Wake up, America!

I am so tired of reading the Republicans and Democrats blaming each other for not reaching a budget deal and the debt ceiling problem. It's both of the parties' fault for getting us in this mess in the first place. Each one voted in and/or ratified laws and budgets that were stupid. The stimulus packages (both Bush and Obama) were jokes. Did it help? NO! Raising the debt ceiling has done nothing but allow other countries to own us. The Government has screwed the governed big time!! We continue to go to work, come home, and live our lives like everything will work itself out. Sorry folks, it wont. We do what we can to provide for our families and the Government continues to pilfer from the governed making it harder each and every day to make ends meet. All the while cutting GOD out of everything this country was built on. Marriage has become a punchline, GOD and prayer have become nuisances, and our government is a basket of corrupt idiots. But Americans continue to turn a blind eye to it because we are worried about our families and jobs. If you owned a business and your employees were running the company the way Obama, Biden, Boehner, McCain, Pelosi, and Reid are running this country, what would you do? I can tell what would happen to the business, the same thing that happened to Tyco, Worldcom, Lehman Brothers, and Enron. The company would be shutdown and the leaders put in jail. These leaders are no better than Bernie Madoff, stealing from Peter to pay Paul. This government is one big Ponzi scheme, but no one seems to be watching. Wake up America, we are nearing our end very quickly.

If you think you are safe, think again. Your freedoms are be slowly and methodically taken away. Homeland Security, Transportation Safety Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and your local law enforcement. What happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? It seems we are merely in one big concentration camp called the USA. The news media is just as complacent and playing into the hands of the corruptors. News companies only publish and televise what they are allowed to show and what sells newspapers, magazines, or advertisements. Americans want to see their favorite celebrity naked or falling on their face or in some other kind of drama. What about the injustices we face everyday at the airport, or from law enforcement? When did it become OK to make a handicapped grandmother face the indignity of having her adult diaper removed because it is suspiciously wet? Wet, really? Isn't that what a diaper does? Or the six year old girl who has to be patted down and touched by a stranger in places we tell our kids no adult should touch them, because she might be a terrorist carrying an underwear bomb? Thank you TSA for keeping me safe from the dangerous pre-school bomber! IDIOTS! We, Americans, are looked at as potential homegrown terrorists, anarchists, and/or conspiracy theorists. The government has made us afraid of our own shadows and suspicious of our neighbors. Most Americans do not want to believe the Government is corrupt. I am here to tell you folks, your government officials DO NOT have your best interests in their heads. Don't get me wrong, some federal and state Congress members are decent, hard-working people, but they eventually succumb to the pressure and the power. Junior Congress members have no power and the only way to get power is to play the game and bend to the will of the senior members. Those that have been in the halls of the Capitol building for fifteen or more years have all the power and they do what they want, when they want, and answer to no one. You think the sex scandals and minor criminal offenses like Weiner's sexting and Blagojevich's corruption conviction are the worst things in Washington D.C.? Jokes on you! Backroom deals and under the table pay offs are not limited to third world countries. It happens right here in America.

Corporate America has their hands in so many pockets in Washington it is disgusting. Why do we have $3.50/gallon gasoline? You think the Arabs control it? Exxon Mobil reported 69% increases in profits for the first quarter of 2011. That translates to $10.7 billion. OK, wait let's write that out, $10,700,000,000 in profits. This is up from $6.3 billion. Do you still think $3.50/gallon gasoline is fair? Why doesn't the government limit this gouging like they limit the amount of mouth wash you can bring on a plane? Or whether the fingernail clippers hanging on your key chain enables you to hijack a jetliner? A Toyota truck key could do more damage. A person could slit your throat with one. This time last year gasoline was $2.70/gallon. Has exploration or shipping costs increased so much that an $.80/gallon increase is required to cover the added expense? Oh wait, $10.7 billion in profits, a 69% increase. They had to charge more so they could make more. That's the capitalist way. I'm all for making money but when it begins to cripple the rest of the business world something has to be done. Trucking companies have to charge more, retailers have to charge more, and consumers pay the price, literally. A 60% increase in fuel cost to get to work, a 35% increase to feed your family, and a 55% increase to run your home. Did you get a 150% increase in your paycheck to cover your costs like the oil companies did? I know you did not! Now not to pick on just the oil companies, let's take a look at the utility companies. PepcoPepco reported a $64 million profit in 2011 versus a $36 million profit in 2010. So did the customers get a rebate or lower prices for the summer months because of this huge increase? Nope, Pepco increased rates 42% for the summer. Whoa, wait a tick! Where is the government protecting the public from these rip-off artists? Oh wait I know, the government was bickering over the President's birth certificate, or Don't Ask, Don't Tell, or maybe it was how to raise the debt ceiling, AGAIN. What is really happening in Washington D.C.?

The reason these companies are doing whatever they want is because they have bought and paid for our politicians. Then the government plays smoke 'n mirrors games for the public to take the focus off what is really happening. Americans are distracted by Weiner's wiener and the terrorist threats by Al Qaeda. You know there have been terrorist threats everyday for the last 50 years, right? Queen Napolitano would have you believe these terrorist have only started these threats in the last 10 or so years. She would have you believe she is the only thing standing between America and the terrorists. She has no clue what is going on. Janet couldn't run the state of Arizona and Obama puts her in charge of Homeland Security? I wouldn't let her guard a school crosswalk. Then Jan Brewer takes over as Governor of Arizona and that's like putting Howdy Doody in charge of the FBI, and the voters put her back in for a full term. What were you thinking Arizona?

In the end Americans can no longer live in the fantasy world that the government is doing everything it can to bring an end to the economic crisis and restore the United States as the world leader. The Obama Administration is playing a game and Harry Reid is riding on his coat tails. John Boehner is doing everything he can to throw his weight around and make it difficult for the Democrats without regard to what it is doing to the country. Term limits for Congress would eliminate many of the problems of corruption in Congress. The President is limited to two terms, the Senate should have the same limits, and the House of Representatives should be 4 terms. Eight years and you're done. This would limit any politician to 24 years total; 8 in each congressional house and 8 as President. I hope this opens many eyes to the real problem in Washington and facing this country. The United States of America is the greatest country in the world but our government is increasingly making the country unbearable to live in and be proud of.

GOD bless America and our brave men and women of the military! Please get involved in our country. Just as our forefathers fought against the tyranny of England 245 years ago, we must stand united against the tyrannical leaders of today who have defaced and corrupted the USA.

Thank you and GOD bless you all!

Christopher Ballow