An Open letter to President-Elect Obama

Dear President-Elect Obama,
First of all, congratulations. You were elected in one of the most lopsided victories since JFK. My hat is off to you for a great campaign, although I'm sure the majority of voters have no idea where you stand on the issues, at least they knew you were not of the same party that gave us [insert vomit sound here] George Bush. According to the AP, more people (as a percentage of total population) voted in this election than any other in a 100 years. I hope that you will take this as a sign that the country needs change, and fast. We have slid down the slippery slope, and need a hero to pull us out before we slide further down, where we might not be able to rescued. The country, nay the world, is counting on you. Just heed this warning: make sure the changes are better for the country, not for the special interests that got you elected. The world needs a leader who is independent, and can force changes not because it's popular, but because it is the right thing to do. Leaders like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin. That is what this country needs as we stand on the edge of the abyss.
I am an average middle class American. I work with more of the same. I come from a family of middle class Americans. Here are the issues that I hear about:
Taxes: Besides the sketchy history of why we have to pay income taxes in the first place (we know its not in the Constitution!), why should the average American work from the 1st of January thru the end of June to pay taxes? Especially when the federal government turns around and gives our hard earned money back to companies who obviously cannot manage their own funds? (Enron, AIG, Citibank, WAMU...I could go on forever). We've heard the argument that companies stimulate the economy. That's BS, Mr. President-Elect. Companies don't stimulate the economy, consumers do. Companies don't buy from retail outlets, they don't buy the majority of automobiles, nor do they purchase houses at the same rate that consumers do. How about giving the consumers tax breaks? Does anyone inside the beltway have a higher-than-5th grade education in economics?
Credit: Here's a great example of how idiotic this system is: My wife & I make about $90K per year. We have student loans, car payments, etc. that total about $12K per year. Factor out about 50% of our income for taxes, that leaves about $33K for utilities, rent/mortgage, groceries, fuel, insurances, etc. It divides out to about $2750 per month. Explain to me then, how we can be approved for a $250K mortgage, with a payment of $2085 per month? What are we living on? Does a $250K house magically generate food or fuel? The credit system is severely flawed through greed, both of the lenders and consumers. It needs reform, not more of our hard-earned tax dollars thrown at it. Even this dumb white trash can see that.
Energy: Speaking of fuel, here's good news. According to "new technology" we can now squeeze oil out of shale (Keep in mind that Germany was doing this in WWII). This means we don't have to worry about running out of fuel until 2020, according to Big Oil Experts (funny how only their experts "know" anything). Only one problem, Mr. President-Elect. The amount of energy needed to produce this oil is MORE than what is produced. Not to mention the vast amounts of toxins produced that leach into the water table or the atmosphere. Why aren't we looking at other non-petroleum fuels like alcohol? According to the book Alcohol can be a Gas!, the amount of money that would be needed to convert the WORLD'S infrastructure (not to mention ALL of the cars in the world) to run on alcohol is roughly $500 billion. That's less than we've spent in Iraq in the last 5 years. If Brazil can be 95% gas-free in 6 months, then why can't we? You are the first President since Jimmy Carter not to have ties to Big Oil. We expect changes.
Foreign Policy: Here's our biggest question: Why are we in the Middle East in the first place? Haven't we given Israel enough munitions, including nuclear weapons, to defend itself? Why aren't we taking care of our population first? We have rampant drug use, obesity, cancer, and hunger in this country. Don't believe me? Run with a busy EMS service for a day, sir, and you will see. You will see more than any one person ever should. Get out of the Middle East now. We aren't welcome, and we don't need to be there. Let's take care of our own first, then we can talk about "helping" others.
Veterans: Its a damn shame that the very people that we should be thanking every day for our freedom have, in my opinion, the very worst "comprehensive" medical coverage in the country. Why should they have to wait in line for anything? If it wasn't for their sacrifice, none of us would have the freedom to write blogs like this one. They should have health care plans like the politicians do. "Gold plated everything". Amen, Brothers in Arms, and I salute you all.
Welfare: This is the best case of reformation that I have heard. Why is it that a couple can pay for junk food (chips, soda, processed foods) with food stamps in the grocery store and then step out into the parking lot into their brand new $30K truck? Why is it that someone can be out on disability with a "back problem" and brag about using their spare time to build their new house? Why is it that another person who was using the system as it was intended, called the SSA to tell them to stop the disability checks because she was going back to work, and was told "We can't do that. It will make our numbers look bad, and we won't get as much funding next year."? Enough said, point made
Social Security: Ok, people in my generation get it, Mr. President-Elect. It won't be there for us when we retire. I just don't understand why the farce was played out so long. My mother, an accountant, told me 16 years ago that it wouldn't be there for me. Just acknowledge that, for us, it's just another tax wrapped in a "feel good" roll, hold the condiments. What saddens me is my grandparents generation. They bought into the farce lock, stock, and barrel. Our government left them out to dry. They struggle to survive from month to month. All because the government lied to them. It told them the money would be kept safe. That it wouldn't be touched. It's time for a New Deal, and this time, my generation expects those promises to be kept. We will be watching.
NASA: Why is this tax dollar suckhole still existing? Anyone? Haven't the Russians & the Chinese shown that the same exact missions can be accomplished for a whole lot less money? Read this, Mr. President-Elect: http://www.spacefuture.com/vehicles/how_the_west_wasnt_won_nafa.shtml

