Sharing a Recent Post from my other Blog

I took a risk and put this on my 'author's' blog.  Usually when I mention anything political, I lose readers, but in this case, I didn't.  Strange...a few years back, a woman I considered a very close friend wrote me off because I said something negative about Obama when he was first running for office.  She saw him as the second coming of Lord, I suppose.  A true friend wouldn't care if we didn't agree on everything, so I guess I didn't really lose anything, did I?

Ginger is Wearing a Different Hat Today!

I'm an author, but today I'm stepping away from the world of fiction writing where I can sweep myself away to a different era, civilization, and a place where everything has a happily-ever-after and addressing what has happened to the population's voice when it comes to government.  I want changes, but I have no idea how to initiate them.  I wonder why so many take the time to write scathing reviews about fictional works on Amazon, but when it comes to what's really important in life, no one seems to find the time or a way to speak out.

Rumors of siphoning money from Medicare trust to pay for Obamacare ran rampant during the campaign between the President and Romney.  Who knows if that's true, but it made me wonder why Bernie Madoff went to prison for Ponzie scheming people out of millions when, if the rumor is true, what makes a difference between Bernie's actions and the Government infringing on money we've paid for through our jobs all these years?  Even more, I wonder if government officials would be so quick to initiate Obamacare if they had to "endure" it. Aren't they Americans?  Why are they exempt from something they can vote into our futures?  My insurance increased this year, my coverage decreased, and my drug costs went up, too.  When I asked my doctor about the future of the medical profession, he wasn't able to offer any assurance that things would improve...in fact doctors are leaving the profession and a shortage is sure to occur. I honestly don't want the government determining my health care needs.

What bothers me more is that I cannot figure out why we continue to re-elect the same stale politicians when what we want is hope and CHANGE.  We at least have the good sense to allow two terms for the Commander-In-Chief, yet we continue to send back old-timers who are more interested in taking a side than considering the issues at hand.  That line dividing our country (GOP/DEM) is killing us.  Why don't we have term limits instead of electing people to a career position where they continue to pad their pockets and vote themselves raises.  Did you know they recently received one?  Did you?  Only one member, and he happened to be a Republican, refused a raise during a time when most Americans are struggling to get by day-to-day.  Now that's what I call noble.  It's time to do away with party lines and become ONE NATION, indivisible, under GOD with liberty and justice for all!

Here's a list I got from the Internet that lists how long people have been in Office.  I got it from Wikipedia, so I can only assume it's accurate although somewhat dated since I know some of the people listed have since died.  No doubt, had they not passed, they would still be serving.  I recall seeing Strom Thurmond carried in on a stretcher in order to cast a vote.

