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                         2009                          The REAL Year In Review

As 2009 closed, various media outlets spent a great deal of effort to review all the top news making events of the year.  Unfortunately, in all their hype and review, they seem to have missed a few which I feel are important:
  1. The beginning of 2009 saw gas prices around $1.75 a gallon for regular.  The end of 2009 saw prices running more than $2.60 a gallon, an increase of almost 50%!
  2. Consequently, during 2009 EVERYTHING from apples to zucchini increased at the grocery store; as did all other commodities and services to cover the increased cost of simply doing business.
  3. The impact of this increase in everyone’s cost of living resulted in people cutting back on their spending and that included making mortgage payments or purchasing a new home or car.
  4. This trickle-down effect was a major contributor to the housing bubble bursting which was also exacerbated by the fact that the government had been encouraging the issuance of low (or no down payment) mortgages to people who did not have the ability to even make the payments.
  5. As the economy began imploding, problems were further compounded by the loss of jobs. Across the nation unemployment exceeded 10%.
  6. But Eureka! In steps the government, and begins bailing out the financial market and other industries by giving them taxpayers money.  None of this trickled down to working individuals or to the unemployed. but it certainly helped the big executives with their 2009 bonuses, inflated salaries and stock options.
  7. When the auto industry and its unions cried for help, the government not only gave them money, they gave the auto dealers an incentive to sell new cars in exchange for “clunkers”.  So, the people who could afford to trade for a new car did so.   Then the government destroyed the trade-ins!  I guess so they would not be available to Americans who could not afford a new car?
  8. Then the government then decided to add to the problems and already increasing costs for American businesses were having to pay, by coming up with the Cap and Trade bill.
  9. As if that were not enough government meddling, they decide to reform healthcare.  Keep in mind how they helped the housing industry by artificially boosting the sale and financing of homes to people who could not make the payments.  Also keep in mind that they (Congress & Senate) have their own special healthcare program, fully funded by the taxpayers where they pay NOTHING.  (The healthcare system they are changing for the American voter is not good enough for them.)
  10. Since there isn’t enough money in the treasury to pay for all these wonderful give-always, they voted to increase the National debt.  Basically they are continuing their practice of printing and giving away money they do not have.  The result being that every dollar you earn today is worth less tomorrow.  When the Euro dollar was first issued, it was worth less than a US dollar.  Today it will take you more than $1.50 to buy a Euro dollar.  In short, our government has devalued the dollar and America’s standing with the rest of the world.  The major contributor to inflation is the government and its programs.
  11. Everyone knows that times are tough right now, with the cost of living increasing in 2009 and your dollars being worth less.  So, your Congress and Senate decided that the government could not afford any increase in Social Security benefits for 2010 and 2011.  They feel that Americans do not need any cost of living increases. (COLA)  However, Congress and the Senate did feel that THEY deserved cost of living increases for their 2-3 workday weeks.  The U.S. House & Senate voted themselves $4,700 and $5,300 raises, respectively, this past year. (They got THEIRS!) 
  12. Did you know that they increased your Medicaid premiums?  They will go up $285.60 over the next two years. Combine that tax increase with your Social Security loss COLA and your total two-year loss is about $1,600 or $3,200 for you and a spouse.

     

 Who is the Government?  According to the Constitution and the Preambles, it’s supposed to be “The People”.  We elect Representatives who are “supposed” to be doing as “We the People” dictate. The plain and simple truth of the matter is that our Representatives abandoned listening to the People long ago in favor of all the special-interest groups and lobbyist that fatten their re-election war chests, and in many cases the Representatives’ own private and selfish interests.  When Americans voted for “CHANGE” in 2008, I don’t think that these changes, bad decisions, and incompetence displayed by government in 2009, are what was envisioned. 

If the working and taxpaying Americans don’t go to the polls and vote many of the present Washington bureaucrats out of office in November of 2010, and replace them with some real-life working-class individuals, who have a strong respect for the values upon which this Nation was founded, this country may be past the point of being able to recover.  We need Congressmen and Senators whose values are based on working for what one gets, responsibility and accountability for one’s actions, dedication to the people and not the special interest groups for their funding; cutting big government, with its increasing regulations and incompetent administration, and eliminating the obsolete and outdated agencies, committees, and recently appointed czars.  Big government is NOT the solution … It is the PROBLEM!!! 

America’s capitalist system is driven by profit, the benefits of good competition, industrial innovation, and an ongoing history of building better mouse traps.  It has gotten to the point it is no longer affordable to build mouse traps in America.  So, American industries and millions of jobs have left America for other countries.  Basically, the entire industrial world of manufacturing has moved away from America because of increasing government regulation, intervention, and unwarranted minimum wage and benefit demands.  Add to that similar demands from many unions and it’s easy to see why almost everything you buy today is made in a foreign country.  And, it’s never going get corrected until we CHANGE our government.  Obviously the CHANGES promised by President Obama , the Democrats and the Nancy Pelosi driven philosophy of government  IS NOT WORKING!  Americans need to remember this in November!  Look at your representatives voting record before you vote!  If they did not vote the same way you feel on the issues, and if the changes in 2009 did not improve your life … then this time, CHANGE your Representative by voting them out in November!