O does not equal A in Transparency

It's ironic, but not the least bit funny, that just when organizations are gathering petitions to demand that President Obama stick to his campaign promise for open, transparent debate of bills on the Hill, and in particular with the 1/6th of our economy Health Care Bill, that the Whitehouse posts a Tweet bragging about an "A" grade for its transparency.

I looked into the three sponsors of the report: Common Cause, Democracy 21 and the League of Woman Voters. I'm sure it's purely coincidental that Tim Geitner's wife has been involved with Common Cause, and that these firms have heavy lobbying budgets. I would never accuse any non-profit of ulterior motives. Just happened to notice.

If you are interested in signing a petition to demand that C-Span be allowed to tape the deliberations of the Health Care Bill as promised by candidate Obama, please click here. Only takes a moment. The fight is not over until the Bill is signed, so keep up the pressure.

As a reminder of the "Change" we were promised, here's candidate Obama promising transparency. Or maybe he agrees with Pelosi, and thinks that what you say on the campaign trail doesn't really count. Check out her look that assures us that we must have been morons to ever think so.

Yes We Can

Where did I hear that slogan before? Oh, right: last year's election. But you know what? He was right, "Yes We Can".

I am a quiet little property manager in Eastern NC. I have zero political clout. I have no friends in high places. All I've got going for me is that I believe in the republic that is America. I believe that most of us believe in the American Dream and the tenets our forefathers espoused. I have also come to believe in the power of the internet to level the playing field for those of us without clout.

Two days ago I had the crazy idea of starting a petition to hold our politicians accountable. I sent an email to that effect to my email contacts. They sent it to their email contacts, and now my inbox is flooded with emails from complete strangers who also believe in what I hold dear... fellow Americans who believe that we need to yank the chain of our federal goverment (and our state governments, too, but that's another petition!).

In just two days, over 20% of the states have had at least one patriot sign the petition. Individually we may have no clout. But together we can form our own special interest group -- one that is looking our for the well-being of the average taxpaying American who is deeply concerned about politicians who seem to care only about themselves and doing right by the special interest groups that fund their re-elections.

So individually we may not be able to get through to them, but I have no doubt that together, Yes We Can.

Hold Them Accountable

Yesterday while working, I was thinking about how our Senators and Congressmen these days seem to hold themselves up on an elevated level above other Americans.

They routinely vote themselves nice perks and pensions, and now as they debate the most important bill in our lifetime, the Health Care Reform Bill, most have decided that they will not vote to forgo the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program that so richly covers them and their families and instead join the plan they deem good enough for us taxpayers. THIS IS WRONG! They should live under the same standards that they hold us accountable to and live under any mandates that they dictate for us.

I propose that Americans petition our Senators and Congressmen to add a 28th Amendment to our Constitution that reads:

"Senators and Congressmen must include themselves in any mandate required of American citizens."

Those of you that agree, I encourage you to sign a petition I've started stating:

I want my federal representatives to pass a Constitutional Amendment that ensures that Senators and Congressmen must include themselves in any mandate required of American citizens. I commit that I will not vote to elect or re-elect any member who refuses to support such an amendment.

Here's the link to the webpage I set up. Sign it and send the link to all of your email contacts and ask them to consider signing it. Let's use the power of the internet to raise our collective voices to corral our politicians and make them accountable to us.

When I was in college, my professor said that the "Sleeping Giant" was China. He was wrong. It is the American People and we are starting to wake up.