During this famous speech, President Lincoln foresaw what he called a “new birth of freedom,” wherein “…a government of the people, by the people, for the people…” would prevail.

In essence, President Lincoln believed that true freedom required a government that acted in the best interest of the majority of the people at every turn.

President Lincoln’s eloquent words, “…a government of the people, by the people, for the people…,” merely echoed the fundamental principle of the Constitution of the United States.  In short, the founding fathers had already drafted the Constitution of the United States to establish a government that represents the interest of the people. 

Today, at the outset of every election, well-funded special interest groups spend unlimited sums of money on ads to influence voters, and thereby influence the outcome of our elections.  These groups then continue to influence our elected officials to act in their interests.  This influence results in laws that benefit big business and other special interest groups, often at the expense of middle class Americans.

In short, the “for the people” building block of our government is ultimately lost when these lobbyists win over our elected officials.  If the majority of Americans are members of the eroding middle class and the less fortunate, and there is no group to represent the interest of the middle class and less fortunate, then the will of the people is lost.

 Your choice in this election is the following:

1.  Government for people, or
2.  Government for big business and other special interest groups

If your choice is “1,” then vote Obama/Biden.  If your choice is “2,” then God help us.

Mitt Romney expresses, in his own words, how he feels about countless families losing their most essential possession – their homes.

Mitt Romney, in his own words, demonstrates how disconnected he is with the financial struggles average Americans face with sizeable financial burdens like tuition and starting a business.  Earth to Mitt, we don’t all have rich mommies and daddies, Mitt.

 

 Mitt Romney, in his own words, would not have saved automobiles that are proudly Made in the USA.  Specifically, Mitt Romney said he would not have bailed out the auto industry.

 

Mitt Romney, in his own words, would not have made much of an effort to find Bin Laden.

In 1937, the United States Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the Social Security Act by a 5-4 decision.  

Despite all the initial uproar against the Social Security Act, as of 2010, many of the 44 million retired seniors who receive Social Security income rely on the checks to buy food and other necessities.

Let us fast forward to 2011.  Opponents of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act also argue that this act goes beyond the powers granted to the federal government and will result in the loss of jobs.

Like the Social Security Act, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act promises to help our seniors and others to live a healthier life, while saving on the more costly acute care by improving preventative care.

Remember, we already pay for the acute care of millions of uninsured Americans and others. In addition, universal health care allows for better preventative care and avoids the more expensive acute care (resulting from neglect) that often requires hospitalization.

Prior to the PPACA, if you had a life-threatening illness that required some medical procedure or treatment, and you did not have health insurance or the money to pay out-of-pocket, you would ultimately surrender to the illness.  Comprehensive health insurance coverage is the only way most of us can continue to live if faced with a life-threatening illness. 

We are not a country that puts profits before human life.  We are not a country that allows health insurance companies to drop customers when they become ill. We are a country that places high value on human life. 

While I am convinced that most Republicans share the same high regard for life, lobbyists that insist on profits first and extreme Tea Partiers are apparently blinding our Republican representatives.

During a recent Republican presidential debate, the host asked the question, “How should we handle an uninsured patient with a life-threatening illness?”  Some of the members of the audience shouted, “Let him die!” Those members of the audience were not admonished for their callous remark, and not one of the candidates agreed that the uninsured patient should have a chance at life.

As an aside, we already pay for the acute care of millions of uninsured Americans and others. In addition, universal health care allows for better preventative care and avoids the more expensive acute care (resulting from neglect) that often requires hospitalization.

Again, are Republicans really pro-life?

First, all of the other leading nations had their own stimulus package.  This means that all of the leaders of the world’s most robust economies and their respective advisers believed that a stimulus package would help to revive their economies.

Here are the facts regarding the stimulus packages other world leaders enacted.

China:  “The 2008–2009 Chinese economic stimulus plan is a RMB¥ 4 trillion (US$ 586 billion) stimulus package announced by the central government of the People’s Republic of China on 9 November 2008 as an attempt to minimize the impact of the global financial crisis on the world’s second largest economy.”

United Kingdom:  “THE UK Government has launched an economic stimulus package worth $47b to reignite consumer spending and help Britain recover from a deep recession.”

France: “France’s Prime Minister Francois Fillon has unveiled a series of measures worth 26bn euros ($33.1bn; £23.5bn) designed to “revitalise” the French economy.”

President Obama also collaborated with partner nations who agreed that the appropriation of stimulus money was the smart thing to do.

The fact is that economic recovery takes time with a concentrated effort to that end.  It took us approximately 10 years to recover from the Great Depression of 1929, and some expert economists estimat that it will take five years to rebound from our 1998 recession.  When you consider that our current economic condition was decades in the making, it seems reasonable to expect recovery to take at least five years.

“To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.”  – Winston Churchill

Whatever you believe, remember this.  Economics is not an exact science.  This means there was no foolproof fix to restore the economy to, say the Clinton era; nonetheless, the stimulus package more than likely prevented a depression.

During a 2011 GOP debate, all of the 2012 Republican presidential contenders said they would refuse a 10 to 1 spending cuts to tax increase deal.  This is undoubtedly extremism. 

Additionally, not long after the majority of Americans elected President Obama, Republicans publicly promised to make him a one-term president. Their ultimate goal is obviously to remove President Obama from office.

Consistent with their vows to make President Obama a one-term president, Republicans have rejected every piece of legislation that promises to energize the economy (and boost President Obama’s ratings). 

Republicans are disregarding the best interests of Americans and recklessly undermining our country to ensure that they win the 2012 elections.

In short, you can lead people with a common goals.  You can lead a team with a common objective, but you can never lead people who seek to harm you politically and otherwise.

What has President Obama done for the middle class:

• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
  • Makes health insurance accessible to all Americans
• Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
  • Title XIV – Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act
  • Title VII – Wall Street Transparency and Accountability
• Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
  • Guarantees equal pay for women

In contrast, Republicans consistently advocate for the rich at the expense of middle class and less fortunate Americans. From holding the extension of unemployment insurance hostage for the extension of the high-income Bush tax cuts, to refusing to raise the debt ceiling without cuts to programs for middle-class Americans, Republicans, time after time, have disregarded our interests.

These extreme hostage-taking tactics became commonplace with the rise of the Tea Party. The well-funded Tea Party has hijacked the Republican Party and is now the prevailing voice on the right. When, during a 2011 GOP debate, all of the 2012 Republican presidential contenders said they would refuse a 10 to 1 spending cuts to tax increase deal, we knew we were dealing with extremism. Again, we must make this clear.  The extreme Tea Partiers are the controlling influence on the right.

Extremism puts our President “between a rock and a hard place” when negotiating with Tea-Party-controlled Republicans. Note that extremism is defined as, “any political theory favoring immoderate uncompromising policies.” The key word in the definition is “uncompromising.”

In short, we need to send a strong message to the Tea Party. We need to remind the Tea Party that our Constitution created a checks and balances system of government. Our Founding Fathers crafted the Constitution of the United States to prevent groups like the Tea Party from exerting too much power. Extremism conflicts with the fundamental principles of the Constitution and the intent and wisdom of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. Let us restore balance in our government. Let us re-elect President Obama in 2012, and let us remove those members of congress who are obstinately intolerant of opposing views, as this will deprive us of the teamwork we need to explore all ideas to find comprehensive solutions to the problems we face as a nation.