The people of America wanted real change; they aren't getting it. They wanted a president that would finally turn America away from its march to perpetual war; that was wishful thinking. Real change of any substance has not come to America and we are a nation that has become entangled in military conflicts all over the world. Millions of Americans invested great hope in the belief that things would truly change, but our return on that investment, to date, is zero.

The American Dream seems to have morphed into a nightmare. The economy is bleeding, there is no job creation, our infrastructure is crumbing and we have a government in Washington that is owned by "Corporate America." And while our nation reels and people struggle to survive, our military is engaged in unjustifiable, very costly wars and occupations that are bringing this country ever closer to bankruptcy.

How did we ever get to this point? How could we have allowed ourselves to regress to this level; one of the lowest in our history? We have put far too much faith in our elected representatives and have not been vigilant and demanding in monitoring their behavior and performance. This Congress, clearly one of the worst in history, has not only failed us, they have betrayed us. And our president watches in muted silence, without any vision as to how to return stability to our nation.

While we certainly don't need government running our lives, we do need it to function as intended by our founders and under the U.S. Constitution; to enact meaningful, necessary legislation, to promote commerce and, in doing so, to establish appropriate reforms and regulations to prevent predatory abuse by those in positions of power. But, sad to say, that is no longer happening in this Congress. Our government seems to be caught up in a massive gridlock, and from the president on down, they have succumbed to the power and influence of Corporate America; the interests of the American electorate are no longer relevant to their agenda.

Health care reform polls now show that most Americans no longer support health care reform. The majority of Americans actually want an overhaul of our health care system but not the convoluted kind that is a gift to the insurance industry and an insult to America. The combination of a U.S. Senate that has been corrupted by corporate money, the deadly, outmoded filibuster rule, the deceitful, hate filled Republican Party, and a president whose performance on this critical issue has been weak, lackluster and completely mystifying, has stripped the heart out of this legislation.

People want to work, they must work to survive but jobs are continuing to disappear. Transnational corporations have disseminated the American workforce and have pledged allegiance to foreign nations and their workers. Congress and this president do not understand that, unless we begin immediately to restore our manufacturing base, the American economy cannot be restored. Mr. Obama and his economic advisers have this flawed concept that continuously applying band aids and patches to an economy bleeding profusely is going to work it won't.

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