What? You want me to VOTE AGAIN? WHY?

What? You want me to VOTE AGAIN? WHY?

SO there's been all this talk about the MID Term ELECTIONS. And some of you are scratching your heads like "huh? Why do I have to vote again-I just voted for President 2 years ago." Well yes-you did.-and because of the huge outpouring of voters inspired by Barack Obama-we elected the first African American President in a HUGE victory over Republican John McCain and his sidekick Sarah "I can see Russia from my house" Palin. It was an amazing moment in time. Voter registration was through the roof and 3 million more Democrats registered. It was amazing.

Within his first couple weeks in office Mr Obama signed several executive orders and got to work on fixing this mess of a nation that the previous 8 years got us into. Under the Bush administration Big Business, Banks and Oil were living the life. Deregulation allowed these businesses to do pretty much what the hell they wanted. Banks weren't checked or regulated and predatory lending took place. Don't know what that means? Well let me break it down for you right quick-basically banks were finding ways to make HUGE loans to people making small money. By any means necessary. Most times they knew that this loan would be detrimental to the borrowers and it was only a matter of time before it would all come crumbling down. Here's an example-and I will admit that I was a victim at one point before I caught on. Banks would give you an interest only loan for the first 2 years so your payment would be super low-but then after 2 years it would "Adjust" to a much higher interest rate and you would be STUCK. But the banks had already made their money. And let me break one more thing down on JUST how much these banks are making. I took out a loan for $500,000 and I looked at the amount of money I will have paid them once the 30 year mortgage was paid-and it ended up being 3 times more than the original amount! That's right a $500,000 house would cost me $1.2 million dollars! That's how much banks make with interest!! So of COURSE it is in their best intrest to sign as many people up as they can no matter if it will break you or not! SO that is just ONE of the things that have led us to where we are FINANCIALLY. It is NOT OBAMAS FAULT. He is trying to get more regulations and reform the banks. OK?

OK cool...now....let's move on-sorry I got a little off track... why do you need to vote on NOVEMBER 2nd? Well Yes Obama is in office but we have the House of Representatives and the Senate. Right now the majority in office are Democrats who for the most part support the President-but the Republicans have been chipping away at our President blaming him for all that was happening before he even got into office. So we need to vote to keep the Congress working with the President and not against him. Also there are tons of issues on your state ballot that will affect YOU. For example in California they are voting on wether to make marijuana legal. I am voting FOR this-although I am NOT a smoker I think it's a lot less dangerous than alcohol and it's something that can bring lots of tax dollars the bankrupt state of California. I think that is issue #19 or 20. Look into it.

Of course I am a Democrat and I am supporting OUR President. And this may run some of you the wrong way-but it's how I feel. I have never been for BIG BUSINESS> I am for the little guy, the underdog the vanishing middle class. That's why I vote Democrat. I also believe that we need to let our President do his job. And after 2 years all this criticism he has received seems just so unjustified to me. We give COLLEGE Football coaches 2 years time to turn around a football team before we start trashing him. But for some reason-a huge amount of people found it FAIR to start the criticism BEFORE his first day of work-so to me that screams Ignorance and fear-but fear of what? Well..Im not even going to say it. But NEVER in our history have we had a president win an election and have teachers BAN students from CELEBRATING or talking about it the next day in school (Georgia). Never had we had a President win the election and Newspapers REFUSE to put him on the cover of the paper (Terell, texas). It's amazing what he has had to deal with. SO with this said---get out to the polls on November 2nd and help out. Let this man do his thing. He cares, he's genuine and he took on the nation at a time when NO ONE WOULD WANT TO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND. But he stepped up to the plate and took on the job and the least we can do is help support him and make sure he has a congress that is not working against him. OK stepping off my soap box-now go vote!

Just a few things he's done off the top of my head

Reversed the Ban on Stem Cell research

Signed the Fair Pay act for women (so women would get equal pay for equal jobs)

signed health care reform into law (they been trying to do this for 50+ years)

Cash for Clunkers (helped stimulate the automobile industry)

stock market was at 6,000 now its at 11,000 points

appointed the FIRST Latina to the Supreme Court

Signed Hate Crime Bill

signed a law supporting increased financial aid to severely injured war veterans, and their caretakers

Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolishing "enhanced interrogation techniques."

OK there are many more things---but I can't keep writing all morning===but you get the gist. Hopefully you get out there and vote on November 2nd. For your governors, your senators, your representatives and for the issues on your state ballot. Get involved... it's your right and your duty as an American Citizen.

DO IT! People died fighting for your right to be involved in the process!

Claudia J