Why 11/04/08 is a Tough Choice

I have gone back and forth multiple times over the past 2 months as I attempt to decide who I will vote for on Tuesday. My rotation seems to go like this: Barr, McCain, Obama, McCain, Obama, Barr, to not even sure I want to vote.

OK, I know I'm going to vote, I just don't have the confidence that I would like that the person I vote for will be the best for the job according to my values.

I have some non-negotiable issues that I believe are morally right and because of that I require my candidate to agree with me. Here are some of the "big" ones:

• Foreign Policy - I am not an expert on all the different cultural forces at work in the world, but I do know that there is no such thing as "acceptable civilian casualties". And that is not exclusive to American civilians. I believe that every life on the planet is one that was made in the image of God and should be treated as such. Military force should be utilized as a last resort in dealings with other nations/groups/religious extremists, etc.


• Poverty - I have found some stats recently that are somewhat alarming to me. You may have heard similar numbers in the past: The top 1% of American wage earners are sharing over 30% of the nation's wealth. The bottom 40% of American wage earners are sharing 1% of the nation's wealth. I have always been a proponent of letting John Q Public decide how he wants to give his money for charity, but the problem of poverty (in the richest country in the world) is reaching epic proportions. If we aren't of good enough moral fiber to take care of it as public citizens through charitable giving, the government needs to step in.


• Abortion - I believe abortion is murder, it is a sin, and it should be stopped. Will making abortions illegal help stop abortions? Yes, and that should be done. But, I think a bigger step towards reducing abortions in America is dealing with the cause. Most abortions are a result of the mother being concerned about her future with a baby. Will she be able to afford food and health care? Will she still be able to work at all? The government needs to address these issues. But even still, why is she pregnant? Schools need to go further than teaching abstinence only. Students need to be made aware of proper and safe methods of contraception. That is a controversial opinion among most conservatives, but I feel like kids are gonna have sex. The option is uneducated, unprotected sex or safe sex. That's a no-brainer to me.

I think you can see why I am torn. The are other issues that I feel strongly about including immigration, health care, the federal budget, etc. But I don't think those are non-negotiable the same way that the three above are.

Good luck on Tuesday making your decisions and remember, the sun will rise again on November 5. (and if it doesn't, none of this will be a big deal at that point)

Monday's Political Cartoons

No Candy from Sex Offenders

It is very possible that this post will cause some differing opinions, but here goes:

In the state of Maryland, if you are on parole or probation for a sex-crime, you now have to post this poster on your door for Halloween:

The reason, according to the Division of Parole and Probation, is "because Halloween is a holiday in which large numbers of children interact with strangers, the concern among parents and other community members about sexual offenders in their neighborhoods is naturally intensified during this time of year."

Fair enough. I understand that parents are concerned about their children interacting with strangers. That is justified. My problem is this:

The Division of Parole and Probation goes on to say, "Our goal is public safety, and in keeping with that we need to make sure that the individuals under our supervision are provided with the enhanced supervision that we're committed to."

If these sex offenders are deemed to still be a risk to children, then why aren't they still in prison? Why are they on parole/probation if they are possibly going to harm another child?

I know that you can never know 100% whether a person will commit a crime again when they are released from prison. But why don't we make car thieves put a sign in front of their home that says, "Don't Park Here, I Might Steal Your Chevy!"; or make people convicted of driving drunk wear a shirt whenever they go somewhere with alcohol that reads, "I Might Drink Too Much And Then Drive Home The Wrong Way On The Highway!"; or should we make a shoplifter walk into a store and tell the stock boy, "Keep An Eye On Me, I Might Steal Some DoubleMint!"? Does anyone else see the double-standard?

What's the difference?

To be totally clear, I don't think kids should trick-or-treat at someone's house if that house is occupied by a child predator. The difference I have with this legislation, is that the child predator shouldn't be out in public to begin with!

The story on foxnews.com is here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,438725,00.html

Monday's Political Cartoons

Count Every Vote

Sorry, no cartoons in this post.

I have never understood the logic behind the electoral college system. If you can explain it to me, please do.

There is a somewhat new idea gaining some steam that will hopefully be enacted for the 2012 election. It is the National Popular Vote (NPV) system.

Currently, Texans have 34 electoral votes for president. If McCain wins by 1,000,000 or 1 vote in the state, he still gets all 34 electoral votes. That doesn't make sense to me and it also disenfranchises many non-republican voters in Texas that know they don't have much of a chance to overthrow the Republican candidate in the state.

Under the NPV system, the 34 electoral votes would not be decided solely by the Texas popular vote, but by the national popular vote. If McCain wins the national popular vote than he gets all 34 Texas electoral votes, and vice versa for Obama.

If/when this legislation is passed in all 50 states, then every vote will matter. Even, democrats in Texas and republicans in California. Doesn't that make sense?

If you want some further details on this legislation, go here: http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/index.php

Okay, maybe just one cartoon:

Bottom's Up

I got this email forward from my Mother and haven't really fact checked any of it. But, it's probably pretty close to accurate:If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you will have $49.00 today.
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you will have $33.00 today.
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you will have $0.00 today.
But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you will have received $214.00.


Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg.

A recent study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means that, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon!

Monday's Political Cartoons