We Need A Hero!

    This past weekend I decided to see The Pirates of the Caribbean - for some odd reason I, like the rest of the world, am fascinated by Captain Jack - even though he is a vulgar drunk that looks like he would stink if you were too close to him. I was raised in Louisiana so I guess I am not offended by this because I have been to Mardi Gras several times. As the previews began to play, I took note of the types of movies that were headed my way this summer. The list included "Hung Over 2", "X-Men", "Super 8", "The Green Lantern", "Mr. Popper's Penguins", "Transformers", The Zookeeper", Captain America", "Harry Potter", and "Cowboys And Aliens".
    The audience sat with looks of anticipation on the edge of their seats, absorbing the previews and was delighted with what Hollywood had to offer them over the next few months. I, on the other hand, looked at this in a different way. What I saw was a line up of fantasy films spotted with a few comedies.  It was a reflection of the times that we are in.  When the economy is on the downside, Hollywood knows that America wants to escape from the reality of life. They know we are looking for fantastical heroes that will save the Earth and make everything alright. We long for those wonderful characters that always prove that good prevails over evil.
  It was that way in the 1970's with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg giving us "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" when there were issues with oil and gas prices. In 2008 there was a summer of "The Hulk",  "Iron Man" and a Batman movie - all there to deter attention from the recession. And now we face another summer of fantasy flicks to help ease our minds of the economy and the national deficit.
   Seeing the way that  Hollywood and  Americans handle their entertainment choices in these hard times it is no wonder that it is easy for the country as a whole to turn a blind eye to the problems our nation is facing.  Distracting ourselves with fantasies and not facing the realities is allowing politicians and big businesses to make decisions for us and to go unchecked. Believing that good always trumps evil has enabled these people in power to make terrible decisions on our behalf because we believed they would use these powers given to them responsibly.
  It is so common to hear people complain about the state of things in the economy - but then turn back to their daily lives and do nothing. They wait for someone else to take action for them and save the world from a terrible injustice - just like in the movies - they are waiting for their Super Hero to come along and save the day.

But wait - what's that?!?
It's faster than a spending politician!
More powerful when you buy locally!
Able to leap tall piles of imported products in a single bound!
Look up into the sky!
It's Jobs!   It's Opportunity!

It's Captain Buy American!

 Sincerely - Amanda Schalau
Average American!
  

Fix the Deficit - We Can Do It Together

     Today marks one month of my being on Twitter and blogging. I first had to pat myself on the back for being able to continue with my efforts despite having 4 children with active lives as well as trying to start working again after a year off due to my husband's suicide. After losing my home, my husband, and most of my friends (people avoid the widow of a suicide victim because they just feel uncomfortable),  I now have 4 well adjusted children, found a reasonably sized home to rent, started to work again, married a man who understands me and dries my tears as I continue to heal. This wonderful man supports my endeavors to continue with this project that my daughter Lauren suggested to help America get back on it's feet quicker so that maybe we can prevent what happen to our family from happening to theirs.
     I revisited why I started the project to refocus on what we are wanting to accomplish with all my tweeting and ranting.  The bottom line is to educate as many Americans as possible that their actions count. People everywhere need to realize that for every action there is a reaction - every action reaps a consequence.  If the American people continue to buy imported goods as opposed to American made goods - the reaction is that there are no jobs in America.  If the Government continues with it's unfair trade practices and heavy taxes on the businesses in America - there are no jobs at home.
    The deficit is a result of the governments actions against American businesses. The reason the deficit continues to spiral out of control is that the government cut off their own revenue by running the American businesses overseas or out of business all together. Now that there are less businesses to pay taxes and less American workers to pay taxes - the Government is compelled to raise taxes on the businesses and Americans left in the country that still have jobs. The only way to prevent the spiral downward in our American economy is to stop the excess of imports and bring the manufacturing back to America.
    Our mission is to educate the American public on how important it is to change our habits - the people have to do this now - because Washington moves slow - and they solve problems in complicated ways that seem to never show results.
    What we need to make our project a success is to have enough Americans recognize what we are trying to do and make an effort to support their fellow Americans. If we can get enough people to join our cause then the American people can do what the government has a such a hard time trying to accomplish on it's own. We can turn around the economy, give jobs back to our fellow Americans - we can support our military for humanitarian causes as well as defend our country from our foes and terrorists - we can stand on our own two feet again and be the country that I know we are. We can get rid of the deficit and Washington can quit fighting over money and start taking care of it's citizens as well as the world again.
   This cause is the only good thing to come from the suicide of a great man - Monty Townsend - he retired from the Army - he loved his country and he was a small businessman living the American dream. Mistakes that we, as a country, made filled his heart with hopelessness and despair when it came to supporting his family. No American should feel like their family is going to be homeless and go hungry. 
   It is time for our message to spread across the country - letting the American people know it is in their hands to fix this - the American public has the power to change everything for the better or continue to turn a blind eye to the problem. We have to stand together to fix this problem.
   So as I close out my first month of tweeting and blogging - I want to thank those who have encouraged me - those that I have just met but I feel like I have known forever. The good friends I have made - the people who have taken time out of their busy lives and read my blog and thought about what I have had to say.
   As I sit at my keyboard with tear filled eyes, I feel so blessed that I am not alone - and even though I rant and have days where I vent nonstop, there are people out there that also wish for a better tomorrow who continue to support me.
I sincerely thank you all from the bottom of my heart,
Amanda Schalau
The Average American ;-)
 
