Since I reached the age to vote I have identified myself as a Republican. I never agreed with all the ideals they hold. For example, I fully support the rights of gays and lesbians to marry, I am pro choice (not that I could make that choice, but I don’t feel the government should have a say), and I don’t feel religion has a place in politics. That being said I also feel that Republicans generally have a stronger stance on foreign affairs, are better with the national budget, and allow for less government aid and illegal immigration. While gay and women’s rights are certainly important issues and ones I do feel strongly about, as a nation we have bigger concerns, especially in a time where it seems like every country in the Middle East wants to terrorize us.
I was truly disappointed when Obama was elected, not that McCain was a much better option but I felt he was the lesser of two evils at the time. Turns out I was right about Obama. He has not been a good president. Between bail outs, the economy, and pulling us out of the ‘war’ abruptly our nation is even in worse shape than Bush left it!
Yes, Obama killed Bin Ladin (or the Seals did anyway) and Obama did get rid of the horribly outdated ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’. I am reasonable enough to give credit where it is due. No one is completely awful. Obama has done some good, but not where it truly counts.
With all of this in mind I was very excited going into the GOP primary season. I wanted to get a candidate that would beat Obama in the election. I have long since given up hope of a ‘good’ nominee, but I’d settle for one I could confidently say was the lesser of two evils.
Instead we’re going to get someone worse than Obama.
As of the writing of this post it’s down between three men: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, or Newt Gingrich. Yes, Ron Paul is still technically in the running, but he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell, which is unfortunate since he would actually be the lesser of all evils in this particular case.
I’ll start with Mitt Romney since I feel like he will ultimately be the GOP choice given what we currently know. He can deny it all he wants, Obamacare is his brain child. And please spare me the argument that it was designed to work in one state, not nationwide. The ideals of Obamacare are what’s wrong with it. No matter how you slice it, state or nation, it is just wrong. He also continues to make comments that just make me cringe.
"I get speaker's fees from time to time, but not very much." —Mitt Romney, who earned $374,000 in speaking fees in one year according to according to his personal financial disclosure (January 2012)
"I should tell my story. I'm also unemployed." —Mitt Romney, speaking in 2011 to unemployed people in Florida. Romney's net worth is over $200 million.
"Corporations are people, my friend… of course they are. Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to the people. Where do you think it goes? Whose pockets? Whose pockets? People's pockets. Human beings, my friend." —Mitt Romney to a heckler at the Iowa State Fair who suggested that taxes should be raised on corporations as part of balancing the budget (August 2011)
These are just a few examples. Romney needs to admit he has no idea what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and that while there is that disconnect between himself and the middle class, he wants to listen and learn what we need to make things better for this country. I honestly believe Romney has good intentions, but he is so far disconnected from the American people we can’t expect him to represent us. And ‘Corporations are people’? Really? This comment ALMOST makes me want to join Occupy. Almost. Corporate greed is what is wrong with America. The bailouts, unearned bonuses, tax breaks, and corruption have all led us to where we are now. It is clear Romney doesn’t get this.
Next we have the runner up, Rick Santorum. Now, I’ll admit it, I used to be a supporter of Santorum. I saw him on the ‘Today’ show and he said some things that sounded good. I thought perhaps he was a Christian Republican that would be able to set aside his religious views and run the country fairly. It’s ok, you can laugh at me. I was extremely wrong. This is the same man that compared abortion to slavery. I’m not kidding. Gay don’t have rights in his eyes but an unborn fetus does? Do you see the flaw with this logic that I see?
Santorum also said the following:
“If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society? I would argue yes, it does. It all comes from, I would argue, this right to privacy that doesn’t exist in my opinion in the United States Constitution. In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That’s not to pick on homosexuality. It’s not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing.”
I have always hated this argument. First of all I support people’s right to polygamy as well as long as all parties are consenting adults. And ‘Man on dog…’? Seriously? SERIOUSLY?! Call me crazy, but last time I checked dogs (or any other animal that isn’t human) couldn’t consent to marriage. And that goes for ‘man on child’ too. Children are not of age to consent. All I’m talking about here are consenting human adults. Why is this such a hard concept to grasp? This argument is ridiculous and the fact he even uses it shows a lack of common sense.
