The Dollar Bill

It is true that the copper penny is no longer a useful coin due to inflation, but the dollar bill still holds an important place in our wallets. We can also find some significant facts about our country by examining the very common dollar bill. We all recognize the portrait of George Washington, our first president who established the precedent that we would not have a king and who remained in office for only two terms. He wanted to make sure that the new country would not be a Monarchy or a Dictatorship.
Turning the bill over we see the words “ In God We Trust” prominently printed above the number ONE. To the left we have the Great Seal, and underneath the pyramid is printed “Novus Ordo Seclorum”, which translated from the Latin, reads “New Secular Order”. (According to the Cambridge Dictionary the definition of “secular” is “not having any connection with religion”.) Are these contradictory ideas?
I guess this is open to interpretation. I like to think that these two phrases complement each other. Most of the people in our great country put their trust in a God that is central to their religion. We worship God in many different ways. But no one religion or set of religious beliefs should dominate the civil and governmental laws. We can clearly see the problems that arise in countries where religious laws become the laws of the land. It is proper for Religious Leaders to encourage their congregations to vote for representatives that have ethical values and will work for the betterment of the people. But I do not think they should tell their parishioners to vote for representatives who want to make the doctrines of their own particular religion part of the laws of our country.
In my religion we look upon prayer as essential to making one a better person. But this should be done in the home and in places of worship. That is where it is most meaningful for all of the family members, most importantly in families where there are children.

GREED

It is interesting to compare our culture today, and particularly that of the administration in Washington, with that of the Navajo Indians. A Navajo philosopher explains that in their culture “Having what you need is good. Having more than you need, with needy people around you, is a sign you’re an evil person”. The Navajos also stress living in harmony with the land and preserving it as part of a religious commitment
On the other hand, I believe that the urge to acquire possessions and secure a better life for one’s family has resulted in all the inventions and innovations that make living in our free market democratic society just about the best place to live in the history of the world. But when does “greed” become excessive? Is lowering the taxes on the wealthiest people in our country so that they can buy another yacht or a new diamond brooch for their wife justified at the same time as the government t is skimping on the money available for education (“ No Child Left Behind”) and cutting funds for Medicaid recipients. Should corporations be encouraged, under CAFTA, to close their factories in our country and open them elsewhere so that they can pay their workers a fraction of what U.S. workers get? Should the minimum wage be kept so low that a working family cannot rise above the poverty level? Should, Social Security, our safety net for the elderly among us be jeopardized with a scheme for private accounts that will only benefit the Wall Street Brokers. At what point does being a little “greedy” with an urge to better ones lot in life (which can be beneficial) change to excessive greed that is harmful for all of us?
No, I would not like to live in a Navajo Hogan on the reservation, but I think we can learn a little from their outlook on life. We can also learn to respect the environment (clean air, clean water, pristine forests) and ask our leaders, in Washington, to begin to realize that it must be preserved. Our representatives are bombarded daily by lobbyists for the “greedy” and they must make the difficult choices and remember their constituents needs and the welfare of our great country.

WHY?

Why am I creating a blog now? I am just an average "little old lady". I have not been particularly politically active during my lifetime. I always voted in national elections, and most often in the "off year" local elections. But that is just my civic responsibility for living in a great democracy, and it has been the limit of my involvement. I have usually ( but not all the time ) voted for democratic candidates. But why am I so upset now that I write letters to my local newspapers as often as they will print them? Why am I starting this blog and writing" letters to the editor" ? Maybe putting how I feel into words makes me feel a little better. I am not sure that it does.

I printed a sign that we put in the back windows of our car. It says: "GOD SAVE AMERICA". Of course I still believe in the usual sign" God Bless America" but I feel that the America that we know and love is fast disappearing.

Some of the quotes from letters I wrote to the editors of the newspapers can best explain why I feel this way.

The following letter was written before CAFTA was passed by Congress.

