California's Proposition 8 has recently captured the attention of our Nation. The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 raised $35.8 million and $37.6 million, respectively. The Proposition passed narrowly November 4th, 52% to 48%. The title of the ballot language was "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry." Whether you agree with it or not, I believe the decision for the change was handled correctly. I believe this should be a state decision, as opposed to federal, and that the people should vote on it. Though I believe the process was correct, I don't agree with the decision of the majority.
The political disagreement that touches on both religion and human rights, has only intensified since the proposition passed. Reasons for support vary from restoring the definition of marriage (between a man and woman), protecting children from being taught about same-sex marriage in schools, and the social issues that come along with same-sex couples raising kids. The other major reason lurking behind the bedroom door, is outright homophobia. I'm sure this plays out in many different ways in many peoples minds.
I find most religious people express the definition of marriage as being between a man and woman. So religion and past societal norms play into these positions. This definition may be fine for some but it is certainly not for others. To the religious issue, the constitution provides for the separation of church and state and the right of individuals to pursue happiness as long as they are not harming others. Relative to societal norms, from 1850 until it was overturned 1948, the law for marriage was defined as "all marriages of white persons with negroes or mulattoes [were] declared to be illegal and void". “Slavery" was a “societal norm” and I think we can all agree these laws were wrong and against what America stands for. There is nothing in the constitution that limits any group freedoms.
Most proponents of Prop 8 say this is not an attack on gay lifestyles, you can call it a "civil agreement" or anything but marriage. Legally, the definition of marriage provides more rights for the couple. For marriage, there are over 1,049 federal and state benefits compared to only 300 state level benefits for civil unions. These benefits range from tax relief to medical decisions to death benefits. Again, there's a difference in equality in the two definitions.
So here in the United States we revel in our acceptance of diversity and the integration of all of the different cultures in our great country yet seem to stumble here.
When I saw a commercial saying if you don't vote yes for Prop 8, our kids will be taught about same-sex marriage in schools, I thought to myself "Doesn't sound like something I want taught to my kids." Marriage should be taught in my house period. The California Education Code Section 51890 states-
(a) For the purposes of this chapter, "comprehensive health education programs" are defined as all educational programs offered in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, in the public school system, including in-class and out-of-class activities designed to ensure that:
(1) Pupils will receive instruction to aid them in making decisions in matters of personal, family, and community health, to include the following subjects:
(A) The use of health care services and products. (B) Mental and emotional health and development. (C) Drug use and misuse, including the misuse of tobacco and alcohol. (D) Family health and child development, including the legal and financial aspects and responsibilities of marriage and parenthood. (E) Oral health, vision, and hearing. (F) Nutrition, which may include related topics such as obesity and diabetes.
Frankly I have to wonder what the public school system is doing leaving it to thousands of teachers to decide how to explain “the responsibilities of marriage and parenthood” in the first place. I think every teacher can interpret this or any other article in their own way and this should be removed regardless of which side of the issue you’re on. This code does not state “same-sex marriage” will be taught in schools and Prop 8 has no mention of schools in the legislation.
I realize most of our culture centers around generalizations- who the bad drivers are, who the bad dancers are, who has larger feet, etc. There are actually facts to back up a lot of the generalizations but at the end of the day, they're still generalizations. You may think it's wrong for two men to raise a child because the chances of that child having a social disorder are higher. There are good parents and there are not so good parents regardless of their sexual orientation. I would venture to say most parents need to worry about how they're going to raise their kids better instead of someone else's. Basing laws on generalizations is a dangerous road we don't want to go down.
We should not be changing the constitution to take rights away from anyone. Though you may not agree with how someone chooses to live their lives, we're all Americans and we're all free. Leave religion and definitions out of the debate. Agree or disagree, marriage is a right for everyone.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Cloudy Waters...
One great thing...sooo many bad.
I think it shows a lot about our country that we've elected a black president. It's impressive how far we've come so quickly. Just over 50 years ago, blacks were considered second class citizens in many parts of the country. As Americans, we've come a long way in short period of time...very impressive.