     

You Can Learn A Lot From Baseball

       Recently I was sitting in the bleachers at a baseball game and I took a moment to look at the fans that surrounded me. Most were adorned in their team colors, some wore jerseys of their favorite players - there were even toddlers and small babies decked out in the appropriate colors to somehow ensure that the fan base would flourish and continue to grow. It was not difficult at all to tell which team each person was cheering for.  Some of these fans arrived early, some came late, some watched attentively the entire time while others chatted away on cell phones and frequented the concession stands as much as possible. Others  partied in the stands as if this were part of the social scene with no real interest in who would win or lose. And of course there were the clock watchers hoping to get a head start on the traffic that would hit directly after the game.
       As I sat there during the top of the 6th inning contemplating on exactly which category I fell into - a fight broke out between two fans from opposing teams. It did not stop the game, nor did it garnish the attention of the players on the field or the umpires. The two men threw punches at one another and screamed ugly phrases at each other about how the other fan's team was a bunch of "losers and idiots".  They defended their own team's players as if it were a matter of life and death. It occurred to me that these two men were so blinded by team loyalty that they could not bring themselves to see or admit that the other fan's team members were quite accomplished and actually brought a lot of talent into the game. They failed to realize that the opponents on the field actually challenged each other and brought out the best in each of them for the benefit of all the fans.
      We have all been guilty of sitting in the stands and not looking at the individually gifted players . We have judged them by the uniforms they wore on their backs. We have nonchatlantly ignored the blatant mistakes of our own team members or made excuses for them and at the same time we have called foul and looked for fault at any good plays made by members of an opposing team. We have looked at the talents of any opposing team members and seen them as a threat. Because we had chosen our team before the game even started we had already made up our minds that the opposing team was substandard at best.  If they happenned  to win it would be a fluke and an injustice.
     Politics plays out much in the same way.  We are brought up by our family and friends to follow a "team" and at a very early age we are predispositioned to believe that everything our team does is right and everything the opposing "team" does is always wrong. We are forced into choosing a side - republican or democratic - or we can go to the minor leagues and choose an indepentdent. We are taught to judge our political leaders and candidates by the party they represent, not for that individual's character or his  accomplishments.
    These leaders and candidates are forced to pick a team as well - they are forced to pick a team so that they will have the support they need to get into the game and out of the dugout.  Unfortunately when this happens the candidate or leader automatically becomes a threat to anyone not associated with his team. That candidate is labeled for life and any good that he could have brought to the table will be fought or opposed by the other teams. Half the nation's willingness to work with any good idea that candidate may have will  disappear because the opposing teams refuse to give up a "win"  strictly out of fear of losing their "fans."    Just like in the world of sports - having more fans in politics means more money and more financial support. So in the end the battle of power, money and fans ultimately becomes the focus - taking up more time and energy than  should be spent on working together and cultivating the good ideas no matter where they came from.
    There are many players in the game today that have the talent to play great but have no heart for the game - there are many players that have great heart but possess little talent to play. The great players have both the talent and the heart to play and most importantly they have the ability to maintain focus - they are the ones we wait for and those are the ones that make history.                                                                                           I am looking for a candidate that has talent, heart and the ability to maintain focus. Someone that can recognize a problem, find a solution and see that it is handled efficiently.  Someone who can stand up for the principals this country was founded on and not be seduced or swayed by power or money. Someone who puts his country and other Americans before himself.      And when this leader reveals himself I will not be looking at the color of his uniform.  I will not be blinded by the party he represents -  I will be influenced by his accomplishments and his character.
         So I guess the answer to the question I asked myself about what kind of fan am I would be -   I am the kind of fan that appreciates the talent and drive exibited on the field, I am open to becoming a fan of all the great players no matter what team they play for. I guess I am just a fan of the game.
God Bless America & Play Ball!
Words from the Average Amercan -
Amanda Schalau