7 Long Takes – Politics

26. October 2012 · 3 comments · Categories: On the Issues, Politics, Random

In the spirit of 7 Quick Takes Friday and the upcoming elections, here are 7 Long Takes - Politics.

~~1~~

The Presidential Elections are less than two weeks away! Thank goodness! I bet most of us wish it would just get here and be done with already; I’m tired of all the silly games we have to go through to get decent leaders to lead our country and safeguard our American freedoms. Honesty all the political shenanigans make me want to throw up my arms and forget about caring more times than not. On the outside, all this political stuff seems like a bunch of over-stretched truths, over-played emotions, and blinding white-washed smiles.

~~2~~

Under the media mask of politics lays the world of our country’s government system at work. What goes on under the surface is eventually seen above ground and it all affects our lives in small and big ways. So, as annoying as it can be, we have to pay attention and vote responsibly. (What comes around goes around.) I am thankful we get to vote and have at least some say, much better than living under the rule of a dictator I’m sure.

~~3~~

However, I can’t say I’m absolutely satisfied with our choice in candidates–not even close. I’ve gone back and forth between being mad about that, apathetic, and now just…grudgingly accepting. We’ve got one guy who is clearly NOT the right guy, another who is better but not drastically enough, and probably a few ‘others’ floating around out there muffled by all the clatter and banter of the two ‘real’ candidates.

It’s too bad in a way that we’ve gotten to a place where the majority feel we only have 2 viable choices. I feel the ’3rd party’ lurking out there brings some important ideas to the round table of the political world. Many times, people in these 3rd parties bring up some great points and have some sound and logical ideas for how to run things around here. The 3rd party is like the paper plate full of all the ‘leftovers’ or ‘ignored items’ from the holiday party that no one thought were good but then if you try some you realize these were actually some of the best picks that got overlooked because they didn’t ‘look’ as good as the stuff served on the shinier platters.

I admit there’ve been times I’ve thought of joining the crazy Libertarians and maybe one day I’ll take that plunge. I don’t agree with everything ‘they’ stand for; however, I admire their passion for ‘real’ conservatism and ‘real’ liberalism. Also, I’m a bit of a rebel non-conformist and I hate being ‘stuck’ with one party all the time. I didn’t grow up in a Democrat-hating family but I wouldn’t say we were hard-core Republicans either. While that’s always who I’ve voted for, I wouldn’t say I’m a Republican loyalist. In fact, as I’ve grown older and learned more about the party and its candidates, there are more things I don’t like about the party…at least not what the party has become. That said, I’ve met some great Republican leaders who are willing to use their heads and their hearts when making important decisions; sadly, I’ve met far too many more who’ve gotten stuck in the rut of voting for their party vs. the people they’re elected to represent. That said, for now, I’m still hopeful enough (especially after seeing the enthusiasm of recent ‘new’ Republicans) to believe the GOP can be re-ignited and restored and I believe the ’3rd’ party ideas can do a lot to help with this so I do hope they stick around and get more attention.

~~4~~

For this year, though, I agree with Steve Skojec that it’s not the right year to vote ideologically. There’s way too much at stake. My husband says we’re at a tipping point, I agree except I think we were there 4 years ago already and we chose the wrong guy. This might just be our last chance to save our country from going down a path we may never get off. I realize this same justification not to vote 3rd party could be used in any election but this year I really believe there’s much more at stake than in past years. There may not even be a hope for a 3rd party at all in the future if things don’t change. That may sound overly dire yet it is what it is.

So, that’s why I’m voting for Romney–because I believe he’s the better option, even if not the best. There are things I don’t like about him but there’s enough I do like about him and I’m voting for the good he and his proposed policies can do for our country. The country would go to ruins if I and the majority of others threw in the towel or waited around for the perfect candidate. Yeah it sucks that we have to choose between Mr. Lame and Mr. Not-Quite-As-Lame but that is what it is right now so we have to work with the real choices we have. Maybe one day things will be different but this is the way it is this year. Besides I can’t be all snooty-too-shoes and not vote just because I think both the candidates are ridiculous in their own ways. I also don’t believe in the whole voting for the ‘lesser evil’ game, like if we simple folk are somehow above these politicians — they are still human like the rest of us, mostly.

