February 1, 2010 Harlingen, Texas, February 1, 2010: This week the Obama Administration submitted a $3.8 Trillion budget to Congress, which forecasts a $1.6 Trillion budget deficit for the coming year. While this was taking place Americans across the country were calling out their concerns about the economy, excessive spending and loss of American jobs. Loudly voicing such concerns, many members of the 29 million military veterans and retirees were among those speaking out. (More)
January 27, 2010 Harlingen, Texas, January 25, 2010: There are an estimated 27 million men and close to two million women who are veterans or serving on active duty in the armed forces of the United States. They rank among the most patriotic of our citizens, are predominantly conservative in their political ideas and in recent years tend to be moving away from membership in either the Democrat or Republican Party. We sent a call out to those veterans who were now among the ranks of independent voters and asked them to tell us their concerns as we entered another national election year. They were asked to list and rank their top political issues. Though only the top three concerns were requested, most lists ran far longer. (More)
January 22, 2010 Harlingen, Texas, January 18, 2010: Scott Brown has come to Washington and is being wooed by Republicans and Democrats alike. That his election was a historic moment is not in question. That he is potentially a political game changer is a surety. But, those of us who cast ballots to place our elected representatives in the seats of power must not forget we still have the same political elites in power who were there before the first vote was cast on that fateful Tuesday morning in Massachusetts. (More)
January 18, 2010 Harlingen, Texas, January 13, 2010: The easiest targets for Washington politicians to hit are the veterans and military retirees. They are easy because few of them fight back when negatively impacted by the beltway dealmakers. Far too many of them depend upon the various veterans and retiree service organizations to speak in their behalf, not understanding that many of those organizations have a leadership that has repeatedly failed its members on a wide variety of issues. (More)
January 10, 2010 Harlingen, Texas, January 9, 2010: Military retirees are very close to losing their hard won Tricare for Life health insurance…and it is their own fault. The sad truth about military retirees is they usually fail to respond when their rights are violated or their futures placed in jeopardy. When viewing voting constituencies, the most dossal and inactive people are found among the retired military members and their dependents. (More)
January 6, 2010 Harlingen, Texas, January 5, 2010: It was only a brief news report, when it should have been a banner headline. An eight-year-old girl used her Christmas vacation to collect 251 new and used winter coats for people who would suffer in the frigid cold of January. Here in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where thousands of people are impacted by living in one of the most economically disadvantaged regions of the country, there are at least 251 people who will have a warmer winter because of one little girl, the current (More)
December 7, 2009 Harlingen, Texas, December 5, 2009: Many of us are reluctant to attempt solving complex matters because we feel that the efforts of one person can’t add up to much improvement. Had that been Dean Hall’s attitude, Loaves and Fishes of the Rio Grande Valley would still be an organization struggling to feed a few hundred homeless people. Instead, because of his vision and leadership this feeding program established by the local Ministerial Alliance is now an extremely effective nationally recognized non-profit corporation. It is also a state-of-the art social services organization that provides one-stop services to those people who find themselves in need of a helping hand. (More)
December 4, 2009 Harlingen, Texas, December 2, 2009: The month of December has arrived and with it comes the annual attacks on Christmas by the atheist movement and their legal/political arm, the ACLU. For some reason, the Nativity, songs of joy and the celebration of the Christ Child’s birth bring out the rage and open hatred of many people across the United States. (More)
November 25, 2009 Harlingen, Texas, November 25, 2009: There is a daily blare of trumpet alerts from our ruling elite. We hear the sounds everywhere calling out to us about loss, danger, gloom, catastrophe, suffering, pain, and fear. There is not a ray of sunshine in anything coming out of Washington. Yet, we keep electing the same old mental misfits, fakes, frauds and fools to positions of trust and leadership. (More)
