Family, friends, and country: John Kasich and Ben Carson were the strongest candidates at the GOP debate in Cleveland, Ohio August 6, 2015. Among the top keywords these two gentlemen used were “united” and “freedom.” Trump was the strategists he is and showed a lot of guts. He is right when talking about Obamacare in dissolving the state lines for reforming Obamacare. Insurance companies are making a fortune off of every American because they are controlling the system right now, but that’s only because of the republicans in 2009 and their ACA summit eliminating the public option and inserting their agenda. Politics as usual. I also see Trump as a member of the trade commissions and on the immigration council. I think Trump would be better working on these commissions than as president. He should work where his strengths are. As far as leading the country John Kasich showed the most capable in being realistic and fair to all.

The GOP lineup of candidates and especially, those in business, shows the American people want their country fixed, they want the issues solved, and they want America moving forward and working for everyone, except for Cruz and Walker, who represent a narrow majority for limiting freedom and upward mobility for women and workers. Christie is too much of a politician, but his work in helping to smoke out terrorist in the U. S. and abroad is awesome. Paul, on the other hand, standing up for the privacy of non-plotting Americans is just as admiring, but both have limitations in having the intelligence to lead America.

What is so admiring about Kasich is his military background, experience in creating jobs, and being part of a state that was the star ship in handling health care for all its residents. He also spoke about unity and giving chances to people who think they don’t have a chance anymore in America, so he speaks of hope. Carson is admiring in his thought of not broadcasting to the world America’s strategies, as some may call torture, to excerpt foreign intelligence during war. He also embarked on letting commanders do their jobs as they know how to do them instead of being encumbered by others in power. He messed up when talking about Hillary because he was too broad in his discussion of her, and he should have never took a stab at her, which is another reason Kasich stood above the candidates: he didn’t talk about Hillary.

The GOP debate, was just that, 8.5 out of 10, during the nine o’clock debate (I didn’t see the 5 o’clock debate) being one-sided. It is until the public can hear the other side about the Iran issue that we might really understand what is going on about the deal. Not that I don’t agree with some of what has been said about us not getting our hostages back, just that we have to let the democrats have their say.

Let’s go on to the next debate and see how it shapes up to make further calculations of who is steadfast and unwavering. And what will they say about the economy? Is America going to have another recession sooner as predicted by some news reports and Rand’s father?

What Has Changed in the U.S. in the Last Two Years?

What has changed in the last two years for families economically? And what events have taken place politically?

What has changed economically for families has been the unemployment rate. Unemployment is now 5.7% and is reported to be under 6% since September 2014. Despite the low unemployment numbers, wage gains barely kept up with inflation or not at all. Some even say immigrants grabbed all of those jobs that have come open since 2000, but a better word to have use would have been "most."

It's interesting that "immigrants" fell into the topic of what has changed for families in America over the last two years, and is it a coincidence that the issue of immigration is now, today--March 1, 2015, the cog in the wheel that is holding up the republicans to do the right thing by voting on a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)? Even republican Congressman, Charlie Dent, said in a matter of words on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, March 1, 2015, the republicans should treat the funding of DHS and immigration as separate entities in which they are, and to put them together is foolish and destructive to the party.

But the issue at hand doesn't cover up the reports that immigrants have taken a majority of the jobs that have opened up in not only harvesting crops, but in construction, house keeping, lawn maintenance, in restaurants, education, health care, and other areas, plus, immigrants are getting grants and scholarships to attend college that our naturally born citizens, especially white males, can't even touch, which has kept many a white family in poverty for 300 years. Naturally born Americans are just asking for the same opportunities as immigrants, for if immigrants can come to America, rumor has it, and not pay taxes for 10 years, keep all their tax money and save it to open up their own business, naturally born Americans aught to have the same opportunity.

The complaints are legitimate in the minds of both democrat and republican voters, and the complaints shouldn't be construed to mean they don't like immigrants. Ninety percent of Americans are of some European decent.

So I did a little bit of research on this idea that immigrants don't have to pay taxes. Everything I have found indicates that immigrants MUST pay U.S. taxes. The only time they don't have to pay taxes is when they don't have a green card, when they own a house outside the country, have a closer connection to the foreign country than the U.S., and have lived in the U.S. less than 183 days.

