For reasons I can't quite fathom, the New Hampshire primaries aren't until September 14th. It makes it feel like the parties think the election is no big deal, but it is. On the other hand, I'm still not sure who I'm going to vote for for senate. None of the candidates is a great fit :(
In some ways I'm a predictable Conservative voter: I'm strongly pro-life, weakly pro-death penalty in that I approve of its limited use for multiple murder, I'd like a smaller government and a reduction of earmark projects, I'd like to see more employers of illegal immigrants viciously fined to discourage them...
But I'm also in favor of gay marriage & adoption (the latter of which jives perfectly with being prolife IMHO. If you want to keep babies from being aborted, they of course need good parents. I don't understand prolife people who are against this), and in favor of universal health care. I don't want to vote for someone who might make it so some of my coworkers lose the right to marry whomever they choose, and hey, making health care affordable would be great so I don't want to vote for someone against it either (but don't tell my folks, okay? I avoid the issue when they rally against the idea). These issues together aren't more important to me that the ones in the last paragraph, though, so I'm not about to vote for someone in favor of these but against the rest so I'm unlikely to vote for a democrat. I guess I'll be somewhat unhappy with whomever I do end up voting for.
Sigh.
When are true moderates going to run in either party?
"Everything you say, I am listening, I am all ears. But if you still believe I'm thinking of you, you're dreaming, yes you're dreaming" - The Shout Out Louds, You're Dreaming
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Franklin Pierce
And now for a bit of light-hearted politics (you're surprised, I'm sure) a picture of New Hampshire's only president to date.
Do you know what NH school kids are taught about the state's native son turned president? He was so bad at the job of being president that he's a contributing cause of the civil war. And this is in the state that probably likes him best!
But he's finally getting some recognition, oh 150 years after the fact. See?
"There's not much to say about this obscure president, except that he's gorgeous. He's like Johnny Depp, but without as much to show for himself."
"I want you to want me, but do you want me?" - Red Delicious, Want Me
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Goodbye "Kennedy Seat"
Okay, okay, I won't gloat too much. I knew Brown was going to win, didn't you?
Man, I can't wait for November now. Halloween and the dems getting their asses handed to them will happen the same week!
"Make every phone ring at exactly 11:14, we'll tied up the lines, throw in the wrench, make a big enough stink, make you gnash your teeth at night, we just might... throw some money at it."- Black Lipstick, Throw Some Money At It
Man, I can't wait for November now. Halloween and the dems getting their asses handed to them will happen the same week!
"Make every phone ring at exactly 11:14, we'll tied up the lines, throw in the wrench, make a big enough stink, make you gnash your teeth at night, we just might... throw some money at it."- Black Lipstick, Throw Some Money At It
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Immigration Woes
Right now a nice boy is hurting, and there's nothing we can do about it. The whole situation strikes me as damn unfair, too.
Vynce met *Joe a year after I met C, and they've been best friends ever since. He was a nice kid then, and still is at twenty-five. It's still a little hard to think of the gangly 14-year-old I once met as a grownup, but he is, of course. Three years ago Joe met a girl, Flora, from Indonesia and started dating her a couple of years ago. He's been saving up money to buy her a ring.
A few months ago Flora discovered that her mother had never applied for citizenship for her and her siblings after being granted a visa to escape danger at home; she was still a child when they arrived here, and was under the impression that citizenship had been an issue settled years ago. It was a terrible shock to both Flora and Joe, but they jumped through all the required legal hoops in hopes of getting the immigration folks to change their minds.
Flora, along with her siblings and Mom, are being deported in less than a week.
They're being told that she only has to stay in Indonesia for a year before being granted a fiancée visa, but it's still so damn unfair. Why is it that an illegal alien from Mexico can stay here even after committing other crimes, but a girl who did nothing but believe her mother that they were here legally is being sent back to the danger she once escaped? Issues of immigration are a lot broader than our issues with Mexico, but no one seems to remember that.
At least not until a nice boy is hurt after trying to do everything right.
* Joe and Flora are similar to their real names. I know Flora probably isn't an Indonesian name.
"We're all just shades of gray in a long and frantic race to catch a dying day (I just want to get through the day.) For one second I'd slit your throat, spill blood across the floor. Put an end to this game." - The Killing Moon, Subject A
Vynce met *Joe a year after I met C, and they've been best friends ever since. He was a nice kid then, and still is at twenty-five. It's still a little hard to think of the gangly 14-year-old I once met as a grownup, but he is, of course. Three years ago Joe met a girl, Flora, from Indonesia and started dating her a couple of years ago. He's been saving up money to buy her a ring.
