The way I see it today’s politician is the lowest form of life. “By The People For The People” is just a dream in today’s society. The mere concept of a lifetime politician breeds contempt. Those of the “Golden Spoon” trying to relate to us regular folk and deciding what is good for this country.

I am neither Democrat or Republican. Although I do tend to lean a bit right as I do have a brain. The entitlement mindset of the left will have us all wearing Kimono’s and picking rice before long. Come on, how long can we continue to run the deficit up to levels that soon numbers will be unable to track. (At least the common man will be unable to pronounce the number). Common sense dictates this must stop.

But the division in this country is at an all time high. The airwaves are packed with people touting the right vs. the left. The country and our well being are secondary at best. And “We The People” are a thing of the past. Come on people…Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid…These people have never done or accomplished anything in their entire miserable lives. Had John McCain won then at least we would have had a leader with real world experience. But McCain is not a politician. He has integrity. He is an honest soldier who fought for his country. Barack Obama hates America and what it stands for. Apologizing to the world and kissing the world’s ass.

We need a leader who has met a payroll. A leader who has been through the trials and tribulations of making things work. Not someone who consistently blames George Bush and Fox news for his daily blunders. Allan Grayson calling Republicans “The Enemy”…This stupid bastard should be taken to prison to meet Bubba. The level of corruption in Washington is beyond the scope of most Americans. Or the world for that matter. It may be worse (and I think it is elsewhere), but I live in America and I am pissed off.

They all spend 95+% of their time blaming the other side for what they all created. Republicans and Democrats. They all suck. Let them step out in the real world where what they do has an effect on how they are treated. They spend their entire efforts on getting re-elected. And it is on our dime. How often does a politician lie…only when their lips move.

Now comes health care. Oh My God. This scares anyone with a brain. Washington stuffed shirts deciding our fate when it comes to our medical choices. As of late it seems that Congress will be exempt from the plan put fourth for the masses. What’s up with that.

Whether you are Liberal or Conservative or somewhere in between if you can stomach this you either don’t care or don’t understand or your stupid. The self serving politicians are about to take one more step toward creating a permanent underclass that depends on them for their very existence. Step up to the trough…it’s feeding time. The Government tit is waiting.

Recently, I approached a traffic light where a man stood in shabby clothes with a three-legged dog by his side. As I waited for the light to change I looked at this scene with compassion and felt an urge to contribute something. The sign he was carrying indicated that he was homeless.
 
The people in my car commented that he was a strong young man, there were plenty of employment opportunities, and why should anyone give to people who are capable of working. They indicated a kind of mild contempt for this man soliciting funds whom they felt “should” be working. My thoughts were on him and the fact that he cared for and fed this crippled dog. I rolled down the window and gave him several dollars for which he expressed enormous gratitude.
 
As the companions in my car semi-scolded me for being a sucker and for enabling him to continue to be a beggar I thought of some words of Mother Teresa. “You see, in the final analysis, it is all between you and God, it was never between you and them anyway.” Truly this was not between me and my friends in the car, nor was it between that homeless man and me. It was between God and me. Something inside of me urged me to extend love and a little cash to the man and his dog. That “something” was a fleeting moment of consulting my soul.
 
To me, spiritual and physical are not two separate dimensions of reality. I think of spiritual practice as a way of making my life work at a higher level and receiving guidance for handling my problems. The ways in which I do this involve a few simple, basic practices:
 
Surrender is the most crucial and perhaps most difficult for me. In surrendering, my thoughts are something like this: I simply do not know how to resolve this situation and I am turning it over to the same force that I turn my physical body over to every night when I go to sleep. I trust in this unseen part of me to keep my heart beating, my blood circulating, and so on.
 
Accessing spiritual solutions means converting my inner thoughts and feelings from discord and disharmony to love. In the spirit of surrender and love I silently chant, “I invite the highest good for all concerned to be here now.” I try to see anger, hatred and disharmony as invitations to surrender and love. With this understanding I have the option to allow spirit to manifest and work through me. I believe my spirit is inseparable from the infinite. Having a relationship with the infinite part of myself encourages my recognition of spiritual solutions. The awareness of my infinite nature is terrific for putting everything into perspective.
 
My approach to problem-solving involves cultivating an empty mind. In this space I listen, and allow myself to have complete faith that I will be guided in the direction of resolution. I let go of my ideas about how something should be resolved.
 
