I have a (stupid) problem that's all in my head

My partner Frank went to the University of Texas at Austin and is therefore a Longhorn. My brother and some other extended family are Longhorns. My mentor in college who changed my life in helping me start my career is a Longhorn. I live in Austin, home of the Longhorns. Cars everywhere (including Frank's) are adorned with chrome Longhorn emblems. Our home address (and other neightbors' addresses) are painted in burnt orange on driveway entrance with the Longhorn logo in white. We have a MASSIVE Bevo stuffed animal that we won at Dave & Busters (an adult Chuck E. Cheese). Frank owns several Longhorn polo shirts and t-shirts.We have Longhorn decor inside our home. Frank's car also has a UT license plate frame, and tire caps.

Here's my problem. I never attended UT, and in my mind, I can't buy myself any merchandise supporting a university I never attended, much less never graduated from.

*sigh* I know it's no big deal. There are plenty of people all decked out in their UT glory, and they'll do it for one, some, or all of the following reasons:

1. They graduated from UT.
2. They're hardcore college football fans and are die-hard UT supporters.
3. Someone they know goes or went there.
4. They support UT's programs.
5. Anything else that gives them an excuse to buy UT merchandise.

In my mind, I can't personally connect to UT unless I'm a student or alumnus of the university. I've been to college. I attended Texas A&M International University (Dustdevils) in Laredo, my hometown. From there, I was determined to apply and be accepted to UT for my Master's, and got rejected, so I ended up at and graduated from Texas State University (Bobcats - aka Southwest Texas State University). After finishing, I wanted to pursue my Ph.D. at UT, and got rejected again. I believe I could've been accepted to UT as an undergrad, but I elected to stay at home because it would be much less expensive, plus my mentor taught there, and I wanted to stay with him. I don't regret that decision. I'm proud of my education from TAMIU.

But I long to be a Longhorn, an official Longhorn.

The only way for me to conform to my mind's issue is to apply and be accepted to UT to earn another degree, but I already have my Bachelor's and Master's, so all that's left is my Ph.D., and UT Ph.D. programs are EXTREMELY competitive. You stand a much greater chance of being accepted if you're already a UT student, than if you've never been there before. I know which program I'd like to apply for (Music and Human Learning), but I'm not in the position right now to pursue the most difficult degree out there. Not to mention, I probably don't possess the maturity or commitment required of such a demanding program. So I start thinking to myself, Should I get another Bachelor's or Master's degree? If I get another graduate degree, I'd have to take the GRE again...which. I. loathe...and take enough time to brush up on all kinds of things the School of Music would test me on. I know I'm too lazy to commit myself to that...right now, at least.

I've been reminded that since we are season ticket holders to the UT Performing Arts events, I have every reason to buy myself Longhorn merchandise, but to me, it's not the same.

I yearn to be an official Longhorn, especially since I've been denied the opportunity twice.

It's one of my greatest dreams to be a UT student, and hold a diploma from this reputable institution, one that claims "What starts here changes the world." I could be on campus somewhere, walking through and see all the students with backpacks, knowing they're students, and I think to myself, What do they have that I don't?

I've been telling Frank that I want the Ph.D. because it's the highest degree one can earn, and if earned from UT, then your degree has that much more weight (that's just how I see it). I know that if you want a Ph.D. just so you can be addressed as "Dr. So-and-so," that's probably the worst reason to earn one. However, what I'm starting to realize is that I don't just want to have those 3 letters after my name on an e-mail signature or business card. It would be awesome to hold that degree from there, but I just genuinely want to be accepted to UT.

What made this harder to deal with is that since the Ph.D. is the last degree I'd be interested in earning, I refuse to go out of state to earn it. In Texas, I've checked, and without relocating, UT is the closest and ONLY university that offers a Ph.D. in my chosen field...THE ONLY ONE.

I own TAMIU and Texas State merchandise, and I wear and use them with great pride...because I went and graduated from there. I have a TAMIU license plate frame, a Texas Sate Alumni license plate frame, a chrome Bobcat on my car, a TAMIU and Texas State polo and t-shirt, and I still have my old student IDs. Both of my diplomas are proudly framed in my room with their respective pennants right beside them.

But now I feel stuck. I even spoke to my mom about this, and in my current career, teaching elementary music, I'm making the most money I can make since I have a Master's. Earning a Ph.D. would NOT increase my salary at all, so there's no financial incentive. However, Frank's also reminded me that earning a Ph.D or another Bachelor's or Master's could give me different career opportunities as well.

