One of these days soon I'm going to start posting the journal I've been keeping for two and a half months on the barking habits of the 10 Pit Bulls that moved in next door to us at the beginning of the year. You think I'm making that up? Alas, if only....
You'll see soon enough. Right now I'm too close to it.

CND

Kitten Twins power - ACTIVATE!

Form of.....

KITTENS!!

Knock, knock!

Who's there?

KITTENS!!!

You know what's really awsome?
Kittens!
Two of 'em with fuzzy little faces and great big ears!

You got a problem with that, tough guy?

Nice how these Republican "conservative" types like to whine and cry and stamp their feet every time they aren't being pandered to and lauded with attention. What a bunch of cry-babies. Like a bunch of spoiled brat panty-pissers.

Bunch of flag wavin' pansies, talkin' tough and shakin' their fists.

"Home of the Brave," my ass. These people are afraid of everything.
Homos? Terrified. Religions other than Christian (White-Jesus)? Terrified. Skin any shade darker than pink? Terrified. God-forbid somebody might want to save their sorry asses by passing responsible legislation and shoring up the national debt - must be a goddam commie! Honey, round up the kids, lock the doors! There's a colored liberal with a funny name and an economic-plan-that-might-work comin' up the drive!

Oooooh, they're MAD. And they MEAN IT! Waaaaaah! They're gonna throw a big FIT!

I've had it way past here with their diaper-baby crap. The rest of us have been tolerating their bullying and reckless wasting and arrogant posturing and paranoid finger-pointing and selfish, me-first gluttonizing for over TWENTY YEARS!!

Some flag-wavin' tough guy says he'd lay down his life any day to protect my freedom of speech. Well, y'know what? Those limp-wristed fairies over at the ACLU have done way more to protect my rights than you ever will, GI Joe.  How about protecting my right to not have to listen to a bunch of whiney-brat eagle-kissers sobbing about "liberal media." Guess what, jackass? That idiot hate-talkin' big-mouth you listen to every day on the radio every day IS the media.

And these people get to be called PATRIOTS? They're an EMBARRASSMENT for cryin' out loud!

OK. That's my rant for the day.
Cheers!
CND

My fellow Americans,
There comes a time in the course of a great nation when its collective peoples must come together and pull their collective head out of their collective backside. Now is that time.

I'm writing this because I want to clearly state my position in this all-too-important election campaign. I'm only going to send this one message about it but I feel it's important for me to let everyone know where I stand. These are my own honest opinions and I am not pushing propaganda or rhetoric from any other source. It's primarily a rant. It's not intended to be an articulate argument. I'm not citing statistics or polls, just stating my particular position and beliefs on the current state of American politics, etc.

So, first of all, I'm supporting Barak Obama in this presidential campaign.
I lived in Chicago for over seven years. Obama was my senator and I have confidence in his leadership, integrity, and dedication. He makes rational decisions and seeks unified support for his efforts. I do not believe he is a savior. I don't believe any man (or woman) is a savior, especially in politics. I do believe Obama offers us the best hope of digging our way out of the political, economical, and ethical mud pit we currently find ourselves in. He doesn't say, 'I will save you.' He says, 'I will help you work together so we can save ourselves.'

I don't want to offend any of you or put friendships in jeopardy, but, to put it bluntly, the political situation in our nation is bad and it's not going to get better if we vote Republican this November.
I'm not into the whole Liberal/Conservative, Red State/Blue State, team-oriented divisionism that seems to dominate the political landscape. I tend to vote Democrat but I don't have a sworn allegiance to that party. I have some views that could be seen as liberal and some that could be seen as conservative. I love my country but I don't have to go around sporting a flag pin to prove it. If I hated America, I wouldn't bother to care about what happens to its government, economy, businesses, or its people. The term "Liberal" seems to connote a naive sort of permissiveness that doesn't sit well with me. And what does "Conservative" mean? You might think it describes someone who wants to conserve things. Well, can someone tell me what these people are actually conserving? It sure isn't dignity, respect, freedom, resources, money, or the environment.

