It's called Politics

One of the big items on Obama's agenda before his election was his promise of bipartisanship. Sounded good to everyone. Bipartisanship means both parties compromise to put out legislation that benefits the majority of the people.

Fast forward a year and a half.....

Obama is still trying to be bipartisan but what is Congress doing, especially the Republican minority who insists on obstructing everything coming out of the White House or put forth by the Democrats in Congress? My question is why are we still trying to play fair when it appears that no one else is?

Case in point: Obama's 15 recess appointments. The constitution provides for the President to make appointments to fill vacant federal positions while the Senate is out on recess. Thus, bypassing Senate confirmation. Obama has more 200 outstanding federal positions open because the Senate refuses to confirm them and all he has done is appoint 15. While Bush was in office, he made more than 170 recess appointments, including the appointment of John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations knowing full well that his appointment was very controversial. Again I ask, why are we still playing fair, people? The conservative media is calling Obama a hypocrite for using recess appointments because when Bolton was appointed Obama criticized President Bush. Duh, people, this is politics. What part don't you understand?

In politics, you have to do whatever is in your legal power to further your agenda, as long as it is ethical. Obama is being too nice, if you ask me, by only appointing 15. What do we owe the Republican minority? The same minority who claimed the Healthcare reform bill is not bipartisan and voted against it as a bloc knowing all along that they authored more than 200 provisions in that bill? You can call it obstructionism or hypocrisy, but it's called politics, people.

We're Gonna Be Ok

What a wonderful day yesterday turned out to be! N summed it up in her kindergarten journal:

"Today is a great day because it is Daniel's birthday and it is the first day that Barack Obama is President!"

The children said they watched the entire inaugural program at school.  After the inauguration, Daniel's class wrote essays about why they thought Barack Obama had been elected President. Daniel said people like Obama because he is going to lower taxes and help the poor, and lower gasoline prices.  :)   I love it.

We watched reruns of the inauguration on the news last night and Isabella danced and clapped when we all cheered.  It was so cute to watch her so happy because we were all so happy.  

Was anyone else worried when Barack and Michelle were walking on the parade route?  I sure was glad when they got back in the car.  

Now I'm sitting here pondering his powerful words.  Some people wonder how he is going to achieve all those promises, and truth be told, I wonder that myself.  But people with hope have moved mountains and people have hope now.  We want to believe.  So what's the first mountain?  For him, it's this whole auto industry bailout.  It's a tough one, but if he comes out with flying colors from that, the momentum will be there so we can turn our attention to healthcare reform and then on to the next thing...

So no, maybe he won't be able to accomplish everything he's talking about, but he has given us a powerful vision of the future and as long as we are headed that way, we are gonna be ok.

TTYL. 

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

Every third Monday in January, our family listens to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr's. speech. After the speech, we drive down to the Capitol to walk down 11th street to Huston-Tillotson University with thousands of other Austinities.  Every year, people sing, chant, carry signs, and have a good time just walking together knowing that we are all their for the same purpose - to honor this man that gave us his dream.   This year was no exception.  

The speech is always moving.  Dr. King was a powerful orator.  I think a lot about him when I listen to Obama speak, one of the best orators today.  There is something about the way they deliver their speeches that speaks to my soul.  It's as if they are talking just to me and I need to listen.  We don't make the children sit and listen, but as the speech echoes through the house, I'm sure they can hear his thunderous voice and his magical words.  We're hoping those words are embedding deep into their consciousness and that they too will work towards helping all people achieve Dr. King's dream.

At the march, this year, there were thousands of people wearing Obama shirts and Obama signs.  My favorite was one carried by a child.  It said, "My grandpa walked with Martin Luther King in 1963."  It is a great feeling to walk beside other people who believe in this great man. It is especially moving to see older African-Americans who can barely walk being pushed on wheelchairs or walking on canes.  They believe in the dream.

Today part of that dream becomes reality -- Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States; the only African-American to be president in our country's history.  Why I wonder did it take almost 50 years for Dr. King's dream to come to fruition? We still have so much work to do when it comes to bringing minorities' standard of living up to par with the white standard of living in this country.  How can we say the dream is achieved when more than 30% of all African-American children live in poverty?  Or when 12% of all African-American children do not live with either parent?  For many years, we have ignored this group.

My dream and hope is that with Obama in the White House, these issues will come to the forefront and become a priority for our country finally fulfilling Dr. King's dream.  Yes, we can!!!!! 

TTYL.

