Learning about blogging

Okay, so one of the first things I learned about blogging is not to end one blog with a prediction of my next subject. Things happen, my thoughts change, I might just decide to go in another direction. That said, I am not going to write about the subject I alluded to at the end if my last blog. So here goes. 

Occasionally I have thought about what I would ask the President of the U.S. if I ever had the opportunity to sit down for one on one conversation. It's a strange little wish of mine. I had quite a few questions in mind for our current President when it occurred to me that Obama, like all presidents is first and foremost a politician which means that asking him questions would be an exercise in futility. Politicians generally don't answer questions, they use them as a springboard to get right to their talking points. Obama is one of the best/worst at it. Any question asked of him is a predetermined one that he has an answer/speech all lined up for, or he just goes right into the old "dodge the question, change the subject" routine that politicians are good at and he is great at. It is so frustrating to watch an interview and  have questions that most of us would like to hear a response to, constantly go unasked or unanswered. 

  With this realization in mind, I have changed my little fantasy. What would I say to the president if I were given  the opportunity? Here goes:

   Mr. President,  although I did not vote for you, I truly hoped that all your fancy speeches about hope & change were true. I sincerely hoped that I would be proven wrong about the reasons that I didn't want you to win the election. No sour grapes here, although there are plenty of folks that hoped you wound fail, I am not one of them. I love America and the direction of this country is much more important to me than being able to say "I told you so" to people that I disagree with politically. My biggest hope when you took over was for change. I should clarify why I didn't vote for you. Contrary to what many of us were accused of, it had absolutely nothing to do with the color of your skin. I know most of your supporters just can't accept that. I am also smart enough to realize that there are those who are against you because of your race, but it is very wrong to discount any detractors as racist. I voted against you because of your lack of experience, the political leanings of many of your known associates, and the many inconsistencies in your stated background. 

   My greatest dissappointment with your presidency is the lack of change in the way government is run on Capitol Hill. It is apparent that the corruption and political "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" mentality has only worsened since you took office. I cite the appointments of your fundraising cohorts to ambassadorships that they are clearly unqualified for as my evidence of the position.  I acknowledge that one man can't completely change Washingtons corrupt culture, but if you had been true to your campaign promises, you could have started the ball rolling. To me it's the same old, same old, only worse. Two things that do not impress me is blaming it on opposition, and people defending this behavior by saying that presidents before you were corrupt also. Not doing what others before you did is the definition of change. I'm sick of the blame game from ALL politicians. It's so dissappointing. 

......To be continued

( I don't want to my blogs to become like homework, as in too long of a read. I would love feedback. Please let me know if you think they get too long.)

Feb, 2014

  I listen and read quite a bit about current events and politics, maybe too much at times. Those who know me are aware that I have strong opinions, and I am pretty conservative. My definition of being conservative is believing that smaller less intrusive government is much better than the bloated, overreaching, overspending, corruption based entity that our government has become. That doesn't mean that I am heartless and I don't care about those folks less fortunate than me. It also doesn't mean that I hold a grudge, dislike, or think any less of my friends and family members whose opinions differ from my own. I may have trouble understanding why they see things so differently than me, but I'm glad we live in a place where we can disagree, and state our views publicly. I also feel that the freedom to speak our mind is slipping away, and maybe a lot faster than people want to believe. The current IRS scandal is one of the scariest overreaches of government in my lifetime. It isn't even argued that individuals and groups were targeted, sidelined, and singled out because of their opinions. Even though are own President recently stated that there wasn't a "smidgen" of corruption in the IRS, one of the leaders (Lois Lerner) pled the 5th when testifying in front of congress. Nobody pleads the 5th if they are haven't done anything illegal, nobody. Ah, the 5th amendment, there is an amendment that is completely safe from the politicians in Washington DC. They may try to destroy the 1st and 2nd amendments, but they will NEVER touch the one that gives them something to hide behind in court when they get caught lying, cheating, stealing, etc.

    Up next, my opinions on elected leaders and my realization that almost everyone in congress, irregardless of party affiliation, cares more about getting into power or staying in power than doing what's right for their constituents and this country.

Starting up the blog again!

Keith's Blog:
I realize that these are just my opinions (and boy do I have a lot of strong ones!), and who the heck am I to be spewing them, but this gives me an outlet to vent my frustrations without shoving them down everyone's throat through social media. I hope that those who feel differently than me will at least read this beginning statement, then decide whether or not they find my stuff interesting enough to follow. Please note that I am not asking anyone to agree with me. I know that we can disagree and still respect one another. I would never ask anyone to simply agree with me no matter what. I hope that you might find my words thought provoking and interesting. No other person in the world has the exact same life experiences that I have, so I don't expect anyone to have identical viewpoints. Any and all comments are welcome and if I have inadvertently misstated a fact, please correct me. I try to fact check things before I comment on them, but I certainly make mistakes.