The "Worlds Best Dressed Hockey Mom” Sarah Palin, resplendent in her $150,000 wardrobe, jinxed yet another NHL team Saturday night by dropping a ceremonial first puck. The latest victim being the St. Louis Blues who lost to the L.A. Kings 4-0. Adding insult to injury, quite literally, was the loss of goalie Manny Lagace who slipped and fell on the carpet provided for Palin. He strained a hip and attempted to play but had to leave the game after the first period.
Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Flyers also lost to the New York Rangers after she dropped the ceremonial first puck.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Firing up the troops
I was recently asked to "fire up the troops" at my local union, here is the text of the speech I gave -
Brothers and sisters we need to talk about our country. Our financial sysytem in ruins, fighting two seemingly neverending wars, our friends and neighbors losing their homes and jobs are leaving the country by the hundreds of thousands. This is hardly the picture our founding fathers envisioned. In fact the founding fathers in 1782 created a symbol called the great seal of the united states of america. Its on the back of every dollar bill so feel free to take a look at it if you have a dollar bill handy. At the top of the left circle is the phrase “Annuit Coeptis” that is Latin for “he favors this undertaking”. The founding fathers believed that God himself favored the founding of America. With that phrase the founding fathers also wished to convey the ideas and responsibility with which they believed that their new venture had come. The great seal also pictures an unfinished pyramid to stress the importance that our undertaking would NEVER be finished. The eye pictured above the pyramid is always watching; the fore fathers believed that god was watching their actions and that they would be judged accordingly. Knowing that future generations would hold these responsibilities and be tested to ensure their worthiness, the founding fathers left us many sources to use to guide our legacy. The constitution, the bill of rights, the declaration of independence each written by these men for future generations to have.
“We the people”, “commonwealth”, “a more perfect union”, “government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.” and even the name of our type of government, democracy, means rule of the people; all classic examples of a single idea that is embedded in this country and can never be removed from it; the idea that this country, that this state, that our communities and even this local union functions best when we give a damn about each other.
A tall skinny kid with a funny name from Illinois who was belittled by his opponents as being inexperianced after serving only one term in congress once said ““we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honour.” Thank you for that wisdom president Lincoln.
The forces that wish to divide us do so for individualistic, self serving and greedy ends. Their greatest weapon is not their immense wealth, their ownership of massive corporate interests or their high priced lawyers. Their greatest weapon is division. These people will use everything from fear to outright lies to continue their agenda. Brothers and sisters it is time. It is time to not let this great blessing which has been given us be abused any longer. It is time that we take on the responsibilities that the founding fathers left us in charge of. It is time that we do as the generations before us have done; to care enough for our country that we will not be distracted by such silliness as lapel pins, lipstick on pigs, winks from beauty queens or middle names. We must not be bullied into believing that someone is so different from us that we couldn’t possibly vote for him.
There are two clear choices in this election. You will either vote in the belief that the country is going in the right direction or you will choose a new path. We will vote with the insecurities of fear or we will choose to believe in our ability to overcome our fears. One candidate will cater to our lowest common denominator and one candidate will call to our greatest potential.
Over the last eight years we have been told to be afraid, we have come to lower our expectations and this great nation has not been the shining example it once was. I will not stand before you and tell you that Barack Obama is the answer to all of our great countries problems. I will tell you that I believe that Barack Obama is what is usually the most difficult step in any journey… the first step.
Brothers and sisters, we must not let fear rule the day; we must not let our country be attacked from within while we sit idly by. Given this glorious blessing that is America it is our responsibility to defend her and lead the world with our example. You know what must be done; phone banks, door to door and getting out the vote are all under way and most importantly on November 4th vote to let this country shine as the beacon of hope and freedom that it was intended to be.
Brothers and sisters we need to talk about our country. Our financial sysytem in ruins, fighting two seemingly neverending wars, our friends and neighbors losing their homes and jobs are leaving the country by the hundreds of thousands. This is hardly the picture our founding fathers envisioned. In fact the founding fathers in 1782 created a symbol called the great seal of the united states of america. Its on the back of every dollar bill so feel free to take a look at it if you have a dollar bill handy. At the top of the left circle is the phrase “Annuit Coeptis” that is Latin for “he favors this undertaking”. The founding fathers believed that God himself favored the founding of America. With that phrase the founding fathers also wished to convey the ideas and responsibility with which they believed that their new venture had come. The great seal also pictures an unfinished pyramid to stress the importance that our undertaking would NEVER be finished. The eye pictured above the pyramid is always watching; the fore fathers believed that god was watching their actions and that they would be judged accordingly. Knowing that future generations would hold these responsibilities and be tested to ensure their worthiness, the founding fathers left us many sources to use to guide our legacy. The constitution, the bill of rights, the declaration of independence each written by these men for future generations to have.
