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Edited on Sun Mar-16-08 06:53 PM by ColesCountyDem
Greeting from 'flyover country'-- that huge part of the USA that the MSM flies over in its attempt to report 'the news' (sic) from both the East and West coasts. While we're used to being ignored, that doesn't mean we don't have anything to say, just that we're used to not being listened to. In the event that you happen to actually BE interested in what's on some of our minds, pull up a chair and hear me out...
In between the Rep. Ferraro and Rev. Wright distractions, few seem to be noticing that the fifth anniversary of Mr. Bush's war in Iraq is coming up Thursday. We've noticed, and we're NOT happy about it. His war has gone on longer than WW2, and there's still no end in sight. We're increasingly sad and angry at having to bury our young men and women killed in an unnecessary war we were lied into, and seeing the others' lives completely disrupted for the second or third time with re-deployments of our National Guard units. Not to whine, but it's tornado season again, and it's been harder to clean up and recover afterward, without their help.
We also note that our economy is going into the crapper. Everywhere we look, there are 'foreclosure' and 'going out of business' signs. Hardly anyone DOESN'T know a family member or friend who hasn't been laid off. With rising energy costs, loss of overtime, etc., many, MANY of us are having a hard time deciding how we're going to pay the rent or mortgage or doctor's bill, etc. . I know people on the West and East coasts are having the same problems, but just wanted to let you know that you're not alone.
We're fortunate to have good doctors and hospitals, for the most part, and for that we're grateful, but we're angry as hell at the increasing number of bankruptcy filings occasioned by out-of-control medical bills. We'd REALLY LIKE some sort of single-payer, universal health care, while we still have some tangible assets, like retirement 'nest eggs', silly though that may be.
Oddly enough, even though the MSM rarely reports the fact, we actually have decent public schools; we're reasonably literate (Iowa has the highest literacy rate in the nation, btw), and we'd like to stay that way, but NCLB is an insane policy, especially the parts that have to do with federal funding. Our teachers don't live by bread alone, and we can't maintain our educational infrastructure with 'awards'. Some actual cash would be nice, at least enough to keep up with the cost of inflation.
We've also noticed that our civil liberties are under attack. Our local librarian was threatened a year or two ago for refusing to divulge to the Feds a list of folks who used the computer terminals in our library. A neighbor recently had to spend hundreds of dollars he could ill afford in an attempt to get a new Social Security card so that he could renew his state photo-ID, without which he can't enter a federal courthouse or board a plane, e.g. . He's lived here for 47 years and hasn't seen his actual Social Security card since he took driver's ed back in high school, but thanks to the Patriot Act, it's mandatory that he have one and be able to produce it in order to go about his business. Mr. Orwell wouldn't be surprised, but one heck of a lot of US were.
There's more, of course, but these were just some 'off the top of my head' things that seem problematic to me and my neighbors, and we'd like to see them fixed. Believe it or not, we think that the odds of getting them fixed are MUCH higher if we elect a DEMOCRAT in November than if we get Sen. John 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss' McCain as POTUS. Although I personally live in that 'big blue' island' between the Alleghenies and the Rockies-- a/k/a Illinois-- large numbers of my 'purple state' neighbors would be happy to vote for EITHER Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama, something poll after poll has indicated, although the MSM seems to have a hard time squeezing that factoid into it's 'news' reports.
One last thing, if you don't mind. Please, PLEASE stop savaging the two 'last best hopes' this republic has for returning it to some semblance of the America we were raised to respect and grew to love. This isn't our first goat roping, folks, and we can easily tell the difference between sh*t and apple butter, and it's QUITE CLEAR to us that our hopes and dreams depend on electing either Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama, so please, stop doing the GOP's dirty work for them.
Thanks for listening...
:hi:
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