As most of the country now knows, Chrysler has decided to close it’s Fenton Missouri plant and scale back it’s Wentzville plant to just one shift.  Chrysler says that the plant closures are due to rising gas prices and declining sales.  Obviously, that’s true, but there are other factors that are involved as well, and I’m wondering how long it will be before anyone starts talking about them.

The fact that potentially thousands of Missourians are going to be losing their jobs is terrible, and I feel for every family who’s life is now in chaos.  But what really bothers me is that this didn’t have to happen.

For years, the auto industry has taken massive losses due to high labor costs, high taxation and regulation.  Because of previous labor agreements, the auto industry currently pays over $1 billion dollars in retirement benefits annually.  Think about that.  Every year, they have to make $1 billion dollars just to break even, and that’s not counting the cost of having to run the daily operations.  No wonder they’re going under.

But even though the above factors definately contributed to the problem, they certainly aren’t the main cause.  I believe that the main reason the auto industry is failing is due to the unfair trade policies that have been forced upon U.S. manufactures.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know that U.S. automakers welcome competition from Japanese companies and other international competitors. I believe that competition in a free and fair environment is good for consumers, good for innovation, and good for creating ever safer and more fuel-efficient cars. However, the U.S. government continues to passively accept subsidized imported vehicles from Japanese automakers who are not competing fairly because their government effectively subsidizes its auto industry through the use of an artificially low yen. This policy has led to the skyrocketing levels of auto exports to the U.S. that harm the economy and cost American jobs by giving Japanese automakers an unfair and unearned advantage over American automakers.

The artificially low yen has helped fuel our trade deficit with Japan, which hurts the U.S. economy and gives Japanese automakers an unfair advantage over American automakers. Nearly two-thirds of that deficit, or $56 billion out of a total $88 billion, is exclusively a result of Japanese auto products.

This issue is not trivial or just a technicality. The impact of an artificially low yen on the automotive sector is a major competitive factor in the whole automotive industry: The misaligned yen gives the average imported Japanese car a huge windfall cost advantage over U.S. automakers and other competitors in the market. This ‘yen effect’ also crosses over to Japanese vehicles made in the U.S. because of the high level of subsidized imported auto parts used in their U.S. plants.

A few facts:

• With a yen valued at 118 to the dollar, Japanese automakers enjoy an average windfall $4,000 cost advantage per vehicle more than they would if the yen traded at its true value. The overall subsidy Japanese automakers gain for the 2.2 million vehicles they import totaled $8.8 billion in 2006.
• The total yen subsidy provided to Japanese automakers in 2006 was $13.4 billion – $8.8 billion for car & truck exports to the U.S. and $ 4.6 billion for imported parts used in American-made Japanese cars.
• More than half (52%) of all automobiles manufactured in Japan were designated for export in 2006, exceeding 50% for the first time in 19 years. In fact, even as demand within Japan for new autos is declining, Japanese companies are adding production capacity to Japan-based facilities, reactivating assembly lines, adding workers and postponing planned factory closures as they move to export ever greater numbers of vehicles.

It is time for U.S. policy to place the needs and survival of its own manufacturing sector first. To do so will require the U.S. to demand that the Japanese allow the yen to regain its undistorted value. Japan must be pressed to bring its currency into alignment and trim its excessive currency reserves.

Well, as everyone knew would happen, Obama’s campaign is saying that the Republican’s are going to make this election about race.  Basically, he’s saying the only reason that Republican’s are attacking him is because he’s black.  Nice try Mr. Obama.

Here’s a news flash for you.  No one gives a rat’s you-know-what that you’re black.  So far, the only one I see focusing on it is you.  Personally, I don’t care if you were purple with three arms, and I’m quite sure that the Republican party doesn’t either.  They’ll attack you because of where you stand on the issues and your associations with some fairly shady characters, not because of your skin color.

And if you really believe this, then everytime you attack Senator McCain, then you’re a racist and you’re attacking him because he’s white.  If you really want to impress America, do away with the double-standard, because that’s what really pisses people off.  

I can already hear the excuse when you lose this election; “They didn’t vote for me because I’m black.”  Just like Hillary would say, “They didn’t vote for me because I’m a woman.”  It’s always about being the victim with you guys. 

