There are many important items on the table for this administration and each must be handled in the appropriate way. There is one extremely important item that is on the table and this issue is the one, we as a nation, must get right. The issue is the trust the other nations have in our words and deeds. Our trust has already been lightly tested several times in the last four months but the most important test was the one presented by Russia last week. It was not so much that they gave the U.S. flyover rights but they did it to see where things will lead and if we will keep our word. President Obama worked the issues presented by the Russians quietly and with grace. The follow up upon the return to the states consisted of meetings that discussed the issues presented by Mr. Putin and the type of approach to each issue. For many of the issues the response will be several displays of good faith relative to each issue. The displays over time will be monitored not only by the Russian Government buy by every other intelligence gathering agency in the world. If the responses are appropriate and demonstrate true good faith effort on the small issues then the message will be carried all around the world that the better angles of the U.S. are back in charge.

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These are the words of General Douglas McArthur. They are words of wisdom and they are much needed today. Everyone is second guessing everyone else as well as themselves. The desire for security seems to be overwhelming the populace. Security is a fleeting condition. It is good one day and not so good the next. For every negative there is a positive but we as a general rule are not trained to look for the positive unless there is a guarantee tied to it. This administration is trying new things that may seem to be the things that go bump in the night but then again they may not. The opportunity is there for us to agree with and deal with the things that go bump in the night when they happen. Grab for the opportunity as it is most likely the brass ring.

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All we here from the Republicans is that government is not equipped to run a good health care program. That is a pure fabrication and they know it. Medicare is a great program and only suffers from the lack of appropriate over site which was written into the program by Congress. The plan is great and if the rate that the recipient individual is currently charged on a monthly basis were to be doubled, the program would be half way to being solvent and self sufficient. The other half of the recovery would be to streamline the way the health care professionals use the system. Looking at the charges some practitioner's bill for appear, with out a doubt, ridiculous. The end game for the health care industry is to make a profit. It is not that profit is bad but it is the fraud that has become inherent in the billing process across the board that must be dealt with. The health care industry has informed many a Congressmen and Senator to be sure the health care reform does not change or the money for their war chest would not only be with held, it would be sent to their challenger in the next election. To eliminate this type of activity in the industry a government health care plan is essential to level the playing field and shake up the fraud and corruption within the industry until there is coverage for everyone at an affordable price.

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The President's recovery plan has only been in action for a little more than four months. The administration told everyone up front that it would take time to get things going. Money for projects could go out to the public only so fast. The job loss rate is slowing, and we all would like it to be much better, while the unemployment rate as reported is over 9.5% nationwide. This is a major problem that cannot be resolved over night. The problem I have is simply that the Republican Party is preparing to tell us that the President and his recovery plans have already failed. The Republicans have already prepared commercials and dispatched Republican politicians out to tell the public just that. Their plan is to attack the credibility of and block new programs, such as health care reform, by saying the President's programs have failed. It almost sounds credible the way they tell it except for one simple fact. The fact is that never in the history of this country has any economic crisis been turned to show a positive side in a four month period. The truth is it will take more time for the programs to work. We also know the Republicans want to stop health care reform in its tracks and they feel this is the way to do it. For anyone who thinks they are telling you the truth please think again because they are selling out to the health care and big pharmaceutical companies. I will speak more and in greater detail on these subjects in the near future.

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What ever we try to discuss with Russia will have to be well thought out prior to our first overtures on every subject. When President Obama met with Russian President Putin the conversation started off with a fifty minute lecture by the Russian President on the history of the relations between the two countries. Most political pundits and almost all media coverage of the event indicated that the U.S. was going to have long negotiations on everything put on the table with little positive results. They were and are just wrong. If that were the truth the Russians would never have agreed to allow the new U.S. military fly over rights, over Russian airspace, to support NATO troops in Afghanistan. Russia understands what has to be done in Afghanistan and the also realize that even a cold war is too costly to wage in this day and age. For Russia it is better for them to assist us against a once again possibility of problems with Afghanistan.

That was more than a token offering it was a signal that the Russians will listen but there must be promises made and kept in these new times. The Russian agenda wants an equal footing in all agreements but what it wants even more is that a promise made by the U.S. is kept. That is not an unreasonable request. At this time I am sure the Obama administration is looking into the promises we reneged on and how to rework the outcome on many of those outstanding commitments. There must be a handful of such issues that have an easy fix. These fixes should be carried out without delay as a show of the integrity of this administration. This is what the Russians want and if we provide the solutions we can go back to the table and work on important issues that the two nations do not see eye to eye on but are important to the future of both.

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Today is surely a day of rest. With the party of the Fourth over, today is a day to mend and regroup. As we reach the end of this day we start to plan the week ahead. This will be the real start of the second half of the year. With a good party under our belt even the hardest times do not diminish who we are and what we can do. It is time for each of us to cheer ourselves on, as well as all of those around us, as we move forward to challenge, change and capture the future one day at a time.

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As we prepare to celebrate the birthday of our nation it seems only fair that we wish happy birthday to everyone we come across this day. It is not only our nation's birthday it is a day that belongs to all of us. It is our day which is a holiday, birthday and a day or remembrance. We all are participants in the great experiment and to date we have kept our nation in tact. For the last two hundred and thirty three years we have been tested in every way and we have not wavered. No matter what the situation we see it through even if we have to beat our selves up in the process. So from me to all of you out there: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA.

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Independence Day is not just another holiday because it actually has a meaning based on where we came from in a manner of speaking. People always consider Independence Day a get away day filled with food, noise and spectacular night arrays of fireworks. I figure about thirty percent of the people may think of the flag on the Fourth and what it represents relative to our way of life. Most people do not think of what the day means nor do they consider the sacrifices that have been and are still being made to allow all of us not to have a safety concern on the day we remember for the wrong reasons. We should celebrate the day but we should also allow for a quiet moment of recognition remembering what the day truly represents and why we have a right to celebrate hard.

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It is amazing for me to hear news casters constantly sounding surprised when they state there is a change coming in America. There is change everywhere on earth but no place on earth changes so much and so often as America does. We even have a process to change the special laws that were responsible for founding this country. For Americans there is nothing sacrosanct when change needs to be made. The cause for this constant change is because we are inventors but even more so we are re-inventors. In general we as a group of people do not have difficulty deciding to go left when we have always gone right. Our spirit is based on our willingness to test ourselves and our resolve on any subject, condition, or event. Even in these tough economic times we believe in ourselves and so we should.

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Perhaps as we enter the second half of this year we need to smile a bit more. The economy is not good but that is no reason to give up. The dower face on many people as I walk around does not help the situation. Things will soon get better, maybe not as fast as we all would like, but in time the world we knew will show its face. The new face will be quite the same as the old face with just a few changes. What we need to do is to celebrate the birthday of our nation, realize that change in our nation comes slowly, and at the same time consider where else in the world you would you want to live. We have it great here even if we do not feel that way every minute of every day. So as we prepare for the nations birthday and the second half or 2009 let us put on the best face we can. Remember we are Americans and if we really think about it we can do anything and we will but everything takes a bit of time.

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