You know the old saying, that sometimes the truth hurts. The other side to that though is that honesty is the best policy. I have listed some ideas below that should be (need to be?) addressed below the fold. I think that this could even be turned into a nice speech with some work.
The armed services are having issues meeting recruiting numbers, yet openly gay Americans who WANT to serve are turned away. Members already in the military who are outed are discharged, no matter how valuable their skill set.
Republicans talk about how unfair it will be for insurance companies if their is a public option. What happened to the best product for the best value? Public schools didnt kill the private school, it just forced them to step up their product.
Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Im sure many in the Congress were alive during the Civil Rights movement. Are they all so blind as to be unable to make the correlation between that time for African-Americans and now for GLBT Americans?
If members of Congress are so against government run healthcare, I think all of them should be forced to GIVE UP their healthcare and let them find healthcare on the open market! How hard could it really be, we have the best healthcare system in the world!
If republicans are so concerned about how much the government is spending, why dont any of them propose a small wage reduction for members of Congress? They start at $165500/year. If all 535 members gave up $5500/year, that is 2.94 Million. If they gave up $15500 (slightly more then the Poverty line for a single parent with one child!) that would save 8.29 Million. They would still make $150000 in wages. And while 8.29 Million doesnt seem like a lot, the old saying is a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
Energy companies have been running an ad on television saying it would be bad for the government to raise their taxes. Why? They are making record profits. Even worse is this commercial has a person going "this could send jobs overseas". I know a threat when I see one.
Speaking of energy, I dont understand why they dont want to get behind renewable energy. They could get their foot in the door and if they do it right, make a ton of money their too. "but the energy grid..." Why is it always about what we cant do RIGHT NOW. Sometimes people/companies need to be dragged kicked and screaming to do things. Did doctors say "but how could I ever remove a heart from one person and put it in another person" and just give up? No!
Why do all advances need to be made in leaps and bounds? I remember reading an old story about American electronics manufacturers vs Japanese manufacturers. The Japanese would shave 1mm here, 1mm there, but over each revision, their product would get smaller, and do the same job. American companies were always looking for that whole big section, or giant overhaul. Once again, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
The governers who didnt want stimulus money since they didnt want to rely on the Federal government? Stop taking Federal money at all, see how that makes your residents feel. By the way, in 2005, Alaska received $1.84 for every dollar. South Carolina $1.35 for each dollar in federal taxes. Louisiana got $1.78 back for every dollar it paid. Why don't those governors grandstand against that? Is it because they dont have a news camera pointed at them when they get that allotment?
Why is it that alot of the people who want government out of their lives and businesses want it in their marriages? They dont want government in their healthcare or childrens education, but they want a LAW passed stating who can get married? You want to protect the sanctity of marriage? I wonder how many people who support DOMA and want to ban same sex marriages watch shows like "The Bachelor".