“One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. [Sex] is supposed to be within marriage. It’s supposed to be for purposes that are yes, conjugal…but also procreative. That’s the perfect way that a sexual union should happen…This is special and it needs to be seen as special.”
I have no qualm with the fact Santorum believes this as part of his personal morality. I have an issue that he is pushing it on America and would happily outlaw birth control if he could. Last time I checked the government didn’t have the right to tell me not to have sex out of wedlock.
Come to think of it, when did the sex lives of Americans become such a big issue anyway? I’m sorry, what I do in my bedroom is not anyone else’s business. Same goes for you. I don’t care what you do in your bedroom. As long as everyone is of consenting age and species (thank you Santorum for making me feel a need to clarify species) then I don’t care what or who you do. That’s your business, not mine and certainly not the government’s.
This seems like a good time to move on to what really made me take a step back and look at what my party was doing. Unless you live under a rock you heard about the controversy Rush Limbaugh stirred when he called a college student a slut and prostitute for suggesting the birth control be covered by insurance.
First of all, for many years I’ve often found Rush to be thought provoking and willing to speak truths others would not. I feel this needs to be clear so it is clear I’m not bashing on Rush because it’s Rush (which I feel some have used this opportunity to do). I’m against this because I’m truly shocked and dismayed at the way this stance was taken and even more so because of the fallacy in the ‘facts’ presented.
Rush commented that expecting taxpayers to pay for birth control was the equivalent of having tax payers pay a woman to have sex and if this was the case he wanted something for his money, such as a tape. First, sick. Sick, sick, sick. Second, no one ever said anything about taxpayers paying for it, just private insurance. Third, some people do need birth control for legitimate medical issues (like me for one). Forth, isn’t birth control cheaper and a better alternative to an unwanted pregnancy?
Rush made these comments without proper facts and in a way that was nothing less than insulting. That being said, Rush is nothing more than a radio host. It’s easy to tune out and at the end of the day his little radio show doesn’t affect anything any more than any other opinion. What alarmed me is that the Republican party didn’t denounce his comments! When the media started in about this being the way the GOP felt they didn’t disagree. In fact many said that they did agree with the message even if they would have worded it differently.
Excuse me?
So, let me get this straight, the party I lend my support to does want to eliminate birth control? They do think they have a right to control what happens in my bedroom? This is more than Santorum? This is a party wide idea now?
Oh really now?
And just like that I was forced to step back and look at what my party stood for. And just like that I found myself without a party. After this whole ridiculous incident I was far too embarrassed to call myself a Republican. Then again the Democrats are just as bad as they ever were. I’m a girl without a party. I’m a girl that honestly doesn’t know who she will vote for come Election Day.
Which reminds me, I never did talk about Newt Gingrich. I honestly feel he’s incidental at this point. He won’t win the nomination, but it’s just as well. I wanted to like Gingrich. I truly did…but the guy is as corrupt as the day is long. And who talks about themselves in the 3rd person? Priscilla thinks it’s lame and Priscilla wouldn’t trust anyone that talks about themselves in the 3rd person because it’s just weird.
I’m just saying…
That said I do want to cite one quote Gingrich said that I actually very much agree with:
“Let me draw a distinction. Virtually every American has a reason to be angry. I think virtually very American has a reason to be worried. I think the people who are protesting in Wall Street break into two groups: one is left-wing agitators who would be happy to show up next week on any other topic, and the other is sincere middle-class people who frankly are very close to the Tea Party people who care. And actually...you can tell which are which. The people who are decent, responsible citizens pick up after themselves. The people who are just out there as activists trash the place and walk off and are proud of having trashed it, so let’s draw that distinction.”
Now, Gingrich has made his share of stupid quotes I could fill a book with, but this one, solitary quote is awesome, intelligent, and succinct. Those ‘left wing agitators’ are the hippies I refer to often. The other half are Tea Partiers that don’t know how else to speak out. They are simply misguided and suffer from being lumped in with the hippy activists. It’s hurting their cause unfortunately and making them all look bad.
