Donald Trump was not elected because he was a Republican… he was elected because he was NOT a politician. Americans outside of Washington are sick of the hypocrisy and nonsense that continues to control Republicans and Democrats that were elected to work together for the good of the American People. For 8 Years, the Republicans accused President Obama of everything and offered little in terms of good legislation…now the Democrats are doing the same thing…The media, ALL of them, are so biased for one side or the other, no wonder anger spills over into Main Street America…it seems Congress is controlled by the likes of Schumer, Ryan, Pelosi, Waters, Warren, McConnell etc. because they get the most air time and can say and do whatever they want. With 535 voting members between the Two Houses I hope there would be at least a handful that can stand up and want to work together and lead with dignity and respect for those that may differ in opinions. What is sad is that our future generations see this garbage daily. They see the anger, the name calling, the stupid sound bites and the labeling of people where if you feel one way about a topic you are either Racist, a Bigot, a Phobic of some sort or Anti-American. People can differ on topics and still be a loving, caring American that believes in all that is good in our Country. I say it is time for the Average American to Stand UP and Tell Washington and the Media to Grow Up or Get Out! Differences can be worked through, but it takes Mature Adults, not what we currently have in Congress.

Dear Senator Schumer. The Election of 2016 was obvious a referendum on politics as usual in Washington. Your recent comments regarding a Filibuster of Judge Gorsuch such as “We didn’t get any real answers to any real questions about what he thinks about the law and why.” and “He was unable to convince me that he would be a mainstream justice who could rule free from the biases of politics and ideology”, shows you are part of the problem. I also watched the hearings and saw Judge Gorsuch repeat multiple times that he would NOT say how he would vote on a particular case that may or may not come before the court in the future. Reason, a Judge’s role is to interpret the law, assess the evidence presented, and control how hearings and trials unfold in their courtrooms. Most important of all, judges are impartial decision-makers in the pursuit of justice. Judges are not to pre-determine a decision before they even hear a case. You may have wanted him to tell you how he would vote but that would make him unfit to be a judge. You are the epitome of Washington Politics and whether you are angry about Judge Garland never having a vote, or the fact that the Republicans have control of two branches of Government you should look at the past election and ask yourself if your attitude is a reason why people are sick and tired of politicians and continue to wait for mature adults to lead in Congress instead of the childish, revengeful attitudes that both parties have become so good at.

The Election of 2016 is now more than 120 days in the past and the Current Administration and Congressional year is more than 70 days into its term. What we have learned is that those in Washington, on both sides of the aisle, have not learned a damn thing. For the past 8 years, but realistically since the immediate horror of 9/11 started to subside, Washington Politicians and the Main Street Media have been more about sound-bites, blame and power. It is sad that political parties turn mature adults into middle school children who would rather call each other names, give verbal rants, and do very little to help the American People. Our elected officials would rather focus on differences than start with common ground agreements and build from there. The MSM continues to add fuel to the fire with their personal spins and political slants instead of being unbiased and just presenting facts. Those in Washington make it easy for the media as they keep feeding them the garbage that they report. Whichever candidate and party people voted for in November the one thing that was obvious was that people were sick and tired of the insults, the rhetoric and the same old nonsense of not “working for the American people” but rather for party, prestige and self. It is time for politicians to stop the crap and get to work.

Equal Rights and Equal opportunity. Although many who claim this is what they stand for do not feel this way when it comes to Abortion. Outside of Rape and Incest, both the man and the woman make a choice to engage in the special encounter that may result in pregnancy. Regardless of precautions that may be used, there is still always the possibility that pregnancy results and it all began with a choice. However, the man has no say, no legal right, and no recourse if the woman decides to abort the child. The argument about whether Abortion should be legal at all is a separate issue. The argument about Equal Rights for the Father of the unborn is important. Just because the woman is the one carrying the child should not give her ALL the rights to determine if that Life is allowed to continue or not. If the choice was between both people to engage in this activity then the choice needs to be among both to determine the life of the child. The child, at the time of conception, has a mother and a father, both need to have a say in their life. A woman may have 100% control over their body when they make the choice to engage in sexual activity, but that does not give them the right to have 100% control over another life that was created because of their first choice. Equal Rights need to be for ALL. Until ALL Life is given the legal right to exist, fathers deserve the right to have a say if their sons or daughters will have a chance to experience God’s Blessing of Life !

So another day, another march/protest. It seems the majority are to point out differences and call out those we don’t agree with. America is made up of more of what we have “In Common” than what we oppose, (regardless of what the media tries to portray for ratings). Most Americans care about one another, pray for one another and will help each other regardless of political, social, racial or religious differences.  I call for Mondays to be, American Citizens Day…Every Monday should be a day that people share pictures, stories or anything else that shows America’s Unity, not division.   If we take the negativity away from Washington, The Media, and all those that want to divide us, we will change the narrative and make people believe in the goodness of American Citizens, even if we don’t always agree. Let’s bombard social media and any mainstream media that we can with positive stories every Monday. Let’s start every work week with what’s good in America!!!!

