Let them eat peas: The Professional Politicians that is!

[FCTP]

When I was a little girl, I spent my summers in North Carolina.   Summers were hard for my single dad so he packed us up and took us to North Carolina to be around all our relatives.  They were farmers and some lived in the “city” of about 2,000 people.

 

I was there when watermelons were picked.  I was my Uncle Went’s favorite niece and he always let me sit in his lap and “drive” the truck through the fields.  The boys would walk behind the truck and throw the watermelons to a handler who would then place them down easily so they would not break open.  Sometimes they missed and watermelon juice would splatter along the sideboard of the truck.  Uncle Went was a gentle soul and I felt like a princess around him.

 

When the watermelons were picked, we would then begin canning vegetables.  That was the job of the women and my grandmother’s kitchen would be filled with my aunts and girl cousins as we sterilized the mason jars and prepared to fill them with pickles, stewed tomatoes and other farm-grown vegetables from out back.

 

A favorite memory was sitting on my grandma’s front porch with the women of the family.  This is where we would prepare the fresh-picked vegetables for the next day of canning.  Green peas were the most exciting  because you had to “shuck” them out of their covering.  There was a skill to this and it took me many summers before I could do them like my grandmother.  The peas are contained in a pea pocket.  Once the green peas were removed from the pocket, the pocket was tossed in a pail for the chickens pecking pleasure.  (Nothing goes to waste on a farm!) 

 

In order to get the small peas out of the pocket, you had to open up the “zipper” with your thumb and push it open from one end to the other.  Sometimes the “zipper” would be easy to open and others were stubborn.  I would take the stubborn ones and throw them in the pail and my grandmother would scold me for wasting them.  She would take them in her rugged, grandmotherly hands and zip those peas quickly into a bowl on her lap.

 

I love peas because they remind me good times sitting on a porch in the hot summer heat with my family around me and America safe in the arms of Liberty.

 

Yesterday, President Obama ruined my memories of a great America again.  He already made fun of “tea baggers” – ruined a perfectly good beer in his beer summit and now is using peas as a weapon against the American public who want to cut spending, cap the debt ceiling and balance a budget.    Remember the statement – “Don’t let a good crisis go to waste.”

 

Here’s how we say it in America – “Don’t let a good pea go in the chicken pail.”

 

The leaders in DC need to spend some time on grandma’s porch in North Carolina and I’m sure I could make that happen.  The talk on the porch would go something like this:

 

“Stop messing around with politics and do your job.  There is no more money in the cookie jar and the mattress is cleaned out too.  We have no more credit at the small grocery store down the way.  The tab is already too high and Mr. Smith, the owner, can’t lend us any more money.  He has his bills to pay too, you know so he is capping the tab to keep it from going higher.  First things first.  Stop spending.  Tighten your belt and do away with the things we don’t need.  That would mean looking at all those danged departments regulating us to death.  Stop flying around on that airplane and wasting all that gas.  Golf fees are a no go too!  Eating out – forget it!  Call in the debts people owe you and start paying down your own debt.  Stop hanging out with those crooks who want to steal from other people so they can buy expensive diamonds and things like that!  Make a promise to never get in this situation again and come up with a budget and live within it.  Take care of the elderly like you promised and do away with programs that send our money overseas.  We have work to do at home so they will have to figure things out for themselves like we are.  In other words, stop putting good peas in the chicken pail!”

 

Mr. Obama made two gaffs last night:

 

One where he said – “eat our peas” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qHVSZM7CX0 – I’m sure he meant we need to eat peas while he continues to live the good life.

 

The other where he said – “Professional Politicians understand better than the Public”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64yhiih53F4&feature=player_embedded  

 

If Grandma were alive today, she would snatch him up by his ear (that would be easy to do) and take him out back where a nice green switch would be used on his backside.   We can’t do that but we can show the Professional Politicians that the Public is paying attention and we know what’s going on.

 

Here’s how:  TAKE ACTION

There will be a vote on the BBA (Balanced Budget Amendment) the week of July 18^th in the House.  We are also expecting a vote the same week in the Senate. 

 

In order for the vote to pass the House, 290 votes are needed.  At this time we need to be sure that ALL Republicans are on board with balancing the budget as well as 50 additional Democrats.

 

This Thursday, July 14, at 12 noon EDT we are asking activists across the country to go to their district offices and express your support for balancing the US budget through a Balanced Budget Amendment. We need to continue to pressure these Members of Congress and Senators to let them know how we expect them to vote on these issues.

 

We are proud to be working with a huge coalition of leaders, including Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks and others across the country to let our elected officials know we expect them to sign the Cut, Cap, and Balance Pledge and support and VOTE for a Balanced Budget Amendment.

If you can’t physically go, then call or email them and ask them to sign the Pledge and VOTE for a Balance Budget.  If they will not sign the pledge – ask them “Why?”  If they will not vote NO on the Balanced Budget  -- ask them “Why?”

 

Our local tea party will show up at Bill Nelson’s office at 1301 Riverplace Blvd, Suite 2010 in Jacksonville at noon.  After that we will walk to Marco Rubio’s office at 1650 Prudential Drive, Suite 220.  Let us know if you can make it.

