Spare Us More Change.....We've Had Plenty the Last Two Years!

In a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Dave Bastl of Manor, PA wrote very simply what I have been trying to put to words for a few months:

George W. Bush has been in office for 71/2 years. For the first six years, the economy was fine. A little over one year ago:

• Consumer confidence stood at a 21/2-year high
• Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon
• The unemployment rate was 4.5 percent
• The Dow Jones hit a record high of 14,000-plus
• Americans were buying new cars, taking cruises and vacations overseas-living large!

But Americans wanted "Change." So, in 2006 they voted in a
Democrat Congress. And, yep, we got change alright:

• Consumer confidence has plummeted
• Gasoline hit $4 a gallon
• Unemployment is up to 6.1 percent
• Americans have seen their home values drop by trillions of dollars
• 1 percent of American homes are in foreclosure
• The Dow Jones is probing another low--nearing 11,000--and $2.5 trillion has evaporated from our investment portfolios.

Yep, in 2006 America voted for change! And we got it--a
Democrat Congress led by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

Now the Democrats' candidate for President claims he's gonna
really give us change! Just how much more "change" do you thing you can stand?

The fact of the matter is that it has been the do-nothing Congress with their pitiful 9% approval rating that have landed us in this current position. I have my own beef with President Bush. The fact that he has approved almost every spending bill this Congress has sent him is aggravating. However, many of the issues occurring today cannot or could not have been changed by Bush alone. Bush does not write bills, Congress does.

What bills have they written? Nothing significant that would help every day citizens. Yes, the bi-partisan Congress passed a stimulus package, but it was too late to stop the downfall. Have they taken ANY steps to reduce our dependency on foreign oil?

Republicans were voted out in 2006 because of the war and corruption. Well, the war is going better, and now the Democrats have the majority on corruption....Senator Dodd, Senator Rengle, Congressman William Jefferson.

Finally, a thought for my friends here in the Ohio Valley and for that matter OH, PA, WV, and MI......who runs your local, county, and state governments? How many of your Congressman and Senators are Democrats? I know this area. These areas have continued to lose jobs and population for decades and in MOST cases, the Democrats have run their governments for DECADES.........To agree with Mr. Bastl above, it's time for change...just not the change Obama offers.

The End of John Murtha's Political Career?

I have always loved a good David vs. Goliath story.  The one I'm about to share with you is definitely the modern day political version of the old bible story.  To tell the story properly, I will have to give you a little information about David.

David, or William Russell in today's story, is an Army war veteran.  He has been in the Army for 28 years and is currently on active duty.  William Russell and his wife were survivors of 9/11. They were both in the Pentagon when the plane crashed into it.  William has been through seven tours of duty in hostile territory, including Kosovo, the first and the current Wars in Iraq. He has served our country honorably.

Now meet Goliath, or John Murtha.  John Murtha is a veteran himself. However, he has taken a path of hostility and hatred towards today's military. Specifically, he has accused the Marines of war crimes and murder in the Iraqi town of Hiditha.  I won't go back and detail his disgusting rants against our military service men, but let's just say that he would give Al-Qaeda the benefit of doubt before he would give it to our troops.

So here is how the story goes........William Russell decides to run against John Murtha for 12th District Congressional seat in Pennsylvania.  First a judge takes his name off of the ballot.  He had to have at least one thousand people write in his name during the primary to get his name on the November ballot.  Not only did over four thousand Republicans write his name in, but so did one thousand Democrats.

For the last quarter of the campaign, Mr. Russell has been on active duty.  He cannot openly campaign for any political position.  However, those in his campaign have spread the word and without one campaign event, William Russell raised over $670, 000 in the last quarter. (John Murtha raised $119,000) William Russell raised almost $900,000 in the first two quarters.  His campaign has received small contributions not only from all over Pennsylvania, but all over the country.

Servicemen and women and their families are disgusted by John Murtha's allegations and his failure to apologize when the Marines were exonerated last month of all charges.  John Murtha has been in Congress since 1973.  He definitely has a strong grip on his Congressional seat. Mr. Russell has a battle in front of him, but remember, in the end David beat Goliath.  

Please consider supporting Mr. Russell regardless of where you live in the country.  If you support and are grateful to our military, consider a small donation to Mr. Russell's campaign.  I will be adding a permanent link to Mr. Russell's new campaign website.  Read about him yourself.  I am sure you will be impressed.  He will be officially kicking off his campaign on August 1.  

Mr. Russell welcome to the world of politics.  Your supporters are a much larger group than even you may realize.