Goodfellows52: My year in review

Goodfellows52: My year in review: "Maybe when you go back, Martin, you'll find that there are merry-go-rounds and band concerts where you are. Maybe you haven&#39...

My year in review

"Maybe when you go back, Martin, you'll find that there are merry-go-rounds and band concerts where you are. Maybe you haven't been looking in the right place. You've been looking behind you, Martin. Try looking ahead."

                       — Dialogue from the Twilight Zone episode  "Walking Distance"

AUBURN, Maine — I discovered a worn Christmas card at the bottom of a box used for storing our treasure trove of holiday ornaments.

The thoughtful card was from my dad who is engaged in a cruel battle with Alzheimer's — a disease of the brain that dissolves memories and renders all human beings stricken with it helpless.

I opened the card and read the inscription: "Have a great holiday. We love all of you."

I know it wasn't his handwriting because he can no longer hold a pen, but it was something he would say to all of us each Christmas. He has always been a man of few words, but his loyalty and integrity is beyond reproach.

Of course, reading the card stirred all those memories of my mom and dad. My parents are no longer together. My mom passed three years ago, leaving us all with an emptiness that never goes away. Big Al still has home-run moments of lucidity, but there are other instances when it is impossible for him to speak in complete sentences.

I admire people who take down the Christmas tree and pack all those ornaments away the day after the holiday and move on to the next year without batting an eye. I look forward to the future, but I often find myself looking over my shoulder for the past.

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day is like purgatory for me. I am relieved the holiday has passed, but bundling up all that holiday cheer in plastic tubs and placing them on the cold cellar floor leaves me melancholic. I know another year has past that was filled with great moments in our lives. These memories have been recorded in photographs or on video clips.

I have been lucky to experience these moments that come so fast and furious and disappear so quickly before I can savor them.

That's why a camera comes in handy.

I am not a prisoner of my past, but I am a sentimental fool when it comes to my family.

This was my week to review a year that gave me hope but was also tinged with despair. 

Isn't that always the way in life?

Philadelphia Freedom

We threw caution to the wind and hopped in a souped-up, red Chevy Impala and cut across seven states for a 1,300-mile joy ride that took us all the way to Philadelphia and Gettysburg. My 17-year-old son served as our on-board navigator and acted as a chaperon for his two loving parents who acted like two crazy kids.

During our voyage to the City of Brotherly Love, we visited:

@ The Independence Sea Port Museum

@ The Liberty Bell (Did you know there is a crack in it? Really, there is!)

@ Independence Hall (It gave me a new appreciated for my founding fathers and strengthened my disdain toward a pathetic Congress.)

@ The Borse (Philadelphia's version of Faneuil Hall in Boston)

@ The Olympia (Admiral Dewey's ship that participated in the Spanish American War. I satisfied my son's dream by touring this behemoth battle wagon from the past)

@ Crossing the Susquehanna River. (We took the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Gettysburg, which is surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains)

@The Becuna (It is a World War II submarine that is docked next the Olympia.)

@ Ben Franklin's grave (We threw a few pennies on the big fellas' tombstone.)

@ Staying at the Wyndham hotel (Great people, good food and a four-stars stay as far as I am concerned.)

@Gettysburg (It was worth the 268-mile round trip from our hotel in Philly. It worth spending an entire day in 97-degree heat to check out Little Roundtop and the rest of the battle sites.)

@ Driving through Amish country (I appreciate people who live a simple life and refuse to complicate their lives with technology and greed.)

@Crossing the George Washington Bridge, seeing the World Trade Center One stand out above the New York City skyline, and then crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge as we headed into Philadelphia.

Revere Beach

We wanted to visit with Big Al and see fireworks on July Fourth. We found a way to watch three major pyrotechnic displays that lit up Revere Beach.

We sat on the wall as waves people shuffled up and down the boardwalk on typical hot night in the city. Fireworks could be scene from Marblehead, Swampscott and Boston, and the price of admission was free.

Beach baby

We hung out at beaches across New England and hiked trails at several state parks in the Pine Tree State.

World politics

Don't get me started. This Congress played a huge roll in making every American feeling like they were suffering from an endless stomach virus. There are reports that the economy is getting better. Tell that to the homeless, whose numbers continue to grow, and to the people who can't find a well-paying, full-time job. To top it off, the NSA is recording phone calls of all Americans. Is it subversive when my wife calls me at work to remind me to bring home milk?