There may have been a day when Republican leaders were not so offensive as they have seemed to me in my adult life. I admire things about Eisenhower. I admire things about Teddy Roosevelt. There's little doubt that Lincoln was a great president. Those days are long gone. Certainly in my lifetime, the last forty years or so, the Republican party has become increasingly corrupt, fascistic, and totalitarian.

These days, working class folks act against their own best interests when they vote for Republicans. I believe this to be absolutely true. All of my life I have watched friends and family sign away their rights and protections by voting for people whose only intent was to con them out of those very same protections - rights that their ancestors fought, and in some cases died, to establish and defend.

Having Republicans in power does not benefit me and it probably does not benefit you. These people actively work against the best interests of the vast majority of Americans but they've learned how to disguise it behind a smokescreen of distorted facts and hot-button issues like gun ownership, abortion, and gay rights.
They've been able to manipulate the fears of average working-class Americans, causing them to believe that the Republican Party will protect them, their money, and their jobs. It doesn't require a college education to see that they are not only failing to protect the interests of blue-collar and middle-class Americans, but are actively working in the opposite direction.
All you need to do is pause, turn off the propaganda machines (i.e.: Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, etc.), breath deeply, and take a good, long look at the world around you. Ask yourself seriously, "What have the Republicans done for me lately?"

When average Americans vote for Republicans, they are supporting religious fanatics that would love nothing more than to break down the constitutional separation of church and state, turning our country into a totalitarian theocracy. It wouldn't be much different from the situations in many Mid-East countries, really. Just substitute radical Christianity for radical Islam and you're pretty much there. If you're a Christian who would like to see your beliefs enforced by law, just imagine what it would be like for you if the government's religion of choice shifted away from your particular brand of theology. It's really not hard to picture. There are precedents on religious oppression, you know.

When average Americans vote for Republicans, they are giving comfort and aid to all of the greedy CEOs that don't want to give American workers a raise or medical benefits and don't want them to form labor unions to protect their rights. These are the same creeps that steal pensions and vote to ship American jobs to sweat-shops in Southeast Asia.

Don't get me wrong. Despite what Rush Limbaugh spews out, people like me are not communists. I fully believe in free enterprise and individuality but Big Business is out of control.

Generally speaking, most deregulation is bad for America. The position that regulation and government oversight hinders progress and growth is a fabrication. It's a myth, a fairy tale for money-grubbers. Our government is not intended to be an external and autonomous entity that indiscriminately hands down judgment on the people. The government IS the people. That's what Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address, right? "...OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people..."

I don't like large, unwieldy bureaucracies any more than anyone else but in a complex society you're going to have at least a few of them, whether they are publicly or privately funded and operated. A private corporation can be every bit as mismanaged and over-inflated as a government department. Do I need to give examples? I don't believe every law is just or even well-considered; I'm sure we could dig up plenty of examples of unnecessary regulations but ideally the regulations placed on business and industry are for our own protection. They are put in place by those elected by us to represent us, often for very good reason. How can we protect ourselves through our government if we allow it to be corrupted and eroded by the very people and corporations government is supposed to protect us against? Is there no such thing as greed? Is there no such thing as crime? If all business should be deregulated, then what about laws governing such activities as racketeering, prostitution, and the sale of narcotics or any other black market activity? Should those also be repealed? An extortionist could easily claim the government is infringing on his right to conduct business as he sees fit. Then you have to ask, why are the laws there in the first place? Are they not there to protect people, the majority of people who just want a peaceful, safe, and secure existence?

I am strongly opposed to U.S. tax dollars being spent to bail out private corporations. Many of the folks who run these corporations like to expound on the virtues of deregulation and the power and majesty of the free market while denigrating federal aid for the poor and homeless. Since they are more than willing to take American's tax dollars for their failed business strategies I guess it only goes to show their hypocrisy. Personally, I'm not a big fan of welfare for anyone but if the government is going to dish out tax money it should be given to people far more deserving than a bunch of fat-cat CEOs and irresponsible corporations.

Some people believe that the Democrats are hell bent on taking away our guns. I don't believe it's true. Controlling the sale and distribution of firearms and the right to keep and bear arms are not mutually exclusive concepts.

