Governor Palin - Vice President

It has taken a couple of days for me to get a handle on whether John McCain's pick for VP is brilliant or just political. The fact that Hillary Clinton had 18 million popular votes, tells us that the female population is going to be very active in this years election. Governor Palin's speech was impressive with her having a son in Iraq, proof of a pro choice stance, the turning away of federal dollars for the bridge to no where. This could be interesting. These are my thoughts....

Playing for keeps...

Wow, the Democrats are really firing on all cylinders at this weeks convention. After what seems like years of campaigning we get to see the Democratic team in action together.

After Hilary Clinton's rousing performance last night, I was wondering how Biden would do tonight. One thing is for sure. Joe Biden is ready to go on the attack and support who he believes to be the next President of the United States.

Obama & Biden

Well it's official; Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden from Delaware to be his running mate in the 2008 election. As I have said before, it is going to up to all of us to do our research on everyone involved in the "Run for the Presidency." I, for one, will be heading to my local bookstore to get some books and literature to help me understand our candidates. I have attached a couple of videos of the candidates to help us do just that....

Hillary and the convention

For all of you that listen to Bob and Tom, you have already been thinking about what could happen at the upcoming Democratic Convention. The fact that she will be on the nominating form absolutely baffles me. If I were Barack Obama, I would be fighting like crazy to keep her off. Having her at the convention makes sense, as she did garner over 18 million popular votes. To have her on the ballot only leaves room for disaster for Obama. This is my opinion and I look forward to yours.....

John Edwards

I don't think the news that John Edwards had an affair should be all that surprising. What does continue to surprise me, is that he got caught, and our obsession with our public officials private lives. Yes, he had an affair and it doesn't look good for him as a national public official. This is especially true in that it comes at a time when America is sympathizing with his wife and family during Elizabeth's fight with cancer.

I'm not sure really, however, that a man’s (or women's) political life. I don't elect people to be roll models for our children any more than I would pick my boss, by his personal life. I want the person, man or women, who is best equipped to move our country forward and help to provide a better future for my children.
If we had these standards back at the founding of our nation, none of our national leaders would have been in congress. They would not have been President and never have lead us to become the great country we are. These are just a few thought and as always, I welcome yours....

Iraq Budget Surplus

I heard yesterday that the Iraqi government actually has a budget surplus of approximately $50 million. This really blew my mind. I can't believe that there isn't an arrangement by which we would be getting paid for all the reconstruction work that is going on. Why are we paying for something they can pay for themselves.
What was more troubling to me, however, is the fact that $50 million may be a great incentive for some radicals to try to overthrow whatever government body is in place when we leave.
Are we going to have to stay indefinitely to protect the Iraqi government and their surplus. I have not heard the candidates address the future ramifications, but only the fact the surplus now exists. Unbelievable!

Education

Over the weekend I was reading up on Senator Obama, as I know my vote this election cannot be based on my party affiliation, or just what I see or hear on TV. I was reading about all the work he has done on welfare reform and how he has been at the forefront during the current attempt at an overhaul. Most of the bills look to assist folks with educational training to help them find a job and advance to future opportunities. They have a system to make sure those folks have child care and healthcare while they are in transition. I did not find a transitional period timeframe, however, which makes me think it could be years.

The part that kept eating at me was the fact that major portions of the money most off us working folks make, goes to childcare and healthcare. We pay back our school loans and pay taxes, which the government uses to assist these folks that are attempting to break generational welfare. It seems to me that we are attacking the wrong issue. We are working to fix the symptom, not the illness. All this money is being spent at a time when our schools don't have enough books. Our teachers are buying their own supplies, even though they are greatly underpaid. Our curriculum is different depending on where you live, which would make sense if we were actually teaching folks what they will need to know to survive.

I ask you this. Can you imagine how much good could be done in our educational system, if the money being squandered by the federal government on welfare reform, was instead spent on education. Not by the federal government, but by the local school districts. Let more of my money stay in my region. That may cause more of us to get involved, who knows. Why would Phil Mickelson and his wife Amy testify before congress in regards to this issue? They know that we are falling behind and need to do something now.
Ask yourself, when was the last time you heard something of substance being discussed by our candidates in regards to really doing something about education? This is my opinion and I would love to hear yours....

It’s the economy…

As I read through the news of the election and what is happening in both camps, today there seems to be a leaning toward Obama because of the economy. For me it is a lot simpler than most have made it seem. The election is going to comes down to whether you believe the “Free Market’ will fix the economy, or do we need the government to step in and create more regulation and exert more control. Voters will be balancing their wishes in regards to a their desired outcome in Iraq, with how they are being affected by the economy.

Believe it or not some people are better off now then they were a couple of years ago. They either work in a growing industry, live in a growing community, or are the best at what they do. Look at major league ballparks this summer. There doesn’t seem to be any drop off in attendance. These are the same folks, however, who may to be busy to actually be involved in any of the polls.

Something to think about…

"The Race Card"

It is coming out again, it seems like we can never get by the look of our politicians. Whether you are talking about Hilary, Barack, or McCain, this year’s political landscape has been dominated by the Sex and Race card. I have a hard time understanding why someone would be so preoccupied with these old themes, when we are in need of a true leader. I would have to say that during polls people say what they want to believe is their opinion, but when you are in the booth and your vote counts, does your mind change? Maybe you go from idealistic to realistic. We have seen a great deal of rhetoric over the past two years, but do we yet really know if either candidate is up to the task?