As I sit to write this month's reflection we are finally seeing an end to the crazy political "attack ads" with which we have been bombarded for many weeks. It seems to many levelheaded folks that the amount of money spent in this election cycle is nothing short of unjustified. And how much you may well ask?

The Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan Washington group whose job is to track political spending, estimates that candidates, parties, committees, outside groups and donors will spend at least $3.67 billion on the 2014 midterm elections, $40 million more than what was spent in 2010.

Just imagine, gentle reader, what serious good could have been accomplished in poorer section of this city, not to mention in numerous countries in the developing world with this enormous amount of dollars.

So now that the election is over and the Republicans controlling both the Senate and the House of Representatives, what can we expect to see on the immigration issue? Listening to both leaders McConnell and Boehner one is left in no doubt. Their first priority is to repel the Affordable Care Act aka "Obama Care". They plan to do so knowing too well that Obama will veto any effort to undo his signature legislative achievement. This leaves the President no choice but to stick to his promise and issue an executive order that will bring relief to millions of law-abiding families torn apart by our broken immigration system.

Now therefore, is the time for the President to take a bold step and issue an executive order that will include as many as is legally possible, offering relief for our undocumented brothers and sisters. This would be a truly good Christmas present for millions of decent, hard working family members who have lived far too long under the threat of deportation. Now is the time to act Mr. President, there are no more excuses, please deliver on your promise to deal with immigration reform.

NOTE:  WE ARE PLEASED THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA TOOK EXECUTIVE ACTION ON NOVEMBER 20, 2014.

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A Simple Gesture

Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder.

Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.

They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school.

They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill.

"You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mothers sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more, you saved my life."

John W. Schlatter (true story)

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