Remember…voting is one action we can all do to have our voice heard… However, it is only one day of the year… What we do, How we live, How we treat our neighbors, etc.. everyday of the year makes our vote more credible and our country that much better. Don’t just vote…if we want a better country… we need to be better people. If we want a country that balances it’s federal budget, we need to balance our home finances, if we want a country that treats people with kindness…then we need to treat people with kindness … if we want more opportunity then we need to see how we can help someone better themselves, if we want a safe a secure neighborhood, then we need to get to know our neighbors and be willing to help one another and look out for those doing bad things…if we want our politicians to represent us…then we need to be the type of people that gives them the example.

In many states early voting will begin soon. Our nation has gotten so divided politically that many people get anxiety from just the word “election” or mentioning a political party or candidate. As I approach my third time as an Election Day Judge I know our system is not perfect. I know that no matter how much security or processes are in place there will always be opportunity for bad people to do bad things. That is part of life. We will always have people with bad intentions…however, just like those that may be victims of crimes, scams in relationships, etc…we don’t stop living or stop looking for opportunities to trust and be around other people…and we should not stop voting. Our Nation is not perfect, our election system is not perfect, but it can only improve, just as our nation can only improve, if we all participate in the process. Voting in the United States is not only a Constitutional Right for citizens, but a privilege. Many nations still do not have the freedoms we take for granted. As much as the past 25 years has sewed division and angst among many Americans, especially with the influx of social media, we are still Very Blessed to call America our home. So let’s all take the opportunity to “vote” our conscience, vote our heart, vote to be a part of the process. God never tells us life will be without challenges…our Founding Fathers never wrote about a Country without issues…but we are granted Life by God and a Nation from those with a vision of something never tried, a nation of hope, freedom, innovation and opportunity….America can survive and prosper but we need its citizens to stand up and be a part of the process… let’s all vote and express our voice.

Thanksgiving is an interesting Holiday as each individual and each family have their own story and traditions….we forget that the Holiday itself has a special place in our beginnings…before the climate to remove names of sports teams with Native American Mascots, and before all historical Americans and explorers were villainized by the actions of a few….there were over 50 years of cooperation and shared habitation between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. American History is made up of good and bad people, good and bad actions, and a legacy of the evolution of what we are today and what we can be tomorrow. Thanksgiving is really about how we started, how we respected people with different language and culture and how a group of people dreamed of being free from tyranny and from religious persecution. When we look at our history we need to look at it all… not just the bad, not just the good… but ALL…Somehow learning and teaching American History has gotten political….but it is about people….those that came before us and the thousands of individual stories….and we must remember that hundreds of years from now future generations will look at us, those alive today, as historical figures from this time period…. And what do we really want them to see? It’s not about the small percentage that want to promote hate and anger…but the majority of Americans that still believe in what our nation stands for and its foundation…so may we all be Thankful for the Blessings of living in this nation, with all its troubles and disagreements. It is still the place that dreams are made from, still the place that is the envy of all other nations, and still the place where we can move about, choose our path, and worship without fear of death… America is not and will never be perfect, but it is a place we should all be proud of as it is our home and it is only as good as each of us make it… God Bless America!

It is easier to give and help others when we can earn and take care of ourselves. If we want to be a nation that is charitable and generous we must work hard to be self sufficient and independent…both as a nation and individually.

20 years ago…an entire generation, those in College, High School and younger can only know of this terrible day from History books, the internet, and talking to those who were alive during that time. In a way similar to my generation learning about Dec. 7, 1941. The terrorists that carried an ideology in which killing innocent lives were justified because our way of life (freedom, capitalism, and treating people with respect including women, those with different sexual orientation and freedom to worship) went against everything those terrorists believed. Their goal, to destroy America…destroy our financial system, our transportation and our commerce. What is very sad… 20 years later we are destroying ourselves. We have politicians that criticize 1/2 the country for having different thoughts. We have neighbors criticizing each other for everything. We are killing each other in many ways and in doing so killing our nation. While we may have captured or killed some that were responsible for that day… we have given them
what they ultimately wanted. The destruction of America. If we have any soul left…we must, as a nation…Be Americans First and then work through our differences. If we forget that day, forget the terror, the fear and the blood… and let our differences destroy us than those who burned, jumped out of windows, were crushed, and died in such horrific ways, were for nothing. If we forget…then terrorists win. The Blood of lost Americans must be what gives us the strength to find a way to be unified as Citizens of this Great Nation. May God Help us use our past to have a future.

Once upon a time “America Did Not Negotiate With Terrorists”…Now we leave an 800 million dollar embassy compound and millions of dollars of high tech weapons that will be used against us and our allies. These same politicians want us to “trust” them in how they want us to handle a virus after they told us to wear a mask, stay home, shut down businesses, close schools, then get a shot, a second shot and soon a third shot, wear a mask again, and then prove you got a shot to travel, eat out, go to college, and see entertainment. All while our “leaders” want to raise taxes, spend a trillion dollars on many “pet projects” and claim a picture ID at a voting booth is racist. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice…When we elect Greedy, Power Hungry, Political Fools…we will live in a country that will be Greedy and Foolish. Yes….Shame on All of Us!!!!

What is Great about America is that no matter what your current job is (for those that want to work) it does not have to be your last job. What is Great about America is if you work hard, with a good attitude, and show to be an asset to a company, you will either get an increase in pay, a new position within the company at higher pay, or a new job with a different company with higher pay, or even start your own company…what is Great about America is if you do not like the location you live in you have the Freedom to move. What is Great about America is if you want to learn a skill or a trade you can go to school, you can take an on-line class, you can ask someone to mentor you. Some may cost money, but you do have the ability to earn an income (if you want to). For those that have ONLY lived in America and feel frustrated…the American Dream does indeed exist….it exists for every American…Over a million individuals come to America each year not because it is a perfect nation, but it does offer a Dream of Opportunity…. For Those That Want to Work For It. If you feel frustrated or are angry with our nation…. please talk with those that have lived somewhere else…. your perspective may change…and may understand HOW BLESSED WE ARE…God Bless America!