Other reports show that illegal aliens are paying upwards of a billion dollars every year in taxes at both the federal and state levels combined. Naturally born Americans would argue that these same benefits to states and the nation would be the same or more if it were naturally born Americans holding down those jobs taken by aliens.

Another complaint Americans have is the thought that more should be done about U.S, businesses hiring illegals. Arizona took some flack on its immigration bill drawn up in 2010 that would penalize U.S. businesses when they hired illegals. As a result of the bill, two hundred thousand undocumented Mexicans left Arizona, and Georgia and Alabama drew up similar laws. Despite the states taking on illegal immigration where the federal government would not, protests by Mexican-Americans flared up in California and other parts of the nation showing unity and a strong push for immigration reform.

Probably the meanest thing to come out of Arizona's SB1070 was another enactment that with held $14 million in education funds if the Mexican-American courses were not taken out of Arizona's school districts. When a child must hide who he/she is and are caused to feel ashamed of his/her own race, that is an atrocity in itself.

So what has changed in the last two years? Maybe a little bit of financial relief for some naturally born Americans. Much has changed for undocumented aliens. President Obama wants to give them all amnesty by giving them all citizenship. Will that happen? Only time will tell. Will the action be fair or unfair? The answer to that question is in the mind of each beholder.

The only thing I know, is whatever happens, God loves us all and the rain rains upon the just and the unjust. We are all in this world together, so why let a thing called "supply and demand" get in the way of loving one another? Let's find some room in the Inn.

It's not so much the illegal aliens the problem, it's more about businesses wanting cheap labor, and the illegals fit the bill. Eventually, those who are illegal aliens now will get simulated into the American culture and demand higher wages, which will then set off another wave of illegal immigrants to move into the U.S. It's a cycle that has been going on for centuries. The U.S. talks about the cycle of poverty. For a change, we should get real and talk about the cycle of labor, wages, and big business that keeps people poor. You can call it whatever you want, "deflation," "inflation," "power struggles"...when it comes right down to it, businesses want more for less. Is it an ugly fact that all businesses must practice in order to stay alive? Maybe I'll tackle this question next. Until then, find peace within yourself and don't let those who criticize you make you stumble.

To expand on what seems to be only a woman's issue in America, the equal pay rights and equal pay laws for women aren’t just for females. They are for families. And men are a part of those families. Therefore, it is important for both, men and women, to appreciate and become aware of these laws so they can protect those rights, as the rights of women is to increase the livelihoods of both male and female as they work together on behalf of providing for their children and grandchildren or nieces and nephews.

The Lilly Ledbetter Act of 2009 gives a female an opportunity to file charges of discriminatory wages at anytime during her employment. Before 2009, if a female had discovered she was paid differently than her male counterpart doing the same job and for more money, under law the female could not recoup any wage discrepancies because the law had stated she must file those discrepancies within 180 days of her hire date, so as in the case of Lilly Ledbetter vs Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. (2007), Lilly did not find out until years later that she was paid at a lower wage from her male counterparts and when she took the company to court, according to the 'then' present law, it was her fault that she did not know she was discriminated against. The new 2009 law then will see to it that, “the statute of limitations runs from the date of the actual payment of a discriminatory wage, not just from the time of hiring.”

The Lilly Ledbetter Act of 2009 was a key element discussed during the 2012 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University in New York in regards to the young lady’s question about equal pay for women in the workforce. President Obama signed the law in 2009, and only four republicans had voted for the law. Romney didn’t say he was for or against the law, just that he had gone out to find women to serve on his cabinet while he was governor of Massachusettes, which implies people will do the right thing and hire women and just give them equal pay.

Unfortunately, the pattern of history, business, and law makers concerning women in the United States have all been about giving as less to a female in regards to pay, rights, and healthcare. So as citizens of this great nation we cannot expect people “to do the right thing,” because if history has taught us anything, “most people will not do the right thing, especially when they can get away with not doing the right thing.” And if the laws continue aiding and abetting those who intend to reap more for themselves and less for others, then America will continue to have poverty, violence, and ignorance.

