I still don't know who I am voting for on Tuesday. I am inclined to vote for everyone Republican, just so that I can hope that there will be some sort of gridlock. Because when everyone is all the same party too many things change and get all wacky. And you know that everyone is going to get SUPER wacky with Nancy and Trent and Barack. But, as I have lamented, a Republican vote in El Paso is a vote in the toilet.
But I am grateful that I can vote and that, for the most part, the people we elect are genuinely trying to do their best. That we are out of Tammany Hall days (except for, maybe, that whole voter registration scandal thing) and that I can safely say that I am not going to go to bed tonight and wake up to a junta. And that our system does not work on bribes. (Except for that Alaskan Senator's system.)
And I am grateful to have smart, well-educated, well-spoken friends who can tell me why they are voting the way that they are without insulting me or rolling their eyes. Because one thing I am sick of is the divisive political talk that has taken over. I have read (and heard) people say "I can't believe I am friends with someone who would vote for McCain!/Obama!" And that makes me sad. Because if Rodney King taught us anything, it was that we should all just get along. (And not flee from the cops while on PCP. And when you are being beaten, just stay down and cover your head.) Also, whoever wins on Tuesday night, we all have to live with it for four years. So there.
Again, I am undecided. Probably Republican, but maybe not. I don't particularly like either of them. But I DO like Tina Fey on SNL, so a Sarah Palin VP would make the next bunch of Saturdays entertaining.
If you can give me a rational reason to vote for your candidate, I would love to hear it. If it is all rhetoric and "You just don't love the troops/Jesus/Black People/America" then please keep a pie in your pie hole.
And check out DaStew for his take on it. Very interesting. (Even though his dream nation is France-ico.)
Saturday, November 01, 2008
I am thankful for a (Representative) Democracy
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13 comments:
I have nothing to say that you won't also hear from your friends who are smarter than me - but I do love this post (and the whole thankful theme). I agree that the snarkiness is old and that voting is cool.
"Junta" is kind of a fun word, even if it's not a fun approach to governmenting.
Tina Fey has said she won't do Sarah Palin anymore after the election, so I think you should vote Obama!
wow thanks for the props Yen. Traffic driven my way is always appreciated. Personally I'm ordering a pizza and fries on Tuesday night and will be calling in sick Wednesday because I watch election night like most people watch the Superbowl.
Still undecided.
I particularly enjoyed SNL's take on The View last night. As well as Amy's Aunt Linda.
I hope Tina wasn't serious, but if she was....we have much more to look forward to on Saturday nights.
Wait...did you ask something else?
I like pie, Jesus, black people and America.
Well, I could never plead Obama's case better than Dastew did .... but as a fellow member of your pimp party (aren't we all?), I have to say that if keeping more dinero in your pocket is an important issue (and when isn't it?) then Obama is TOTALLY your man (unless you're making $227,000 a year .. and if you are I suspect you could afford the additional $12 Obama's gonna charge you without even noticing it was gone).
When you look at the tax plans of the two - it's really obvious who is going to let you keep more of your dosh. There is a GREAT little chart in this month's Money magazine if you can get your hands on it before Tuesday - or you could also check out:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/09/ST2008060900950.html
or
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/11/news/economy/candidates_taxproposals_tpc/?postversion=2008061113
Now I come from generations worth of Republicans, but somehow in the last 20 years or so the party stopped being about low taxes and small government and started being about preachy social issues and hand-outs for corporations. So, I know it's counter-intuitive that the Dem will actually shrink your tax bill, but we seem to be in just that sort of world now.
And as for McCain's assertions that his tax plan will save us and Obama's will make the economy worse .. I feel compelled to point out that Obama's plan is more or less a return to Clinton era tax rates, while McCain's is essentially a continuance of Bush's. I know things ebb and flow and all, but I think it's safe to say we were economically stronger after 8 years of Clinton than we are after 8 years of Bush - and you can't convince me that that is a totally natural occurrence.
I'm undecided too....go back and forth everyday. Why can't we have McCain on the social issues and Obama on the tax issues? Now, there's a candidate!
I had a boss at BYU who always said, "Vote conservative nationally and liberal locally." With each election I see his wisdom even more.
Cabesh, I like that idea. I use it on my judges/DAs votes: I want super aggressive, conservative District Attorneys and Libleral judges. So everyone gets prosecuted, but there is lenience in sentencing.
The problem with money voting based on a tax plan is that my hubs is employed by the government. So if the military gets downsized, then his career may suffer. Which means less money for me. See my dilemma?
I am going to be studying the last-ditch efforts today to see how it goes...
I hear you. I hadn't thought of it that way.... I just like the idea of lower taxes on the middle class. Or, a flat percentage tax. That'd do it for me!
It's so hard! I'm seriously going to be praying about it tonight (does that sound silly?).
I am all for a flat tax. That would rule. But then all of the accountants and people would be out of a job, right?
And it doesn't sound silly at all. You are the one who has to live with yourself the next morning.
Yen, I doubt Obama would downsize the military and throw W, yourself, and the Jooj onto the streets.
He seems to want to downsize the budget for it (i.e. no longer lining the pockets of the likes of Haliburton for the services of all their contractors), but not the actual SIZE of the forces. He seems FULLY committed to 'trooping-up' Afghanistan, which may not be a particularly attractive alternative to someone in your shoes ... but something I think McCain would have to end up doing as well.
Besides, doesn't W know Arabic? A military dude with Arabic skills will probably always have a job until the last jihad is over (which will probably not be until sometime AFTER Jesus comes back!).
W's job won't be downsized, but a smaller military means that there are fewer spots available for promotion, and if you don't promote on time you are, essentially, forced into retirement. BUT, the first thing that they did when they cut the military budget under Clinton was to privatize all that they could--which meant that a bunch of military doctors and dentists were out of jobs.
And there is no way to cut the contractors--you can cut their pay some, but we would not function without them, unless we instituted the draft. The contractors supplement the jobs that the troops do, (and make a crapload of money doing it) but we simply don't have enough troops to handle it without them. If we cut their pay by too much, I doubt anyone would do it. Really, I am jealous that many of them make four times W's pay, but they are making the same sacrifice he is, but without the Army to back them. So if you cut their pay, I don't know that anyone would want to do the jobs.
Yeah, I know the contractors are important - I didn't mean, and I don't think anyone has plans, to try to eliminate them. And I know defense contract corruption/excess has gone on FOREVER (my grandfather worked as a Defense Contract Auditor for 40+ years - trying to keep the DOD from spending $600 on a screwdriver), and I know NO ONE'S ever going to get completely rid of it ... and I know you gots to pay the folk to make it worth their while to risk their necks and all ... I just meant that Iraq was clearly a financial windfall for a handful of companies (and not really anyone else) and that I think that's the sort of thing Obama was talking about when referencing cuts in the Defense budget. That and Pentagon fat, etc., but not shrinking the actual size of the military. The only point I was trying to make is that I think Obama intends to make cuts in the Defense budget - but that a shriveling of the military itself does not have to follow - there is always tons of pork to be trimmed in any budget.
And I don't think Obama's Defense cuts will shape up to be anything like Clinton's, since we weren't involved in two wars when Clinton got scissor-happy. Taking a weed-whacker to a defense budget is a lot easier at a time when no one's shooting at you then it will be now.
OK - that's my final argument in the Obama v. McCain case ... it's up to the jury now ;)
Good luck you all! Ditto the pray before voting thing! It works great.
I always vote third party because I'm registered in CA. Doesn't matter who I vote for we always go Dem, so I vote for the person who actually sounds the most rational. Sad, yes, but I always feel good afterwards.
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