~~5~~

This year, for the first time, I’m not voting for ‘pro-life’ reasons primarily; although life issues are still the most important to me and what I’m most passionate about. Regarding abortion, Romney isn’t 100% “pro-life” (he’s against abortions ‘with exceptions’ for rape/incest but that’s another story) and he wants “every woman to have access to contraception’” but comparatively he’s CONSIDERABLY better on life issues than Obama. He’s certainly not ‘in bed’ with Planned Parenthood or any other major abortion-rights groups so there’s a much better chance of passing laws that protect the sanctity of life in all life’s stages with a Romney/Ryan administration. Another plus is that Romney may not be Catholic but he respects our beliefs and isn’t afraid to give honor and glory to Whom it belongs (God). And, while he clearly doesn’t believe birth control is evil, he isn’t going to force anyone to use it or anyone to pay for it for others if they do (believe it’s evil).

~~6~~

Aside from those important life and religious aspects, our country is in serious need of an economic recovery which in turn affects everything–our life, our liberty, and our pursuit of happiness. When the economy sucks, life sucks and people do sucky things that don’t help themselves, their families, or the population as a whole.

I don’t believe the government can ‘fix’ the economy with the wave of a wand (I hope they don’t have that much power). I do think the government can either get in the way of fixing it and make it worse (like the past 4 years) or, it can be involved in a way that allows the economy to fix itself over time. I’m for the latter and, for the most part, so is Romney. He knows what it’s like to work in a business, he knows what it takes to start and maintain a successful business. Business is what runs our economy and, in this scenario, it makes sense to let Romney lead our country to get our economy going in the right direction again.

~~7~~

Politics is such a personal topic; yet, as much as we want to avoid it, we can’t—it’s an important part of our lives. Voting is a big deal. It’s not as simple as what to make for dinner and not quite as complicated as who to marry (but maybe close to that for some). For many in this country, who you vote for and what party you belong to is right up there with religion and alcohol. Unfortunately, this can make for some rather contentious conversations amongst family and friends.

For that reason, it’s something some people shy away from discussing, and that’s understandable, we all like to keep things peaceful. During these overwhelming election times, many get tired of hearing their friends/family talk or post about politics, again understandably. It’s such a hot topic issue; it’s hard not to offend someone or be offended when we share our opinions or links to other people’s opinions. The media/entertainment world cashes in on this big time and suddenly things like Planned Parenthood and “binders of women” are more newsworthy than terrorist attacks and trillion dollar debts.

True to our ‘do what you feel good about but leave me alone’ relativistic society, people generally don’t like being told who or how to vote. Our voting decisions and political affiliations are important and individual but if we really want our candidate to win we the majority of others have to agree with our opinions and vote for who we vote for so it’s natural that people will try to convince others to vote like them. There are good ways of doing this (nicely and politely and with facts), there are bad ways of doing this (condescending and accusatory and with made-up ‘facts’), and there are ugly ways (bribes, cheating, threats, etc).

That said, I’ve been working on this post for a few days weeks now but don’t feel I got my thoughts out as best as I’d like. (I’d be surprised if anyone actually read through this whole novel). I’m sharing my opinions, I know not everyone will agree but here they are anyway. My intention for sharing is not to make anyone out there feel dumb or lesser than me for voting differently but as ‘food for thought’ for these important elections. I do hope you’ll join me in voting for Romney for President but don’t do it just because I said so.

And remember, this is an important decision but it’s not the only thing; thankfully, there’s much more to life than politics. Like cute and precious babies.


PepsiCo stops use of aborted-fetal cell lines for their products, will vaccines be next?

