What Does the World Need?

This question oftens come up when government leaders and political activists get together. What can be done to decrease the famine going on in some countries? Put an end to terrorism? Find an answer for global warming? The answer is simple to all of those questions. We are taught at a young age in school that there is no I in team and that teamwork is often times the best answer to any problem. The nations of our world need to realize in between fighting one another, that we face an even greater struggle. We create more problems for ourselves by waging war against other countries as we neglect the needs of our own people and the much greater burdens that lay over our heads. If in some way we learn to respect one another, we may be able to see humanity at its greatest form, the human species at its peak. If we continue to fight one another, we are in a greater sense contributing to our own demise. We neglect issues like global warming and world hunger that will ultimately defeat us all if we continue to act stupid and take no action. We take expensive vacations, buy expensive cars and luxuries to make our already high standards of society and living even higher while people from all over the world in third world countries are lucky if they have a home to call their own. We continue to drain our natural resources and pollute the ozone layer in the process. What the world needs more than anything else is people who understand and appreciate it.


I originally posted this on my first blog and republished here.

How Experience Has Failed Us

I wanted to bring one of my favorite posts from my other blog over here. I will be having a followup "How inexperience has surprised us" article very soon. In the history of the our country, we have looked to the most experienced individuals to lead our country and have elected those “experienced” politicians to the nations highest office. In the current election, many argue that Barack Obama lacks the experience necessary to be successful as President of our country. Below you will find the 5 most experienced individuals ever elected to the Presidency and a brief overview of their terms in office.

Most Experienced:
James Buchanan: The 15th President of the United States, Buchanan failed to accomplish really anything during his Presidency. As states were gearing up to secede from the Union, Buchanan argued that secession was illegal but that starting a war to stop it was also illegal. His strategy (or lack thereof) helped contribute to the Civil War. During the Buchanan Presidency, the panic of 1857 caused a huge economic crisis and government revenue deficit. In short, the Buchanan Presidency was a huge failure.

Andrew Johnson- The 17th President of the United States, Johnson became President after the disastrous assasination of Abraham Lincoln. As devestating as the death of Abraham Lincoln was, the Johnson presidency was not much better. Successfully avoiding impeachment twice with the Radical Republicans in power. Johnson was initially against awarding amnesty to leading Confederate officials because he felt treason should be dealt with severely but eventually agreed to pardon all Confederates on Christmas day, 1868. Johnson was ineffective at leading the country through reconstruction and experience again failed Americans.

John Quincy Adams: Widely regarded as one of America’s finest diplomats and one of only two Presidents to later serve in Congress, the Presidency of the younger Adams did not go as smoothely as he would have liked. His elaborate domestic projects and policies were not very popular with Congress and very few were actually passed. Adams personal feud with Andrew Jackson was arguably considered the biggest highlight of his Presidency.

Lyndon B. Johnson: The 36th President of the United States, LBJ was sworn in as President under the same circumstances as Andrew Johnson following Lincoln’s assasination. The assasination of John F. Kennedy caused an uproar amongst the American public. Johnson did several great things during his Presidency including the nomination of Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court and his work in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, when the Vietnam wore broke out Americans lost trust in Johnson, who claimed he would avoid dragging the US into war during his campaign. In the election of 1968, Johnson was defeated by a large margin by Richard Nixon.

Gerald Ford: The 38th President of the United States, Ford became President following the resignation of Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. Ford was criticized severely for his pardon of Nixon, as the majority of Americans wanted Nixon to be punished for his crimes. The Ford Administration was forced to address America’s faltering economic issues, something they were never fully able to grasp. However, Ford did just about all he could do taking over the office at such a critical time.

