Here it he afroementioned political discussion. Sorry it is free of name calling, insane conspiracy theories lifted from partisan hate sites and other things that pass for political ‘discussion’ in this industry, but that’s just how I am. Maybe I have more respect for my readers than to assume they can’t find that kind of stuff without my help.
Presidential Issues
As the election draws near I wanted to put down on paper some serious issues I have with the Bush Administration. In 2000 I was certain about voting for Bush and endorsed him on my site. Since that time much has happened, both good and bad to our nation. To this point I have not decided who to support though I am certainly leaning in one direction. With that in mind there are some reservations I have about supporting this President for re-election. Here there are, in no particular order.
1. The Deficit: In 2000 there was a temporary surplus that both Bush and Gore were only too happy to give it away. At that time I had strong reservations about the tax cuts proposed by Bush and the new (and unfunded in future years) spending programs proposed by Gore. Things have changed and as we knew we would, the surplus is gone. Bush has increased spending across the board and even in the face of huge deficits; he is proposing more tax cuts. Tax cuts along with more spending do not sound like a wise plan to me and I disagree strongly with the President on this issue. (For comparison’s sake, the Kerry stand on this issue to roll back tax cuts, increase personal, small business and corporate taxes while offering even more spending that Bush is proposing. If tax cuts combined with increased spending is a bad way to reduce the deficit then tax increases coupled with even higher spending is an even worse way to deal with this problem.)
2. The War in Iraq: I was not in favor of the war at the time, but I understand the reasons for it. Now that we are in, up to our asses in a mess, I feel that the President is mis-handling the war effort. Because he wants to win re-election so desperately that he is fighting the war timidly. It can not and will not be won in a short time and without great bloodshed. It is time we stopped fighting this half-way and do what it necessary to get the job done. (Kerry’s proposal is to fight the war with even less force, to turn over more control to the United Nations while continuing to put American lives in the line of fire.)
3. Control of the Borders/Safety: Since 9/11 one would think that the US Government would do everything in its power to protect the vulnerable southern border across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The Bush Administration has done little to nothing about this problem. For this point I am speaking only about the danger of terrorism from this weakness, but it speaks to a much larger issue to be dealt with later. (Kerry’s solution to this problem is to do nothing different than what Bush is doing. Both men would choose to ignore this and just hope that no one exploits the weakness.)
4. John Ashcroft: The current Attorney General seems to think that it is appropriate to spend time and money on obscenity prosecutions. I believe that the freedom to make, distribute and view adult materials is right should not be challenged, especially at a time with the AG’s office should be spending time and money working on security issues. To waste resources on porn companies is pointless and a violation of basic freedom issues. (Kerry’s solution is impossible to gauge. He speaks out against Ashcroft quite often, but has never said that he would stop the obscenity prosecutions or that he would appoint an AG who would leave issues of censorship off the table. I suppose one could assume that it would be better no matter who was in there as long as Ashcroft is out. On the other hand, I don’t particularly trust Kerry on this issue.)
5. Same-Sex Marriage: The President is opposed to SSM and has supported an Amendment to the Constitution to ban it. I couldn’t disagree with the President any more than I do. While I respect that some people see SSM as an assault on their spiritual beliefs, I strongly believe that all people must be equal in these matters. Marriage should be an issue between two people and in an ideal world would have nothing to do with the Federal Government. On this issue the President is wrong, just as wrong as could be. (Kerry’s stand isn’t that much different than Bush’s. He somewhat opposes a Constitutional Amendment, but is staunchly against SSM. He gives more support to same sex “partnerships” than does Bush, but that is no solution at all. It’s just not enough.)
6. Federal Relief for Illegal Immigration: This is an issue that affects California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico more than any other states, but I happen to live in California so it is an issue that affects my life on a daily basis. No President has ever stepped up to the help the taxpayers of California to offset the costs of illegal immigration. President Bush is just the same. He refuses to get behind any movement that could reimburse the states that shell out billions of dollars each year. I don’t expect this to change, but I will continue to feel that it is a slap in the face to all of us in these states. My position on this has not changed in twenty years and whether it is Clinton. Bush or Kerry, I will continue to say that they are screwing us over. (Kerry’s position is just the same on this issue so neither man gets points for anything here.)
