Sunday, August 31, 2008
What an election!
Can I just say this has to be the most fascinating election I have ever seen in my life! Obama has planned out the last few weeks brilliantly, while McCain has stolen the show with his VP nomination. I have not decided who I'm voting for yet, RNC and the first debate have to come first!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Election 2008: A New Hope
First and foremost I would like to apologize for the Star Wars reference in the title, but come on, does it not fit this election to a T?! If anyone else has a better idea I would like to hear them, I just hope a copyright lawsuit from George Lucas does not arrive on my door. Well, if it did at least I would know my blog is getting some attention! Anyway, lets get on to the politics and the upcoming election!
With my new found interest in politics over the last few years I am going to be doing something this election that I have never done before, Try! Try to become fully educated on the issues, try to completely understand both candidates, try to listen to what each of them has to say regarding me and my country........Try! How many of us actually try? Up to this point I am more than willing to concede that I have not tried at all. The last two elections I chalk up to youth and not understanding how my government can effect me. Now I am not saying who I decided to vote on would have changed, I just know I did a poor job of educating myself on the matter. Now that I am getting older and hopefully more mature, the jury is still out on that one, I have begun to understand the privilege and importance of being able to direct my country in one way or another.
Let me just say folks that flipping between Fox news, CNN and MS NBC for the next few months does not count as trying. Between partisan views and media bias how is one to get a true picture of each candidate. Most of the media outlets just give you highlight reels from the days events anyway, I personally want to see the blooper reels as well so that we can see the candidate think on his feet and get a real judge of his character. To see them work without a net, sort of speak, and have to answer questions from everyday citizens, not just from snowmen on youtube! The only way to do this is for the voter to get out there, to your local groups and, if your lucky enough, to a local event that the candidate is attending. I am making it a goal for myself to see both candidates in person before my decision this election, if for no other reason to possibly get close enough to see if he has good hygiene! I mean he is our representative to the rest of the world here! I digress here, lets push on!
Now I don't know how realistic it is to be able to see the candidates in person at a rally or an event of some sort but I also think its not just my right as a U.S. citizen to try, its my responsibility. Not only my responsibility to myself and my quality of life for the next four years, but for everyone else I may care about. If there are some of you out there that may not believe this, I direct your attention to the last four years! So what will be my preparation if such a time presents itself? Read! Read everything and anything is my opinion: liberal and conservative, Fox news and CNN, anything to give me information on the man and his views. Because if the time does present itself and I get to ask each candidate one question I want it to be more unique than "Who was your inspiration?", "Where do you see yourself in 4 years?" or "Who do you intend to invite to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom?"! I would be quite disappointed with myself!
This challenge is not only to myself but something I make to the rest of the American public. An educated decision is something no one can argue with because you will always have your reasons and be able to back them up. I hate to have nothing to back up my argument other than "just cuz" and it is something I will not allow for this upcoming election. Become educated on the election and be relentless achieving that goal. There will be much more debate on the 2008 Presidential election, and it should be us who are doing it and not the talking heads we see every night on television!
With my new found interest in politics over the last few years I am going to be doing something this election that I have never done before, Try! Try to become fully educated on the issues, try to completely understand both candidates, try to listen to what each of them has to say regarding me and my country........Try! How many of us actually try? Up to this point I am more than willing to concede that I have not tried at all. The last two elections I chalk up to youth and not understanding how my government can effect me. Now I am not saying who I decided to vote on would have changed, I just know I did a poor job of educating myself on the matter. Now that I am getting older and hopefully more mature, the jury is still out on that one, I have begun to understand the privilege and importance of being able to direct my country in one way or another.
Let me just say folks that flipping between Fox news, CNN and MS NBC for the next few months does not count as trying. Between partisan views and media bias how is one to get a true picture of each candidate. Most of the media outlets just give you highlight reels from the days events anyway, I personally want to see the blooper reels as well so that we can see the candidate think on his feet and get a real judge of his character. To see them work without a net, sort of speak, and have to answer questions from everyday citizens, not just from snowmen on youtube! The only way to do this is for the voter to get out there, to your local groups and, if your lucky enough, to a local event that the candidate is attending. I am making it a goal for myself to see both candidates in person before my decision this election, if for no other reason to possibly get close enough to see if he has good hygiene! I mean he is our representative to the rest of the world here! I digress here, lets push on!
