Make Your Voice Heard: TODAY!

This is not a scam. It's real. Make an important call today.

Please feel free to call this number and let your voice be heard: 202-863-1500. 

You will be calling the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. (If you're a conservative, don't stop reading this post yet, please.)

I just did this maybe 30 minutes ago. My call was answered asap. Took me all of 2 minutes and I never had to leave my easy chair.  They will direct you to a comment line. You can leave your comment there.

You do not have to be a Democrat (I am not, I am not registered as either Democrat or Republican, I am an Independent) in order to comment.

Here's why you might consider calling:

According to MoveOn.org, as of an email today: "The New York Times reports that President Obama and Speaker John Boehner are close to reaching a secret agreement that includes deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, but no immediate plan to make millionaires and corporations pay their fair share."

I wholeheartedly believe this to be a true statement and not just some kind of propaganda machine, though that is always a possibility with ANY news or politically motivated outlet. I believe it because I have seen Obama to be a man of compromise (for better or worse, and often, imho, for worse); and for the record, I did NOT agree with the tax cuts given out last December. Not one bit. Yes, my hardworking family, who has suffered tremendous financial loss in the past few years, gets $60/mth more and I have needed every penny. (I will say God's economy is sufficient for me, nonetheless. And, I thank God nearly every day for a loving Heavenly Father who smoothes our way.) 

But, I would happily pay that BACK to the govt in the form of taxes, if the wealthy and corporations were similarly asked to pay their fair share. 

I pay a pittance for them to be forced to ante up and I'd HAPPILY do it. And now, it appears THAT tax cut? It will come on the backs of senior citizens, for starters, and those who simply scrape by to try to survive. No and no and no!

Here are my thoughts: I believe in means-testing for all social services. I believe we should NOT remove the safety net that millions of Americans depend on, especially in a time of crisis.

I do not believe this makes us a Socialist Nation. 

I believe it makes us Human Beings. 

And, especially as these people (SS & Medicare and even Medicaid - which my mother will soon have to go on in order to have necessary care my father can no longer provide for her, because his own body has given out, nor can her family) have worked their entire lives for the promise of this Safety Net at the end of their lives. THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. 

These are our PARENTS and GRANDPARENTS we are talking about here! 

This is PERSONAL.

We cannot have DEEP cuts to our social services UNLESS they are means-based and the people getting them can already afford to pay for their own needs. 

MANY CANNOT. 

Even people who have had good, honest, hard-working lives. They simply cannot. My mother and father simply cannot. My father, a military veteran, cannot. They have worked hard. They have done the right things. They cannot. They are as Christian and Republican as any right-wing Conservative will EVER hope to be. And, their own party is about to screw them. 

Or, is it both parties? 

I don't know any longer.

I can't even TALK to my parents, whose lives will be MOST affected by this compromise,  about it because of the HUGE and DEEP chasm of a divide we have politically in this country. Their HEALTH will not stand it.  And yet, I know the deep fear and anxiety and worry -  and thus FURTHER COMPROMISE TO THEIR HEALTH -  that this debate will create for them. Especially as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - their ENTIRE social safety net, for which they are resting on heavily at this point in their lives - is thrown down on the poker table.

Yes, POKER. 

That's what this is: a game of bluff and blink.

And, the most vunerable citizens of the US are the chips 

as well as the 

Credit & Faith of the United States.

Shame.

I may not be able to talk to my own parents, whose lives hang in the balance more than any of the players in this poker game. I may not be able to rally them to have their voices heard. It would quite possibly be too much for their health.

But, YOU, Dear Reader, CAN stand it. 

And, YOU, DEAR READER, can do something.

YOU can STAND UP for those who can't stand up for themselves.

Please consider calling and making your voice heard. Consider that we MUST continue to have safety net programs in this country. 

We must stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. 

Someday, someone will stand up for US!

Today, it's YOUR turn.

Set the EXAMPLE for tomorrow.

And, the Social Safety Net MUST not be left to the whims of the free markets, no matter that GOVERNMENT is admittedly not always the most efficient course for these kinds of services. The private sector has proven over and over again that PROFIT is the bottom line, not PEOPLE. 

