In politics, I try to keep an open mind and welcome other peoples opinions and truthful information about current and past events to help me form my own opinions.
I am a registered Republican and have historically voted that way. But I'm really considering switching to Independent because of the obnoxious swing the Republican Party has taken since about the time of those bizarre impeachment proceedings. I have begun to question if the Republicans in general are trustworthy enough to be elected to office. It seems that some are, but many are not. What a revolting development that has been!
The last year or so, I have been reading much about the present administration in the media (newspapers and cable news) and blogs. Much of it is critical of what's happening at the White House. Maybe I'm just reading the critical articles. For TV news I mostly watch CNN, but I do also cycle through Fox and MSNBC. For newspapers, I read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Sunday NY Times, TimeMagazine and the NY Times and Washington Post web sites. If you have any suggestions for other places to get my input, I'd certainly like to take a look.
One of the things I look for in a candidate is whether or not they tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And whether or not their associates and allied organizations tell the truth.
As an aside, old naive me used to assume most people would tell the truth and in cases like the presidential election, if they were not telling the truth, it would soon be uncovered and reported in the media. Well, times have changed. Or maybe it's me that's changed.
But back to my quest for a truthful politician . . . Nowadays with the Internet and a broadband connection, it's pretty easy to research what people are saying and whether it's the truth or not. Or at least find an opposing viewpoint and come to a conclusion as to which sounds the most truthful.
Thoughts on Bush & Co
From what I've been reading, I certainly am really concerned about what the Bush administration has done in many areas and how it goes about doing it. It starts with the way he took the election in 2000 and goes from there. I firmly believe the current policies are taking us toward disaster fiscally, environmentally and with the terrorists. And that really scares me. It also bothers me that the policies are being implemented in deceitful and manipulative ways. I have plenty of details about all that, but don't want to take the time here.
I also believe that Bush is an expert in manipulating systems. That can be a good characteristic of a President, but unfortunately Bush does it mainly for his own and his associates' benefit. And he has a lifelong history of doing that. Several examples that come to mind from the current press are his National Guard service, the 2000 election, and the recent tax cuts that mainly benefit the wealthy. And there are many more.
I am also very concerned about federal spending in the next four (and more) years. In looking at the track record of Bush & Co, I'm really aghast at the spending of the last 4 years. And the current deficits. Somebody has to pay for all all this sooner or later. We're seeing effects already with the value of the dollar dropping as much as it has. We're also going to see inflation come roaring back and if we continue on the path we're on, there will be a fiscal crisis. Remember the inflation of the late 70's and early 80's that helped pay for the Vietnam war? Something like that is in our future. And I blame it all on Bush & Company. Well, maybe just mostly. I don't think he deserves a second chance - the stakes are too high. I mean really high!
Party Platforms
I tend to completely disregard the platforms of both parties because I think they are what the parties believe will attract the most voters and are not realistic in what will be accomplished if the party wins the election. The Republican platform certainly doesn't truly reflect the opinions of the administration. The platform is actually pretty moderate, designed to attract mainstream voters. In reality, Bush and his colleagues are all ultra-conservative. I think that's pretty obvious in many of the things they've done. To make my point, I only have to mention one name: John Ashcroft.
I think something really needs to be done about tort reform, but with all the %^&*$ lawyers in Congress and the lawyers lobbies, I really don't think either Kerry or Bush will be able to do anything. Same applies to a simplified income tax. And I think any promise by either party about either of these is purely hogwash.
Kerry's Vietnam experiences
As for the things Kerry said/did 30 years ago, my opinion is just that: they were things he said and did a long time ago. Ancient history. It was also after returning from a traumatic experience in that hell hole named Vietnam. And he wasn't much older than Bush's daughters, who really made a spectacle of themselves on national TV at the Republican Convention. I think he's matured considerably since then and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
And since there are conflicting stories about what he did 30 years ago, I choose to believe the U.S. Senator and person respected enough by his party to be selected to represent them in the presidential election, rather than some unknown loosely knit group whose qualifications are that they were somewhere in Vietnam sometime during the war there. Especially since they are backed by the same people that are backing Bush & Co.
