I am a lifelong Democrat ~ except for 3 years after Clinton signed the Welfare Reform Act. I am now back as a Dem and active in my party. After I listened to your speech, I realized that what you spoke about, the suggestions you give, is just common sense. But common sense is not that prevalent in DC, Governor.
*When you have politicians seriously believing stuff that I knew from the get-go was bunk, (and I am a so-called "ignorant" welfare mom) then well it is more than Houston who has a problem ~ they sent their problem(s) to DC. DC needs to get with the program and quit "believing" stuff that even the most remote person from their lifestyle such as myself, know is bunk. They prefer to pretend that they did not know. Hogwash! They would probably be more "informed and alert" if they weren't dependent upon all that money they get from lobbyists. They need to stop taking money for favors ~ no matter HOW "legal" it is. A bribe is a bribe!
*I knew the WMD was bunk because I listened to people like Scott Ritter who had been there and knew different. I do more than watch Fox news where the most uninformed people get their information I read online papers like the Asian Times, The Guardian, the BBC and even Pravda is more informed nowadays than most of my own media! When are we going to reform the media?
*I have sanctity for life for people who are already OUT of the womb as well as IN the womb. Therefore I do not want to see any more people killed in wars of lies, with diseases that could be helped through stem cell research, or the death penalty that is arbitrarily meted out. Politicians are using the name of the Lord to carry out these things (which, worse of all, really IS taking the Lord's name in vain, BTW). Religion belongs in the synagogue, church, mosque, or temple, not on the Senate floor!
*The economy sucks. This week the DLC suggests we should reinvigorate the American Dream. What Dream, Mr. Richardson? I am an educated white woman who has worked my butt off for over 35 years in what I call McJobs. I have never been a drug addict, alcoholic, or criminal, yet I have nothing to show for all that work, I have never even owned my own home. It is not just an education that we need. More importantly, it is JOBS WITH LIVABLE WAGES, get it?
*Like most Americans, I was thrifty, I worked hard and I raised 4 kids. Now at 54 I am injured from OTJ abuse, without a job and permanently disabled. What is being done about this? Dems along with Republicans voted to take away OSHA requirements. How are you going to work to protect the millions of Americans just like me?
*Most of those McJobs I worked had bad or no health coverage. It seems to me that since the biggest expense businesses complain about is health care. Wouldn't it benefit all business if we had a national health care system? I mean by this that business would no longer have that as an expense if we were all putting funds for healthcare into the pot.
*I worked in transitional housing last year as a VISTA Volunteer and to my horror I discovered it was full of older women like me ~ only many of these women had job experience AND advanced college educations, master degrees and doctorates, but nobody wants to hire them because they are too old (over 50,not yet 60). Don't tell ME there is no age discrimination! These older women also contributed for years and years to the tax base and they also raised children. Is anything even discussed about age discrimination? No! Even though we have laws on the books it is almost impossible to prove age discrimination. But I would also ask the obvious question begging to be asked: why oh WHY would business with their bottom lines not want experienced, talented, women with lots of time to join their team? I do not have the answer, Mr. Richardson, but I do see the problem and it needs some looking into and these women need support!
*Also, besides women of any color, especially women and men of color are disproportionately under-employed and homeless. We need better discrimination laws.
*I am on the way to raising a 5th child (my 1 year old grandniece) and there is no safety net for her so she can have the loving attention she deserves. Right now funding is being cut for foster care and relative care is almost non-existent though many of us step up to the plate to raise these children. Older Americans already have enough problems with lost retirement funds, age discrimination for jobs, medicare forcing them to eat dogfood ~ now they are expected to act like 20 year olds and work that McJob, go to school functions, pay for clothes and shoes AND deal with their own growing health problems? Who the hell is going to nurture and take care of these children when we die of exhaustion?
*Because this little one's mother is HIV positive, schizophrenic, a drug addict, and homeless she will also not receive the help she desperately needs. I love this little girl, Mr Richardson ~ and I love her mother. But I am only one person and I had to make a horrifying choice. Help this child's mother or help her daughter. I chose to raise her daughter, Mr Richardson. I care deeply but I do not have the resources to take care of both and nobody cares about the homeless and the myriad of problems they have ~ this is creating even more problems because the government is not carefully considering what is needed to help the homeless, mentally ill, and drug addicted and what would truly help these people, so this generates even more problems, if you get my drift.
*Housing is so expensive most places that it is beyond a dream to even rent a place for many working poor. Isn't it time to look at this problem besides giving wealthy landlords even more property to own? Section 8 was actually cut this year when major cities all over the nation are teeming with homeless. How about creating communities where the poor can have ownership and the sense of belonging to a community?
*While the poor and middle class go to fight the war that the rich are so fervent about, who is paying for it? The poor and middle class, that's who! When are the rich going to pay for the war they wanted so badly and when are they going to send their own children to fight it?
*College education is out of the question for poor kids and adults who need re-education. When is that going to be funded?
*Your state, along with other states, has had some issues during elections and some close calls as to who won. We need paper verified voting. Until this is fixed there will always be suspicion and distrust for the people in power. Many of us no longer trust that our votes are counted or even that our vote COUNTS. Venezuela's poor turned out in droves and voted when for years they had basically given up. Shouldn't it matter that our vote counts here in the U.S., where a true democracy began?
I could go on, Governor and your suggestions were a good start, but we need more. I thought this country was made By The People And FOR the people. We are voting, volunteering, raising children to be there for the future of America, what else can we do? We have spent over 300 BILLION dollars on a war going nowhere ~ much of it wasted by Bush cronies making profit from the dying and tortured. Perhaps it is time to demand that the elected people in power step up like the rest of us have been doing and actually do what they were elected to do ~ work for the PEOPLE, not reward rampant greed by merely enriching themselves!
Cat In Seattle