A Different View for Whoopi Goldberg

October 8th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

Elizabeth Hasslebeck catches a lot of grief for telling her views on The View. I won’t pretend I watch the show. I never have. If you know anything about me, you know that’s not how I roll. But if I ever had the chance to go on the view, it would go a little like this.

First off, I want to thank you, Whoopi. Since I was a little girl, I looked up to you. I watched your movies like a religion when I was young and they are still ranked high on my list of best movies ever. Of course, Color Purple is my all time favorite. I’ve watched it 4 to 5 times a year, sometimes more, for the last 15 years.

Celie inspired me to pray harder; God doesn’t take you through the bad stuff without a plan. Celie inspired me to want to teach myself; I was living with my dad and and evil step mother, I didn’t get much encouragement. Celie and Nettie’s relationship made me want to stay close to my sister; which is funny because we watch it on those days we have nothing to do and we still do the hand slaps every time. And you, Whoopi Goldberg, gave me inspiration that one day I could make my dreams come true.

One day I was sitting around with one of my older brothers and I said ‘I think Whoopi Goldberg is beautiful’. Oh, he laughed and laughed and I got mad. See, he didn’t think you fit into what was beautiful. I saw this black woman doing it by not trying to fit in, but by trying to stand out. I own Sarafina, Jumpin Jack Flash, Fatal Beauty, Corrina Corrina, Made in America, Sister Act 1 & 2, Clara’s Heart, Ghost of Mississippi, hell I even watch “Call Me Claus” every year.

That’s why I’m so pissed off at you. I don’t think you understand the power you have over young women’s lives. Because I know that there are women like me that can’t wait until their daughters get old enough to watch and understand ‘The Color Purple’. You could be spread a message to all women that we can make it.

Prior to this show, I did a little research into your career. And I noticed something I normally don’t pay attention to. You are one hell of an accomplished woman. One of only a few to win an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy, and a Grammy. I don’t pay attention to stuff like that because I think so many movie roles go unnoticed on Award Shows. But hell, you rack them up. And reading that only made you more of an inspiration to me.

I know how to separate the lessons from the people. Because right now, I agree with my brother, you are one hell of an ugly woman. To see you trying to fit in makes me want to vomit. O.K. maybe I’m being a little melodramatic. It sure makes me want to curse.

It makes me want to say things like. How in the hell can you sit here and tell me that there are not opportunities for me now, when your ass started acting 20 something years ago. You trying to tell me that times are worse now than they were then. Bullshit.

Right about now, probably a lot earlier, one of the white co-host would make a comment. To which I would respond. “You’re a Racist. I’m trying to talk to my black sister and you want to bring me down. You must be a Racist.”

And then as everyone starts yelling the stupid shit I see in clips here and there, I would look at Elizabeth Hasslebeck and say “Chill out, I got this one. Enjoy.”

I’m going by the standard of God All Mighty Barack Obama. If anyone questions anything about him, they must be a racist or if black, a self hater. Oh wait. Does that only apply to the “Messiah”. So if you don’t want to hear the word “Nigga” out of Elizabeth’s mouth, then I don’t want to her shit out of Barbara’s or Joy’s. Or are you some how the only special one that can decide who can say what.

So Whoopi, As I was saying. You make me want to say things like. “How in the fuck could you have been the all time highest paid actress at one time and turn around and tell me the system is going to hold me down. Did the system breakdown after you became a Millionaire.” Or

The basic stereo type for a woman is Tall, Skinny, Straight Hair and you are none of those. Could it possibly be because your talent stood out. Are you trying to say I don’t have the talent you had to stand up and make them take notice? To over achieve my wildest dreams just like you did?

Or are you trying to tell me that once you make it to the top it’s just better to fit in? All you viewers out there understand that. She didn’t try to fit into what the world thought she should be. But she would not be denied. Her Talent would not be denied. So when she tells you, “The government is out to get all black people, question why they haven’t got her ass.” So when she asks if she’ll ever be a slave again, “Tell her ass she ain’t never been a slave before.”

But maybe because you’ve been such a inspiration to me, Ms. Goldberg, I’ll ask you this. “Would it kill you to look into that camera and tell every single black girl and boy, man and woman watching that no matter who becomes President, just look at me as inspiration that you can do it.?”

Can you look into that camera right there and tell the Viewer’s, “Your success depends on nothing but the work you put into it. There is no phantom in the night waiting to steal all your hopes and dreams. They are out there for the taking.”

Or explain to me Barack Obama, Jay-z, 50 cent, every black doctor, lawyer, judge, C.E.O., every small business owner; why can they do it, even when times are bad, and I can’t. We are everywhere now. And you should be using your position to let everyone know that. Instead you feed them crap to make them want to fit in. To make them want to use excuses I’m sure you never used when working your way up the ladder. Because excuses don’t get you anywhere. Action does. Tell that to the cameras.

How much did you have to sacrifice to make it? Tell them, so they can understand they are not the only one’s to have doors slammed in their faces. It’s only important that you keep on knocking. Tell them don’t try to fit in because then you don’t get noticed. Use your wit to explain what would have happened if you straighten your hair and tried to be the sexy vixen. Tell them what would have happened if you didn’t value your own opinion of yourself more than the opinions of others.

Instead you install fear. Fear to even try. What’s up with that?