HOUSE AND SENATE TIME

Total tenure rank	Uninterrupted rank	Name	Party affiliation	Total tenure time	Uninterrupted time
1	1	Robert Byrd(H,S)	Democratic Party	57 years, 176 days	57 years, 176 days
2	2	John Dingell(H)	Democratic Party	57 years, 22 days	57 years, 22 days
3	3	Carl Hayden(H,S)	Democratic Party	56 years, 319 days	56 years, 319 days
4	4	Daniel Inouye(H,S)	Democratic Party	53 years, 118 days	53 years, 118 days
5	5	Jamie L. Whitten (H)	Democratic Party	53 years, 60 days	53 years, 60 days
6	6	Carl Vinson(H)	Democratic Party	50 years, 61 days	50 years, 61 days
7	7	Emanuel Celler (H)	Democratic Party	49 years, 305 days	49 years, 305 days
8	8	Sam Rayburn(H)	Democratic Party	48 years, 257 days	48 years, 257 days
9	9	John Conyers(H)	Democratic Party	48 years, 1 day	48 years, 1 day
10		Sidney R. Yates (H,I)	Democratic Party	48 years, 0 days	n/a
11	12	Strom Thurmond(S,I)	Republican Party	47 years, 159 days	46 years, 57 days
12	10	Wright Patman(H)	Democratic Party	47 years, 3 days	47 years, 3 days
13	11	Ted Kennedy(S)	Democratic Party	46 years, 292 days	46 years, 292 days
14		Joseph Gurney Cannon (H,I)	Republican Party	46 years, 0 days	n/a
15	13	Adolph J. Sabath (H)	Democratic Party	45 years, 247 days	45 years, 247 days
16	14	J. Lister Hill(H,S)	Democratic Party	45 years, 142 days	45 years, 142 days
17	15	George H. Mahon (H)	Democratic Party	44 years, 0 days	44 years, 0 days
18	16	Warren Magnuson(H,S)	Democratic Party	44 years, 0 days	44 years, 0 days
19	17	Charles Edward Bennett (H)	Democratic Party	44 years, 0 days	44 years, 0 days
20	18	Justin Smith Morrill (H,S)	Republican Party	43 years, 299 days	43 years, 299 days
21		William B. Allison (H,S,I)	Republican Party	43 years, 152 days	n/a
22	19	Charles Melvin Price(H)	Democratic Party	43 years, 110 days	43 years, 110 days
23	20	Henry M. Jackson (H,S)	Democratic Party	42 years, 241 days	42 years, 241 days
24		Carter Glass(H,S,I)	Democratic Party	42 years, 157 days	n/a
25	21	John William McCormack(H)	Democratic Party	42 years, 58 days	42 years, 58 days
26	22	Charles B. Rangel (H)	Democratic Party	42 years, 1 day	42 years, 1 day
27	23	Bill Young (H)	Republican Party	42 years, 1 day	42 years, 1 day
28	24	John Sparkman(H,S)	Democratic Party	42 years, 0 days	42 years, 0 days
29	25	William R. Poage (H)	Democratic Party	42 years, 0 days	42 years, 0 days
30	26	Jack Brooks(H)	Democratic Party	42 years, 0 days	42 years, 0 days
31	27	Robert L. Doughton (H)	Democratic Party	41 years, 305 days	41 years, 305 days
32	28	Joseph William Martin, Jr. (H)	Republican Party	41 years, 305 days	41 years, 305 days
33	29	Dave Obey(H)	Democratic Party	41 years, 276 days	41 years, 276 days
34	30	Clarence Cannon (H)	Democratic Party	41 years, 69 days	41 years, 69 days
35	31	John C. Stennis (S)	Democratic Party	41 years, 59 days	41 years, 59 days
36	32	Kenneth McKellar (H,S)	Democratic Party	41 years, 30 days	41 years, 30 days
37	33	William Huston Natcher (H)	Democratic Party	40 years, 240 days	40 years, 240 days
38		Claude Pepper (H,S,I)	Democratic Party	40 years, 207 days	n/a
39	34	William P. Frye (H,S)	Republican Party	40 years, 157 days	40 years, 157 days
40	35	Ted Stevens(S)	Republican Party	40 years, 10 days	40 years, 10 days
41	36	Thad Cochran(H,S)	Republican Party	40 years, 1 day	40 years, 1 day
42	37	Carl Curtis(H,S)	Republican Party	40 years, 0 days	40 years, 0 days
43	38	Peter W. Rodino (H)	Democratic Party	40 years, 0 days	40 years, 0 days
44	39	Pete Stark (H)	Democratic Party	40 years, 0 days	40 years, 0 days
45		Jennings Randolph(H,S,I)	Democratic Party	39 years, 364 days	n/a
46		Eugene Hale(H,S,I)	Republican Party	39 years, 363 days	n/a
47	40	Leslie C. Arends (H)	Republican Party	39 years, 362 days	39 years, 362 days
48	41	Daniel A. Reed (H)	Republican Party	39 years, 352 days	39 years, 352 days
49	42	George William Norris(H,S)	Republican Party	39 years, 305 days	39 years, 305 days
50	43	John Taber(H)	Republican Party	39 years, 305 days	39 years, 305 days
51	44	William M. Colmer (H)	Democratic Party	39 years, 305 days	39 years, 305 days
52	45	Don Young(H)	Republican Party	39 years, 304 days	39 years, 304 days
53		Samuel Smith(H,S,I)	Democratic Party	39 years, 9 days	n/a
54		John Little McClellan(H,S,I)	Democratic Party	38 years, 329 days	n/a
55	46	Morris Sheppard(H,S)	Democratic Party	38 years, 145 days	38 years, 145 days
56	47	Ernest Hollings (S)	Democratic Party	38 years, 55 days	38 years, 55 days
