Highlights from Michelle Obama's DNC Speech

Last night was the 1st night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and our favorite FLOTUS, or mom-in-chief, gave an amazing speech that hit home with the majority of us. This election isn't about Democrat vs Republican...have vs have-not...white vs black....it's about doing what is best for the ENTIRE American public.

Success is not about how much money we make but the difference we make in people's lives.

Highlights from the Washington Post:

CHILDREN: Obama said serving as first lady is an honor and a privilege. But four years ago, at the Democratic convention in Denver that nominated her husband, she worried that her two daughters might be affected by the glare of the national spotlight and being moved from their school, friends and home if he were elected. Obama said her most important title is still “mom-in-chief.”

FAMILY: Obama said she and her husband were raised by families that didn’t have much money, but instilled in both of them the values of hard work, dignity and decency. Her father was a pump operator at the city water plant. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she and her brother were young. “But every morning, I watched my father wake up with a smile, grab his walker, prop himself up against the bathroom sink, and slowly shave and button his uniform,” Obama said.

HEALTH CARE: Barack Obama refused to leave health care overhaul for another president to tackle, Michelle Obama said. “He didn’t care whether it was the easy thing to do politically — that’s not how he was raised — he cared that it was the right thing to do,” she said. GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney has said that if elected he will repeal Obama’s health care law.

WOMEN: In a subtle shot at the Republican platform on abortion, Obama said the president believes that “women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bodies and our health care.” The president also signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, she said, which makes it easier for women to sue for equal pay if they earn less than their male counterparts.

EDUCATION: When they were first married, the Obamas’ combined monthly student loan bills cost more than their mortgage, she said. That’s why Barack Obama wants to increase student financial aid while keeping interest rates low, Michelle Obama said.

WHITE HOUSE: After more than three years of living in the White House, Obama said she is well aware of the pressures of the presidency. The issues that come across the desk in the Oval Office are always the hard ones, she said, and the decisions a president makes reveal his character.

AMERICAN SPIRIT: Since becoming first lady in January 2009, Obama said she has been inspired by the kindness and sacrifice she has seen from Americans. She mentioned teachers in a near-bankrupt school district who promised to keep teaching even without pay and members of the U.S. military who have overcome serious battlefield injuries.

State of the Union: What did President Obama really say?

Last night was the State of the Union address by President Obama and I must say I was very pleased! The way he called out members of Congress (both sides) and the top 2%. The way he told everyone to get along and play nice for the sake of the American public.

So what did the POTUS say?

-- "the basic American promise" that hard work can allow one to own a home and support a family are at risk if the government doesn't do more to balance the scale between the nation's rich and poor. We work hard, very hard and get very little for our efforts. We work and work and work...we need to see positive results in ur wallets and in our country.

-- "The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.  What's at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values.  We have to reclaim them." AMEN!

-- an "economy built to last, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded." We work HARD, let us play HARD!

-- "In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs.  And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect." Just a reminder...

-- "As long as I'm president, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place." Play nice or no recess for you, Congress!

-- "blueprint for an economy that's built to last" based on four main themes: American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers and "a renewal of American values." Isn't that what our country was built on? Why did we ever leave those values behind?

-- a rollback for tax breaks for American companies that outsource jobs overseas and proposed new tax cuts for manufacturers that build their products stateside. Keep American jobs American.

-- proposing new tax incentives to help homeowners save $3,000 a year on their mortgages. Much needed help for homeowners.

-- He also announced the creation of a federal task force to monitor banks, mortgage lenders and credit card companies for fraud. See what a lack of monitoring will get you?

-- "Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that do the same. It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody." The bailouts didn't trickle down as intended. Sharing is caring!

-- He also called on Congress to enact measures to ensure student aid--but he also warned higher education institutions to crack down on skyrocketing education costs. Thank you!

-- "If you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can't be a luxury--it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford." More education leads to more innovation...

-- "We don't begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it's not because they envy the rich. It's because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don't need and the country can't afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference." Sharing is caring!

-- "With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow." BOOM!

Remember to VOTE and let's keep this progress going!

Warren Buffett Tells Republicans Put Up $$ or Shut Up

Yahoo! Finance posted the article recently entitled Buffett to Republicans: if you pay, so will I in which he tells the members of the Republican members of Congress he will give $1 of his own money for every $1 they put towards the National Debt! And $3 for every $1 put up by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. This move by Buffett isn't his first attempt to get Republicans, and Democrats for that matter, to contribute more of their millions to help the U.S. get out of debt. 

Mr. President, this is my plan to get the U.S. out of debt...

This idea came from a NY Times article Buffett wrote where he basically said the top 1% should be taxed more than everyone else. Hmmmm, makes sense to me. The top 1% have more money than the other 99%, so why shouldn't they be taxed more? They get more tax breaks, so I doubt giving a little back wont hurt their pockets. Of course, those in the 1% aren't happy about anything Buffett is saying lately. In a reply, McConnell said Buffett should extend this offer to Democrats and to President Obama. Hopefully, they will step up!  

Mr. McConnell, what's wrong with Mr. Buffett's plan?

I think McConnell is missing the point, or maybe he is sly like a fox. Either way, his response is typical of the way many Republicans think towards their contributions to our country. "They" have and we don't. If Buffett, who has more money than these Congressmen, is willing to hand over his own money to help get our country out of this mess, why wouldn't the Republican Congressmen be willing to do what they can to help save our economy?

I like the concept behind Buffett's proposal and strongly feel more of the top 1% should do what they can instead of putting the pressure on us. We can't afford life these days. More people are sliding from "middle class" daily and these millionaires are getting richer. That's pretty selfish.

I know Republicans don't like to "support" those that don't have - including those Republicans that don't have and still feel they are supported by their Republican Party when they aren't - and feel the downfall of our country is do to us and no the tax breaks they have been given. Remember it takes a villiage....not just to raise a child, but to support a society.
 

Help me save our country!

So.....Republicans and Democrats...open your wallets and step up to Buffett's challenge! Help stop our country from falling further and further into debt.

Do you think the Republicans will step up? The Democrats?