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Now I’d expect the fast, slick talking Whoopi to be ready with a response. I doubt very seriously she would sit there and take the words of a “Nobody” like me. But what does that tell you about how they think about you. All of the One’s that make it to Millionaire status and only tell one half of the story. They speak as though it’s impossible to make it in America, then you see them on cribs.

I’m not be a Millionaire, yet, so I can understand your hesitation to lock on to this. If you try to fit in with out being a Millionaire first, then you will go unnoticed. But if you go in with talent that can not be denied, if you go in and stand out, then any thing is possible. Don’t worry, when I get to the top, I’ll still be pushing the same message. It’ll just be a little more like, “Come with me. How can I help you get rich, too.”

And when the excuses come, I won’t validate them. Even if they happen to be true. Because it’s only a speed bump, it’s not the be all end all. Just get up. We got more knocking to do.

P.S. The only reason I put the link for The View on my page was to show the hypocrisy. I’ve seen the clips of how they treated John McCain in his interview. The they put the nice cozy picture on the front of their web page, with no pictures of Barack Obama. Yeah, like we’re buying that.

Who’s Your Friend? The Keating Five and Bill Ayers

October 7th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

The campaign is really beginning to heat up. With Barack Obama leading in the national polls, it’s time for the gloves to come off. The heat up started after the outstanding performance by Governor Sarah Palin at the V.P. debates. And neither campaign in stepping down.

McCain’s campaign began to bring up Barack Obama’s ties to Bill Ayers. And in response, Barack Obama brought up McCain’s ties to the Keating Five. Now comes the comparison of Character. Should we take a look?

The People Involved

McCain and the Keating Five- Charles H. Keating Jr. was the owner of American Continental Corp. One of it’s subsidaries was Lincoln Savings and Loans. The shit hit the fan in 1987. The federal government had Keating under investigation for defrauding bond holders. 23,000 people lost most of their life savings, including many elderly. The Keating Five consisted of Four Democrats, Alan Cranston (CA), Dennis DeConcini (AZ), John Glen (OH) and Donald Riegle (MI), and one Republican John McCain (AZ).

Obama and Bill Ayers- Bill Ayers was a member of the Radical Group, the Weather Underground, in the 1960’s. They were made famous when they bombed the Pentagon. Then Ayers went on to found the CAC, The Chicago Annenberg Challenge, were Barack Obama held affiliation from 1995-2001. A group that lobbies for more liberal teaching in Public Schools. To this day, Bill Ayers holds no remorse for bombing the country he calls home.

Were They Really Involved

McCain was friends with Keatings. That was never in dispute. Before the S&L debacle, Keating was a major contributor to the McCain Campaign. McCain even vacationed at Keating’s place in the Bahamas on Keatings’ dime. When Keating called on Senators to help him with the probe of Lincoln Savings and Loans, McCain showed up. McCain stated that he wanted to make sure one of his constituents was not being treating unfairly by over regulation.

Bill Ayers founded the Group CAC, and Barack Obama was it’s leader. Is that enough to link Ayers to Obama? Just think about this. If you founded a company that handed Millions of Dollars to organizations in your state, would you play a role in picking the leader of your company? There are CAC Archives in the Richard J. Daley Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago that would point at Obama and Ayers being partners in the growth of the CAC.

The Outcome

John McCain refused to speak to regulators on Keatings’ behalf. Leading Keating to call McCain a wimp. Keating came to McCain with a laundry list of demands and McCain told Keating he was only there to make sure Keating was being treated fairly and nothing else. The Senate Ethics committee found no wrong doing for McCain. He was tacked with “poor judgement”. McCain later wrote a book that called the debacle the asterisk on his career.

It’s hard to write these things about Barack Obama. The media has made the story a none issue and it’s hard to find information about the subject. All I can say. The CAC is still giving money to Acorn and Barack Obama uses Acorn to maximise minority voter registration. So there are still ties between Obama and Ayers, even if you put another company in the middle.

The Character

McCain never once said, “I don’t know Keating.” He never said, “I played no part in this scandal.” He even wrote a book detailing his role in the whole debacle. He even notes, “That’s what made we work so hard towards reforming our government.” It also struck me that McCain was the lone Republican in this matter. Even when he was young and stupid, he went across party lines. That has to say something for the man’s character.

Obama said, “Ayers is just some guy from my neighborhood.” Obama has written two books with no mention on Ayers or his time at the CAC. Most of the work he did there is left up to interpretation. We know he handled the money. And when educational groups came to this educational reform body asking for money to help with Math and Science programs they were turned down. The cause wasn’t liberal enough. So math and science isn’t as important as teaching minorities to continue to protest against the government. So for 6 years Obama sat on a Board with Ayers and claims he doesn’t know him.

The Point

Sarah Palin is ushering in a new type of Politician. In the past you had to be connected to established members of a Party to be considered eligible to run for office. You had to have the backing of certain money men and the influence of present and former Politicians. So you can’t actually blame Obama or McCain for some of their acquaintances. You have to play the game to get into the action.

Having said that, your connection to the acquaintances are fair game. I thinks it’s reprehensible that when trying to bring up the matter of character, race is thrown into the equation. If you want to question Barack Obama’s affiliations, then you are a racist. If you want to question his decision making, then you are a racist. If you want to know anything about Barack Obama that he hasn’t said himself, then you are a racist.

