Americans are not stupid as you think congress

I have sat here for two days and listened to several congressmen and congresswomen talk about the bailout bill that is up for consideration.

I can't count how many times I have heard them say that it is important the American voter realize how important this bill is and frankly I am sick and tired of these over bloated windbags take it for granted that we the citizens of this country have to be spoken down to like a bunch of little children.

I for one understand the severity of the crisis but I am beginning to seriously doubt if the members of congress understand how some us really feel about the issue.

I can only speak for myself and frankly I feel the ones that are going to be impacted the worst are the ones that caused the whole damn thing in the first place.

I am on disability, I already lost my home, I have no health insurance, I will probably die before I ever see a dime of a retirement, my sons are or will be in the military and have chosen the military as a career so hopefuly they will be able to support themselves, I don't have to worry about a car because I can't drive, I don't eat much because of my diseases, so in truth tell me how much worse can it get?

The ones that are in a panic are the ones that have all the above and stand to lose the most and because of their greed they now find themselves being forced to confront the fact they may lose it all because they wanted the riches and the power and now they want the taxpayer to bail them out so they can keep it all....well the way I feel about it is this....

TOUGH SHIT....you didn't give a damn about the taxpayer when you were living the high life,eating the best food, sending your kids to the best schools you could buy, driving the most expensive cars you could find, making sure you grabbed enough money any way you could so you could leave something behind for the family, dressing to kill, in other words living the high life and had no worries.

Now you could loose it all and I don't have a bit of sympathy for you, welcome to our world and I hope you enjoy having to live from paycheck to paycheck, I hope you have to struggle to feed yourself and watch your kids go without, maybe the next time you won't be so greedy and will stop and think for a minute before you walk by that taxpayer who may need a little help.

So after all that, this is what I say to congress "HELL NO on the bailout bill, I worked and payed taxes for 43 years and I will be damned if I will allow you to hand it out to a bunch of fat cats that have prayed on citizens for decades"

Bush is holding a gun to the american citizens heads and saying " Give me $700 Billion dollars or I will make your life misrable" as far as I am concerned go ahead and pull the trigger because you don't scare me, if the markets fail they fail, let what will be, be!!!

Palin Not as Diverse as she claims

I came across this article today and was not shocked at what it reveals, Palin is about to implode as more and more background information comes to light, as the old saying goes "Turn the lights on and the cockroaches run for the dark", I see Palin running for cover.

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media
http://www.alternet.org/story/100219

Sarah Palin admittedly hasn't had much of a track record when it comes to acknowledging -- let alone promoting -- diversity during her short tenure as Alaska governor. She's on record with a terse utterance on hate crimes legislation and on cultural diversity. But Palin's skimpy track record and paucity of words on diversity is relatively tame compared to the far more damaging accusation that's making the rounds.

On April 29, 14 black leaders in Alaska, including prominent ministers, NAACP officials, and community activists, met with Palin to voice their complaint over minority hiring and job opportunities. During the meeting she allegedly said that she didn't have to hire any blacks. Even more damning, she purportedly said that she didn't intend to hire any.

Gwen Alexander, president of the African-American Historical Society of Alaska, initially reported Palin's quip. This charge is so racially incendiary that it sounded like yet another one of the legion of Palin urban legends that have fueled the cyber gossip mill from the moment Republican presidential contender John McCain put her on his ticket. The charge had to be confirmed or denied. If Governor Palin or any other public official flatly said that they had no intention to hire blacks, that would be politically unpardonable. And for a potential vice-president, it would and should be the kiss of death.

In a phone message to this writer, Megan Stapleton, a Palin spokesperson with the McCain-Palin campaign committee, vehemently denied that Palin ever said that she would not hire blacks. Sharon Leighow, communications spokesperson in the Alaska governor's office, also disputed the allegation. She said that Palin's press secretary was part African-American and that two of her senior advisors were Filipino and Korean.

Leighow was also adamant that Palin did not hire staff persons based on color, but solely on talent and skill. As she put it, "Governor Palin is totally color-blind."

But in a phone conversation, Gwen Alexander of the African-American Historical Society of Alaska stuck by her contention that Palin made the racially charged retort. She also charged that Palin did not support or even officially acknowledge the group's annual Juneteenth Commemoration.

June 19 is celebrated as the date of slave emancipation in Texas. Alaska is one of 13 states that has designated it an official holiday. Other Alaska governors have sent the traditional greetings and acknowledgements to the Society. Alexander says Palin snubbed the group.

The unofficial charge, then, is that Palin is insensitive to the state's African Americans, and that includes refusing to hire and appoint African Americans. That charge is hotly disputed by Palin's staff and they cite names and numbers to back it up. But apart from the veracity of the charge and the denial, Palin's statement that she's absolutely color-blind when it comes to hiring does set off warning bells.

The color-blind argument strikes at the heart of the continuing debate over what and how far public officials should go to insure that their staffs and their appointments truly represent the broadest diversity possible. Officials must make a concerted outreach effort to make that happen. A color-blind posture more often than not has been nothing but a convenient excuse not to seek out, hire or promote African Americans and other minorities in their administration, no matter how qualified.

Diversity is a major issue this election. It's implicit in Democratic rival Barack Obama's White House run. It's explicit in Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative initiative on the ballot in three states this November. Obama opposes it. McCain backs it, and so does Palin.

Palin's commitment to diversity is no small point in Alaska. According to the 2000 Census figures, blacks make up officially about 4 percent of the state population. But those who self-identify as at least part African-American bump up the percentage much higher. When American Indians, Aleuts, Eskimos, and Asians are taken together, minorities make up about one quarter of Alaska's population. This makes the state one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation. Diversity must be more than a word that an Alaska governor pays campaign lip service to and then ignores.

Palin's campaign and gubernatorial spokespersons say the charge that she is hostile to blacks and minorities is unfair. That may well be true. But according to those black leaders in Alaska who challenged Palin on her administration's minority hiring practices, the charge is much deserved.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House (Middle Passage Press, February 2008).

© 2008 New America Media All rights reserved.

View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/100219/