The 24-Hour National News Networks fill the airways with a mix of news/opinions/pundits/discussions etc. These networks no longer just represent the reporting of news but rather the shaping of news and what they want America to hear and feel.  Most local newscasts have 30 minutes to deliver local and national news, weather, and sports.  Some of the stations will also have a local “feel good story” and maybe even a “consumer advocate piece” a few times a week. The total amount of time spent on National/Political news might be 5-10 minutes.  Local newscasts deliver facts and let the viewers decide how to feel. The 24-hour networks feel they have a right to offer their opinion as part of the news, that somehow their paid pundits are more of an expert than an average citizen who thinks for themselves. These networks used to do a better job of separating the news from opinions by having different shows throughout the day, now it is all mixed together and even the journalists offer opinions.  Some felt slighted when local stations were invited to participate in the White House Press Briefings via Skype. This shows the arrogance of these networks that they alone are the experts of news and local stations are beneath them. This should have been applauded as more access to the press and not just the self-imposed media elite.  When National News Networks can be thought of as Liberal or Conservative then they are no longer News Networks, but rather Entertainment Networks centered around political news stories.  A news journalist’s role is to report facts, investigate stories and keep a check on those in power. It is not to create, shape or push a political agenda based on the station’s particular audience.

It is time the media changes its ways as more and more Headlines are based on “Unnamed Sources” and “Someone Close To” or “A Person Inside the White House, CIA, FBI etc.” These stories that are reported are for headlines and done without the regard of fact. One person’s opinion that may be given to a reporter does not make it a story. Shame on the media for becoming less about fact and more about ratings.  If indeed one of these Sources has information then the reporter needs to do a true investigation and find out the facts before reporting anything. The days of making a call to a department to get an inside opinion and then reporting as 100% fact needs to end.  A Free Press is only Free when it is also Honest and Trustworthy!

The Democrats new argument to keep Obamacare is “As Christians, our whole philosophy in life is to pull up the unfortunate.” These are the same people who claim Gov’t should not force any religion onto society but now claim This Gov’t Mandated Program is OK because they believe it to be “Christian”.  In other words, these Liberals “Found GOD” now that Republicans are controlling the White House and Congress. However, forcing people to pay into a system that provides and pays for things such as Abortions and other procedures certainly are not Biblical. If we were to accept their argument than we need to force people to pay monthly to the local Homeless Shelter and Food Bank or fine them if they don’t because a bigger issue than health care and one that should be unacceptable in the United States of America (with all our resources) is the number of homeless and hungry, especially children. On a given day more than 500,000 people have no shelter and more than 15 million homes in America struggle to have enough food. Many of these Americans who struggle for shelter and have malnutrition end up getting sick and have other complications. Let’s fix the cause of many health issues and not just put a “band aid” on it for political reasons.  I have heard those that claim it is a fundamental right to have health care. I agree it should be available, but it should not be forced. No other rights are forced. We are not forced to vote, we are not forced to worship, we are not forced to speak or protest but we have the right if we choose. The ability to have adequate necessities of life; Food, Clothing and Shelter (especially for children) should be a priority for both political parties and now is the opportunity for everyone in Washington to work together.

Dear President Obama,

Many, like myself, did not vote for you and did not agree with many decisions you made while in office. As you realized when elected you were never going to please everyone or get 100% of Americans to support your decisions. As most administrations go it is usually close to 50/50 on the political divide. We have seen much anger and political back/forth over the past 8 years and especially this last as the 2016 candidates threw their hat into the ring. Contrary to what you have said, as well as many in the Democratic party, the reason most of us conservatives did not agree with you was strictly because of policy differences and not the color of your skin. Americans will always have differences of opinion and the ability to express them is a foundation of our Democracy. I wish you and your family peace, good health and many blessings as you become a private citizen and although I did not agree with you on much of your decisions I do appreciate the effort you made and the sacrifices you gave to serve the nation. I would just ask that as you move forward and write books/give speeches or have any influence on the Democratic party that you use that ability to show that most Americans do not judge people based on race, skin color or religion but the decisions, character, and results they may have from a job they are asked to do. I know you have mentioned your legacy on policies but if you really want to have an impact on America’s future please help show people how to be peaceful to one another and respect that we do differ when it comes to political and social issues and that respectful conversation and communication is the best way to achieve peace within our own nation. God Bless!

Eric Grunor

Dear Congressman Lewis. I find it insulting that you feel the election of Donald Trump is not legitimate. Your comments reflect that you feel only the information that was learned by the hacking of e-mails caused me and millions of other Americans to vote for Donald Trump. The hypocritical part of your argument is John Podesta and Hillary Clinton never denied any of the information as being false, and the DNC never denied they were trying the sway the primary in her direction. If I were to accept your argument about an illegitimate election than Hillary Clinton should never have been the DNC candidate in the general election. Americans form their own opinion on what they feel is true and relevant and what is not. The Constitution DOES NOT say that an election will be invalid if Americans vote based on information they learn about the candidates if the source of the information was not first approved by the candidates. For many, the information that came out only re-enforced what we already knew and how we felt.  I feel sad for you and all the other Democrats that look at their neighbors and co-workers (1/2 of America) and feel that they are not smart enough to have an opinion that may be different from yours and not able to vote for a candidate of their own will.  If you truly feel ALL Americans deserve respect and should be treated equal than please understand that you are not smarter than anyone else and All Americans can form their own thoughts and vote accordingly. I pray you find peace in your life and one day conclude that no matter one’s color of skin, candidate of choice, party affiliation or any idea that may differ from yours..as Children of GOD we are ALL legitimate.