In his own backyard!

Tuesday – August 10, 2010

In his own backyard!

As many of you know, I was not publishing last week. I was in Chicago and that is where we had our daughter’s wedding. It went off without a hitch and it was a great party!

The feel of a city that is exuberant by its spirit is exciting to see. It is not the politician that makes it so. It is the people that make up that culturally diverse city and its many neighborhoods.

Governor Blagojevich was in the news re: his trial, as was the President. The President celebrated his birthday and slowed up the traffic to that of a snails pace. I joked in my speech, before the toast, that the President had invited me to yet another summit. I had said that I had to decline; as I had my daughter’s wedding to attend to. I got many cheers!

In talking to shop owners and others, I had found disappointment in the direction of their favorite son. I had found confusion and frustration in what their favorite son had done and had not done. I had found a great deal of lost support. This came mainly from young people.

I had a conversation with a young girl who had a graduate degree and who was working in a popcorn store. Her frustration was due to the lack of job creation for young graduates and the state of escalating costs.

In another conversation, I had with an older gentleman who had to collect social security earlier than he wanted he said that he “was looking for work for the last 19 months.” He was 62 and had gone through his savings. This was in the President’s own backyard.

New statistics show that more people filed for Social Security in 2009 – 2.74 million more than any other year in history. There was a marked increase in the number receiving reduced benefits, because they filed ahead of the retirement age. The increase came as the full social security retirement age rose last year from 65 to age 66. Of that figure, 72% were men who filed for early benefits. More women also filed – 74.7% up from 64.2% in 2008.

As I prepare for yet another week, I am also meeting with my web master to make some final decisions on the content aspects of the website. We are now entering the fall phase of the midterm election. I sense a great deal of frustration on the part the voter and I sense a renewed participation on the part of the voter that will not end on November 2nd, 2010.

I sense that new statistics will continue to be a part of the story of the Presidents failed agenda. I saw it on the streets in Chicago, in the Presidents own backyard!

Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives

A footnote: There are 84 days left until the midterms. Please use these 84 days as an opportunity to get people in your own backyard to talk about the issues, and how you are going to get out and vote.