Politics

Ads, propaganda, and blowhards are flooding the airwaves with bullshit about which person would be better for the job of president, or which party should have control to guide our nation forward.

I doubt any politicians will read this but here are some things we need to do to make this a better country:

 

·         Everyone whose income is over 75K a year should pay a flat rate of income tax.  Yes we can still give tax credits for kids, retirement, and so on but it all starts out even.  I guess if you have to have levels those from 50K to under 75K should pay a smaller percentage but under 50K shouldn’t have to pay anything – they already aren’t making it.
·         The political employees (Senators, Presidents, Congressmen, etc) all get the same retirement as the rest of us – Social Security or private paid for by their own funds not tax payer funds.
·         The old and infirm, the veterans –these groups should be cared for.  I don’t care if they live for 20 years or 50 years and need the care.  They aren’t able to do for themselves anymore and in some cases have stood the line defending our country.
·         Women are equal to men.  Gender does not make a difference.  If we have to do a fair wage thing – let’s do it.  No one should be discriminated against and women still are.  The government should stay out of the woman’s health care issues.  If people want abortion to stop then they better figure out ways to fix the problem of unwanted pregnancy – not get in the business of individual women.  This may mean that we have better adoption laws, better access and distribution to birth control and we EDUCATE.
·         Marriage is a union – it is a contract that shouldn’t matter whether the two parties are of the same gender or not. 
·         Corporations are not people.  All funds for campaigning should go into a central fund and be distributed evenly amongst all the candidates – so if there are 10 people running for a position and a million bucks were donated for that position – each candidate gets the same amount.  Attack ads should be banned.  Ads should be solely about what the candidate believes and wants to do. 
·          Education is KEY to eradicating poverty.  This doesn’t necessarily mean every kid has to be shuffled into college.  We still need plumbers, welders, electricians, and other crafts that require hands on training.  If you are on aid from the government – unemployment or welfare – you have to further your education in order to better place yourself.  We need to support that.
·         Don’t get into wars.  Okay if someone is threatening the US – really threatening not some bogus BS – it is okay to fight but there are almost always better solutions than going to war.  If you want to put our young people into harm’s way you better have a damn good reason for it – not some fantasy WMD myth.

I’m sure there are more things but these are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head.  As a politician, I expect you to be on board with these things.  If you aren’t then I have to figure out whether you are worth voting for.  I don’t’ want a President that dismisses half the country (even in a speech meant for a targeted audience).  I want a President who is going to try to serve the country as a whole, who will represent the US in a positive light, and who will be able to make the tough choices.  I want representatives who are going to listen to my opinion on all issues and only make decisions after they have listened to their constituents not based on an antiquated religious belief system which subjugates half the population. 

I am tired of all the BS ads and lies being told.  If you can’t open your mouth and speak the truth – then don’t open your mouth.  Mostly, I want all the damn political crap to be done.  My absentee ballot came and I’m going to fill it out, send it back and be done with it.  I can only hope the rest of the people in the country really think about what direction we want to go – forward into the future or backwards into an era that is long dead and shouldn’t be resurrected.

Minority Rules???

Recently I heard that 89% of Americans believe there should be abortion available to women.  I also have heard that 75% (or something like that) of Americans believe Gays should have the right to be married.  If these statistics are actually true, why are these things either being called into question or not allowed? 

If the majority of Americans are for these being legal and available, why aren’t they?  Do we allow the noisy minority to rule our lives?  We are a democracy right?  If we are, then shouldn’t the majority rule? 

It saddens me that an entire group of our population cannot participate in marriage.  So long as the two are from the same species (i.e. man and man, man and woman, woman and woman) they should have the same rights and privileges. 

As for the abortion issue, I know the arguments for and against it.  To me it is a matter of choice.  When a woman is pregnant and cannot continue with the pregnancy, she has three choices.  None of these choices is easy or made lightly.  All of these options should be available to her so she can follow through safely.

Yet our society seems to listen to the noisy minority and try to stop both of these from happening.  The minority certainly have the right to protest and voice their opinions but if the majority truly does feel like they are wrong – then it is time for the majority to get off their bums and do something about it.

If you believe in these things, write to your legislators – both on the state and federal level.  Let them know your opinion on keeping abortion available and allowing gays the same rights as the rest of the population.  Speak up, stand up, and be counted to help those who don’t have the same rights and to protect the rights of women.