Political Blog

Something to get my mind off of Ike.

Two things that you do not want to write about on a blog that is viewable to the whole world unless you want people to make snap judgements about you by something you wrote online: politics and religion. I am going to dedicate this one blog to the former and one to the latter at a later date. 

I first want to say that I am politically moderate and feel that the Leader of the Free World, also known as the President of the United States of America, needs to be elected based on policy not party. I believe in voting for who I think is better qualified to carry out what I think needs to be done and not who the majority of liberals or conservatives feels is qualified. I also want to say that this blog needs to be "taken with a grain of salt", I am just putting my thoughts out there. Lastly, I am not voting for Barrack Obama or John McCain. At this point in the election I do not feel that either is ready to lead our country and thankfully I have the right to decide whether or not I vote, thank goodness for my freedoms, other countries force their citizens to vote and some decide who the person is going to vote for. 

Warning: This blog is very anti-McCain/Palin

Anyway, on to what I came to write about. I am incredibly disgusted with the McCain/Palin race. When McCain became the front runner in the Republican Party and soon following the "presumptive" nominee and onto becoming the "official" nominee I was never truly impressed. Then Barrack Obama went the same course, front runner, "presumptive" and "official" nominee, my plan was to wait for the debates and interview etc to decide who I would, if either, support. When Barrack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate I felt, and even said to Matt and my Dad, that Barrack had handed the election to John McCain. Then John McCain announces his. And great, he picked a female running mate, showing that a woman can help to lead the free world. My problem is the woman that he picked. A little known governor of Alaska, a very right winged, conservative, anti-everything, feminist Sarah Palin. Why did he not picked a more qualified and known woman like Kay Bailey Hutchinson? I don't know. This made the election a fairly level, slightly sloping downward to McCain playing field. I really think it is great that McCain picked a female running mate, but not that woman. 

The McCain/Palin campaign seems to more anti-Barrack than actual policy. I really do not think that I have seen a single McCain ad that is about his policies, instead they are all basically saying that Barrack is the devil and we do not need him to be president! All of the ads I have seen have truly featured Barrack. I think that it is great that the Obama campaign is for change, and he is showing that he means it by running a clean campaign. He rebuts the comments of the McCain campaign but is not launching an attack campaign against the McCain/Palin party. 

The McCain ad that put me over the edge is the one featuring Barrack's statement, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig". The McCain/Palin camp choose to take that as a stab at Palin, but its not. It is an old saying that Bush, McCain, and Palin have all used in the past. On David Letterman Barrack explained what he meant by that statement. As Barrack has said numerous times in his campaign, electing McCain will be just like Bush for another 4-8 years. His lipstick statement is his way of saying that. McCain/Palin is the same as Bush/Cheney, regardless of who really are the P/VP. 

Now onto policies that bother me. 

Separation of Church and State. This was brought up on the View, not that I watch the show, but I saw clips from today's interview with McCain. I believe that this separation is one of the key elements that keeps the United States separate from countries that dictate peoples beliefs in higher power. McCain was questioned about Palin's beliefs. She is very much anti-everything but Christianity. I will proudly say that I am a Christian, but I am not going to force my beliefs on other people as Palin might try to do with her extreme faith. Having someone with her feelings leading the country can truly lead to alienation of people with other faiths, whether they be Hindu, Agnostic, Athiest...etc. I am all for a Christian leader, but not one who could potentially force their beliefs on the will of the people, which is something that people who do have extreme beliefs tend to do.

Economy. McCain says that there is nothing wrong with our economy. What?!?! Any person with the cognitive ability to comprehend statistics can see that it is not. The unemployment rate in the United States has increased to 6.1%, that is more than 50% higher than it was 5 years ago. This is not a sign of a good economy. One reason for this: tax breaks to companies who send their work overseas leads to less American based companies. Another reason: illegal immigrants cannot complain b/c they are illegal and they will work for practically nothing...just to send the money back home.

Abortion. This is a very touchy subject for me. I believe that life begins at conception, but I also believe in a woman's right to choose--in certain circumstances. I think that pregnancies as a result of incest and rape do not need to be continued if the woman does not want it to. Also in cases that the life of both mother and baby will be threatened do not need to be continued if the mother does not want to. I do not think that it abortion should be an option as a form of "birth control" Palin is very much, anti-abortion in any/all cases. No thank you McCain/Palin.

I realize that this blog is extremely long and I thank you for reading it.

War.  I am a supporter of the troops, not a supporter of the war. If the war was taken back to Afghanistan then I would be a supporter of the war. Fundamentally the war is not taking place in the place that it is against. Afghanistan caused 9/11 not Iraq. This is an issue that I agree with McCain, not Barrack on. I think that immediate withdrawal of the troops would be a HORRIBLE idea. It needs to be done in a slow manner and a base needs to stay over there for a specified amount of time. A surge of troops is not a good idea, but neither is a reverse-surge. 

Health Care. Health insurance is controlled by the big money lobbyist. This makes insurance nearly impossible for members of the lower to lower middle class to afford. I think that socialized medicine is the answer, but that obviously cannot happen overnight, but can be a goal to work towards. McCain will not get rid of the lobbyists b/c they "own" him. 

Sex Eduction. This is a BIG issue for me. I believe that abstinence only education is a horrible idea and a contributing factor to the increase of teen pregnancy. I believe that sex should be saved for marriage, but I obviously didn't follow that, so at least waiting to have sex with someone who you love is important. Telling students that sex is a bad thing that you shouldn't do casts such a negative light on it. Sex is not bad, its how we all got here and how we (if we chose to) will make more people. If it were so bad Adam and Eve wouldn't have done it. Students are going to have sex regardless of having their parents, teachers, pastors, etc telling them not to, not all students will, possibly not even a majority of students. But for the students who do choose to have sex, they need to be educated in order to make a responsible decision about their partners, STD's, and about protection. These are things that teens need to know about that adults don't want to discuss because they fear that they think it is okay to have sex.  Not informing teenagers about sex obviously doesn't make them not do it. Look at the teen pregnancy rates -- at a 15 year high. 

Enough about the election. I am going to end this blog and get ready for the rain. Thanks for reading.