Change

I listened to Barack Obama's speech in Virginia Saturday night. I have to say: Obama is bright, articulate, passionate, charismatic, and completely wrong. Change is his the buzzword. Change in Iraq, change in foreign policy, change in healthcare, change in this, change in that. Change. Throughout the entirety of the speech he promised everything to everybody. If you had a malady or a problem, if you were poor or oppressed he was proposing change for you. With all the changes he was proposing I never caught on to how Obama was going to make all of those changes, or what those changes would cost. Or most importantly: what freedoms his changes were going to take away. Yes, Obama is bright, articulate, passionate, charismatic, and completely wrong.

Explain the logic? What a great country!

I read this reply/comment on the web the other day.

“HugoPh
Typical GOP and Cons!! Find the multimillionaire that used family influence to avoid the Military (W, Romney) and elect them while disparaging the real American! When will Repubtards wake up and realize that prior to Reagan 12 Billioanires existed in the U.S. After Reagan's 8 years over 100 and now post W over 440!! The GOP serves their Billionaire base well and the mindless lemmings follow! “

There are so many things wrong with this comment that it is hard to know where to start. I wonder where this person thinks all of that money came from? Stolen from the hard working poor and middle classes? The American economy is not a zero sum game where for one to win the other must lose. It is a win win game. The poor in America have a standard of living equal to middle class Europeans. Many own their own home and most own their own car. Studies also show that there are fewer people now in the poor and middle class because they are moving upward, not downward, upward.

What a great country; where everyone has the opportunity to work hard, make good choices, and create or become anything they want.

Frustration

Over the last couple of years I have been sensing more and more frustration from the general population. The people I talk to are frustrated because they see the world they knew, their moral values, and their hopes and dreams for the future of their children attacked from all sides. They are frustrated because they look to their elected leaders and see political pandering, wasteful spending, and oftentimes corruption. There is no leadership, there are no leaders, only politicians.

The American Cowboy

We are Cowboys at heart: from East to West, North to South: Cowboys, strong willed, resourceful. Americans are a fair, honest and moral people who genuinly want to do the right thing even in the face of severe opposition. That courageous and independent spirit that led our forefathers to leave home and hearth, kith and kin, for America lives on. America provided a chance to leave the past behind and become whatever hard work and a fair amount of luck would allow a person to become. What a wonderful place America is. What a wonderful people the Americans are.

I was getting a haircut....

I was getting a haircut the other day, the stylist in the next booth who had been sitting quietly asked a question, "What's a Republican?" I asked why and she told me that her last customer, who had just left, had asked her who she was voting for and told her he was a Republican. Since she was sincerely interested I tried my best to answer.

I explained about the democratic parties and offered a perspective on the philosophies of both. I gave her honest answers when what I really wanted to say was that there is a difference between liberals and conservatives but there is little difference between politicians, Republican and Democrat.

I submit to you, and forgive me for stating the obvious but, the system is not broken. That's right: the system is not broken, the politicians are. There is so little difference between individual politicians, Republican and Democrat, that you cannot tell the players without a scorecard.

Well, here I am, in a strange new world. What fun I shall have exploring.

I spent some time in college on an internship in our state capital. I discovered that I had more in common with the philosophical leanings of Republicans than with Democrats. I also discovered that there were Democrats who were more conservative than some Republicans, so much so in fact that on an individual level party affiliation means very little. I have spent the intervening years watching politics and the political process, and after many discussions with B she decided that I should explore and expound upon what my views are and invite others to share their thoughts and experiences.

I believe that every one is and should be responsible for their own actions and the fruits or consequences thereof. I believe the Constitution rightfully limited the powers of the Federal Government. I believe that the Republican establishment has sold it soul to the fanatic far right and I believe that the Democrats have sold their soul to the lunatic far left.

There are so many things to discuss. Shall we begin?

It's time...

After watching the news the past several months I have found the information I receive--from the little time I have to watch the "news"--very unnerving. For months I have been trying to convince my husband to start a blog in hopes of giving me something to read that I can find thought provoking and interesting. So today was a particularly "bad" day for the "news" for me so I set this blog up in hopes that Dave will start to offer information for discussion and debate!! And, if you're wondering (and if not) where the name is derived from I will tell you. I watched the Iowa caucus a lot the day it was on and our son asked me what I was watching. I took that as an opportunity to share with him about our country and our elections and the fact that we were electing a new president this year. He of course wanted to know every ones name and who they were. So after we reviewed and the candidates he went off to play. That night his dad asked him about it. He said he liked that guy. I asked him which guy and he replied - that one guy that repelican!! So here we are at The Repelican Brief. Now it's your turn babe - happy posting!!