I own guns and I have never voted for a major Republican candidate.
My dad was a Marine and a member of the National Rifle Association. He taught me to handle and shoot firearms before I was ten years old. He voted for Nixon in the Seventies and Reagan in the Eighties. I don't know for sure how he voted in the Nineties but I know he had a Clinton/Gore lapel pin.
I'm not at all worried that Barak Obama will support initiatives to take my guns away or otherwise erode the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment. In fact, he says that he fully respects the Second Amendment and has no intention of interfering with the right of law-abiding American citizens to keep and bear arms.

I believe the NRA, like the Republican party, has become permanently corrupt. I see them as a lobbying organization for gun manufacturers and dealers, not as a group dedicated to protecting the rights of American citizens. They use the Second Amendment as a shield to protect business interests.

The Democrats do not scare me when it comes to gun ownership. It's the right wing nut-job fascist types that will be the first to come for my guns and yours. In my most common personal paranoid fantasy, it happens when they finally decide to activate total martial law to enforce the rule of the super-monopolist mega-corporations but I'm sure there are plenty of other equally valid conspiracy-based nightmares, if that one doesn't seem quite extreme enough for you. I digress...

The main point being, if the Republicans are so willing to erode our other rights, why should they draw the line at the Second Amendment? So, we will not be able to speak our minds or peaceably assemble, or be free from illegal search, seizure, and spying, etc. but we will be able to own and operate as many different types of guns and ammo as we want without interference? Not very likely, in my opinion.

It's popular now to point fingers at George W. Bush - now that the damage has been done - but it's not just George W. Bush's fault. There's a whole pack of covert cronies hiding behind his shadow of ineptitude and destructive hubris. Those same cronies are all lined up for pulling John McCain's strings.

McCain is not a "maverick." If he ever was, he gave it up eight years ago when he started bending over for the Bush Administration.

There was a time when I might have seriously considered voting for him but that was long ago.
I don't think he cares at all about fixing anything. He just wants to put "President of the USA" on his résumé, scratch it off his list of things to do. He seems willing to say and do anything to get elected. He's trying real hard to get us all to think he stands for change but he's just more of the same old garbage we've been getting for years.

I'm also seriously concerned about his health and judgment. He must be concerned, too, because he won't release his medical records to the public- unless you call giving a select few reporters three hours to look over 50,000 pages, "releasing to the public."
The guy is 72 years old, he's had four recurrences of cancer and we can't see his medical records? ESPECIALLY in the light of his decision to pick Sarah "Lipstick" Palin as his VP? He's either well on his way to Looney Town or he's not calling any of the shots in his campaign. Either way, the result's the same: he's not there and it's bad news for America.

Speaking of Palin, I have to say she really gives me the creeps. Much like the jackaninny who's been president for the last eight years, she has all the makings of a petty dictator. She strikes me as a dingbat who talks tough, using her positions of power and authority to settle personal vendettas, overcompensating for her lack of knowledge and wisdom. She and her dude-man husband and their whole moose-eatin' loser family can go ride their overpriced snowmobiles into the melting polar ice for all I care. As long as it's not on my dime.

Last but not least, offshore drilling is a scam. It's not going to save us a nickel at the pump. It's not going to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. There's simply not enough oil there and it's going to take too long to get it. It's just another free pass for greedy oil companies to wreck our natural resources. We need to forget about oil and focus on new energy technologies.

So there you have it. If you made it this far, thanks for bearing with me. As I said earlier, this isn't meant to make any particular point and it's not meant to open a debate. It's just an expression of how I feel. Of course, you're welcome to disagree but this is my story and I'm stickin' to it. If you'd like to read more of my political ranting, let me know and I'll tell you how I feel about abortion and gay marriage!