It's such a stupid thing that resides in my mind. And the worst part is that I can't seem to get around it. It feels like I HAVE to be a UT student to truly connect with this city, and all the burnt orange glory that surrounds me daily.

All that being said, "HOOK 'EM!"

Stop it. NOW!

I'm going to warn you that though I try to refrain from using obscenities in my blog, this post will have plenty. What will I discuss? How ANOTHER gay teen has killed himself because of bullying. In this post, I will get political, religious, snarky, rude, and dirty. If you're fine with that, keep reading. If not, close the window reading this quote from Lady Gaga who responded to the boy's suicide:


"Bullying should be illegal. It's a hate crime."

I'm a teacher. I'm an elementary teacher, and I'm openly gay to family, friends, and colleagues. I draw the line with my students. Still, I can't help but wonder what will happen to my 5th graders, especially the boys? What will they be like? How will they treat others different than them? Will they run away in fear and ignorance, or will they stand up for someone bullied and help to stop it? Will they be bullied themselves?

Last year, the nation's attention was given to a crisis in gay teen suicides. This got a hail storm of commentary from progressives and conservatives alike. Last year, we lost plenty of gay teens at such a young age, and I'm sure there were plenty more whose deaths didn't reach the media spotlight the way others' deaths did. Well, it has happened again. Yes, again. What. the. FUCK?! Have we learned NOTHING from last year? Yes, I know Dan Savage created the It Gets Better project, which is a godsend in social issues and suicide prevention. The Trevor Project exists for this very purpose, to prevent a gay kid from taking his or her life!

When I reflect on all this, there are so many things that come to my mind. So many things I want to say, so many people I want to tell off, so many judgments I make about others who SUPPORT anti-gay sentiments.

I remember reading an article about some fucking asshole in the Tea Party who actually said that gay bullying was "healthy peer pressure." What the fuck is this asshole smoking? I guess I better beat up his fat white ass and tell him it's good for him!

Will I put blame on people? Yes, in fact I will. I blame "Christians." I blame socially conservative politicians. If you vote Republican, you have a hand in this too. If you support conservative politicians, they fight against laws that would make life easier for us gay people...let me rephrase that - laws that would make us EQUALS to those hypocritical fuckers! They lecture the rest of us on the importance of ethics and morality while they're on their 2nd or 3rd marriage. Then they have the balls to tell us that gay people getting married will destroy the sanctity of marriage. Sorry, asshole, but you've done that already when you divorced your first wife and cheated on her with a prostitute!

I just want someone to explain to me why if you claim to love God, and chances are that Jamey's bullies came from conservative families (and conservative families typically have strong religious backgrounds), WHY AND HOW COULD YOU PUSH SOMEONE TO COMMIT SUICIDE?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! If you drive someone to suicide, you do realize that the person taking their own life is someone's son or daughter, right? You get that, don't you? Your treatment of that human being was so grotesque and hurtful, that they could NOT cope and felt that death was a better option than facing you. How can you be so cruel and heartless?! This kind of thing is beyond my comprehension!

"Well, in the Bible it says..." Bull-fucking-shit! You use the Bible to justify all your hatred and prejudice. Get a fucking dictionary, and find a Biblical scholar and learn about the context in which all that was written. You wanna quote Leviticus? Fine. If you keep reading, unless you're not formally educated enough to read all those big words, you'd also see how it also bans eating seafood (shellfish) and playing football (pig skin)! Hell, you heteros aren't even allowed to touch a woman when she's on her period!

"Well, St. Paul said this in his letter..." Wait. Was he God? NO! He was a human being just like you. Back then, they knew NOTHING about what we know now regarding sexuality! Hell, even back then, some Greek men were fucking each other. Romans did it too!

To me, the most important part of the Bible is the gospels, you know, where Jesus is actually quoted. And nowhere...NOWHERE does he ever mention homosexuality. He never condemns it. The closest he ever comes, to condemning anything, in fact, is when that adulteress cries at his feet, and when she says that no one has condemned her, he says, "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now, and sin no more." Look it up. It's there.

I dare you...I *DARE* YOU to bully someone with Jesus right next to you. Oh wait...if you consider yourself a Christian, then you already believe that God is everywhere, and lives within us, right? So when you BULLY someone, you're DIRECTLY. HURTING. GOD!

