tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47758806304181120162024-03-12T22:53:19.124-07:00Practically SpeakingTracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-46023554121002700562015-08-24T14:01:00.000-07:002015-08-24T14:01:58.666-07:00You can make a difference!<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">During my travels, I’ve found something that can help our country. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The US has become more and more polarized, and I've come to the conclusion that
Fox ‘News’ is insidiously ruining our country.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Join me in my efforts to restore some balance to news coverage!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">How you can help: When you’re in a coffee shop, standing
in line at fast food, or eating a hotel breakfast and they have Fox playing on
the TV, ask politely if they would change the channel to CNN, ESPN, PBS, or any
network channel that you’d prefer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The worst they can say is no, but you’re a customer
and they should at least register your request.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">If enough people start asking, they’ll
notice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-53181058469742330772015-08-14T13:01:00.001-07:002015-08-14T13:01:08.732-07:00Fair and Balanced -- An Outdated Concept?<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve noticed in my travels recently (Midwest and
Eastern US) that there is a bias toward reactionary thinking, especially in
rural areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Here are some symptoms: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;">Bumper sticker on old Buick:</span><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;">“King had a dream, we had a nightmare”</span><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;">Confederate flag flying on M-43 in Michigan</span><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;">Fox ‘News’ blasting in a corner of a restaurant in a
small town, also in a fast food chain</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;">Fox ‘News’ blasting on a flat screen in a Comfort
Inn breakfast area</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;">Are these related?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Maybe… the US has gotten more and more polarized in
recent years, and it is a trend that has me worried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems to have slowly gotten worse since the ‘fair
and balanced’ rule was eliminated. <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391570,00.asp" target="_blank">reference</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Would you agree that only stations that agree to report
the news without bias should be called ‘news stations’?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Or if we cannot require broadcasters to be balanced, could we let the ones that try to do this add a special designation? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">What do you think? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Does it both you to be subjected to Fox? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Please comment and note places where have you seen
Fox displayed as the only ‘news’ channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Thanks, </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #490e03; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Tracy</span></span></div>
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Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-19526498843680802015-05-25T16:54:00.000-07:002015-05-25T16:54:04.133-07:00Holidays aren't holidays for everyone. <br />
<br />
It's Memorial Day. I remember it used to be a day most people had off, a day of family picnics and remembering veterans. Grandpa would show us his medals. There was a parade with bands playing patriotic music.<br />
<br />
Not so now. Across the street, workers are pounding, finishing re-roofing a house. Down the street, a landscaping crew is planting a row of trees for a homeowner. People are lined up outside a popular restaurant, waiting to be served.<br />
<br />
There are sales everywhere and people working retail and in auto dealerships are putting long hours, not having a picnic.<br />
<br />
Switched on the news. Saw a story about a lady leaving millions to her cat, people upset with this and that. I would have enjoyed a story about a veteran, or someone that helps veterans. Or a featured parade. <br />
<br />
Sure, we have a service oriented economy.<br />
Did we take time to value those who have served? <br />
Do we appreciate those who don't have the day off and are serving us in other ways? <br />
<br />
What do you think?Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-36354293308865700882015-01-16T17:33:00.003-08:002015-05-25T16:54:40.854-07:00They say history repeats itself….<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1400's</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Absolute nonsense!" The establishment said. "No reason to do rash things, like explore new routes, the world is most definitely flat, and that's it." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"No, I believe it's a bowl. You can see that when you look at the horizon at the beach." Said the shrill voices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I'm thinking we should be believe the scientists." Said Chris C. "I'm willing to stake my reputation and life on that." And he sailed away. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2014 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Absolute nonsense!" The establishment said. "No reason to do rash things, like explore alternative energy or conserve, there is no global warming, and that's that." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"No, it seems colder than ever this year. Look at all those freaky snowstorms!" Said the shrill voices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I'm thinking we should be believe the scientists." They said. "To save our grandchildren, we're willing to________.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You fill in the blank! It's your world, too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/blog/10-questions-every-climate-activist-hears-and-what-say?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=general" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 Questions Every Climate Activists Hears</span></a>Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-62428124498492595712015-01-14T16:50:00.000-08:002015-01-14T16:50:20.901-08:00Watering Down Dodd-Frank <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; line-height: 18px;">In reaction to the news that the US House of Representatives passed a bill that waters down the Dodd-Frank rules, I post the following quote from a former president. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><br /></span>
<i style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> “I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">ruined my country. </span></i><br />
<i style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit.</span><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore,</span><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. </span></i><br />
<i style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">We have come to be one of the </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">governments in the civilized world. </span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">No longer a government by free opinion, </span><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority,</span><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.”</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><i> </i>President Woodrow Wilson: 1916</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Think about it. Constraints are good for creativity, right? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">I think some constraints are very good for financial institutions, especially those that have demonstrated that they cannot govern themselves. </span>Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-87505361674894038632014-07-01T19:11:00.000-07:002014-07-01T19:11:16.122-07:00Keep control of the roomDo you ever find yourself getting pulled off the subject matter you have prepared to present?<br />
I do -- it seemed to be happening a little too frequently.<br />
<br />
