Schwarzenegger

I want to bring attention to this FOX news article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,135957,00.html

I only want to say that I stand behind Schwarzenegger's decision to endorse a stem cell measure.

(To an ailing Michael J. Fox, may God be with you.)

Top Bush aide laid himself under the wheels of Air Force One on Monday. In this picture, he can be seen thinking "Hmm...I really have made some stupid mistakes. Dubya...are you sure you want me campaigning for you?" Afterwards, Bush and Rove smiled at each other because apparently this was some kind of inside joke.

Polls

Doesn't matter who does the poll, I think polls are propaganda. Polls mean nothing to me. All polls tend to have a plus or minus 2-5% margin of error. Many polls are taken out of a group of like a thousand people who are labeled as a group of likely voters. Polls aren't accurate and are misleading to the public. If the election isn't a popularity contest (as one person has told me), then why must we keep track of how many people are in favor of each presidential candidate? Should someone see a poll and have that influence their decision, I would have to say I am sorry for them. A better choice would be made if that person had trusted his/her conscience and/or gone through news articles, books, etc. to form an opinion for each candidate.

Democrats Blame Bush for Vaccine Shortage

"If you can't get flu vaccines to Americans how are you going to protect them against bioterrorism?" Kerry said in an NPR News interview. "If you can't get flu vaccines to Americans, what kind of health care program (are) you running?"

"To make sure Social Security is around when our children grow up, we must allow younger workers to save some of their own payroll taxes in a personal savings account that earns better interest, a personal savings account they call their own and an account the government cannot take away," Bush said.

"I will not privatize Social Security. I will not cut benefits. I will not raise the retirement age," Kerry said. "Because when you've worked hard for a lifetime, America owes you what you've earned."


I don't think this is a good way to go at Bush. He already is so vulnerable, why would you want to speculate that he is the reason for a flu vaccine shortage? What the Kerry campaign is saying is an assumption that is thoroughly convincing. Conventional wisdom would lead you to believe that Bush had the capability of making an error like this. I'm going to give Bush some credit on this one. He recognizes that the flu vaccine needs to be better regulated. People in America are abusing the flu shot and using it when they don't really need it. I think the Democrats should leave Bush alone when it comes to flu vaccines.

(The extra quotes are for you to read and think whatever you want. I found them in the same article that talked about Kerry's stance on the flu vaccine shortage.)

Responding to JasonH

You have good thoughts. I appreciate your comments. I have a few things to say to them.

JasonH:

Just look at our voting system and you can understand my first statement. We don't elect people based on popular vote except for local elections. The Senate races were not originally popular votes.

See Electoral College system.

The United States is a Democratic Republic, not a straight-up democracy. The founders made our country a republic in which we elect state representatives to elect our President.

I agree with you on that. And the electoral college is whole another thing to discuss. I won't go into that right now. I just know a history teacher who wouldn't be surprised if we changed the way we elected presidents in the next 50 years.

2) The majority is not always right. Yes the prez needs popular support, but did you know that Jefferson himself had election troubles?

Without a lot of popular support, the prez would not win election. That does not mean the majority is always right in their thinking.

That statement would make one think that you don't trust the minds of the American people and might prefer a dictatorship to a democracy. On the topic of Jefferson, I could write up a bunch on Jefferson. I know that he tied Aaron Burr with 73 electoral votes during his reelection. The decision went to the House of Representatives. I know a lot more. Is there a specific point that you want to make on Jefferson rather than having me fish around for something?

I forgot to post this quote in my last comment:

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson

3) About Christian principles giving us liberty, I will refrain from posting about this, since this isn't about religion but rather politics. Unless of course you want me to.

Good quote. Yes, go ahead and talk about religion. It comes through in a lot of political situations today so I would like to hear your thinking.


4) Yes, there is no gray. That's what I believe. Keep in mind this is coming from a hard core Jesus freak. ;)

There is a right and there is a wrong, the gray comes in when we reject a part of the right because the wrong would benefit us. Its selfishness.