We can not leave the social safety net of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA up to PROFIT. Period. 

Have you checked your FOR-PROFIT insurance benefits lately? I have. Try being self-insured and you'll know how wicked FOR PROFIT can be when it comes to caring for people. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO OUR SENIORS AND MOST VULNERABLE AMONG US! 

It is NOT Christian. 

Much less, is it American.

Also consider that even my 90 yr old Conservative (extremely Conservative Christian and Republican), wealthy, step-father-inlaw says that he cannot understand why it is so taboo to be taxing the Big Corporations and Millionaires of our Nation. He just doesn't get it. 

WHY are we NOT taxing them more? 

This seems illogical to him. 

He is a wealthy man. He is a fiscal and social conservative. He does not get it. He has had 90 years of experience  - successful experience - to be worthy of listening to his point of view. The difference? 

He's not playing a POLITICAL GAME.

Our  so called "leaders" are.

And, at OUR expense.

Do not let the talking heads play us for fools on either side of the aisle. Do not let the politcians play us for fools so they can continue to RAKE IN MONEY from their powerful, elite "constituents"... 

Do NOT!

The Big Corporations and Wealthy (aka Uber-Rich) and those on Wall Street go laughing 

ALL THE WAY to the bank

as we sit and wring our hands over nonsense instead of dealing with the truth. 

We are being hijacked in America by a powerful elite few. 

This is NOTHING NEW, people. 

READ your history.

(That history we no longer want to teach in our schools, 

because we might actually be able to know, recognize, and learn the lessons from the past!) 

If ALL OF US stand on the side of the people - securing the safety net for those who need it and ensuring those who CAN and SHOULD pay more 

- at least roll back to pre-Bush-Tax-Cut era taxes - 

then what kind of COMPROMISE can they possibly put forward? It becomes clear that 

NO ONE (not Democrats OR Republicans) in Washington is truly on OUR side. 

So, let's make the TEST happen. Let's all AGREE on these few and very basic, reasonable, sensible things and see what happens. 

Secure the Social Safety Net. 

(that system your parents and grandparents and YOU faithfully pay into)

Tax the Rich.

(the Uber-Rich and Big Corporations who basically buy & sell politicians)

Make the call. 

You may not be a Democrat. It doesn't matter. State clearly whatever your political views are. I'd like to see a few conservatives make that call, in fact, and be equally outraged. I stated clearly that I am an Independent though I tend to vote more Democratic than I do Republican. 

This is not about "party line" any longer. 

This is about standing up, each one of us, for what is RIGHT AND DECENT.  

This is about Americans doing what we do best, STANDING UP to be HEARD.

Even if each on our OWN two feet. 

Thanks for listening. 

Please just make the call. It takes 2 minutes. 202-863-1500. Btw, I do NOT work for the DCC or have any affiliation with them whatsoever.

I am just a US Citizen, just like you.

I believe in America's PEOPLE, NOT its POLITICS.

If there's someone else that can be called, ie Republican Congressional Committee, post it here. I WILL make that call.

 I will make as MANY calls as it takes.

I hope you will, too.

If it makes conservatives reading this feel any better, I can't STAND Nancy Pelosi. If it makes liberals reading this feel any better, I can't STAND Sarah Palin. 

I am an Independent. 

I call it like I see it. I am in whatever camp believes in America and most importantly, HER PEOPLE. And, for the Christians reading this too, I believe in this biblical truth: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and God what is God's." So, yes, I'll be praying, too. 

But, I will also let Caesar HEAR MY VOICE!

I hope you will too.

Thanks for listening,

Thanks for DOING,

One Voice Speaking

I'm Older and I Have More Insurance

Probably one of the best scenes in one of the best movies of all time. 


Today, I was feeling old, useless, out of touch, and basically, just not very...well...relevant. 


In your 20's, you feel immortal. You might feel a bit timid, too. But, mostly, you feel as if you can do anything. 


In your 30's, you realize it's time to settle down and make your mark. You get impatient if you don't get there soon. Whatever your dreams are, you want to see some action in that dept. Some progress.


