then open up your eyes
nice how this article comes out one day...
followed by this article the next.
Maybe the New York Times is biased in its audience... but I don't think so.. considering I originally saw these two articles (different content but same idea) in the Arizona Republic.
Anyway. Yeah. Like I had a hunch before... record profits for oil companies (11.7 BILLION net profit)... and "the first decline in the workforce in more than four years." (17,000 jobs cut alone in January.) Sure Exxon can argue that this great profit is just due to investing in new technology that has led to this AMAZING profit, but really, really really? I think we all know what's going on. If not, enough said in those two articles alone. The damage these oil prices are having on the economy/workforce is very evident.. although many might want to continue and look at the "housing crisis" as the problem.. it's more than that.. it's multi-billion-profit-companies affecting our day-day life and price of goods that we pay for (such as common groceries). We don't need a tax cut. We need a cut in oil prices to get prices down (all around) and allow smaller companies/middle class/United States to get back on their feet again with a reasonable standard of living.
Here I go sounding ultra-liberal.. whatever.. if that's what I'm leaning toward these days.. so be it.. because things have been way-too-ultra-conservative for a long time which has caused some serious damage. It feels like the only way to get out of this is to go the other extreme and then balance it out again (middle-ground) over some time.
In other news.....
I hope people vote this Super Tuesday by taking a good look at candidate's past records (what they have/haven't endorsed) and experience. It makes me so angry to hear some of the craziest reasons why someone will vote for a particular candidate when they have really *no idea* who they're voting for... they vote because "___ endorsed him"..."he/she is a Christian"..."he looks honest"...... things like that.. well in that case let's just have another four years of the Bush administration because voting on things like that really seem to get us somewhere. Don't get me wrong, I *am* a Christian, but I like to think of myself as more spiritual than religious.. where morals and values stand a lot higher with me than practices such as ritually going to church. So when it comes to *doing* what's *right*.. helping the common-man.. advocatinig for the less-fortunate... etc... that stands a lot more value in my eyes than just saying "oh I'm a Christian" and expecting me to vote for you on those terms.. how do your *actions* speak toward your faith?
Anyway.. yeah.. I'm rambling. Discovered an interesting artist.. Ben Jelen.. nice voice.. a little on the sappy side (a bit much for me).. but definitely someone to look into more when I have time.
Lin *
Jason
Sarah
Phil