30. April 2012 · 4 comments · Categories: abortion, On the Issues · Tags: , ,

In a Press Release today, Children of God for Life announced the amazing news that PepsiCo will not use aborted fetal cell lines for flavor enhancers anymore!

This news honestly shocked me, I couldn’t believe it at first. It didn’t seem like PepsiCo was going to budge on this issue, at least not anytime soon. This just goes to show that through God, all things truly are possible and I’m very humbled and thankful this boycott was successful in such a short amount of time. It was only back in March of last year that I shared information about PepsiCo’s relationship with Senomyx and their use of aborted-fetal cell lines to test new flavor enhancers for Pepsico’s beverage products. A lot of people doubted and even denied the truth in this but now, with PepsiCo’s statement, it is obvious.

“In a letter to Children of God for Life, PepsiCo’s VP of Global Public Policy, Paul Boykas stated that ‘Senomyx will not use HEK cells or any other tissues or cell lines derived from human embryos or fetuses for research performed on behalf of PepsiCo.’” This is truly something unique that we, as pro-life consumers, do not usually see happen. As Debi Vinnedge strongly encourages, please take some time to say THANK YOU to PepsiCo.

As shocked as I am by this unimaginable turn of events, it is also inspiring and makes me have a little hope that perhaps we will see the pharmaceutical companies, like Merck, change their ways also and offer ethical vaccines instead of only the ones that have been produced using aborted-fetal cell lines. Or better yet, they could just stop using those cell lines all together!

If you had no idea that some vaccines are cultured in aborted human cell lines, or if you simply do not believe it, check out all the undeniable and well-sourced information on it here.

It’s very interesting to me that the PepsiCo boycott was so effective. They were only using the aborted-fetal cell lines for testing their new product flavors, no part of the human cell lines, or human DNA, ended up in the final product. And while a lot of people love their Pepsi (and Tropicana), we don’t necessarily need these to survive; they aren’t potentially “life-saving” products. So it’s interesting to me that enough people participated in the boycott to make it succeed.

However, with the vaccines that are cultured in the human fetal cell lines, residual amounts of human DNA do remain in the final vaccine that ends up going into our or our children’s bodies. The majority of people consider vaccines to be “necessary” and “life-saving”. So one would think if they are so important, more so than a nice fizzy sodi-pop or sweet glass of O.J., something would have already been done to offer ethical vaccine alternatives to those who find the use of aborted-fetal cell lines morally offensive.

I think it all depends on the power of the people and there is power in numbers. Imagine if all those who claim to be “pro-life” banded together to not only send finger-pointing letters to Merck and voice their concerns to their physicians, but also went as far as to boycott the unethical vaccines in the same way they did with PepsiCo’s products. Imagine the uproar! I’m sure Merck and other vaccine companies would be tripping over themselves to heroically offer alternative vaccines and restore order and safety to public health.

But how do we get this to happen?

As Catholics, as the Pontifical Academy for Life’s statement on the use of aborted-fetal cell line vaccines states, we have a “duty to take recourse to alternative vaccines (if they exist), putting pressure on the political authorities and health systems so that other vaccines without moral problems become available.” (emphasis mine)

Furthermore, we “…should take recourse, if necessary, to the use of conscientious objection with regard to the use of vaccines produced by means of cell lines of aborted human foetal origin. Equally, [we] should oppose by all means (in writing, through the various associations, mass media, etc.) the vaccines which do not yet have morally acceptable alternatives, creating pressure so that alternative vaccines are prepared, which are not connected with the abortion of a human foetus, and requesting rigorous legal control of the pharmaceutical industry producers.”

Yes, yes, the document does go on to say that it is not required to abstain from unethical vaccines when there is no other alternative but let’s just focus, for today, on those responsibilites regarding protesting the unethical vaccines and effectively making alternative ethical vaccines available.

