Occupy Wall Street movement

I am glad to see the occupation of Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan finished its first month and that the Occupy Wall Street movement has spread to cities and college campuses across the United States and to more than 70 other countries.

However, I am concerned about the police brutality in the United States.

Here we are complaining about the brutality of tyrants in the Middle East when our own government is condoning such violent acts as seen in Oakland, California, insuring one of the demonstrated lift-threatening. It seems like when it comes to demonstrations in other countries, politicians are cheering. However, as soon as it happens on their own doorsteps, it becomes too inconvenient and threatening to their own survival  and they are moving to use tactics they condemn on other countries.

People of this world should have the right to voice their concerns and dismay without interferences of their government.

President Barack Obama Weekly Address October 29, 2011 (Video/Transcipt)

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

The White House

This week, a new economic report confirmed what most Americans already believe to be true: over the past three decades, the middle class has lost ground while the wealthiest few have become even wealthier. In fact, the average income for the top one percent of Americans has risen almost seven times faster than the income of the average middle class family. And this has happened during a period where the cost of everything from health care to college has skyrocketed.

Now, in this country, we don’t begrudge anyone wealth or success – we encourage it. We celebrate it. But America is better off when everyone has had the chance to get ahead – not just those at the top of the income scale. The more Americans who prosper, the more America prospers.

Rebuilding an economy where everyone has the chance to succeed will take time. Our economic problems were decades in the making, and they won’t be solved overnight. But there are steps we can take right now to put people back to work and restore some of the security that middle-class Americans have lost over the last few decades.

Right now, Congress can pass a set of common-sense jobs proposals that independent economists tell us will boost the economy right away. Proposals that will put more teachers, veterans, construction workers and first responders back on the job. Proposals that will cut taxes for virtually every middle class family and small business in America. These are the same kinds of proposals that both Democrats and Republicans have supported in the past. And they should stop playing politics and act on them now.

These jobs proposals are also paid for by asking folks who are making more than a million dollars a year to contribute a little more in taxes. These are the same folks who have seen their incomes go up so much, and I believe this is a contribution they’re willing to make. One survey found that nearly 7 in 10 millionaires are willing to step up and pay a little more in order to help the economy.

Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress aren’t paying attention. They’re not getting the message. Over and over, they have refused to even debate the same kind of jobs proposals that Republicans have supported in the past – proposals that today are supported, not just by Democrats, but by Independents and Republicans all across America. And yet, somehow, they found time this week to debate things like whether or not we should mint coins to celebrate the Baseball Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, they’re only scheduled to work three more weeks between now and the end of the year.

The truth is, we can no longer wait for Congress to do its job. The middle-class families who’ve been struggling for years are tired of waiting. They need help now. So where Congress won’t act, I will.

This week, we announced a new policy that will help families whose home values have fallen refinance their mortgages and save thousands of dollars. We’re making it easier for veterans to get jobs putting their skills to work in hospitals and community health centers. We reformed the student loan process so more young people can get out of debt faster. And we’re going to keep announcing more changes like these on a regular basis.

These steps will make a difference. But they won’t take the place of the bold action we need from Congress to get this economy moving again. That’s why I need all of you to make your voices heard. Tell Congress to stop playing politics and start taking action on jobs. If we want to rebuild an economy where every American has the chance to get ahead, we need every American to get involved. That’s how real change has always happened, and that’s how it’ll happen today.

Thank you.

Too Much Money Corrupts Congress

Everywhere we read about “How Money Corrupts Congress” !
However, the fact is that there is too much money and that MONEY is corrupting the congress. 
Lobbyists are dwarfing the voices of the people.
We need to find a way to get money and the influence of BIG MONEY out of politics.

What we see today is not Democracy any more.

Watch out, this is not only a problem in the U.S.A but in many countries around the world.

How can I be a proud American with such an U.S. congress?

It is quite remarkable when a country is spending billions of dollars on three wars but sees the need to save money when it comes to rescue their own population.

On Tuesday Sep 13, 2011, the Reuters News Agency reported that the number of Americans living below the poverty line rose to a record 46 million 2010.

On October 21, 2011 a divided Senate rejected two jobs initiatives supported by the president on Thursday night and President Obama issued a midnight denunciation of the political gridlock.

All Senate Republicans voted NO to teachers being in Americas classrooms.
All Senate Republicans voted NO to bringing more police officers to the streets of America.
All Senate Republicans voted NO to having more firefighters.
All Senate Republicans voted NO to construction workers getting to work on the ‘crumbling’ infrastructure.

ALL SENATE REPUBLICANS VOTED NO TO BRING EMPLOYMENT TO AMERICANS.

I ask myself, what kind of people did we elect to the U.S. Congress?
Are these politicians only interested in their own well-being?

How can I be a proud American when my country is failing its own people, especially the 46 million poor people?

Lets kick them all out and replace them with politicians who care about ALL American people!

President Barack Obama Weekly Address October 22, 2011 (Video/Transcipt)

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

The White House

October 22, 2011

This week, we had two powerful reminders of how we’ve renewed American leadership in the world. I was proud to announce that—as promised—the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of this year. And in Libya, the death of Moammar Qadhafi showed that our role in protecting the Libyan people, and helping them break free from a tyrant, was the right thing to do.

In Iraq, we’ve succeeded in our strategy to end the war. Last year, I announced the end of our combat mission in Iraq. We’ve already removed more than 100,000 troops, and Iraqi forces have taken full responsibility for the security of their own country. Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, the Iraqi people have the chance to forge their own future. And now the rest of our troops will be home for the holidays.

In Libya, our brave pilots and crews helped prevent a massacre, save countless lives, and give the Libyan people the chance to prevail. Without putting a single U.S. service member on the ground, we achieved our objectives. Soon, our NATO mission will come to a successful end even as we continue to support the Libyan people, and people across the Arab world, who seek a democratic future.

These successes are part of a larger story. After a decade of war, we’re turning the page and moving forward, with strength and confidence. The drawdown in Iraq allowed us to refocus on Afghanistan and achieve major victories against al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. As we remove the last of our troops from Iraq, we’re beginning to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.

To put this in perspective, when I took office, roughly 180,000 troops were deployed in these wars. By the end of this year that number will be cut in half, and an increasing number of our troops will continue to come home.

As we end these wars, we’re focusing on our greatest challenge as a nation—rebuilding our economy and renewing our strength at home. Over the past decade, we spent a trillion dollars on war, borrowed heavily from overseas and invested too little in the greatest source of our national strength—our own people. Now, the nation we need to build is our own.

We have to tackle this challenge with the same urgency and unity that our troops brought to their fight. That’s why we have to do everything in our power to get our economy moving again. That’s why I’m calling on Congress to pass the American Jobs Act, so we can rebuild our country – our schools, our roads, our bridges – and put our veterans, construction workers, teachers, cops and firefighters back to work. And that’s why I hope all of us can draw strength from the example of our men and women in uniform.

They’ve met their responsibilities to America. Now it’s time to meet ours. It’s time to come together and show the world why the United States of America remains the greatest source for freedom and opportunity that the world has ever known.