The Future

I have no New Year's resolutions, but I have a pretty good idea what I want to do next. Right now, I am having a helluva time watching my son grow and become a fine young man. I am damn lucky I am married to a woman who has the patience and love to keep the two men in her life on the right track, and my dad still knows my name.

Goodfellows52: Ice, ice baby

Goodfellows52: Ice, ice baby: “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the ti...

Goodfellows52: Goodfellows52: Sometimes, it is the most difficult...

Goodfellows52: Goodfellows52: Sometimes, it is the most difficult...: Goodfellows52: Sometimes, it is the most difficult time of the ye... : Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you're home...

Ice, ice baby

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ― Edith Sitwell

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” 
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

AUBURN, Maine — Those demented souls, who are still holding out for a white Christmas or want to go walking in a  winter wonderland should visit the Pine Tree State, which is now freeze-dried thanks to a three-day ice storm which has pulled the plug on 100 hundred towns across the state. 

There is nearly an inch of ice on wilting limbs, and we all know how that goes — badly. 

If you want to take your chances on I-95 and don't mind bouncing off guard rails as you slide up the interstate, bring your skates or a dog sled. Everything has been coated with dangerous, solid ice. You can take in spectacular views of trees bowing to Mother Nature and electrical fires as limbs come crashing down on droopy wires. For more spectacular views, you might see transformers bursting like the rockets red glare and witness neighborhoods descend into darkness.

The police scanner is alive with mayhem. Numerous reports of limbs and downed wires are keeping police and fire departments rushing through the snow on eight-cylinder cruisers. There is no rest for weary Central Maine Power crews who have the nerve to repair power lines in the cold, damp dark.

Right now, there are 30,000 of us sitting in the cold dark and shouting obscenities that can be heard for miles around central Maine. A passing Central Maine Power truck brings us to the window and hope. The F-word is the  adjective of the day. Sentences contain three or four of the most reviled word in obscenity's lexicon. We have been stuck indoors for nearly 48 hours as we tend to our wood stoves and generators. 

You take your life into your own hands when you walk to the car or go shopping. My walkway is a miniature ice rink without a Zamboni.

If you are driving, keep an eye for downed wires and remember no power line is safe to touch — ever! Central Maine Power has been reminding Mainers of the dangers of touching a power line for years. 

No kidding! Thanks for the tip!

I am witnessing my second ice storm in the Pine Tree State. In 1998, the rented house I was living in went dark for nearly five days. This family of three was offered a place to stay in front of a warm fireplace at a friend's home for the night. We woke up early and returned to our house, which now resembled an igloo surrounded by sheets of ice.

My son was two years old, and I wasn't about to risk his health. It was time to retreat and live to fight another day with my shovel and rock salt.

That's when we decided to abandon the place and headed down a dangerous I-95. We were like refugees as we fled the cold and ice. My mother, who is no longer alive, opened the door that morning. Her jaw dropped and her eyes nearly popped out her head when she saw us on her doorstep. This family of three was seeking warmth and a hot meal.

That night, I was called back up to Maine to put out the Sun Journal. For the first time in the paper's history, we could not get the newspaper out the night before when the ice storm got its icy hands around the Pine Tree State.

In just 18 hours, I traveled back and forth to Maine to get the edition out on the streets, logging some 470 miles. 

Two days later, the landlord had the rented house up and running with generator. There was heat in the building.

Today, the ice storm of 2013 is like '98's kid brother. It isn't spectacular and we have only lost power three times for about three hours. It is not a bust, though. The city of Bangor might not get power back for nearly a week.

We have been lucky in the Lewiston-Auburn area. Let's just hope Santa won't slide off a roof and hita tree during each rooftop landing. I hate to see the cherubic fellow injure himself on that special night.

The lights are on at my home in Auburn, but all that could change with the drop of a limb.

Goodfellows52: Sometimes, it is the most difficult time of the ye...

Goodfellows52: Sometimes, it is the most difficult time of the ye...: Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you're home.                                                            ...

Sometimes, it is the most difficult time of the year

Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you're home.                   

                                                                                                                                    — Carol Nelson

Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.  

                                                                                                                                  — Eric Sevaride

When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things — not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness.          