I can count, on my one hand, the number of people I know who have written and sent letters to Merck protesting these unethical vaccines. And we’ve all gotten such lovely responses back promising an end to such an atrocity immediately. ;) (excuse the sarcasm, please). I’m happier to say, however, that I could use both my hands to commend those who have gone so far as to ”conscientiously object” to these vaccines for themselves and/or their children. Logically and especially economically speaking, the only way a company as big as Merck is going to go to the trouble/cost of offering alternative vaccines is if enough people actually stop using the products in question.

I know there is a lot more to this complicated issue, but to simplify it: If we allow and continue to use these unethical vaccines now for “life-saving” purposes, what will we as consumers, pro-lifers and Catholics, allow in the future for other “life-saving” measures? What will our government decide is an “appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services”?

No amount of rationalization can ever really justify this wanton disregard for human life (even if these lives were voluntarily aborted some 50 years ago), and even if saving lives and preventing life-threatening diseases is in itself a good end goal.

 

 

 

 


A Conflicted Voter

09. March 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: On the Issues

I am thankful to live in a country and in a time that allows me the right to vote. It is a great gift and honor to have a say in which men and women will represent me, my family and our country in the legislature. However, as grateful as I am for this great privilege, I do not take it lightly for it is a great responsibility. I take my voting decisions seriously, sometimes maybe a little too seriously and I analyze, reanalyze, and then analyze again until I overanalyze so much that I can’t think about it anymore.

Voting is so important but because of how hard it is to really know a candidate it makes it very difficult and I think that’s why so many people just plain don’t vote…or just vote based on whoever their friends/family vote for. Or sometimes we vote based on one or two important issues while ignoring the other important issues, which is better that not voting but this ends up in a somewhat half-hearted vote– “I guess I’ll vote for this guy…” instead of a very enthusiastic, “Yes, this is definitely who I want representing us.”

I admit that I am a conflicted voter. Clearly I believe voting is important, especially now more than ever. I have no doubt that another 4 years of the current president (and those like him in congress and elsewhere) will drag our country down even further and complete the transformation of “fundamentally changing” our country into something so completely different than her original form. But, I am not completely satisfied with the alternative selections.

This may or may not surprise some of you but I have grown to appreciate the political philosophy represented by Ron Paul. If I had to choose the candidate that has been the most consistent and the most committed to a limited government as is instructed in the constitution, he would be the most obvious choice. Redefining a limited central government and reinstituting state sovereignty would automatically bring a resolution to many of our other social and economic issues we are so overwhelmed by. Paul seems to understand what is needed to fix our current problems and get us healed. Everyone else only seems to try and cover up the symptoms while ignoring the root issues. The problem though is that realistically, he isn’t a viable candidate at this time. I know this way of thinking angers many of his supporters but if we’re going to be real, that’s the truth and even he knows it. We need Paul, but first we have to put a stop to the sledgehammer of “Change” slashing away at our America. Once the cause is removed, the healing can begin.

For the presidential campaign, that leaves Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Romney was a governor and a business man. Santorum was a congressman and is a husband and father. Both say they same thing. Santorum is the only one with a congressional voting record and Romney is the only one with real business experience. Romney was pro-choice but had a change of heart even though social issues are hardly even mentioned on his website while Santorum has not only always been “pro-life” but has taken on a strong leadership role in legislation that limits abortion and defends the rights of the unborn and their families. Romney’s weakness is his Massachusetts “Romeny-Care” which is similar to the “Obama Care” he has vowed to repeal. Santorum’s weakness is his “big spending” and “big government” record as a congressman. I am not a fan of several other pieces of legislation he has voted for in the fields of education and immigration for example but I greatly appreciate his courage on traditional family and pro-life/anti-abortion views. But his record of big spending concerns me and I am not convinced he would make enough drastic changes to bring down the “size” of the federal government and increase the powers of the states. Without a congressional voting record from Romney, we can’t say for sure what he would do with the insane debt ceiling or ratio of federal government to the state and local governments. His unwillingness to make any cuts to the Medicare/Medicaid or Social Security programs (the biggest chunks of our debt) makes me uncertain he will actually bring down our debt.  But, when you compare both of the candidates, I would choose either of them in a heartbeat over a vote for Obama and right now I’m not even sure I can make it to our state’s caucus to cast my vote between Santorum or Romeny.