 

Let’s show the “Professional Politicians” that the Public is in charge and they work for us!

[amanda choate]

Tom mentions it here in his post, that Crenshaw was unwilling to sign "the pledge".

 Jon Huntsman has taken a very princilpled stance onthis issue, he isn't signing any pledges. That is the right answer. What is the repercussion for breaking these pledges? Scorn? Most don't ever even get mentioned again. Further, like the one presented to candidates in Iowa to sign, they make the candidate look stupid and forced to defend positions they may or may not have, they were just looking to pick up a few votes. Take your oath of office and pledge allegiance when presented the colors. Other than that, stay away from pledges, they are beneath the office.

[Rosemarie Brenneman]

I think that while he is busy preaching to us about fiscal issues he should stop flying Air Force 1 all over for pleasure and campaigning, no more vacations til economy straightens out, no expensive dinners out,etc.  Practice what he preaches

[Patricia M. McBride]

Just came back from the meeting at the tea party office, and found this in my Email box.  I have been added to the Obama list without asking because I wrote a letter to him a long while back.  I also can't get removed........I tried.  Anyway, this is about us here in Jacksonville:

 

Patricia --

This weekend will be our campaign's single biggest organizing opportunity of the summer, and I hope you can join us for it.

All across the country, volunteers will be knocking on doors, tabling at public events, and bringing new supporters into the President's campaign. One volunteer at a time, we're going to build the biggest grassroots network that politics has ever seen.

You can help in Jacksonville. Will you join us for Saturday's day of action?

Here are the details:

What: National day of action

Where: 4811 Beach Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32207

When: Saturday, July 16th
10:00 am

Here's some more good news: If you're one of the thousands of people already participating in the challenge to bring 50 new supporters into this campaign for the President's 50th birthday, any commitments you get on Saturday will count toward your total. And if you haven't signed up yet because you weren't sure how you'd get to 50, then Saturday is the perfect opportunity to get started.

The folks we bring into the campaign this weekend will go on to become volunteers and organizers in the months ahead, and recruit more friends to join us. Events like these are how we grow this organization and get the head start we need for 2012.

At last month's day of action, we recruited thousands of new volunteers. This time, let's do even better.

RSVP here to join the event in Jacksonville:

http://my.barackobama.com/Day-Of-Action-July

Thanks,

Jeremy

Jeremy Bird
National Field Director
Obama for America

[Patricia M. McBride]

Mr. Nelson thinks the debt ceiling fight is a partisan game being played by the republican house members............Nelson has to go.  He is clueless or maybe he wishes to be clueless!

 

[Patricia M. McBride]

Senator offers way to cover Social Security checks, if government defaults Similar step was taken by Congress in 1996 WASHINGTON, DC – The Treasury Department would be able to cover tens of millions of Social Security checks in the event of a government default, under legislation introduced in the Senate today. Saying nearly four million people in Florida alone rely on Social Security checks, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson ( D-FL ) filed legislation that would temporarily let officials not have to count Social Security obligations against the national debt limit. A similar non-traditional approach was passed by Congress in 1996 during a conflict between then-Democratic President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress over funding for major programs including Medicare.

Nelson disclosed he’s filing an updated version of the 1996 bill to protect Social Security in a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. His letter comes in the wake of President Obama's stark warning this week that Social Security payments may not go out next month, if Congress cannot agree on a package of spending cuts and an increase in the debt ceiling before Aug. 2. A few Social Security measures already have been filed by other lawmakers, but they are generally limited to making benefits a priority among competing government payments. They do not ensure that Social Security checks will be paid. “During the 1996 debt-limit situation Congress passed a special temporary law that said Social Security didn’t count against the debt limit,” Nelson wrote in his letter to Geithner. “Would such a non-traditional measure be needed today? Would pending legislation that prioritizes Social Security obligations suffice? If not, I stand ready with legislation that would temporarily exempt Social Security obligations from the public debt limit. “If congressional leaders fail to get beyond the partisan games and reach an agreement on spending cuts … the stakes are high not only for our economy, but also for the millions of seniors who depend solely on Social Security,” he wrote. The Treasury Secretary anticipates the country will hit the debt limit on Aug. 2. Some benefit checks are supposed to go out as soon as

[Wellford C. Reed, Jr]

I'll be there...

[Tom Wing]

I will be there with Janet. Should be exciting.

[Patricia M. McBride]

Well, we should all be so pleased with our president.  What a guy, and as has appeared in several places today, he apparently has indicated that the general population is too simple minded to get why the debt ceiling must be raised.

[Frances Williams]

can't make it but my thoughts are with you!

 

[K. Crenier]

Is anyone else as angry as I am about the latest Obama thug tactic?  He can't guarantee that

Social Security, veterans and disability checks will be issued if he doesn't get his way????!!!!!  Really?  Seriously?  This is just OUTRAGEOUS!  None of those programs have anything to do with the debt.  What a liar!  And it is just going to get uglier and more preposterous.  He is resorting to scaring people now.  Incredible.