Well paid....easy jobs.....

How would you like to have a good paying job, with excellent health care benefits, with unlimited fringe benefits that allow you to travel, meet people, live the social life, improve your love life with the complacency of your close friends, and appear to be virtuous, patriotic, and good in all areas of your public life? I can tell you about that job.

The job may be easy to execute, but not easy to get.

• First, you have to "sound good", so that people do not run for the exit when you begin to talk. Having a good voice is a valuable natural talent that did not cost you anything, to begin with. Acting skills are also a plus.
• Second, you need a lot of personal and economic support. Support of countless volunteers and financial gamblers who are willing to work for you, hoping to get back some of their investment later, should you get the job.
• Third, you have to be able to learn a few basic tenants, all of which fit in one 8 1/2X11 page. You must be able to use them to express lies that appear to be true. You must use them to distort reality to the point that even yourself become confused. You must accuse, insult and threaten anybody who does not agree with you. Extremely helpful is to scare the incompetent, the lazy or the sick who cannot think by themselves. And finally, oppose, say no, do not do anything or agree with anything which does not benefit you, your friends, and those who have supported you.

This job is easy, because according to what the tenants in the one page you memorized tell you, you do not have to do anything about problems because it is unnecessary: eventually things will get better by themselves if left alone. People like you are so good, compassionate and moral, that you will make sure to solve all existing problems, without government help. Interfering with them only makes matter worse. If you can do all of these, then YOU will be a success. It may take longer for everybody else, but YOU will be ok.

If the job just described sounds good to you, and you qualify, you can get it. All you need to do is to run as a Republican candidate for Congress.

Dashboard

Dashboard
It is Time for Democrats in Congress to show their Teeth!
The American people went to the polls in November to show their overwhelming support for the ideas that, then candidate Obama, was telling us were necessary to change the direction of this country. We elected him because he promised real change in the most important areas of public policy: healthcare, energy, and education.

The fact that the majority of the people voted for him is an indication that the people are expecting real results. It was also because of his success and the support for his initiatives that many representatives in Congress were able to retain their seats, and will be able to continue serving in the future.

The majority of the people, at least 60-65% of those who voted for change, are expecting the President to implement his promise of change even without the support of the minority opposition. We did not elect the President to get along with the minority, at the expense of not getting the programs he promised enacted this year. When it comes to healthcare reform, for example, we are expecting Universal, Single-payer insurance for all Americans. Additionally, and most important, a public option, to bring competition to the system and keep it honest and transparent.

We do not care if a minority of Republicans in Congress likes it or not. This is a Democracy, and the majority of the people voted for change. That is it! There will never be another opportunity for real change like this one, and the American people will not forgive those representatives in Congress who will not support change and vote in favor of healthcare reform.

Let us not forget that this is not a Republican Administration. They have had their say and they will never change the status-quo because a change is not favorable to them. They are the minority in America. After all, most of them already have good coverage, paid either by their employers, or by themselves, because they can afford it. That is why Republicans in Congress talk about the goodness of the system, because it is good for them, but not for the majority of Americans. There is where they go wrong: they have ignored the call of the people for change, and have not done anything, except continue supporting a system with higher costs, lower quality, and the promise of never getting any better.

It is indeed time for Democrats in Congress to show their teeth!
Posted by Luis C. Isaza E at 8:11 PM

It is Time for Democrats in Congress to show their Teeth!

The American people went to the polls in November to show their overwhelming support for the ideas that, then candidate Obama, was telling us were necessary to change the direction of this country. We elected him because he promised real change in the most important areas of public policy: healthcare, energy, and education.

The fact that the majority of the people voted for him is an indication that the people are expecting real results. It was also because of his success and the support for his initiatives that many representatives in Congress were able to retain their seats, and will be able to continue serving in the future.

The majority of the people, at least 60-65% of those who voted for change, are expecting the President to implement his promise of change even without the support of the minority opposition. We did not elect the President to get along with the minority, at the expense of not getting the programs he promised enacted this year. When it comes to healthcare reform, for example, we are expecting Universal, Single-payer insurance for all Americans. Additionally, and most important, a public option, to bring competition to the system and keep it honest and transparent.

We do not care if a minority of Republicans in Congress likes it or not. This is a Democracy, and the majority of the people voted for change. That is it! There will never be another opportunity for real change like this one, and the American people will not forgive those representatives in Congress who will not support change and vote in favor of healthcare reform.

Let us not forget that this is not a Republican Administration. They have had their say and they will never change the status-quo because a change is not favorable to them. They are the minority in America. After all, most of them already have good coverage, paid either by their employers, or by themselves, because they can afford it. That is why Republicans in Congress talk about the goodness of the system, because it is good for them, but not for the majority of Americans. There is where they go wrong: they have ignored the call of the people for change, and have not done anything, except continue supporting a system with higher costs, lower quality, and the promise of never getting any better.