Political parties, the election process, and the election of Barack Obama should be alarming to all of us. Is anyone else disgusted with our country during this election process? It has exposed many cracks in our core values.
The two party system is a broken system. On the left hand, we have the Democratic Party. On the other left hand, we have the Republican Party. Both have abused the constitution on which this country was built. The Republican Party is a cheap imitation of the Democratic Party. We're talking about our elected representatives...people that are supposed to represent the people...a concept that seems, unfortunately laughable. Republicans got what they deserved in this election. We nominated the most liberal republican and he got caught up in the middle of independents and true republicans. Obama exposed McCain with a masterful campaign that really focused on running against Bush. This is a better time than ever for the Libertarians or some other party to make some noise. I don't think the Democratic or Republican Party represents Americans. It's time for more choice. I'm done with voting for the best of the worst. America is the land of the free. People need to realize freedoms are snatched from us everyday...and that it's not OK.
The media coverage during this election has been embarrassing. It's concerning that television organizations donated over $25 million (75% of all television organization contributions) to Obama's campaign. 79% positive coverage for Obama compared to 29% for McCain. How can we trust these people? How can we trust new organizations when the lean one way or the other? Isn't their job to report news in a fair and balanced way? Isn't a disinterested press considered to be an important aspect in the defense of our Democracy?
I believe the demographic that is most easily swayed by the skewed media coverage are the young voters, 18-29 years old. This showed in the exit polls- 66% for Obama and 32% for McCain. The rest of the voting public came out at about 50/50. News coverage for all candidates should be fair across the board. Question now is, what are these television organizations going to want in return for their $25 million?
For a country already heading in the wrong direction, the election of Barack Obama will further bury America. The $700 billion Sell Out the government has already illegally passed and will be followed up by a $300 billion "stimulus" (Sell Out) pushed by Obama and Pelosi. Obama will want to stay in the middle but it will be impossible. Democrats and others that donated to his campaign will come to collect. Obama will have to follow his party or be destroyed...he'll follow. There is no way Obama will be able to honor the promises he made (and constantly changed)during his campaign. Economists will tell him it's impossible to raise capital gains taxes. The stock market, after a good couple of weeks, will be hammered over the next couple of months because of the realization of things to come. Obama said he would delay rescinding Bush's tax cuts on wealthy Americans if there is a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy. "I think we've got to take a look and see where the economy is," he told ABC News. "I mean, the economy is weak right now." Hasn't the economy been in a downward spiral for the last 2 years? He won't honor cutting taxes for people under $150,000 (like some "whackamole" at the carnival, I'm guessing this is the number now). He won't be able to cut taxes for 95% Americans (IMPOSSIBLE if he tried yet people still hang on this number) and he won't honor the great programs he's boasted about bloating planned spending by an additional $1 trillion on top of the mountain of debt we've already created.
A black person being elected proves opportunity…which brings us back to the tax issue. Obama is not where he is today because he or his family received tax credits or hand outs. He’s not where he is today because the government took money from someone else and gave it to him. The government is not supposed to take or give money…the government is there to help by assisting equal opportunity for each citizen.
One year ago, Obama was saying we would have a specific date for withdrawal from Iraq. Over the past 6 months he's completely backed off of it...because John McCain was right. Obama will not just "pull out" of Iraq like promised. He's smarter than that.
Our country has been taken from us. We need to focus on core principles- Limited government, less government intrusion, fiscal responsibility, energy independence, open market business and health care. Let's see what "change" brings us beyond the only sure thing it has always brought us...less freedoms. Anyone else nervous? Oh...and someone please tell Obama to stop saying Amerrrricaaa like a preacher.
I think it shows a lot about our country that we've elected a black president. It's impressive how far we've come so quickly. Just over 50 years ago, blacks were considered second class citizens in many parts of the country. As Americans, we've come a long way in short period of time...very impressive.
Political parties, the election process, and the election of Barack Obama should be alarming to all of us. Is anyone else disgusted with our country during this election process? It has exposed many cracks in our core values.