Hence, a rambling conflicted voter. J

The problem is we all want this perfect candidate but if we waited for that figment of our idealism to transform into a real human I’m afraid many very imperfect and rather terrible candidates would take up that fantastical space while we waited. If there ever was such a perfect candidate, we would doubtless hear much about him or her as this would not be in the best interest of the media whose sole job is to create conflict and showcase people’s worst flaws and natural hypocritical tendencies.

If you turn on the news or try to get even somewhat involved in political elections, you will most likely be quickly dismayed and confused and depressed with all the name-calling and ego-boosting and he said/she said blah blah blahs. It’s easy to become apathetic and feel we, the real people, have no influence on legislators anymore compared to all the much more influential lobbying groups and organizations. It’s really no wonder so few people really get involved or pay attention anymore to all this political stuff. It’s sad and confusing and honestly there are so many other more important things in life to pay attention to or get involved with—like living our lives and all that entails. It’s hard enough keeping up with our own dramas and making our own decisions, who can really keep up with the ridiculous games of the political world? Besides, other people with more time and energy can deal with all that.

Believe you me, I understand this. After getting involved in and directing a highly-stressful legislative project for the past two years, I honestly would like nothing more than to just lay out in my hammock and read books to my children all day while thinking only about the worries and cares that come with being a mother and wife and turn my mind off completely to all that political stuff and just live my life.

This isn’t a terrible dream but here’s the rub: The decisions that those “other people” make in the “political” world are real and they end up affecting how I and my family get to live our lives. To me, it seems apparent that our freedoms and our personal rights are being attacked more intensely, especially parental/family rights and religious/conscientious rights. (This is one reason I got involved in that legislative project.)  However, the corruption that we see in the family and in our churches cannot be blamed on the legislature and it is certainly foolish thinking to believe we can legislate good behavior or change the hearts of a whole society simply by casting a vote. However, it’s also easy to think we will always have the freedom to parent our own children and live out our religious/conscientious beliefs in this “land of the free.” But we can’t take it for granted and as soon as we do, that’s when we lose.

So, the real question then is who is the one to reach out with enough courage and strength to remove our attackers so our wounds can be covered and our country nursed back to health? Voting is an important part of this, even if we have to be conflicted voters. But it doesn’t end there. The real answer is simple: We—we, the people. We are the ones who will restore this country by restoring our hearts, our families, and our communities and this will eventually result in restoring our government representatives, policy-makers and our country.


Obama agency rules PepsiCo using aborted-fetal cell lines for new flavors is “ordinary business”

05. March 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: abortion, On the Issues · Tags: ,

Some of you may remember my post about my sad breakup with Tropicana. Basically, PepsiCo, the owner of Tropicana, partners with a company called Senomyx to test their flavor enhancements for their products. The problem is that Senomyx uses aborted-fetal cell lines to test these flavor enhancement products, including testing for a new product PepsiCo will send out into the market soon. A resolution was submitted by shareholders to force PepsiCo to adopt more ethical standards in their research and product development.

This is what President Obama’s Security and Exchange commission ruled had to say about that resolution:

Obama agency rules PepsiCo cannibalizing aborted fetus is “ordinary business” Stockholders will not be notified or allowed to vote on the measure (Largo, FL) In a shocking decision delivered Feb 28th, President Obama’s Security and Exchange Commission ruled that PepsiCo’s use of aborted fetal remains in their research and development agreement with Senomyx to produce flavor enhancers falls under “ordinary business operations”. The letter signed by Attorney Brian Pitko of the SEC Office of Chief Counsel was sent in response to a 36-page document submitted by PepsiCo attorneys in January, 2012. In that filing, PepsiCo pleaded with the SEC to reject the Shareholder’s Resolution filed in October 2011 that the company “adopt a corporate policy that recognizes human rights and employs ethical standards which do not involve using the remains of aborted human beings in both private and collaborative research and development agreements.”

