The Votes are counted

I’m relieved the carnival is over. A lyric from a song comes to mind.

“Storm clouds gathering move along the dusty boulevard

Outside the circus gathering

Moved silently along rain swept boulevards.

The procession moved on the shouting is over

The fabulous freaks are leaving town.

As the moon rose again for the very first time.”

I guess the first thing I want to say is congratulations to us all for participating in this countries 45th democratic election. God Bless President Obama and Vice President Biden and all members of the government elected or reelected. We are truly blessed to have the privilege to have our votes counted and be represented in our government. But that’s about as far as I feel like waxing poetry at the moment. Here are the facts people. I voted for Romney because our economy is in a tailspin. I drive by block after block of homes that have been foreclosed upon. I see growing numbers of people living in their cars. I know what the unemployment record is in our country and I know what the cost of gasoline is as well. I’m all about exploring a problem and figuring out what the solution is. Everybody can point out problems and they do it all the time on T.V. . That’s how I ended up being a part of this national dialogue on American politics.

Rather than talk about real issues superficial ones are glued together for lively debate. Most of the hot topics are meant to push emotional buttons but they didn’t have anything to do with outcomes of any of the last several elections where they were dragged into the public arena for good t.v. Of course womens’ health and gay rights are of critical importance to the long term health of our country. Of course our education system needs an overhaul but these issues are always dragged out for the political arena and then stuffed back into the box afterward. I don’t have time for that. I actually care about what’s really going on. I believe in the dynamic process of democracy.

There’s this assumption that people only vote for their own color. I can’t even touch that but we all know it’s true for a bunch of uninformed people. Of course a whole bunch of people only voted for Romney/Ryan because they’re the white ticket. Those voters are reactionary and prejudiced. The same is true for those that voted for Obama/Biden on grounds that Obama is black.

Well guess what? I reject this paradigm. I didn’t cast a vote against Barack Hussein Obama who I happen to consider one of the greatest statesmen the world has ever known. I cast a vote for non-partisanship. A bunch of you may immediately point out that it isn’t Obama’s fault that more bipartisanship hasn’t occurred. It’s an obstructionist GOP that should be held to blame. Right? Well that just doesn’t cut it for me. If the captain of my ship can’t get his crew to work together maybe it’s time for a new captain. It’s that simple for me. And I’m not a politician. I’m a Mother, an actress, entrepreneur, designer, producer, writer and soon to be director but I’m not a spin doctor or an economist and I’m certainly not a House Nigger.

I’m a self-made woman that’s managed to struggle and work hard for more than twenty years to earn a career for myself. You wouldn’t be reading this now if you really believe that I’m a nobody. I am somebody and I do have opinions, a temper and plenty of attitude. When I hire someone to represent me and my hard earned investments, I vett them first. If they fail for whatever reason you won’t find me holding the door for them with bag lunch sandwich. I’ll mop the floor with them and let them find their own way to the door.

I mean no disrespect. That’s not the issue. Unlike a lot of people that only have their news spoon fed to them on their favorite news station, I try and keep up. I want to understand the full complexities of problems but mostly- I want leaders that bring me solutions. I like Obama. Don’t tar and feather the messenger that’s telling you what you probably already knew but you are denying, and that is this : Without a leader capable- not just willing- but capable of ending the gridlock in Washington- our economy simply cannot grow. I’m not blaming Obama for not being able to get Congress to work with him. My first objective is to make sure the process is working, that the gears are not jammed up and the engineering crew is working with the right machinery and has all the right tools at their disposal. If that crew is building forts and lobbying spitballs at each other and not getting to work and the captain can’t get them back to their jobs- well you tell me. What would you do in that scenario? If the commander in chief can’t get the congress to do its job and the senate is off pointing fingers while Americans are losing their houses, their businesses, their childrens’ higher education- then fire the commander in chief. That’s where I am coming from.

I’m not going to apologise for supporting the ticket that lost, especially on this racialist platform so many people are burning up my social media accounts with. I love my country. I love my American family and I reject all this animosity and prejudice about not voting for who you may have thought I should have voted for. Rather than get too wrapped up in that let me provide you with an example of something that inspires me about this great nation. Here’s what can happen when non-partisanship enabled civil servants to enact laws and do the will of the people- together, not as Republicans or Democrats – but as Americans. This just so happened to have occurred during Obama’s first four years in office and again, this is about bipartisanship. I’m not selling either party. Frankly, both parties have to earn back a whole lot of respect given the state of our nation’s economy.

‘The Senate approved $4.55 billion to settle long standing charges that the federal government had denied or underpaid aid to black farmers and mismanaged trust funds for American Indians.

The bill sets aside $1.15 billion to resolve racial bias claims brought by black farmers against the Agriculture Department and $3.4 billion to pay claims stemming from the Department of the Interior’s handling of American Indian trust funds.

The Senate approved the measure by unanimous consent to the House.

Members of the National Congress of American Indians, a group that advocates for tribal interests, said they were encouraged by the vote.

“The passage of the Cobell settlement in the Senate brings tribal nations and the federal government one step closer to settling this historical injustice,” said Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians.

During the signing, President Obama said, “Today I have signed into law H.R. 4783, the “Claims Resolution Act of 2010.” This Act, among other things, provides funding and statutory authorities for the settlement agreements reached in the Cobell lawsuit, brought by Native Americans; the Pigford II lawsuit, brought by African American farmers; and four separate water rights suits, brought by Native American tribes. While I am pleased that this Act reflects important progress, much work remains to be done to address other claims of past discrimination made by women and Hispanic farmers against the Department of Agriculture as well as to address needs of tribal communities.”

So some of you are scratching your heads. Am I waffling? Do I actually support Obama? If you’re thinking that way maybe you’re missing the larger point. The Claims Resolution Act of 2010 was a pivotal moment in American politics and a rare conciliatory initiative that not only proved that our great nation is affirmed by its civil rights, it is also capable of the painful introspection necessary to identify the issues that have harmed it.

Did this cost the economy a lot of money? Were those farmers and tribes prevented from earning their fair share of their rightful income? Since I’m not a politician I was heartened to find the house and the senate working together to decide this case in my interests, in America’s interests. Americans won.

And I hope that you’ll get where I’m coming from when I say, this is the level of the big C’s- cooperation and collaboration, compromise and concession- that I voted for in 2008. This is the kind of legislation I expected more of. Not just for the social and historical ramifications but also because this is how a country is moved forward by and for the people. Were all conservatives happy about the Claims Resolution Act? Of course not. It was a shot across the bow for a good percentage of them. Were the concessions necessary to get this realized something the liberals accepted out of hand?

Of course not! That’s not how progress is made. And by the way, for the partisan hacks out there, it takes two wings to fly. I believe we deserve a nation that’s pulled itself out of a tailspin by action and bipartisanship. People pointing blame at the other side are taking the necessity of equilibrium for granted if acknowledging it at all.

President Obama, consider yourself served. I am praying with every fiber in my being that your first objective when you sit down to work on January 21st is to get all these selfish civil servants together and knock some heads. Maybe you’re just being too nice.

Their kids can all afford a higher education and no one is foreclosing their homes.