But, I digress, the point here is that no matter how you slice it there is no hope of a GOP nominee that is a lesser evil than Obama. That said I just don’t think I can bring myself to vote for Obama either.
I know there are others that agree with me on this. I hope there is a third party candidate and I implore everyone that feels like I do to vote for the third party should their be one. That would be the quickest way to show the Republicans and Democrats that we’re sick of this corrupt two party system. It would do more than Occupy or any other ‘movement’ to force a change. You want to use your voice, then use your vote.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Occupy: For the People or Against the People?
Occupy.
What does this mean to you?
These days it refers to a movement of protesters.
What are they protesting? Sometimes I don’t think they even know. Each Occupier has a slightly different answer to that question. Some say it’s all about getting corruption out of the government…to make them listen to the people instead of the corporations. Some say it’s about getting rid of the broken government altogether. I’ve seen the term socialism used. Some occupiers are basically fighting for a communist America. Some have declared war on the rich. Some have declared war on the authorities, including the police. Some have reasons I haven’t covered here.
One thing is universal among all of the occupiers. They all proclaim to be fighting for the so-called 99% against the so-called 1%. They all claim to be fighting for you and me.
Let me just get one thing straight before we go any further. I didn’t ask any of the occupiers to speak for me or ‘fight’ for me. At least with the government officials I got a vote.
Now, I’m going to try to break this down in the most logical way. I am NOT opposed to EVERYTHING Occupy stands for. I agree that Washington is corrupt and in need of a major overhaul…that’s where my agreement with them ends.
When you were a kid and you wanted something but Daddy told you no what did you do? If you were like most kids you stomped your foot and threw a temper tantrum. Someone I know compared Occupy to this. I think it sums it up pretty well. Instead of handling the situation like mature adults the Occupiers are protesting in the most juvenile fashion imaginable.
And somewhere along the way Occupiers got it in their head that they can do whatever the hell they want to pubic property (AKA city owned space). Newsflash, if the city owns it the city can do whatever they want. They can tell protestors not to protest there because it is a public disturbance (which it is). They can arrest people for not complying…and yes, they are well within their rights to do so. When we elected our officials we gave them the power to make decisions for the public welfare. If they see protesters as a potential danger to the city then they can arrest them. How are they a potential danger? Any large gathering of people risks the chance of riot. Having so many people in one space for so long causes massive clean up bills that the city has to foot (with TAX PAYER money). And, in the most simplistic terms, the protestors are a public nuisance. They disturb the peace and make it hard for the elected officials to do their jobs. They cause police man power to be patrolling them instead of being out taking care of more important things. I’m from Austin where the occupiers at City Hall were arrested and evicted. I applaud the city. I’ll be the first to say I hate the government in Texas. If you know anything about our idiot governor, Rick Perry you know why. I still don’t want juvenile adults protesting and preventing everyone in government from doing their job efficiently.
Think about it, if you have a job (I realize a lot of occupiers don’t) how would you like it if you were trying to work and a big group of uninvited people were outside making noise and causing a disturbance? Would it cause you to stop and listen to what they were saying or would it just annoy you and make you less likely to take whatever their message was seriously? Chances are, if you were being honest, you would be annoyed. Wouldn’t you rather they express their message is a more professional and dignified way? A way that got their point across without disturbing your work day? Yeah, me too.
A lot of occupiers see what their doing as important. A lot act like they are super heroes because occupying is hard work man. It’s rough to get out there and scream and sing and protest and fight the system. Yeah? Well try working 40 hours a week and paying taxes. Anything the occupiers do is a CHOICE. They are not fighting for the people. They are fighting for the occupiers. They are not fighting for the “99%” they are fighting for the 1% of occupiers. Yeah, ok, 1% of the country is wealthy. So what?
The wonderful thing about America is that if you work hard and you’re smart (or just plain lucky sometimes) you too can be a millionaire. I have no issue with this. Bill Gates is a genius that changed the world and thus became rich legitimately. Why should he be punished for that? Donald Trump (much as I despise the guy) built his empire. He deserves his wealth. Paris Hilton was born into it. She’s lucky as all get out, but it’s the life she was born into. That lottery winner that won millions of dollars? I wish that were me but aside from that, they have a right to their riches as well.