Culture has played a consistent role in the slow progress of women having upward financial mobility in America. Slowly, women have become privvy to marketing strategies to help increase customers for their businesses, and it's mostly due to men sharing ideas with women. It wasn’t until 1974 that credit opportunities were extended to a woman without the signature of her husband or father, providing that she had a job and could qualify. It wasn’t until 1968 when business were prohibited from advertising positions indicating they were looking to hire men only.

When raising a family, men often feel just as trapped as women in having to be the sole provider of a family. The laws are to help both sexes, not pit one against the other; but tradition often taunts the thoughts of men against the freedoms of women, and the thoughts of women against men when men don’t earn enough to cover the expenses of a family. If men and women can work to build one another up and provide for a family, our world could be a better place to live.

So it is important for husbands and fathers to know the rights that are put in place for their wife and daughters. Females aught not to have to "go it alone," when it comes to getting their fair share of the pie. Men, should then help the females in his life to bust through that flimsy film of inequality that besets his female family members because men want to live well, too. If his wife isn’t earning what she is entitled to, then his life is just as hard as hers. If his daughter isn’t earning what she is entitled to, then when her father gets old, she won’t be able to take care of him like she would want to.

Unequal pay hurts families, and Obama expressed this very thought yesterday during the debate. He is about doing something more to make a real difference in the lives of Americans, not the same ol, same ol hardships that Romney is proposing.

No "Scratch and Start All Over" Approach

During the Vice Presidential Debate, I had the pleasure of seeing the gentle well-composed man of Paul Ryan. I have to admit, I hadn’t taken opportunities until the debate at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky to hear Mr. Ryan speak. From my discipline of being able to suspend all prejudices of a person so that I can actually hear their actual words, I did so and found much gratification in Biden’s interjections to put facts to topics not mentioned by Ryan.

The 5-point plan was mentioned again by Ryan, so I made the effort to search it out on the web. In three tries, I finally tapped into the right website that laid out the plan, (aside from the website that indicated a 5-point plan, but I had trouble sorting it out through Romney’s swim trunks and the secret steering committee that came together to seemingly put the plan together while he was swimming elsewhere in the U.S.)

The 5 point plan sounds well thought out, and again specifics for each point needs to be elaborated upon, so I have them listed here with comments or questions by each point. You may want to raise your own comments and questions.

1. building energy independence (The U.S. is already doing this through alternative energy: wind and solar, and we will always need coal and electricity. Coal jobs are not in jeopardy.)

2. ensuring Americans have the skills to succeed (If education loans and grants are cut, AND Sesame Street, how will this be accomplished?)

3. opening markets that work for America (HOW? For each suggestion under this point.)

4. cutting the deficit (How can you do this without cutting services to the poor and homeowners?)

5. championing small businesses (Small business owners are counted as individuals—any other way would complicate matters. No unions? How is that going to put more money in a laborer’s pocket? Without unions, businesses will be able to work people for very little and they will continue cutting full-time employment so they will not have to attend to the labor laws and benefits for employees. Even with a state-wide insurance mandate, everyone will still be required to buy health insurance.)

The debate was well moderated, and the candidates minded their P’s and Q’s. They were very respectful to the moderator and to one another. On abortion, Joe Biden will not impose his personal Catholic views on any other American. Two Supreme Court Justices are to be sworn in the next 4 years, he added. Paul Ryan cannot separate his personal -faith from his professional, and was leery when asked the question if the Romney-Ryan ticket won the race should those who are pro-choice be worried.

If the Romney-Ryan ticket wins the race, then we should expect Medicare to become a Voucher plan and future seniors would have to pay more out of pocket costs. Social Security will be privatized, but those 55 and above will not be affected. So, what about those 54, 53, 52, 51, 50? Who are out of work since 2009, 2010? What kind of Social Security will they have saved to privatize? Are people starting at zero or will they get all that they have already put in to Social Security? These programs under Obama and Biden will be guaranteed services as originally promised to all. Biden went on to say that if people had had their Social Security money in the stock market during the recession, millions would have lost it all. It is too risky to gamble a person’s retirement away.

