CONGRESSIONAL RAISES? WHY?

I have to admit that I was in a state of shock when I read that President Obama had ordered pay raises for Congress, Federal Workers and Joe Biden.  How can that have happened when they are trying to cut Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid?  They should be taking a pay cut.
The House is in session for three weeks and then they have a week off.  They take numerous long breaks and can't get any work done.  Yet ordinary people toil day to to day and some with no vacation benefits or sick leave and barely survive AND get no raises and get benefit cuts.
I do not understand when we are supposedly going off the "Fiscal Cliff" how anyone in government can get a raise.  It is certainly not deserved.  48% of the members of Congress are millionaires trying to protect their own money while stealing it from those who deserve it most.  The unemployed need it so very much as it is their only source of income.  The poor, homeless and disabled veterans need all the help they can get but no that money has to be fought over.
President Obama was right yesterday when he said that people outside of Washington do not understand how Congress cannot get things done as we do that all the time or we would have no jobs.  I can tell you I will work to defeat anyone who says no to what I call a really bad deal. Susan Collins are you listening?
I sure hope that Ashley Judd does run against Mitch McConnell in 2014.  He has been nothing but a road blocker and to think he will get a raise for saying he will do anything to defeat President Obama and blocking all sorts of important legislation is totally disgusting.  And giving John Boehner a raise is even more disgusting.
Well that is my rant for the day.  But I do want to ask, Where is the outrage?  Where is the media?  Why do they ignore this stuff?

GUNS

The tragedy in NewTown, CT is an unspeakable horror.  I cannot imagine the grief that parents and loved ones are feeling right now for those they have lost.  To think that 20 little children died such a violent death gives me the chills.  The adults who died protecting those children are true heroes.
It is time for us to look at the gun culture in this country.  I know gun lovers will say guns don't kill people, people kill people.  The reality is is that people use guns to kill people.  We have too many guns and people too willing to use them against other humans.
It isn't just one tragedy but all of the tragedies that have happened and still happen every day on street corners in cities and small towns and in homes where domestic violence is all too prevalent.
I cannot see the need for anyone to have an assault weapon in their home.  I agree that hunting is a part of our culture and I have no problem with people having a gun for that purpose providing they keep it safely stored and locked.  I can see no need to have concealed weapons permits.  I don't want to fear going to a mall or a park and having armed folks around me and never knowing which one will all of a sudden decide to shoot people.
Guns are not the only problem.  We have not dealt with mental illness very well in this country.  We have closed facilities that used to treat these people and thrown them out on the streets where they struggle to survive.  We are afraid to identify those who need help and get them the help they need.  This is really cruel treatment.  When weapons are so readily available they can fall into the wrong hands.  Obviously the mother of this most recent shooter had guns to protect herself and they ended up killing her.
Let's have a discussion about the need for more regulation.  The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." 
I do not see that every individual is a militia and the amendment speaks of "A well regulated Militia..."  So we need to honor the words of the Second Amendment and have well regulated gun control as well as seeking to improve the way we deal with the mentally ill.

"FISCAL CLIFF???"

All of this talk about the so called fiscal cliff drives me crazy.  It never ceases to amaze me that the Republicans in Congress want to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security but are perfectly happy to keep their own heath care benefits as well as their very generous pension.  This is uncalled for and very hypocritical.  They sure want their big piece of the pie but do not want seniors or the poor to have their small piece.
Where is the media in all of this?  Why aren't they pointing this out and making a big deal of it.  Probably because they are so secure in their big salaries that they do not see the hypocrisy in all of this.
There are areas of the budget that can be cut for sure but Social Security has not contributed one penny to the deficit that the Republicans caused with two unfunded wars and huge tax decreases for the wealthy Americans.
Now I have no problem with people being successful and making a lot of money but they should be paying their fair share and not hiding income overseas in tax havens which rob this country of income.  Corporations are also robbing this country by hiding their profits in tax havens.  Lets cut the subsides to big oil and big agriculture.  They are making huge profits and do not need the money that tax payers are paying for.  Let them help cut the deficit.
I urge everyone to call their senators and representatives as well as the President and make the case that there are ways to make cuts without hurting some of the most vulnerable..