Read the rest of the statement here.

This all sounds too awful to be true but I made sure to check all the sources and sadly it is and that’s why I’m sharing this. It may not seem like a big deal when you’re looking at the big picture of atrocities against human life. However, if you look closely at the big picture you’ll see when these “little” seemingly “irrelevant” leftover parts of humanity are ignored and used for “ordinary business”, it opens the door for other more obvious cruelties against the dignity of human life.


My own rant on the HHS contraceptive mandate

15. February 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: abortion, Health, On the Issues · Tags:

By now everyone has probably heard all about the US Department of Health and Human Services’ wonderful ”contraceptive mandate“. Here are 6 things and 6 more things you should know about it.

As a Catholic, as an American citizen, as a registered informed voter, as a woman, this mandate upsets me, personally, for so many reasons that I’ve hardly even been able to read much about it or even write about it but I’ve certainly been thinking about it. While everyone else is writing and ranting about it and sharing in my frustration and anger over this, I still feel that if I don’t write something about it, I just might explode. And that’s what blogging is for.

I’ll share some more organized thoughts later but for now I’m going with the bullet point rant approach.

  • First of all, why should the government be allowed to tell private companies what they have to and don’t have to cover? (This has been going on with other things for quite a while now though.)
  • Second of all, how does giving a year “to comply” for organizations who are opposed to providing these “services” constitute a compromise?
  • And on that note, making it so insurance companies have to “pay” and not those who are opposed to these ”services”, doesn’t count as an acceptable “compromise” either. DUH. (It’s like when Komen says they are only giving money to Planned  Parenthood for “breast cancer prevention”. (Which is another interesting story.)
  • Which brings me back to wondering why this administration feels it can just mandate insurance companies to cover these expensive services for free?! Who’s gonna pay for that? Hmmmm.
  • I hate how birth control pills, sterilization procedures and abortion are considered “services” that women desperately need when in fact these have done the greatest disservice to women’s health, to our country, and to basically everyone (especially those who were “prevented” from living).
  • Oh and just because “everyone else is using them” doesn’t mean it’s good. (Didn’t people listen to their mothers?) And it definitely doesn’t mean you can make everyone else pay for it.
  • It’s scary thinking about what sort of pandora’s box this mandate is opening. Who wants to guess how long it will be before contraception, sterilizations, and abortions are “required” for “at risk” individuals for “public health” purposes and to “save lives”? Pope Paul VI saw this coming.
  • It’s even more scary thinking that people don’t care or are not willing to accept how dangerous this is for now and our future and actually do something about it.
  • As much as I am angry about the mandate itself, I think I am more angry that everyone is so “shocked” about it. No one saw this coming?
  • We, the people of this country and the leaders and members of the Church, knew what we were getting with Obama and his universal ‘health’ plan.
  • We knew from the beginning about his strong commitments to “women’s health”, “access to preventive health care” and “women’s rights”.
  • We knew he (and his administration) wanted to include these “services” in the plan from the beginning.
  • Those of us who are familiar with Kathleen Sebelius are very familiar with her connections to the abortion industry.
  • And yet people still voted for him (and her) and still cheered on the Affordable Care Act into law, including Catholics, as long as there weren’t any mandates about abortion of course…
  • Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful the leaders of the Church and so many are rallying together against this mandate. I just don’t understand why now? It just seems a bit late in the game that’s all. But…better late than never I suppose.
  • And yet, I wonder…as mad as people are now about this…how soon will they forget? Will they remember all this on November 6, 2012?
  • Will it matter enough to enough people?

 

 


2012 Presidential Candidate Debates

25. September 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: On the Issues, Random · Tags: , , , , ,

I’ve been trying to catch up on the republican presidential candidate debates and I watched the latest one last night and the nights before. First; wow what an amazingly high-tech debate! I like how Fox partnered with Google to let everyday people send in their questions through YouTube videos and emails and such. I also enjoyed the online extras in between the breaks with different analysis of the candidates and what people are searching for the most etc.

