Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Crime is everywhere...no one is immune

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ns/nightly_news/#46374788

What makes THIS national news...robberies happen everywhere.  Why it is headline news, because the victim is a Judge?   That isn't news, that is irony!

What about the family whose house is broken into by people strung out on meth...the computer they saved up for so that Jr could work on his science project was stolen and never recovered.  What about the single mom who had their one vehicle broken into and because of her limited budget and cutting corners she cut back on insurance coverage and now said insurance is not helping...remember the saying you get what you paid for...what if you have no choice?

Thursday, February 2, 2012

No More 'Out of Touch' Options...NO MORE!

Just yesterday one of my opponents, Mitt Romney, was attacked about making the statement, “I’m not concerned about the very poor”. Granted his comments were taken out of context, which he is now insisting, but even in his defense statements he still shows he is out of touch with the “Everyday American”. Mr. Romney goes on to mention that the “very poor…have a safety net” which is quickly becoming overburdened. Mr. Romney again states, “I’ve said throughout the campaign my focus, my concern, my energy is gonna be devoted to helping middle income people, all right?” NO this is not “all right”, because the middle income/middle class population numbers are quickly dwindling, and not because they are joining the famed 1%, but because they are adding quickly to the other 99%, aka “Everyday American”.



Honestly, I am not certain that my other opponent, Newt Gingrich, is any better when it comes to focusing or being in touch with the “Everyday American” either. Although he has characterized himself and his third wife, Calista, as “very frugal” and that “people should be free to spend their own money the way they see fit,” it is still a major red flag that they have a large amount of credit with high class jewelry store, Tiffany & Co. The most inexpensive price point at their website starts at $250. I know some families who could stretch $250 to feed them for over 6 weeks.


According to The Working Poor Families project, in the last year alone the number of “working poor families” increased by 125,000 in 2010, to a total of more than 10 million families.


10 MILLION FAMILIES!

That is more than the population of my state of residence, Arizona. That is the population of several third world countries. HELLO, is anyone paying attention to this number? We have the equivalent of a third world country within our own boundaries, within AMERICA. This is supposed to be the most wonderful country in the WORLD, in the UNIVERSE…and yet 10 MILLION FAMILIES are “working poor” and the people we have to choose from to lead us have NO CLUE!


Hey I am an equal opportunity picker, and even the current president is OUT OF TOUCH and CLUELESS. Oh he may have come from a single family household and worked his way to where he is now, but he has clearly forgotten those humble beginnings, otherwise he would have done more for the poor and working class these last several years.


Several years ago, I saw a bumper sticker that read,


“A Living Wage, is a Moral Value”

this greatly impacted me then and still! In fact nearly every time I hear about our government, local and national, making something ‘mandatory’ I think again on this bumper sticker and wonder what is going to ‘give’ in my family’s limited budget.


A minimum wage of $7.65/hour, for the state of Arizona, is equal to a yearly income of $15,912…as a single person that might be a fairly decent income, in an unsafe neighborhood, with unreliable transportation and what about continuing your education to improve yourself and your circumstances. So much for the “American Dream”?


Add some education and life experience to the minimum wage and let’s say you are a single parent of two teens, now you make maybe $15/hour which is $31,200 per year. BUT WAIT, with that education and experience and kids you also have MANDATORY car insurance and soon MANDATORY health insurance. Wait, if you are working for an established company that health insurance might be taken care of, but then the premium increases year after year, can’t say the same for the income. In fact I was at one job where the nearly 5 years I was there, my health/dental/vision insurance premiums went up 60% from that first year. Over that same time frame, did my income go up even 2%...NOPE!


In fact one year we were all ‘gifted’ with an extra two weeks off…without pay.


MANDATORY, is defined as “authoritatively ordered; obligatory; compulsory.” In the state of Arizona it is MANDATORYto have car insurance; in fact it you are caught without you can be fined, depending on the city, nearly $500. Someone please explain to me how a head of household makes the sacrifice of driving without insurance because they can barely afford it, and you want to fine them on top of that cost? Especially when they have a near perfect driving record?


How is making health insurance MANDATORY going to help the bottom line of “Everyday American?” Especially if we nickel and dime “Everyday American” to death! Remember that $31,200 per year that I mentioned a little bit ago. That was before taxes, if one considers the take home pay of that “Everyday American” we would be extremely optimistic to say that single parent family gets by on less than $30,000 per year. That is well below the median household income of $49,777; in fact in 2009 Arizona was ranked as number 2 in poverty, with the statistic that 45% of our states families composed of a female head of household, no husband, with children.


HELLO, is anyone listening? These numbers are sad, these numbers are unacceptable, and these numbers should spurn action from us all! They should make us passionate about being better, about making better circumstances for ourselves and the many others around us!


It should be MANDATORY that our candidate be completely OF the people, BY the people and fully FOR the people! Which is why being out of touch with “Everyday American” is unacceptable…it shouldn’t be ‘all right’ and we “Everyday Americans” should be FED UP and it should be MANDATORY that we show our indignation to these elitist and demand that the majority be in fact properly represented.

I am more IN TOUCH with "Everyday American"...EVERYDAY and this is why I feel I am the best candidate currently out there.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Vote for Me!

I am running for president, yes I am…I am throwing my hat into the ring. This blog post is my official announcement of my candidacy. I am jumping in with both feet, no exploratory committee…couldn’t afford one, besides I have done lots of ‘exploring’ on my own and feel there is a need for a new candidate, a candidate OF the people, BY the people (hopefully) who is (truly) ONE of the people!



  • According to Article 2, Section 1 clause 5 of the Constitution one must be a natural born citizen of the US, CHECK (I was born in North Dakota)

  • Be at least 35 years old…CHECK

  • Have been a permanent resident in the US for at least 14 years, CHECK



Ok, so I meet the "official" qualifications, what about the unofficial ones?  Well, you see that is one reason why I have decided to run because HOW are those that are currently in the race going to speak for the ‘people’ if they are not one of ‘the people’?

The Occupy Wall Street Movement this past summer highlighted the divide between the rich and poor, what is quickly becoming “Joe and Judy American”…but what about the fact that the divide between the elected officials and “Joe and Judy American”? That gap is nearly as wide.  OH, and the 'gap' is not just monetary!!!


I am not from a wealthy or prominent, well known family…well depends on who you ask some in our family will say that my Grandpa and my Dad are ‘infamous’ in their own ways. But seriously, I come from a Middle Class Family (a rare thing now a days) and I have never previously held an office…well I take that back, I was and officer in my Toastmasters group and also in my son’s Head start group. Both of those were, technically elected offices…but the control of my ‘reign’ was very very limited.


I don’t have a college education, but I am working on it. I don’t have an accent. I don’t have a scandal in my background…well not one that I initiated or was involved in, but that is another blog post I am sure. But what I do have is a PASSION and a FRUSTRATION that I am certain nearly every other “Joe and Judy American” has and so regardless of the things I don’t have and perhaps in spite of not meeting the ‘unofficial qualifications’ I am running for President!


More on my platform soon, but what do you think? Admit it your just a little curious and would consider voting for me...maybe?