If you want a color-blind society, then quit using race as a crutch!  Most Americans don’t care if you’re white, black or green.  They just want to enjoy their lives just like everyone else.  Now I know that there are people who are on the fringe that would say otherwise, but the majority, and I would say 99 percent of people, really don’t care.     

And guess what?  There have always been people who HATE, and unfortunately, there always will be. 

As most people already know, the iconic beer maker, Anheuser-Busch, is facing a proposed buyout by European beer giant, InBev.  The impact of this buyout has many speculating what could be in store, not only for the company and it’s thousands of employees, but what it may do to the local and regional economy. 

To me, this is where leadership steps up, but unfortunately, our Washington representative, Russ Carnahan, hasn’t done anything to actively engage this issue.  Heck, even people who aren’t elected officials have been more engaged in this issue then Carnahan.

The issue came about in May, when AB received the offer letter from InBev.  Immediately, local people began voicing their opinions about the issue.  People were concerned about losing their jobs and their pensions.  Businesses were concerned about the loss of revenue.  Everyone was talking about it.  Even Senators Kit Bond and Claire MaCaskill got involved.  But where’s Russ?  It’s his district for God’s sake!  These are his people!  Where’s their representative?

Finally, he released a statement yesterday, and it had about as much impact as a cloud on a sunny day.  He says, quote;

 ”Collectively we share great concern for the welfare of the St. Louis area, the men and women who have led Anheuser-Busch to iconic prominence, and a questioning public that rightfully wonders what will be next. I have spoken with many colleagues from across the country and Missouri in the last few days who are more than sympathetic to our concern, because they see it as theirs as well”.

Wow.

This is all you have to say to your constituents, who may, or may not lose their jobs?  Collectively we?  Who the hell is “we”?  How about “I”?  Why havent’ you offered any solutions to the problem?  

I know Carlos Brito met with Senators Bond and MaCaskill, but why weren’t you there?  IT’S YOUR DISTRICT!!!  Why aren’t you actively engaged in this issue?  What are you going to say, when, and if people start losing their jobs?  “Sorry, find another one.”

Russ, you’re supposed to be representing the people of the 3rd district.  What are you doing?   

Since our current leadership doesn’t have the courage to stand up to Obama, then I will.  

Candidates and elected officials take note:  THIS IS WHAT AVERAGE AMERICANS WANT!  SOMEONE WHO ISN’T AFRAID TO SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID!

This is taken from the AFP as it appeared on the Drudge Report.  The article remarks are in plain script, my response is in bold.

Democrat Barack Obama Tuesday accused White House rival John McCain of “posturing” as the Republican, tapping voters’ anxiety about sky-high fuel prices, called for offshore oil drilling.

In a speech later in the Texas oil capital of Houston, the Arizona senator was to call for a 27-year-old moratorium on offshore exploration to be lifted — reversing his own support for the ban when he ran for president in 2000.

McCain was again to push for a summer suspension of federal taxes on gasoline, to ease a little of the pain at the pump for voters already reeling from an epidemic of home foreclosures and job losses.

Obama, who has been hammering McCain and the Republicans on the economy, said his White House opponent’s support of the moratorium in 2000 was “certainly laudable.”

“But his decision to completely change his position and tell a group of Houston oil executives exactly what they wanted to hear today was the same Washington politics that has prevented us from achieving energy independence for decades,” the Illinois senator said in a statement.

Mr. Obama, you cannot be that stupid!  First of all, “tapping the voter’s anxiety about sky-high fuel prices”?  Guess what Captain Obvious?  We are anxious!  We’re scared to death!  You want to know why?  Because you politicians in Washington aren’t doing squat about solving the problem.

Second, McCain doesn’t have to tell the “big oil” companies a damn thing!  They are going to support him no matter what, because the alternative is YOU, and we all know what you think of the oil companies.  So what he says or doesn’t say is irrevelant.

What has prevented us from energy independence is Bill Clinton vetoing the bill that would have allowed us to drill in ANWAR in 1998, and you Democrats catering to the environmentalists who are more concerned about protecting the lives of polar bears than the lives of Americans.  

“Much like his gas tax gimmick that would leave consumers with pennies in savings, opening our coastlines to offshore drilling would take at least a decade to produce any oil at all, and the effect on gasoline prices would be negligible at best since America only has three percent of the world’s oil.

