amyjogarner.org

Obama is certainly left-leaning, and I believe he would love to take America in the direction of most of Europe. However, we are quite fortunate in that this is a Republic and he doesn’t get to do anything he wants. He has to contend with a Legislature, a Supreme Court, 50 state governments, and millions of individual citizens. Not to say Americans don’t need to be vigilant. They do. But the “Right” saying Obama and his advisors (the so-called czars) will single-handedly turn the U.S. into a socialist country is as bad as the “Left” when they said Bush and his advisors were usurping power, trampling on our freedoms and ignoring the Constitution. Oh wait, maybe that’s what the Right is now saying about the Left…

Anyway, lest the Right forget, capitalism is not without its flaws — many having reared their ugly, greed-covered heads over the last year. Yes, capitalism is good for generating ideas, innovations, new business, and wealth. It also appeals to greed, selfishness, and elitism:

“You’re poor because you were too lazy or stupid to take advantage of this wonderful capitalist system. I’m rich because I took advantage and I deserve to enjoy all my wealth. You want wealth? Go work for it.”

I’m registered as an Independent. Too bad I can’t register as a “Follower of the Way.” Jesus didn’t expect the government to take care of people and he certainly had little regard for the rich. Jesus called on His people to care for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the downtrodden, to welcome the outcast, to warn the rich, and to look to only one Heavenly Ruler for guidance

This past Tuesday I went to a town hall meeting held by Oklahoma senator Tom Coburn. Several hundred people were present and Senator Coburn graciously took time to listen to and answer as many questions as possible. Unfortunately, some people abused the opportunity. Not nearly as many people who wanted to ask a question got the opportunity.

Too many questioners spent too much time rambling on about their personal philosophies, explaining their personal problems, or summarizing the political scene as they saw it. In many cases these people didn’t even have an actual question. Folks, the first rule of town hall? ASK A QUESTION! And, preferably, ask it within the first 20 seconds of being recognized.

Other town hall attendees are not interested in your personal theories. We’re there to hear the Senator’s response to questions that impact his constituents as a whole. Which means, consequently, that we don’t want to hear about your personal problems with Medicare Part D or your beef with the military. If you’ve got a personal issue to discuss with the Senator, make an appointment with the Senator. In addition, we all watch the news and are following the actions of our government — that’s what brought us to the town hall. We don’t need you to bring us up to speed. We’re there. Ask your question. Let the Senator answer. Move on to the next person with a question.

The Senator did his best to keep things moving, but it’s unfortunate that a few persons were able to hijack so much of the meeting to suit their own personal agendas. Next time I go to a town hall I might have to carry a megaphone with me so I can shout, “Ask a question or sit down!” I promise, the rest of the crowd will support me in my efforts.

As if the election didn’t drag on long enough, we’ve now been subjected to wall-to-wall coverage of an inauguration that has yet to occur. Perhaps the media with their short memories have forgotten that this happens every four years. I note that CNN has been covering the “Obama Express” — his train ride following the the route that Abraham Lincoln took to his inauguration so many years ago. This gushing for Obama is nauseating. I had to rummage through the cupboard for some Pepto Bismol.

I might be missing something, but I can’t find any similarities between Lincoln and Obama, other than the fact that Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Frankly, Obama reminds me more of Jimmy Carter than any other former president. And that is not giving me any warm fuzzies for the future of our nation.

Since Obama does not yet have a presidential record (another fact the media seems to overlook) I really can’t honestly compare him to any former presidents. He does have a stellar campaign record. I must give him props for being able to raise so much money. Unfortunately, Obama’s ability to convince well-meaning folks to hand over millions of their hard-earned dollars to fund his personal rise to power and fame sound more like Bernie Madoff than anyone else.

Perhaps a Jimmy Carter-esque presidency doesn’t sound so bad after all.

I saw a button that said: “One Nation, Under-Educated.” That has to be the smartest button I’ve seen in a long time. Now, some may say I’m a bit over-educated, considering my main interests involve talking to chickens and weeding flower beds. However, it seems to me that if more people would take time to educate themselves — and they don’t have to enroll in formal programs — then the country would be much better off. I was a bit frightened by the surveys after the election that showed just how little the voters knew about the candidates, the campaign and how our system of government works. How in the world will we ever find solutions to real problems if the voters don’t have a clue about the problems or the people they elect to solve problems?

Our public school systems aren’t any help in educating the populace. The whole system is controlled by 1) bureaucrats elected by an uninformed voter pool and 2) a teachers union that financially supports said bureaucrats. They have no interest in accurately educating young people. They are better served by maintaining a system that turns out uneducated folks who will continue to vote on issues and for politicians that they really don’t understand.

Citizens need to take control of their own education. If parents can’t homeschool or put their kids in private school, they need to supplement their education with books, movies and newspapers that challenge and correct the “politically correct” information that is championed by the schools. Adults need to read, read, read. Did I mention read? And I don’t mean only read the things or writers you agree with. Read widely. Cover as many topics as you can. Take it from this formal journalism student — don’t believe one word of what you hear, see or read in the media. Check it out for yourself. You’ll be surprised at all the things those professional journalists choose not to tell you!

Maybe some day we can become “One Nation, WELL-Educated.”

By this time tomorrow I’ll have done my civic duty and cast my vote in a myriad of elections and on several state ballot measures. Honestly, this election season can’t be over soon enough. I’m sick of listening to both sides ignore, distort and outright lie. I don’t care who your pick is for president. He lies, daily and knowingly. You can visit FactCheck.org and try to wade through all the garbage. Unfortunately, like so many elections in the last two decades, this one is just another toss-up between goober #1 and goober #2. At least one of the goobers picked a gooberette to be on the ticket so we haven’t had to look at and listen to four good ole boys lie to us — it’s more pleasant coming from a pretty face.

It would be nice to find a politician who didn’t think lies and distortions paved the road to elected office. Unfortunately, most of us are content to be a bunch of boobs who believe whatever idiocy flows from the mouth of “our candidate.” Someday maybe we’ll all put down our flag pins and our buttons and demand honesty from these political ninnies and the media who back them. Until then, we might as well ask the magic 8-ball who the best choice is.

Oklahoma can be a great place to live in many ways. However, politically it’s a closed-minded state. The only recognized parties are the Republicans and Democrats. Other parties are active, but in essence they don’t exist. Oklahoma sets the bar so high to achieve status as a recognized party that they (I believe intentionally) dictate a stifling two-party state political machine.

I’m registered as Independent, so I didn’t get to vote in yesterday’s primary elections. But I can’t say I really cared. It looks like I will need to take an anti-nausea pill beforehand and then hold my nose when I cast my ballot in November. Are the candidates being put forth by the Democrats and Republicans really the best they have to offer?

I hope that during my lifetime a really strong 3rd-party candidate comes along that can actually win the presidency. Perhaps then we can return control of the government back to the people it purports to represent.