A few months ago Flora discovered that her mother had never applied for citizenship for her and her siblings after being granted a visa to escape danger at home; she was still a child when they arrived here, and was under the impression that citizenship had been an issue settled years ago. It was a terrible shock to both Flora and Joe, but they jumped through all the required legal hoops in hopes of getting the immigration folks to change their minds.
Flora, along with her siblings and Mom, are being deported in less than a week.
They're being told that she only has to stay in Indonesia for a year before being granted a fiancée visa, but it's still so damn unfair. Why is it that an illegal alien from Mexico can stay here even after committing other crimes, but a girl who did nothing but believe her mother that they were here legally is being sent back to the danger she once escaped? Issues of immigration are a lot broader than our issues with Mexico, but no one seems to remember that.
At least not until a nice boy is hurt after trying to do everything right.
* Joe and Flora are similar to their real names. I know Flora probably isn't an Indonesian name.
"We're all just shades of gray in a long and frantic race to catch a dying day (I just want to get through the day.) For one second I'd slit your throat, spill blood across the floor. Put an end to this game." - The Killing Moon, Subject A
Friday, August 7, 2009
Boomers Blow Up
I've been trying to figure out the whole "Obama plans to kill off the elderly with his health care plan!" blather going on seemingly everywhere lately. I make no bones about not liking the man, but the oh noes seem more than a little overblown.
I think I've cracked the riddle, though. For the first time in the past sixty-odd years, Boomers are finally finding out that it's no longer all about them. They've forced themselves into the limelight for decades, and have always demanded the most and the best, and this is one of the first serious threats to that. I suspect they thought they'd be the most important all the way to the grave.
Gee, I guess that's terrible for them to finally feel marginalized by society, and worried about not having their needs put first for a change. Gen X is the first generation to make less money than their parents, millennials are posed to make even less than we do, and Boomers played no small role in changing society to make these things a reality. It's misguided at best to look for sympathy from people they've treated the way they're now horror-stricken to be treated like themselves.
"Dropping the hammer and pulling the trigger I know now the bullet is me. I am the enemy inside of me" - Chris Cornell, Enemy
I think I've cracked the riddle, though. For the first time in the past sixty-odd years, Boomers are finally finding out that it's no longer all about them. They've forced themselves into the limelight for decades, and have always demanded the most and the best, and this is one of the first serious threats to that. I suspect they thought they'd be the most important all the way to the grave.
Gee, I guess that's terrible for them to finally feel marginalized by society, and worried about not having their needs put first for a change. Gen X is the first generation to make less money than their parents, millennials are posed to make even less than we do, and Boomers played no small role in changing society to make these things a reality. It's misguided at best to look for sympathy from people they've treated the way they're now horror-stricken to be treated like themselves.
"Dropping the hammer and pulling the trigger I know now the bullet is me. I am the enemy inside of me" - Chris Cornell, Enemy
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Political Commercials, 2012
You know what might be an interesting career? Being one of the people who comes up with political commercials. You get to drag out all the dirt from the last four years. I'd love that job!
If I were to design a commerical for the 2012 election, it'd go something like this:
Democrats said for years that we couldn't afford George W Bush's war. A war that cost the US taxpayers 752 billion dollars in its first five years. Barack Obama introduced 787 billion dollars of new spending in his first five weeks in office. Even Democrats must agree that we can't afford four more years of record spending. Vote for [insert anyone else]
I don't know if it'd be effective or not, but it'd be fun to point out that the democrats who whine about the cost of the war but don't say a peep about the stimulus spend (oh, sorry, they say "all spending is stimulus!" when people point out that it was full of pork, so I guess they're not totally silent) are a bunch of f*cking hypocrits.
Then there's:
Obama promised change if the American Public elected him. With record spending that doubled the deficit in his first year in office, pocket change is just about all we have left. Vote for [insert anyone else]
Isn't this fun? We could do ones about scare tactics and use clips of him saying the word "crisis" over and over again. And ones about his trying to force bills through as quickly as possible, with clips of him and others admitting that they haven't even read the bills they're trying to strong-arm into law. Oh, and how he had the audacity to claim that he and his foolish stimulus bill "saved" the economy when we've a 10% unemployment rate! (and a neat trick that is too, considering 90% of money is as of yet unspent) There's already a wealth of damning things on film, so why not make the most of them?
