Pensacola Welcomes World

In response to an article in the Pensacola News Journal, citing a survey of the ‘quality of life’ in Pensacola, there are plenty of places worse than Pensacola to live. And that’s not to run down Pensacola, that’s just a fact.

We moved here in ’82 and love it. Sorry if I appear to be out of touch with the younger crowd that was surveyed, but IMHO, Pensacola isn’t all that bad. What is bad, and what gets all the negative vibes going, is all the political friction in the city and county governments here. It’s kind of like scrapple, if you knew what goes in it, you probably wouldn’t want it. And it tends to stoke the frustration of the younger, characteristically impatient, set.

FWIW, our family has lived in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Louisiana, and now (and lastly) Florida. And in each state, our kids would lament, why do we have to live here? There’s nothing to do. There are no jobs. There are no girls. (we have 3 boys) They always seem to feel like the grass is greener over there, or there, or anywhere than where we are living at the time.

It would be nice, and convenient, if everyone who grew up here could continue to work and live here. But to expect that is being a little selfish, if not unrealistic. There are only two ways to get a job. Create your own by starting a business, or work for someone else who did. And to do the latter takes some initiative, some guts, and some determination. On second thought, that’s what it takes to do either. All the ingredients of a success story in the making. It may even include moving away from home and making your own home in a city or place where your job takes you. Having been there, done that, I can attest to the fact that America is full of nice places to live with nice people living there. Human nature being what it is, nice people will gravitate to nice people. Miserable people will gravitate to miserable people. The choice you make is the path you take.

In Pensacola, the weather is great, hurricanes notwithstanding. Being from the Jersey shore, hurricanes don’t bother me. But more than that, the people here are great. Compared to people in the northeast, there is a discernible difference in attitude. A little more laid back, a little more friendly. There is a reason that people are not migrating to the north as fast as they are moving south. That is something that the people in Florida, Pensacola included, can be proud of.

link: What’s your quality of life? by Rebekah Allen

Obama's Sleight-Of-Hand Move With Your Money

Since about the time the Democrat(ic) party decided to change their mind on the war in Iraq, which took all of about 4 months after it started, what has been their complaint? After the ‘he lied to get us into war’ and ‘there were no WMD’s,’ Democrat’s main concern was its cost. We can’t afford it. It will break our economy.

True, the cost of the war is great. Unfortunately, the cost of losing it is greater. Early on in their chorus of the immense cost of the war, I suspected that they were basically looking at the ‘cost’ of the war as opportunities lost for all sorts of entitlement and other socialistic programs that build (read ‘buy’) voter constituencies.

Today, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) just proved my suspicion was well founded. Apparently, Obama and his party have gotten used to spending $10 billion a month on the war, and they have seen that the country is still here, and still growing, despite all the obstacles and challenges that have happened to us since the war began. They are no longer saying that we can’t afford it. Instead, in responding to President Bush’s announcement to draw down troops in Iraq, and to put more troops in Afghanistan, Obama is saying that he has better uses for that $10 billion a month.

It’s time to change our foreign policy. I will succeed in Iraq by responsibly removing our combat brigades and pressing Iraqis to stand up for their future. I will rebuild our military. I will finally have a comprehensive strategy to finish the job in Afghanistan – with more troops, more training for Afghan security forces, more development resources, more anti-corruption safeguards, and more of a focus on eliminating the Taliban and al Qaeda sanctuary along the Pakistan border. And I will stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq so that we can invest in our economy here at home.

What is the answer to the enormous cost of the war? When it ends, the cost also ends. Who knows, we might need it again some day.

link: Senator Obama’s Remarks on President Bush’s Speech