This is a blog for NEWSRADIO - 1230 WNRR listeners to "Tony Powers to the People" program weekdays from 6:30 - 7:00 PM broadcast live from downtown Augusta, GA or streamed online on the World Wide Web.  To listen to the show go to www.newsradio1230.com

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Feel free to join the conversation, post messages and give feedback to the program along with your thoughts and opinions.  Please keep it clean (no profanity) and no personal attacks.  This group is about how we all, as Americans, can come together regardless of political leaning to make our country an even better place to live, work, shop, play, be entertained, inspired, worship and enjoy all of God’s wonderful gifts to the fullest.

"Powers to the People" is all about common sense solutions to the problems we all face from high gas prices and the other inflation that they cause.  We'll talk about alternative energy solutions, the declining dollar and how to make your money go farther.  We'll work on finding solutions to companies moving our jobs out of America and discuss "real" fair trade that will create new jobs to replace the jobs we've lost.  We'll talk about urban renewal and revitalizing our "downtowns" back to their former glory with new entertainment, recreational and shopping opportunities to improve the quality of life for all or our citizens.  We'll discuss how government can be more efficient and responsive to us all and how we as individuals can work with non-governmental civic organizations, churches and charities to lift up those that need a hand.  

Please post your thoughts, let our group know about entertainment and recreational opportunities, charitable events, charitable fund raisers, urban renewal plans, church and civic organization activities and even promote your business.

We are all in this together and together there are no problems we can't overcome.  There are only solutions and the prosperity that comes from returning "Powers to the People!"

Sunday July 13,2008

Tony Snow was a great American and will be greatly missed.

As anyone who watches Fox News knows, Tony Snow died Saturday July 12, 2008 at the age of 53.  The cause of death was complications from colin cancer which he has battled for over three years.  Although the cancer was the "cause of death," the cancer Tony did not lose his fight with cancer and the cancer never "beat" him.  Tony beat the cancer because he stared death in the face and kept on "living" long after his dreadful diagnosis.  The cancer may have taken his life but it never took his spirit or his faith and joy of living each day to it's fullest.  It never stopped his love of GOD, Family and Country.  In fact, Tony beat the odds and beat the cancer and went out on his own terms, a winner!

I have missed him on Fox News Sunday, since he left, but was elated to see him take over as White House press secretary. I was sorry to see him leave there because of his quick wit and ability to keep the main stream media in line. He kept everyone up because he was always up, even in his situation.

He put his wife and children ahead of his own comfort and worked long past the time his doctors recommended to insure that he would leave them comfortable.  He loved GOD and lived everyday with the zest of a man in perfect health.  It is with great sadness that I view his passing and I will keep him and his family in my prayers.  But I do have the joy of knowing that Tony's smile will always be there in heaven and all of us who love the LORD will see him soon in that glorious place.

As one that has battled Pancreatic Cancer for almost six years now and beat back Malignant Melanoma (probably related) once already, I understand to the “dead man walking” syndrome that Tony and his Family fought so hard while never giving up their faith and determination.  He was an inspiration to me and I can’t believe that he’s gone.  But Tony showed us all how to live and how to die and even though he is in a much better place, his wife and three children surely wish he were still here.  I hope I can do it as well as Tony did and i hope we all learn from this courageous man who loved life so much yet lost it far too soon. 

So please join me in praying for his family.  I hope it will make you pause and aspire to love your family the way Tony Snow loved his.  And don’t miss a minute of this wonderful gift called life or a chance to love, help and lift up one another. 

Farewell Tony Snow.  Even in death you’ve already become a wonderful and articulate "Spokesperson for GOD" with the life you led here on earth and the millions that have been inspired by your courage, zest for life, and love of Family, Country and GOD.  May we all be so BLESSED.

Current mood: optimistic

It's been over six years since my wife Renee and I were enjoying a much needed vacation at Myrtle Beach, SC. I was making breakfast before we took our morning walk on the beach. Renee was watching Good Morning America. Suddenly she called me over and said that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center buildings. I remember first thinking what a tragedy that some poor traffic or small plane pilot had lost control of his plane and "accidentally" crashed. I also worried about the few people that no doubt would be impacted by such an event. I remember taking a moment to pray for the pilot and his family and for anyone that might have been injured or killed in the building. It was the morning of 9/11.

We continued watching and flipping channels to try to get the latest information when suddenly I saw another plane turning sharply and crashing into the other tower. At first I thought it was taped footage of the first crash that had just become available but it only took me seconds to realize that this was not the first plane and it was no "accident." It was a commercial airliner and it obviously aimed itself at the second building. In shock, I knew that our country was under attack.