I agree.  Drilling will not provide immediate price reductions to gas prices, however it will send a signal to world markets that our days of dependence are coming to an end.  This is the same excuse that Bill Clinton used in 1998.  Quit living in the past!   Also, how do you plan on ever ridding ourselves of dependence on foreign oil if YOU NEVER START DRILLING?  One of two things are true with your statement, Mr. Obama;  Either you really are that dumb, or you think that the American people are.  Which is it? 

“It’s another example of short-term political posturing from Washington, not the long-term leadership we need to solve our dependence on oil.”

Short term?  According to you, it’s ten years from now!  How is that short term?  Tell the American people “you’re going to have to pay $5-$7 dollars a gallon for the next ten years” and then ask them if they think that’s “short term”?

My question to you Mr. Obama is, “what is your solution other than telling the rest of us to cut back”?  Tax the crap out of the oil companies so they can pass that cost onto us?  Develop new technologies and other fuel alternatives?  Talk about long term? 

Here’s a news flash!  These are things that can be done IN CONJUNCTION with drilling, and if in ten years, someone develops an engine that can get 100 miles to the gallon, then it means our reserves will go farther and we will be even less dependent.     

Obama is pushing for a “windfall tax” on oil companies’ record profits and for federal investment of 150 billion dollars over 10 years in renewable and green energies.

Idiot!  Right now, we should be giving the oil companies everything they need to tap our domestic reserves.  And “windfall tax” my butt!  Do you have any idea how much the oil companies pay in taxes, not to mention the money they reinvestment into research and development.  Their “windfall profit” as you call it, equates to about a 10% return.   

Are you going to go after every business that shows more than a 10% profit?  Better go audit Ronald McDonald because they profit about 1000% per burger.  And don’t forget about Wal-Mart.  What a baffoon!

And let’s talk about the 150 billion in “federal” reinvestment.  Do you know what this statement translated means?  It means you take MORE TAXES and you SPEND IT!  Why don’t you quit taxing us to death and let the free markets do what they do best.

Let me fill you in on something that everyone else in this country seems to know but you:  THE GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER, EVER DONE ANYTHING BETTER THAN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND NEVER WILL.   

Mr. Obama, with respect to all of your orchestrated speeches and your empty rhetoric, you’re just another politician trying to sell the same product, just with a different package.  And your remarks today prove just one thing and one thing only; It proves that you wealthly college boys don’t have enough education to admit when you’re wrong.     

Here’s how fed up I am with these elitist, egotistical, pompous, liberal democrats.  If I could stand in front of Congress, here’s what I’d have to say:

Woe to you, Democrats and Liberals!  You were hired to do a job and make our lives easier, but today we are worse off than we were 2 years ago when you took control! 

Woe to you, Democrats and Liberals!  In 2005, Democrats said that if they were in control of Congress, they had a plan to reduce the cost of oil and gasoline, but we now pay $1.70 more a gallon then we did back then!  They’ve been in the majority for 2 years, and things have gotten worse.  So by their own words, they testify against themselves.

Woe to you, Democrats and Liberals!  In 1998, the bill to drill for oil in ANWAR was approved by both the House and Senate, but was vetoed by Bill Clinton.  His excuse was “it would take 8-10 years before we could feel the effects.”  IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS NOW!  I think it’s safe to say that we could use it right about now.

Woe to you, Democrats and Liberals!  Last week, a bill to authorize drilling in ANWAR and off the coast was put up for vote and you voted against it for the same reasons it was vetoed by Bill Clinton! 

Blind Guides!

Woe to you, Democrats and Liberals!  You fill the courts with liberal judges, who are more interested in legislating from the bench and putting porn on their personal websites, and now we have terrorists and enemy combatants being granted their day in U.S. courts.  You are more concerned about the rights of the people who kill our sons and daughters, then you are about protecting this country!

Woe to you, Democrats and Liberals!  Your liberal judges actively ignore the will of the people and now we have homosexual marriages being legalized in California, even after the PEOPLE voted against it!

Woe to you, Democrats and Liberals!  You reward the lazy and the slothful with more government handouts, and you tax and curse the successful and the ambitious!  You create and empower nothing but victims!

Woe to you, Democrats and Liberals!  You hypocrites!  You banish God from every venue, from every school and public function, and yet you open your daily sessions with prayer!  