The two party system is a broken system. On the left hand, we have the Democratic Party. On the other left hand, we have the Republican Party. Both have abused the constitution on which this country was built. The Republican Party is a cheap imitation of the Democratic Party. We're talking about our elected representatives...people that are supposed to represent the people...a concept that seems, unfortunately laughable. Republicans got what they deserved in this election. We nominated the most liberal republican and he got caught up in the middle of independents and true republicans. Obama exposed McCain with a masterful campaign that really focused on running against Bush. This is a better time than ever for the Libertarians or some other party to make some noise. I don't think the Democratic or Republican Party represents Americans. It's time for more choice. I'm done with voting for the best of the worst. America is the land of the free. People need to realize freedoms are snatched from us everyday...and that it's not OK.
The media coverage during this election has been embarrassing. It's concerning that television organizations donated over $25 million (75% of all television organization contributions) to Obama's campaign. 79% positive coverage for Obama compared to 29% for McCain. How can we trust these people? How can we trust new organizations when the lean one way or the other? Isn't their job to report news in a fair and balanced way? Isn't a disinterested press considered to be an important aspect in the defense of our Democracy?
I believe the demographic that is most easily swayed by the skewed media coverage are the young voters, 18-29 years old. This showed in the exit polls- 66% for Obama and 32% for McCain. The rest of the voting public came out at about 50/50. News coverage for all candidates should be fair across the board. Question now is, what are these television organizations going to want in return for their $25 million?
For a country already heading in the wrong direction, the election of Barack Obama will further bury America. The $700 billion Sell Out the government has already illegally passed and will be followed up by a $300 billion "stimulus" (Sell Out) pushed by Obama and Pelosi. Obama will want to stay in the middle but it will be impossible. Democrats and others that donated to his campaign will come to collect. Obama will have to follow his party or be destroyed...he'll follow. There is no way Obama will be able to honor the promises he made (and constantly changed)during his campaign. Economists will tell him it's impossible to raise capital gains taxes. The stock market, after a good couple of weeks, will be hammered over the next couple of months because of the realization of things to come. Obama said he would delay rescinding Bush's tax cuts on wealthy Americans if there is a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy. "I think we've got to take a look and see where the economy is," he told ABC News. "I mean, the economy is weak right now." Hasn't the economy been in a downward spiral for the last 2 years? He won't honor cutting taxes for people under $150,000 (like some "whackamole" at the carnival, I'm guessing this is the number now). He won't be able to cut taxes for 95% Americans (IMPOSSIBLE if he tried yet people still hang on this number) and he won't honor the great programs he's boasted about bloating planned spending by an additional $1 trillion on top of the mountain of debt we've already created.
A black person being elected proves opportunity…which brings us back to the tax issue. Obama is not where he is today because he or his family received tax credits or hand outs. He’s not where he is today because the government took money from someone else and gave it to him. The government is not supposed to take or give money…the government is there to help by assisting equal opportunity for each citizen.
One year ago, Obama was saying we would have a specific date for withdrawal from Iraq. Over the past 6 months he's completely backed off of it...because John McCain was right. Obama will not just "pull out" of Iraq like promised. He's smarter than that.
Our country has been taken from us. We need to focus on core principles- Limited government, less government intrusion, fiscal responsibility, energy independence, open market business and health care. Let's see what "change" brings us beyond the only sure thing it has always brought us...less freedoms. Anyone else nervous? Oh...and someone please tell Obama to stop saying Amerrrricaaa like a preacher.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Eve of the Election
The election has already been decided...we just don't know it. At this point, if you don't know who you're voting for, you've been hiding under a rock or have decided not to care over the past 2 years. Either way, we will go into next year not knowing what will happen. Most would say they want it to go back to the way it used to be. That can't happen. We expect Washington to be fiscally responsible, we need to be fiscally responsible!