Please, Mr. President-Elect, we are looking for a leader in a tumultuous time. Be that leader, or you may find that those 137 million voters to be very unhappy. Remember what happened the last time a very large block of this country was unhappy? It was in 1776. We will be watching. Thank you, and may whichever higher power you believe in bless you.

Sincerely,
A disgruntled, cynical, middle class American

"Do you want the Blue Simms, or the White Simms?"

[Scene: two citizens of a small Carribbean Island country standing in the main town square, looking up at side-by-side posters of the two candidates for President]

"Are you going to vote for the Blue Simms, or the White Simms?"

Imagine a country, if you will, where you elect a President in a true democratic fashion (keep in mind we live in a republic). Each vote counts once. All citizens can vote. Sounds positively utopic, doesn't it? A place where most people would love to live.
Except that every political party is banned except the two principal parties, the Blue party and the White party. Now consider for a moment that the two principal parties decide to put forth the same candidate, one Alphonse Simms. The political posters in the scene show the same person, albeit in a different background. Obviously, anyone with a particle of gray matter between their ears would scream "Dictatorship!".
The movie is Moon over Parador, a 1988 remake of The Magnificent Fraud. It stars Richard Dreyfuss & Raul Julia. I won't bother to get into the specifics, other than to say for a "B" movie, it is a wonderful movie. I highly recommend the movie to everyone, if you can find it.
This scene came to mind this morning as I listened (once again) to the political rhetoric churned out by "our" two presidential candidates. I kept thinking to myself, "What's the difference between the two?" Obviously age & race, but does age really matter? and race does not matter. But look at the two from a political perspective for a moment. Are there really differences? I don't see a lot of differences. Sure, they highlight their differences, but look at the voting records of McCain & Obama. Most of the votes, they are on the same side. Look for yourself:
http://www.411mania.com/politics/columns/69733

Other than some areas (likely pressure from their respective parties), the two vote almost identical. So what are we really getting for our vote? Does it matter?

1 tomato, 2 tomato, 3 tomato...

So the Food & Drug administration today declared that we can all go back to eating tomatoes again. Gee, I have warm & fuzzy feelings again. Oh, but wait, they still don't know what is causing the outbreak of salmonella. David Acheson, one of the head feds, states, and I quote:
"it's possible tomatoes caused some illnesses and that it's impossible to prove that they didn't cause any."
What? So why were tomatoes implicated in the first place? Why not poultry, eggs, or meat? After all, "it's impossible to prove they didn't cause any" either. "Trust us" seems to be the message. "We're getting down to the bottom of it." [insert quizzical look here]
Let's take a brief stroll through the history of the FDA to examine why we should trust them:

• The FDA was formed in 1906 under the Food & Drug Act, despite the entire legislation being unconstitutional, but that is a blog for another time.
• During its 102 year history, over 13,000 products TOXIC to human beings have been approved.
• The FDA has a recent history of rushing approval through for some medications (from the same few pharmaceutical companies no less) while dawdling for some life saving medications. (See Vioxx, Rezulin, Imclone cancer treatment, etc.)
• Interesting fact: More people have died from medications approved by the FDA than those substances not approved, including illegal drugs)
• FDA botched the Iams/Eukanuba pet recall so badly that Americans ended up discarding tons of good pet food, and keeping tons more of tainted food.
• Does anyone really need reminding of the HSUS/PETA video inside the slaughterhouse last year?

Suffice it to say, imho, they do not instill a great deal of confidence in me. Thanks, but I'm growing my own tomatoes & peppers this year. Grow your own folks! At least until the FDA recalls YOUR produce. Just keep out of my garden...