OK...so....I'm backkkk....again.

It has been May since I posted to this blog.  I have been overwhelmed with running my business, David's Music House, Inc. for the last two years and in these economic times, it has been a spectrum of highs and lows. This is the first business I have ever attempted and I knew it would have to be something that was connected to my passion and love of music, to get me through any difficulties. When a new business is started, it is often said that it will take 3 to even 5 years to see success. The idea is unique, the model is good and being tweaked and developed all the time but it is longevity and resources that are the critical piece. I continue, month to month, looking for ways to keep costs as low as possible while looking for new revenue sources and so far, I have been able to keep things going due to the support and help of a good many people!

In the meantime, I am going to try to amp up my posts on this blog. There's was just too much time spent on it and it has a good foundation to keep building upon to let it go of.  I began blogging to become knowledgeable about social media while discovering that I loved to write so I need to continue developing those skills.

The Baby Boomer Generation is not going away.... yet, that is. We are getting older, to be sure. I was just realizing that I am finding more people who I graduated with who are passing away! I can remember my parents and their friends talking about the fact that they felt that all they were doing is going to funerals of friends.

As I have stated in previous posts about my small business venture and it being something I, as many Boomers are doing, am doing to be my "extended pre-retirement working years". Boomers have been told by financial advisers for quite a few years now, that we will not be enjoying the same type of "retirement" as our parents did. We will be working past 62 or 65 and beyond. I began thinking about this about ten years ago and knew that I really wanted to do something that I was more passionate about, which is music.

With Boomers being the largest segment of the population, whatever they do....is indeed, a factor that has a domino effect on many aspects of the country, with the main one being financial. As we Boomers age, all the aspects of aging will effect everyone in this country. What remains to be seen is how will the younger generation feel, react and care for their parents as we age.  However Boomer children behave and react to their aging parents can not be blamed on how the Boomers raised their children anymore than the Boomers can blame on their parents, the Greatest Generation. We are each responsible for our own actions in our lives and responsible for the decisions we make.

It’s all about Have’s and the Have Not’s

The country has gone insane. The rich and powerful have had so much unbounded freedom for so many years that now that the pendulum is swinging the other way, and about the government giving more programs to the middle and lower income, all hell is breaking lose and all is in the name of “freedom”.  The only freedoms that are in jeopardy are freedoms of the rich and powerful facing paying up to their share of the burden. This is something that they have been getting away with for years and they don’t want to go down easily. Rich do not get that way by having money fall out of trees. They make money happen and they don’t like it when the government calls them on it and starts taking some of it back. The really amazing thing is that the amount they may have to give up will not even be missed by them!

The rich are using every trick in the book, including scaring some middle and low income people into believing that they are going to lose their freedom. They use words that have been used for more than 50 years to scare people. Words like socialism.

I believe the truth is that the majority of people in the U.S. are growing extremely sick and tired of the media following the maniacs around the country. The majority of the people of this country are not that stupid to believe the acting and staged scare tactics.

It’s so funny that none of these so called freedom parties have not been outraged for the last decade. Only now do they think the government is getting too big and spending too much money. The last ten years the government was never bigger. The Patriot Act almost trashed the Constitution completely, in the name of finding terrorists anywhere, but listening in to the general public’s communications, without court orders, by using the rammed through, Patriot Act. The country’s budget went from nothing to billions in the red. All of this happened before the election of President Obama and before the new freedom parties started marching all over the country screaming about government takeover.

The mainstream media is almost a complete joke anymore, following any crazed nut, putting them on camera and making it appear as if that represents the majority of what silent, normal Americans think. The only news worth watching anymore is The Daily Show with John Stewart, on the Comedy Channel. It represents common sense and a broad look at all parties and sides and does the most excellent job of showing when someone starts pointing a finger of criticizing something, he pulls out the videos of them doing the same thing they are complaining about.

Check out this video of John Stewart calling out the tea party:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Tea America
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Bill Moyers is spot on with advice for President Obama

Bill Moyers, American journalist and commentator now on PBS, made an appearance on Bill Maher HBO program, Real Time this week and made commentary on the health care debate, the war in Afganistan and general comments on the Repulican and Democratic parties that were, in this author's opinion, spot on correct and the best advice that President Obama should be considering as soon as is possible, if not sooner! 

Bill Moyers is well respected for being the best truest journalist in America today. He served as the associate director of public affairs for the newly created Peace Corps in 1961 and White House Press Secretary during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.He has been a correspondent for CBS news and has had a program, "Bill Moyer's Journal" on PBS.

Here is a video from HBO's Real Time. Hopefully President Obama will catch Bill Moyers as well.

A History Making Day in Our Lives!

This Inaugural Day, January 20, 2009, will be an event that is undeniably something that will unprecedented and a story to tell our grand children, for sure. As the day gets closer, you can feel the excitement as the media realizes that the world is finally understanding the significance of this day’s history for our country and the entire world.