Take abortion for instance. I will speak for my wife on this one since I can't have a baby. Is it right to kill a baby under any circumstances(yes or no)? NO. Why then do we say it is? Because the woman is selfish and doesn't want to "ruin her life" because she's too young. Another big gray area we create is in the case where the life of the mother is at risk. What kind of mother would not give up her life so the baby can live? My wife totally agrees with me on this. What kind of father would choose to kill the baby so the mother could live when he doesn't know the outcome either way?

Stem cells - big gray because we want to sacrifice embryos (read live humans) to find cures to save our sorry necks.

Everything is black and white, but since we don't know the mind of God we get gray in our decision making.

Alright, you've said nothing I haven't already heard. I respect what you say because you are saying it based on your religious background. So are you totally against stem cell research? Another question, what if the person having the baby was raped and that's why she is pregnant? Should she be able to have an abortion?

Oh...by the way, separation of church and state... I assume the God you are referring to is a Christian one. So what about the Jews and Muslims and the Native Americans, etc.? We're supposed to make decisions based on principles of Christianity but not all of America practices Christianity. So if right and wrong is in the eyes of God, what if we are doing the wrong thing for Jews, Muslims, and/or Native Americans?

Oppose Using Intelligence Reform to Cloak Worst Immigration Legislation in a Decade

I know nothing about immigration legislation, but I do know that our country has a problem with immigrants. If we didn't, a proposal for a "driver's license" type of thing so that immigrants can work would not have been part of the debates at all. I remember an O'Reilly Factor with a guest who spoke of the problems that the border patrol on the southern part of the U.S. was having. The government clearly has little idea what the patrollers face because the person said that he could not chase the person down until he was within a distance from the border. He also said he was not supposed to chase immigrants down if they went through. I believed him and I would think that his job would be a waste of time if he couldn't stop the immigrants in some way. So on the topic of immmigration legislation, I have little to offer...

But I can say something about immigrants' rights. Immigrants have and should not have the same rights until they become a citizen. Immigrants should understand that they will be treated differently and that people will watch them closely. I think the government should be free to investigate and/or probe an immigrant for the safety of America. Obviously, an immigrant leaves their country because America will be better for them. But better how? A better place to start a terrorist operation or a better place to live. I have nothing against investigating immigrants if the investigation is carried out fairly.

Role of the People

"It is my contention that the people who founded this nation did not want a government ruled by the mob or by a popularity contest."

Okay... I don't understand that statement so maybe you might supply me some background information. Right now, it means nothing to me.

'We elect representatives that we believe will vote on issues the way we would vote if we had the chance. This is not really about what the majority of the country wants. Its about how you think these two men will govern in your stead.'

It was Thomas Jefferson who believed that government could only be strong if it had the support of the public and could only gain support by being attentive to the public's interest. Kerry and Bush must be attentive to the thoughts from the public. They both must accept political dissent. That's a founding father's thinking. I know you have conservative values. Does that make what I said any better? In my opinion, it is about what the majority of the country wants.

'I do want Bush ruling with Christian principles, because those principles are what gave us liberty in the first place.'

I can't argue with that. I actually find the one thing I can't argue with is when someone tells me, I am voting for Bush because of his faith. For some, the way he was "born again" really influences them and makes them respect him for making that decision to turn to God.

'There really is no gray. Its our own indecision on issues of right and wrong that creates the gray.'

No gray? People would like it if there wasn't a gray area because then a politician could be a true believer and not have to see some of the more important aspects of a situation. Unfortunately, politicians talk about minimum wage, and some say his/her decision will help them and some say it won't. Politicians talk about tax cuts. Then you have the people of America staging class warfare as they argue over the size of the tax cut for each class (the wealthy, middle class, and lower class (poor)). So if there's no gray, why do we have indecision? I think I know why... It's because Americans find it hard to trust the people running their government and many are rarely impressed by a candidate.

Between Bush and Kerry, I don't see how anyone could be thrilled to vote for any of them. That's why many are choosing to vote based on the fact that they hate Bush more than Kerry or they hate Kerry more than Bush.