Is that to say everyone earned it (or lucked into it)? No. I realize some people lied, cheated, and stole to get their wealth. I disagree with that. I think there needs to be someone that takes a long hard look at the bonuses some of these executive get. I agree that not all wealth is legitimate. I won’t say all of the wealthy are evil.
What occupiers fail to realize is that they are not uniting the country. They are causing a greater divide. Instead of the 99% vs the 1% it’s the Occupiers vs the government vs everyone else.
One of the best quotes I’ve seen in regards to the occupy movement came from an AthensOnline.com article written by Jim Thompson “Whatever they may think their theatrics might have accomplished, what the Occupiers in fact did was give this community an excuse to write them off as a sideshow unworthy of serious consideration…”
That says it all. Occupy is a side show. A joke. It does not warrant serious consideration because they are not using adult tactics to make their point. If you don’t like the way things are going, run for office! If you want to make a change, get involved in politics and make a change. Help run a campaign for a candidate you believe in. Get involved in the media where you can interview the leaders and ask the tough questions. If you want to be taken seriously act like an adult and not a child that doesn’t want to eat their vegetables.
Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of Occupy is the way they view police officers. I’ve seen the threats on police as a whole. I’ve seen how the protesters want to ruin the lives of the people sworn to protect us. This is scary to me.
Am I saying every single police officer in the country is a fine, upstanding person doing their job by the letter of the law? No. Not in the least. Every single occupation, organization, and other type of group has their bad apples. I can promise you, not every Occupier is a good person. There are criminals among them too. I am sick of all police getting a bad wrap.
I, too, was appalled when I saw the video of the police officer pepper spraying a seemingly innocent group of protesters. Then I found out the real reason they were pepper sprayed.
The fact of the matter is pepper spray is often used when the police are met with resistance. If the police tell you to move and you refuse you risk getting shot with pepper spray. True story.
You know how to avoid this? Do what the police say. They are there to enforce laws. Even if the police agree with everything the protestors are doing they have their own job to do. A job they get paid for. A job that involves keeping the peace. If you are camped out in a place the city has said you can not camp and the police say move then you better move or there will be consequences. This is not excessive force. This is the police handling a citizen that refuses to listen to reason. Now, if they were drawing their guns and shooting protestors that would certainly be excessive. They are not. No lethal force has been used. Just pepper spray. I’m sure that stuff hurts like hell, but if the person would have just listened to the police they wouldn’t have been sprayed. The police don’t go around pepper spraying random people. I, a law abiding, tax paying citizen, have never been pepper sprayed. Why? I follow the laws.
And as for this misconception that all police are corrupt, it’s just simply not true. I have relatives in law enforcement that are very good people. One of them is the most upstanding man you could hope to have protecting you. Do I know of some that misuse their position? Absolutely…but again, every group has bad apples. The majority of police want to protect and serve. Just follow the laws and nobody gets hurt. Pretty simple concept.
It was this violent hatred and promotion of going after police that caused Anonymous to lose my support. I actually liked Anonymous’ tactics. It showed the government the power of the internet without actually getting in anyone’s way. I followed Anonymous on Facebook for awhile. In the end I found their anti-police stance to be too terrifying and uncalled for. I could not support a group that treated all authority as they do. Police officers are not ‘pigs’ or any other numerous terms I’ve seen them called. They are out there catching murderers, rapists, and other criminals to keep us safe. Perhaps a few warrant disdain, but certainly not everyone wearing a badge, which is what is happening.
In the end it comes down to the simple fact that Occupiers speak for no one but themselves, in spite of their claims. No one voted for them. No one asked them to give up working and being a valuable member of society to sit around and act like a child. No one asked them to camp out and take up public space. They claim they have a right to camp out on city owned space because it belongs to all of us? Well then I want my say. If I own it too then I want you gone…but no. Not a single Occupier asked me if I mind them occupying space my taxes pay for. One Occupier told me I didn’t know everything she’d been through and done fighting for ME and MY rights. Anything any Occupier has been through is hell of their own making. Don’t blame me. I don’t want you there. I’d much rather you find a job and pay taxes like the majority of us. Maybe if you contributed something useful to society then you could spark a change while still acting like an adult.
