Monday, November 5, 2012

Election Day - My Two Cents...

Well, tomorrow is Election Day and I think I will finally take this opportunity to throw my two cents into the ring.  Until the day four years ago when Barack Obama was first elected President, I had long been an avid follower of politics, but soon after I got disgusted and gave up.

Let's face it, government and politics is not nearly what it should be, not by any stretch of the imagination.  No matter what political party this congressman or that senator belongs to, it doesn't make things any better from where I stand.  Politics, like everything else in our society, is all about perception, and we have a general populace that is at best apathetic towards the whole thing.  People care more about Snooki's baby than who's governing the country.  Elected officials do plenty of things on one hand and make it look like something else in the other, and in the end, what we don't see is what we unfortunately get.


VOTE!

With that said, I still think it's important that we all vote.  After all, we are lucky enough to live in a country where we are asked every year to participate in our own political process, so we should make our voices heard.  As you can see from the picture above, I'll be giving my vote to President Obama.  Here's why...

- President Bush had eight years to screw up this country, I think we should at least give Obama eight years to get it right.

- The largely ignorant public doesn't seem to realize that the President is not the king.  Congress makes the laws that govern us and without cooperation from Congress, there's not a whole heck of a lot a President can do to get his policies in place.  Being dissatisfied with not performing a miracle his first two years, voters turned a Democratic majority in Congress to a Republican one.  The result has been a record number of filibusters and one of the lowest approval ratings of any Congress in history, with very little getting done.  Oh, and by the way, these guys have been on vacation for almost two whole months. And you thought teachers got a lot of vacation time...

- Mitt Romney wasn't the Republican's choice in 2008, nor was he a runaway winner earlier this year.  Why all of a sudden do Republicans think he's going to be our savior?

- In my own personal judgement, from what I've seen of the President, I wholeheartedly believe he is a man of good character who truly wants to help us.  I cannot say the same for Romney, who will probably never stand up for at least 47% of us.

There are other reasons why my vote will be cast in favor of Obama, like his backing of GLBT rights, his policies on paying for higher education, and healthcare for everyone, but in laymen's terms, I think what I've said above is good enough.  I admit, I've had my own disappointments with Obama.  I thought when he first got voted in that we'd be better off at this point than we are today, but I still think he deserves four more years to finish the job he started, and I honestly don't know what Romney will do other than maybe revert us back to policies of that horrible Bush era that were kinder to the haves and not to the have-nots.

It's funny, but where is George Bush these days?  I can't remember the last time I saw him...  Just wondering...

Remember, no matter what you do tomorrow, vote!




Song of the Day - One More Night - Maroon 5


TheProphetBlog

Here's a hot one to start the week off! Enjoy!

 
Maroon 5 - One More Night from Mr. Unknown on Vimeo.

  One More Night - Overexposed (Deluxe)



Sunday, November 4, 2012

Song of the Day Tribute to Jam Master Jay - It's Like That/Sucker MC's - Run DMC

On October 30th, 2002, Jason Mizell, Jam Master Jay of Run DMC fame, was shot and killed in Jamaica, Queens in a notoriously senseless attack in a recording studio.  It's hard to believe it's been ten years already since this groundbreaking Hall of Fame musician left us, and so today we make note of this sad anniversary with two of my favorite early Run D.M.C. tunes...


In honor of the 10th anniversary of the death of Run D.M.C. spinmeister Jam-Master Jay, we present two early songs of a groundbreaking trio. Run D.M.C. was one of the first acts ever to bring hip-hop to the mainstream,  leading the way for a huge transformation in the pop music world that has evolved, yet has  remained a force in music even today.


Back in 1983, the group Run D.M.C., consisting of Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darrel "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, released a two-sided single featuring the street-tough It's Like That, backed with the fast-paced Sucker M.C.'s.  The two songs were typical of the "new" rap sound that was fast becoming popular in those days, with streetwise social commentary set to primitive (by today's standards) back beats.  The mix was infectious, and these two songs got lots of airplay and helped propel the trio into the mainstream, beginning with their first, eponymous album that came out a year later.

Check out the classic It's Like That:                                                    




Sucker MC's was featured in the background of Madonna's 1985 film debut, Desperately Seeking Susan.  I remember distinctly the song playing in the background as our heroine (?) arrived at New York's Port Authority and, um, cleaned up in the public bathroom.  Having bought the 12" single for these two songs, I'd have to say that I played this one more than the other, and I still love it!  Here's a rare early performance of the song, with a special treat afterwards for old school rap fans out there...



Run-DMC: Greatest Hits - Run-DMC


Saturday, November 3, 2012

Song of the Day - Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down



Here's an awesome little rock song from 2000. I figured it'd be appropriate for the current situation where our own kryptonite is causing us a lot of angst!


 


Kryptonite - The Better Life