A bitter pill to swollow

Is defeat to difficult to overcome? Do most of us just not understand what a personal loss it may be to not be elected? Does a failed attempt at the Office of President leave such a bitter taste that you act on a personal basis from then on and forget that you are still in a position to serve the greater good of the people who elected you?

Recently John McCain has been in the spotlight for things he has said almost as much as his former running mate, Sarah Palin has been. As several recent quotes and statements made by Senator McCain point out so well to me why the American public decided to pass on his resume.

At the end of the day the bill moves forward. Once again the McCain has lost a fight to hold ground and take a leadership position. The bi-partisan government that McCain claimed was his goal in and during the presidential campaign seems to be more of a partisan Republican rule that he wants to press.

But is this just about Republicans -Vs- Democrats? And with that question is it just the Republicans that are acting like angry little school kids on the playground? No. Some pretty high up Democrats are playing there version of the "Your not our friend anymore" game as well.

I don't think there are many Republicans or Democrats left in the US that are not tired of hearing - he said she said, its his fault, they are to blame. At the end of the day, we personally don't care about your petty "I don't want you playing with my friends anymore" BS.

The House voted through $150 Billion in the stimulus package. This was money to invest in our future in a multitude of ways. Fast, shovel ready projects that could get Joe the Plumber, Harry the Pipe Layer, Chuck the Carpenter and Erica the Equipment operator back to work and earning money. It is not as if we have enough schools or that our schools are above the standards that they should be at. In fact many of our schools are substandard and in some areas of the country schools just are not where they should be. But the Senate has trimmed the stimulus for educational spending from $150 Billion to $83 Billion. Now $83 Billion is still allot of money and will do allot of good, but if the stimulus is designed to have a fast and "Stimulating" effect on the economy why would we remove the most stimulating aspects of the stimulus bill? Worse is the Senate actually eliminated the full sum of the $20 billion in direct financing of school renovations. Not some or a portion of, but all.

How can that one be justified? By anyone?

But the Senate did not stop there. They went on to remove an additional $40 billion from the House’s proposed $79 billion stabilization fund for states. The majority of this money was to be be spent on schools and state universities.

Has our education of our future leaders and business people become the first sacrifice of this economic trouble? Are we to think that we will get funding for this type of project, or the type of project that is needed in our school systems today at a later time?

This money was designed to help the states meet education payrolls. As the tax collection revenue will meet with major shortfalls, what departments will be the hardest hit? It usually hits the education sector hard and fast. On average a third of all state revenue is spent on education related expenses.

First the factory closes, then the schools. Soon the traffic dies down and there is nothing but dust on the old streets in the town.

Fix it.