Open Letter to Our Leaders: How America Can Get It's Groove Back!

Dear Mr President, Madam Secretary, Congress persons & Senators,



Thank you for all your good work on our behalf. I've been consistently voting in every election since my 18th birthday and I follow your careers with interest. This is indeed a challenging time to be a leader, and I admire your courage in tackling one of the greatest crisis in American history.


That said, I think it's time to stand up to those influence peddlers and lobbyists in DC that insist on chipping away at our public programs (Not funding NPR is low and hateful, but not as hateful as cutting funding to Planned Parenthood. That was the only choice I had as a young woman. No PP meant no pap smear, no breast exam, no information. Don't even get me started on privatising Medicare!) while we overlook the big money items that should be discussed.


Here's a short list of some budget worthy items for cutting:

1) Cut all subsidies and tax breaks to oil companies. I own stock in 2 major oil companies who've both reported trillions of dollars in profits, but still they gouge me at the pump and cry for govt handouts! Stop oil company welfare checks! I'll still make a dividend, they'll still make a profit. Why aren't we buying gas from Canada? Why aren't we using the oil pumped out of the Gulf of Mexico from the 1000's of (unregulated) oil derricks I saw there when I flew over the Louisiana coast in a small plane last October? I say again: Stop oil company welfare checks!


2) End tax cuts for the uber-rich. If they're too stupid to figure out how to filter their money through corporations, or let a good accountant deal with their money let them pay like I do.


3) There are trillions of dollars worth of surplus military planes and hardware sitting out in the desert corroding in the sunshine. My tax dollars paid for that wasted metal. Why doesn't the govt sell or refurbish or recycle those planes? Furthermore, if we insist on being the worlds policemen, we should get paid for that service or bring our troops home to deal with things in the US. The National Guard did amazing things post Katerina, they belong here. If the world needs us they know where we are. Besides, Osama is dead, focus! End the patriot act now.


4) End the subsidising of multi-national agribusiness to grow corn which they then make into corn syrup and put into EVERYTHING, making us an overweight, unhealthy nation. Instead, why not subsidise American farmers to grow legalized marijuana? Scientists and engineers would be put to work developing different plants for different uses. Sustainable Hemp fibre makes cloth, paper, rope, roofing material, and when used by cancer and other medical patients it relaxes them, stimulates their appetite and is less damaging to the liver than pharmaceuticals. Regulate it, package and tax it and treat it like medicine, wine or beer. It will create jobs in all sectors, ease the national use of pharmaceuticals and take another bullet out of the drug cartels assault on America. It's common sense to observe that prohibition only works to make gangsters rich. It wastes law enforcement time that could be better spent serving the community to eradicate real crime.

5) End federal subsidies and tax breaks for companies that move their manufacturing to foreign nations, or outsource jobs. How about subsidies, low interest loans and tax advantages to businesses that move to Illinois? Our governors tactics make IL an inhospitable location to do business. Frankly, it's got me looking at other states. When I go to the gas pump in MS it reads $3.85/gal, Back home in Chicago it's $4.25 at most stations. There's no excuse for that. 
 
How can we be our best when we're constantly stressed, see our hard earned money slipping away? We are encouraged by our media to point fingers at each other, as though somehow this is all our fault! That we Americans are somehow to blame for the folly of our leaders and the greed of our bankers. I think my ideas would be a balm on our collective soul. These are positive moves we can make painlessly that won't hurt but will actually stimulate the economy, create jobs and give us our groove back.

Are You Breathig?

"There is one common flow, one common breathing.

All things are in sympathy."

------Hippocrates

Before I became a fabulous blues diva I was a hyptnotist, specialising in behavior modification, memory retreival & past life regression. As a hyptnotist I used focused breathing to put my clients in an altered state of conciousness. Breathing helped them relax and allow what their subconcious had concealed to be revealed.

Since 2001 I've been praciticing Yoga. All the great teachers of Yoga down through the ages have stressed the importance of focused breathing to help calm the mind & body. You need to be calm & breath right to get the benefit of exercise, be it Hatha poses, aerobics classes, running or lifting in a gym.

Millions of people have trouble sleeping because of racing thoughts. The Yogis call our minds "drunken monkeys" that race from one thought to the next, getting us all agitated. Controlling that monkey is the key to calm.

"I'm already breathing!" You pant, sweat breaking out on your brow "I don't have time for this!"

Yes, you're breathing, but check yourself: most people breathe up in their collar bones, short, shallow breaths. At a point of stress or exertion most people hold their breath, cutting off their oxygen all together. You need that oxygen to blood thing to happen so you can think & all your parts can work right! Cutting your oxygen is a sure sign to your body that you're being chased by a carnivore & you need to run like hell. It turns on the adrenaline.

We live in a world that is full of stress. For your poor body, it's one adrenaline pumping situation after another. After awhile your adrenal glands get tired & your body starts breaking down. The md's write you a script & send you on your way. Without techniques to get control of your stressors you'll end up on multiple meds making some pharmaceutical company rich & your liver will pay the price. Much better would be to practive deep, yogic breathing for a few minutes every day & again if a stressful situation comes up.

Here's how to do it: Sit up straight. Close your eyes. Close your mouth & inhale through your nose to a slow count of 3. Hold it for 3 & exhale to a count of 6. Breath into your tummy so your body expands like a bellows. (This is the secret to power house singing too!) To keep your mind focused have it count for you. If you get another thought just pull your mind back to breathing. A few focused breaths does wonders, try it.

When I can't sleep I use yogic breathing, while imagining each part of my body relaxing with the exhale, starting with my feet & working up to my face. I hold a lot of tension in my jaw, so I concentrate on breathing into all the parts of my head. A relaxed face gets fewer wrinkles so it looks younger longer. If I'm still awake I go through my internal organs & relax them too.

Your breath can enhance your life, help you sleep, get better focus, stay in controll of your emotions. It's free, it's easy, just breath & feel more fabulous!