What the American people really want is someone to just say no for them...

I had no intentions to talk about politics today. In fact, I wasn't even sure I was going to write anything today. Didn't sleep real good last night and have a pretty full plate at work, didn't plan on spending much, if any time on here. Then I had to read this headline, "GOP says it'll block bills until tax cuts extended", on Yahoo while eating my lunch. Now, I suffer from high blood pressure as it is, so stories like this aren't helping me very much. Now that I have finished eating, and taken a minute to calm down, I have a few questions.

WHAT?!

Are you kidding me?

Seriously, WHAT?!

Ok, but seriously, I guess I need someone to break this down for me. I have spent more time than I should have reading about the Bush era tax cuts and I must be missing something somewhere. Republicans want to extend what has been dubbed the Bush era tax cuts to all tax paying Americans, including the wealthiest, while Democrats want to extend it for tax payers making $1,000,000 or less, and not continuing the cut for the top earners. Republicans say raising taxes in a down economy is never a good thing. Democrats say that the top earners would only save the difference, not spend it, so it isn't helping the economy at all.

I ask this to Republicans - If we just blindly extend these cuts, how do we pay for them? You want to balance the budget and reduce our deficit, how can you possibly do that when the extension would cost $3.7 trillion over the next ten years. Is that what the American people want? I don't think so.

Another question I have for Republicans that want to just say no to everything. How does not continuing unemployment benefits for 2 millions Americans that are out of work right now, due to this down economy, help? These funds will be going directly back into the economy, right? And forget about the fact that it will happen just before the holidays. How will this positively impact Americans?

What about the Dream Act? Are you going to tell me that an 18 year old that was brought here illegally, 14 years ago, who is going to college to get his/her degree should be kicked out of the country? What about the 18 year old who is fighting for our country? I agree, he/she didn't come here legally, but at 4 years of age, did that child have a choice? I would say that this affects people of this country, as it either means that they have to leave or they are allowed to stay.

How about Don't Ask Don't Tell? Are you telling me that this isn't affecting Americans? There are troops that have been kicked out because of their sexual partner of choice, which has absolutely no bearing on their performance protecting our country. Why are we still fighting, in 2010, for equal rights to all people? Where in the Constitution does it say that you can fight for our country, but only if you are straight? No, seriously, where does it say that?

See, what I don't understand is, why are we trying to make a political point on this? There is a lot at stake for people all over this country. When are we going to stop worrying about getting our way and remember that we are all impacted differently from moves these politicians make. Politics, like life, needs to be full of compromise. It can't work with the mantra "my way of the highway". The President has offered an olive branch, looking to work together with Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Eric Cantor and company, but it seems that they just don't give a shit. I'm just saying...