A Real American Hero

Too often today, society tends to look up to those not worthy of our admiration. Our media glorifies stars who cannot stabilize their own lives, let own positively affect the lives of others. So I ask all of you, why do we honor those that dishonor our country. The real American heroes, those serving in the armed forces and in various other integral positions, are neglected the honor and media coverage they truly deserve. Too many lives are lost every day on foreign soil to give me this very opportunity to speak to all of you on my blog. The American Dream is an unmistakable freedom, which too many take advantage of at the cost of our dedicated service men and women. They defend our country not for the fame and publicity that our “beloved” stars receive, but for the opportunity to spread the American Dream beyond our soil and to defend the people of our great nation. I write this evening to spread the story of Marine Sergeant Merlin German, who in 2005, was injured in a Humvee attack and received burns covering 95% of his body. With all odds against him, German survived and has undertaken over 100 surgeries to get him in a stable condition. However, German has passed away as a result of complications after his latest surgery. The face you see above, is the face of a true American hero. In no way, can this post or any post for that matter, do any justice to the great service this man has given this country. Those of you out there that look up to sports stars like Alex Rodriguez, I am sorry to inform you that you are setting yourself up for disappointment. We should not look up to those who make millions of dollars for actions that hold no real weight. For those of you that admire the people we call “stars”, I urge you for the sake of your own integrity, to reconsider your own values.

What America Needs....Bipartisanship

With a new 787 billion dollar stimulus package being approved in the Senate, it was revealed that only 3 Republican Senators approved the measure. With all due respect, what the heck were all the other Republicans thinking? I understand the difference in the political lines amongst the two parties, but it is clear that we need action now before our economy falls too far from the prospect of recovery. The three Republicans in favor of the bill were Susan Collins and Olympia Snow, both of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. Our economy cannot wait while the Democrats and Republicans battle over small party ideals. Republicans, whether willing or not, need to give President Obama the opportunity to succeed or fail. If squabbling amongst the two parties continue to transpire, America as a whole loses. Bipartisanship is the only way to climb out of the economic trench we now find ourselves in. The stimulus package is not perfect by any measure, but it has the ability to be effective. We need to reinvest in the American system and reclaim American industry. With bipartisanship in our government, we have the potential to truly unite and overcome yet another troubling obstacle. As the champion of the New Deal, Franklin D. Roosevelt once said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself".

What's Wrong With Our World Today?

I pose this question to you all out there. What is wrong with todays world? For one I think it is imperative that if we as human beings can not coexist, our very ability to exist could be threatened in the long haul. We need to put our personal feelings aside and learn that we are all human beings, no better than one another. We share equal skills and abilities and have the opportunity to achieve so much if we work together. Like Jimi Hendrix once said "In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first ". Secondly, let me make it relatively clear that I am a huge sports fan but something is wrong in our world when sports athletes make more in one year than hardworking individuals make in their lifetime. With the poverty rate so high all over the world and these individuals holding out for more money, there is something that needs to be done to correct this imbalance. Lastly, our governments must learn that politics as usual, just doesn't cut it. Instead of focusing on issues like global warming, they argue over who has the power to create nuclear weapons. We need leaders that lead with their hearts and heads not the fists and egos.

*Content taken from my original blog thetimetocare.blogspot.com.

What Do We Need?

As I watch CNN and MSNBC each night, I become overwhelmed with the constant debilitating arguments amongst Democrats and Republicans about what kind of President our country needs. With the economy in the dumps and our country in line for a recession, it is clear our new President needs to be a realist, to see things for what they truly are and act on it. Optimism at the moment of defeat is moronic. We need A President that represents all of the American people, not just the poor or the rich, in uniting our country. We are a country of broken politics, scandals, and poverty. While the rich get richer, the poor starve and the middle class begin their decline to becoming poor. Home foreclosures have forced families out of their homes, in turn devastating the economy. We need a President that takes care of the issues at home, before creating tensions on foreign soil. America needs change and hope to believe that we can begin to progress as a country once again. We are a divided nation, separated by politics, racial injustice and social classes. Can we endure another 4 years of "business as usual"? I am afraid not. We need a President to focus on the issues that affect each an every American citizen. Politics as usual just doesn't work anymore and we need to move forward as a country. I ask all of you, what do we need in our next President?