Here are some thoughts I have about the whole thing. I don’t mind sharing these thoughts because I find it helpful to get them out for myself but also because I like to share my opinions about politics not to convince anyone necessarily to think exactly like me (I’m not sure I’d wish that upon anyone) but because I find dialogue about this topic to be extremely important. Keep in mind that when I share thoughts on politics I am in no way trying to make you agree with me or even vote just like me. I also reserve the right to change my mind about candidates and even about certain issues as I learn more about them.

Politics—the study of how policy is formed in our country—is incredibly fascinating to me, even though it can also be incredibly frustrating at the same time. It is interesting to study our history (which I’ve been doing more of) and see how we’ve evolved and are evolving as a country. Like a good friend of mine likes to say, “we are all on a journey” and usually we each are in a different place on that journey. I feel that I am a baby still on the journey of understanding politics and many of my thoughts and ideas about certain parts of it are still ‘in progress’. So keep that in mind; that my words with this subject tend to be more ‘streams of consciousness than solid unchangeable convictions. There are of course certain exceptions to that when it comes to intrinsic moral issues such as abortion and other ‘sanctity of life’ issues.

First, I’d like to share why I find it important, for myself, to watch these debates and pay attention to the candidates now. The simple answer is: All politics is local. It would be easier really for me to do my own thing and live life without having to pay attention to what the legislatures in my state or federally were doing but the fact of the matter is that what they do affects my everyday life. They can’t take away my choice of how I choose to live my life—happily or sadly, positively or negatively etc. But they definitely have the power to impose regulations or laws on me that affect what I do or don’t do in my day and life. Policies that are made in the government legislatures and departments can effect what food I buy, what type of car I drive and when, where I send my children to school, what supplements, medicines or other ‘health care’ treatment I use for our families health, what house I buy, what bank I keep my money in, even what I do with my trash. It’s pretty important for me and my family who holds those reigns. I know I have very little influence over who gets voted into office and then from there who gets assigned to the various departmental positions—I, the little person, am almost as important as a speck compared to the huge companies and lobbying organizations. But, like I’ve said before, Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who makes a really great point—“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” Even a speck like me is important and I can make a difference.

Now, back to why the debates and the pre-primary presidential candidates are important to keep up with starting now. By the time next November comes around, the majority of Americans will have forgotten much of what was said during this time—if they were even paying attention. I think most people are just waiting until after the primaries to see which candidate will have to face Obama. Which is too bad because now is the time when it is more important to get involved. Now is the time when we can start the process of getting to know all the candidates, rather than waiting and trying take a crash course of one candidate and his/her history and positions a week (or day) before the November 2012 election. Now is the time when we have more of a choice about who we really want to be the next president rather than who we’ll have to settle for to replace the current president.

The debates are long but you can watch the all online and break them up into little segments rather than sitting down and watching the whole thing in one setting. They are also actually quite entertaining in some parts. The last game-show-type question at the end of the last debate gave me a good laugh—especially after Newt Gingrich’s typical matter-of-fact response to the whole idea. It’s also interesting to see how well each candidate debates, even amongst their ‘friends’.  I know many do not like to see them attacking each other, being that they are on the same ‘side’ but it’s good practice for having to go against Obama—clearly not on the same side.  Romney pointed out that even though they all don’t agree with each other on everything; they all do agree that any one of them would be a better president by far than who we have now.

These are my first quick impressions of each of the candidates from the last debate (if you’ve made it down this far).