"What if there's no one who I would put up with? What if there's no one who'd put up with me? What if I'm destined to always remain alone? What if this question's as stupid as it seems?" - Rachel Sage, What If
If I were to design a commerical for the 2012 election, it'd go something like this:
Democrats said for years that we couldn't afford George W Bush's war. A war that cost the US taxpayers 752 billion dollars in its first five years. Barack Obama introduced 787 billion dollars of new spending in his first five weeks in office. Even Democrats must agree that we can't afford four more years of record spending. Vote for [insert anyone else]
I don't know if it'd be effective or not, but it'd be fun to point out that the democrats who whine about the cost of the war but don't say a peep about the stimulus spend (oh, sorry, they say "all spending is stimulus!" when people point out that it was full of pork, so I guess they're not totally silent) are a bunch of f*cking hypocrits.
Then there's:
Obama promised change if the American Public elected him. With record spending that doubled the deficit in his first year in office, pocket change is just about all we have left. Vote for [insert anyone else]
Isn't this fun? We could do ones about scare tactics and use clips of him saying the word "crisis" over and over again. And ones about his trying to force bills through as quickly as possible, with clips of him and others admitting that they haven't even read the bills they're trying to strong-arm into law. Oh, and how he had the audacity to claim that he and his foolish stimulus bill "saved" the economy when we've a 10% unemployment rate! (and a neat trick that is too, considering 90% of money is as of yet unspent) There's already a wealth of damning things on film, so why not make the most of them?
"What if there's no one who I would put up with? What if there's no one who'd put up with me? What if I'm destined to always remain alone? What if this question's as stupid as it seems?" - Rachel Sage, What If
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
P. Singer? SERIOUSLY???
Please, for the love of God, tell me that Obama isn't really appointing Peter Singer as a czar of anything. Please please please let this be some sort of joke that the right-wing talking heads are playing on us, because... ::shakes head in dispair:: I actually yelled when I was told who the new appointee is rumored to be.
That's exactly what this country needs: an unelected, unfettered science official who thinks it should be legal to kill babies up until the age of two, that monkeys are more human and deserving of rights and protection than small children, and that we have a duty to euthanize disabled people. As someone who is both pro-life and who has worked with special needs children, I've found his ideas deeply offensive for years, and I think you should too.
As if I needed another reason to loathe Obama and doubt his judgment.
"If I'm away from you long enough to make you cry at least you feel something" - Dropping Daylight, Til You Feel Something
That's exactly what this country needs: an unelected, unfettered science official who thinks it should be legal to kill babies up until the age of two, that monkeys are more human and deserving of rights and protection than small children, and that we have a duty to euthanize disabled people. As someone who is both pro-life and who has worked with special needs children, I've found his ideas deeply offensive for years, and I think you should too.
As if I needed another reason to loathe Obama and doubt his judgment.
"If I'm away from you long enough to make you cry at least you feel something" - Dropping Daylight, Til You Feel Something
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Accidental Environmentalist
Let's be honest, as a Republican, you probably don't expect me to be very environmentally conscious. It's certainly never been a goal of mine (in fact, I'm more than a little serious when I claim to be pro-global warming. Have you spent the last couple of winters in New England?) but yet... some how I'm doing more for good ole mother earth than that person with the "Save The Earth" bumper-sticker on their 10/mpg SUV. Let's say that my choices are not motivated by any fine feelings for the Earth, okay?
Take my car, for example. It's true that it gets decent gas mileage. It doesn't qualify for that Cash For Clunkers program because its gas mileage is so high. I can't pretend that's an accident, but it's not because I care about the dwindling oil reserves - you know, though, when I was in second grade they said we only had 20 years worth of oil left. Magically, we still being told the same thing almost 25 years later... - but because I don't really like lining the pockets of the oil industry. I also happen to like small cars, so a compact car suits me well. I used to drive one of these when I was a senior in high school, and then one of these for work, and I'll tell you, I really like small cars better - better pick up, easier to park, I don't need to pull myself into it by the steering wheel like I did the Blazer, so all sorts of advantages. I miss my hatchback because it was even smaller than my current car. Someday I want a Yaris (assuming I can see to back up during a test drive, that is. Their back windows seem awfully high, which is bad for short drivers).
I bring bottles, boxes, and newspapers to the recycling center nearly every week...because in my town you have to pay to throw your trash out, but recycling is free. UNH was big on recycling, so I got into the habit then and it's been easy enough to continue to do so.
I also own, and manage to remember to use 35% of the time, reusable bags. This has lead to more than one cashier and fellow customers remarking about how "good" I am. Yeah... I'm sick of throwing away plastic bags. The recycling center doesn't take them.
I suppose I'm kidding myself that it matters what motivates what you do. Just don't tell anyone, okay? I've got a reputation to maintain.
As an aside, which I'm sure you're shocked about, aren't you glad I don't usually write about what I do on a given day? Today I watched part of a movie with Dad and Vynce, spent hours updating my website, and won an auction on eBay for a new sewing machine - I'm hoping the new one fits in the case I already have. Riveting stuff, huh?
