculed and distorted the truth about good people such as Sarah Palin while hiding the truth about people they like such as Jane Fonda. For example, how much print is currently being given to support the financial exploits of Sen. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) or Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA.)? Not much, but if the same financial activities of those two elected officials had been done by two conservative Republicans, imagine the press! The same is true for local elections. Even though, the media portrays itself as "fair and balanced," most folks know better. Each media source, print and television, has its favorite candidates depending upon its ownership "bend." Strangely enough, one local citizen recently said that they "look at the list of media endorsed candidates and vote the opposite way." Interesting analysis. More importantly, voters will soon decide which candidates might help change the way business is done in local, state and national governments. If voters believe career politicians have the best ideas for job creation, lowering taxes and making life a better place to live and work, then career politicians should receive those votes. On the other hand, if it is time to change the way all government is run, then people will vote for new, fresh voices in government. Still Losing Money - As expected, the Obama administration bailed-out and the United Auto Workers-owned Chrysler-lost another $172 million in the second quarter of this year. Another Bailout - The Obama administration-owned Freddie Mac on Monday asked for another $1.8 billion taxpayer bailout after losing $6 billion, yes, $6 billion, in the second quarter of this year. This is the same Freddie Mac that has had continued support by Rep. Barney Frank. The Obama Treasury Department recently announced that 50,000 homeowners in five selected states will receive another $600 million in taxpayer bailouts. Bailouts, bailouts, and more bailouts. Obama's Policies Becoming Clear - The Wall Street Journal reported that personal incomes fell across the U.S. last year except in areas with a high concentration of federal government jobs. Washington D.C. was one of the just three metro areas that saw both net earnings and personal income rise. Imagine those gains were entirely due to the growth of the federal government; private sector compensation in the Washington metropolitan area actually fell. Nationally, private wages fell six percent in 2009, while government pay rose 2.6 percent. And USA Today reported that federal employees' average compensation has grown to more than double what private sector workers earn. Who is making money in America? Government workers. Top Athletes Rise Above Criticism - Anyone who had competed in sports at a high level has seen what can happen to superior athletes who are unjustly ridiculed by some fans. In most cases, ridiculed top athletes work harder to succeed. Nevertheless, everyone knows that Tiger Woods has lost his focus in golf due to personal problems. Yet, and even with his loss of focus, he remains PGA's top ranked golfer until someone replaces him in the rankings; and, even then, Tiger will likely remain a top 10 ranked professional golfer. Suffice that Tiger Woods can play average golf (for him) and still beat most all other golfers in the world. When one (un)adoring fan yelled to Tiger as he left the playing field last week in a golf tournament, "You done, Tiger," Tiger walked on to sign his score card, take a few tough questions from the media, and drove off. Will Tiger Woods regain his focus and remain one of PGA's best golfers? Absolutely. Will Tiger remain number one? Probably not. But, one thing is for sure; Tiger will work harder on his golf game due to his competitive spirit and desire to be one of the best golfers to have ever played the game. Is there a better athlete in the game of golf? No, not yet. Just look at the athletic physiques of Tiger's opponents. "Tolerance of anything is the virtue of those with no convictions." |