Plain talk from Ron Sparks: “Arrogance is not diplomacy.”

This is a quote from Ron’s recent liveblogging. See diary here titled “Americans Deserve Fair Trade & Safe Food.” Got me so excited that I just had to post the Sparksmania photo again….

The entry below has some choice nuggets, but this was so good it deserves its own entry. This, this is the reason Ron Sparks would make such an outstanding Senator. Our current occupant, Mr. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III, is too wedded to entrenched special interests, corporations, and the 1% of Alabamians who would benefit from the end of the Estate Tax. Ron Sparks would be the senator for the other 99% of us!

When asked about his game plan for challenging a Republican in Alabama, Sparks responded:

“We’ll start by telling the people the truth about what’s gone on in this administration over the past six years. They went into office with a $5 trillion surplus and we now have a $7 trillion deficit. We’ve also got to remember that we are putting a $1.75 billion a day on the backs of future generations because of the out-of-control deficit.

There are 48 million Americans without healthcare. We also must get our healthcare issues for young people under control. Obesity and diabetes are dramatically on the rise. If we don’t take of this now, our healthcare system will be crippled.

I would not support an estate tax that only benefits the top 1% of America’s population, but benefits Dick Cheney millions.

We’ve got to remember that Donald Rumsfeld told us the Iraq war would cost $50 billion. It’s now cost us over $500 billion. When the war was started, nearly 100% of Iraqi children were in schools. Now only 30% go to classes and millions have fled the country. I believe that we should use all the intelligent minds we have in this country. Arrogance is not diplomacy.

I believe very strongly that if our men and women are willing to go to war to fight for our freedoms that they deserve the best medical care that we can possibly provide them when they return. The number we talk about with our veterans is the number that have fallen, the nearly 3500 that I have great respect for. But over 30,000 have returned wounded and approximately 300,000 need VA care that they’re not receiving. The world no longer looks to America as a leader. That needs to change. We must start by talking with all nations to try to make this a safer world for our children.

I would hope that our next president will be able to see through the deception of weapons of mass destruction that were not there, but also hope they could see an obvious hurricane approaching New Orleans that was there.

My grandmother, who played a large role in raising me, worked in a hosiery mill for 43 years pairing socks. To my knowledge, she never played the stock market and I feel very strongly that it is my responsibility to our senior citizens that they never see their social security system destroyed by politicians.

President Lincoln taught us that we have an obligation “to him who shall have borne the battle.” It’s time we live up to that charge.”