So many of you Christians are so fucking backwards in your thinking! You treat this religion like it's some sort of elite club and you can be all exclusive and stay away from all the sinners. News flash: YOU'RE A SINNER TOO! And when you BULLY, YOU'RE SINNING! BULLYING IS A SIN because you're HURTING someone else! This automatically violates the whole Golden Rule that Jesus himself mentioned about loving others as yourself. And then you have the balls to tell your victim that THEY are going to hell? What the fucking fuck is wrong with YOU? You're a HYPOCRITE!

Every slur, every insult, every joke is another stab to the chest. When you bully, you're sending a message that your victim's existence is not welcome in your world. And you know what? Your victim had no control over their own birth. So why do you have to hate on them? WHY? What good does it bring about? You're not making anything better, only worse.

To anyone out there who's been a bully to someone else for any reason:

FUCK. YOU.

I will NOT lose my voice

Over the years, especially since coming out, I've been criticized a few times for being very "out there" and "in-your-face" about all kinds of things, but mostly about letting people know I'm gay, and being extremely outspoken about my opinions and beliefs.

"Why do you always have to bring it up?"
"Why are you imposing your opinions on us?"
"It seems like you're out to change people's minds."
"Can you give it a rest or tone it down?"
"You're always posting something gay on Facebook. Would you please stop? I'm tired of seeing it." 

These are some of the critical questions that have been asked of me over the years. So let me answer each question.

"Why do you always have to bring it up?" Because I live with it. It's part of my daily life, and I HATE being one of the many who fears holding hands with my partner in public, the way boyfriends and girlfriends do, because someone may want to attack me for it. Silence = death. I will bring it up over and over until I can live my life as fearlessly and freely as you do. 

"Why are you imposing your opinions on us?" Because people like you tell people like me that our relationships are invalid, that we're "intrinsically disordered," (Catholic Church) that we're going to hell, that it's a sin, that we can "pray the gay away," and just about every other demoralizing opinion and judgment that you shove down our throats. Have YOU ever sat in a church and listened to the pastor attack people like you? Have you ever sat in a confessional where the priest won't even finish your confession time because he doesn't know how to handle you? Because that's happened to me. Also there's a difference: your opinions hurt. Mine are just inconvenient for you.

"It seems like you're out to change people's minds." I am. I'm an educator. Too many people out there are misinformed by other ignorant people with big microphones. Educators look for the facts and share them because our job is to turn ignorance into awareness. A few days ago, my students didn't know what the National Anthem was. Now, not only do they know it, but they know the history behind it. It's easier to remain in your beliefs and cling to them than sit down and challenge their validity.

"Can you give it a rest or tone it down?" No! As long as I'm labeled as a "barbarian" (Michele Bachmann's husband called us that), and other such petty insults I refuse to "tone it down." If anything all the hate that's out there needs to be toned down and given a rest!

"You're always posting something gay on Facebook. Would you please stop? I'm tired of seeing it." No, I will NOT lose my voice. There are soldiers in the trenches dying to defend our rights. The least I can do is exercise them! I'm a 2nd class citizen in my own state because I'm denied over 1,000 rights and benefits simply because I can't marry the person I love. I will post and post and post. If you don't like it, hide my posts or unfriend me. I don't care. But do NOT ask me to censure myself when every post I share is intended to expose facts and truth about the daily ordeals people like me face. If you don't want to see it, then block me, hide me, or disconnect from me. I'd rather you turn your head than have you cover my mouth.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. One of the greatest hypocrisies in this country is how we tell everyone to be themselves. We preach it, especially to our adolescent youth, and when they do, they can risk being bullied for it. As a result, I'll be loud and relentless.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

"All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in this world is for enough good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke

One shirt, one message, TONS of reactions

Nowadays, we use t-shirts as forms of communicating something, complete with messages and even graphics. Shirts' messages can be short and sweet, inspiring, funny, serious, provocative, intelligent, witty, sarcastic, or make other pop culture references that will elicit a giggle to passers-by who glance at the shirt someone is wearing. And usually the more clever they are, the more consumer interest they earn.

Being an elementary teacher, I've come across plenty of shirts that say cute, silly things. Others say more questionable things that make me wonder why the parent bought the child the shirt in the first place.