In the organization I work in, the culture allows directors and above to interrupt the flow and ask questions whenever they have one or they correct details or point out where a another term would be more appropriate.<br />
This can really ruin the flow of the presentation, and often the point is not really relevant or answer is actually contained later in the slides.<br />
<br />
So how to handle this?<br />
<br />
Start with a clear outline or agenda of what you will be covering. If they pay attention, this may help.<br /><br />
Credit <br />
Stop and credit the person's knowledge -- "Thank you for that comment, I'll note that." Then continue -"The point of this slide is ___ -- is that clear?"<br /><br />Pause<br />Pause and then continue -- this is a good technique if the interruption is especially picky. Silence can also be powerful, accompanied by a direct look. (Try not to think 'you jerk' while you are doing it)<br /><br />Slow down<br />Make sure you are projecting your voice - a clear voice sounds more confident and interesting<br /><br />Keep to the content -- use "this" or organization's name, not "I" or "Me"<br />
Example: The point vs, my point -- this separates the content from you personally<br />
<br />
Don't get upset -- the point is to get to an agreement or conclusion, not to win or be perfect.<br />
<br />
Sometimes a derailing question can lead to a better outcome, and in that case, you may have to go with the flow.Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-9964205163960327232014-03-04T17:47:00.000-08:002014-03-04T17:48:10.709-08:00Working on it?My husband and I were dining out. Angela, our waitress brought our dinners while I was in the middle of my salad, so I pushed it to the side to make room for the sizzling steak plate she was holding.<br />
<br />
Once we both were served, Angela asked me, "Would you like me to take that or are you still working on it?"<br />
<br />
"No thank you, I'm still enjoying it." I said.<br />
<br />
<i>WORKING ON IT?</i><br />
<br />
When did eating become work? How did this phrase creep into our language? <br />
<br />
Please comment if you'd like to replace this phrase with "enjoying it" or suggest another phrase. <br />
<br />Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-26296102309906177802013-06-09T10:17:00.002-07:002013-06-09T10:18:40.230-07:00Note to Starbucks: I'd like to drink my coffee in peace<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear Starbucks,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like your coffee. I sticky buns and coffee, but I don't like guns and coffee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm joining with Moms Demand Action members to ask you to institute
corporate policies that promote gun sense. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is way too easy to pull a trigger on a loaded gun, and
everyone is sorry afterward. A mass
murder in one of your stores would be a tragedy -- and also a PR nightmare
for you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prevention is worth a pound of apologies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a valued community citizen, your company could play an
important role in helping to stem the tide of gun violence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gun violence is not just a legislative issue: Companies and
businesses can help create a culture that values gun safety. By not allowing
guns in stores, your company would be making a crucial statement about how much
you value your customers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please consider changing your current policies,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Respectfully yours, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tracy</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-12884393408858267932013-06-09T10:07:00.000-07:002013-06-09T10:07:38.320-07:00Quotes I like today....<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> ~Douglas Noel Adams</span>Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-12422183081591497812013-02-13T15:36:00.000-08:002013-02-13T15:57:56.469-08:00What He Really Said ....<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was it the State of the Union? Or just another speech?<br /><br />Either way, if you are curious about what the President actually said<br />(vs. what the pundits say he said), here it is: </span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Prepared text of President Obama's State of the Union Address:</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this Chamber that "the Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress…It is my task," he said, "to report the State of the Union – to improve it is the task of us all."</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, there is much progress to report. After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home. After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over six million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in five years, and less foreign oil than we have in twenty. Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients, and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is stronger.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But we gather here knowing that there are millions of Americans whose hard work and dedication have not yet been rewarded. Our economy is adding jobs – but too many people still can't find full-time employment. Corporate profits have rocketed to all-time highs – but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have barely budged.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true engine of America's economic growth – a rising, thriving middle class.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country – the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great nation.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The American people don't expect government to solve every problem. They don't expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue. But they do expect us to put the nation's interests before party. They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can. For they know that America moves forward only when we do so together; and that the responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us all.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget – decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of our recovery.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion – mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. As a result, we are more than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we need to stabilize our finances.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now we need to finish the job. And the question is, how?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn't agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars' worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year. These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardize our military readiness. They'd devastate priorities like education, energy, and medical research. They would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs. That's why Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as "the sequester," are a really bad idea.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, some in this Congress have proposed preventing only the defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education and job training; Medicare and Social Security benefits.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That idea is even worse. Yes, the biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging population. And those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms – otherwise, our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we need for our children, and jeopardize the promise of a secure retirement for future generations.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But we can't ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and most powerful. We won't grow the middle class simply by shifting the cost of health care or college onto families that are already struggling, or by forcing communities to lay off more teachers, cops, and firefighters. Most Americans – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – understand that we can't just cut our way to prosperity. They know that broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing their fair share. And that's the approach I offer tonight.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Medicare, I'm prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission. Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs. The reforms I'm proposing go even further. We'll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. We'll bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn't be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital – they should be based on the quality of care that our seniors receive. And I am open to additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don't violate the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government shouldn't make promises we cannot keep – but we must keep the promises we've already made.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To hit the rest of our deficit reduction target, we should do what leaders in both parties have already suggested, and save hundreds of billions of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions for the well-off and well-connected. After all, why would we choose to make deeper cuts to education and Medicare just to protect special interest tax breaks? How is that fair? How does that promote growth?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit. The American people deserve a tax code that helps small businesses spend less time filling out complicated forms, and more time expanding and hiring; a tax code that ensures billionaires with high-powered accountants can't pay a lower rate than their hard-working secretaries; a tax code that lowers incentives to move jobs overseas, and lowers tax rates for businesses and manufacturers that create jobs right here in America. That's what tax reform can deliver. That's what we can do together.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform won't be easy. The politics will be hard for both sides. None of us will get 100 percent of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, and visit hardship on millions of hardworking Americans. So let's set party interests aside, and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future. And let's do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors. The greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. Let's agree, right here, right now, to keep the people's government open, pay our bills on time, and always uphold the full faith and credit of the United States of America. The American people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials cause another.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our agenda. But let's be clear: deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan. A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs – that must be the North Star that guides our efforts. Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a nation: How do we attract more jobs to our shores? How do we equip our people with the skills needed to do those jobs? And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A year and a half ago, I put forward an American Jobs Act that independent economists said would create more than one million new jobs. I thank the last Congress for passing some of that agenda, and I urge this Congress to pass the rest. Tonight, I'll lay out additional proposals that are fully paid for and fully consistent with the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months ago. Let me repeat – nothing I'm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime. It's not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend. Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. There's no reason this can't happen in other towns. So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in America.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas. Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy. Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's; developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs; devising new material to make batteries ten times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation. Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race. And today, no area holds more promise than our investments in American energy.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to control our own energy future. We produce more oil at home than we have in 15 years. We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas, and the amount of renewable energy we generate from sources like wind and solar – with tens of thousands of good, American jobs to show for it. We produce more natural gas than ever before – and nearly everyone's energy bill is lower because of it. And over the last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. Yes, it's true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods – all are now more frequent and intense. We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science – and act before it's too late.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it. We've begun to change that. Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America. So let's generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper by the year – so let's drive costs down even further. As long as countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must we.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner power and greater energy independence. That's why my Administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. But I also want to work with this Congress to encourage the research and technology that helps natural gas burn even cleaner and protects our air and water.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Indeed, much of our new-found energy is drawn from lands and waters that we, the public, own together. So tonight, I propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good. If a non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals can get behind this idea, then so can we. Let's take their advice and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in gas prices we've put up with for far too long. I'm also issuing a new goal for America: let's cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next twenty years. The states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal support to help make it happen.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">America's energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO where they'd rather locate and hire: a country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with high-speed rail and internet; high-tech schools and self-healing power grids. The CEO of Siemens America – a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina – has said that if we upgrade our infrastructure, they'll bring even more jobs. And I know that you want these job-creating projects in your districts. I've seen you all at the ribbon-cuttings.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tonight, I propose a "Fix-It-First" program to put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country. And to make sure taxpayers don't shoulder the whole burden, I'm also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital to upgrade what our businesses need most: modern ports to move our goods; modern pipelines to withstand a storm; modern schools worthy of our children. Let's prove that there is no better place to do business than the United States of America. And let's start right away.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing sector. Today, our housing market is finally healing from the collapse of 2007. Home prices are rising at the fastest pace in six years, home purchases are up nearly 50 percent, and construction is expanding again.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected. Too many families who have never missed a payment and want to refinance are being told no. That's holding our entire economy back, and we need to fix it. Right now, there's a bill in this Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at today's rates. Democrats and Republicans have supported it before. What are we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that bill. Right now, overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home. What's holding us back? Let's streamline the process, and help our economy grow.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand and create new jobs. But none of it will matter unless we also equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs. And that has to start at the earliest possible age.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road. But today, fewer than 3 in 10 four year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program. Most middle-class parents can't afford a few hundred bucks a week for private preschool. And for poor kids who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America. Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on – by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime. In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable families of their own. So let's do what works, and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. Let's give our kids that chance.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germany focus on graduating their high school students with the equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community colleges, so that they're ready for a job. At schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn, a collaboration between New York Public Schools, the City University of New York, and IBM, students will graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree in computers or engineering.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We need to give every American student opportunities like this. Four years ago, we started Race to the Top – a competition that convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and higher standards, for about 1 percent of what we spend on education each year. Tonight, I'm announcing a new challenge to redesign America's high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy. We'll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math – the skills today's employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, even with better high schools, most young people will need some higher education. It's a simple fact: the more education you have, the more likely you are to have a job and work your way into the middle class. But today, skyrocketing costs price way too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we have made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years. But taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize the soaring cost of higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it's our job to make sure they do. Tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act, so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid. And tomorrow, my Administration will release a new "College Scorecard" that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To grow our middle class, our citizens must have access to the education and training that today's jobs require. But we also have to make sure that America remains a place where everyone who's willing to work hard has the chance to get ahead.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, and faith communities all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my Administration has already made – putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history, and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship – a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here legally.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In other words, we know what needs to be done. As we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. Now let's get this done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But we can't stop there. We know our economy is stronger when our wives, mothers, and daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence. Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. I urge the House to do the same. And I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day's work with honest wages. But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we've put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That's wrong. That's why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, nineteen states have chosen to bump theirs even higher.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour. This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets. In fact, working folks shouldn't have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here's an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tonight, let's also recognize that there are communities in this country where no matter how hard you work, it's virtually impossible to get ahead. Factory towns decimated from years of plants packing up. Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first job. America is not a place where chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny. And that is why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who've got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of work so long that no one will give them a chance. Let's put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods. And this year, my Administration will begin to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit towns in America to get these communities back on their feet. We'll work with local leaders to target resources at public safety, education, and housing. We'll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. And we'll work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and doing more to encourage fatherhood – because what makes you a man isn't the ability to conceive a child; it's having the courage to raise one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger America. It is this kind of prosperity – broad, shared, and built on a thriving middle class – that has always been the source of our progress at home. It is also the foundation of our power and influence throughout the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops and civilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan, and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al Qaeda. Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beyond 2014, America's commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will change. We are negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government that focuses on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their affiliates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self. Different al Qaeda affiliates and extremist groups have emerged – from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. The threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat, we don't need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad, or occupy other nations. Instead, we will need to help countries like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia provide for their own security, and help allies who take the fight to terrorists, as we have in Mali. And, where necessary, through a range of capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That is why my Administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal and policy framework to guide our counterterrorism operations. Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of our efforts. I recognize that in our democracy, no one should just take my word that we're doing things the right way. So, in the months ahead, I will continue to engage with Congress to ensure not only that our targeting, detention, and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, our challenges don't end with al Qaeda. America will continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world's most dangerous weapons. The regime in North Korea must know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense, and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Likewise, the leaders of Iran must recognize that now is the time for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands united in demanding that they meet their obligations, and we will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon. At the same time, we will engage Russia to seek further reductions in our nuclear arsenals, and continue leading the global effort to secure nuclear materials that could fall into the wrong hands – because our ability to influence others depends on our willingness to lead.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks. We know hackers steal people's identities and infiltrate private e-mail. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, and our air traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's why, earlier today, I signed a new executive order that will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information sharing, and developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs, and our privacy. Now, Congress must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even as we protect our people, we should remember that today's world presents not only dangers, but opportunities. To boost American exports, support American jobs, and level the playing field in the growing markets of Asia, we intend to complete negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership. And tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union – because trade that is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all. In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades: by connecting more people to the global economy and empowering women; by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve and helping communities to feed, power, and educate themselves; by saving the world's children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Above all, America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this period of historic change. I saw the power of hope last year in Rangoon – when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American President into the home where she had been imprisoned for years; when thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving American flags, including a man who said, "There is justice and law in the United States. I want our country to be like that."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy. The process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt; but we can – and will – insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people. We will keep the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people, and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian. And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace. These are the messages I will deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk – our diplomats, our intelligence officers, and the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. As long as I'm Commander-in-Chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military in the world. We will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending. We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families – gay and straight. We will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters, because women have proven under fire that they are ready for combat. We will keep faith with our veterans – investing in world-class care, including mental health care, for our wounded warriors; supporting our military families; and giving our veterans the benefits, education, and job opportunities they have earned. And I want to thank my wife Michelle and Dr. Jill Biden for their continued dedication to serving our military families as well as they serve us.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But defending our freedom is not the job of our military alone. We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. That includes our most fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote. When any Americans – no matter where they live or what their party – are denied that right simply because they can't wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. That's why, tonight, I'm announcing a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America. And I'm asking two long-time experts in the field, who've recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney's campaign, to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. The American people demand it. And so does our democracy.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, what I've said tonight matters little if we don't come together to protect our most precious resource – our children.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans – Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment – have come together around commonsense reform – like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, because they are tired of being outgunned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to vote no, that's your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The families of Newtown deserve a vote.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The families of Aurora deserve a vote.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence – they deserve a simple vote.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country. Indeed, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all the challenges I've outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to make what difference we can, to secure this nation, expand opportunity, and uphold our ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary work of self-government.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans the same way they look out for one another, every single day, usually without fanfare, all across this country. We should follow their example.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We should follow the example of a New York City nurse named Menchu Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into darkness, her thoughts were not with how her own home was faring – they were with the twenty precious newborns in her care and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all safe.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We should follow the example of a North Miami woman named Desiline Victor. When she arrived at her polling place, she was told the wait to vote might be six hours. And as time ticked by, her concern was not with her tired body or aching feet, but whether folks like her would get to have their say. Hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line in support of her. Because Desiline is 102 years old. And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read "I Voted."</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We should follow the example of a police officer named Brian Murphy. When a gunman opened fire on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, and Brian was the first to arrive, he did not consider his own safety. He fought back until help arrived, and ordered his fellow officers to protect the safety of the Americans worshiping inside – even as he lay bleeding from twelve bullet wounds.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When asked how he did that, Brian said, "That's just the way we're made."</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's just the way we're made.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We may do different jobs, and wear different uniforms, and hold different views than the person beside us. But as Americans, we all share the same proud title:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are citizens. It's a word that doesn't just describe our nationality or legal status. It describes the way we're made. It describes what we believe. It captures the enduring idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations; that our rights are wrapped up in the rights of others; and that well into our third century as a nation, it remains the task of us all, as citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the next great chapter in our American story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span>Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-13393989465578990012013-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:002013-01-21T11:36:01.381-08:00Ham on my way!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After thinking about it for about three years, I finally joined the world of smart phones. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For Christmas, I got an iPhone 5 and I was so looking forward to meeting Siri!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After experimenting for a while, I thought if I entered settings for the United Kingdom, maybe Siri would speak with an English Accent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It sort of worked, but then he (it was a male voice) had a hard time understanding me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I voice texted my husband to say I was "on my way".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What it wrote was "Ham on my way".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I sent it anyway. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My husband sent back "And Eggs?"</span>Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-77668232700195526402013-01-12T19:36:00.000-08:002013-01-12T19:36:12.818-08:00Fermented Vegetables<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">I've been reading about the health benefits of fermented vegetables. Here's how to make them: </span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chop or grate your chosen vegetables into tiny pieces. The smaller they are the more readily they will release their liquids and faster they will culture.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mix all vegetables in a large bowl.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Use the salt liberally while mixing, to taste. A quart of sauerkraut will have at least 1 to 3 Tbsp of salt.