Anyway, I hope you're all doing well.
Sincerely,
Chris


Here are some links to more information about Barak Obama and where he stands on REAL ISSUES:

Official campaign website:
http://www.barackobama.com

A whole list of documents explaining Obama's stance on issues:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

The truth, in answer to all the lies, distortions, smears, and nasty rumors about Obama:
http://www.fightthesmears.com

http://www.FactCheck.BarackObama.com

If you're not yet registered to vote, go to:
http://www.VoteForChange.com

Compare candidates' and other politicians' environmental records at the League of Conservation Voters website:
http://www.lcv.org/

Side by side comparison of Obama and McCain on environmental issues:
http://lcv-ftp.org/LCV/omchart.pdf


Here are some links to the most important documents in our nation's history. You know - the ones where they talk about freedom, and rights, and unity and all that quaint old stuff:

Declaration of Independence:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

The Constitution of the United States of America:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

The Bill of Rights:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address:
http://www.gettysburg.com/bog/address.htm

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Charlotte, North Carolina
Sunday, September 21, 2008
 

The news of the day isn't good.
 
The era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington has led us to a perilous moment. They said they wanted to let the market run free but instead they let it run wild. And now we are facing a financial crisis as profound as any we have faced since the Great Depression
 
But here's the truth:
 
Regardless of how we got here, we're here today.  And the circumstances we face require decisive action because your jobs, your savings, and your economic security are now at risk.
 
We must work quickly in a bipartisan fashion to resolve this crisis to avert an even broader economic catastrophe. But Washington also has to recognize that economic recovery requires that we act, not just to address the crisis on Wall Street, but also the crisis on Main Street and around kitchen tables across America.
 
As of now, the Bush Administration has only offered a concept with a staggering price tag, not a plan. Even if the U.S. Treasury recovers some or most of its investment over time, this initial outlay of up to $700 billion is sobering.  And in return for their support, the American people must be assured that the deal reflects the basic principles of transparency, fairness, and reform.

First, there must be no blank check when American taxpayers are on the hook for this much money.

Second, taxpayers shouldn't be spending a dime to reward CEOs on Wall Street.

Third, taxpayers should be protected and should be able to recoup this investment.

Fourth, this plan has to help homeowners stay in their homes.

Fifth, this is a global crisis, and the United States must insist that other nations join us in helping secure the financial markets.

Sixth, we need to start putting in place the rules of the road I've been calling for for years to prevent this from ever happening again.

And finally, this plan can't just be a plan for Wall Street, it has to be a plan for Main Street. We have to come together, as Democrats and Republicans, to pass a stimulus plan that will put money in the pockets of working families, save jobs, and prevent painful budget cuts and tax hikes in our states.

So I know these are difficult days. But here's what I also know. I know we can steer ourselves out of this crisis.  That's who we are.  That's what we've always done as Americans. Our nation has faced difficult times before. And at each of those moments, we've risen to meet the challenge because we've never forgotten that fundamental truth – that here in America, our destiny is not written for us; it's written by us.

But another thing I know is this – we can't steer ourselves out of this crisis by heading in the same, disastrous direction.  And that's what this election is all about.

Because while I certainly don't fault Senator McCain for all of the problems we're facing right now, I do fault the economic philosophy he's followed during his 26 years in Washington. It's a philosophy that says it's ok to turn a blind eye to practices that reward financial manipulation instead of sound business decisions. It's a philosophy that says even common-sense regulations are unnecessary and unwise. It's a philosophy that lets Washington lobbyists shred consumer protections and distort our economy so it works for the special interests instead of working people and our country.

We're now seeing the disastrous consequences of this philosophy all around us – on Wall Street as well as Main Street. And yet Senator McCain, who candidly admitted not long ago that he doesn't know as much about economics as he should, wants to keep going down the same, disastrous path.

He calls himself "fundamentally a deregulator," when reckless deregulation and lack of oversight is a big part of the problem.

And here's the really scary part.  Now this "Great Deregulator" wants to turn his attention to health care.

He wrote in the current issue of a magazine – the current issue – that we need to open up health care to – quote – "more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking."

That's right, John McCain says he wants to do for health care what Washington has done for banking.

Think about what that means.

Over the years, states have come up with common sense rules to make sure that insurance companies aren't just looking out for their own profits, but for your health. And we cannot toss those rules out the window.