In the upcoming election, before you touch the screen or punch the card, ask yourself some simple questions about your potential candidate, and it doesn’t matter if it’s for city council or President;

1.  Have they offered to take LESS of your money in taxes?

2.  Are they offering REALISTIC solutions to our energy crisis other than suggesting we conserve?

3.  Are they more concerned about the lives of the caribou than they are YOUR life?

4.  Are they willing to WIN the war in Iraq, or are they more interested in retreat?

5.  Are they working in favor of our manufacturers to reduce regulation and taxation so that they can provide higher wages and benefits to it’s employees?

6.  Are they removing regulations from businesses that will allow them to not only remain in this country, but expand?

7.  Are they doing anything that is going to bring IMMEDIATE relief to your pocketbook?  Note: A $1,000 tax credit is NOT relief. 

8.  And finally, HAVE THEY SUGGESTED THAT IT’S TIME FOR WASHINGTON TO TIGHTEN THEIR BELT AND GO WITHOUT, instead of bleeding us dry? 

This isn’t about partisan politics, this is about solutions and who has them.  If the candidate’s solution is more government, vote for the other guy!  Please!         

While on the campaign trail, people always ask me about rising fuel costs and what I think the problem is, and what can be done about it.  I always explain that the basic problem is due to supply and demand.  There’s less supply and more global demand. 

Pretty simple.

But after disecting this issue a little more, I’ve come to realize that the real cause of this problem is that our government hasn’t, and doesn’t, have an energy policy to speak of.  I did some research and back in 2004, the oil companies got together and put together a real enegy plan and presented it to the Congress and the President.  This plan had four key components to it:

1.  Nuclear Power - The proposal pushed for the United States to begin building new nuclear powerplants that could not only supplement our existing plants, but could also replace them in the future.  It also encouraged the government to increase spending in developing new nuclear technologies.

2.  Remove the red tape - It also requested that the government enact policies that would remove the legal obstacles that are preventing these new plants from being built in cities and communities across the country.  In other words, politicians wouldn’t be able to use the courts to say “not in my backyard.”

3.  Access domestic oil reserves - DRILL! DRILL! DRILL!  Go to Anwar and into the gulf and tap into our own reserves.  

4.  Increase fuel economy - The proposal encouraged the automakers to develop more efficient automobiles with substantial increases in fuel economy.

Now this sounds like a legitimate energy policy.  It pushes development into existing and new technologies.  It requires the government to get out of the way and prevents the lawyers from being obstructionists.  It works towards energy independence and away from foreign influence, and it encourages the automakers to develop new technology that will reduce the amount of fuel we use on an individual basis.   

So they presented this plan to both the Congress and the President as a way to prevent high oil prices and reduce our dependence on foreign oil and what did we get.  Ethanol.

Now, oil is at $120 a barrel and our food prices are skyrocketing.  But wait, it gets better.  Wall street is now projecting $200 a barrel by 2009, which means by December, we will be paying between $6-$7 a gallon for gasoline.  And it doesn’t get any better folks, because none of the current Presidential candidates have an energy plan either.  

Sorry, my mistake.  They do have a plan.  McCain wants to suspend the federal gas tax until August.  Hillary wants to suspend the tax and then take profits from the oil companies and attack OPEC.  And last but not least, Obama wants to do nothing.

This is our current and future leadership in action.  In my opinion, they are nothing more than a bunch of crisis managers and unless someone is willing to step up and take the reigns (I will when I get there), then we are in for Jimmy Carter days new and improved.  For those of you who may not be old enough to remember, ask you parents.  I predict that the response you’ll get, will be something similar to a trauma to the groin.    

I truly believe that our so-called “leaders” have lost their minds!  This weekend, I got to hear our Presidential candidates offer up their ”solutions” for rising fuel costs.  All they could come up with was either suspend the federal gas tax for 4 months, or suspend the federal gas tax for 4 months and make the oil companies pay for the difference or do nothing. 

What I want to know, since I’m just a dumb, tax paying, gun owning, bitter American who just clings to my religion, is how you solve a problem, if you don’t understand it’s cause it in the first place? 

Here’s the number one cause as to why fuel costs are so high; supply and demand.

