. Our biggest problem is our own complacency!

2. Jeff Pickens — it's good for the original poster to deflate bubbles of unrealistic optimism and worse, expectations, as well as arrogance and conceit. That the public wants change (not in the sappy way it often has been conceived during the Obama campaign) and more importantly, that the public is not only dissatisfied with the Republicans but also with Business As Usual in Washington is not really open to question. It does not mean regression to the 1960s, and it's not defeatist but being awake and aware as well as wisely cynical to distrust any post-election efforts at what is purported to be “change.”

And as the experienced will reiterate: Change is not the same as, and never inherently constitutes or implies, improvement. It remains to be seen if there will be change at all, and we wisely fear the opposite of improvement is easily possible. We'll see what happens, eventually.

This post is particularly skeptical, defeatist, and downright depressing. Those of us with children don't see this as some hopeless, mindless exercise with no purpose other than to defend our worldviews. Some of us see this election as distinctly different, maybe even fundamentally different. Both Republicans and Democrats call for “change,” because most of us alive now haven't seen our government so globally disrespected, our credibility so weakened among our allies, the processes of our government so damaged, and our economy so vulnerable as it has been recently, the harm done to our national psyche with revelation after revelation about some of the shameful practices we've engaged to “defend freedom.” Unquestioned party loyalty has cost this country much recently.

I look at this election as a way that those of us who are proud of this country, have opportunity to re-direct it to honor, strength, and back to being the beacon of the free world that it has been in the past, and can be in the future. We've had enough divisive politics to last our generation and the next–we need to realize we're on the same team, fighting the same battles and struggling with the same enemies instead of demonizing each other and waving the flag and the Bible to our own personal agendas.

This isn't an election to “solve all our problems” or to find some political savior–change starts with grassroots, with the will of the people. To write off that hope is just flat-out depressing. After reading this post, I wonder if the message is simple: stay home, don't bother to vote because nothing, I mean nothing, will ever change. We are lost, doomed, and broken.

I refuse to believe that.

Meanwhile — about what the original poster stated, a means test for Social Security (and someday, Medicare):

Smart lefties (they do exist) will fight, fight, fight with all their might against this, and defend universality, because these two programs are welfare programs without the stigma of other welfare programs, precisely because of their universality rather than benefiting only a smaller, poorer fraction of society.

(In fact, the same reasoning as well as other reasoning propels the effort by so many to have universally provided federal health care in the USA.)

“As spiritual leaders signing this letter we are stepping forward to say: “We can make a difference” As our spiritual practice empties, opens and strengthens us, we are naturally moved to engage in the world with compassion, equanimity, and the dedication to live our values. We know many of you are already both concerned and involved in this year's Presidential election. Yet, in the past weeks, many of us have heard friends in the spiritual community expressing ambivalence about voting. When asked why they wouldn't vote we heard things like: “It doesn't make any difference”; “I'm more interested in spiritual practice than politics”.

This election, we have an opportunity to create a paradigm shift in the nature of politics. Senator McCain has voted with President Bush over 90% of the time leading to policies that have increased violence the world, furthered environmental destruction, tried to force religious views on the country, and shown a staggering lack of compassion for those most in need.

Play a role in bringing peace and justice back to the planet by voting for Barack Obama.

If you allow yourself to envision the world as it could be rather than the world as it is, what would it look like? And more importantly, what would you be willing to do to help create that world?

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Deepak Chopra, Jack Kornfield, Lama Surya Das. Jean Houston, Jack Kornfield, Reggie Ray, Reb Zalman Shachter-Shalomi, Seane Corn, Cyndi Lee, Jack Canfield, Shiva Rea, Pema Chödrön, Marianne Williamson, Barbara De Angelis, Roshi Joan Halifax, Joan Borysenko, Krishna Das, Sharon Salzberg, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Stephan Rechtschaffen, Judith Ansara Gass, Robert Gass — and more every day!

http://www.yogisandmeditatorsforobam…

Americans all accross this country realize we need fundamental change, radical change, if we are to survive and thrive as a country. Barack Obama has brought many people together, such as Republicans who have never voted for Democrats, Newspapers who usually endorse Republicans, Generals, world leaders and a whole host of people, yound and old, gay and straight, and of all racial persuasions who realize that we have an opportunity in this great leader to fundamentally bring about positive and holistic change, not jusst for America but the world. Barack Obama has shown us through his words, actions and deeds, that we do not have to run a campaign through lies, deceit and deceptions. That you do not have to tear an opponent down or dislike him because he disagrees with you. He has elevated this political areana and ourselves, that we can be better and do better. He offers hope and inspiration, something which has been lacking in American culture for awhile. He asks us to overcome our differences and to unite for a common cause, and for the good of this nation. He asks to choose love over hate, unity over diversity, and sharing over greed.