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Relevant Quotes for Today

"This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself -- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory" -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933.

"It was natural and perhaps human that the privileged princes of these new economic dynasties, thirsting for power reached out for control over government itself. They created a new despotism and wrapped it in the robes of legal sanction. In its service new mercenaries sought to regiment the people, their labor, and their property. And as a result the average man once more confronts the problem that faced the Minute Man.

"The hours men and women worked, the wages they received, the conditions of their labor -- these had passed beyond the control of the people, and were imposed by this new industrial dictatorship. The savings of the average family, the capital of the small-businessmen, the investments set aside for old age -- other people's money [OPM] -- these were tools which the new economic royalty used to dig itself in. Those who tilled the soil no longer reaped the rewards which were their right. The small measure of their gains was decreed by men in distant cities. Throughout the nation, opportunity was limited by monopoly. Individual initiative was crushed in the cogs of a great machine. The field open for free business was more and more restricted. Private enterprise, indeed, became too private. It became privileged enterprise, not free enterprise.

"For too many of us the political equality we once had won was meaningless in the face of economic inequality. A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people's property, other people's money, other people's labor -- other people's lives. For too many of us life was no longer free; liberty no longer real; men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness.

"Against economic tyranny such as this, the American citizen could appeal only to the organized power of government. The collapse of 1929 showed up the despotism for what it was. The election of 1932 was the people's mandate to end it. Under that mandate it is being ended.

"These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of America. What they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power. Our allegiance to American institutions requires the overthrow of this kind of power. In vain they seek to hide behind the flag and the Constitution. In their blindness they forget what the flag and the Constitution stand for...

"The brave and clear platform adopted by this convention, to which I heartily subscribe, sets forth that government in a modern civilization has certain inescapable obligations to its citizens, among which are protection of the family and the home, the establishment of a democracy of opportunity, and aid to those overtaken by disaster.

"We do not see faith, hope, and charity as unattainable ideals, but we use them as stout supports of a nation fighting the fight for freedom in a modern civilization...

"Governments can err, presidents do make mistakes--better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity [love] than the consistent omissions of government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.

"There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny" -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 27, 1936.

You have been reading excerpts from The 2008 Presidential Election Handbook and Commentary: The Connection to Hope, available at www.healthylivingusa.com/theconnectiontohope, www.amazon.com or your local bookstore.

Healthcare - A Bittersweet Noun

PR Log (Press Release) – Apr 21, 2010 – Senator Teddy Kennedy carried the life of universal healthcare in his soul for decades. Just months after his passing, universal healthcare was born and is now a full-fledged noun that is carried in the soul of a nation.

On March 23, 2010, at 9:03 A.M., President Barack Obama signed the historic national healthcare bill, The Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act - Public Law 111-148, amid fanfare, jubilation and the Obama campaign slogan – “yes we can;” while stupefied opponents in other corners of Washington and beyond threatened immediate repeal – as though the concept operates in Washington. The “full-fledged bittersweet noun” is impacting some Americans in a curious way.

It took sixty-five years and five attempts to pass a national healthcare bill in the United States of America. President Truman was the first to ask Congress to pass national healthcare legislation in 1945. President Nixon was the second; followed by Presidents Carter, Clinton and Obama.

Because healthcare costs now represent seventeen percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), President Obama and the 111th Congress acknowledged the need of a comprehensive healthcare bill, in spite of unprecedented partisan opposition. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the non-partisan independent reporting agency within the legislative branch of the United States government that was created through the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, did an analysis of the bill and reports a savings of $143 billion in the first decade and $1.2 trillion in the second.

The first national healthcare proposal was vehemently opposed and described as “socialized medicine” when the mere mention of the word “socialism” conjured up hatred and disdain due to world conditions at the time. Truman eventually backed away and focused on healthcare for the elderly through the Social Security Act. The second and third healthcare bills were quashed with promises of self-regulation by insurance companies. The promises, however, went the way of the legislation. The fourth attempt alienated the small business sector and died a slow dead amid the replay of self-regulation. The fifth attempt faced fierce partisan opposition that was derailed by sheer courage on the part of its proponents.