What does this mean to you?
These days it refers to a movement of protesters.
What are they protesting? Sometimes I don’t think they even know. Each Occupier has a slightly different answer to that question. Some say it’s all about getting corruption out of the government…to make them listen to the people instead of the corporations. Some say it’s about getting rid of the broken government altogether. I’ve seen the term socialism used. Some occupiers are basically fighting for a communist America. Some have declared war on the rich. Some have declared war on the authorities, including the police. Some have reasons I haven’t covered here.
One thing is universal among all of the occupiers. They all proclaim to be fighting for the so-called 99% against the so-called 1%. They all claim to be fighting for you and me.
Let me just get one thing straight before we go any further. I didn’t ask any of the occupiers to speak for me or ‘fight’ for me. At least with the government officials I got a vote.
Now, I’m going to try to break this down in the most logical way. I am NOT opposed to EVERYTHING Occupy stands for. I agree that Washington is corrupt and in need of a major overhaul…that’s where my agreement with them ends.
When you were a kid and you wanted something but Daddy told you no what did you do? If you were like most kids you stomped your foot and threw a temper tantrum. Someone I know compared Occupy to this. I think it sums it up pretty well. Instead of handling the situation like mature adults the Occupiers are protesting in the most juvenile fashion imaginable.
And somewhere along the way Occupiers got it in their head that they can do whatever the hell they want to pubic property (AKA city owned space). Newsflash, if the city owns it the city can do whatever they want. They can tell protestors not to protest there because it is a public disturbance (which it is). They can arrest people for not complying…and yes, they are well within their rights to do so. When we elected our officials we gave them the power to make decisions for the public welfare. If they see protesters as a potential danger to the city then they can arrest them. How are they a potential danger? Any large gathering of people risks the chance of riot. Having so many people in one space for so long causes massive clean up bills that the city has to foot (with TAX PAYER money). And, in the most simplistic terms, the protestors are a public nuisance. They disturb the peace and make it hard for the elected officials to do their jobs. They cause police man power to be patrolling them instead of being out taking care of more important things. I’m from Austin where the occupiers at City Hall were arrested and evicted. I applaud the city. I’ll be the first to say I hate the government in Texas. If you know anything about our idiot governor, Rick Perry you know why. I still don’t want juvenile adults protesting and preventing everyone in government from doing their job efficiently.
Think about it, if you have a job (I realize a lot of occupiers don’t) how would you like it if you were trying to work and a big group of uninvited people were outside making noise and causing a disturbance? Would it cause you to stop and listen to what they were saying or would it just annoy you and make you less likely to take whatever their message was seriously? Chances are, if you were being honest, you would be annoyed. Wouldn’t you rather they express their message is a more professional and dignified way? A way that got their point across without disturbing your work day? Yeah, me too.
A lot of occupiers see what their doing as important. A lot act like they are super heroes because occupying is hard work man. It’s rough to get out there and scream and sing and protest and fight the system. Yeah? Well try working 40 hours a week and paying taxes. Anything the occupiers do is a CHOICE. They are not fighting for the people. They are fighting for the occupiers. They are not fighting for the “99%” they are fighting for the 1% of occupiers. Yeah, ok, 1% of the country is wealthy. So what?
The wonderful thing about America is that if you work hard and you’re smart (or just plain lucky sometimes) you too can be a millionaire. I have no issue with this. Bill Gates is a genius that changed the world and thus became rich legitimately. Why should he be punished for that? Donald Trump (much as I despise the guy) built his empire. He deserves his wealth. Paris Hilton was born into it. She’s lucky as all get out, but it’s the life she was born into. That lottery winner that won millions of dollars? I wish that were me but aside from that, they have a right to their riches as well.