57	48	Richard Russell, Jr.(S)	Democratic Party	38 years, 9 days	38 years, 9 days
58		John Sherman(H,S,I)	Republican Party	38 years, 4 days	n/a
59	49	Russell B. Long (S)	Democratic Party	38 years, 3 days	38 years, 3 days
60	50	Patrick Leahy(S)	Democratic Party	38 years, 1 day	38 years, 1 day
61	51	Max Baucus(H,S)	Democratic Party	38 years, 1 day	38 years, 1 day
62	52	Chuck Grassley(H,S)	Republican Party	38 years, 1 day	38 years, 1 day
63	53	Tom Harkin(H,S)	Democratic Party	38 years, 1 day	38 years, 1 day
64	54	George Miller(H)	Democratic Party	38 years, 1 day	38 years, 1 day
65	55	Henry Waxman (H)	Democratic Party	38 years, 1 day	38 years, 1 day
66	56	Frederick H. Gillett (H,S)	Republican Party	38 years, 0 days	38 years, 0 days
67	57	Wilbur Mills(H)	Democratic Party	38 years, 0 days	38 years, 0 days
68	58	Dante Fascell(H)	Democratic Party	38 years, 0 days	38 years, 0 days
69	59	Robert H. Michel (H)	Republican Party	38 years, 0 days	38 years, 0 days
70		Robert Crosser (H,I)	Democratic Party	37 years, 305 days	n/a
71		Robert L. F. Sikes (H,I)	Democratic Party	37 years, 290 days	n/a
72	60	Nathaniel Macon (H,S)	Democratic-Republican Party	37 years, 255 days	37 years, 255 days
73	61	Henry Cabot Lodge (H,S)	Republican Party	37 years, 250 days	37 years, 250 days
74		Alben W. Barkley(H,S,I)	Democratic Party	37 years, 74 days	n/a
75	62	Henry B. Gonzalez (H)	Democratic Party	37 years, 60 days	37 years, 60 days
76		Francis E. Warren (S,I)	Republican Party	37 years, 6 days	n/a
77		James Eastland (S,I)	Democratic Party	36 years, 83 days	n/a
78	63	Ed Markey (H)	Democratic Party	36 years, 63 days	36 years, 63 days
79	64	Joe Biden (S)	Democratic Party	36 years, 12 days	36 years, 12 days
80	65	John Murtha(H)	Democratic Party	36 years, 3 days	36 years, 3 days
81	66	Orrin Hatch(S)	Republican Party	36 years, 1 day	36 years, 1 day
82	67	Barbara Mikulski (H,S)	Democratic Party	36 years, 1 day	36 years, 1 day
83	68	Nick Rahall(H)	Democratic Party	36 years, 1 day	36 years, 1 day
84	69	Henry L. Dawes (H,S)	Republican Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
85	70	Felix Edward Hébert (H)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
86	71	Edward Boland (H)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
87	72	William Broomfield (H)	Republican Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
88	73	Dan Rostenkowski(H)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
89	74	Neal Edward Smith (H)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
90	75	Claiborne Pell(S)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
91	76	Joseph McDade (H)	Republican Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
92	77	Paul Sarbanes(H,S)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
93	78	Pete Domenici(S)	Republican Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
94	79	Ralph Regula(H)	Republican Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
95	80	Christopher Dodd (H,S)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
96	81	James Oberstar (H)	Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
97	79	Richard Lugar(S)	Republican Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
98	80	Daniel Akaka(H,S)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
99	81	Norman D. Dicks (H)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
100	82	Dale Kildee(H)	Democratic Party	36 years, 0 days	36 years, 0 days
101		Shelby M. Cullom (H,S,I)	Republican Party	36 years, 0 days	n/a
102		Henry A. Cooper (H,I)

Just in case you're interested, you might want to check out this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_living_United_States_Senator and note which are still serving.

Here's proof that some people just never go away:

http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/local/story/Reids-tenure-in-Congress-now-states-longest/Ih-qKmcvWECLZ_mpsePcjA.cspx?rss=3269

California and Nevada are two of the most financially devastated states and when it came time to vote, they put the same politicians right back into office.  Does that make sense to anyone?  I am neither Democrat or Republican....I chose candidates personally, not by a party affiliation.  It's time to speak out, and this is my opportunity to do so and I took it.

Remember, the content reflects my opinions, and according to the constitution, at least for now, I'm still entitled to have a few.  I'm putting away my soapbox and getting back to doing what I enjoy most...writing novels.  There I can forget reality.