Kristyne McDaniel Opinion Blog

Over the last few weeks I’ve been feeling a lot of the same things everyone does — confusion about where the country is headed because of the enormous economic problems. The stock market has not been recovering in the way we all hoped it would after the Bush $700B rescue plan began to be implemented. In fact, it was spiraling more quickly down the drain.

I had been thinking that the recent declines were largely due to uncertainty. With a lame duck president and congress, and our high hopes for the Obama administration, this lag time between the change in administrations is causing insecurity about our future.

There are some that are suggesting we change our constitution and put Obama in office earlier than January 20. I disagree. Too much haste with a brand new president is not our best course of action. Rather, since Obama announced his appointments to his finance team so much earlier than in past administrations, lets allow them to think through the situation.

Sallie Mae has postponed foreclosures until January. Stock prices are too low, but anyone that has stocks can certainly wait to sell rather than selling in this market. I am hopeful that there can be some tourniquets placed so that the hemorrhaging slows. Let’s not do what the Bush Administration has done, and instead let’s allow real planning to take place. Allow the Obama team to get everything ready to go on January 20, so that on Day One we can get the new plans rolling. Until then, let’s exercise patience and do the best we can.

I’ll be blunt. If Hillary Clinton turns down the job of Secretary of State, I’ll lose a lot of respect for her as a public servant. This isn’t about her and what she wants to do to corral extra clout for herself. When the President Elect offers you the highest cabinet post he can, YOU TAKE IT AND SAY I’M HONORED.

Whatever is going through Sen. Clinton’s mind, she needs to shake out of it and accept the job NOW.

I’m ashamed of her playing around with the idea for a week already. It is time to either accept it or not and get on with life.

I’ve been seeing the talking heads on the news discussing whether or not to ‘bail out’ the American auto industry.

Personally, I’m appalled.

How can it be acceptable to allow even one of the remaining Big Three to go under for lack of liquidity? The folks I hear who are the least inclined to back enhanced liquidity for the American automakers all seem to come from Southern states, which have auto plants from Toyota and other foreign makers in their states.

The Southern states giving tax breaks to foreign automakers deliberately repress union participation, and receive far more in federal funding than they pay in taxes. They’re being funded by the western, northern, and northeastern states every day… but yet they take it upon themselves to be critical of Michigan’s desire to prevent massive job losses.

Yes, the Big Three have union workers who receive health benefits. What is so terrible about that? Have Americans decided that ‘other’ Americans that don’t live next door to them are not entitled to a middle-class wage with benefits just because their leadership sold them out to Toyota?

Finally, since when do the American auto companies avoid making cars that people want? A better reporting job needs to be done on the product lines produced by Ford and GM and Chrysler. They produce MORE fuel-efficient vehicles than the foreign auto makers, not less. The fact that they have ALSO produced SUVs is due to market influences — Americans wanted them — right up until the cost of fuel shot up.

Steve and I have a big Ford 1-ton truck for transporting equipment to job sites. We drive a Ford Focus that gets 30 mpg for daily trips. It is a PZEV, which means Practically Zero Emissions Vehicle. In fact, in a cross-country drive it produces the same amount of pollution as running a lawnmower for an hour produces.

There are half-truths and downright lies being bandied about by Congress about how the auto industry is a home for idiot corporate heads. The real truth is that not one of them could run General Motors, and the majority of them should just shut their pie holes.

Put me on the record as being FOR a package to shore up the American auto industry through enhanced liquidity.

The latest fires in NW Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Riverside County are the latest in a long series of devastating California fires in the dangerous zones on the other side of the mountains from us.

Three days after Christmas in 1973, my family’s home burned down in Wayzata Minnesota. My brothers, my sister, and I all woke up to a big blaze that was accidentally started in our house, and had to deal with all of the things any child fears in a fire. Contacting the fire department, how we’d explain what happened to our parents, and then finally with the loss of all our personal belongings.

I know what it feels like to watch my home burn, to see one or two items rescued by firefighters, and to go to a Red Cross shelter to get a few items of clothings and cots to sleep on.

Please go to www.RedCross.org and make donations on the web, and then go and give blood. The Red Cross coffers are low, and both money and blood are needed more than ever. Right now most of the needs are for things like clothing and money, but blood is always needed as well.

I’m grateful for the election last week on November 4th. I hope that the Universally Available health care America has been talking about but not providing since the days Richard Nixon waved a card he said was to be the national health care system, which was to be based on the achievements begun with Social Security and Medicare.

We may not all know this, but Harry Truman spoke of universal health care for all Americans more than 50 years ago.

It is well past time that we Americans valued each other enough to commit to having each and every one of us pay into a system that guarantees everyone is covered — no matter what.

