When President Obama entered the White House the economy was in a free-fall. The auto industry: on its back. The banks: frozen up. More than three million Americans had already lost their jobs. And America's bravest our men and women in uniform were fighting what would soon be the longest wars in our history.

Storytelling in general is a communal act. Throughout human history people would gather around whether by the fire or at a tavern and tell stories. One person would chime in then another maybe someone would repeat a story they heard already but with a different spin. It's a collective process.

Emergency health care for illegal aliens along the southwestern border is already costing area hospitals $200 million a year with perhaps another $100 million in extended care costs.

More than five million seniors have already saved money on their prescription drugs and almost 33 million have benefited from free preventive services. The president cracked down hard on Medicare and health care fraud recovering a record-breaking $10.7 billion over the last three years protecting our seniors. That's what change looks like.

Any veteran can tell you it is already hard enough to see a doctor down at the VA and get the health care they were promised when they signed up to serve this country.

There are a range of associated impacts related to increasing temperatures which affect both evaporation rates and river systems which are already over stressed and these will hit farming communities and the health of crop lands.

Many soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from serious long-term physical and mental health problems due to their service. It is unconscionable to cut the already limited health care benefits available to these brave men and women.

Suspicion is not less an enemy to virtue than to happiness he that is already corrupt is naturally suspicious and he that becomes suspicious will quickly be corrupt.

Anoint v.: To grease a king or other great functionary already sufficiently slippery.

I teach one semester a year and this year I'm just teaching one course during that semester a writing workshop for older students in their late 20s and early 30s people in our graduate program who are already working on a manuscript and trying to bring it to completion.