This day shows the world that the United States of America truly can be, what it’s best ideals have always been! All democratic societies will have their good times and bad times. No country or government will ever be perfect. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about how a country handles it’s bad times, as well as it’s good times. We have obviously hit an extreme low point in our country’s history, but that has occurred before. We have all been living in a time of perhaps not realizing what makes our country so great. Sure, we know and are deeply saddened by some of the ways the United States seems to have lost some of that “land of milk and honey” idolization, but there still is no doubt that people of the world still would rather live in the U.S. than any other place in the world. So, although it may be a bit tarnished over the last few decades, it is how we handle and move forward that defines us. It is how the country pulls together and climbs out of it’s hard times and that we DO have the right and ability to recognize our faults and FIX them that makes others around the world want to live here or emulate our principles, or at least try to.

As the hours move forward to January 20th, and we see the excitement spread throughout the world, to not only see Barack Obama become the first African-American President of the United States, but to see the light of HOPE at the end of the tunnel, that even if for a few fleeting moments, we can stop and realize what human beings CAN BE and DO, if they want to!

The Baby Boomer generation has played a large part in all the occurrences of our country over their lifetimes, yes both good and bad, but we have played a huge part in the “what makes this country great” as we rise up when the country is down, as we rise up when others are suffering and need help, and as we come to the realization that we are only here for a short time and we should use that time to leave the world a better place than we were given...for the future generations.

Boomers and Politics...Times are a-changin'

Boomers and Politics....this article points out that times are a-changin' A commentary article from the Telegraph-Journal, a daily newspaper published in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, (Wikipedia) provides an interesting viewpoint from outside the U.S. on how the influence of the Baby Boomer generation is changing from what it has been in the last 2 decades.

(link to article: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/article/331665 )

The premise of the article points out that between the Clinton (a baby boomer) years and the Bush (a baby boomer) years, there has been this Baby Boomer prospective leading the U.S. and that this is now changing. The Democratic candidate is younger than boomers and the Republican candidate is from the 1930's, pre-boomer generation. What the outcome from this change will be remains to be seen, but the fact is that our country is indeed looking for a major change. It seems obvious that there is great dissatisfaction from the majority of the people of the country, especially from the occurrences of the last decade. This seems to have almost with a gale force wind, began the push of the pendulum toward the center and opposite side.

It always seems that, like the forces of nature, nothing ever keeps a pendulum centered and balanced. It appears that it must be constantly pushed to it's extreme end and thus begin its way back, not to stop or slow toward balance, but again, as far to the other side as possible. We are in a universe of constant change and now our country's politics is going to change. Let's all hope and pray for the better of us all, at least for a long while.

Keep hoping for that centering and balance, but don't count on it!

Baby Boomers affect on our politics and the 2008 race.

This article points out some reasons for the bitter tone in American politics today, one of which is the "Baby Boomer generation".

There is a split of the Baby Boomer generation between those who fought in the Vietnam War and those who didn't, and that has had a profound effect on our politics.

The early boomers were more conservative and followed the rules, more or less, without question. The later half of the boomers became the questioners of rules, distrusting of those over 30 years of age, became hippies and protested government and the Vietnam War.

I found an article from the TheAtlantic.com which states in much better words than I could sum up, my exact feelings about the unique difference that Barack Obama presents in this time of our lives. Again, I want to make clear that these are not my words, but my exact thoughts, written by an excellent award winning journalist (Identified below). I have added my personal thoughts in my posting, as well as the relationship to the Baby Boomer generation, which is the subject of my personal blog. Davy's Locker

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/obama by by Andrew Sullivan (click his name for his BIO)

This article puts into eloquent words the idea that I have been saying within my family and close friends. This election is NOT just about the immediate future and the issues that the United States faces. Although our home issues are great and complicated and will face our next president square on and most likely age him or her greatly, there are world issues that face us all. I, for one, am well aware that Hillary can indeed do much to fix our broken economy and health insurance mess,...yes, from her experience, but so will Obama! Their campaign promises are nearly identical and that is the reason this campaign is so close. They must point out the differences of their personal behaviours and capabilities. When Barack began clearly closing the gap in the polls and Hillary realized she was losing ground, she had to work on pointing out what she can offer that is different that Barack's personality and ask voters to not just look at his excellent words and inspiring speeches and it has been working!

What I see that this article speaks of is beyond the issues that Hillary is bringing to the for-front of the media, but how the world is looking at this race. Hillary is really just another Clinton after all. In fact, that is indeed, why so many want to vote for her, so that Bill will also be there when that phone call rings at 3AM in the morning in the White House.

The world would see a totally unique United States with this new, inspiring, intelligent, black, multi-racial man. The world will see a possible chance to be heard... all of them, no matter what their race or origin. Maybe, just maybe.... the United States will treat the rest of the world differently... maybe there's some... HOPE!

That is what Barack Obama can bring to us more than any other candidate! HOPE for a perhaps, a calmer world. One that may think before acting and take greater strides for peace rather than conflict. Barack has already brought so many different kinds of people together through his message of inspiration and HOPE.

As the article points out at the end... Barack Obama presents the final answer to the gap between the Baby Boomer split generation and an answer that we can ALL deal with and HOPE for a better future.