Does this mean I’m suggesting that you always give money to people who ask for it? No. But I am suggesting that the next time you see someone asking for money, look at that situation as being between you and your spiritual consciousness – between you and God. Consult your soul and if you feel that you don’t want to give, don’t. But rather than letting anger or judgment rule the moment, offer that person a silent blessing from the part of you that is a part of him.
 
Finding spiritual solutions to my life’s problems always involves generosity and gratefulness. For me, this means giving my life to my soul purpose and being grateful for the opportunity to do so. I believe that I get back from the world what I put out to the world, not only physically but also in terms of my thoughts. So, I recommend spiritual practices that involve being generous and grateful with thoughts as well as actions.
 
Nurturing a sense of connectedness to everyone and everything invites spiritual solutions. When I see myself as connected I am not looking for occasions to be offended or to judge. I don’t see anyone as my enemy or an obstacle. This is how I relinquish negative self-talk and connect to the solutions that are available to me. In moments of despair I try to affirm, “I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing that is separate from me.”
 
Finally I choose cheerfulness as a gauge of my level of spiritual consciousness at any given moment. The more cheerful, happy, contented, and satisfied I am feeling, the more aware I am of my connection to spirit.
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, affectionately called the “father of motivation” by his fans, is one of the most widely known and respected people in the field of self-empowerment. He became a well-known author with his best selling book, Your Erroneous Zones, and has gone on to write many other self-help classics, including Meditations for Manifesting, Staying on the Path, Your Sacred Self, Everyday Wisdom, and You’ll See It When You Believe It.

This is meant to be a manageable approach to what may seem like an overwhelming situation. Breaking things down in this manner gives one a sense of achievement in conquering this undesirable aspect of one’s life.

I would like to take credit for this but the fact is that this was an approach I came upon when trying to redirect my own life. It seems to be working for me so therefore I am passing it along. I gained this knowledge from inthe6th.com…a very good site for inspiration and guidance.

The issues you have in life are never about another person, in truth they are about yourself. To recognize and accept this fact is the first step in dealing with your emotions in a positive manner. We often see in others what we do not like about ourselves, therefore projecting those feeling onto others.

We all possess more power, in a spiritual sense, than we think. When an effort is made to look inside ourselves to find understanding and acceptance where before you had none, we can usually get to that point. This positive approach is noticed by others and returned in the same fashion.

And negative things, too, are mirrored in this way. If you feel resentful much of the time for the hardships you have faced in life, you are likely to attract more reasons to be resentful. And you will attract other people who are resentful themselves, perhaps toward you. And you will see people being resentful even when in fact they are not.

You can use this information to help you see yourself more objectively, to bring to the surface issues that you have previously buried.

To move forward we need to change the energy we put out so that we attract the people and circumstances that match our true goals, our true self, rather than the suppressed and unfinished business of childhood or the decisions we made as a result of painful past experiences. Placing blame on others only sets the stage for that situation to reappear until we acknowledge the life lesson and evolve as a person. Healing comes from taking self responsibility and changing our perception of the event or person.

Power is recognizing that you are the source of your life – that you create in your subjective reality (your beliefs) and this is mirrored in the physical world through the power of God, of which we are each a part. The vibration and energy of God’s power is Love. If our creation is not of love then it comes back and hits us in the face and from that we learn. That’s Karma.

Can someone tell me any area other than the military that the government has run effectively? No you can’t because it does not exist. The reason the military is so effective is that they do not have to adhere to the “politically correct” corrupt policies set fourth to shackle the public sector in order to be “fair” to everyone. If you stray from the line in the military you get your ass kicked plain and simple. Thank God for that. A simple concept taught to most as a child…You play with fire, you get burned.

First of all let me say that I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I am a conservative when it comes to Government involvement. The entire concept of a career politician escapes me. How can someone who has never met a payroll, or ran a business give advice or provide leadership to our country. The elitist, self indulgent attitude of Washington politicians is very disturbing to say the least. Just a thought…Maybe, just maybe they could adhere to the same systems they force upon the masses. Sorry that was just a dream.

If the “sleeping giant” would in fact wake up then the process could possibly work as planned. “For the people, by the people” comes to mind. A concept totally ignored by the purchased plants in Washington. The latest town hall activity shows a much needed spark. Written off by the left as “astro turf” but we all know the reality. America is sick of being played by special interest and Socialist leaning politicians.

It appears to me that Washington wants to create a permanent underclass of people that needs them in order to survive. A sad set of circumstances that has been attempted many times throughout history. Liberty and freedom have always prevailed. As it will again. Things may get a bit tedious in the near future but never doubt the power of freedom. It is a basic human nature that can’t be defeated in the long run. Peace out.