“We the people”, “commonwealth”, “a more perfect union”, “government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.” and even the name of our type of government, democracy, means rule of the people; all classic examples of a single idea that is embedded in this country and can never be removed from it; the idea that this country, that this state, that our communities and even this local union functions best when we give a damn about each other.
A tall skinny kid with a funny name from Illinois who was belittled by his opponents as being inexperianced after serving only one term in congress once said ““we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honour.” Thank you for that wisdom president Lincoln.
The forces that wish to divide us do so for individualistic, self serving and greedy ends. Their greatest weapon is not their immense wealth, their ownership of massive corporate interests or their high priced lawyers. Their greatest weapon is division. These people will use everything from fear to outright lies to continue their agenda. Brothers and sisters it is time. It is time to not let this great blessing which has been given us be abused any longer. It is time that we take on the responsibilities that the founding fathers left us in charge of. It is time that we do as the generations before us have done; to care enough for our country that we will not be distracted by such silliness as lapel pins, lipstick on pigs, winks from beauty queens or middle names. We must not be bullied into believing that someone is so different from us that we couldn’t possibly vote for him.
There are two clear choices in this election. You will either vote in the belief that the country is going in the right direction or you will choose a new path. We will vote with the insecurities of fear or we will choose to believe in our ability to overcome our fears. One candidate will cater to our lowest common denominator and one candidate will call to our greatest potential.
Over the last eight years we have been told to be afraid, we have come to lower our expectations and this great nation has not been the shining example it once was. I will not stand before you and tell you that Barack Obama is the answer to all of our great countries problems. I will tell you that I believe that Barack Obama is what is usually the most difficult step in any journey… the first step.
Brothers and sisters, we must not let fear rule the day; we must not let our country be attacked from within while we sit idly by. Given this glorious blessing that is America it is our responsibility to defend her and lead the world with our example. You know what must be done; phone banks, door to door and getting out the vote are all under way and most importantly on November 4th vote to let this country shine as the beacon of hope and freedom that it was intended to be.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
A Lot of Gas
A lot of hot air is more like it. As I was filling my UAW made car up today for 3.23 per gallon, a smile came across my face. Not because gas is cheaper now, although that is welcome, but because the price went down by almost $1.00 per gallon and it went down without more drilling. More drilling didn't cause the price of gas to go down by nearly $1.00 per gallon. What did?
Well, it obviously wasn't the political hoax launched by Republican members of Congress saying that more drilling in ANWR and offshore is the way to lower gas prices because that hasn't happened. So, what made prices fall so much so fast?
Oil is a commodity that is traded by brokers on the stock exchange. As we have clearly seen, the stock market isn't the above board place that so many in Congress and on Wall Street say it is. In short, big investors can drive the price of oil up or down. They also don't have to pay for the whole amount to buy oil on the market. This is called speculation.
Democrats in Congress knew that the only way to lower gas prices for us was to cut down on the rampant speculation that was driving prices up for people. This is complex economic stuff and when people hear a bunch of blow hards screaming "we need to drill more..blah blah, it's the way to lower gas prices now", people are misled. And way too easily in this case.
Another contributing factor to the decline in gas prices is that more people are taking public transportation and conserving energy.
I mentioned a blow hard above. Mike Rogers is a more familiar blow hard. In his press release
Rogers claims that if we allow drilling for oil offshore and in ANWR, by 2015, the U.S. would not have to buy a drop of oil from anyone. Here's the simple math on this one. The U.S. (with ANWR and Offshore included) controls 3% of the worlds oil. The U.S. uses 25% of the worlds oil. If any math teachers are reading this, please help Mike.
Summary- When you hear something from a Republican member of Congress, you should verify it. If you hear the same thing from a bunch of Republican members of Congress, believe the opposite of what they say.
Well, it obviously wasn't the political hoax launched by Republican members of Congress saying that more drilling in ANWR and offshore is the way to lower gas prices because that hasn't happened. So, what made prices fall so much so fast?
Oil is a commodity that is traded by brokers on the stock exchange. As we have clearly seen, the stock market isn't the above board place that so many in Congress and on Wall Street say it is. In short, big investors can drive the price of oil up or down. They also don't have to pay for the whole amount to buy oil on the market. This is called speculation.
Democrats in Congress knew that the only way to lower gas prices for us was to cut down on the rampant speculation that was driving prices up for people. This is complex economic stuff and when people hear a bunch of blow hards screaming "we need to drill more..blah blah, it's the way to lower gas prices now", people are misled. And way too easily in this case.
Another contributing factor to the decline in gas prices is that more people are taking public transportation and conserving energy.