Suddenly we heard jets soaring up the coast apparently scrambled to protect against any other attacks. For the first time in my life I knew what war felt like to a civilian whose country was under attack.

Renee and I rushed out of the cottage we were renting and ran to the beach to observe the jets patrolling the coastline. It was surreal. When we returned to the cottage we were greeted with news that the pentagon had been attacked and that the President had been flown out of Florida and his whereabouts were unknown. Then came the news of a crash in Pennsylvania. Surely, life as we knew it was changing by the moment. A feeling of dread overtook me and I began to pray. I prayed for those that were killed, those that were hurt, for our leaders to know how to respond and for our people to be united.

Still glued to the TV, I was shocked as the first tower fell. The horror was unbelievable! The frightened people running for their lives, the plumes of ash and smoke engulfing entire blocks and the ominous cloud that seemed to consume the entire city and I helplessly watched this unthinkable disaster unfold. Then the second tower came down and the horror was so numbing that I watched in detached disbelief as the scenes on the screen switched from one image of terror to another. The Towers, the Pentagon and a hole in the ground in Pennsylvania burned and even newscasters began to lose their composure.

Terror, fear, horror, death, destruction, unbelievable and inhuman acts of cruelty and hatred were being unleashed on the greatest nation on the earth. Why? Who? What would be next? It was a day that changed every day since and every day in the future.

Nothing could ever be the same again and it shouldn't be.

Over six years have passed. The United States has invaded and overthrown the governments of two countries. Osama Bin Laden and the "core" of Al Quida are on the run and probably hiding in remote mountains in Pakistan. Cells of Al Quida sympathizers have cropped up all over the world and many are making a stand in Iraq. Other western countries and our allies have been attacked and thousands of innocent people have died since that dreadful day six years ago.

Our own armed forces have already lost more people than those that died on September 11th, 2001 and now as we remember that horrible day, General Pertraus testified before the House and Senate on the progress of the "War against Terror" in Iraq and "The Surge."

Our country is divided. Blue States and Red States, Liberal and Conservative, politicians now jockey for political advantage as our brave young men and women fight to protect us from the horror of that day ever happening again.

What happened to the unity and single minded purpose that we all felt that day and during the days that immediately followed? Why have we allowed politicians to divide us so? Where is spirit that made this nation great? Why have so many disgraced the memory of those that died six years ago and those that have died since to prevent another 9/11? Why have they sought to place blame and vilify those who have stood tall in the face of terror? Why have they used the deaths of so many brave young men and women who have fought and died for our freedom as just so many pawns in their political game? How can they face the thousands of wounded who's lives have been altered forever as they blame America and our President for the evil that is Islamic Fanaticism.

Those that have traveled to other countries like Dennis Kucinich and sided with our enemies along with the rest of the "Blame America First" crowd should be rounded up and tried for treason. Freedom of Speech was never meant to include aiding our enemies in time of war. We are free to have different opinions about how the war is being fought and about why we invaded Iraq in the first place. But the fact is not that Bush lied and people died. He acted on the best intelligence that he had and had he not overthrown Saddam, he too would have been a traitor.

Saddam was a clear and present danger to our country and citizens, to the entire Middle East, and to the economic stability of the world. He was actively seeking new weapons of mass destruction and had already used them on his own people. That evidence is undeniable! No sane president would have allowed that maniac to stay in power and continue to threaten the world. Only our enemies abroad (and at home) were against his demise.

Now the media and politicians have managed to convince many Americans that it is us, not the terrorist that are the problem. That we are the torturers and murderers, not Al Quida. What causes this sick self loathing? Propaganda and the lust for power of the few over the masses. If we Americans don't wake up, what happened six years ago today will be nothing compared to the misery we are bringing on ourselves. Wake up! Stop being led like sheep to the slaughter!

Fight for your Religious Freedom! Stop the "political correctness" from destroying your values and morals! Fight for the right to pray when and where you feel the need. Fight for your Creator! Fight for ALL of his creations including those not yet born! We are made in GOD'S IMAGE are we not as valuable as an endangered plant?

Stop the INSANITY! If all the babies that have been aborted were alive today, we wouldn't be facing a Social Security Crisis! We wouldn't need to import labor and export jobs! How many diseases might these "unborn" have found cures for? What technological advances might they have discovered? How many would have been teachers, preachers, doctors, nurses, firemen, farmers, soldiers or presidents? We will never know what we have lost that they could have given us but we do know that we have lost our morality and humanity. No wonder we are hated by so many around the world. We hate ourselves!