Of all the ones I've seen of questionable taste, 2 come to mind very strongly:

1. "This is what trouble looks like." (with an arrow pointing up at the child's face)

And so far, most controversial of all, and the reason behind this post:

2. "I'm too pretty to do homework, so my brother has to do it for me."
http://j.mp/rdEWMM

This 2nd shirt has caused a HUGE reaction among consumer parents. I've found I have different reactions to it as well, with each reaction coming from a different perspective.

As a consumer: "That's a stupid shirt. Who'd wanna buy that?"
As a teacher: "How DARE they?!"
As a male feminist: "Dear God, they're sending the WRONG message to girls!"
As a teacher witnessing parents' behaviors: "If a child is wearing it, it says more about the parent than the child."

In this capitalistic society we live in, where you can make money on just about anything, we as consumers have the right to decide if we want to buy anything or not. If you don't like a product, don't buy it. It's a t-shirt with what was clearly intended to be a silly, (cute?), sassy message, nevertheless, a message that has the strong potential to convey to girls that being beautiful and smart are mutually exclusive.

It also adds fuel to the flame of the pop culture in reality TV of people who behave abhorrently in certain social situations. These TV shows depict people in some of the most mindless and immature dramatic situations. In these shows, girls are more interested in how they look, and use that to advance in their world.  

Forget school, forget starting a career. I need to look like a badass. Watch me as I buy new clothes, party, drink and pass out,  fight with my roommates, and divulge my feelings on camera where I badmouth those around me...and then act like we're really besties.  

These people are put on camera, sent into our living rooms, and glorified. It's my belief that many Americans who watch shows like Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of [Wherever], Bridezillas and other such reality shows do so because they want to feel better about themselves by watching others act so stupidly. I'm basing my judgments on these shows on clips I've seen of each. I have no interest of investing any of my time in watching even a single episode from start to finish...because it'd only upset me. I'd be annoyed, embarrassed and disappointed knowing that TV producers know that Americans are entertained by such mindless, stupid TV.

The one show I haven't seen, even clips of, is Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I can give the K sisters credit in their support for LGBT rights, and I know they're very fashionable and rich, considering that Kim's wedding cost a reported $3 million (heard that on the radio). But I've never seen even a clip...only pictures on magazine covers. And all 3 sisters posed in the international NOH8 photo shoot campaign.

I know it's only one girl, but she was my former student who was very opinionated...about everything, was slightly proud of her streak of getting into trouble, and one of her idols was Kim Kardashian. She was also in 5th grade, now she's in 6th. At this age, and these are the things on her mind? It worries me as an educator.

Since Snooki is a household name now, I wonder what she and her Jersey Shore cast mates would think about this JCPenney t-shirt? Would they say, "Omg, this is SO CUTE!" Or would they respond harshly to it?

I'm too pretty to do homework, so my brother has to do it for me.

Because of the immediate, intense reactions that consumers had and discussed in their blogs online and elsewhere, JCPenney immediately pulled the shirt from its inventory and discontinued it. They also issued a statement of apology reaffirming their commitment to consumers to put out high quality merchandise that serves to benefit society in style and fashion.

This whole thing really affirms the expression "You are what you wear."

Everything's bigger in Texas...even our morons.

I don't know how I was, but someone added me to an open Facebook group called "You know your from Texas when...", (http://j.mp/rdOpdW) and the "your" was spelled incorrectly in the title. Obviously, such groups are supposed to poke harmless fun that inspires pride in living in said area. So of course, I read a few posts, chuckled at some of them while nodding in acknowledgment of the truth of the statement posted. In an attempt to come up with my own contribution to the group, I thought about what I wanted to say. And then it hit me. I looked at the title of the group and noticed how "you're" was misspelled. The group creator should've used "you're," the contraction that puts "you" and "are" together, but instead it had "your" which is a possessive pronoun (e.g., "your car," "your house," "your life" etc.). Once I saw the error, I posted the following: "...when you don't notice or care that you used the wrong 'you're' in the group's title." This was just yesterday, and I've received plenty of Likes on it. Upon receiving notifications of other posts in the group, I noticed I wasn't the only one posting about the group title's error. Now when I go back, there are people who are asking those complaining about it to leave the group...which I did yesterday. What upset me more than the spelling/grammar error I saw in the title (and some in other posts as well), was the sheer apathy about good grammar and spelling. There was even one guy who was ignorant enough to say things like (I'm NOT quoting verbatim) "This is how we talk in Texas....I'm from Texas, and I'm proud of my heritage." This particular person even went as far as to call another "grammar policeman" a "fucking faggot" for being critical...because, you know, good grammar and sexuality have so much in common.

