To defend and protect against all enemies, foreign and domestic …

Our men and women take the oath of their free will because they love this country; they believe in the Constitution and what it means to most Americans. They will spend anywhere from 4 to 20-plus years walking a wall, carrying an M16, listening to sonar, and generally standing watch.

They work 24 hours a day because they are always on call, so the pay can work out to less than minimum wage. They don’t do this for glory or fame. When it is all said and done and their time is up (if they actually make it that far), they don’t wear a badge. The lady in line behind a veteran doesn’t know she slept soundly because that person served.

After budget cuts, to include limited pay raises, now President Obama wants to charge more for, and cut, health benefits for active duty military and veterans.

The proposal will increase the cost to an average military member or retiree about 300 percent by 2017.

These men and women have already given us so much. Some have come home with life but not limb. Long term care and many doctor visits will be necessary. Now the President has decided that this will cost even more than what has already been freely given. This is such an indictment of this President’s real idea when he says change.

All I can hope is that Congress has more gratitude for our men and women in uniform, more respect for a job well done, and continues to provide them with all the help and support they need from a grateful nation, not an apologetic one.

President Obama, who thinks high gas prices are nifty due to global warming, recently launched a class-warfare campaign against the Koch brothers which included blaming them for high gas prices. Class warfare? While the rest of us continue face the rising cost of gas, he is hosting “all star” dance parties and Hollywood Halloween bashes at the White House. The Average Joe is currently worried about how he or she is going to feed their kids, fill the tank, or even just get by. In the meantime, the President is laughing and singing with the likes of Mick Jagger, B.B. King, and Johnny Depp; Wow, that would impress the neighbors. Class warfare, indeed.

President Obama had gone on 61 family vacations by August of last year, according to CBS. Since he became President, he has also played 90 rounds of golf, as of this past December. I would like to know how many times the Average Joe has gone on
vacation or gone golfing during his reign. But hey, the Koch brothers! Mitt Romney!!

Every day we, the commoners, worry as we watch the cost of gas go up at our neighborhood pump. We also realize the cost is going to go up for the truck driver, yet nobody’s pay is going up; we just continue to pay more for what we already get or do. Meanwhile, President Obama wants to increase taxpayer subsidies for the Chevy Volt!!

President Obama will apologize for the burning of Korans in Afghanistan, but will he apologize to the American people for the rising cost of gas? For wasteful government spending? For questionable subsidies? Doubtful.

I don’t know what the answer is for this country, but I do know it’s not President Obama. Change may have been what this administration was about, but not hope. Lets stand together and find the America the founding fathers dreamed of; land of the free and home of the brave.

Hello RedState! This is my first blog ever, but I know you will be kind. As a front page contributor, my husband is the one you are accustomed to reading. I have always considered myself support staff, coffee-getter, article reader, and general cheerio (I happen to think he’s really good). I just never thought about getting involved directly until last weekend’s RedState Gathering. Let me tell you why I do now.

I met some incredible people in the last week. Most of them were not politicians or “connected”, just average Americans who are concerned about the direction this country is headed. (Although, I did have the opportunity to meet an awesome governor and future governor.)

The RedState Gathering 2010 was inspirational. It was wonderful to hear and meet the speakers. It was AWESOME to see the film Fire in the Heartland. But it was also so much more than that. It was the people. People who still believe in small government, capitalism, and the founding fathers. People who still believe in the America I believe in.

I met front page contributors, diarists and people that said “Oh I really just read, I don’t post.” Ladies and gentlemen, this is the conservative right. Whether you write, read, or attend, each and every person is making a difference and in November that will be heard and felt across this nation. The ultimate tea party is coming, and I hope some people who felt like me before this past weekend got inspired, get more involved, step up, and take back America. We’re past “support staff” now. Husbands, wives, parents, grandparents,and everyone who cares about the kind of country our children will grow up in … it’s time now. We have to step up, too.

I may have to take baby steps at first, but that’s OK. I’ve signed up for the Morning Briefing, I created this account at RedState, and I’m paying attention. Thanks to people like those I met at the Gathering, I believe more and more people like me will do the same.

So thank you to all of you. To Caleb and Erick. To Aaron and EPU. To Toby and Brockway, to Amy, Victoria, Penguin, Tabitha, Ron, LUR, Neil, and Moe. And to the non-RedStaters too, like Stephen Kruiser, Jenny Erikson (no relation) and Melissa Clouthier. Thanks for everything you do every day to help make the future my children inherit one we can be proud of. I love this country, I care about our future, and I’m going to fight for it. I hope you’ll welcome me to the front lines! (But don’t worry Caleb, I’ll still be the one who makes our coffee. Nobody should have to eat or drink something you made. NOBODY.)

PS. I can’t reply to any comments because my account is less than 24 hours old. Usually I wouldn’t be able to post my blog either, but … I know a guy.