Public vs. Private

I was somewhat ticked off at the Obama's last week when I read an article that said the Obamas are not even considering public school as an option for their little girls.  My first thought was, "What?  Are they too good for public school?"  But then as I read more articles about why the Clintons, and so many other high-ranking officials chose to send their kids to private school, I am starting to understand the Obama's choice a little better.

Hillary said that she was advised by several people to keep her daughter out of public school because the reporters would otherwise never leave Chelsea alone.  The truth is that with the Freedom of Information Act, any reporter could request information about the girls from their public school. That is pretty scary.  

I still can't get over the price tag.  The Washington Post reported that the Obama's will spend more than $50,000 per year on private school tuition for their girls.  Wow.  If a school like Sidwell, one of the two schools they are considering, has 1200 students and each student pays about $25,000 per  year, that means that it makes about $30 million dollars a year.  Can you imagine what a public school could do with that much money?

It could hire more teachers to reduce it's teacher-to-student ratio.  It could invest in a fully-equipped science lab and a science lab director.  It could invest in a computer lab with a full-time computer lab director.  It could fully stock its library.   It could have special ed teachers available full-time...the list goes on, and one, and on...

I am glad for the Obama girls who get to go to fancy private schools, but I am saddened by the thought of  how many more children's lives would be changed for the better if the Obamas decided to send their girls to public school.

TTYL.

 

Victory is Ours!

I have been humming "Victory is ours.  Victory is ours.  Victory is ours today!" all morning.  I want to sing it at the top of my lungs, but IK is still asleep.  It was a late night for everyone last night.  I have two reasons to celebrate.  The obvious one is Obama, the first African-American to be elected President of the United States.  Woohoo!!!!  The second reason is that my son DK won his own bid for VP at his school today.  Woohoo!!!!!    

I have been up most of the night reading reactions, both from Democrats and Republicans, about the outcome of the election.  Yes, I actually read the National Review.   I stopped when I got to the article that equated allowing abortions to allowing slavery.  Huh? 

Overall, most people are congratulatory.  Obama overcame many obstacles and ran an excellent campaign.  Conservatives agree that the Republican party needs to regroup and devise a new agenda that appeals to the middle class.  What they need  is to start the difficult task of separating themselves from the religious fanatics that make up their current base.  I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's one of the main reasons you lost, folks.  The American people decided they do not want a right-wing evangelical that close to the presidency.  What part of separation of church and state do you not understand?  Some of you might think I feel this way because I am not religious.  Wrong.  I am a Catholic.  I believe in God.  I believe in Jesus (which by the way, wasn't Jesus also a community organizer?)  Maybe where we differ is that I believe in helping people not just in telling them how they should act based on my own personal beliefs.

But back to my literature review, the most disturbing part is that the majority of the opinion pieces I read on the National Review did not seem to blame Palin for their loss. How is the Repulican party supposed to regroup and appeal to the general public when they are tied at the hip to these right-wing evangelicals?  Not that we don't have our own left-left-lefties, but for a party to win it needs to appeal to the middle.  I'm sorry, but in America, the middle is not made up of conservative, evangelical Christians, guys.  Time to do your homework, Republicans, or you're going to be in the same boat in 2010 and 2012.  

Must wake up IK to go to Little Gym class...TTYL.

I Am My Brother's Keeper

I am supposed to be getting ready to go to a Halloween party but instead I am feeling like writing.  That's unusual for me.  I'm usually feeling guilty that I haven't been keeping up this blog, but not so much that it compels me to do it. I figure I should go with the feeling....

Did you watch the Obama infomercial last night?  My husband made such a big deal about watching it that at exactly 7:00 p.m. he excused himself from the dinner table and announced that anyone who wanted to hang out with him should move to the family room where he would be watching Obama and later the baseball game.  Two seconds later everyone except for me and IK were in the family room.  IK was strapped to her high chair screaming at the top of her lungs to be let out so she could join everyone else.  So much for a family dinner. 

Oh, but it was worth it.  Every time I hear Obama speak, he moves me so much that tears start flowing.  His personal narrative is so inspirational and his desire to help mankind so strong, I just can't understand why anyone would not want to vote for him.  I am especially dumbfounded by the conservative religious folks.  I love watching him say, "I am my brother's keeper! I am my brother's keeper!"  Aren't we all our brother's and sister's keepers?  And isn't that what Jesus was and tells us to be?  So why is the conservative religious right so anti-Obama?  Is it really all about gays and abortion for them?  How can people be so one-issue minded?  What about helping those in need?  Why do conservative religious folks feel that is not the role of government but they feel government has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body?

I just don't get it.  Do you?

Husband on the phone asking if I'm ready for the party...I gotta go!  TTYL.