Well the truth of the matter. If Barack Obama had came out and said, “Yes, Ayers was once a terrorist but now he has mended his ways. Since serving with him, I’ve learned alot. Whether I agree with his tactics or not.” He knew the American People would roast him alive. See, it doesn’t matter if Ayers bombed the Pentagon 20 years ago. He still bombed the Pentagon and the American People are not that forgiving. So instead of taking the bumps that go with the decisions you’ve made, you deny there ever was a connection. And the media follows suit.

Another Point

When McCain brings up Reverend Wright, what will Obama’s response be? To link McCain to Pat Robinson or John Hagee? The truth again will get distorted. McCain was never a member of either Pastor’s church. Not like Obama who spent 20 years, a marriage and two baptismals in Trinity United Church of Christ. Not to mention the fact that Obama said he never heard anything hateful from his Pastor. Does this hit on character?

Or does it mean the Rev. Wright waited until Barack Obama started to run for President before beginning to spout all his non sense. I don’t think so. Rev. Wright was one of Barack Obama’s most avid supporters. Wright even said, Obama is playing politics when it comes to denouncing Trinity. And I wonder why Obama didn’t leave when Oprah left. I mean she’s one of his biggest supporters today, why is there no questioning of why she left. It couldn’t be she didn’t like sitting in a church where the Pastor damned the country that made her a Billionaire, could it? So if Oprah heard the hate speech and left, why didn’t Barack Obama hear it. I’m just saying.

For more info on Keating Five

For more info on Bill Ayers

Social Welfare or Corporate Welfare; The Here and Now or the Future

October 6th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

The main issue on the heart of Americans right now is the $700 Billion Bail Out of Wall Street. Most of Us don’t want it and are pissed off the bill was passed into law. But that’s said and done and there is no real reason to continue to protest. So I decided to take a look from another perspective.

A term used to explain this bail out is corporate welfare. Allowing companies that continuously make decisions based on the right now and not the future, to continue to exist no matter how detrimental. Blame is placed at the feet of Wall Street and the entire country wants them to be held accountable for the mess. The Politicians don’t want to point fingers at themselves. The American people don’t want to take responsibility for their actions. So all fingers are pointed towards Wall Street.

When did we stop pointing fingers at the people that take advantage of Social Welfare? You know the ones’ that make decisions based on the right now and not the future, no matter how detremental. They want to point fingers else where, but that’s o.k. When did the calls cease to make these people stand up and take responsibilty for their actions or inaction?

Oh there she goes picking on black people again.

Let me fill you in on something. There are more than just black people on public assistance. Why do you always jump to throw black people into the category of the poor and needy? That’s a sterotype you need to work on. Stop bringing it to me.

Now back to what I was saying. Let’s deal with some of the differences first. Get the arguments out of the way.

Wall Street is already rich; Why do they need a bail out?

O.K. Wall Street is a place. Without people Wall Street would be a road with some buildings. So the true statement is most people on Wall Street are rich. But let me break that down for you even more. If you have a 401K then you are a part of Wall Street. If you own a home, then you are a part of Wall Street. If you invest in anything, stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, you are a member of Wall Street. Now tell me again that most people on Wall Street are rich.

Wall Street is greedy; Why do they need a bail out?

Americans are greedy. You know it and I know it. It isn’t a bad thing though. It forces companies to compete, lowering prices and garnering more choices. It forces Average Americans to continue their educations and save money to reach the American Dream. It’s when you lose track of your purpose that the problems come in.

When you begin to think owning a home is a birth right and not a privilege, you are letting your greed out weigh common sense. As a politician, if you think it is more important to give some one a house instead of teaching them to be home owners, your political greed outweighs common sense. As a business owner, if you think it’s more important for your C.E.O. and Board of Directors to get large checks instead on focusing of the over all strength of your company, you guessed it, your greed outweighs common sense.

Side note: Giving houses instead of teaching people to be home owners. Please read my article “I want to eat for a lifetime” Then you can understand the importance of this comment.

So how does the Bail Out of Wall Street compare to the yearly Bail Out of Main Street? Basically, Corporate welfare Vs. Social Welfare.

Last year, the Federal Government spent $570 Billion on Social Welfare programs. That’s welfare and Medicaid, combined. So if you take the one time major Bail Out of Wall Street, (I’m not so stupid to think another one isn’t coming) and compare it to the annual Bail Out of Main Street, who actually should be getting alot more blame placed at their feet?

It’s right to say that Wall Street took a risk with it’s money. It’s right to say that they are greedy. But it’s also right to say that Main Street should look at itself when talking about huge deficits and more government spending. Just because the numbers aren’t loudly talked about, doesn’t mean they don’t exist and don’t have a tremendous impact on our economy. Not just in a crisis but overall.

With all the finger pointing, alot of things get lost in the translation. The first step in this process was a good premise. Let Wall Street help Main Street by giving more loans to more people. You would call Wall Street greedy for going along with this but they didn’t have much of a choice.

There is Group called ACORN, the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now. Are there any famous community organizers you know? Of Course, Barack Obama. He was once a lawyer for this group. They mainly work on Voter Registration but they also dabble into housing issues. Well a young Barack Obama stood with ACORN against the state of Illinois for not offering an adequate amount of loans to lower class citizens and he won.