I mentioned a blow hard above. Mike Rogers is a more familiar blow hard. In his press release
Rogers claims that if we allow drilling for oil offshore and in ANWR, by 2015, the U.S. would not have to buy a drop of oil from anyone. Here's the simple math on this one. The U.S. (with ANWR and Offshore included) controls 3% of the worlds oil. The U.S. uses 25% of the worlds oil. If any math teachers are reading this, please help Mike.
Summary- When you hear something from a Republican member of Congress, you should verify it. If you hear the same thing from a bunch of Republican members of Congress, believe the opposite of what they say.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
John McCain- Not the Honorable "Maverick" he claims
John McCain is trying to convince Americans that he is the most above board person running for president. The interview here should help people decide if he is indeed talking straight with us. The link to the video is also included below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r-kOIs-W6E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r-kOIs-W6E
Saturday, October 04, 2008
McCain Pulling out of MI=Our Effort Increases
No doubt about it. McCain pulling the plug on his MI operation is fantastic news. But, we also must remember that this is a marathon and there is always time for a final sprint. The facts are in and the general public, not only in MI, but nationwide, overwhelmingly trusts Obama to handle the economic problems we all face. With family economies rightly being the number one issue on peoples minds (as it should be every election) people have spoken and have chosen the real agent of change in this election. However, this doesn't mean that this thing is over.
Elections swing like monkeys in trees. The last month before election day is the absolute worst time to declare victory. Victory is declared only after the votes are counted. That hasn't happened yet.
I, for one, am truly baffled at this move by the McCain Pales-in-comparison ticket. McCain and company have promised that the last month of the campaign is going to be completely negative. That's all they have left because their ideas have been shot down by Americans. This means that it's even more critical that we reach as many people as possible as quickly as possible to make sure that before they see the lies by McCain is willing to tell in order to get elected, we have given them the real information by phone, knocking on doors and union member to union member contact.
If you thought Bush and Rove used dirty tactics to steal elections, you ain't sen nothing yet. With an oil industry on the verge of losing Cheney and Bush, well-funded drug companies facing real health care reform and Wall Street greed heads staring down an Obama Biden presidency that won't tolerate them policing themselves anymore, rest assured that they will spend hundreds of millions telling us that Obama Biden will raise taxes, take away our guns, make girls have abortions and make sure that government runs everything in our lives. These are of course untrue, but when these statements are made using slick ads, people will believe them if we don't take the time to educate them.
Michigan is still a battleground state, don't let anybody convince you otherwise. If we do the work by spreading the truth- we will win. We haven't won yet.
Elections swing like monkeys in trees. The last month before election day is the absolute worst time to declare victory. Victory is declared only after the votes are counted. That hasn't happened yet.
I, for one, am truly baffled at this move by the McCain Pales-in-comparison ticket. McCain and company have promised that the last month of the campaign is going to be completely negative. That's all they have left because their ideas have been shot down by Americans. This means that it's even more critical that we reach as many people as possible as quickly as possible to make sure that before they see the lies by McCain is willing to tell in order to get elected, we have given them the real information by phone, knocking on doors and union member to union member contact.
If you thought Bush and Rove used dirty tactics to steal elections, you ain't sen nothing yet. With an oil industry on the verge of losing Cheney and Bush, well-funded drug companies facing real health care reform and Wall Street greed heads staring down an Obama Biden presidency that won't tolerate them policing themselves anymore, rest assured that they will spend hundreds of millions telling us that Obama Biden will raise taxes, take away our guns, make girls have abortions and make sure that government runs everything in our lives. These are of course untrue, but when these statements are made using slick ads, people will believe them if we don't take the time to educate them.
Michigan is still a battleground state, don't let anybody convince you otherwise. If we do the work by spreading the truth- we will win. We haven't won yet.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Score One for Team Schauer!
What a big score for Sen. Mark Schauer! Former congressman Joe Schwarz endorses him and the increases the momentum for the Schauer campaign.
As recent posts outlined the UAW local 602 phone bank is rolling and most of my efforts are being concentrated there. We are currently covering Eaton County and the support for Schauer there is GREAT! We ran out Schauer yard signs twice already and I was very pleased with the ease which I was able to get re-stocked from the campaign (are you listening Obama campaign?)
Mark Schauer is Pro-Labor, Pro-Veterans, Pro-Environment, Pro-FAIR trade and as one blogger put it; “Mark Schauer gets it.”
As recent posts outlined the UAW local 602 phone bank is rolling and most of my efforts are being concentrated there. We are currently covering Eaton County and the support for Schauer there is GREAT! We ran out Schauer yard signs twice already and I was very pleased with the ease which I was able to get re-stocked from the campaign (are you listening Obama campaign?)
Mark Schauer is Pro-Labor, Pro-Veterans, Pro-Environment, Pro-FAIR trade and as one blogger put it; “Mark Schauer gets it.”
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