Let us reclaim our moral fiber. Let us unite as a country and put our people first! Young and old, rich and poor, without regard to color, religion or social class.  Let's put the country and each other ahead of politicians and special interest. Let's not let the lust for power and money make us forget that LOVE and FORGIVENESS is the true path to happiness and HEAVEN.

GOD (no matter what your religion) wants us to love and forgive each other as he loves and forgives us. He wants us to treat each other as we would be treated. He wants us to "be our brother's keeper" and honor our fathers and mothers. He wants us to work and be prosperous. He wants us to be generous to those in need. But most of all he wants us to LOVE and PRAISE HIM.

If we do these things, there will never be another 9/11. We will no longer be a divided nation. Self-loathing and hatred will disappear and LOVE and FORGIVENESS will reign. What a joy it would be if 2008 was the dawn of a NEW UNITED STATES not separated by red or blue but truly united in LOVE and RESPECT for each other, our country and our GOD.

So now we have the presidential candidates running around telling voters that they will help solve high gas prices. Well, if you believe that, you'll believe that Hugo Chavez drives a Yugo. It's just bull.

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are calling for "investigations" into "price gouging" by American oil companies. Good. There's plenty of price manipulation going on and, under Presidents Bush and Clinton, little federal oversight. If a big oil company wants to tighten supply, for example, it's a snap. Just slow down the refinery process by ordering some extra "maintenance" or something.

But who is going to investigate Senators Obama and Clinton over their opposition to oil drilling? The Democratic Party has consistently opposed new drilling, and nuclear energy as well. Even the dedicated liberal governments in France and Sweden bought into nuclear. But not the American left, no way.

On the Republican side, President Bush has done absolutely nothing about rising gas prices, which is part of the reason is approval rating is approaching 20%. He blames the Democrats. Fine, but the President should be telling all Americans to cut back their gas consumption by 15%. He should be urging us to use less gas. That would at least cut into big oil's record profit margins.

Senator John McCain proposes a gas tax "holiday" this summer. True, that would save hard pressed Americans a few bucks, but it would also add to the massive spending deficit. The government better start balancing the budget soon before Starbucks becomes more valuable than the U.S. currency.

The sad truth is that both political parties have sold out America. For decades, economists knew China and India were industrializing and those countries would demand much greater amounts of oil. Everybody knew that OPEC could slow down production and gouge the world if it could and, of course, now it can.

But if Americans would get angry and begin punishing the oil bandits, then prices would drop. However, we are often a selfish people. We want those gas-guzzling Hummers and SUVs, and we're paying a big price for that above and beyond the sticker. 

There are plenty of fuel efficient cars available with all the toys anyone could want.  My Nissan Versa gets an average of over 40 MPG and has Bluetooth, a six CD changer, great A/C, sunroof, plenty of headroom (and I'm 6'1") and back seats that fold down with room for all the stuff I could ever want to haul around.  It has great pick up and drives like a sports car (I have the speeding tickets to proove it).  It may not look "macho" but it's a cool small SUV and I love driving it.  It even has overdrive!  They also start at about $14,000, so with the gas savings, it pays for itself!  It's like getting a FREE CAR!  PLus it's the highest rated in safety of all the small SUVs with air bags everywhere!  They have a great selection in lots of colors at Sunbelt Nissan.  Go by and tell them Tony sent you.  Maybe I'll get a finders fee LOL.  I know they'll give you a great deal.  I've bought many cars from them myself as have many of my friends.

If I were president, I'd be on every program leading the charge to buy less gas, urging folks to conserve energy in creative ways. I'd create peer pressure against the guzzle crowd. I'd name the names of greedy oil company CEOs who are making tens of millions of dollars while working folks suffer.

We need leadership on this energy business, or it is going to cripple our economy. Our energy incompetence has already empowered our enemies.

So let's get proactive out there. We the people can do this. Big oil is not looking out for us. Let's stop rewarding them and return the “Powers to the People!”

Once upon a time, marketing consisted of primarily one-way communication from companies to customers. Marketing messages were disseminated via print, radio, television, billboards, public relations and direct marketing channels. The goal was to reach customers through one or more of these vehicles.

The Internet has radically changed the marketing experience by removing geography as a limiting factor, and as a result it has increased the number of potential customers a company can reach through its marketing efforts. Potential customers can search for just about anything on the Internet.

Blogging takes advances in marketing one step further by transforming it into a conversation. It allows organizations to initiate conversations with their audience. Blogging conversations can also occur between customers and potential customers and your competition and existing or potential customers.

A wonderful byproduct of this conversation between your company and its customers via your blog is that you and your customers begin to better understand one another. Gaining a better understanding of your customers allows you to more effectively and efficiently market to them. This, of course, lowers your marketing costs!