Fundamental changes in the healthcare industry will be made incrementally through 2014 to create a safety net for all American citizens throughout the generations. The process of change, if done correctly, will fine-tune healthcare like a musical instrument before the symphony. Such sweeping legislation has not been passed in the U.S. since President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 and President Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965.

The next step in the process, according to Linda E. Schexnayder, author of The 2008 Presidential Election Handbook and Commentary: The Connection to Hope (The Connection to Hope) published by Healthy Living USA Publishing Division Nevada, is to prompt the American people to embrace healthy living as a personal responsibility. She believes there is a linkage between chronic illness and polluted air, contaminated water, and chemical–laden food.

“A robust Healthy Living Public Service Campaign by radio, television, Internet, national mailings and conferences should be launched immediately to help American citizens equate healthy living with the cost of healthcare reform. Thus far, the conversation has leaned toward training more doctors, nurses, technicians and other medical professionals, but it must lean more to the prevention side of reform. All Americans must have access to clean air, pure water, whole food and physical education to avert sickness and disease—we can no longer consider it a niche market. Behavior modification in cooperation with national healthcare is expected. And as behavior changes, industries will grow and jobs will be created to the benefit of the economy. Who wins? Everybody does—the individual and their family, the employer, the insurance provider, the government and the economy,” Schexnayder said.

But who will undertake such a public service campaign that clearly must engage through the next decade? Who will approach Congress, FDA, and EPA to request or demand legislation and regulations to ensure America’s access to quality air, water and food? Who will advocate air purifiers, water filtration systems, organic food, and personal fitness?

“Land of the free; home of the brave” is a truism of America that’s been demonstrated so many times in the past by honorable men and women of all races and creeds that one could say it’s irrefutable. But today, Americans find themselves being measured again—in the arena of healthcare.

Will Smith's Wisdom

Obama’s 2011 Budget Girds Up Economy

Need over deficit. Obama answers the call of the American people over cries of the opposition to decrease spending. The jobless rate and tight consumer credit dictate portions of the President’s 2011 budget.

PR Log (Press Release) – Feb 15, 2010 – President Obama’s 2011 budget of $3.8 trillion was delivered to Congress amid outcries and charges of excessive spending. Though the economy grew 5.8% last quarter—the fastest pace since 2003, unemployment remains at 9.7 percent and consumer credit is still tight.

Tax credits favoring low- and middle-income Americans and small businesses mirror the 2010 budget. Individuals with income over $200,000 and couples with income over $250,000 are seeing a rollback of some tax credits that low- and middle-income Americans have never enjoyed, according to budgetary comments. They, along with major corporations, banks, oil companies and natural-gas companies, are being called the losers in the budget by some reports. But there is a substantial difference between not having food and not having a Lamborghini.

Outcries over deficits are more prevalent today than in the past. However, the graph of the National Debt 1950 – 2010 in Chapter 6 of The Connection to Hope by Linda E. Schexnayder shows that the greatest dollar increase in the National Debt of the United States was realized between 2001 to 2009. The debt went from $5 trillion in 2001 to almost $14 trillion, an increase just shy of 200%. The second greatest dollar increase came during the Reagan administration—from slightly under a trillion dollars to $3.25 trillion, an increase of over 200%. A portion of the increase came from tax cuts for the rich, as was part of the increase for the most recent surge. Reagan did put a plan in place to cover the cost of his tax cuts. He subtly revised the1969 Alternative Minimum Tax, originally known as the millionaire’s tax, that was designed to close loopholes utilized by the very rich to avoid paying taxes -- some millionaires indeed paid zero federal taxes -- and targeted middle-income Americans.