                                                                                                                                          — Bob Hope

AUBURN, Maine — I won't bother taking a head count at the dinner table this Christmas. Many of my loved ones are now a long string of fond memories and images bundled together and sealed in dozens books of photographs in our bedroom. 

There are piles of pictures of aunts and uncles, grandparents and friends mugging for the camera at barbecues or at holiday dinners. There are old and recent movies of them at the beach, pool or playing cards at our grandpa's home.

And all those Christmas cards have dried up. Relatives aren't around to send those thoughtful cards in the mail. That's what happens when you sneak past the high-water mark at 50 years old.

This is the most difficult time of the calendar when it  comes to missing all those familiar faces who gave us love and hope throughout the years. We feel pressured to celebrate a Martha Stewart holiday — where the hoity-toity fold their napkins a certain way and take hours arranging a perfect dinner table or preparing a meal that costs a small fortune. We are pelted with jewelry advertisements where a man dressed in a George Armani suit springs a diamond worth the entire budget of a third-world nation on his trophy wife.

Commercialism falls on us like a tree in each December. We watch people kill each other on Black Friday over a free DVD player. Next to war, this chaotic shopping day is one of humanity's aberrations in a season where we are supposed to reach out to our fellow man instead reaching for another shopper's neck.

I can see why some of us turn to the Dark Side like happy-go-lucky Darth Vader and go around pissing off loved ones with our Scrooge-like attitudes. I won't take that sinister to approach to Christmas, which for me, is a holiday that celebrates family — or what is left of my tribe. If I choose to become a prisoner of my past, I will miss all the those wonderful moments with my wife and son.

In some ways, Christmas is giant signpost on the side of a highway, refreshing our memory that we made it through the end of the year — intact.

There are numerous reasons why I put up a freshly-cut tree in the parlor and clutter the rest of our house with sentimental ornaments, which become more precious and priceless as time passes. There is the Dunkin Donuts coffee ornament, a cherish home-made decoration our son,  and the "Our First Christmas Together" that all hang with care on our well-lit tree. And when one breaks, I lament and move on because it is a thing, but the loss of relative or parent leaves a permanent hole in my heart.

It can be a cruel world, and death is a cruel hoax played on all of us at some point in our lives. But I have witnessed so many remarkable and loving moments from my family, teachers and students in my son's school. I cheer when a student, who has given up on himself, turn his life around on a dime and eventually go on to conquer the world.

Heartbreak and depression rises exponentially during the yuletide. I witness my father's memory disappear as Alzheimer's syphons off his precious recollections. I am helpless and it is hopeless to watch a good man's life dwindle away. I want to take Alzheimer's out for walk just like Michael did to Sal Tessio in the Godfather. Alzheimer's is a diabolical disease that not only destroys the brain but also emotionally scars entire families.

But this is also the season of hope. There are many remarkable people doing wonderful things for the greater good in December.

I still don't understand why it takes a holiday to bring out the best in most of us when we should ALL be helping out our fellow men year-round. One day of benevolence make any of us  Do-gooders of the Year. But if it takes a holiday to remind the human race to get off its ass, pick up a shovel, and dig in to make the world a more palatable place to live, what the hell, I am all for it.

Just remember this on Christmas Eve. When you are sitting at the dinner table with a family member as the turkey and corn come your, keep in mind the he or she might not be present next year. Nobody has lock on longevity and time has the final say in matters of life in death. Only time will tell.

So pull out that annoying camera, snap  a few hundred pictures, treasure every precious moment you spend with your family on this Christmas day.

When Dr. Seuss penned "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," he had it right when he wrote, "Christmas Day will always be, Just as long as we have we."

Goodfellows52: Goodfellows52: Odds and ends: The Bearded Sox, Nov...

Goodfellows52: Goodfellows52: Odds and ends: The Bearded Sox, Nov...: Goodfellows52: Odds and ends: The Bearded Sox, November's warmth,... : " Don ' t point that beard at me, it might go o...

Teach your children well

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” 

                                                                                        ― Malala Yousafzai

AUBURN, Maine — Getting behind the wheel of a classroom is like trying to fly a kite in a hurricane or outswim a tsunami.

And when you are a long-term substitute teacher who has been ordered to parachute into the middle of a school quarter, you feel like a hiker lost on Mount Katahdin during an old-fashion Maine nor’easter.

Teachers are the whole ball of wax, and if a teacher doesn’t have lessons lined up and establish a provisional government, it will be a long 75 minutes for everybody in that room — and there will be anarchy.