It is indeed time for Democrats in Congress to show their teeth!

The Urgency of Involvement

One thing I learned from my involvement in the presidential election campaign last year. What I learned is the reason why I want to continue getting involved in the political process. What I learned is that the closer elections get, the less effective we are in getting our message across to our voters and getting our candidates elected.

During the feverish campaign (not only here in Miami-Dade but also in Forsyth County, NC.) to get then Senator Obama elected to the Presidency, we knock on many doors where we were made aware of one reality. The “potential” voters we called on were in desperate need to get either more information, get clarification on certain important issues, or just in need of being reassured that things would eventually get better if we won the presidential election.

The pressure then was to knock on as many doors as possible, to get as many people as possible to the polls. However, the lack of knowledge about the issues, the cynicism about the political process, and many times just the need for reassurance, kept many people away from the voting booth. In many cases, a little bit of information about an issue, a short explanation about a doubtful point, or the clear identification of how the opposition mixed myth with reality, was sufficient to get the voter on our side.

That is why I believe in the urgency of involvement, and in the need to make every possible tool available to us useful for the purpose of educating, informing, and gaining support. Congressional elections are already closer than we imagine, and our effort to get the message across has not started.

The Pope’s Visit to the Middle East

As a Christian Catholic who agrees with the Pope on the importance of freedom of religion and who believes in the necessity of peace, I am surprised that His Holiness has not made this trip before now. Peace between Israel and Palestine is the most important issue in world affairs today. Most countries, including members of the Arab League, Britain, the European Union, and the United States are deeply involved with, and concerned with the slow process of reaching an agreement between the representatives of Israel and those of the Palestinian people. Shining for its absence is the presence of the United Nation’s representatives in the mediation of the conflict.

There have never been better signs indicating the possibility of a long-term peace agreement than we can see now. I am not referring to the public statements of spoke- persons for either side that have more to do with publicity than with logical analysis of the real problem. There is not only a renewed concern of world opinion about the inefficacy of war as a means to resolve international conflicts, but there is a new age of “pragmatism” that offers many more possibilities of an agreement that the empty gestures and faked smiles that have accompanied the process in the last 20 years.

The two parties directly involved in the conflict know it, and the world looks upon this unnecessary conflict with sadness and reproach. There is no time to review legal documents and blame each other. Now is the time to recognize that war is a waste of money and moral reserve. History has taught us that silence at the suffering of many is unjust, immoral, impractical, and wasteful.

I wish all the God fearing, good willing people with something to say or do about this conflict to say it now, before it may be too late.

Marco Rubio to run for the US Senate

The thought of any more Florida Republicans in Congress is enough to make any thoughtful Democrat have a sudden attack of what will probably feel like “swine-flu”.
The question is whether we Democrats are prepared to do the necessary work to win the senatorial race, and not give the “Limbaugh boys” a chance to continue the kind of policies they have implemented in the State with the unacceptable results that we are all seeing.

I believe that we Democrats in Florida and Miami-Dade should not feel very proud of our accomplishments. Our victory and political achievement is the result of two very clear historical events: the catastrophic failure of the Republican Party who gave such preeminence to the voice of the extreme right in their constituency, and the unbelievable triumph of one person, called Obama.

Now that the race is on, the first thing that we hear from our potential candidates is not any particular strategy or plan that may ensure the success in putting a democrat in the seat of Mel Martinez, but the same old criticism of the party of “NO” and requests for “donations”, as if just making donations would ensure our victory. Did we learn anything from the past candidacy of Raul Martinez, Joe Garcia, and Annette Tadeo?

It is time for the Miami Democratic Party to assume the leadership and the responsibility in planning winning strategies and in directing the efforts of the registered voters to get our candidates elected. The best thing the leadership can do to ensure success, is to take into account what the voters think and what they can do for the party. It seems to me that just asking for donations and/or criticizing the extreme right of the Republican Party is not the right strategy for Democrats.

DEC Meetings

After several attempts to be a member of the DEC, I was finally sworn in during the last committee meeting. The swearing in portion of the agenda almost did not happen for reasons that I still cannot understand. I hope what happened at this meeting is not an indication of the importance the DEC gives to the acceptance of new members.

A couple of suggestions I would like to make, in order to help the meetings run more smoothly, are as follows:

• Once the meeting has started, and quorum verified, members should stay in the room until all the items in the Agenda have been discussed in the order scheduled.
• Publish the minutes of the meetings in the website within one week of the meeting, to inform the membership, especially those who were unable to attend. It is also useful to give an opportunity to the attendees to clarify any misunderstandings, as well as to incorporate any points discussed but that were not included in the minutes. Publish reports of the Treasurer and Budget details of revenues and expenses in the website in order to give transparency to the financial dealings of the organization and to make the leadership accountable for the good use of financial resources.

I look forward to attending more productive and smoother meetings. Our objective should be doing all we can to be effective and organized to win elections.