The Connection to Hope further states that most of the debt incurred from 1940 through 1973 was wartime debt: World War II, Korean Conflict, Viet Nam Conflict—a quarter of a trillion dollars. Non-wartime debt began with the Ford administration (1974-1977)—half a trillion dollars. It grew marginally under the Carter administration (1977-1981)—almost a quarter of a trillion dollars. Then the Reagan administration (1981-1989) added two and a quarter trillion dollars. The National Debt grew from $3.25 trillion to $4.27 trillion under Bush-41 (1989-1993)—increased partly by the Persian Gulf War of 1991, when Saddam Hussein was driven out of Kuwait. It grew another trillion dollars during the Clinton administration (1993-2001) then began to diminish its pace in 1996 and stopped growing in 1999. Clinton was the only president in recent memory to balance the budget and leave office with a surplus. The surplus was wiped out and the National Debt began to grow again during Bush-43 (2001-2009).

Curtailment of government spending is a top priority of American citizens, but restoring the economy is essential to that ultimate goal and President Obama seems attuned. He is imposing a three-year spending freeze on many government programs.

The deficit for the current fiscal year is expected to peak at almost $1.6 trillion, then start to shrink to just below $1.3 trillion in 2011, according to the President’s budget. Reputable economists have said that extremely high deficits would not sustain economic growth over a protracted period.

The Government Printing Office (GPO) announced that the 2011 budget is available for review online. The authentic online version is available through a direct link on the Latest Resources panel on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys), www.fdsys.gov. Copies may be ordered online at http://bookstore.gpo.gov/collections/budget.jsp. Budget of the U.S. Government is $37, Budget Appendix is $73, Analytical Perspectives is $52, Historical Tables is $49, and the CD-ROM is $25. For more information on purchasing, call 202-512-1800.

The 2008 Presidential Election Handbook and Commentary: The Connection to Hope is available at www.healthylivingusa.com/theconnectiontohope and www.amazon.com.
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About Healthy Living USA and Healthy Living USA Publishing Division Nevada: We strive to help our clients become healthier in all areas of human life: spirtually, mentally, physically, socially and financially, thereby achieving wholeness and prosperity.

Obama/GOP Q&A in Baltimore Becomes Washington-Style Knock-Down-Drag-Out

Now that the hoopla has subsided, the dust has settled and the majors are somewhat satiated; what happened at the Obama/GOP Q&A in Baltimore? What did the American people really see during this layered production?

PR Log (Press Release) – Feb 04, 2010 – The Obama/GOP Q&A in Baltimore on Friday, January 29, 2010 could be described as an event none of us has seen before, not even in the political debate forum. While watching the events unfold on screen, beginning with the first question, one could have wondered if Jaws and a hundred plus of his cousins had invited the President over for lunch.

The American people saw another world; the world of politicians—spurious arguments that are normally delivered in sound bites to the media on staged platforms for greatest affect. They heard pseudo words and phrases made-to-order for them—button-pushers to incite and inflame heads of households that are surviving on nutrient-sparse “cup-a-soup” and “top ramen;” so unfamiliar with lack that they have yet to acknowledge what they are experiencing—the dawning of middle-class insecurity. Chapter 6 of The Connection to Hope by Linda E. Schexnayder, highlights their circumstance as calculated to minimize the economic and political clout of the middle-class of America, according to a reputable economist who threads lightly. The chapter features graphics of U.S. jobs that were projected to move overseas and never return by design, which could be one of the reasons why the job market is not rebounding as it should; a reason, to date, which has not been a factor of any recession.

The American people have not forgotten the policies of the previous administration and the laws passed by the 107th, 108th, 109th and 110th Congress which aided this recession. Many of those who spoke in Baltimore were a part of that era. So how could the response to the Q&A be anything other than disdain. The transportation mode of Star Trek would have been suitable to most viewers eight hours later to instantly beam each of the participating congressional representatives into the bedrooms of hungry weeping children as they lay, desperately trying to sleep, while wishing they had more “cup-a-soup" or “top ramen.” After such an experience, perhaps those members of Congress would “get it.”

Millions upon millions of Americans now hurt in silence, weep in silence, hunger in silence and hope in silence for redemption that is on par with Congress and all government employees.