As anyone who has health care knows, the one thing we don't need to do is give insurance companies an even freer hand over what they charge, who they cover, and what they'll cover.

The radical idea that government has no role to play in protecting ordinary Americans has wreaked havoc on our economy. And we cannot let this dangerous philosophy spread to health care.

What we've seen over the last few days is nothing less than the final verdict on this failed philosophy. And I am running for President of the United States because the dreams of the American people must not be endangered any more.

The times are too serious. The stakes are too high. At this moment, in this election, we need real change – change that's more than just a slogan, change that actually makes a difference in people's lives. And that's the kind of change I'll bring to Washington when I'm President of the United States of America.

That's the change the American people need.
 
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. I will eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-ups – that's how we'll grow our economy and create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
 
I will cut taxes – cut taxes – for 95% of all working families. My opponent doesn't want you to know this, but under my plan, tax rates will actually be less than they were under Ronald Reagan.  If you make less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increase one single dime.  In fact, I offer three times the tax relief for middle-class families as Senator McCain does – because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.
 
I will finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American.  If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums.  If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.  And I will stop insurance companies from discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.
 
I will also create the jobs of the future by transforming our energy economy. We'll tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.  I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America.  I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars.  And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy – wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.
 
And now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.  I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support.  But in exchange, I will ask for higher standards and more accountability.  And we will keep our promise to every young American – if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
 
This is the change we need – the kind of bottom up growth and innovation that will advance the American economy by advancing the dreams of all Americans.
 
Times are hard. I will not pretend that the change we need will come without cost – though I have presented how we can achieve these changes in a fiscally responsible way. I know that we'll have to overcome our doubts and divisions and the determined opposition of powerful special interests before we can truly reform a broken economy and advance opportunity.
 
But I am running for President because we simply cannot afford four more years of an economic philosophy that works for Wall Street instead of Main Street, and ends up devastating both.
 
I don't want to wake up in four years to find that more Americans fell out of the middle-class, and more families lost their savings. I don't want to see that our country failed to invest in our ability to compete, our children's future was mortgaged on another mountain of debt, and our financial markets failed to find a firmer footing.
 
At this defining moment, we have the chance to finally stand up and say: enough is enough!  
 
We can do this because Americans have done this before. Time and again, we've battled back from adversity by recognizing that common stake that we have in each other's success. That's why our economy hasn't just been the world's greatest wealth generator – it's bound America together, it's created jobs, and it's made the dream of opportunity a reality for generation after generation of Americans.
 
Now it falls to us. And I need you to make it happen. If you want the next four years looking just like the last eight, then I am not your candidate. But if you want real change – if you want an economy that rewards work, and that works for Main Street and Wall Street; if you want tax relief for the middle class and millions of new jobs; if you want health care you can afford and education that helps your kids compete; then I ask you to knock on some doors, make some calls, talk to your neighbors, and give me your vote on November 4th. And if you do, I promise you – we will win North Carolina, we will win this election, and we will change America together.

 

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
The Change We Need
As Prepared For Delivery
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Elko, NV

 
The events of this week have shown that the stakes in this election couldn't be clearer.  
 
We are in the midst of the most serious financial crisis in generations.  Three of America's five largest investment banks have failed or been sold off in distress.  Our housing market is in shambles, and Monday brought the worst losses on Wall Street since the day after September 11th.  Monday brought the worst losses on Wall Street since the day after September 11th, and today we learned that the Fed had to take unprecedented action to prevent the failure of one of the largest insurance companies in the world from causing an even larger crisis.    
 
While we do not know all the details of the arrangement with AIG, the Federal Reserve must ensure that the plan protects the families that count on insurance.  It should bolster our economy's ability to create good-paying jobs and help working Americans pay their bills and save their money.  It must not bail out the shareholders or management of AIG.
 
Everywhere you look, the economic news is troubling.  But for so many Americans, it isn't really news at all.  
 