On taxes, Biden says there will be a tax increase for those making one million dollars and more. Level the playing field for middle class. Let the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire. Ryan says: “the 120,000 millionaires/billionaires’ taxes cannot pay for everything they want to pay for.”

On foreign affairs, in 2014 the timeline end for US troops to withdraw completely from Afghanistan. Afghans must sustain their own country and US troops are training them to do so. America is informed that Iran isn’t as close to a nuclear bomb as we were led to believe from Israeli President during the UN meeting that took place last month in New York.

The debate informed Americans of President Obama’s consistent message of moving forward and of Romney’s, “scratch” everything and start all over approach. The last thing America needs is a “start all over” approach. We have come too far to start all over again. We are going in the right direction if the politicians and special interest groups will just let us get back to work.

The Race for President 2012

How do I see the Denver, Colorado debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama? To sum it up, when a dog begins to bark, sometimes you just got to let him bark. Romney took to the fence and barked his head off, so much that viewers actually witnessed him turning pale at times like his neck tie was too tight, and then turning red like he was going to have a heart attack any minute. I like what Herb Cohen explains in his book, Negotiate This! when it comes to those types of people who see others who start out in a negotiation/conversation/discussion/debate being nice as a weakness. Those

’rat for tat’… operators…are [more] likely to behold your decency as a weakness and lick their chops. This minority tends to observe a soft style and easygoing attitude as a bull notices a red cape. What usually happens with these dog-eat-dog types that they charge, trying to wrap things up quickly. Often they become hostile and confrontational and use all sorts of tactical ploys…But…the countermeasures for any adversarial gambit are to slow down and not to react the way they expect you to…Flow [instead of] fight or freeze…(88-89).

Obama flowed. His message was consistent with what he had said from the very beginning, and because his message is simple regular people can recite it: tax the wealthiest at a higher rate, penalize American companies for taking their companies overseas, continue with Obamacare, invest in education, continue with coal industry [for we know we will still need coal to fuel electric plants], but invest in environmentally safe energy such as, wind and solar power.

Romney on the other hand, didn’t stop talking. He ate up air time and taking turns when it wasn’t even his turn to speak. He began and had the last word in 85% of the questions. I do believe he was trying to get Obama riled up.

Romney talks about states taking over Nat’l Health Care. Tennessee tried that, and many were cut from the roles when the state could no longer afford the health care costs. The reason health care costs over exceeded Tennessee’s ability to cover the non-insured were two-fold: 1) cuts in federal monies to the state to cover the cost, and 2) there was no mandate requiring all Tennesseans to carry health insurance.

Massachusetts, on the other hand, did implement a state-wide insurance program that required all state residents to buy health insurance. Two state public options were given in addition to the multiple private insurance company options. Ninety-eight percent of the residents were insured, which made for a successful implementation of government-mandated health insurance.

So why is Romney against Obamacare? Is he being wrangled by the Republican party’s agenda?

Another federal program on the republican chopping block is food stamps. When it comes to feeding the poor, shouldn’t states be held accountable by the federal government to make sure the poor are getting their fair share of food? And how are the states going to fund such an extensive program? Nuns on a bus traveled across 9 states and met on the steps of Congress to protest Paul Ryan’s cuts to programs that would leave those marginalized hungry, cold, and homeless. The lead nun said that every church across the nation would have to raise $50,000 extra each year just to accommodate the poor, and that amount was unrealistic.

The Republican party wants to privatize social security and defund Medicaid and Medicare, which will become state-governed programs, so there will be 50 different social security options and 50 different health insurance options as a citizen moves from one state to the next. Consistency will be null and void, and who is to say that accountability will be checked?

Selfishness and individualism are consistent themes with the Republican agenda, so Americans should get the hint that they will be left out in the dark not knowing if they will have adequate health insurance coverage since each state will separately negotiate for public options. And how easy is it going to move from one state to the next with such differences in health coverage and social security options? Programs such as these and many more will be shattered, and from the shards, we should wonder if the United States will continue to be a union or will each state be its own separate country? The choice is ours, will we give our country to the dogs or will we pull away from the fence by taxing the 1% and building products “Made in the U.S.A.,” by which, will keep a strong union that takes care of its citizens?

