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!

On November 4th, remember those that came before!

With only a few days before the General Election, one might ask themselves, "Do I feel comfortable with my choice?" Another might say, "Oh what's the point, That One is going to win." Regardless of what you may be thinking on how the election may turn out, remember one thing, the Founding Fathers made it possible for us to have a voice. Yes, I know that sometimes that voice isn't heard enough or even out of the right side of the mouth, nonetheless, we have that right to be heard to give our choice of how we want to be governed.

Remember my friends, the 1st Amendment is attached to the description of this blog. I put it there for a reason. That reason is for you, me, my neighbors, my liberal in-laws, for my fellow Veterans and for every red blooded American that breathes the fresh air in our country everyday. It is there to remind everyone that we must exercise our right to vote and fight for what we believe in. From the Founding Fathers, to the Patriots in the fields of Lexington and Concord, to our hero's at Normandy and all the hero's in Iraq and Afghanistan, all those brave men and women who have served this nation did so to protect our rights. We owe them our gratitude by exercising our rights. In my eyes elections are not won or lost by mere votes but they are WON by people voting. That sounds strange I know but if no one votes, who actually wins? No one. We as a community or a country as a whole only win when we exercise those rights given to us through our Constitution and protected by the ones who fought for it. By not voting we are losing our right to be heard.

The picture above says it all for me. My daughter and I are standing on North Bridge in Concord Mass on Patriots Day 2008. If anyone who understands the history of the United States knows that this is a pivotal piece of history. The Patriots pushed back the British soldiers on this bridge to make their voices heard and to eventually become a country. Remember that little bridge when you close that curtain on November 4th. Remember the men and women who have sacrificed their lives throughout the years for your voice to be heard. Remember the ones still fighting overseas to erode away Terrorism in this world. Ask yourself, if this election gets in the wrong hands, because you didn't vote, than what next? Will you be satisfied?

God Bless America and all those who fight to protect our rights, especially our right to have a voice.

McCain tried some jabs...but the rounds are ticking away!

This presidential campaign seems more like a long drawn out battle of heavy weights. Except this time, it is between a seasoned veteran in McCain who is well past his prime fighting shape and a young energetic rookie in Obama. Consider it the sports fan in me that threw that analogy in this election. Regardless, the rounds are ticking away for McCain. He got a few jabs in the last round of debates, but was it really enough to sway the judges towards his corner? I don't think so.



Yes my friends, I'll admit it, McCain is fighting a losing battle at this point in the game. In a recent poll by Zogby, Reuters and CNN, Obama has a 5 point lead. That's pretty large considering we are less than three weeks away. Regardless of what pools say now, it only matters what "THE" poll says at the end of the night of November 4Th. I hope I'm wrong as well as what all the experts think. We cannot live under an Obama administration and absolutely feel safe.



That last sentence there means that if he is elected, the chances of us being attacked again on our own soil would most likely go up. That is my belief anyway. Do I have to back that up? NO I don't, but I will just say that the "change" that Obama is pushing is characterized as what? I'll tell you....Communism. Yeah, I brought it up again. Why you might ask? Because it is important to understand the ties that are associated with Obama and it is important to know what groups support him. Recently as this summer, the United States Communist Party endorsed Obama. Is this the change Obama talks about? Turning the United States of America into the United Communist States of North America? God I hope not. I'm sure I'll irk a few people here with these comments, but, like the 1st Amendment States..."Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech.."


We know about William Ayers and his connections with Obama. Obama's old mentor Frank Marshall Davis was a communist as well. The point is, Obama and his questionable ties are finally getting exposed, but is it too late? We won't know until next month. All I ask is, do a Google search for United States Communist support Obama. You'll see the same articles I do regarding his affiliations. Regardless, I'll write more tomorrow on this issue.


Anyway my friends, may God Bless you and all of our fellow Americans this upcoming election. We're going to need some prayers.

I'm pumping money into the economy in Norridgewock! God Bless Me!

The headline says it all. I'm pumping money into our economy in Norridgewock. How you may ask? Well, I just got my driveway paved and my wallet is a lot lighter, that's for sure. The paving company was a local company from Norridgewock named Western Maine Paving. All in all, they did a fine job with the leveling and laying out of the pavement. Now we can play some basketball and street hockey in the driveway. More importantly, I can now snow blow my driveway without all the damn rocks landing on our lawn or hitting our vehicles. I do not want to hit my nice big Ford F150 XLT Supercrew, I might cry. Oh yeah, one more thing, I don't have to wack the weeds in the driveway anymore either...yeah!

So the point of the matter is here, we were able to spend some money in a way that will make our lives easier as well as increase the value of our property. Money is the root of all that is good and all that is bad in the country. Look at the financial mess on Wall Street, well last week anyway. Today was nice to see. Regardless, money issues causes people to worry about life or it makes them do things for the better of themselves and if more fortunate, to the better of others. My wife and I give to charity's when we can but we also like to spend money on our daughter or at least provide her with some great opportunities to enjoy and experience different facets of life. We still like our toys. I like my hunting and fishing toys and she likes her cooking stuff and ....well, just spending it I guess.

One thing to remember here is, the market will definitely come around. It always has. I've said it before, when the markets are down such as the DOW and NASDAQ were last week, that means that stocks are on sale. I invest regularly in many of the Blue Chip stocks, mainly because those are the companies that pay the dividends and have the best track record for succeeding. They know what they are doing, well, except maybe AIG and some of those other banking ones. If you have children and are looking at some great college investment plans, buy some shares of Microsoft, Pfizer, Coca Cola, or Proctor & Gamble. Those companies can't really steer you wrong. They all pay a dividend and are all well respected and well run companies.

One last thing, don't wait for the government to bail you out like they did with Wall Street. They save the ones that pay the most...not you. You look out for yourself and do what you think is best with your money and your future. Sometimes you may have to take life in your own hands, like my wife and I have with our investments and our property. We sure have lost some money in the markets lately but we do realize that we will make it up as the markets get better. Life throws us challenges all the time. This current economic challenge that we are experiencing is just one more test of how our country will prosper giving a challenge such as this. I have faith in the American people to do what is right with the economy. I do not have faith in the government to make things right. I lost much of that faith throughout the years but a lot last week when the "buyout" took place. I'm not happy that both presidential candidates wanting to "fix" some companies troubles with our money. Simple the wrong idea. It's wrong to burden us with this debt.

Anyway my friends, those are my thoughts for the night. I do want to thank all those who do read what I write and I encourage you all to read some of my friends blogs listed on the left hand side of the web page.

God Bless America!