Making it more difficult for financial institutions to turn down mortgage loans. See, what started as Main Street Assistance lead to the big Wall Street Bail Out. Then when the shit hits the fan, nobody wants to take responsibility. So we all point the finger at a road with some buildings on it because the road can’t fight back.

So the next question becomes, “What will happen with more Social Bail out on top of the Corporate Bail Out? Will that make everyone happy? Or is that exposing the real greed of America? Wanting everyone to get something, no matter how it weakens our Government as a whole.

Are we really that greedy? Or is this the time we strap down and conserve. Maybe the retail stores would hit a snag but that would be better than major finanicail institutions going under. This should be the time we do invest. Show confidence in your Country to do more than Bail Out Wall Street or Main Street. Show your Country you have confidence in her recovery. Show the world we are not Greedy and when times get tough we suit up and move out, even when it doesn’t include our military.

Show the world we still believe in self responsibilty, so when we question actions of others, we don’t seem hypocritical.

They say that every generation should have to fight a war and deal with financial strife. Well we got both in the the first decade. I just hope we can learn the lessons quickly and have some time of peace. But I fear we’ve learned nothing.

The American People have forgotten how it felt to be hit on 9/11. How it was so important then that we let the world know we would react instead of waiting to be hit again. So we went into Iraq after Afghanistan. It seems that everyone has forgotten that the entire world thought there was weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. There was U.N. records of the weapons, not the mention the fact Saddam Hussein used them on his own people. Who do you think would have gotten the blame if we didn’t invade Iraq and those weapons made it to the streets of the U.S.? Bush would have been roasted.

Many of us were not alive during the Great Depression. So we take for granted what social programs were initially used for. For people who had nothing. Not because they didn’t work hard, but because they were wrapped up in a Government that failed them. Now Social Dollars are given to those who don’t want to work and still blame the government for their inability to reach the American Dream.

One more time for reference. If we, the American People, contiue to thinkof the right now instead of the future, what does that make us?

Sarah Palin and Joe Biden Debate

October 5th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

I didn’t get to watch the debate in real time. I was a guest on the Specta Show @ 100radio.com. Check it out.

But I did stay up to watch the replay. I think it’s real important that you watch yourself and not get clips from a News Show. They get to pick what they think is important and you don’t get to catch the little nuiances.

Gwen Ifil has to be given credit for her performance. It’s refreshing to see a moderator with known bias towards a candidate act in a non partisan manner. Many of the pundits on television predicted that she would be fair, but I think she was more than fair. She did her job. She was fair and balanced.

“Can I call you Joe?”

Sarah Palin had a lot of expectations to meet in this Debate. I was actually kinda scared for her. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I really like this women. Especially when she started talking about Personal Responsibility. I supported her in the past because she sounded a lot like me. Loved sports. Picked politics because she knew that’s where she could make changes. And had a good man to help her along the way.

Joe Biden did impress me at moments as well. I loved the way he laughed with Palin. He let his personality show. You could see he was shocked and impressed with Palin’s performance during the debate. You often saw him smiling when she made a point or he got the joke she told. He hit back but he enjoyed the debate. I don’t think Obama would match up well with Palin in a Debate.

I think they both failed when they started pointing fingers. It was Bush’s policy that got us in this mess. We should thank John McCain for sounding the bell two years ago. The truth is Barack Obama won a case for Acorn that forced the government to give more of these shaky loans. And McCain may have spoken up two years ago but how loud was his voice. If he’s a real maverick, this would have been the main focus since the beginning of the campaign. So every single person in the U.S. should stop pointing fingers and do their individual part in bringing back our economy.

Let’s talk about Foriegn Policy

In this effort, I think Joe Biden failed. He didn’t knock her out of the box. She held her own with a man that’s been in the Senate for 36 years. Joe Biden was so busy making the little mistakes the media gives him passes on, he didn’t show he knew any more than Palin. In fact, if Sarah Palin had made a few of the mistakes Biden did, the whole subject of this discussion would be different. She would once again be unfit to be a heatbeat away from the Presidency.

All Biden did was show people even the most seasoned politician makes mistakes. But what I don’t understand is why they are given a pass. If the C.E.O. of a company can’t put together coherent thoughts without mistakes, I don’t think the people of that company would have a lot of faith in him. I think that should go double for a man or woman who has a voice in making public policy. I’m just saying.

Why did Joe Biden get upset when Sarah Palin talked about speaking with Henry Kissinger? Obama brought his name up in the first Presidential Debate. But when Palin name drops, Biden had an “Oh Please” look on his face. Does his name only hold credence when used to explain why Barack Obama would sit down with Ahmadinejad with out preconditions? It couldn’t be Politics could it?

The body blows came when Sarah Palin gave her respect to Joe Biden. It’s hard to argue with someone when they are praising your personal decisions. It was Biden’s task to uplift Obama but he had said so many things while campaigning against Obama, Palin came loaded with ammunition. I respected you when you said “The presidency doesn’t lend itself to on the job training.” Those were your words. And Biden couldn’t destroy his own persona to protect Barack Obama’s; so he found himself double talking his way out of comparisons. I love body blows.

