Long-Term Unemployed Losing Hold On Middle Class

When are the lawmakers in Washington going to address the huge elephant in the room, which is the pervasive dread of the middle class not falling into poverty. It seriously feels as if the opportunit­y of upward mobility has completely disappeare­d for the middle class and our focus is now, not how to get ahead, but how not to sink underneath the weight of potential unemployme­nt, or serial unemployme­nt, credit card bills, medical bills, student loans and the list goes on. You then read about Mr. Hansarling­(R) from Texas, who says that not all tax cuts are equal and that the extension of the payroll tax cut holiday will cost too much as opposed to letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire is bad because those tax cuts are okay. That is the problem with our country at this moment, the focus and the resources are all going to the top 10% of our society while the rest of us are on our own. It can’t last like this for long, we can’t afford it, we really can’t.
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A Natural Disasters History Lesson for Ron Paul

It is always easy to look back on the “good old days” and think that things were easier and less complicate­d without the complexiti­es of modern day society. You hear our generation talking about kids nowadays and how the technology is making them lazy and stupid, much the same as our grandparen­ts talked about us and their grandparen­ts talked about them. Ron Paul’s trouble is that he is seeking election to the highest office in the land based on a false or rosy colored nostalgic view of America. Much of the tea party philosophy is also based on a false view of America, that if only we could get back to a certain time in the past, things would be better. You can’t govern in present day society by wanting to turn the wheel of time backwards. It doesn’t work that way.
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Texas Sonogram Law: Judge Strikes Down Key Provisions Of Abortion Bill

How can a republican who campaigns against big government and who promises to make government as inconseque­ntial as possible in the lives of the American people be the biggest hypocrite of them all by ramming government into a women’s reproducti­ve life? A woman’s reproducti­ve choice is intensely personal and should never be put under a microscope­. Roe versus Wade is the law and it makes me so angry to think of a chamber full of strangers legislatin­g about reproducti­ve rights based on their faith which really means imposing their religious beliefs onto women regardless of their own free will. This goes against government interventi­on in people’s private lives and even goes against the separation of church and state. It really makes my blood boil.
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If you could be a part of a fictional world, which would it be?

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I’m in the sad process of reading the last book of the incomparable Robert Jordan. He was the architect of the wonderful fantasy world called the Wheel of Time. This brilliant wonderful writer left us too soon in 2007 and it is only through his courage and dedication that he left behind enough of his legacy to have one of his gifted followers, Brandon Sanderson, finish the saga in two final books. I have read and journeyed through Jordan’s world for now 13 books and the cast of characters have more or less become like friends to me. As in all good sci-fi/fantasy, this is the epic battle between good and evil, light and dark. For the dark to triumph means all must be undone, away from the light. The key figure is an ordinary man born into an extraordinary situation and gradually grows into powers that will either consume him or become what he needs to fight the lord of darkness. He is Rand alThor, the Dragon Reborn, or affectionately known to his old friends as sheep-herder. His friends and he, all hail from the small town of Edmond’s Field of the Two Rivers, a small farming community. His friends being Perrin Aybara, the blacksmith, who becomes known as Perrin Golden-eyes. Matt Cauthon, the charming rake, who, while still charming and rakish, becomes unbelievably heroic throughout the long journey. Lest we forget the ladies, there is Egwene alVere, the intended of Rand, and Nynaeve, the Wisdom of Edmond’s Field. Just a very small while later we get to meet Elaine Trakand, daughter heir to the kingdom of Andor, we then meet Aviendha, an Aiel warrior maiden, the Aiel are a nomadic desert tribe who become followers of Rand alThor. Finally, we meet Min, an incredibly capable and independent young lady, gifted with the sight or foretelling and she is never wrong. This band of friends are the ones who must find the inner strength to fight and resist all the obstacles, traps and lethal attacks from the dark side. This is the world that Robert Jordan paints so realistically and beautifully, that I would love to be a part of, to aid my friends in their important battle to save their world from an eternal darkness. The dark one is breaking the seals of his prison one by one and Rand is finding his strength, not just his external powers, but his inner strength as well. He cannot do it alone and all his friends play equally crucial roles in defeating the dark forces. Besides all the adventures each and every one of them go through, either together or on their own, these trials by fire really forge bonds of friendship beyond what they ever thought possible. Their characters are also hammered into stronger versions of what they originally were.

Right now I am halfway through the 13th book or to be more precise the last one in this wonderful series. I am taking such a long time finishing it because I don’t want it to end and I don’t want to say good-bye. I know that I’ll find another series eventually but I do get attached and I’ll be sad for a little bit. But if there was to be a fictional world that I could jump into, Robert Jordan’s world would be it.

A Must-See Documentary

Getting set for the Academy Awards on Hollywood Boulevard

The 2011 Oscar winner "Inside Job". The director made an excellent point in his acceptance speech, no one has of yet been jailed for their larcenous behavior and that is a real crime.