600,000 workers have lost their jobs since January.  Home values are falling.  Your paycheck doesn't go as far as it used to.  It's never been harder to save or retire; to buy gas or groceries; and if you put it on a credit card, they've probably raised your rates.  In so many cities and towns across America, it feels as if the dream that so many generations have fought for is slowly slipping away.    
 
I have every confidence that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis. That's who we are.  That's what we've always done as Americans.
 
But the one thing I do know is this – we can't steer ourselves out of this crisis by heading in the same, disastrous direction.  And that's what this election is about.
 
It's been an interesting week for John McCain. It's been really interesting to watch him respond to this economic news. His first reaction to this crisis on Monday was to stand up and repeat the line he's said over and over and over again throughout this campaign – quote – "the fundamentals of our economy are strong."  
 
Now, his campaign must've realized that probably wasn't a smart thing to say on the day of a financial meltdown, so they sent him back out a few hours later to clean up his remarks.  
 
But it sounds like he got a little carried away, because yesterday, John McCain actually said that if he's President, he'll take on the – quote – "ol' boys network" in Washington.  I am not making this up.  This is someone who's been in Congress for twenty-six years – who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign – and now he tells us that he's the one who will take on the ol' boy network.  The ol' boy network?  In the McCain campaign, that's called a staff meeting.  
 
John McCain went on to say how angry he is at the greedy corporate interests on Wall Street. He's so angry he wants to punish them with $200 billion in tax cuts.  And if they're not careful, he'll give them even more tax cuts for shipping our jobs overseas.  
 
I mean, where is he getting these lines?  The lobbyists running his campaign? Maybe it's Phil Gramm – the man who was the architect of the de-regulation in Washington that helped cause the mess on Wall Street, who also happens to be the architect of John McCain's economic plan and one of his chief advisors.  You remember Phil Gramm – he's the guy who said that we're just going through a "mental recession;" who called the United States of America a "nation of whiners."  
 
And then yesterday, John McCain's big solution to the crisis we're facing is – get ready for it – a commission.  That's Washington-speak for "we'll get back to you later."  Folks, we don't need a commission to figure out what happened.  We know what happened. Too many in Washington and on Wall Street weren't minding the store. CEOs got greedy.  Lobbyists got their way.  Politicians sat on their hands until it was too late.  We don't need a commission to tell us how we got into this mess, we need a President who will lead us out of this mess – and that's the kind of President I intend to be.   
 
So while he isn't offering real solutions, he can't talk enough about how greedy Wall Street is, and how he's going to take on that ol' boy network in Washington. At this rate, by the end of the week John McCain will be telling us how he and Phil Gramm and the seven lobbyists are planning to storm the Treasury Department with torches and pitchforks.  Come on.  
 
Now, I certainly don't fault Senator McCain for all of the problems we're facing right now, but I do fault the economic philosophy he's followed for twenty-six years.  It's a philosophy that says we should give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down.  It's a philosophy that says even common-sense regulations are unnecessary and unwise.  It's a philosophy that lets Washington lobbyists shred consumer protections and distort our economy so it works for the special interests instead of working people.
 
Well let's be clear:  what we've seen the last few days is nothing less than the final verdict on this philosophy – a philosophy that has completely failed. And I am running for President of the United States because the dreams of the American people must not be endangered any more. It's time to put an end to a broken system in Washington that is breaking the American economy. It's time for change that makes a real difference in your lives.
 
We have a different way of measuring the fundamentals of our economy. We know that the fundamentals that we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great –that America is a place where you can make it if you try; that everyone should have the chance to live their dreams.
 
I know I wouldn't be standing here today without that promise. And I know that's the promise we must keep once more.
 
When I talk to those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.
 
In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country.
 
And when I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.  These are my heroes.  Theirs are the stories that shaped me.  And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep the promise of America alive as President of the United States.
 
Unlike Senator McCain, it didn't take a crisis on Wall Street for me to understand that folks are hurting out on Main Street.  
 
It was two years ago that I introduced legislation to stop mortgage transactions that promoted fraud, risk or abuse.  It was one year ago that I called on our Treasury Secretary and our FED Chairman to bring every stakeholder together and find a solution to the subprime mortgage meltdown before it got worse.  In March, when John McCain was saying "I'm always for less regulation," I called for a new, 21st century regulatory framework to restore accountability, transparency, and trust in our financial markets.
 