Both did well in their own way. So what decides who wins? This is my blog, so let me tell you what I think. They say Sarah Palin can speak likes she’s an average American. I laughed to myself because I don’t know many Americans that say “Gee Willikers” or how ever you spell it. So what I did was insert my own slang into her funny words. “Joe, get up off that mess. McCain isn’t Bush. I’m not Cheney. You playin yourself with the comparison.” Now that wouldn’t win many votes, but if translated properly then you would get the point. She uses that Alaska talk, I guess, but it means the same thing some of us believe. We just find her choice of words funny.

So I say, Congratulations Palin and Biden. Sarah Palin gave John McCain a pass to fight another day. Joe Biden didn’t give Barack Obama a reason to regret his V.P. With less than a month to go, I think this is just the beginning of the the most interesting portion of the campaign. For the most part, the V.P. picks have played their parts and now it’s up the the Head of the Ticket.

The next debate is Tuesday night. I hope McCain and Obama put on a show like Biden and Palin.

My Missing Week; In a Nutshell

October 5th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

I was going through some stuff this week. So I missed a chance to tell my opinion on this week in the news.

So here it goes in a nutshell.

Politics in Church- Last Sunday Pastors’ around the country took on the I.R.S. for freedom of speech from the pulpit. I believe every person has freedom of speech, but please leave Politics out of the church. If you are a Pastor and you want to endorse a candidate, do it in a Newsletter. Not from the Pulpit.

Many Americans need to hear from God, not from a Man with his own opinions.

The Bail Out Bill fails in the House- Some politicians are listening to voters in their districts. I am among the Americans that say let the banks fail. Let them implement their own policies that will ensure this crisis never happens again. This can’t happen with a bail out.

The Senate picks up the Bail Out Bill- When the House stood up to the President and members of the financial community, the Senate stepped in to be the Heros. Politicians are not listening again. Damn that didn’t even take a week. And what do they do? They add more money to the bill. Tax breaks for wooden arrows and rum. Are you kidding me? It past overwhelmingly.

The House passes the Bail Out Bill and the President Bush Signs it into Law- I used to think History would record Bush’s Presidency with applause. I don’t any more. I’m not a politician and I know another bureaucracy is on the horizon. More people hired by the government only works with national security and even then it has it’s pitfalls. This bill will cause more problems in our economy down the line.

Harry Reid tries to get the Insurance companies to fail- I wish someone would do some research into both parties ties with insurance companies. They are going to be the next to get a bail out. When Reid tells the country a major insurance company with a name everyone knows is going to fail, he’s basically setting them up to fail. You don’t believe me. Check the drop of insurance companies in the markey after Reid’s comments. I wonder which one of his friends wants to get some government funds in their pockets.

Auto Bailout goes unmentioned- Hey, we’re asking the American people for $700 Billion for Wall Street, let’s not even mention the $25 Billion we’re giving to the Auto industry. I don’t believe the Auto Industry should be blamed for this need though. With an ineffective energy policy, the American People’s desire to have the biggest car, and the recent oil prices; they have been hit hard. Why build the cars the rest of the world enjoys, if our major source of energy is oil? The American people went crazy with SUV’s and Hummers; so the car companies started making what the people wanted. Until gas prices hit $4 a gallon. Probably explains why McCain pulled out of Michigan. Democrats got them that money, who do you think they are going to vote for?

And through all this, the stock market has went up and down. Loans are only being givin to those who can afford them. Congress has been pointing fingers. Politicians have been using this whole experience as a campaign tool, not as a necessary step to fix the American Economy. And the American People are stuck wondering, “How did this happen?”

That’s it. My missing week in a Nutshell.

Just Do Your Damn Job! Barack Obama and John McCain

September 25th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

I was sitting this morning trying to relate this subject to a story. You know write some fairy tale scenerio that would cause you to relate the gravity of the situation at hand. But instead I decided to go straight out because this is not the time to be playing around.

As you know, I am against the Bail Out. I don’t think rewarding companies with a clean slate is the way to impose reform of any sector of our Country. But I am not in a position to make decisions and it seems the bill will pass; whether I agree or not.

So that makes you take a look at the people that are in power. Our Elected Officials. Now I’m not one to question Bernanke on financial policy. But I do think the Fed has a more important job than meddling in the Private Market. With a dollar already hitting lows, that’s where his focus should be.

Nor could I question Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on his knowledge of world finance. But as a citizen I do have the right to question handing him a blank check. Especially with all the bureaucracy that occurs in the United States. How much would actually make it to the banks instead of the men that got us into the position at hand?

The President of the United States George Bush gives a speech; trying to explain the need for this bail out. I watched the speech. I wasn’t impressed but I can understand the pressure on the President. With all the head money men in the country clamoring for a solution; the desire for action must be strong. He has to do some thing.

Every member of Congress. Not just those who don’t have a national campaign to run. Every Member of Congress should be doing their jobs.

When John McCain annouced he would be suspending his campaign to go to Washington, of course I thought Political ploy. But when Barack Obama came out and said that he had people there to handle the situation for him, it hit me. Who are you working for?

Both Senators had a chance to give up their Senate seat before campaigning began. They both choose to remain Senators. They both are still getting paid by the American People to do a job. This is the time to do your damn job or sign your paycheck back to the people of your state. They did not elect you to have Harry Reid tell you what’s best. Or Nancy Pelosi to let you know every thing is good. The People elected you to be on the Senate floor fighting for them.