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you are mixing the vegetables you will find liquid is being released.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pour the liquid and the vegetables into a jar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Press down to release any air bubbles and to submerge the vegetables completely.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="text-align: left;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Large cabbage leaves can be rolled and pressed down on top to keep the vegetables submerged. A weight such as a smaller jar filled with water can be placed on top. Cover with a cloth to keep insects out. Or simply cap the jar once the vegetables are submerged (without adding the weight). Open the jar daily to release the pressure and to taste your kraut.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="text-align: left;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">The vegetables should be kept at room temperature for at least 4 to 7 days. The warmer it is the faster they will culture. Some people culture their vegetables for weeks to months. Once you like the way they taste place the jar in the refrigerator where it should keep indefinitely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /><br />Learn more: <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/027443_vegetables_food_health.html#ixzz2D0kYMcZx" target="_blank">http://www.naturalnews.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-28093270515313225612012-11-09T17:01:00.000-08:002012-11-09T17:01:01.576-08:00You know you're a liberal when...<br />
<h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You know that GOTV has nothing to do with television</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I got this" is a favorite quote</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You know Obama was born in Hawaii, but doubt that Trump's hair is real</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You think that millionaire's don't need a tax break because when you at look what they spent on PAC donations, surely they have a bit of extra cash around</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and last but not least,</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You don't drink the red cool-aid, you prefer blue power aid!</span></li>
</ul>
</h3>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Congrats to everyone that worked hard on this campaign!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please feel free to add to the list...</span><br />
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<br />Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-64627593568704920112012-10-16T17:58:00.000-07:002012-10-16T17:59:25.153-07:00When you're having trouble deciding who to vote for<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>This is a previously published post, but still viable today...</i><br />
<i>Our country is facing numerous problems. It’s up to us to send the best qualified people to help solve them, but sometimes that's hard to determine, so here's a checklist that I hope will help.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5 things to look for in a candidate (and why they are important)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Education/Intellect</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Work Ethic/Accomplishments</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Problem solving capacity and ideas</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Perspective</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Integrity</li>
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Why these?</div>
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<b>Education/Intellect</b> -- Think of it this way: would you work with an investment advisor who wasn’t educated and who didn’t understand basic economics? Or a doctor that quoted cliches and generalities? The problems we face are complex; we need representatives that can understand them.</div>
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<b>Work Ethic/Accomplishments</b> -- has the candidate accomplished anything for the good of others? Did they put themselves through school or was everything handed to them?</div>
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<b>Problem solving capacity and ideas</b>-- can the candidate appreciate the multiple facets of an issue? Have they put forth actual solutions they want to work on? Would they reach “across the aisle” and work with the opposition to get a better solution or just sit back and vote “no”? </div>
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<b>Perspective</b> -- It’s a global world, whether we like it or not. Can the candidate appreciate the impact other countries actions have on us (and our on them?) Do they understand and respect other cultures? </div>
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<b>Integrity</b> -- Do they pay their taxes and obey the laws? How do they run their campaign? Do they take responsibility and explain their voting record? How many special interest groups are big donors to their campaigns? How much PAC money is being contributed?</div>
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<b>Scoring</b>: For each positive attribute the candidate has, they get one point. If they have a negative attribute (for example, they are running a smear campaign) give them minus one.</div>
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If you feel an attribute is very positive, give them two points if you like. </div>
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You might be surprised how your scorecard totals come out. If you find this helpful, please add a comment.</div>
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<b>Where to find information</b>: do an Internet search for voter information, league of women voters, and/or board of elections. You can also visit individual candidates’ sites.</div>
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In my area, there are many judges that are elected. The judges, and county commissioners, are elected officials that many voters really don’t have good information about, yet make decisions with impact! It’s worth your time to look these up before voting. <br />
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Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-88374872037614998882012-10-11T17:11:00.000-07:002012-10-16T17:44:21.108-07:00Hey, What's the Deal with Health Reform? <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pete, a friend of mine, who is a CEO of a small company, was
complaining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We’ve just received a notice that our health premiums are
going up 20%. I don’t think we can absorb
this -- now the employees are going to have to pay more. Health reform has been a disaster!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I understand his concern and imagine he’s got his hands full
with strategic plans, budgets and balance sheets, so there isn’t time to
research health reform.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I’ve done some research and can assure him that his
increase isn’t due to the health reform law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">First, most of the reforms haven’t kicked in yet,
they are scheduled to be phased in. 2014
is a big year where we’ll see major changes.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">But good things are in effect – one is the
provision that health insurers spend at least 80% of premium on medical
costs. I don’t know what carrier he’s
dealing with, but some of the big names can do this, some are not that
efficient. They've been forced to look hard
at their administrative costs and not just pass them along to the customer.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Creation of ACO’s (Accountable Care
Organizations) are enabled by the law.
These begin to address costs by rewarding for outcomes, not by the
test. They deliver better care at lower
costs. These are new and their effects
will be greater as they grow in popularity.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, Pete, this may not make you feel any better about that
stiff increase, but don’t blame health care reform. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It will take time, it could be improved (hopefully it will) as
we see what works best, but it is a step in the right direction of doing