Is that to say everyone earned it (or lucked into it)? No. I realize some people lied, cheated, and stole to get their wealth. I disagree with that. I think there needs to be someone that takes a long hard look at the bonuses some of these executive get. I agree that not all wealth is legitimate. I won’t say all of the wealthy are evil.
What occupiers fail to realize is that they are not uniting the country. They are causing a greater divide. Instead of the 99% vs the 1% it’s the Occupiers vs the government vs everyone else.
One of the best quotes I’ve seen in regards to the occupy movement came from an AthensOnline.com article written by Jim Thompson “Whatever they may think their theatrics might have accomplished, what the Occupiers in fact did was give this community an excuse to write them off as a sideshow unworthy of serious consideration…”
That says it all. Occupy is a side show. A joke. It does not warrant serious consideration because they are not using adult tactics to make their point. If you don’t like the way things are going, run for office! If you want to make a change, get involved in politics and make a change. Help run a campaign for a candidate you believe in. Get involved in the media where you can interview the leaders and ask the tough questions. If you want to be taken seriously act like an adult and not a child that doesn’t want to eat their vegetables.
Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of Occupy is the way they view police officers. I’ve seen the threats on police as a whole. I’ve seen how the protesters want to ruin the lives of the people sworn to protect us. This is scary to me.
Am I saying every single police officer in the country is a fine, upstanding person doing their job by the letter of the law? No. Not in the least. Every single occupation, organization, and other type of group has their bad apples. I can promise you, not every Occupier is a good person. There are criminals among them too. I am sick of all police getting a bad wrap.
I, too, was appalled when I saw the video of the police officer pepper spraying a seemingly innocent group of protesters. Then I found out the real reason they were pepper sprayed.
The fact of the matter is pepper spray is often used when the police are met with resistance. If the police tell you to move and you refuse you risk getting shot with pepper spray. True story.
You know how to avoid this? Do what the police say. They are there to enforce laws. Even if the police agree with everything the protestors are doing they have their own job to do. A job they get paid for. A job that involves keeping the peace. If you are camped out in a place the city has said you can not camp and the police say move then you better move or there will be consequences. This is not excessive force. This is the police handling a citizen that refuses to listen to reason. Now, if they were drawing their guns and shooting protestors that would certainly be excessive. They are not. No lethal force has been used. Just pepper spray. I’m sure that stuff hurts like hell, but if the person would have just listened to the police they wouldn’t have been sprayed. The police don’t go around pepper spraying random people. I, a law abiding, tax paying citizen, have never been pepper sprayed. Why? I follow the laws.
And as for this misconception that all police are corrupt, it’s just simply not true. I have relatives in law enforcement that are very good people. One of them is the most upstanding man you could hope to have protecting you. Do I know of some that misuse their position? Absolutely…but again, every group has bad apples. The majority of police want to protect and serve. Just follow the laws and nobody gets hurt. Pretty simple concept.
It was this violent hatred and promotion of going after police that caused Anonymous to lose my support. I actually liked Anonymous’ tactics. It showed the government the power of the internet without actually getting in anyone’s way. I followed Anonymous on Facebook for awhile. In the end I found their anti-police stance to be too terrifying and uncalled for. I could not support a group that treated all authority as they do. Police officers are not ‘pigs’ or any other numerous terms I’ve seen them called. They are out there catching murderers, rapists, and other criminals to keep us safe. Perhaps a few warrant disdain, but certainly not everyone wearing a badge, which is what is happening.
In the end it comes down to the simple fact that Occupiers speak for no one but themselves, in spite of their claims. No one voted for them. No one asked them to give up working and being a valuable member of society to sit around and act like a child. No one asked them to camp out and take up public space. They claim they have a right to camp out on city owned space because it belongs to all of us? Well then I want my say. If I own it too then I want you gone…but no. Not a single Occupier asked me if I mind them occupying space my taxes pay for. One Occupier told me I didn’t know everything she’d been through and done fighting for ME and MY rights. Anything any Occupier has been through is hell of their own making. Don’t blame me. I don’t want you there. I’d much rather you find a job and pay taxes like the majority of us. Maybe if you contributed something useful to society then you could spark a change while still acting like an adult.
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