If this is the Pearl Harbor of our Economy, then you are supposed to be using your big stick; not listening to second hand reports of the situation. Just imagine if Bush were in Saudi Arabia when this crisis hit and he told the American People, “I got people to handle that for me. I’m going to continue my business here and if I’m needed to sign a bill; I’ll catch a plane.”

The Democrats would lose their damn minds. He’s over there with his friends the Saudi’s instead of here taking care of the American People. Well, here’s a thought. Barack Obama, we have a President. You may not like him but that is irrelevant. We also have 100 U.S. Senators. You are one of them. And until you get enough votes to become President, you should act as such.

We are all mad at C.E.O.’s that didn’t do their job. They let other people deal with the mess, while they reaped the benefits. They allowed people to tell them every thing is O.K., so their bonuses were heavy. Well, we are in the middle of a economic crisis and that usually gives Democrats a boost. Donations for Barack Obama should be up during this time. And he doesn’t want to suspend his campaign because their are people keeping him a breast of the situation. He doesn’t want to deal with the mess but he doesn’t mind benefiting from it.

As long as he can sign his name on the bill, he can claim to have helped the situation. He doesn’t have to be the one that fights, he can just be the one that signed. Then he said he wouldn’t help the situation by bringing presidential politics into the debate in Congress. Suspend your campaign. Stop being a candidate for President and Just Be A U.S. Senator. Don’t bring politics into it. Just keep the American People at the center of your reason for being.

Or does this pose a problem for you? Is your desire to become President more important than the postion the people of Chicago gave you? If you do become President, can I count on Reid and Pelosi running your administration, while you give hope to the American People? Is the change you promise giving more power to the people around you, instead of your beliefs and ideals? Will you fight for the American People? Or will you fight for the image that is Barack Obama?

All I ask. Do your damn job. When you can break away to campaign, do so. If you still want to debate, ask for a change of subject. Why would you want to talk about Foreign Policy when every one is focusing on the economy? Or are you scared you would lose in foreign policy so you would love to have this debate over shadowed by the economy? Are you playing politics? Is this the time?

Al Sharpton Says Race Won’t Decide The Election

September 23rd, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

I never thought the day would come. Al Sharpton temporarilay put down his race card and started making sense. He is starting a National Bus Tour to make sure that Voter’s know the rules of their states. There have been alot of changes in the Election Laws and it’s very important that you know if they affect you.

Some states now require you to register at least thirty days before the election.

Some states require you to have two forms of I.d. Valid Drivers’ License and Voter Card.

Make sure you know the rules of Provisional Ballots in your state. If there is a problem when you go to vote, they will give you a provisional ballot. This does not mean you voted. It means they could possibly count your vote, if needed. It’s up to you to correct the problem, to make sure your vote is counted.

Many states have early ballots. If you know who you want to vote for, then this is a way to help their campaign. Voting early could eliminate the need for your candidate to spend so much in your district; allowing them to concentrate on the places still in contention. Now I don’t agree with voting early; at least not until you’ve seen the debates.

There maybe other rules that affect your ability to vote. Be proactive and don’t wait until it’s to late to complain.

With that being said, Al Sharpton continued on to repeat the words of Barack Obama. If you watched the Democratic Nomination Race, millions of Americans voted for Barack Obama. They had the choice to pick a white candidate and they didn’t. This race will be on policy.

That’s coming from the #1 race card benefactor. This is a smart play by Sharpton. He knows until this election in over, he can’t do anything related to race. If he does, he will be placed in the group of blacks inadvertantly hurting Barack Obama by being who they are.

If we can get the majority of blacks to let go of the issue of Race, then we can make some progress. I had this thought as I received Birthday Wishes this weekend. My oldest brother, who is married to a white woman, called. Then my Aunt, who is married to a black man who had kids with a white woman before marrying my Aunt, called. And the day before, I heard from my daughters’ grandfather, who is white. All voting for Barack Obama. All asking me, Why I wasn’t?

I don’t get in to it with family anymore. When you start to ask questions like, how can you talk about white people when you have a baby by a white person. They tend to get upset with you. If you ask them why they refer to all white people as “whitey” until the family shows up and you realize “whitey” is a part of us. But as soon as the party’s over, they go back to being “whitey” in conversation. They tend to want to blame me for paying attention.

Racism doesn’t exist in the same form as the past. We have the right to make choices; succeed or fail on our own merit. And it’s refreshing to hear Al Sharpton echo some actual words of encouragment to that point. Even though I know it won’t last. When the election is over, no matter the outcome, Al Sharpton will be back on the hut to point out Racism. Whether justified or not. That’s his role to play.

I just hope we don’t forget about these words as soon as we get the chance. The next time Sharpton wants us to rally, we actually make sure the fight is justified. Then maybe he’ll be forced to do the same, and we could make a new indent in history. The moment racism stopped being used as an excuse.

Terror Attacks Going Unnoticed During Economic Crisis

September 22nd, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

Since we’ve been going through this Economic Crisis, little else has made it’s way into the main stream news. Except of course the Candidates. I’m wondering while McCain is losing ground talking about the Economy, why isn’t he pointing out the activity of the terrorist groups all around the world. Our interest abroad have been attacked twice since 9/11 and you barely hear anything about them on the News.