There are as many reasons for an organization to consider blogging as there are organizations. However, most of the reasons will fit into one of the following eight categories. Quite often, a blog may combine several of these elements.

1. Be viewed as an expert

Many companies actively participate in thought-leadership activities such as writing for industry newsletters, participating in or hosting professional conferences, and producing whitepapers on subjects of interest in their respective industries. Blogging provides another vehicle that your organization can use to position itself as a thought leader.

2. Develop better customer relationships

We have evolved into a one-size-fits-all society where products are designed to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of customers rather than each customer individually.

Where customers once dealt directly with a product's maker, today they make their purchases at "big box" stores or using another medium that does not afford them the opportunity to discuss their personal needs or wants.

Blogging provides a channel for and fosters communication. It allows you to "reach out and touch" your customers in a way that other mediums do not afford.

3. Attract new customers

Consider also how customers are now using the Internet to research companies and products they buy. If you run a well-maintained blog that focuses on your products and industry, you will likely rank very well in search results for your product and industry. This means that people who are searching for information about your industry or service might come across your blog, where they otherwise might never have heard of you.

Also, consider that as other bloggers link to your blog, they are exposing their readers to you. This means that new people will be constantly viewing your blog, and by extension, be exposed to your company. And if you run a well-written blog, your network of readers will continue to grow, creating more new customers.

4. Make your company more "human" to your customers

"We live in a time when most people don't trust big companies.

At a time when everything seems to move at breakneck speed and customers often feel like a number, imagine the impact you could make if your organization were viewed as more communicative, more transparent and more open.

Customers want to feel connected, and a blog can help establish that connection with your organization.

5. Provide a forum to test new product or service ideas

When you're planning a new product or service, blogging provides an excellent tool to gather firsthand knowledge from potential users.

Once the product or service is launched, bloggers will enumerate the faults of your product, and also the features they like. Blogging allows you to collaborate with users before a product is launched so that you can minimize negative press in the blogosphere. Also, being willing to ask for and act on feedback makes a very positive impression on bloggers!

6. Know what is being said about your company

Whether you're listening or not, people are talking about your organization and your products. In the days before blogs, such conversations were simply word of mouth. Blogging has geometrically increased the number of people a customer can "tell" about their positive and negative experiences. Think of the blog as the old Wella Balsam commercial where "I told two friends and they told two friends and so on and so on and so on..."

Monitoring the blogosphere provides an organization with valuable information about what its customers, and even its competitors are saying about the organization and its products or services. In fact, knowing what bloggers are saying about your company is probably more important than blogging itself.

Many companies begin by first monitoring the blogosphere, which helps them better understand blogging and how to interact with bloggers. This makes these companies more comfortable with the entire process, and more likely to start blogging.

7. Improve the ranking of your company's Web site with search engines

Search engines constantly monitor the World Wide Web for changes to determine how to rank Web sites. Blog posts, as well as comments to blog posts, are picked up by search engine spiders as newly published information and can increase the ranking of your organization's Web site. Inbound links can also improve your ranking in search engines.

Another consideration is that since blogs rank much better with search engines, you have a big advantage over competitors that are not blogging. If you blog and your competitors don't have a blog, your thoughts and writings on the industry in your blog will do much better in search engine results. This will greatly help establish your company as an expert, as opposed to your competitors that have only a Web site that they never update.

Search engines favor sites that update frequently, which is why active blogs have an inherent advantage over static Web sites.

8. Provide company announcements in a new medium

As blogs grow in number and popularity, news is often reported in blogs before it is reported in mainstream media. In fact, for smaller companies, to which traditional media may not be willing to devote space, blogs offer a unique place to make announcements that would not be available elsewhere.

Also, blogs offer a place for a company to respond to concerns from customers arising from a PR crisis. Often, rumors and misinformation can spread quickly, and if a company is proactive to "set the record straight" via its blog, a great deal of over-excitement, and sometimes anger, can be dampened by simply responding quickly.

More companies are exploring blogging, shouldn't yours?

For the vast majority of companies, blogs may enhance existing marketing efforts over the long term. They are not a silver bullet that will magically improve market share or sales. Instead, coupled with other marketing efforts, they can enhance your brand, bring you closer to your customer, and improve your organization's public image.

Since the beginning of 2006, the number of Fortune 500 companies that blog has increased 50%. In fact, the subject of Fortune 500 companies and blogs is so hot that it has its own wiki. (This is a directory of Fortune 500 companies that have business blogs.)  Find it at http://www.socialtext.net/bizblogs/index.cgi

So blogging is still on the ground floor. Why not beat your competition to the punch and get on board before everyone else does?