Obama and Romney locked in tight race with 150 days to go until Election Day

President Obama and Mitt Romney are locked in a tightening race for the White House with just 150 days to go before Election Day.

Polls show the two dead even nationally, with Obama enjoying perhaps a slight edge in the dozen or so swing states that will decide the contest.

Yet the president’s reelection hopes have been dimmed by a dismal few weeks capped by a bleak jobs report and the president’s own gaffe on Friday at a hastily arranged press conference where he said the private sector is “doing fine.”

Obama was forced to walk back the remark just a few offers later after realizing he had served up a political gift for Republicans, who immediately seized on it to highlight their argument that Obama is not in tune with the public.

“I think he's defining what it means to be out of touch with the American people,” Romney said a few hours later. Read more......

DO YOU HAVE A HOLE IN YOUR SIDEWALK?

And a big "THANK YOU" to Portia Nelson!      

Hey, it's Marco! Mistakes. We all make them, yet most mistakes offer a lesson for us to learn in life, however, we often continue to make the same mistakes over and over. Perhaps as we leave the morning of our lives, we will learn from these mistakes as we approach tomorrow...
     A new study, reported by Scientific-American, has found that believing you can learn from your mistakes, and that you can learn through effort, has a physical impact on the brain. The study found that the brains of people with a “fixed mindset” acted differently from those with a “growth mindset” and that the stronger the belief in a growth mindset, the more pronounced the brain activity!

Medicare 'stronger than ever' due to healthcare law

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius praised the healthcare reform law Monday for bolstering Medicare and appeared to criticize GOP proposals that would partially privatize the program.

"Before the [healthcare] law passed, there were gaps in Medicare coverage," Sebelius said at a town hall on seniors' health sponsored by the White House.

"When you add all the savings in the law up, the average Medicare beneficiary will save $4,200 over the next nine years. And those seniors with high drug costs will see even greater benefits."

She added that the law will "maintain all the guaranteed Medicare benefits" seniors now enjoy — "unlike some recent proposals."

"What all of this means is that Medicare is now going to be stronger than ever. Seniors will have better benefits, lower prescription costs and more affordable preventive care. And their children and grandchildren will have a stronger Medicare in the future," Sebelius said. Read more......

Vaporized: Americans’ Wealth Collapses 40% Over Last Three Years

…It might be well if you would ask yourself, are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is as safe, that we’re as strong as we were four years ago?

President Ronald Reagan

President Reagan may just as well be speaking to us today.

The answer, as it was in November of 1980, is a resounding NO.

The Great Recession wiped out nearly two decades of Americans’ wealth, according to government data released Monday, with middle-class families bearing the brunt of the decline.

The Federal Reserve said the median net worth of families plunged by 39 percent in just three years, from $126,400 in 2007 to $77,300 in 2010. That puts Americans roughly on par with where they were in 1992.

The biggest drops occurred among middle-income Americans, whose wealth was inextricably linked to the housing market boom and bust.

It’s hard to overstate how serious the collapse in the economy was,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics. “We were in freefall.” Read more......

Action or Luck? Another Thought...

Hey! It's Marco! You know what's weird and rather interesting? If I don't feel like running in the morning, yet I still go, I'll perform just as well as if I had felt like running. That's amazing, huh? Why is that and what does this mean? If you put your mind and body in motion, the emotion will follow! I heard a great quote today: "People of action are favored by the Goddess of good luck!" Just because I don't feel like doing something, doesn't mean I still can't do it. Think about this. What is it that you think you can't do but really can? Drop some weight? Start a business? Get along with the outlaws, er, I mean the inlaws. Feelings aren't facts! That negative inner dialog is usually nothing more than a lie! Just because you feel tired doesn't mean you are tired! Perhaps these feelings are just fantasy or a psychological game we're playing with ourselves. Are you tired? Are you unhappy? Are you depressed? I didn't think so. Work with me here! I'm doing my best to practice what I preach! These messages are to me, for me, by me, to inspire me to become a better person. The benefit is...they may just help you! And if I'm helping you, I'm helping myself! Nothing is unfair in life! Go! Be! Do! Be strong, live long! And remember, don't count the days, make the days count!

Human Control and Drugs...

Do people control the drugs, or do the drugs control the people... I'm putting my money on Big Pharma! Lay off the drugs folks! Don't be afraid of Life!

Peace/Love/Happy!

Conscious Breathing Meditation with Keryn Lee

Breathe... Just breathe... Why? Because Life is Good...