Monday's Political Cartoons

Soy Sale?

The state of California has passed a law that forbids schools from having bake sales for fundraisers. No longer can little Billy or Sarah bring their mommy's cupcakes and snicker doodles to school and sell them for 25 cents so that the math club can afford graphing paper.


When I saw the headline for this story online I tried to think of a reasonable cause for this new law...

Maybe a kid got sick from some undercooked pastry item?
Some teenagers slipped in some "special" brownies as a prank?
Maybe this law is aimed at small businesses not operating with the proper licenses for selling food?

No. None of those are the reason. They passed a law that prevents school children from having bake sales to prevent childhood obesity.

First, I have a huge problem with parents that let their 10 year old tip the scales at 100 pounds. I don't care if it is in their genetics to be obese. Get them outside, skip the trip to McDonald's, and feed them a more balanced meal with fruit and those hated veggies.

Unacceptable. I applaud the California lawmakers for stepping up and realizing that this is an issue, but is outlawing school bake sales really the answer? I'll answer that, it's not. That is idiotic.

Better things to change:

• kid's meals that aren't healthy
• kids not participating in PE (if running makes you out of breath, that's more reason to keep running!)
• video games that will not automatically shut-off after one hour

Obama's China

President-elect Obama now has under 2 months to fill out his cabinet. The importance of having a wise and balanced group of advisers around the most powerful man on the planet cannot be underestimated. I have 2 men that I would like to see in Barack's cabinet.

Secretary of State

W's: Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice

My Choice: Bill Richardson

I would love to see Bill Richardson in this position. He is the governor of New Mexico and was Bill Clinton's US Ambassador to the United Nations and also Clinton's Secretary of Energy. He has a track record of negotiating with adversaries abroad (such as North Korea). Richardson would also supply Obama with a much-needed Hispanic in his Cabinet-recognition that the president-elect owes a good part of his victory to the Latino vote.

Secretary of Defense

W's: Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Gates

My Choice: Chuck Hagel

It is widely considered that Robert Gates will stay on for an undetermined amount of time to provide a much needed amount of continuity to the situation in Iraq while Obama's administration gets up to speed. Chuck Hagel, the Nebraska GOP senator who has been alienated from his own party over his opposition to the Iraq war and harsh criticism of Bush, sees eye to eye with Obama on many issues. Hagel, a Vietnam veteran highly regarded for his political courage and sober views of military restraint, could well end up being Obama’s token Republican in the Cabinet.

And how can you not like a guy that dresses up like other politicians for Halloween, and goes to meetings like that?

Election Day

I am very pleased to report that my polling location at McMillen Junior High (Go Marauders!) in Wylie ran very smoothly and efficiently. I was in and out in roughly 20 minutes and they had the "I Voted" stickers. (I was bummed in 2004 that my polling location didn't have the stickers...)

If you can find a few moments in your day today, please join me in saying a prayer for this election. Not for the results, or that your candidate wins, but that it is controversy free. The winner is clear and this nation can move on. The last thing this country needs is to be further divided with court cases about voter fraud, hanging chads, and the like.

The sun will come up tomorrow even if your candidate does not win. I encourage you to put aside feelings of fear and worry regarding this election, God is bigger than the presidency and he will most certainly take care of his flock.

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)