BTW…DO NOT DRINK THE PUNCH

Our only hope is that we can survive another 3 1/2 years of this. But then again who know’s we may all be working in rice fields by then. Every day brings a new lie. The only time Obama lies is when his lips move. Meanwhile Joe Biden is busy pulling his foot out of his mouth. Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank…Jesus Christ what a joke. We are the laughing stock of the entire world. Don’t take my word for it, just use your net to take a look around. They play this stupid patsy like a bad fiddle.

So this is what the left and the so called stars in Hollywood wanted. So be it…maybe they can pitch in and get their hands dirty when all thats left is to pick up the pieces. If I were a millionaire and set for life then maybe I too would be able to stomach this ruination of our country. But I would like to think I would never sink that low.

The only hope for this country is to weed out the liberal congress in the upcomming election. That would at least put shackles on this paper lion.

The author, Lou Pritchett, is a well-known public speaker who retired after a successful 36-year career as the VP World Sales for Proctor and Gamble. He is one of corporate America’s true living legends, an acclaimed author, dynamic teacher and one of the world’s highest rated speakers. Successful corporate executives everywhere recognize him as the foremost leader in change management. Lou changed the way America does business by creating an audacious concept that came to be known as “partnering.” Pritchett rose from soap salesman to Vice-President, Sales and Customer Development for Procter and Gamble and over the course of 36 years, made corporate history.

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

Dear President Obama:

You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don’t understand it at its core..

You scare me because you lack humility and ‘class’, always blaming others.

You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.

You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the ‘blame America’ crowd and deliver this message abroad.

You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

You scare me because you prefer ‘windmills’ to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.

You scare me because you have begun to use ‘extortion’ tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.

You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.

You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.

You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O’Riellys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.

You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

Checked Snopes at: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/youscareme.asp

Also checked at: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/pritchett-obama-youscareme.htm

Growing up a loner has advantages as well as disadvantages. While you have no one to count on or to share with, conversely there is no one to disappoint either. Weather it be you or they. In retrospect I believe that it is not the way to go, but at the time there did not seem to be a choice. It seemed to be the only option to me.

Over the years I have found many ways to channel my energy. My love of music led to participation in a band. Writing songs and truly enjoying the beauty of making music. I played in front of crowds in bars and parks and once even appeared on TV. Never got famous but I did enjoy the ride. By the way, the TV appearance was a local public access station but it was still TV.

At the age of thirteen I started the study of Martial Arts. Okinawain Shito-Ryu. I received my Black Belt ranking on my sixteenth birthday. I then went on to fight in competition and taught full time for a few years.

Then after a period of fighting and taking the blows I entered the corporate world as a draftsman in an Engineering firm. I worked my way up the ladder to become Operations Manager in a three year period. After which I went into the sales/marketing aspect of the business. I had found my calling. Traveling around the country to find business for the firm. Living what I thought was a good life. Never thinking about tomorrow or yesterday. It was all about the present. The good times seemed to be a newfound oasis. Friends and money were always right there. The thought of it ending never crossed my mind.

All habits developed along the way did not recognize then end of the era. The money had to continue or it all would end. Guess what…it ended. The parties became few and far between and the friends started to fade. The phone did not ring as much as it used to. The country and the economy were in a transition and so was I. My short ride to the top of the hill had ended. I handled it very poorly.

Substance abuse seemed to be the answer. It would ease the pain until it wore off. The logic being not to let it wear off. Booze, pills and powders where the entree’s served on what became a daily basis. Walking a tightrope. Each time the pain would surface you just had to self medicate. What a concept. Until the rope snaps.

When it snaps you lose it all. Job, family, money, friends, self respect, all are lost in what seems to be a blink of the eye. Actually it took quite some time but you are not able to see that until you return to some sense of reality. In the final stages you see it coming. Everything you had you can see in the bottom of your glass just before you justify another drink in your mind.

The road back ain’t no bargain either. Regrets and questioning consume every thought. Some understand, some don’t. That is secondary to the battle. It’s been a year now for me since I woke up in the hospital. The quest continues…I’ll get back at ya.

In my younger years I recall the lad with fight and vigor that questioned all he did not understand. He would continue his plight until an answer (or a thought that would pacify) was found. Refusal to accept status quo was the order of the day. It was all about the journey. Finding the answer at times seemed secondary. Sometimes even totally forgotten. To carry on the fight was all that mattered. If I recall correctly winning even became somewhat unimportant. But being in the battle meant everything. Wearing our scares with pride. Sometimes gathering to compare battle wounds was something we all looked forward to.