I have had the privilege of teaching five classes – American Literature and Senior Writing – at Edward Little High School for the past few months. I was given the keys to the classroom until a wonderful teacher returned after coping with a personal problem.

It has been a dizzying 60 days. Dozens of students walked in and out of my classroom, placing a variety of demands on me. I spent hours pleading, cajoling and coaxing students to turn in work. I listened to students plea bargain their cases when their work was tardy. I thought of creating an appellate court to hear each student’s plea, hoping the judges would lessen my burdens. But just when I thought students turned a deaf ear to me or found me as interesting as watching paint dry, the work started flowing in, and all of a sudden, I experienced the endless joy of correcting papers. I cheered and hoorayed students who turned in a well-written essay or miraculously pulled off an A on a test. I told them they were wonderful human beings, and I meant every word of it. And when students fell behind, I wanted to bribe them with great deals like free pizza for a lifetime or gas card at a local filling station. But as a last resort, I was tersely warned them that flunking a course does not do a body good. Mention san “F” — that dreaded letter in the alphabet to all students — and watch the essays start appearing on your desk.

I have been that dedicated and besides, somebody had to get the job done, and that would be me.

So I held my ground and promised myself I would not allow this two-month stint to act as a corrosive and eat away my brain. I was working two full-time, rewarding jobs, and there were moments when this sleep-deprived teacher had day dreams of my bed and soft, fluffy pillows as Mozart’ Eine kleine Nachtmusik played on in the background.

It took a week to get my bearings and right a ship that was taking on water. Before I was given the green light to take the helm, this particular classroom was like a revolving door at a Las Vegas variety show. Several substitutes made brief appearances in front of the podium before I moved and set up shop in Room 209.

Of course, the first two weeks was sort of like the Rodgers and Hamerstein’s show tune: “Getting to Know You.” I was being vetted by students as I lectured during each period. My every move was scrutinized. I became a public figure who found himself under a microscope.

I was on my own, but I am capable of thinking on my feet and welcomed the opportunity to “wing it” in all five courses, and I enjoyed being a one-man show.

Over the next two months, I was introduced to many fine students who take their studies seriously, and that makes my life easier in the classroom. And those students who fell behind inspired and drove me to find unique ways to teach the subject matter.

For those of you who think dedicated teachers are living the dream because they have summers and holidays off, I dare all know-it-alls to take the reins of a classroom. This is no job for the timid or those who lack charisma or public speaking skills. If you don’t deliver, students will see it, and you will be held accountable for being inept.

I also felt a moral obligation to get the information across to all students and try to make them understand that knowledge is a way out and up in a work force where education is a categorical imperative.

So I jumped into this melting pot of diverse personalities and classroom melodrama. I tried to keep students interested in Stephen King’s “The Body,” a story where profanity is rampant. But King’s book takes on child abuse and does a wonderful job painting a picture of four boys who are forced to go it alone in life.

The writing classes were also a challenge. I gave sporadic lectures about how words start wars, bring peace and inspire people across the planet. We discussed one particular phrase: “All men are created equal.” I told them this sentence in the Declaration of Independence helped trigger America’s Civil War and eventually set the bar for all humanity for the past two centuries.

I did my darndest to make students understand writing is like being a sculptor. Putting words on a blank piece of paper requires thought, patience and creativity. I saw this process done well in many papers that reached my desk.

Several students asked me, that’s right — me — to help them to sculpt their college essays or write a recommendation. I considered charging $100 for each edited essay or well-written recommendation, but I knew that would be unethical. I was honored by students’ requests and would do headstands to help out any student who wants to pursue a college education.

Each student is unique and they all got under my skin. I came to appreciate them and their different and sometimes multiple personalities. I will miss their daily interaction with me. They are a fine bunch.

I make no apologies for how I ran the show. Teachers aren’t there to become good friends with their students. We are role models and mentors, and that dividing line between student and teacher should never be crossed.

I have nothing but respect for these students. I hope they feel the same about me and for the privilege of getting free education.

Goodfellows52: Odds and ends: The Bearded Sox, November's warmth,...

Goodfellows52: Odds and ends: The Bearded Sox, November's warmth,...: " Don ' t point that beard at me, it might go off ” — Groucho Marx AUBURN, Maine — Forget the bonuses and trophie...