The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen was attacked Sept. 17th. There were no American causualties, but we were still attacked. Does it matter the size of the attack? Or should we look at the smallest attackas build up to something more.

Just because Al Qadea was late releasing it’s 9/11 video with it’s claims to cause more distruction to U.S. interest at home and abroad, should we think of them as no longer a threat. I mean I didn’t think of them as a threat until after 9/11, 2001. Did we forget the lessons already of discounting anyones ability to attack us?

Now over the weekend, the terrorist decided to strike the heart of Pakistan. Or at least western interest there. The Marriott Hotel is one of the safest buildings in the Islamic World, just because of the amount of western people who stay there while visiting Pakistan. A truck was allowed to make it to the final check point and blow up, with enough explosives to ripe a massive hole in the earth.

They are still out there. They still want to cause harm to America and it’s citizens. I hope we don’t get so caught up looking at a pocket books that we forget to pay attention to what’s going on in the rest of the world. As well as the perception that when our wallets go bad, we take our eyes off world policy and terror groups. Because next time they might put one and one together and hit our pocket books directly and watch us self implode from the selfishness they accuse us of. I’m just saying.

Taxpayers Bailing Out Wall Street

September 22nd, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

I was supposed to spend the weekend celebrating my Birthday, instead I found myself glued to the T.V. Watching analysis after analysis of why the government needs a blank check from the Taxpayers. Then comes the numbers, $720,000,000,000. What? $720 Billion. Now I’m pissed off at both candidates.

First thing I noticed, both want to point fingers. You can’t watch one of them speak without talking about the other. i don’t want to hear Barack Obama’s plan from John McCain or Vice Versa. This should have bought a pause in the Partisanship and started an American Debate. Where democrats stood up and said; “We started the deregulation in an attempt to get more Americans into homes, our bad. And the republicans stood up and said; “We allowed it to continue longer than should have been allowed. So this is a mark on both our houses. Let’s work together to solve this problem.

In a way they did, but it centers around the numbers on the check. If you want to bring Congress together, put a large amount of cash between them and watch the sparks fly. I wonder why do we have to come close to a total meltdown before someone in the Government stands up and stops it.

Now I don’t like to play conspiracy theory but when you can’t get a straight answer from a politician than what other choice do you have? Now John McCain tried to get legislation pushed that would have stopped these loans about 3 to 4 years ago, but was blocked in Congress. Both Democrats and Republicans were receiving money from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, so neither party wanted to stop the money from flowing into their pockets.

President Bush even wanted policy passed that would’ve stopped loans given to people who couldn’t afford them. But an unpopular President with the rival party in control of Congress has little chance of getting any policy passed. So that leaves the American People to clean up the mess.

But don’t move to fast on that. The American people also have to stand up and take their part in this debacle. We love free stuff. No matter the cost later down the line. So while we were all lining up to sign our name on the dotted line, we should have been thinking this really sounds to good to be true. But we didn’t. We continued to reap the benefits of a broken system, until it crashed on our heads.

Will I be the only person to say this. It’s a plague on all our houses. From the White House, to the stock market, and all the way down to main street. So who should really get help? I’m not going to pretend to be some financial wizard with the answers to all the questions. But I am a concerned American citizen who doesn’t want my daughter to have to pay for the mistakes of my generation.

So my first question would be, who was complaining before all this went bad. The white house could boast they had the largest number of home ownership in American history before the crash; so there was no complaining there. Wall street watched as the stock market continued to climb, even in the mist of rising gas prices; so there was no complaining there. Average Americans went and bought property with no money down and a flexible interest rate with the idea they could sell the property down the line for a profit; so there was no complaining there.

Then, as most problems do, the hit came to the people first. The foreclosure rate started to rise and give platforms to political candidates. The same candidates that allowed the problem to get out of hand, while taking money from the companies that were digging our financial graves. And we expect them to solve the problem by throwing more money at it. Or at us because we should also benefit when the government starts giving out money. Just realize we will have to pay that money back in the form of taxes. So if you are hoping the Government is going to bail you out of foreclosure, remember your taxes will go up to offset the the help given to you. So in essence, you would actually be paying for yourself to get out of foreclosure; it just comes in an IRS envelope over time.

Okay. I get it. There is a lot of blame to go around but how do we fix it?

My answer to that would be, allow the market and American people to take a hit. I know it sounds cruel but it’s how I live my life. Sometimes you have to take a loss to learn a lesson. When you look to gain something from the situation for yourself, sometimes you get in the way of realizing the gravity of the lesson. BIG THOUGHT.

The Great Depression started because Wall Street was given the ability to gamble with the savings of Millions of Americans. Unemployment was at 24%, people where standing in bread lines, and the government let it happen. Until Roosevelt stepped in A New Deal. The government came in and ushered out money. New programs to help everyone affected by the crisis on Wall Street. While we can’t be mad at the progress made during those times to save our economy, everyone got something. And we forgot the Gravity of the Situation. If you don’t believe that; why did we repeat the same mistake so close to the last one? The Great Depression didn’t happen thousands of years ago. It started in 1929. That’s not even 100 years ago.