Oh, and as for the whole "This is how we talk in Texas" remark, yes, it's true, but put your talk in writing, and you reveal your intelligence. But it reminded me of something else. A common contraction in Texas is putting "you" and "all" together to say "y'all," and yet there are SO many people who write it as "ya'll." How does one split up a single world that can't be split up?

As irritated as these things can make me, this post is not just about the mistakes that are commonly made in writing, but about the seemingly proud display of apathy and ignorance with regard to these types of things. Here we Texans are claiming that Texas is the #1 state in the union, but if that was the case, then we'd have the lowest unemployment rate in the country, no one would be living below the poverty line, we'd have the lowest abortion rate, the least amount of uninsured people, and we wouldn't be close to the bottom percentile in education and drop-out rates.

One comment I saw in defense of the grammar mistake was "This is FACEBOOK, not high school or college!" Though that is true, it makes me think of 2 things:

1. Actually, we learn these particular rules of grammar in elementary school, not in high school or college...because we should really have them down by then.
2. Why do we even go to school for years? Why do we take all the subjects in school that we take? Why do we get grades for our assignments?

School exists to prepare us for the real world. School is to help us prepare for joining the global economy and contributing to society. We learn to represent ourselves well so an employer will hire us (in most cases), enabling us to support ourselves and our world. We're taught how everything works in this world. We learn how "its" and "it's" are different, and when to use each. We learn that the earth revolves around the sun. We learn that Beethoven went deaf and still managed to compose the "Ode to Joy." We learn the fundamental economic law of supply and demand. We learn how to find x in math equations that will benefit us in various real life situations, and much, MUCH more! And when we show others our own ignorance and apathy about our education, essentially dismissing it, we pretty much say "Screw you!" to our teachers. Being a teacher myself, I take offense to it, and will speak out when compelled to do so.

I guess it's not that bad that there were such big cuts into education, because if certain people's apathy about their own is any indication, all the funding we lost probably wasn't doing us much good anyway. 

Spending fast reflections

My last update on my fast was in either late June or early July. Can't remember. Anyway, the whole goal of the fast is to reduce my consumer debt (primarily on my credit cards) by only buying stuff I need. We're now in mid-August, and the things I've WANTED haven't been many. But all together, they'd probably cost a few hundred bucks. Maybe even $1,000 or so. At least, that's my guestimation. I guess I just thought I'd save more money. But I honestly had no way of measuring my savings. I think the only way I could've measured it would be to want something, resist buying it, and record the price it cost, and then over time, watch the total cost increase.

Stuff I've wanted and HAVEN'T bought:
-Katy Perry's album "Teenage Dream"
-Lady Gaga's album "Born This Way"
-All of GLEE's soundtracks after the Showstoppers volume
-Wii video games (Glee Karaoke Revolution, Rockband, other musical games)
-more khaki shorts (I only own 2 pairs) and other clothes I've wanted
-DVD releases (which kinda doesn't matter since I have Netflix)
-more theater outings (we've been to about 5 this year)
-minor cosmetic vehicle repairs
-2 more digital HD antennae for a couple TVs in my house
-more restaurant outings (I've eaten just fine at home, but I miss going out, though I know this has saved me a LOT of money this year)
-more games or other paid apps for my iPhone
-university (UT and Texas State) accessories for myself or my car
-more charitable donations

That's just what I can think of now off the top of my head.

In my last post about my fast, I'd mentioned that I may have to extend my fast into next year. If I do that, it may evolve into a spending diet. But one thing I'm looking forward to is that I expect my IRS refund will either pay off my car, or knock it down enough to pay it off sooner than next June. Having my car paid off means I can use that money to pay down credit card debt, which then gives me a little more flexibility each month.

The greatest irony is that though I've limited myself on what I want to buy, I still use my credit card for important, necessary purchases, and the most expensive is gas (if I drive a lot), and car maintenance. It makes me feel like my consumer resistance is getting canceled out with vehicular needs, therefore voiding virtually any impact on my fast. So that feels discouraging. However, the truth is that the fast has kept my balances from being unmanageably high, and that in itself is *a* goal, just not the goal I intended to achieve...which was watching my credit card debt *decrease*, which hasn't happened. Instead, it's increased because it's been used to pay for necessities that I didn't have enough cash to cover.

Let's see what the next few months bring.

It's BOTH your fault!