Odds and ends: The Bearded Sox, November's warmth, Fort Williams, and thoughts of summer

"Don't point that beard at me, it might go off”

— Groucho Marx

AUBURN, Maine — Forget the bonuses and trophies! The Red Sox management would be doing the right thing by having the entire team deloused for winning the World Series.

Those beards have to go. Really! Get the razor out and have these ZZ Top refugees shave off their facial hair that looks like an overgrown forest hanging from their chins.

I understand team unity, but I can't image dealing with all that moss draping over my chest. I can't believe all that growth didn't distract them in the batter's box.  A simple patch on my jersey to demonstrate team spirit works for me.

The irascible Dick Williams would never allow a Red Sox player on the diamond with a beard like that in 1967.

Can you imagine the effort required to maintain their hairy faces and the increased cost of shampoo to make sure their beards are more bouncy and manageable.

Youz guys won the World Series and dealt the Cards another loss in the postseason so go visit your local barber shop for an old-fashion shave. Youz guys can afford it.

I once grew a mustache and that touched off a round of barbs directed at me. I shave every three days to keep that Don Johnson look just in case they revive "Miami Vice."

Turn the clock back 30 or 40 years and no manager in baseball would tolerate long hair or beards that could give the sleep Rumpelstiltskin a run for his money.

According the Associated Press, the Sox will shave their beards for promotion. How about cutting it all off for fans who believe in a clean-cut, Marine appearance. You don't need a paycheck to look good. Just ask the guys and gals who serve our country.

But this America — the home of the free — and bearded Major Leaguers in dire need of a shave.

No more garden party

The garden is done and November's chilly hands are reaching out to all of New England.

How would I rate this year's crop? It was good, and as usual, some vegetables came across with the goods and others failed to produce.

That's the life of a small-time farmer who knows he is at the mercy and whim of Mother Nature — that stubborn dame of weather.

When thoughts turn to summer

I had the pleasure of covering a state cross country meet at Twin Brooks Recreation Facility, which is a wide-open swath of land that serves Cumberland and surrounding communities.

http://www.sunjournal.com/news/local-sports/2013/11/03/cross-country-running-lewiston-earns-second-state/1446583

There was non-stop sunshine as temperatures hovered around the mid 60s during the 3.1-mile races.

This facility is also open in the winter for avid cross country skiers who enjoy traversing this expansive landscape and gives me one more good reason to live in the Pine Tree State.

But you know about what they say about the weather in New England — "Just wait a minute."

The cold air has returned, and despite strong sunshine, it is damn chilly out there.

When winter closes in, I can't help but think of summer, the garden, and our adventures around the Northeast.

In late October, we visited Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth, a wealth community littered with beautiful parks and other tourist destinations.

This is the place to go for a short hike around the former military outpost that overlooks part of Casco Bay and the rest of the Atlantic Ocean.

Pack or buy a lunch, find an open bench and enjoy a postcard view of the sea.

According to www.capeelizabeth.com, "On April 13, 1899, President McKinley named the one-time subpost of Fort Preble, Cape Elizabeth's first military fortification, Fort Williams. Named after Brevet Major General Seth Williams, Fort Williams grew to be a tremendous military asset during World War II. Besides protecting the shoreline of Cape Elizabeth, the infantry and artillery units provided the Harbor Defense for Portland. After the war, many of the forts in Casco Bay were closed, including Fort Williams, which traded in its defense of the coast for caretaker status and Army Reserve accommodations. Fort Williams was officially closed and deactivated on June 30, 1963."

"Although often a place full of runners, bikers, baseball games, and picnics, Fort Williams has managed to maintain some of its historic past. When the Town of Cape Elizabeth purchased the beautiful 90+/- acre park on December 1, 1964 for $200,000, the old military buildings became Town property as well. Along with the various batteries is Goddard Mansion. Although not in the condition it was when Colonel John Goddard and his family lived in it during the mid to late 1800s, the walls of the great mansion still stand high on the hill overlooking Fort Williams."

Pictures tell the whole story about Fort Williams, and here are few that we took in October.

Enjoy!

Goodfellows52: A vote to end stupidity and allowing common sense ...

Goodfellows52: A vote to end stupidity and allowing common sense ...: "He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career."                                 ...

A vote to end stupidity and allowing common sense to prevail

"He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career."