This has been the longest election process in the history of the United States. If Obama wins, he can attest the win to 4 major factors (right or wrong)-
1. The Bush Administration
2. Money (raised and spent more than any presidential candidate in history)
3. The Financial Crisis
4. The Media
If McCain wins, he can attest the win to major factors(right or wrong)-
1. Experience
2. Foreign Policy
3. Choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate
4. Honesty and Integrity
The difference between the two is simple. Obama is at the right place at the right time and McCain is a steady Eddie. I would argue with anyone the 4 factors listed above for Obama are the reasons he would be President. In reality, none of them have to do with Barack Obama. I will give the guy credit, he has run a masterful campaign and has certainly out-campaigned John McCain. I'm surprised John McCain is still so close! Most Americans associate the financial collapse of this country to the Bush Administration and the Republican Party. Yet, the night before the election, most polls show John McCain within 5 points of Barack Obama. What's that saying? "If you have enough money, you can buy your way into Presidency." This is partly true. Barack Obama didn't register 150,000 new voters in Illinois because it was his home state and people just wanted to vote. His well funded army got out there and signed people up to vote. Having the media report 79% positive coverage for Obama compared to 29% positive coverage for McCain is certainly one sided. If you look at John McCain's 4 factors, they're all created by John McCain himself. I think John McCain would have this election easily won, if he would have run a better campaign. The major blows against McCain are the Bush Administration, the financial crisis, and his age. I think his age has been a plus and minus for him. He's amassed experience through years but some people think he won't last through the next 4 years. John McCain has been known as a straight shooter. With Obama, I would argue he's anything but a straight shooter. Give me an elected official that has voted "Present" 150 times (as opposed to yes or no on crucial legislation) and I'll tell you that person is not doing his or her job. As President, you can't vote "Present." Iran has nuclear weapons, what will you do President Obama? Vote "Present"? Sarah Palin has given the McCain campaign the jolt it needed. Conservatives have always questioned John McCain as a true conservative but his choice of Palin brought the conservative base back on board.
The media has successfully pushed the failure of the Bush Administration in favor of Obama. What if Obama was President in 2000? Would things have been different? Better? If you saw a country that funded terrorism, harbored terrorism, broke 13 international laws, known for a fact to have illegal missiles, and had weapons of mass destruction, what would you have done as President? If everything was presented to you as 100% accurate and you tried to work peaceful negotiations through the U.N., what would you have done as President? I don't believe going into Iraq was a failure of the Bush Administration. With the evidence presented, it would have been bad judgment not to go to war with Iraq. I believe after the initial invasion, the war was mismanaged. The surge, which has been amazingly successful, was opposed by Obama. Obama also said we should have a specific date of withdrawal, he's completely backed off of that.
The argument the war has sent us into recession is false. Defense spending is below its historical average as a percent of GDP. The argument that the Bush Administration is to blame for deregulation is false. This problem started 40 years ago and Washington (Democrats and Republicans) have contributed to worsening the problem. In my opinion, we would have been in this crisis earlier and much deeper if it weren't for the Bush tax cuts. The Bush tax cuts helped the economy over his first 7 years and since 9/11, but the proof was in the pudding...the perfect storm had been festering for 40 years.
Regardless of who wins tomorrow, we all need to wake up, stop hating each other, and come together. Starting Wednesday, I say we're all independents...we're all Americans.