Dear Republicans and Democrats:

I heard y'all were blaming each other for our S&P credit rating downgrade from AAA to AA+. I'm disappointed, but not surprised you're blaming each other.

To the ALL the Democrats:
Have the courage to stand up for what you believe in. Nothing about this deal was "balanced". I heard both Reps and Dems giving speeches to the press about how it should be a balanced, bipartisan proposal. I'm sorry, but your actions have proven all that to be complete and utter bullshit. For cryin' out loud, Boehner himself said he got about 98% of everything he wanted. I even saw other Reps claiming the bill was a Republican victory. *shakes his head* It should NOT have been a Republican victory. It should NOT have been a Democratic victory (though THAT would've been good), it should've been an AMERICAN victory, and though we haven't defaulted...yet...it was a complete fiasco.

Mr. President, how could you? How could you cave to all the Republicans' demands? You're so much smarter than all of them, and we elected you into office to help change - or at least stop - their irresponsible ways! Hold them accountable! Voters need to see what their representatives and senators are doing to the American people during their time in office. When it's time to re-elect you, you still have my support, because right now, I see you as the least of all the evils in the government.

To ALL Republicans:
Obama was willing to compromise, and offered a lot of things that many Democrats, including myself, hold dear to the way our country works. In fact, the President took a lot of heat from his own party because of what he was willing to sacrifice. He stated, over and over, how it had to be a shared sacrifice. One of the things he wanted from you all was just to close tax loop holes that the wealthiest Americans use, and you couldn't even let go of that? How dare you! I don't give a shit if you like or loathe Obama's points of view in politics. Representatives on your side, including Boehner, all reiterated what Obama said about how it must be a "balanced approach" that you had to "put politics aside" and "work together". Tell me now, did you actually do any of that? Because the way it seems to me is that you didn't compromise at all.

Also, Republicans, are you all aware of your incredible levels of hypocrisy? How many of you conservatives consider yourselves Christians? Do you attend church services regularly or cling to your Bible, interpreting it literally? Because if you did, then all the countless times you've given tax cuts to the wealthy, and leave the middle and lower classes to pay the bill, you're pretty much spitting in Jesus' face. As much as it bothers me that you give wealthy people all these tax breaks, it bothers me more that you claim to be Christians in the process. You insist in keeping corporate and billionaire taxes low so they can hire people and create jobs, because a tax hike will kill their jobs creating potential. The law for taxes should be pure and simple: The more you make, the more you pay. So you just keep on giving them more and more money claiming that with it, they'll hire people. Well, let's look at the unemployment rating. It's still pretty high, right? Yeah, what like 9.2%? You know why it's still that high? It's at least partly because of the tax cuts you're giving all these wealthy people and corporations who DON'T NEED THEM!

Economics 101: Supply and Demand. A business flourishes when it has both. And right now, you've only been giving them supply. They can't hire if they have no one who wants to buy (demand)! I used to be an independent businessman with Mary Kay Cosmetics. I would've loved to have hired a secretary to take my calls, arrange my parties, etc., but there's no way I could've afforded that because I didn't have enough income from customers. I was a small business. You could've given ME a tax cut, but it wouldn't have served any purpose because I didn't have enough people wanting to buy my products. So, when economists advise you all on the economy,that's because it's their area of expertise, and they know what they're talking about. You all are politicians and law makers, not economists. The millions and billions of dollars you've been giving to the wealthiest should've gone to the middle class and poorest people. They need the money to spend! They'd go out and shop, and with increased consumer activity, businesses would have been more inclined to hire more people.

Further, during the debt ceiling crisis, Obama wanted to close the tax loop holes because, in all honesty, the richest don't NEED an extra jet, or another house on a deserted island. It's OUR national debt problem. We ALL have to give a little. We ALL are Americans in this country, and it's OUR job to protect our great nation from going bankrupt. But the message you sent to the wealthiest was that they are better than the middle and lower classes of citizens. You sent them the message that equality doesn't apply to them. You treat them like Super-Americans. I wouldn't be surprised if you gave them more money so they could make enough campaign contributions to support you keeping your elected position...which they probably bought for you.

Despite my being extremely livid with both of you right now, I'll still side with Democrats, because I believe that despite all these shenanigans, they're the lesser of 2 evils.

As a voter, tax payer, and natural-born American, I'm extremely disappointed with all of you, even you, Mr. President! All of you, especially Republicans, need to be held accountable for your sins against the American people.