Just as in life. If you continue to make the same mistakes, you will continue to get the same results. If the government comes in and bails out every sector that takes unwise risk, then why stop taking the risk. Instead of spending money on the Bail Out, keep our Military Strong enough to protect us during this period and allow the market and the people to learn a lesson about what we all owe America. Yes it’s the land of opportunity, but not at the expense of the Overall standing of our nation. Sometimes we have to take the hit to make the U.S.A. stronger. She has allowed us all to have some measure of success. If it’s just the feeling of knowing that there is a chance for me to build a life in peace.

We all take advantage of the Freedom we have. It’s a blessing to live in The United States of America. We can not continue to put her Sovereignty in jeopardy because we are unwilling to take a couple bumps and bruises of our own making. And if you say, I’m paying my mortgage, so I didn’t create this problem. Think about this. Are you paying attention to your local elections? Do you know if your Senator is know trying to add Billions of dollars worth of Pork into the already $720 Billion Bill? If you’re not paying attention, then you’re not understanding the gravity of the situation and you too are caught up in America’s problem of your own making.

The only silver lining in all this is the fact that the government will probably make back the money from the loans. The truth of the matter is, our economy is still pretty strong. During the great depression people were standing in bread lines, now people are standing in line to buy the new IPhone. In a few years, people will have rebounded and the government will be selling property back to the market. The loans will be safer, the american people will be looking for a deal, and we will continue on.

The only problem. There will be another problem. In some other sector and the government will again step in. Instead of making one sector learn a lesson from the downfall of another. We will let each sector figure it our for themselves. Always leaving a weak link in the chain of our economy. And a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link.

I Want To Eat For A Lifetime

September 16th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

I got another story for you. Hope you enjoy.

There was once a man that loved to go fishing. It was his favorite pass time. He spent endless hours everyday out on the lake. Well one day, a huge storm blew through the town and caused the people to lose most of their crops. The fisherman had stored so much fish, he didn’t have a problem helping feed the town.

A couple days after the storm, a young boy approached the fisherman. He said, ‘it was really amazing how you were able to step in and help the town. Can you teach me how to fish?’ The fisherman agreed and the boy started spending countless hours out on the lake. He often got teased for the way he smelled and dressed. He looked and smelled like a broken down fisherman. The boy didn’t care. He remembered how the man had helped save the town and he wanted to be like him.

With the boys help, it wasn’t long before the fisherman had restocked all his fish. The boy thought it would be a good idea to throw a party for the fisherman. He was sure the entire town would show up to say thank you to the fisherman. He went into town to start inviting people. He was shocked to hear their response. “All he does is fish, he should’ve helped the town out. ” “He can’t eat all that fish himself, he should give it to the town.”

The boy went back to the fisherman and told him about the people in the town. The fisherman wasn’t surprised. He just got his rod and went out to the lake. The boy thought to himself; if they can’t appreciate the man, then maybe they can appreciate the action. The boy began making signs to hang around the Town. “Free Fishing lessons to anyone that wants to learn.” Everyone laughed at the boy. No one took advantage of the free lessons.

The next year, the fisherman died, and left everything to the boy. Now he had his own house, his own boat, and his very own fishing rod. He continued to fish everyday and maintain his stock pile. One day, another storm blew into town and devastated the crops. The boy decided he was not going to share his fish with the town. This time he would sell it.

The people in the town who had money, bought the fish from the boy. The people who didn’t have money were furious. ‘Our town is struggling and you have the power to help, why won’t you?’ The boy responded, ‘I’ll help. I’ll give you all fish every time you come to the lake and help me fish.’

The people without money where offended. ‘The old fisherman didn’t make us work for food. He was happy to help out those that needed it. He would be so ashamed of you.’

The boy didn’t move his position. You help me fish, I help you to eat. The people got even madder. Two boys came to the boy and said we’ll help. The boy said, it’s not easy work. Sometimes I sit out on that lake for hours and nothing bites. It feels like I’m wasting my time. Then I have days where it seems the fish just jump into the boat. The two boys shook their heads and spent endless days out on the lake.

Now with the three of them fishing, the stock piles went through the roof. The town was beginning to brace for another storm. One of the boys went to the New Fisherman and said, ‘maybe we should take some fish into town, so we can give it away before the storm hits.’ The other boy said, ‘No. We should go out and hang up more signs for free fishing lessons.’

The fisherman looked at the two boys and told them they were both right. There are some in town that can’t fish. The very old, the very young, and some in the middle that have limited abilities. You can go into town and give them some fish. Then there are those who don’t understand you can be given fish to eat for a day or you can learn to fish and eat for a lifetime. So you can go and put up signs for those who are coming to understand the power of self sufficiency.

The problem comes when you continue to give away fish without offering a pole. Or offering a pole with nothing to sustain you until your first catch. Or refusing aid on the days when the fish just aren’t biting. It’s nothing wrong with helping those less fortunate, but it is something wrong with not giving them the desire to help themselves.

How many people want to sign up for those free fishing lessons? How many people expect the fisherman to continue to save the town? Say that storm hits while the fishermen are out on the lake and they don’t make it. Who will then fish for the town if no one else knows how?

Social Programs are a necessity. There are people out there that can’t do it by themselves. But there are those who refuse to try. Should they continue to get the fish? Or should that fish go to help those that are trying and hit a couple bad days when the fish aren’t biting? Give me a rod and you can keep your fish.