Ten years ago, 10-15 million barrels of oil a day output was enough to meet the demands of the global economy, but not today.  Not when foreign economies like India and China are growing at double digit rates annually.  If you want fuel costs to come down, here’s some hard facts of life you’re going to have to accept:

1.  You must increase supply and realize that big oil is not the enemy, they are the solution.  The governmental, economical and environmental regulations that have been placed on them are the enemy.  If you want the costs to come down, then big oil must become your best friend.  Remove these obstacles and let them start building new refineries and let them bring the ones that were shut down during the Clinton administration back online. 

2.  DRILL EVERYWHERE!  We’re going to have to drill in the gulf (if you don’t already know, China, Venezuela and Cuba are already there) and we’re going to have to drill in Alaska.  (The caribou are just going to have to make do).  And for all you tree-huggers out there, I’m not saying let them destroy the environment.  They still need to be responsible, but we have to allow them to do what’s necessary, within reason, to access these reserves.  Also, by drilling domestically, we’ll be sending a message to OPEC that we will no longer allow ourselves to be bent over, and if they want to retain their best customer, they may want to increase production now. 

3.  Ethanol is NOT the answer.  Did you know that it takes 400 pounds of corn to produce 25 gallons of ethanol, and the process uses more energy than it produces?  Also, ethanol is a detergent and because of this, it can’t be put into pipelines.  Therefore, it must be transported by truck and mixed onsite.  That’s not what I would call an efficient process or a logical solution.

4.  Hybrids are NOT the answer.  Sure, they get improved mileage, but it’s still a new technology and they have their own problems to deal with like “what happens when our landfills start filling up with used fuel cells”?  Has anyone done the environmental study on that one yet? 

Now I agree that the solution must be twofold.  We have to come up with a solution that will help with short-term costs now, but we also have to focus on our long-term needs as well, and that’s why we have to start exploration and drilling now.  I also think that we should provides incentives for businesses to develop new technologies.  Something like the X-prize that was given to Steve Faucet for developing a new type of spacecraft.  Offer a prize for the person or company who can come up with a new engine, or add-on component to any car that can obtain something like 100 miles to the gallon (Just a thought).   By doing something like that, you will be encouraging individuals to think outside the box and maybe, just maybe, we’ll stumble across something that could provide a real solution to the problem we face.  

Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening?  Where the hell is our outrage?  We should be screaming bloody murder.  We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane, much less build a hybrid car.

But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, “Stay the course”.  Stay the course?  You’ve got to be kidding.  This is America, not the damned Titanic!  l’ll give you a sound bite: Throw all the bums out!

You might think that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have.  But someone has to speak up.  I hardly recognize this country anymore.  The most famous business leaders are not the innovators, but the guys in handcuffs.  While we’re fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions.

That’s not the promise of the America my ancestors and yours traveled across the ocean for.  I’ve had enough. How about you?

I’ll go a step further.

You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged.  This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have.  The best fight is Crisis! Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It’s easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else’s kids off to war when you’ve never seen a battlefield yourself. It’s another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes.  So, here’s where we stand.  We’re immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving.  We’re running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We’re losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.  Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy.  Our schools are in trouble.  Our borders are like sieves.  The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.  But when you look around, you’ve got to ask: Where have all the leaders gone? Where are the curious, creative communicators?  Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense?  I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?  We’ve spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.  Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina.  Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.  Everyone’s hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn’t happen again. Now, that’s just crazy.  Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you’re going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in
manufacturing.  Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when The Big Three referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem.  The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry. I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn’t elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity.

What is everybody so afraid of?  That some bonehead on CNN will call them a name?  Give me a break.  Why don’t you guys show some spine for a change?  Had Enough?  Hey, I’m not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here.  I’m trying to light a fire. I’m speaking out because I have hope, I believe in America.

In my lifetime I’ve had the privilege of living through some of America’s greatest moments.  I’ve also experienced some of our worst crises.  If I’ve learned one thing, it’s this: You don’t get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action.  Whether it’s building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play.  That’s the challenge for people who, like me, believe in America.  It’s not too late, but it’s getting pretty close.  So let’s shake off the crap and go to work.  Let’s tell’em all we’ve had enough.   Lee Iacocca

As my campaign begins to take on a life of it’s own, I’ve been privileged to be able to research many issues, some that I might not have otherwise been drawn to.  We all know the front page issues like the economy, the housing crisis and health care.  But what many of us fail to realize, is that there are some real serious issues in our communties that have been largely ignored.  I want to focus on one issue in particular; HIV/AIDS.