After a few years on the front the angst began to fade somewhat. Acceptance looked oh so much better each and every day. One had to look deeply for the fire that once guided each and every move you made. It was still there but a bit harder to stoke. It now took a concentrated effort to get the fire blazing once again. But believe me it could be done

All signs seemed to point to “The path of least resistance”, but not being ready to take the exit I continued to search. At times it seemed like a lost cause at best. But I refused to let it die. Because I truly believed that I would die with it. The cause was the very core of my being. But to this day I have yet to identify what the “cause” is or what it really means. Seems a bit strange to dedicate ones life to something they can’t even identify. But the fear of losing what you may think you live for can send one into frenzy.

Another decade goes by and retrospect is the order of the day. A continuous thought process of “what if I had done this”…would things be different. It can be a healthy exercise from the learning from ones mistakes point of view but, to continue to second guess yourself hardly seems like a positive thing. But this reasoning does not change the process. The ability to see what is happening enables one to cope with it.

On to the next step. 50 Years old….long line of mistakes…some things done right also…What’s next? What a question. You would think after so many things happening that one could use the powers of deduction to choose the correct path. Well that’s what I was counting on…But it ain’t the case. Some things never change. I do have a “database” of things to reflect upon but the decision is still up to me. The problem or the solution…once again.

So with all that in mind I will continue to fight for the answers. May take a bit longer to get to the line these days, but trust me…I’ll be there. You may also get to the other end of the battlefield a bit quicker…but guess what…I’ be there…When it’s all said and done and people speak of our memories…when they speak of me they will say…He was always there.

Throughout my 50 years on this earth I have always been very proud to be an American. I have been through many stages of public opinion as to the popularity of that title. I remember many milestones during those years that defined what it means to be an American.

Years of trials and tribulations have molded what is still to me the greatest country in the world. Many ask why we are the greatest. My answer is this…we have the freedom to form our opinions and oppose our fellow man in a peaceful manner. The ability to participate in the process of governing our country in a small way. Unlike other countries we can vote for who we feel is the best at the time. With few exceptions the people elected seem to do their best to keep our great country on the right path.

The ability to be heard is imperative in our society. Along with the need and ability to express ones self,  the basis of democracy is achieved. Regardless of your political stance one thing remains a constant. That is the passion to better our country and the people in it. Liberals and Conservatives alike will continue to do what they think is best for our country. At time we all wish they would cooperate with each other better, the fact still remains that they all have the betterment of our country at heart.

We often question the other side’s decisions and their motives. That is exactly what makes this country great. There are entirely too many places where the opposing viewpoint is simply ignored. Over time that kills the spirit of the people and causes dissension amongst the masses. I thank God for not being in that situation.

We as Americans have always been the most ridiculed and hated around the world. But conversely we are also the first ones called when help is needed. Imagine that. Rarely do we refuse to help in the human rights arena. USA to the rescue is status quo throughout history. Only to later be scorned by the very people we helped. But our mission does not lose its course, it does not waiver.

So in closing I for one am proud to be an American. I like many, stand up for your right to your opinion. I recognize your right to scorn America and to defile our mission. I just happen to disagree. That’s my right.

Justification then ensues in your mind. Telling yourself that they are now in a better place. If the person happened to be in great pain at the time then the thought of relief tends to enter into your hopes for their soul. All the time wondering what really happens after their death. No matter how strong your faith this is a time that you question the entire process.

I have often asked the question “Am I grieving for them, or am I grieving for me”. The answer is both I would think. If the person was close to you an immediate void is created in your life that you must learn to deal with. This can have a very negative effect and can even induce a stage of panic. Being with friends and family at this point is imperative in my view in order to sort things out in your own mind.

I have had to deal with this issue many times throughout my life. My approach has always been to reflect on the positive things about the person. The things that made you love or respect the person that has passed. I pick a certain situation that will portray the subject in the most positive manner in my mind. I guess it is my way of honoring the memory of that individual.

In my younger years I never really understood the entire process. It always seemed unfair that certain people were taken early in their lives and others less deserving were allowed to continue. I still today question that same process. But apparently age and repetition have made it a bit easier to deal with. I would hate to admit that I am becoming numb to the concept but that very well may be occurring. Death is a part of life. One must accept that. Everyone is different in their acceptance. We all deal with it in our own way.

Knowing that death is inevitable should allow us to use it in a positive manner. Find a way to honor the memory of the ones you love and not dwell on the pain of your loss. I am quite aware that this is much easier said than done. My only wish is that I could actually follow this advice myself.