This has been the longest election process in the history of the United States. If Obama wins, he can attest the win to 4 major factors (right or wrong)-
1. The Bush Administration
2. Money (raised and spent more than any presidential candidate in history)
3. The Financial Crisis
4. The Media
If McCain wins, he can attest the win to major factors(right or wrong)-
1. Experience
2. Foreign Policy
3. Choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate
4. Honesty and Integrity
The difference between the two is simple. Obama is at the right place at the right time and McCain is a steady Eddie. I would argue with anyone the 4 factors listed above for Obama are the reasons he would be President. In reality, none of them have to do with Barack Obama. I will give the guy credit, he has run a masterful campaign and has certainly out-campaigned John McCain. I'm surprised John McCain is still so close! Most Americans associate the financial collapse of this country to the Bush Administration and the Republican Party. Yet, the night before the election, most polls show John McCain within 5 points of Barack Obama. What's that saying? "If you have enough money, you can buy your way into Presidency." This is partly true. Barack Obama didn't register 150,000 new voters in Illinois because it was his home state and people just wanted to vote. His well funded army got out there and signed people up to vote. Having the media report 79% positive coverage for Obama compared to 29% positive coverage for McCain is certainly one sided. If you look at John McCain's 4 factors, they're all created by John McCain himself. I think John McCain would have this election easily won, if he would have run a better campaign. The major blows against McCain are the Bush Administration, the financial crisis, and his age. I think his age has been a plus and minus for him. He's amassed experience through years but some people think he won't last through the next 4 years. John McCain has been known as a straight shooter. With Obama, I would argue he's anything but a straight shooter. Give me an elected official that has voted "Present" 150 times (as opposed to yes or no on crucial legislation) and I'll tell you that person is not doing his or her job. As President, you can't vote "Present." Iran has nuclear weapons, what will you do President Obama? Vote "Present"? Sarah Palin has given the McCain campaign the jolt it needed. Conservatives have always questioned John McCain as a true conservative but his choice of Palin brought the conservative base back on board.
The media has successfully pushed the failure of the Bush Administration in favor of Obama. What if Obama was President in 2000? Would things have been different? Better? If you saw a country that funded terrorism, harbored terrorism, broke 13 international laws, known for a fact to have illegal missiles, and had weapons of mass destruction, what would you have done as President? If everything was presented to you as 100% accurate and you tried to work peaceful negotiations through the U.N., what would you have done as President? I don't believe going into Iraq was a failure of the Bush Administration. With the evidence presented, it would have been bad judgment not to go to war with Iraq. I believe after the initial invasion, the war was mismanaged. The surge, which has been amazingly successful, was opposed by Obama. Obama also said we should have a specific date of withdrawal, he's completely backed off of that.
The argument the war has sent us into recession is false. Defense spending is below its historical average as a percent of GDP. The argument that the Bush Administration is to blame for deregulation is false. This problem started 40 years ago and Washington (Democrats and Republicans) have contributed to worsening the problem. In my opinion, we would have been in this crisis earlier and much deeper if it weren't for the Bush tax cuts. The Bush tax cuts helped the economy over his first 7 years and since 9/11, but the proof was in the pudding...the perfect storm had been festering for 40 years.
Regardless of who wins tomorrow, we all need to wake up, stop hating each other, and come together. Starting Wednesday, I say we're all independents...we're all Americans.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Obamics and Socialism, Part 2
“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.” - Alexis de Tocqueville
The assumption that spending more tax-payer's money will make everything better is wrong as proven through history. Tax-payers work to make things better for themselves. The more money someone has, the more they spend. The more money businesses have, the more products and services they create...which also means more jobs.
What? Say that again. Oh...Obama is cutting taxes for 95% of Americans. I guess that means there will also be more jobs available since there are many without jobs, right? You're right. Obama raising taxes on businesses won't affect me...I'm not rich! Take money from the rich and give to the poor...build America from the bottom up!
If you were watching "The View" or MSNBC, this is exactly what you would hear. With this financial crisis, Americans are seeing their hard earned money and retirements go down the drain. We blame, as we should, heads of these financial institutions that we trusted our money to, just so they could go all in on red at the roulette tables. We all start saying "I'm not going to let myself be taken again, this time it's all about me." This is when the 95% cut in taxes sounds good...because it helps me. Fact is, for everyone making less than $200,000 (I think that's Obama's number today), neither presidential canidate's tax plans will have a dramatic impact on the economy. The difference is with who pays you and I, small and large businesses. The way a business expands is by spending money to develop and offer more products and services. You start taking away the money and you start taking away the products and services. Obama wants to raise taxes on businesses and we all know businesses don't pay those taxes...we do! While this will generate more business tax revenue, this will cripple our foundation, the working class. John McCain will cut the corporate tax rate from 45% to 35% to help generate more money for businesses to expand products, services, and create more jobs! When Ronald Reagan slashed taxes from 70% down to 28%, tax revenues to the government increased dramatically. Why? Simple economics. 16 million jobs were created because businesses had more money to expand products and services. The wealth would be spread by the open market...not by the government.
