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Reiss's Pieces
(by Week of November 12, 2008 - November 12, 2008)
Probably the most exciting thing that I have to say today is that by the time you read this, the election will be over and we will have a new president. And I, for one, am thrilled! As I write this, I am unable to really guess who will be elected, but by now the guessing is over and one of those two, McCain and Obama, one of them will be president. And good, bad or indifferent I don’t believe either of the two will be as bad as the past eight years.
What do we really want from our president? Well, for me, I would like to see this new president work to get the U.S. back to the role of world leader and make friends around the world. No country or world leader liked Bush and this feeling of distrust and dislike ruined a reputation that we had for over 300 years. It is amazing that anyone could have destroyed our reputation around the world in only eight years. It just goes to show you that cocky and dumb are characteristics that are recognized and unfortunately, set policy where they shouldn’t be. So, regardless of who has won this election, it has to be better. Our only problem would be if McCain has won and then dies, the thought of Sarah Palin as president is frightening enough to send me to Canada to live.
I am a voter. I have voted in every single election since I was old enough to register. And I am a firm believer that he who votes can whine and complain as much as needed. A non-voter means that you have to keep your mouth shut and live with whatever happens. What I find amazing is that we live in a country where we are able to vote. And this is such a wonderful gift. And yet I hear those who complain about the president, the governor and other elected officials but they don’t bother to vote themselves. I think the only way to get those people to vote is to take away their right to do so. Can you imagine what would happen if we took away the right to vote from every citizen? All those who sit home and complain would be the first to demand their rights! So, maybe that is what we should do.
Actually, I can’t imagine anything worse than being president of the United States. The stress must be all encompassing. And now, our president must figure out what to do about Iraq and Afghanistan, which is no easy task. But the worst has to be how to bring our economy back to a livable place. Everyone, or at least most everyone, works hard and tries to give their family the best life that they can. To have put your money in savings and then have it peter away and be left with nothing is not just unacceptable, it is an abomination! What are the working Americans supposed to do with their money? Being encouraged to put it back in the stock market and to spend it as liberally as possible just doesn’t feel right. But under the mattress isn’t that great an idea either. However, if you actually hide it yourself you might not make any interest on your money but you do get to keep the balance that you started with.
I used to wonder where my money went. This is the money that Malcolm and I have been saving for our ìold ageî for 45 years. And then I heard that all these banks and gigantic financial institutions that have either gone out of business or are sobbing because they are having such problems, took their share of the bailout that they received and paid their senior employees and presidents a huge amount of money before they shut their doors. And whose money do you think they used? Mine and yours, of course. Don’t think that this bailout money came from Oz or another place where wizards live. Nope, the money came from us and instead of using the money to help shore up our economy, it was used to make many individuals filthy rich. I would really complain but that was the Bush way of running his government and the rest of us can like it or lump it!
I don’t want anything from anyone. All I want is my money, which I worked very hard to earn. I’m now too old to work and I refuse to beg my children to use their money to keep Malcolm and me above water. We need to insist that our governor and president too, allow the senior citizen to live however they would like to live because they for the most part, earned it. To make seniors donate their money to financial greed is absolutely obscene. I can’t think of any other country on the planet that does such a thing. In the US, the senior citizen and the elderly are not only not revered, they are considered an annoyance that should be disposed of. So, if you are a senior be watchful and be careful.
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