Sitting with friends for coffee this morning I posed this question "What are the REAL world issues?"  It was interesting the answers that followed in that conversation.  My friends are a really diverse group of people.  We are not a group of "oh yeah- we all agree on everything" bunch.
I gleaned from our conversation about REAL world issues...and they are as follows:
Americans are tired, angry, frustrated, and getting impatient.  Many of those from the religious right who voted for Obama because of a desire to be part of history in the making...are now frustrated and suffering buyers remorse. 
Sure he just got the Nobel Peace Price but as all will agree, he himself said he didn't deserve it.   The liberal groups are giddy as children who have consumed too much sugar, beaming with pride that their savior that finally has had an undeniable accomplishment.  They feel they are finally making all the rest of us see the brilliance of a man who many others feel has simply been riding a rainbow to a pot of gold.
 
Speaking of rainbows, lets now consider that bold announcement that Obama's newest goal is to end the "Don't Ask-Don't Tell" era within our military.  Seems he has realized that with so many gays within our military it would not be cost-effective to bounce them out of there after paying so much to train them.  I believe he stated something to the effect that "we need these people to fight" so in a way we can possibly say he implies that "they should have an equal opportunity to die" so that is a Hmmmm...moment.
 
There have been many soldiers who were given the boot from our military because of sexual status and it ended or side-tracked their careers.  Can they now go back and be reinstated?  More importantly will our military/government now change their discharge papers, changing them from "dishonorable" to now "honorable"...as our president has now decided they are able to go die with honor?  I believe they should.  To not change that discharge status would be a bit hypocritical wouldn't it?
 
Now...back to the religious right.  How are they going to look at this action?  Apparently our President has decided that gays have a right to die for their country, but he is still on the fence about whether they should be given the right to marry.  Will the religious right simply decide that dying is something they are comfortable with and that Obama can just continue sitting there until the fence falls down?   I mean...why is it okay to die for the rights of all American citizens BUT you yourself as a gay are not given those same rights?  I predict that fence will get very wobbly.
 
Speaking of fences... are we supposed to think our President has decided that guarding our borders is just not important?   The constant flux of immigrants has a direct impact on our nations economy.   The taxing effect on all of us as a result has become overwhelming...and I mean "stress" when I speak of "taxing" in this instance.  We are tired and frustrated with the immigrant issue.  Every political side will agree it is an issue we must address BUT it is an unpopular problem to attack....and yes....any action in this regard will be viewed as an attack.
 
Special interest groups would like us to "help" numerous individuals based upon numerous "hardships" but they aren't asking us nicely to be charitable.  America has already been established as the most charitable nation in our world.  Many countries depend upon that charity but due to our current economy and unemployment issues most Americans are saying charity MUST begin at home, but just "who" will be getting some help?
 
Americans are already spending over $2.9 billion and projecting an increase of another $200 million over the next six years for the ESL programs.  Considering that 6.4 million annually are "new unauthorized immigrants" (which apparently is the new politically correct way of referring to illegal immigrants)  this will hardly best serve the 1.8 million who are here legally... this is obvious an issue our President should be taking action on.
 
On a side note, those figures only reflect on what we spend on attempting to teach people to learn English.  It does not reflect the amount we spend on printing many things (mandatory in California) in other languages.  I should make an important distinction here.  The language we are being forced to print everything in California is Spanish.  Not Korean, Chinese, Japanese, or any other language aside from English and Spanish.  Why?  Seems like only those immigrants are allowed to be "biased" against within the language spectrum which essentially underlines those who are just refusing to learn English even when given ESL classes.  In case I was being too obtuse here it is the Spanish-speaking who are refusing to learn.  Nobody else seems to have an issue.
We cannot afford to spend, spend, spend and not plan.  Planning would include bringing jobs back to America.  Why don't we have an agreement in place like much of Europe which demands we hire within FIRST, and then after demonstrating an inability to find those employees here, allow an option to look elsewhere.  American businesses need to have more enticements to keep those jobs here.
 
Frustrations abound and are numerous.  Unemployment is the largest pending issue but it seems our President is making very little effort to give any attention to that dilemma which astounds us all.   He seems to be a child in a candy store who can't focus on which aisle to go down first.  He just paces back and forth.  Unemployment is already over 12% in California and approaching 10% nationwide. 
 
That stimulus package has had little effect on the average man.  It did not save jobs nor create new ones.  It did however allow many of us to toss away perfectly functional vehicles and purchase new ones.  Gee...that seems environmentally stupid.   Wait...it is also financially illogical.   The "average" American didn't need to acquire more debt and our environment didn't need to acquire more waste.
 
So the buzz changed to the Nobel Peace Prize and many of us wondered what the accolades were hiding behind the curtain of blind celebration.  Could it possibly be the ACORN shock...that they will be given 75% of the fire-fighting funding after midnight October 31st?  Wow...does our political machine believe that we will believe that suddenly ACORN is now supporting worthy causes and spending money wisely?  Gosh...that was one short "time-out" for ACORN.  I am having flash-backs to the Wizard of OZ..."Don't pay any attention to that man behind the curtain!"
 
Perhaps that Nobel Prize was the medal of bravery the wizard gave the cowardly lion BUT I can't help but remind myself that the cowardly lion had bravery he just hadn't discovered.  Our leader is a bold man who has no issue with bravery.  He fully supports the bravery of our troops giving their lives in a country which doesn't even appreciate their presence...won't give them the support they need to accomplish the goal they were sent there for, and when they return (if he succeeds in his goal) he intends to make future employers foot the bill for injuries obtained in combat.  Gee...he wants to give accountability of government damages to corporate America.  Yep...he is going to need that medal.  It may be the closest he will ever get to peace.
 
Town hall meetings are going to be just the first wave of voices raised to shout "enough!"  I predict there are gong to be many more loud protests...attempts to get our President to listen to our REAL issues...and they will continue until he does.  Why?  Buyers remorse.  All those votes for Obama meant they were votes for change and the only change they are seeing is an increase in our nation's debt.  Yikes.  The shine has worn off and that illuminating glow of hope is a dim memory.