On the budget side. Obama would have to increase taxes for businesses. How else would he afford the $1 trillion in EXTRA spending? Under both canidate's budget plans, the deficit would increase from where it is today. It would increase substantially more under Obama. Obama will continue to have the government take over companies and expand the government. The "Sell Out" was a major move in the wrong direction for this country. I think it proves to all us that we don't need a politician deciding where OUR hard earned money will go.
This election shouldn't be about "Change," it should be about "WAKING UP." With the word "Change" being thrown around so much by the Obama-Biden ticket, American's have forgotten the truth in their words. Joe Biden has been right on so many accounts. He was right when he said Barack Obama was not fit to be President of the United States of America, while running against Hilary Clinton. He was right, when he told Americans if elected, the definition of "rich" would be whatever they wanted...the new benchmark for "rich" would be $150,000. He was right when he said Barack Obama will be tested by the world in his first 6 months of Presidency, there will be an international crisis. Joe Biden was right when he said he would be honored to run with John McCain in 2005. It's time to wake up!
The assumption that spending more tax-payer's money will make everything better is wrong as proven through history. Tax-payers work to make things better for themselves. The more money someone has, the more they spend. The more money businesses have, the more products and services they create...which also means more jobs.
What? Say that again. Oh...Obama is cutting taxes for 95% of Americans. I guess that means there will also be more jobs available since there are many without jobs, right? You're right. Obama raising taxes on businesses won't affect me...I'm not rich! Take money from the rich and give to the poor...build America from the bottom up!
If you were watching "The View" or MSNBC, this is exactly what you would hear. With this financial crisis, Americans are seeing their hard earned money and retirements go down the drain. We blame, as we should, heads of these financial institutions that we trusted our money to, just so they could go all in on red at the roulette tables. We all start saying "I'm not going to let myself be taken again, this time it's all about me." This is when the 95% cut in taxes sounds good...because it helps me. Fact is, for everyone making less than $200,000 (I think that's Obama's number today), neither presidential canidate's tax plans will have a dramatic impact on the economy. The difference is with who pays you and I, small and large businesses. The way a business expands is by spending money to develop and offer more products and services. You start taking away the money and you start taking away the products and services. Obama wants to raise taxes on businesses and we all know businesses don't pay those taxes...we do! While this will generate more business tax revenue, this will cripple our foundation, the working class. John McCain will cut the corporate tax rate from 45% to 35% to help generate more money for businesses to expand products, services, and create more jobs! When Ronald Reagan slashed taxes from 70% down to 28%, tax revenues to the government increased dramatically. Why? Simple economics. 16 million jobs were created because businesses had more money to expand products and services. The wealth would be spread by the open market...not by the government.
On the budget side. Obama would have to increase taxes for businesses. How else would he afford the $1 trillion in EXTRA spending? Under both canidate's budget plans, the deficit would increase from where it is today. It would increase substantially more under Obama. Obama will continue to have the government take over companies and expand the government. The "Sell Out" was a major move in the wrong direction for this country. I think it proves to all us that we don't need a politician deciding where OUR hard earned money will go.
This election shouldn't be about "Change," it should be about "WAKING UP." With the word "Change" being thrown around so much by the Obama-Biden ticket, American's have forgotten the truth in their words. Joe Biden has been right on so many accounts. He was right when he said Barack Obama was not fit to be President of the United States of America, while running against Hilary Clinton. He was right, when he told Americans if elected, the definition of "rich" would be whatever they wanted...the new benchmark for "rich" would be $150,000. He was right when he said Barack Obama will be tested by the world in his first 6 months of Presidency, there will be an international crisis. Joe Biden was right when he said he would be honored to run with John McCain in 2005. It's time to wake up!
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