I believe that our free market has been the engine of America's great progress.  It's a market that has created a prosperity that is the envy of the world, and rewarded the innovators and risk-takers who have made America a beacon of science, and technology, and discovery.  But the American economy has worked in large part because we have guided the market's invisible hand with a higher principle – that America prospers when all Americans can prosper. That's why we've put in place rules of the road to make competition fair, and open, and honest.  Our capital markets cannot succeed without the public's trust.  It's time to get serious about regulatory oversight, and that's what I will do as President.
 
To jumpstart job creation, I've also proposed a $50 billion Emergency Economic Plan that would save 1 million jobs by rebuilding our infrastructure, repairing our schools, and helping our states and localities avoid damaging budget cuts.
 
To help people stay in their homes, I will change our bankruptcy laws, and I'll offer a tax credit to struggling families that will take 10% off your mortgage interest rate.  I'll institute a Home Score system that will help every consumer figure out whether they'll be able to make their mortgage payments before they buy their house.  And I will crack down on predatory lenders with tough new penalties that will treat mortgage fraud like the crime that it is.
 
But the most important thing I will do as President is restore opportunity for all Americans. To get our economy growing, we need to recapture that fundamental American promise. That if you work hard, you can pay the bills. That if you get sick, you won't go bankrupt. That your kids can get a good education, and that we can leave a legacy of greater opportunity to future generations.
 
That's the change the American people need.
 
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. I will eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-ups – that's how we'll grow our economy and create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
 
I will cut taxes – cut taxes – for 95% of all working families.  My opponent doesn't want you to know this, but under my plan, tax rates will actually be less than they were under Ronald Reagan.  If you make less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increase one single dime.  In fact, I offer three times the tax relief for middle-class families as Senator McCain does – because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.
 
I will finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American.  If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.  And I will stop insurance companies from discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most
 
I will create the jobs of the future by transforming our energy economy. We'll tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.  I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America.  I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars.  And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy – wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced
 
And now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.  I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support.  But in exchange, I will ask for higher standards and more accountability.  And we will keep our promise to every young American – if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
 
This is the change we need – the kind of bottom up growth and innovation that will advance the American economy by advancing the dreams of all Americans.
 
Times are hard. I will not pretend that the change we need will come without cost – though I have presented ways we can achieve these changes in a fiscally responsible way. I know that we'll have to overcome our doubts and divisions and the determined opposition of powerful special interests before we can truly reform a broken economy and advance opportunity.
 
But I am running for President because we simply cannot afford four more years of an economic philosophy that works for Wall Street instead of Main Street, and ends up devastating both.
 
I don't want to wake up in four years to find that more Americans fell out of the middle-class, and more families lost their savings. I don't want to see that our country failed to invest in our ability to compete, our children's future was mortgaged on another mountain of debt, and our financial markets failed to find a firmer footing.
 
This time – this election – is our chance to stand up and say: enough is enough!  
 
We can do this because Americans have done this before. Time and again, we've battled back from adversity by recognizing that common stake that we have in each other's success. That's why our economy hasn't just been the world's greatest wealth generator – it's bound America together, it's created jobs, and it's made the dream of opportunity a reality for generation after generation of Americans.
 
Now it falls to us. And I need you to make it happen. If you want the next four years looking just like the last eight, then I am not your candidate. But if you want real change – if you want an economy that rewards work, and that works for Main Street and Wall Street; if you want tax relief for the middle class and millions of new jobs; if you want health care you can afford and education so that our kids can compete; then I ask you to knock on some doors, and make some calls, and talk to your neighbors, and give me your vote on November 4th. And if you do, I promise you – we will win Nevada, we will win this election, and we will change America together.

 

Watch "Who Killed the Electric Car?"
Do it. Put it on your Netflix list. Do it now.

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www.think.no

www.revaindia.com

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Tell the oil companies to go to hell where they belong. If we let them continue to control us, they will surely kill us all.