An article about a family who was forced to sell their home and leave the country in order to get health care is at the www.GuaranteedHealthCare.com. Click here for a link to the article.

There is still a small collection of people floating around on email lists and opinion blogs that can’t seem to let go of their theories about a conspiracy around Barack Obama’s birth.

In response to speculation that Barack Obama was born in Kenya, the Obama campaign posted a scanned image of his birth certificate many months ago. Still, the rumors have taken on a life of their own, and people who are desperate to believe Obama was born elsewhere or is a citizen of Indonesia have not been dispelled in their minds.

My theory is that this whole thing originated with the circumstances of John McCain’s birth. There was some question about whether he would be able to serve as president because he was actually born outside of the country, in the country of Panama. That question was dealt with openly, with congress affirming that American citizens born on military bases anywhere in the world to American parents are indeed eligible to serve as president.

In my opinion, this whole issue of whether Barack Obama is able to serve because of some imagined untoward circumstance of his birth is just wishful thinking on the part of the folks that were afraid of the changes that would come if he became president. There are lawsuits making their way through the courts trying to force Obama to produce his credentials, showing he is a citizen born in the US.

How silly!

At this point, President Elect Barack Obama is on his way into the white house as our 44th president. It is time to cut the comedy and get serious about how each of us can adapt to make this fait accompli fit into our lives and goals.

This link points to an in-depth article about Obama’s records that I hope will help you put any fears you may have to rest. Click here to read the article on PolitiFact.com.

I know I’m probably a little more interested in election politics than most people are, so I’ll establish that up front as a given. That said, my emotional reaction to the close of the election season puzzled me.

Yesterday, I spent at least the first 8 hours of the day feeling very sad. Obviously it was not a sadness caused from the huge win earned by President Elect Barack Obama. I think it was the sadness I felt because the two years I was following the ins and outs of the elections politics and polls were at an end. I knew I would miss all of that on the “Road to the White House”.

Well, the road to the election has indeed ended, but it became apparent towards the end of the day that there was still a lot going on… it is just a different emphasis, moving from electioneering to the transition of power.

I’m all cheered up again.

But still, I don’t expect to be posting quite as much on my personal blog about politics anymore. There will still be some prattling on about it, but I’m ready for the move into other topics that are more relevant now that this huge 800 lb gorilla is no longer sitting in my virtual living room.

Congratulations to Barack Obama, and congratulations to all of us for being able to set about on our new path.

Last night’s resounding victory which placed Barack Obama into the line of succession for the American Presidency is an earthquake among elections.

There is no chance that the election results will bring little change. Like so many other Americans, I am expecting January 20th to herald a new era in presidential politics.

Barack Obama’s demeanor and serious acknowledgment of just how large a job faces him have me feeling cautious optimism rather than jubilation upon the announcement of his win and those of the newest senators and representatives. I could see on his face that the weight of Obama’s new assignment is not being taken lightly.

You know the old joke… be careful what you wish for! No doubt even President Elect Obama has those thoughts in his mind today.

So far, we haven’t seen many of his choices for the new administration. Rahm Emanuel is a great choice for chief of staff. I hope to see members of his administration from all walks of life and all political persuasions.

It is going to take a few days for me to process through my feelings about the election. I did contribute to the Obama campaign, and I did make phone calls on his behalf to encourage people to get out to vote. I have been and will continue to pray for his success in office.

John McCain gave an excellent concession speech. I am grateful that he is returning to the senate, having pledged to work with the Obama administration. I would expect nothing less from a man such as John McCain.

As for me, I recognize that God has given America the gift of a careful, hard working, determined, and dedicated public servant for her 44th president. I feel the warmth of his smile on us all today.

This has been the longest election season I’ve ever experienced to date. I’ve been watching the news closely, and have participated to a modest extent.

In prior years, I’ve had either more time or more money to contribute, but even this year I’ve done at least some small things to help the campaigns of those candidates I felt were best.

Steve and I voted absentee this year, and I went online to check the status of our ballots. They were both recorded as being received in good condition a week ago. With all the reports of problems that all of us have seen, it felt good to know that our part in the voting process was taken care of as we had expected.

I can’t remember a time when I’ve ever been so anxious about an election. I can’t even say why I felt that way, because it wasn’t really about who won or lost, or about the various propositions on the ballot here in California. I think it had more to do with anxiety about how in election seasons past it appeared that errors and obvious suppression tactics were the order of the day. This year, I hope for a more solid election… one that we can all put our faith into, that we can believe.

Whatever your choice in candidateS, and whatever you believe, if you haven’t already cast your ballot please go now and VOTE!