GOD SAVE AMERICA FROM MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS

God save America from multinational corporations, and from ourselves. Our country seems to be changing. The gap between the very wealthy and the rest of us is widening. No longer is the middle class, the mainstay of our country, growing. Instead more people are moving slowing into poverty as good paying jobs are being sent overseas. With almost unlimited funds at their disposal large corporations can pay for the TV ads that distort the true facts. They employ a multitude of lobbyists to influence representatives from both parties. They contribute funds to candidates running for office. And we accept the unwise laws passed in Congress.
In some ways I, a Democrat, am as guilty as my Republican neighbors. I supported President Clinton when he pushed for the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The result of this legislation has been a dramatic loss of good jobs in our country. More and more of the goods we buy are made in Mexico or Canada. Our trade deficit is increasing. Now the corporations are pushing for a new bill called.CAFTA – Central American Trade Agreement. The corporations want to move more factories down to Central America where they can pay workers a fraction of what they pay our workers.
I supported President Bush when he told us that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and we were in eminent danger. But this was not true and it was discovered that there was, even at that time, evidence to the contrary. I do not know why he was so anxious to invade Iraq that he was making plans to do so as soon as he was elected. Was he interested in getting access to the oil reserves? Was he thinking ahead of possible windfall profits for Haliburton?Many of my neighbors are overjoyed at the appointment of conservative judges who are anti-abortion and against gay marriage. But do they realize that these very same judges are also against all laws protecting workers rights, and laws that would put restraints on businesses that pollute the environment? I don’t think that gay couples should marry in the traditional sense (marriage is a religious union) but to me the fact that the minimum wage has not been raised in years and does not constitute a living wage far outweighs the problem of a few married gay couples. It bothers me more that many Americans cannot afford health insurance and businesses in our country cannot afford to give this insurance to their workers and still compete against companies that have outsourced to China. Can we not compromise on social issues and save our country from corporate takeover?

The following letter was written and printed last February but remains pertinent today.

TWO AMERICAS
While waiting in the doctor’s office last week I picked up the magazine “Town and Country” to read. I was appalled by the multitude of pages advertising extravagant diamond jewelry, watches, and clothing with price tags of over $400 for a pair of shoes and $1000 for a simple sweater. While in a different doctor’s office I glanced through a magazine offering shares in private jets. Yes, the election is over, but the fact that there are “ Two Americas” is more apparent every day. And one of these Americas got hefty tax cuts.
How did we manage to elect an administration and a Congress that is now catering to the wishes of the very rich? Many of you, who are part of the large majority of Americans in our country, the working middle class, joined the corporations and the very rich in voting for the Republican party because it supported your values regarding abortion, gay marriage, gun control, etc. I disagree with you on many of these issues but we must surely agree on the basic economic issues facing Congress. Once elected, our Congressmen should be committed to serving the economic as well as social needs of the whole constituency.
The Medicare bill, for example, “rammed” quickly through Congress, was supposedly designed to help older Americans pay for the drugs they desperately need. Against the wishes of most Americans and several legislators of both parties the bill outlaws importation of drugs from Canada, which would allow substantial savings. The bill is “stingy, in the amount of help given to seniors but provides billions of dollars in giveaways to drug companies, the HMO’s and corporate interests. Our legislators could amend this bill if we demand it. There are currently bi-partisan proposals in Congress.
Our president is now determined to “save” Social Security. There is no immediate crisis. It will remain solvent until 2042 and by then less than drastic changes could insure its solvency. But why now? He feels that since he has the majority party of Congress behind him he can reward his Wall Street Banker friends with the windfall that privatization of Social Security would provide. Watch out for the ads on television touting private investments. Remember that large Wall Street investment firms are paying for them.
When running for office Senator Dole promised to work to keep jobs in North Carolina. Since outsourcing, it is almost impossible to buy anything made in North Carolina or indeed in the United States. We no longer seem to produce anything. Most of those who have jobs are working in a service industry. The corporations are making money, but working people are accepting lower wages with fewer benefits. What can we look forward to if this continues? – GOD SAVE AMERICA!! and the working middle class.

My most recent letter addressed the fact that CAFTA was passed by congress. Some of our represntatives remained true to their word and voted against it but others ignored the fact that it will bring disasterous effects to North Carolina.

VOWS
In the bible (old testament-4th book, 9th chapter) Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes and instructed them on the laws of vows and commitments. According to the Hebraic Law, established at that time, a promise or vow could not be annulled except under extreme circumstances. Because of this, King Solomon, in later years, warned the people that it is better not to vow (promise) at all than not to fulfill that promise or vow
It seems that some of our elected representative seem to forget selective biblical teachings. Senator Elizabeth Dole, when campaigning, promised to do everything in her power to protect North Carolina jobs. Yet she voted in favor of CAFTA, which surely will hasten the demise of the textile and clothing industry in our state. Some representatives, in Congress, from our state, also voted in favor of the bill, changing their vote at the last minute. But I must heap praise upon Congressman Patrick McKinley and Congresspersons Virginia Foxx, Howard Coble, and Walter Jones, (4 Republicans) who kept their promise and voted against the bill. It passed by a margin of 2 votes. If every representative from North Carolina had kept his word to protect jobs in our state the bill would have been defeated.
While running for office candidates are quick to make promises that they later do not fulfill after they are elected. Only by fulfilling one's words can trust and confidence be achieved between the public and its leaders.