7. Sudan: Genocide is plaguing that nation and the United States is doing nothing about it. The Bush Administration is not even talking about doing anything about this and they certainly aren’t putting pressure on the UN to stop ignoring it. (Kerry’s solution is to ignore it just as Bush has. Both men are too afraid to even mention it as a possible issue requiring their attention.)
8. Election Reform: After the 2000 election everyone was up in arms about election issues. We heard that the voting systems were outdated, the equipment needed to be upgraded and that “something” had to be done. Interestingly enough all of these issues have faded away into the partisan smokescreen that they were. Instead of spending the last four years working on the actual problems with polling equipment, voting standards and ridiculous loopholes, we have been arguing over chads, court decisions and bitter politics. As we enter this election cycle, lawsuits are already being filed just in case one side doesn’t get the result that they want. (And I mean BOTH sides thank you very much.) That is shameful and does a disservice to all voters. (I noticed that some cynical members of this profession are already polluting the waters and tryin to come up with excuses to use as crying towels if they don’t get their way. Grow up.)
9. The Drug War: President Bush has continued to pour billions of dollars into a war on drugs that is pointless. An end to this ridiculous fight against personal freedom is necessary if we’re going to reduce crime, fix the economy and allow for more personal freedom. It is time to end this costly and pointless battle. (Kerry’s plan is to continue with the same old stuff. Nothing new and no improvement offered.)
10. The United Nations: It is time to re-think our involvement in this organization for many reasons. They are an ineffectual group of bickering countries to come together on our dime and work in concert to prevent America and Israel from defending ourselves. With the corruption and scandal that have been uncovered we need a President who will stand up the UN, force them to drop the Anti-Semitism and do some good for a change. Most of all, we must never put US forces under UN command without a clear mission. (Kerry’s plan is to turn over more control over US troops to the UN. His stated policy in Iraq is to turn over the safety and re-construction of that nation to the UN including countries that have not and will not send actual troops. His answer in a nutshell is to have us more involved with the UN and more under its control.)
Bonus: When I posted this in an other forum someone brought up an excellent issue that I want to add. Outsourcing of jobs. This is probably the one issue where John Kerry could really score some points for me. He keeps saying that the Bush Administration is encouraging the outsourcing of American jobs. I don’t like that idea at all and would like to see some specifics. What law has been passed in the past four years to make it easier to do so? I looked on Kerry’s site, but there is no specific law or policy to attack. If no such law or policy exists, then what law or policy does Kerry propose to make it dis-adventageous for American business to ship jobs overseas? His site talks of a plan, but offers nothing concrete. I want to give him credit for an issue where he could have a huge advantage over the President, but without specifics I would just be waving a pom-pom and spouting bumper sticker politics.
Bonus Issue 2: Also brought up by a left-leaning friend who has much to say without resorting to playground name-calling.
Overtime rules: I don’t know where you stand on this so I don’t know where to start. Frankly I think the change in overtime laws are fantastic. Before Clinton changed them, it was possible for an employee to work more flexible schedules. There are two ways to look at overtime. The way Bush wants it is that overtime (time and a half pay) kicks in at over 40 hours during any given week. The Kerry position and perhaps the one you are taking by raising this issue is that OT kicks in at over 8 hours per day. That pretty much turns all full time employees into 5×8 workers. It doesn’t allow for flex-scheduling. Say someone wanted to work four ten hour days to reduce their commutes or save on child care? If their employer has to pay them overtime for those extra two hours, then it doesn’t work. I think that people should have the choice to flex their schedules if they want. It is a good thing for traffic and the environment to have fewer people on the roads. It allows some businesses to close down one day a week, cutting down on electricity etc. This kind of schedule also allows parents to be home with their children one extra day a week. Actually I would very much like to the argument against allowing flex-scheduling without penalty.
So there they are my most serious issues with the President. These are not things that I take at all lightly and cover most of the reasons why I have not yet decided to vote for Bush. The problem is that on every one of these issues, John Kerry offers either more of the same or a solution that is even worse than Bush’s.
That’s enough now, back to the world of gaping assholes, cum-swallowing and middle aged guys popping pills to stay hard….hey wait, wasn’t I just talking about politics????