Paul and Santorim Are Strong GOP Candidates

Two GOP debates back to back in two weeks, one sponsored by the Bloomberg and Washington Post (10/11/11) and the other, entitled, the Western Republican Debate, hosted in Nevada by CNN's Anderson Cooper (10/18/11).

Santorim made a scramble to the top by connecting with the hispanic population as he mentioned family, faith, and jobs. Santorim also used the same theme when referring to groups immigrating to the United States and how rights protect groups from discrimination in America, but Paul reminded the audience that each individual has a civil right in America and that civil rights are not about being a part of a group, but of being an individual. Santorim disputed back by commenting the family unit is a strong unit within the Hispanic population, and continued to say the family unit is being eroded by the laws that do not protect families as Cain's 9-9-9 plan would not allow standard deductions for families with children. In otherwords, Santorim pointed out, a family would pay the same amount of tax as a single person under Cain's plan.

As Cain, Romney, and Perry all denied supporting the implementation of the TARP or the TARP, period, Paul interjected that if anyone was to be bailed out it should have been the people, not the banks and corporations and Wall Street. Paul went on to say that we cannot blame the victims, those Occupying Wall Street. Cain's insensitivity to those Occupying Wall Street was exposed when he said, "What are the banks supposed to do? Come downstairs and write them a check?"

In the Bloomberg/Washington Post debate, Cain said that he didn't experience any unfairness by businesses as an employee. A faulty assumption that has been the norm for too long and is hazardous to a public's health and well-being occurs when politicians/businessmen assume that just because they didn't experience unfairness, that unfairness does not exist for others. When we as a nation, stop thinking that just because everything is coming up roses in our own backyards, that everything is well and fine with others, we might get around to fairness, compassion for others, and equality. America does not need another person in political office who is not in tune with the public's reality.

"We the People Occupy" Activists Not "Anti-Corporation" Activists!

The activists on Wall Street need to stay until the top four American corporations sitting on two trillion dollars, more than the GDP of Canada, open up or create significant positions for those from modest families (low-income to low to middle income).

The American Dream is supposed to be for everybody, not just for the top echelon and their friends and family, yet many have worked without benefits and pay raises only thinking that one day their talents would be recognized and rewarded with a good life. Americans are now challenging the myth that people could get in with a company at an entry level and have opportunity within a company to excel. Yet for the last forty years, excelling has only been granted for those in the corporate pipeline. Those who were seldom placed in the coprorate pipeline are married low-income women, women, and women including low-income and minority males.

People are fit to be tied over the reality of unfairness, where a person has to know someone before they can even be hired at a company. People are fit to be tied over the reality of creidit history that has been devised as a vehichle for legal discrimination.

It is amazing that Wall Street has been so unaware of its indirect actions, but how directly people have been offended by them. It is amazing that Wall Street doesn't even know what the masses want or how the masses feel. So since Wall Street doesn't know what the activists want, the following list may help clarify. Occupy Wall Street want equal access to the American Dream: fairness, opportunity to excel within a company, a piece of the American Pie, fulfilled promises, American expectations, sustainable and growing incomes,vacations and job security. They want their government to care more about its citizens than about satisfying special interest and corporations. They want jobs so they can feed their families or even start a family. They want the government to tax corporations and the rich at a higher level.

Americans are tired of the politics and hoopla of media. Americans have given their all, and now Americans want government and corporations to give their all to the people. People are tired of the smoke screens, and they are tired of being used and abused. So, how did this all come about?

Surely, if our government can bail out banks and corporations with $700B, then the U.S. government can print some more money for the masses, so the masses can create the jobs needed for sustainability. This is what the people think. The $700B bailout just turned sour grapes into bitter wine. Corporations were supposed to create jobs, or so this is what the people were told, but the 4 largest corporations in America are not creating jobs, but are sitting on their trillions of dollars. Banks were supposed to help people stay in their homes, but people are still being thrown out of their homes since they cannot make the mortgage payments. More people are homeless, starving, without health insurance coverage, and facing defaults on their student loans.

Americans are ready and organized to OCCUPY until. Good for YOU, America!