In your 40's, you know that time is marching on. You're in denial. You're approaching the back side. Middle age. If you haven't started that dream, it's not looking promising. 50 is just not a number you choose to confront. But, it's there. That feeling that you're old, you're being replaced, and worst of all: you're becoming irrelevant. Funny, just when you were feeling smarter than you've ever felt before...


Welcome to mid-40's. Somehow irrelevance and low self esteem found me today. Even amongst a very happy gathering of both new friends and old. I felt like the older, dumpy person in the room amongst so many youngers.  ("Youngers." That's a mommy phrase, btw, to describe the younger children in the family: babies, preschoolers, toddlers, elementary... But in this case these were grown women, just so much younger.) 


And, suddenly, all of this pent up 30-yr old passion to get out there and be and not be afraid, started to crumble. What was I thinking? Who do I think I am that I can be something, do anything, or be relevant? I probably need to just start marching off quietly into the distance. Isn't that what some Native American tribes expected of their elderly? Isn't that (metaphorically speaking) what we expect? If it's not new, young, and tight, it's just not. 


Then, the phrase, "Face it girls, I'm older and I have more insurance," came to my mind. Now, I am a religious person. I am a spiritual person. I am a Christian. I live on many planes in my life (that is, dimensions). And, I know that God speaks to us. And, for me, that can be very interesting. For most, it's the recalling of scripture. And, that happens to me too, when I most need it. But, for me, also, it can be just a funny retort to a thought (clearly not my retort, btw) or even, a reminder from a quirky, secular movie. 


Today, it was Kathy Bates and "Fried Green Tomatoes"... No, I haven't watched it in YEARS.


But, there it was. In my mind.


And in one second, I was back. 


Who was I to cower? Who was I to think suddenly I don't matter? Not relevant? Really? Who was I to think God had no purpose whatsoever for me other than to drift away into the sunset of my life? Who is this insecure girl and who invited her?


Thanks, God. I needed that. 


So, I watched this clip:  TOWANDA!!!!!!! to really remind myself and savor the moment.  


I honestly forgot how she bashed the heck out of that VW.


Meanwhile, I know at least two things. One, I'm older. Two, I have more experience. (Were that it were more insurance....but alas, probably not. Welcome to the 21st Century in America.)


And, I know that I used to spout off things in my 20's thinking I knew so much. I laugh at that 20-something girl, now.  When I'm 60, I'll laugh at this 40-something girl, I'm sure. But, I can always look forward to that still wiser, more insured (or at least experienced) person that I will become in the future. 

She is out there. And, I can't wait to meet her. 


2 Timothy 1: 7: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.




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New Project

Well, it's time to announce a new project. The reason for announcing the new project is that it will...well...make me accountable for said "new project." 


I had the inspiration one day while playing piano -- an electronic piano where I can put on the headsets and play to my heart's content (and fool around with the cool sounds). I liked what I was hearing and thought, "My parents put so much time & money into lessons for me growing up. Why is there not more to show for it?" So, this project was born.


It will require a few small equipment purchases. Hopefully, very few. But, I will attempt to record what I am hearing on my little piano to my computer and then podcast them on a blog so others (including my parents - my target audience) can hear them. 


The new blog will be called, "One Voice Singing"....and can be found here. (Still under construction!)


Correction! After goofing up my main site (ah, the newby blogger w/ just enough programming under her belt to be dangerous!), my site will now be called "Gift of Music" and can be found here instead: Gift of Music. I will hopefully SOON get all my little technological details worked out as to translating keyboard music to computer....and begin podcasting! Honestly, it's just fulfilling a life-long wish for me to give back my music to my folks. It's not meant to be earth shattering to anyone else, in the way that those precious videos of your child taking her first steps are earth shattering to YOU, the parent, but well..."not so much" to the rest of us (though we love you!). So, I will podcast music in the hopes that as dad sits down to play solitaire on his computer, and mom, in her wheelchair, to her puzzle table to do a puzzle, that they can just stream my songs in the background and feel a sense of blessing and pride in some way....  But, if this interests you, too, feel free to check out Gift of Music, soon!


So, be looking for that soon.... Well, I don't know about soon.... But, I'll let you know...


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