something about spiraling healthcare costs.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There are many articles on this, let me know if you'd like the links. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">all the best,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tracy</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-59952470174142157602012-10-09T16:55:00.001-07:002012-10-09T16:55:59.992-07:00A "do nothing"?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My next door neighbor said he wouldn't vote for President Obama because he is a "do nothing."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">True, he's had a hard time getting Congress to pass anything -- a hard task when many of them admit their main objective is to make sure the President doesn't get re-elected. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's like putting lead weights on a racehorse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But here's the short list of what he has been able to do, even with this handicap:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ended the war in Iraq</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Winding down the war in Afghanistan </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Focused on the people who attacked us on 9/11 - Osama bin Laden is gone</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cut taxes for middle class families</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kept student loan rates low </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Raised our standing among our allies</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And there's more -- he's been a hard working President!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-39862179607228556502012-09-27T18:55:00.000-07:002012-09-27T18:55:00.193-07:00Bumper stickers I’d like to see<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happiness is a choice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chose Happiness</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm peddling as fast as I can!</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-21866388050862608582012-09-22T13:14:00.001-07:002012-09-22T19:53:12.192-07:00Lowering Taxes for Business<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every election, I hear someone say: "We need to lower taxes for business to create jobs, stimulate the economy, etc..."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the surface, this seems like a really good idea. Businesses employ people and we could use more jobs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But would this really do any good?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't think so. Businesses only pay taxes when they generate a profit (or in the case of some large corporations, work the system to avoid taxes even when they make a profit)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the businesses I've worked with focus on EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) as a key metric. No EBIT? No taxes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've never heard someone say: "Wow, the corporate tax rate just went down. Let's get serious about making money now -- we were just playing before." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a good article on how corporations are the real "moochers".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.southernstudies.org/2012/09/corporations-are-the-real-moochers.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.southernstudies.org/2012/09/corporations-are-the-real-moochers.html</span></a>Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-61889781996487301402012-08-30T17:38:00.000-07:002012-08-30T17:48:18.568-07:00I respect other's viewpoints, as long as they're . . . . . true.<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I respect that people have different views on how the government is run -- being able to express our view and vote is the great part of living in a democratic country. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also know that politicians have been "spinning" the truth for as long as there was politics. If you look at history, even some of the founding fathers did that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But to repeat outright lies and represent them as truth really insults the American people. It resembles brainwashing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So in my own effort to counteract some of the things I saw last night on television, here is a list of five lies that Paul Ryan told when he gave his speech to the RNC. I hope news outlets report on these!*</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Lie: President Obama is the "greatest threat" to Medicare.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truth: Obama didn't make any cuts to Medicare benefits; he made cuts to provider reimbursements, to improve cost efficiency and extend the fiscal security of Medicare by eight years. According to the Medicare actuary, "[Obama's] Affordable Care Act makes important changes to the Medicare program and substantially improves its financial outlook."<sup>1</sup></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But Ryan actually does want to cut benefits. He proposed dismantling Medicare and replacing it with a voucher system, leaving millions of seniors to come up with more money to pay for care out of pocket.<sup>2,3</sup></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Lie: President Obama didn't save a General Motors plant in Wisconsin.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truth: First, Obama wasn't even in office when the GM plant closed. Second, Obama never made a promise to save it.<sup>4</sup></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Lie: President Obama ignored recommendations of a bipartisan debt commission.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truth: Paul Ryan actually sat on that commission. And he led Republicans in voting down the commission's own recommendation. So the commission never gave a report to Obama, because Ryan himself voted to kill the report before it could.<sup>5</sup></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Lie: President Obama is responsible for the downgrading of the U.S. Credit Rating</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truth: House Republicans, including Paul Ryan, held the full faith and credit of the United States hostage to try to ransom it for trillions of dollars in cuts to social programs without increasing taxes on the wealthy one dime. Standard & Poors said specifically, "We have changed our assumption on [revenue] because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues." That's why our nation's credit rating was downgraded.<sup>6,7</sup></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Lie: Ryan wants to protect the "weak."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truth: Ryan's biggest feat in his political career was proposing a budget with dramatic cuts to programs benefiting the poor. He'd cut Medicaid by one third, take away health care insurance from 30 million Americans, and cut Pell Grants for 1 million students. All so that he could give more tax breaks to the rich.<sup>8</sup></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; overflow: hidden;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* Fox News actually did point some of these out. To give them credit, here's a link to the article: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/">http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1. "Fact check: Paul Ryan at the RNC," </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">USA Today</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">, August 30, 2012 </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><a href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279602&id=50188-19449770-mPm8rEx&t=8" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=<wbr></wbr>279602&id=50188-19449770-<wbr></wbr>mPm8rEx&t=8</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2. "Undoing Obama Medicare cuts may backfire on Romney," <i>The Boston Globe</i>, August 18, 2012<br /><a href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279597&id=50188-19449770-mPm8rEx&t=9" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=<wbr></wbr>279597&id=50188-19449770-<wbr></wbr>mPm8rEx&t=9</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3. "Romney-Ryan Medicare Plan Would Cost 29-Year-Olds $331,200: Report," Huffington Post, August 27, 2012<br /><a href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279596&id=50188-19449770-mPm8rEx&t=10" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=<wbr></wbr>279596&id=50188-19449770-<wbr></wbr>mPm8rEx&t=10</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">4. "Paul