I am a registered Republican and have historically voted that way. But I'm really considering switching to Independent because of the obnoxious swing the Republican Party has taken since about the time of those bizarre impeachment proceedings. I have begun to question if the Republicans in general are trustworthy enough to be elected to office. It seems that some are, but many are not. What a revolting development that has been!
The last year or so, I have been reading much about the present administration in the media (newspapers and cable news) and blogs. Much of it is critical of what's happening at the White House. Maybe I'm just reading the critical articles. For TV news I mostly watch CNN, but I do also cycle through Fox and MSNBC. For newspapers, I read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Sunday NY Times, TimeMagazine and the NY Times and Washington Post web sites. If you have any suggestions for other places to get my input, I'd certainly like to take a look.
One of the things I look for in a candidate is whether or not they tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And whether or not their associates and allied organizations tell the truth.
As an aside, old naive me used to assume most people would tell the truth and in cases like the presidential election, if they were not telling the truth, it would soon be uncovered and reported in the media. Well, times have changed. Or maybe it's me that's changed.
But back to my quest for a truthful politician . . . Nowadays with the Internet and a broadband connection, it's pretty easy to research what people are saying and whether it's the truth or not. Or at least find an opposing viewpoint and come to a conclusion as to which sounds the most truthful.
Thoughts on Bush & Co
From what I've been reading, I certainly am really concerned about what the Bush administration has done in many areas and how it goes about doing it. It starts with the way he took the election in 2000 and goes from there. I firmly believe the current policies are taking us toward disaster fiscally, environmentally and with the terrorists. And that really scares me. It also bothers me that the policies are being implemented in deceitful and manipulative ways. I have plenty of details about all that, but don't want to take the time here.
I also believe that Bush is an expert in manipulating systems. That can be a good characteristic of a President, but unfortunately Bush does it mainly for his own and his associates' benefit. And he has a lifelong history of doing that. Several examples that come to mind from the current press are his National Guard service, the 2000 election, and the recent tax cuts that mainly benefit the wealthy. And there are many more.
I am also very concerned about federal spending in the next four (and more) years. In looking at the track record of Bush & Co, I'm really aghast at the spending of the last 4 years. And the current deficits. Somebody has to pay for all all this sooner or later. We're seeing effects already with the value of the dollar dropping as much as it has. We're also going to see inflation come roaring back and if we continue on the path we're on, there will be a fiscal crisis. Remember the inflation of the late 70's and early 80's that helped pay for the Vietnam war? Something like that is in our future. And I blame it all on Bush & Company. Well, maybe just mostly. I don't think he deserves a second chance - the stakes are too high. I mean really high!
Party Platforms
I tend to completely disregard the platforms of both parties because I think they are what the parties believe will attract the most voters and are not realistic in what will be accomplished if the party wins the election. The Republican platform certainly doesn't truly reflect the opinions of the administration. The platform is actually pretty moderate, designed to attract mainstream voters. In reality, Bush and his colleagues are all ultra-conservative. I think that's pretty obvious in many of the things they've done. To make my point, I only have to mention one name: John Ashcroft.
I think something really needs to be done about tort reform, but with all the %^&*$ lawyers in Congress and the lawyers lobbies, I really don't think either Kerry or Bush will be able to do anything. Same applies to a simplified income tax. And I think any promise by either party about either of these is purely hogwash.
Kerry's Vietnam experiences
As for the things Kerry said/did 30 years ago, my opinion is just that: they were things he said and did a long time ago. Ancient history. It was also after returning from a traumatic experience in that hell hole named Vietnam. And he wasn't much older than Bush's daughters, who really made a spectacle of themselves on national TV at the Republican Convention. I think he's matured considerably since then and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
And since there are conflicting stories about what he did 30 years ago, I choose to believe the U.S. Senator and person respected enough by his party to be selected to represent them in the presidential election, rather than some unknown loosely knit group whose qualifications are that they were somewhere in Vietnam sometime during the war there. Especially since they are backed by the same people that are backing Bush & Co.
posted by Larry @ 1:29 PM
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