In my research, I have found some startling statistics.  Here’s just a few about our own city:

1.  St. Louis city has the fifth highest HIV infection rate per capita in the country.

2.  St. Louis city has the highest number of STD infections per capita in the country. 

3.  1/5 of all new HIV infections are caused by intravenous drug use.

4.  Black Americans represent 60 percent of all AIDS cases.

5.  30 percent of our prison population is infected with the HIV virus.

6.  Black women represent 47 percent of all new HIV infections.

7.  The number one cause of death for black men between the ages of 15-35 is AIDS.

When I read these stats, I was shocked.  You see, most of us go through life as if we’re driving on the highway, and every issue is nothing more than a billboard that we casually glance at as we drift on by.  But what I began to realize about these stats is that we have an epidemic on our hands, right here in our own backyard, and no one is doing anything about it.    

I think I know why. 

I just turned 40 about a month ago, and I remember back in the early 80’s when AIDS arrived on the scene.  Back then it was seen as a “gay, white man’s disease”.  People talked about how it was going to be the black plague of the 80’s.  The government got involved and spent all kinds of money on advertising campaigns and people marched to generate awareness.  There was a real concern within our country that this was an epidemic.   

But during the 90’s, something happened…

The death rate and the number of infections among gay white males began to drop, but this was also about the time that intravenous drug use began to rise, and the number of infections among the black community began to rise.  It hasn’t stopped yet.  My point is this;  when it was considered a “gay, white disease”, it was a problem that had to be dealt with.  But now that it’s considered a “black disease”, it’s swept under the rug.   

Why is that? 

I recently attended a meeting where the featured speaker was a current “Congressperson”.  In attendance, were approximately 40 prominent Republican supporters, who wanted to hear this person’s opinion on the current state of affairs in Washington. 

Now keep in mind, I’m not an elected official yet, so when I attend these things, I do so as a concerned taxpayer, not a politician.  Needless to say, after about 10 minutes, I was fit to be tied!  All I heard was every reason under the sun as to why no real progress is being made in Congress.  It’s an election year.  We’re not in the majority anymore.  Everyone’s focused on the Presidential race.  Blah, Blah, Blah…

How about this?  Weather it’s an election year or not, weather you’re in the majority or not and regardless of who wins the White House, YOU STILL HAVE A JOB TO DO!!!

Here’s why things don’t get done in Congress:

1.  Congress is too involved in things that don’t matter.  Who cares if baseball players are on steroids?  Hell, most Americans don’t care if they’re all juiced and have it on tap in the dugout!  Quit wasting time on things that you shouldn’t be involved in in the first place.    

2.  3 1/2 day work weeks!  What’s up with that?  Every other full-time American I know works at least 40 hours a week minimum!  They should be working 12 hour days, 7 days a week!  You want to go home, then do the job we’re paying you for and get something done!  

3.  4 months paid vacation!  That’s right!  The last time I checked a calender, there was 52 weeks in a year and our hard working representatives (sarcasm implied) are only in session for 32 weeks.  Here’s a novel idea.  You get two weeks vacation per year and the only days you get off are weekends and national holidays, just like the rest of us.  Leadership means you lead by example.

4.  Here’s another novel idea; if you’re running for re-election, then campaign all you want during the 4 months that you have off during the year, instead of the entire year since it’s an election year.  Besides, if you’re doing a great job, then getting re-elected should be easy; you’re an incumbent, you have access to the press and the media and raising money should be easy since you have name recognition.       

As you can see, I tend to get a bit miffed when I see all of the problems this country is facing, and all our so-called leaders can say is, “it’s an election year”.  If it’s an election year, then they should be doing their best stuff.  This is no different than professional sports. 

Ever notice that when a players contract is in it’s final year, they usually raise their level of play?  Why is that?  It’s because they want to get re-signed.  

In politics, politicians do their worst stuff in the final year and then blame it on the election year, but promise to do better the following year.  What garbage!

Remember this come November;  WE ARE THE EMPLOYER, THEY ARE THE EMPLOYEE.  What do you do with an employee who only shows up part-time for a full-time job?  What do you do with an employee who takes 4 months off PAID?  What do you do with an employee who was hired to do a job, but never does the job?  Answer:  FIRE THEM AND FIND SOMEONE WHO WILL!