Michele Bachmann — I like her. I like that she is a ‘constitutional conservatist’. I admire her gumption and her zeal for this. I also like that she really does not play into any ‘sexist’ games by drawing any attention to the fact that she is a woman. But, as a woman, I admire her for not letting this difference stop her. I also am happy with how she has answered the Gardasil issue and thankful that she has brought the issue of unjust government vaccine mandates into the debate as it is a very important often-overlooked-tossed-aside issue. It wasn’t surprising to me though that the media and others used this as a way to ruin her. It’s the same old trick—use something dumb to make a woman candidate look less than intelligent and every one will just follow along and assume that she is, in fact, too dumb to be in politics. I’m not sure yet if she is the one I would pick for the next president as there are some areas I feel she is weak on but overall I think she is playing an important role in the debates and in our country.

Herman Cain — I don’t know a lot about him but from the way he answers questions, I could vote for him. I think that the job of the president is a big leadership role. Herman’s business experience definitely makes him qualified for such a job. And I like that he does not play on any ‘race cards’. Herman does not look at himself as different from any other candidate up there because of his ethnic/racial background. He is who he is and the color of his skin will not change or determine that. He is a man of principal and it is his principals that he will run on.

John Huntsman – He has some good answers but some of his other answers and his history in politics make it hard for me to see him as a real ‘conservative’ candidate. I also hope his prediction about Romney and Perry come true—that they will just obliterate each other with all their back-and-forth attacking.

Gary Johnson—I appreciate the libertarian perspective he brings to the debates and the added humor too! But, for my sanity, will you please stop wiggling around and stay still when talking!

Ron Paul – One thing I most admire about this guy—he never quits. He knows his chances of actually being elected president-much less the primary candidate—is slim to say it nicely. Yet he stays in. Why? He is passionate and unyielding and consistent in his conservative and libertarian principles.  And for this I do admire him. Yet, I get lost when it comes to his more extreme positions on the military and foreign policy. I am, however, impressed by his fans. I don’t think there has ever been a candidate that has so many devout and loyal fans as Ron Paul. If someone has a Ron Paul sign in their yard or a button on their shirt for him—you know there is nothing you can do or say that will change his/her mind about supporting him all the way, not matter what, to the end.

Rick Perry—Sorry dude, I’m not just not convinced. I listen and watch you answer and I’m left asking, “Huh? Did you even answer the question?”  And yes the HPV Gardasil thing is a big deal.

Mitt Romney — You know at first I didn’t really like this guy. Just another slick politician whose teeth twinkle when he smiles. But the more I listen to him talk the less I dislike him. One thing is for sure: He wins the award for the best debater! (See, his magic is already working.)

Rick Santorum — Oh Rick. I could love you, I really could. You’re passionate about what you believe in—but maybe a little too passionate. I’m waiting for the day when you just walk up and punch one of your fellow candidates for saying something you disagree about. Your lack of composure is unfortunately a problem and would never stand against the cool, calm debater that is Barack Obama. That said, thank you for speaking the truth on many important issues. I hope you will continue doing so…just not as president.

Newt Gingrich—Out of all the candidates in the debates, Newt is the one I most enjoy listening to. He’s smart, he’s witty, he makes me laugh and feel relaxed. I know he’s been around a long time but maybe this could be a good thing—experience produces wisdom. I’ve been told and have heard his past does not really serve him well. I honestly haven’t had time to dig into his past yet. If he can’t be the president, I sincerely hope the new president will invite the former speaker onto his/her team as an invaluable advisor.


Quest for truth and knowledge and understanding in a crazy world

01. June 2010 · Write a comment · Categories: On the Issues · Tags: , , , ,

Like I was saying in my hamburger post, there are many things that come together to make me - me.  I have a lot of different interests and passions.  In the past few years I’ve become more interested in politics and current events.  This is a part of me that I’d like to give more time to but well honestly can’t always fit it into my life.  Plus, there seems to always be a lot going on and there are so many opinions and it just gets a little hard to process.  But I feel that I must at least try to make some sense of it all and so I will do this in a new place. That way if you don’t really care what I think about different issues that are going on, you can just stay here with motherhood and marriage and faith and other such simple categories.  If you do join me on my quest for truth and knowledge and understanding, I hope you will join me in friendly and constructive conversation and leave behind anything you don’t like there.

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