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The St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's visit to St. Louis this week. The trip gave Obama a chance to talk in detail about his health care plan, but he also had made progress on his effort to reach out to rural America. The Post-Dispatch reports:
Asked why Democrats have lost the state in presidential elections since Bill Clinton carried Missouri in 1996, Obama said, "A mistake is probably made in neglecting those parts of the state that are not traditionally Democratic."
"Obama promised more stops in predominately Republican territory like the town hall gathering he held last month in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
"In the rural parts of the state, showing up makes a big difference," Obama said. "My general view is, even if I don't win those areas, we can narrow the gap and that may make a significant difference in how we do statewide."
Read more here. Once you get to the story, you can also click into an audio to hear more and also see more picture of his hospital visit.
Today -- June 12th, Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) discussed the difficulties families are facing as they confront skyrocketing gas prices. He also thoughtfully reminds us why our country can't just drill its way out of this problem. Rather, it will take investment in renewable energy and serious new regulation to prevent the oil companies and their pals from driving up the price of oil by buying back their own stock and allowing speculators to further push the prices up. Right now, 36% -- yes, more than 1/3 of the price at the gasoline pump -- is due to speculators.
Equally important, Salazar brings real insight to the "why?" ... all about speculators as well as what Congress is working to do to solve the problem. This one is a podcast. Find it here or if you'd rather listen to it on the phone, dial 1-800-511-0763 actuality No. 2698.
If you're like us at My Rural America, you likely remember how Bobby Kennedy reached out to farmers in his 1968 presidential campaign. He personally walked into the farm organization offices and made promises on the Farm Bill and we all believed. I still do. I lived on the farm then (600 acres -- corn, beans, hogs, cattle & 1300 laying hens), and I worked for Bobby/voted for him in the Iowa Caucuses. I also cried when we lost him that sad California day -- June 5, 1968.
Forty years later, the New York Times op-ed section has shared with us remembrances from three of his children. Years later, when Senator Ted Kennedy -- now fighting for his life was running for president, one of the memories I have from that campaign is about Kerry Kennedy, and for those of you who know me personally, I make this confession ... I remember when we "stole" her purple cowboy boots and mailed them back to her house. She was in Iowa campaigning for her dad and she wore those boots every single day. The PURPLE boots were so distracting that people talked about the boots, rather than her message, so the boots went back home. Years later, some of us still wonder if she every figured out who did it. Her memory -- without the purple boots -- is worth reading: Lessons of the Magnolia Tree.
Taking "No" For an Answer is her brother Joseph P. Kennedy II 's memory. His is a wonderful remembrance about how his father, "Bobby", could make you understand ... and feel ... the pain of people of who had nothing at all. In this way, it reminds me of Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for President, who has such a great skill of reminding us ... without hope, we have nothing at all.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend also remembers: The Delta in Our Home ... learning to take personally the poverty in Mississippi. It's a lesson we still need to remember today ... for those of us who have been given much, we need to both share ourselves and help our children to be generous, too.
The New York Times reports how "Cell Services Keep It Easy and Free."
The tips in this article are all free and better yet, all easy. What you do is put in the number 800-GOOG-411 and push the "dial" key. Google will dial it for you for free, ask you politely the city/state/who? questions and actually dial the number for you. Better yet, you'll be saved from that long "garbage" time-killer speech that most cell providers use to gobble up your precious minutes. Likely, you'll save both cell minutes and also the extra charge.
So THANK YOU ... Google! ... for this wonderful, money-saving (and simple!) new phone directory.
We also recommend the whole article because it contains a whole lot more simple and free ways to use your cell.
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