Some time away for reflection!

Well it's been a few weeks since I last wrote. I have no excuse for my absence except that I have a real life to live and be a part of. In that life though of recent note, I have learned a great deal about myself as well as about the ones I love and care for. I know what you are thinking, "Matt, what about the political stuff and the post-election analysis?" Fine, I'll address that too, but my real life outside of politics comes first in this writing. I hope you enjoy and learn from my lessons as well.



OK, since the election I have had a great deal of conversations with my friends and family on numerous topics. Not the least of which was greed and selfishness that exists in us all. Yes, I'm guilty of it as well. Additionally, taking advantage of a persons great heart is something that many of us do without regard for the person involved or even understanding why we are doing it. For example, when a person holds the door for you in a given building, do we return the favor to that person or another individual? Do we give someone a smile back after they say "Hello" to us on the street or in the hallway at work? Remember, they are going out of their way to try and be polite to you as well as maybe trying to put you in a better mood. You might wonder what this has to do with selfishness or greed or other things. The point is, we have so many interactions throughout our daily lives that we tend to forget the little things that make us or others great people. Being polite and acknowledging others is part of that process.



Do you ever wonder why we talk to certain individuals or become part of their circle of friends? Is it a personal or emotional need or is it a want? We as hard working Americans tend to bypass ones who play no real effect in our lives. Why? We also tend to put down others who differ from us or are lesser in their careers. Is this not true? Of course it is. Someone recently told me regarding an old classmate of ours, "I have no use for that person in my life so I could care less if I see them again". I thought for a moment, that if that were true of everyone, we would truly have no friends or at least very few of them. I'm here to remind you that people change throughout their lives and I'm talking about their hearts as well as their maturity. We also add a few pounds and lines to the face and lose a few hairs on the head too.



Another question, why do we hold grudges towards our family members or friends when they cannot be a part of an outing we are hosting? Is it again, another way of showing our "status" or is it a silent selfishness? We don't always know why people do things or not do things with our families and friends. Perhaps it is just as simple as it sounds, meaning life happens and we just can't do everything that comes up. Even after we make the plans to make the outing, things or plans can change in our lives. Don't be selfish and take offense to others decisions. We again, are not aware of their lives. Anyway, enough of the emotional stuff and other gratifying purposes in our personal lives. Lets talk a little politics.



OK...so we (Conservative Republicans that is) lost! Pure and simple, "...we just didn't get the job done", to paraphrase former Patriots coach, Pete Carrol. The more and more I think about it, we had the wrong candidate at the wrong time. After witnessing Gov. Mitt Romney at the Maine Republican State Convention in May of 2008, I knew we clearly made the wrong choice as the parties nominee. Gov. Sarah Palin was by far the main reason we brought some of the conservative voters to actually vote for Sen. John McCain. Sen. McCain made mistake after mistake on the campaign trail. One key mistake was simply voting for the bailout of the financial institutions. By putting a government "solution" to a market crisis simply punished the taxpayers for others failures. Another mistake was not hitting Barack Obama harder on his relations with William Ayers, Rev. Wright and Louis Farrakhan. Those were just a few of the mistakes that our candidate for the 2008 Presidential election made.



Now for what the Republican Party did that helped secure the Democratic Party nominee in the White House. First and foremost...I'll say it again, we nominated the wrong person. We needed someone who could hit Obama hard with more facts on foreign relations as well as provide more conservative principals to our economic woes. Second, we did not produce at the registration level. We lagged behind the Democrats in the total amount of new registrations as well as gaining the much needed Unenrolled voters. Third, we did not define the differences with the parties in our ads and literature. And Lastly, it was a Democratic Year. With the War in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the poor economic situation that the country was going through, as well as having a minority on the Democratic ticket, it was inevitable that we would lose the election. It reminded me of the 1976 Presidential Election when the country was going through a scandal at the White House as well as the ongoing Vietnam War. The Republicans at the time nominated President Gerald Ford and all the Democrats had to do was nominate peanut (excuse the pun). Simply put, there was no way the Republicans were going to win that election either. Now, those are my takes on this election, so don't hold it against me. Remember, we are entitled to our opinions right? Which is why we have the 1st Amendment.

That is all for now my friends but as "D-Day" approached for us Republicans on January 20Th, we must hold everyone accountable to all their duties. That includes the "Anointed One" by the Democrats. I certainly will not shy away from constructive criticism from our newly elected President because I never did before with our current president. Let us wish our outgoing and incoming presidents the best of luck with their next journey. They will definitely need it.

As always...and more than ever, God Bless America!

Time away brings a new perspective.

Hello again from the wonderful state of Maine. Yes, I know it's been a few weeks since I last addressed the World but it doesn't go without thought. Think for a moment of all that has happened in the last few weeks. Jamie-Lynn Spears had a baby (or maybe two). Brad Pitt and Angilina Jolie had twins. McCain and Obama are still fighting on the campaign trail. We lost a great man in Tony Snow to the battle of cancer. Brett Favre has asked for a release from the Packers. A-Rod and his wife have split due to infidelity. And last but not least, I shot very poorly round at Palmyra Golf Course. Needless to say, the World does not stop when we stop, although it should.


In this time away I have had to deal with a new job in the environmental health and safety field and all the various programs assocaited with it. With that job comes hours of research, investigating of accidents and just meeting with individuals do hash out long term and short term goals. In my previous job, I spend most of my time conversing with my co-worker, Tom Cheetham, about our busy lives at home and semi-political analysis' of the campaigns and media coverage. Tom and I differed greatly on the political spectrum, however, we got along great both professionally and personally. Many of our political conversations consisted of talking about the scandals that existed across the board (Dems and GOP's) and us making satyrical comments about them that fit our political leanings. I, ofcourse am very conservative in my leanings. With him being the PhD. professor that teaches philosophy and Ecopsychology at Pacifica University and College of the Atlantic, obviously left leaning. We make jokes about him being the most "unsocial" Socialist in the Free World. He jokes that I like my women "real Liberal" and my politics "real conservative", thus making me the ideal candidate for any political office. The point is here, no matter how different we are, we get along great and have a great deal of respect for one another. I wonder though, do the Democrats or even Barack Obama have respect for the Republicans or President George W. Bush? I'm thinking NO.


During that time away, as I mentioned I was extremely busy with my new job. I kind of stepped away from the political arena during those weeks to concentrate on performing my job to the greatest of my ability. The thing is though, during those few weeks that I was away I wanted to see what was going on in the world but my conscience told me not to worry. Not sure why though. Then this morning it hit me. Nothing has changed. The Obama camp keeps waffling about Iraq and other policies and the Democratic leaders are still not giving the US taxpayers any relief with regards to drilling for oil at home. We are in a pinch right now with the economy, and if the Democrats want to see us out of it, they need to wake up and listen to the people. Drill Here, Drill now, and Drill Often. The speculators would get the point, thus moving the price of crude oil down due to the supply and demand factor, as well as the most important factor, that the United States will become a self-sufficient nation.


The new perspective here lies not with the campaign or the economy but with the expectations of said leaders. The perspective is, the leaders will not change, not even for the good of the people.


God Bless America!