Ryan Misleads With GM Plant Closure Tale," Huffington Post, August 29, 2012<br /><a href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279598&id=50188-19449770-mPm8rEx&t=11" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=<wbr></wbr>279598&id=50188-19449770-<wbr></wbr>mPm8rEx&t=11</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">5. "Fact Check: Paul Ryan misleads on debt panel's spending cut plan," CNN, August 30, 2012<br /><a href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279608&id=50188-19449770-mPm8rEx&t=12" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=<wbr></wbr>279608&id=50188-19449770-<wbr></wbr>mPm8rEx&t=12</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">6. "Top 5 Fibs In Paul Ryan's Convention Speech," Talking Points Memo, August 30, 2012<br /><a href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279595&id=50188-19449770-mPm8rEx&t=13" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=<wbr></wbr>279595&id=50188-19449770-<wbr></wbr>mPm8rEx&t=13</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">7. "Paul Ryan Address: Convention Speech Built On Demonstrably Misleading Assertions," Huffington Post, August 30, 2012<br /><a href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279604&id=50188-19449770-mPm8rEx&t=14" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=<wbr></wbr>279604&id=50188-19449770-<wbr></wbr>mPm8rEx&t=14</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8. "4 Ways Paul Ryan's Budget Would Devastate The Poor," ThinkProgress, August 17, 2012<br /><a href="http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279605&id=50188-19449770-mPm8rEx&t=15" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.moveon.org/r?r=<wbr></wbr>279605&id=50188-19449770-<wbr></wbr>mPm8rEx&t=15</a></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-68112510932417390502012-06-11T17:19:00.001-07:002012-06-11T17:28:30.100-07:00The Blue Button<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://tracy-practicallyspeaking.blogspot.com/2010/09/sometimes-little-things-can-make-you.html" style="color: #cc3300; text-decoration: none;">Sometimes little things can make you happy</a></h2>
<div class="post-header" style="color: #997755; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2516430798504053537" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; position: relative; width: 518px;">
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">I've got a blue button on my hair dryer.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">The instructions said that when you push it, negative ions* come out in the air.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">I have no idea if it really works, but even so, every morning when I'm drying my hair (I start with my head upside down) I push the button and I smile. :)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">It's automatic -- I don't know if I'm smiling at myself because I'm pushing a button that does nothing, or if it really works. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">It doesn't matter.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">Bottom line, I always feel just a little better.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">So, look for your blue buttons of happiness. They're out there!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">And smile!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">Have a great day!</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">*<i>negative ions are the good kind -- they are also produced by falling water, like your shower or a water fall. I think it's why people love waterfalls so much.</i></span></div>
</div>Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-33258193546784525022012-05-29T19:16:00.001-07:002012-05-29T19:16:02.044-07:00Why is it?Why is it that when you try to sneak out in your pajamas to throw out the trash, you are bound to see a neighbor?<br />
<br />
Why is it that when you'd like to see one of your neighbors, you rarely do?<br />
<br />
<br />
Have you ever felt lonely and wanted to see someone you know?<br />
<br />
Here's the trick -- make a quick run to the grocery store in your old sweats -- you know, the ones that are sooo comfy but bag out because the elastic has seen better days. And don't comb your hair. You'll be bound to see someone you know. <br />
<br />
:)<br />
<br />
TracyTracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-82001093975648915042012-05-12T06:20:00.001-07:002012-05-29T19:17:39.613-07:00Next election or next generation -- a good questionFrom a bumper sticker: <br />
<br />
A politician thinks of the next election.<br />
A leader thinks of the next generation.<br />
<br />
Think about it.Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-60409666354017975702012-04-08T10:14:00.001-07:002012-04-08T10:14:29.961-07:00We need more trains!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>73</o:Words> <o:Characters>420</o:Characters> <o:Company>Lighthouse Learning and Development</o:Company> <o:Lines>3</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>492</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>14.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">If you don’t think this country needs to rebuild its infrastructure, take a trip down I-95.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">On the way to Florida from North Carolina, we experienced three major traffic backups due to accidents and slowdown from unidentified causes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">We’d looked into the auto train (<a href="http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Route_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241245666320">auto train</a><a href="http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Route_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241245666320">http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Route_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241245666320</a>) but the last stop before Florida is in Washington, DC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next trip we’re going to take the train, even if it means renting a car.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It will save gas and aggravation!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyone have experience on the train?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please share your experiences.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-83045721422285642352012-03-04T12:27:00.002-08:002012-04-08T10:20:00.949-07:00Pictures worth a 1000 words--mass transit<div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5HAkjx1nuBghAgShwTNah6OFclVf36mF3zgrTjvdQQdORjjjAheagGfe9oCKmgMh3-SfldgaximLs4_K3F1fRIhSHvTNd_eOH1Mj3dGp6vXDTN_NgwJpXjAuHNmJdAZZeEgzhp0B09Qi/s1600/public+transportation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5HAkjx1nuBghAgShwTNah6OFclVf36mF3zgrTjvdQQdORjjjAheagGfe9oCKmgMh3-SfldgaximLs4_K3F1fRIhSHvTNd_eOH1Mj3dGp6vXDTN_NgwJpXjAuHNmJdAZZeEgzhp0B09Qi/s320/public+transportation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Ah, we love our cars, but alas, gasoline is getting more scarce. Think we should invest in public transportation?</div></div>Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4775880630418112016.post-18005967296322777122012-02-26T09:00:00.001-08:002012-02-26T09:02:15.359-08:00Not all women are like that!<div><br />
</div><div>I was listening to morning drive time radio the other day and the female part of the duo was talking about her numerous coach purses.</div><div>I like her personality, she's usually amusing; but it started me thinking.</div><div>If you listen to programs like this and ads on TV and radio, you'd think American women are pushy, know-it-alls, and extremely materialistic. </div><div>Just listen to the ads.</div><div><br />
And how many women really want numerous designer label purses? Really?</div><div><br />
</div><div>I happen to regard a purse as a necessary tool. It holds stuff that doesn't fit in your pocket. </div><div>You get a new one when the old one wears out or gets too dirty to clean.</div><div>If I could swing it, I wouldn't have a purse at all.</div><div><br />
And lots of women I've talked to feel that way.</div><div>So if you like purses, great. If you don't, don't let TV and radio pressure you into thinking you do.</div><div><br />
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</div>Tracy Arborshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885914140892134567noreply@blogger.com0