Obama and Bush: The Odd Couple

I discovered something I thought was definitely blog-worthy today. As it turns out, some researcher with a lot of time on his hands conducted a little genealogy of each of the three main Presidential candidates. Believe it or not, Senator Barack Obama is related to his old pal, good ole' George W. Bush. Now once I overcame the laughter inside of me, I thought to myself "this is too funny". The two are not closely related, but nonetheless Obama finds his tenth cousin on the opposite side of the political arena. Perhaps if elected, Obama will have the opportunity to fix all the mistakes his dear cousin has left for him. Senator Hilary Clinton has been tied to Angelina Jolie (Obama is related to Brad Pitt, I know it's too funny), Celine Dion, Madonna and Alanis Morissette and Jack Kerouac. Obama is also related to George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Lyndon B. Johnson, Harry Truman, James Madison, Winston Churchill, Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Dick Cheney. So technically not only is Obama related to George Bush, but he is also related to Dick Cheney. I do see the connection however, the approval rating of George Bush plus the approval rating of Dick Cheney multiplied by 2 does in fact equal the rating of Obama, small world huh? In all seriousness, the link in lineage is so distant that no emphasis should be taken upon it. I just felt that sharing this little tidbit of information would be of interest to you all. You can visit the actual article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23797072/

Rev. Wrights Comments: Completely Unnecessary

Don't get me wrong here, but Rev. Jerehmiah Wright was completely out of line with his recent comments just as Geraldine Ferraro was with hers. Wright makes a push to point out to us the adversities Barack Obama has overcome to get where he is today. But Mr. Wright, don't you think America is well aware of all Obama has accomplished? I mean, considering his books are among the highest selling in the country, his wide national support and oh yeah, there is the delegate lead. So while your comments may not be deemed racist to me, they are pointless. The comments put Obama on the defensive when in all actuality he should be on the offensive in his quest for the Democratic nomination. Both Wright and Ferraro should familiarize themselves with the concept of silence and staying out of issues that have no concern to them. If race is going to be continuously brought up, how can we, as Americans, put the race card aside? To Hillary Clinton's defense, the world wasn't exactly handed to her either. She, like Obama, used her education to better herself and get her to where she stands today. People fail to realize that there are rich and poor people of every color and overcoming adversity is praiseworthy regardless of skin color. It is comments like these that cause transgression amongst American progress. We do not live in a perfect world, but we live in the same world, breath the same air and suffer the consequences of each others poor decisions.

Random Political Headlines

The Presidential campaign of Illinois Senator Barack Obama has seemed to be rather interesting over the last few weeks. After weeks of being the front runner for the Democratic nomination, things seemed to change a bit after Obama's pastor made some questionable comments. Just a day ago, Obama received a key endorsement by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Richardson, should in all likelihood, help Obama gain votes among the American Latino population. Obama did the right thing standing behind his pastor, no matter the degree of ludicrousy of his comments, Obama showed that there actually is loyalty somewhere in the political world. Let's face it, nobody is perfect, especially politicians. However, it is good to see a candidate stand behind their decisions and not make excuses for their stupidity. If you are looking for a perfect candidate, one without any skeletons in their closet, you are about as dumb as Donald Trump is rich. If you have gazed at CNN or MSNBC over the last few days, you have seen the pastor chaos, Geraldine Ferraro spurting garbage and the faithful New York Governor auditions where two candidates have already been eliminated. Politics is about negative publicity, nobody has ever succeeded in politics praising their opponent. How can I forget to mention John McCain, who received very positive criticism over his well thought out comments concerning Iran. I'm sorry, that was a lie, even I can pretend I am a politician every now and again. It is pretty sad when a Presidential candidate fails to remember who the players are in the Iraq war. Perhaps, important knowledge is no longer relevant in politics.

Democrats Underestimating McCain?

The Democrats are indeed underestimating good old John McCain. While they mention him every so often, they cannot completely focus on him with the battle that is currently taking place within the party. John McCain currently has the opportunity to plan a campaign against both Obama and Clinton. While the two favorites are slugging it out, McCain can use the Democratic race to his own advantage. The general consensus is that whichever Democrat earns the nomination, will become President. However, not everyone is ready for "change" to the ultimate extremity. Last time I checked, this is indeed the greatest deal of "change" our country has seen since its inception. When John F. Kennedy became President, Americans looked to his Catholic beliefs as radical change. Well, lets just say that the amount of change religion entails pales in comparison to the change the 2008 election has the potential of representing. Old school Americans are both adamantly opposed to change and heavily in favor of it. Some elderly people have longed for the day of a woman or African American in the white house. John McCain represents the normality that many people, both young and old, are accustomed to. Change, while necessary, is often very intimidating to many. A vote for John McCain assures that change will not happen for at least another 4 years. McCain will reap the benefits of the old school American mindset, so perhaps it would be wise for the Democrats to set their sights on what he does in the upcoming weeks.