Now I don't know how realistic it is to be able to see the candidates in person at a rally or an event of some sort but I also think its not just my right as a U.S. citizen to try, its my responsibility. Not only my responsibility to myself and my quality of life for the next four years, but for everyone else I may care about. If there are some of you out there that may not believe this, I direct your attention to the last four years! So what will be my preparation if such a time presents itself? Read! Read everything and anything is my opinion: liberal and conservative, Fox news and CNN, anything to give me information on the man and his views. Because if the time does present itself and I get to ask each candidate one question I want it to be more unique than "Who was your inspiration?", "Where do you see yourself in 4 years?" or "Who do you intend to invite to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom?"! I would be quite disappointed with myself!
This challenge is not only to myself but something I make to the rest of the American public. An educated decision is something no one can argue with because you will always have your reasons and be able to back them up. I hate to have nothing to back up my argument other than "just cuz" and it is something I will not allow for this upcoming election. Become educated on the election and be relentless achieving that goal. There will be much more debate on the 2008 Presidential election, and it should be us who are doing it and not the talking heads we see every night on television!
Friday, July 18, 2008
It's just a Breeze, but it sure does Blow!
Well, my first entry into my blog is inspired by the one man I would never have thought of, former Vice President Al Gore. Yesterday the country's first-rate environmental Guru spoke to the public about our impending doom! Gore asserts that 10 years are all that we have before extreme climate change and global disaster occur. This brings back memories of scenes from the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" and how my coastal paradise of hot, humid summer months in New England will be gone forever. If Gore's predictions are correct, maybe I should get my dog sled team together now before they become such a high commodity I'll have to beat people away with a large stick. Witty humor aside, the truth of the matter be told...I agree with him.
Now, I am not an alarmist by any means, and it is a fact that global warming and a major climate shift is not agreed upon by all scientists. Will it occur? Possibly! To the extreme that is being described to us? Probably not. From my standpoint, I see this in not only an environmental frame of mind, I enjoy my health just as much as the next person, but an economical one as well! I hate to say it, but the latter lens is probably the only way that most of our representatives in Washington will be looking at this issue. The idea that we can control our own destiny when it comes to the everyday resources that we expend is rather appealing. Not having to go to foreign sources for energy supplies is a no-brainer at this point along with the idea that if our country develops and utilizes a mass production renewable energy source successfully, we will become the equivalent of what the Middle East is to energy today. The U.S. has the intelligence and the resources to accomplish this, it is just a matter of both sides of the coin getting off their behinds and actually coming up with a respectable plan.
This all leads to the real argument, dilemma, aka stupid problem we have in this country: getting out of our own way. Through special interest groups and other large financial backers of our politicians in this country, we tend to shoot ourselves in the foot and then ask why we don't have stricter gun control laws that can prevent us from doing it! For the perfect example I point to my own back yard of Massachusetts: home of the Kennedy's, mandatory health care and the Boston Tea Party! The State of Massachusetts is a very liberal state, we have our pros and our cons such as any state government, and we have activists against every wrong doing you can invent. Yet, when a company proposes to develop one of the most potential energy sources for wind power in the country of the time it was met by staunch opposition. The Cape Wind Project was proposed 8 years ago people...8 years ago! When the project was first proposed opposition came from the rich and famous inhabitants of the pricey sections of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Some with the audacity to say that in some form or another the wind farm would be harmful to the local environment! Maybe these people should talk to Al Gore and get an update on what is about to happen in 10 years, then we can compare notes on the devastation and see which one poses the larger threat! Fast forward to the present: now that energy costs have gotten to be egregious, and are affecting the wallets of the rich neighbors of the islands, the Cape Wind Project is finally on the brink of becoming a reality. This is just another example of how those citizens of this country with the financial backbone to get things done, or not done in this case, are the real ones in control of where our country is leading us.
I say this to Al Gore the next time he wants to speak to the American people and preach to us about changing our ways, or else. Maybe he should turn around and speak to the people behind him and his fellow politicians, they are the ones who make things happen anyway!
Home of Cape Wind project- http://www.capewind.org/
Al Gore address- http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/17/gore.energy/index.html?iref=newssearch
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