The last presidential election was democracy operating at its best. That’s good news. Had it not happened that way—if the people had not arisen and exercised their constitutional privilege, the greatness of the United States of America would today be in question. Few know and understand how close the country was to economic implosion. Shouts of “Armageddon is coming” in the streets and gridlock to the bunkers would not have been newsworthy. For that heroism, however, they get whining elected officials who, for eight years, drove this country into the vulnerable position in which it finds itself today. For that heroism they get a Superior Court ruling that violates existing campaign finance law to allow corporations to continue their pursuit of unfettered economic power and control over middle-class America.

Overall, the American people got a hefty serving of frivolity. And though the cameras are turned off, it continues. Perhaps this will be the prompt that summons fair-minded rank-and-file Republicans to check their leadership.

The twenty-year campaign is ended; the masters of it are gone—from political office at least. It’s time now to do the work of the people.

The 2008 Presidential Election Handbook and Commentary: The Connection to Hope is available at www.healthylivingusa.com and www.amazon.com.
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About Healthy Living USA and Healthy Living USA Publishing Division Nevada: We strive to help our clients become healthier in all areas of human life: spirtually, mentally, physically, socially and financially, thereby achieving wholeness and prosperity.

Obama Still Seen As Conduit to Progress

PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 28, 2010 – Just as Moses led the children of Israel out of bondage thousands of years ago; just as Franklin D. Roosevelt led the American people out of a Great Depression; just as John F. Kennedy delivered the United States from a nuclear war of obliteration with the Soviet Union; just as Ronald Reagan led the German people to unification; Barack Obama seems destined to delivery the American people from the clutches of free-wielding constitutional-stompers as they prepare to run the final leg of the economic race between the “haves” and the “have nots” during a time of the highest income inequality ever experienced in this country, which went full throttle after the S&L crisis twenty years ago.

The word is “jobs” — living wage jobs; that is the hope, at least.

The 2008 Presidential Election Handbook and Commentary: The Connection to Hope takes a look at the Department of Labor Employment Trends of this decade as reported on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). It highlights Bill Moyer’s PBS NOW: America and Jobs and David Brancaccio’s PBS NOW: Inequality of Wage Earners in America.

According to Chapter 6, Who Controls America?, “Over half of Fortune 500 companies have moved jobs offshore, including famous names from many fields: Oracle, Dell, HSBC, Delta Air Lines, Novartis, J.P. Morgan Chase, Hewlett-Packard, American Express, and British Airways.” The worst that was expected has now been compounded by the current recession. Corporations used the recession as a cover to move millions of jobs overseas in management, accounting, office operations, computer technology, art design, life sciences, architecture, and legal. In some cases, they packed and moved the whole office. That is in stark contrast to the Kennedy’s "War On Poverty,” years when the economy was vibrant and anyone who wanted a job had one. People were being hired on the spot and trained on the job at top wages — Americans were prosperous and happy. The Kennedy policies were executed so robustly that their benefits were realized for almost two decades—then came the residue of Nixon. The author of The Connection to Hope, Linda E. Schexnayder, describes this recession as “the dawning of middle-class insecurity.

In his State of the Union Address last night, President Obama claimed the creation of two million jobs through the Recovery Act during his first year in office. Two millions jobs sustained or created in one year is a beginning; 14,000,000 more are needed.

Fifty-three percent of the American people pledged their cooperation to the President in the 2008 Presidential Campaign. "I’m asking you to believe, not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington…I’m asking you to believe in yours," was President Obama’s request. The challenge was accepted. A majority of Americans chose unity over division. So the failure of the President would not be his alone; it would be the failure of all—responsibility is mutual.

After eight years of gross mismanagement in our national government, did any American in partnership think the economy, healthcare and the environment would be revamped in one year? Scott Brown is an aberration of Massachusetts voters.

The 2008 Presidential Election Handbook and Commentary: The Connection to Hope is available at www.healthylivingusa.com/theconnectiontohope and www.amazon.com.