                                        George Bernard Shaw 

AUBURN, Maine — Frustrated citizens let us stand and give the United States Congress  a rousing round of applause for cleaning up their self-inflicted mess that made the United States appear like a house of cards and the laughing stock of the world. 

Federal workers are back on the job and national parks and monuments are open for business, but that doesn't mean there are no hard feelings between the public and its leaders.

It took over two weeks for our unreliable leaders to figure out that shutting down a government and dragging their heels on raising the debt ceiling wasn't good politics. This debacle was brought to you by a group of self-righteous fools who ended up drawing the ire of their fed-up constituents.

Let's hope citizens who do vote will channel their resentment and disgust at the polls when they cast their ballots.

Never forget that these class clowns made a mockery of our government and shut down a nation in a fruitless and reckless attempt to defund Obamacare that, by the way, was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Of course, there were a few congressmen with the horse sense to put an end to rampant stupidity that was precipitated by a rogue element from within the Republican Party.  You have to hand it to Tea Party members for bringing down the House and Senate with their warped convictions.

But American citizens weren't the only ones shaking their heads. This fruitless attempt to dump Obamacare and refusing to raise the debt ceiling triggered world-wide condemnations from Germany, China and France.

I was proud to see President Obama wouldn't budge on the issue and I cheered when the Tea Party was slapped back and received its comeuppance. 

Sure, congress and the president kicked our budget dilemma down the road and a sequel is already in production and will hit the big screens in February if our leaders can't find common ground and come to a reasonable decision.

That's where you come in — the American voter.   So please don't forget the "Hole in the Wall" gang at the polls because this rogue element doesn't care about its citizens or the harm these out-of-touch men have done to a great country's reputation, character and determination.

Goodfellows52: Feet of clay on Capitol Hill

Goodfellows52: Feet of clay on Capitol Hill: "He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career."                                ...

Feet of clay on Capitol Hill

"He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career."

                                                                                                                          George Bernard Shaw

AUBURN, Maine — If you couldn't come up with a definitive answer to Congress's buffoonery this past week, request a brain scan from your family physician to explain why you are oblivious to a shutdown that is paralyzing a nation still suffering from a wobbling economy.

For those of you who live under a rock or are inebriates shaking off a yearlong hangover, thousands of federal employees are not getting paid and have swelled the ranks of the unemployed.

According to NBC.com, the feds are losing $12 million an hour. That adds up to $300 million a day or $1.6 billion a week.

A conservative friend of mine just snickers at the entire debacle and believes the shutdown will lower the deficit. It won't take you long to figure which corner he is in when it comes to politics. It was a smart-ass remark — especially when people are unemployed. The deficit will continue to grow because Congress, for some absurd reason, is still collecting a check.

The answer is clear. The 535 guys and gals who work for you on Capitol Hill have taken a long nap as America slides in into a sea of despair and disrepair.

This Congress is like the whining kid who walks off with his football because he is frustrated with the outcome of a game.

The Tea Party has sabotaged its own party and Boehner is left holding the bag as panicking moderates can't get it together to put an end to a stalemate that should have never occurred.

There are numerous issues that need to be addressed in this nation, but throwing a money wrench into the federal budget is not sound decision making.

I also believe the Obama administration has done a poor job explaining the new health care plan, but that doesn't excuse Congress's efforts to undermine it.

I will make it clear again — it is the law. How hard is that for the GOP to figure that out.

The U.S. government should not be used a ransom note because a group of Republicans are simply unhappy. You have to wonder how many lobbyists are lining members of Congress's pockets with silver and gold in effort to shelve the president's policy.

The Tea Party should go back to drinking coffee. These guys are only good for a good laugh.

What I find outrageous, and I am surprised a majority of our citizens haven't felt the same, is these inept leaders are members of of this government, and they have no problem condemning it as evil and immoral. These so-called leaders have made a career out of finger-pointing and creating fear and animosity, which I think has weakened our nation and has become fodder for late-night comedians who are delivering punch lines at the expense of this nation's leaders.

I know there is a painful price to pay in politics when any leader takes a stand. But if a politician doesn't take stand at some point, then he is just another leader who just goes with the flow, and we seem to be electing a lot this sort lately. 

Americans continue to scrape the bottom of the barrow when they vote, and this is what you get on the floor of Congress.

We should all be appalled and ashamed our leaders. I know I am. Remember this pathetic episode in American politics when you vote!