"Heaven's kinda far/but I swear that when I'm coming it's close." - Rebekah, Sin So Well
Take my car, for example. It's true that it gets decent gas mileage. It doesn't qualify for that Cash For Clunkers program because its gas mileage is so high. I can't pretend that's an accident, but it's not because I care about the dwindling oil reserves - you know, though, when I was in second grade they said we only had 20 years worth of oil left. Magically, we still being told the same thing almost 25 years later... - but because I don't really like lining the pockets of the oil industry. I also happen to like small cars, so a compact car suits me well. I used to drive one of these when I was a senior in high school, and then one of these for work, and I'll tell you, I really like small cars better - better pick up, easier to park, I don't need to pull myself into it by the steering wheel like I did the Blazer, so all sorts of advantages. I miss my hatchback because it was even smaller than my current car. Someday I want a Yaris (assuming I can see to back up during a test drive, that is. Their back windows seem awfully high, which is bad for short drivers).
I bring bottles, boxes, and newspapers to the recycling center nearly every week...because in my town you have to pay to throw your trash out, but recycling is free. UNH was big on recycling, so I got into the habit then and it's been easy enough to continue to do so.
I also own, and manage to remember to use 35% of the time, reusable bags. This has lead to more than one cashier and fellow customers remarking about how "good" I am. Yeah... I'm sick of throwing away plastic bags. The recycling center doesn't take them.
I suppose I'm kidding myself that it matters what motivates what you do. Just don't tell anyone, okay? I've got a reputation to maintain.
As an aside, which I'm sure you're shocked about, aren't you glad I don't usually write about what I do on a given day? Today I watched part of a movie with Dad and Vynce, spent hours updating my website, and won an auction on eBay for a new sewing machine - I'm hoping the new one fits in the case I already have. Riveting stuff, huh?
"Heaven's kinda far/but I swear that when I'm coming it's close." - Rebekah, Sin So Well
Sunday, June 28, 2009
1301 More Days
I suppose I could spend a few paragraphs grousing over the idiocy that is cap and trade, but I think that I'll content myself with noting that approving a measure that will send utilities costs through the roof during a recession is a really destructive idea. Someone will get rich off of this, but it sure won't be you and I. Hopefully the senate will see reason and not pass it there as well. And I could complain that the only thing that Obama has done that I like so far is to extend some benefits to the same sex partners of government workers (you realize that Megan McCain and I aren't the only pro-life, pro-gay rights voters out there, right?) but I won't do that tonight either.
Instead I'm going to b*tch about how the GOP needs to get it's act together immediately. There are 1300 days and 3 hours until the next inauguration day, and we sure as hell shouldn't wait so long to make a choice as we did the last go-round. It was a field full of weak players, and McCain wasn't even the best of a bad lot, so I held little hope that he'd get elected. I didn't vote for him in the primaries, but a lot of Clinton supporters in states striped of their seats did. Grr.
We need someone good this time around, and I'm going to cry if people keep suggesting Palin. She's an idiot, and won't win. We can't afford - I mean that literally, being a fiscal conservative - another 4 years of Obama's spending on top of Bush's war spending, so we must do something. And as a side rant, what is it about Baby Boomer politicos, republicans and democrats alike, that makes them so damn selfish? They won't be happy until they bankrupt everyone in the two generations that follow them with their self-absorbed spending on frivolous things.
Anyway...it's going to be a long three and a half years.
"A-E-I-O-U Nothing/Don't ask me for a single cent...Don't ask me" - Men, Women & Children, Vowels
Instead I'm going to b*tch about how the GOP needs to get it's act together immediately. There are 1300 days and 3 hours until the next inauguration day, and we sure as hell shouldn't wait so long to make a choice as we did the last go-round. It was a field full of weak players, and McCain wasn't even the best of a bad lot, so I held little hope that he'd get elected. I didn't vote for him in the primaries, but a lot of Clinton supporters in states striped of their seats did. Grr.
We need someone good this time around, and I'm going to cry if people keep suggesting Palin. She's an idiot, and won't win. We can't afford - I mean that literally, being a fiscal conservative - another 4 years of Obama's spending on top of Bush's war spending, so we must do something. And as a side rant, what is it about Baby Boomer politicos, republicans and democrats alike, that makes them so damn selfish? They won't be happy until they bankrupt everyone in the two generations that follow them with their self-absorbed spending on frivolous things.
Anyway...it's going to be a long three and a half years.
"A-E-I-O-U Nothing/Don't ask me for a single cent...Don't ask me" - Men, Women & Children, Vowels
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