"It's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life." --George W.
Though I try to keep my political ranting to a minimum, I can't help but be a little pissy about our "sensitive" president and the consequential state of our nation right now. Pretty much everyone in the blogging world has had something to say about the devastation from Rita, Katrina, and George, so I'm adding my two cents tonight.
To start, here's a few facts about the "Emergency Spending Bill" and its costs:
--Overall cost: $82 Billion
--Defense expenses: $75.9 Billion
--Foreign aid and state department expenses: $4.2 billion
--Foreign military assistance: $250 million
--International food aid: $240 million
--Aid to the Palestinian authority: $200 million
According to an article in the Courier Times by local resident Liz Abrams, this bill includes "$592 million for a new embassy in Baghdad and $700 million to staff it." So I read this and think, "WTF, GEORGE?" To tie this in with recent tragedies, it's hard to digest this information and not feel disgust and panic. I'm no mathematician, but couldn't that many millions do wonders to help our own people--our families who just lost damn near everything they've ever had? Or even help those who didn't have much to begin with get on their feet?
Well, hell no--George has other things on his agenda, like building a multi-million dollar "Taj Mahal" in Baghdad!
But perhaps what ticks me off is most is where the money is coming from--US. Maybe money does grow on trees at the Bush ranch, but around here, people are struggling to hold on to what they've got. In this little corner of Indiana (and I have no doubt the situation is the same in many parts of the nation), there's an uproar over our city/state not bringing in jobs. The federal predicament trickles down to each individual state--I fail to see how we're supposed to bring in jobs with money WE DON'T HAVE.
In our county of approximately 20,000 residents, there are nearly 400 homes on the market. Our natural gas prices are supposed to skyrocket 71% this winter, and our electric rates have already increased as a result. (According to a representative from the electric company at our town council meeting, more natural gas is being used to produce electricity.) The almanac claims it is supposed to be one of the coldest winters in years, so how many more people are going to go broke just trying to heat their homes that they can barely afford in the first place?
Collectively, we've been hit with disaster after disaster already, from hurricanes and terrorism to the gas pump--what's to come? It seems terribly pointless to continue spending billions on foreign issues when we desperately need to be taking care of what's happening here in the U.S. and preparing for anything else that may arise. Sure, Katrina and Rita packed a powerful punch on the homeland, but didn't the poverty already exist? Why did it have to take Hollywood-like disaster scenes on TV to bring this to our awareness?
My writing may be erratic right now, but the facts are plain to see. It isn't anything new, of course, because the polls prove people are aware of the travesty. The Bush quote above makes it clear that he is concerned with HIS life and not the lives of the people in the country he represents. A balanced life? PUH-LEASE!
On another note, I am grateful and can't complain about my family's condition: We have a roof over our heads. We have food. My husband is employed. We can still afford luxuries that some people in the world dream of--maybe not $400 shoes, but satellite television, Internet access, birthday parties, some travel, etc. We're not rich, and that is perfectly fine with me for now. Like anyone, I want to better myself and the standard of living for my family. But in the midst of being thankful, there is absolutely a cause for concern when the present is revealing such a bleak future for everyone.
I could go on and on but my thoughts are so disorganized I better just stop and hope I wake up in a better state of mind tomorrow. Er...today.
5 comments:
Bush sux- I can't wait till he leaves office...it can't come too soon.
I think what people forget is that Bush is NOT God, he is human. He can NOT fore see when disaster is going to strike, he holds no crysatl ball. Every move he makes is judged and critized one way or the other. The fact is he is our president, and according to one of your favorite books, he deserves your respect.
Quote me a passage in the Bible that says I have to respect the man who continues to destroy innocent people because of his own greed.
Quote me a passage that entitles our own government to take advantage of its people.
Quote me a passage that identifies Bush's right to annihilate a country for his own political interests.
Learn your facts. The Bible doesn't support what G.W. is doing. I admit I voted for him, but I've woke up, too.
No, Bush isn't God, but it doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that necessary precautions should be taken in case of a disaster. Do you have a savings account?
Think about it.
Sing it sister!
O.K, Maybe you missed my comment..I never said you have to like him or believe in him. I said he deserves your respect.
FDR led us into WWII - Germany NEVER attacked us, Japan did. 1941-1945 approx. 450,000 lives were lost.
Truman finished that war and started one in Korea, North Korea never attacked us. 1950-1953 approx. 55,000 lives were lost.
JFK startd the Vietnam conflict in 1962, Vietnam never attacked us. Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire. 1965- 1975 approx. 58,000 lives were lost.
Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent, again Bosnia never attacked us. Sudan offered him Osama bin Laden's head on a plate 3x, he obviously did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions. I am not sure if you heard of 9/11.
We were attacked on AMERICAN SOIL, thousands of lives were lost. President Bush told Saddam to do A,B and C and we wouldn't go to war- Did he do any of it? No, so we went to war. Do you realize that our allies are getting bombed and told if they pull out the bombings will stop? That is how they work, with scare tactics. I don't know if you remember about the U.S soldier who was shot when he went up to a supposedly dead Iraqi soldier- that is how these people fight. Do you know that women can actually walk out of their houses without being beaten. Maybe you never heard of the women whose son died because she was taking him to the Drs. alone in the day. Three men came upon her and beat her as her son died. Men and Women have rights and freedom they have never had before.
Do I wish 9/11 NEVER happened? YES
Do I wish we were NOT at war? YES
Do I feel safer that Saddam Hussein and many of his leaders are in jail? YES
In the two years since the terrorists attacked us President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled Al Qaida, and put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran, and North Korea.
He also captured a terrorist who slaughtered approx. 300,000 of his own people.
It's true America goes to the aid of everyone but isn't that what makes us America? I don't know about you but I thank God every night for being born in the U.S.A. I thank Him for the freedom of my country, which was won through blood shed. I thank Him for the soldiers who fight to keep us safe. There is no more draft, these soldiers signed up on their own free will, knowing they could possibly go to war. We have a handful of soldiers at our church and whenever they are home they always give us a little up date. According to them what GOD is doing over there is awesome, it's amazing to see what is happening over there.
As a Christian I would think you would look at President Bush and his core government and see he is hiring people with values, beliefs and morals. He is vetoing laws that should not of even been thought about.
My personal opion is that God (in essence that is who we are talking about, He wrote the book)Looks at Presiden Bush and says "well done my good and faithful servent."
1 Peter 2:13
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to the governors, who are sent by Him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
There are a lot more where these came from, why don't you dust off your Bible and look them up. Here are 2 of them:
Hebrews 13:17
Romans 13: 1-2
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