Support our Troops - The Right Way

As I was driving to class this morning, I saw another one of those yellow "Support our Troops" magnetic car ribbons on the bumper of the vehicle I was behind.

In our society, the men and women serving in our nation's military are among the most respected and revered of any in our country. But there are times when I worry about the kind of message that we are sending them.

In the upcoming national budget, our nation's veterans are getting the shaft. Over the next two years, it is planned to have their benefits cut yet again despite the numerous amount of soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe battle wounds.

Moreover, not only are they getting the shaft on benefits but sometimes many of our wounded soldiers are treated in harsh and extremely bad conditions. A recent expose by Dana Priest of the Washington Post even went as far as saying that our vets have to deal with mice and deteriorating facilities while they undergo treatment.

It sickens me to hear this because our troops deserve so much better. We are the richest nation in the world and it is an absolute shame that our nation's finest are treated like this. If we truly support the troops then we need to do it in the right way.

In a recent interview, Chris Matthews asked a soldier about the recent political debate about the Iraq War in Congress and the effect it had on him as an American soldier. He stated that the ability and the privilege to have debate was exactly what the military was fighting for and said that debate should be occurring.

These men and women serve our country so that many of us do not have to but that in no way relieves us of our duties as Americans to think. Instead of overdone "Support our Troops" speeches from the Congress and White House, lets give them the proper funding and benefits that they have so rightfully earned.

Even though I will never see the person with the magnetic car ribbon ever again, I truly hope that they are with me on this. I hope that they have not put our troops in the back of their mind like they have the magnet on their car.

Fun Ride

As secondary schools, government offices, and banks close today, I have found myself sitting in the back of a college classroom on this nationally recognized holiday listening to a debate about taxing "junk" food.

The only problem with this is that I can barely hear the speakers up in the front of the classroom because many of them speak very softly with very low voice volume.

From what I can tell, I think the true debate should be more about self-control and less about taxing "junk" food. It made me remember a statement that one of my professors made once, "We live in a quick fix society in which we want quick solutions to fix our difficult problems."

Whether he was correct or not is open to interpretation but he definitely got me thinking. Good job Professor!

Oh well, if I have learned anything from working political campaigns it is that you cannot win every battle. However, you can become better at what you do and, as much as I hate to say this phrase, bolster your resume win or lose.

Even though I absolutely detest doing things just to improve your resume (one should do things because they enjoy it), it has become a necessary evil in our society to have a good one. At least, an organized one.

As I look at mine, I become very tired from all the work and very proud of the activities that I have participated in over the years. Even though it has been strenuous at times, I would not change a thing. From the small university club to the halls of Congress, it has been a fun ride.

Am I Really Capable of This?

I just finished reading that the United States Congress voted to give themselves today off so that some could travel to watch the BCS football game this evening.

Isn't that ridiculous? We the voters are told that they are going to get back to the five day work week and they take the day off for a football game. I consider myself a Democrat as much as the next person but aren't the problems of the American people more important than who wins the National Championship?

To be quite honest, I could use a day off tomorrow. It was a rough evening for me for both professional and personal reasons.

Anymore, I am starting to doubt my own abilities to deal with certain things within my professional and personal life. Lately, it has been much more difficult to succeed in these areas.

In the past, all I had to do was work hard and things would fall into place. That's the beauty of campaigning. The more you work, the more you get out of it. Of course, hard work is not a guarantee to winning an election but it certainly helps.

I am starting to wonder if I even have what it takes to do certain things. I used to never have any trouble with doing anything but anymore things are starting to get more and more difficult. I just wish that I could get out of this fog that I am in so that I can continue on.

Without a Map or a Flashlight

Today, President George W. Bush warned the incoming Democrat-controlled Congress about spending.

In his opinion piece that he submitted to the Wall Street Journal, "Bush warned that the Democrat-controlled Congress risks stalemate if it resorts to 'politics as usual' and tries to 'pass bills that are simply political statements.'"

I find this to be quite interesting that the President is talking about spending when he has turned the country's biggest government surplus into the biggest deficit within the last 6 years.

Moreover, it is equally shocking that our President would even think about talking about legislative stalemates when he has tried to divide Americans on the core issues that we all care about - faith, family, and the future.

It is up to all of us as Democrats, Republicans, and Americans to get this country back on the right track. Only we will be able to improve this country because our chief executive is still wandering aimlessly through the woods without a map or a flashlight.