Tag: election

Polarized America

moderatesnotfoundLeave a comment

It’s no secret that the United States is a nation with a political gap between its parties – one that has only gotten worse with the recent controversial election. This division within the nation has shown its ugly face through protests, fighting, and through media outlets.

Photo Credit: people-press.org

The media paints a picture of one side versus the other, leaving very little wiggle room for any moderates. In other words, moderates in media are not found, and any voice of reason must have backing from a political party, or else it will simply fall on deaf ears. There will likely never be a rise of a moderate party, leaving the United States in a rough two-party system.

George Washington, the first president of the United States, forewarned the rising of political parties, telling, “they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government.”

Whether or not this is happening today through either candidate is up to the reader, but the fact remains that political parties have far too much power. They are far more interested in pushing their agendas than the good of the nation they are supposed to serve. Polarized America, land of the indifferent, ruled by the Donkey and Elephant.

An Intramural Scrimmage?

1998sakuraLeave a comment

After voting for the first time in my life, I was shocked by the result of the election. When I woke up after the results came out, I felt like I woke up to another world. To me, the outcome was not predicted and was surreal. I know friends who cried, not because they were happy but because they were scared. I read online that 8 transgender teens committed suicide on that day. It is very sad to see so many people depressed and heartbroken, and even taking their own lives because of this election.

It’s been almost a week now since the election, and my thoughts have changed – I am more motivated and positive about the future. As Katy Perry tweeted, “Do not sit still. Do not weep. MOVE. We are not a nation that will let HATE lead us.”

President Barack Obama told the nation that it is time to come together. “The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.  And over the next few months, we are going to show that to the world. Everybody is sad when their side loses their election. But the day after, we have to remember we’re actually all on the same team. This is an intramural scrimmage.”

I am going to hope for the best, and I want to play a part in bringing people together.

Photo Credit: abcnews.com

Change Pending (Except at the ATMs): Obama in LA

smackyjackjack1 Comment

Last Sunday I went and saw Barack Obama speak at the Nokia Theater in LA.  There weren’t really many other people preforming or speaking other than Los Angeles’ Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Antonio’s Mayor Julian Castro, George Clooney, Earth Wind and Fire, Jennifer Hudson, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi and Stevie Wonder.

My big shirt and I at the rally

So, let’s try to do this succinctly.

Musically, Bon Jovi…was Bon Jovi (not a good thing), and Stevie Wonder…was Stevie Wonder (good thing).

Okay, now on to why I’m actually writing. Let’s go down the list of the three keynote speakers.

Antonio Villaraigosa came out looking like a promoter for San Manuel Indian Casino. His tie-less suit and unbuttoned top three buttons on his shirt made him fit right in with the LA crowd that was at the Nokia theater that night. But Villaraigosa swallowed his obvious bitterness about speaking before Julian Castro and gave a short speech to introduce the next acts and discuss his allegiance to president Obama. He threw his support behind Obama and welcomed everyone to the fund bolstering night that I was looking forward to.

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Democalypse!

smackyjackjack1 Comment

I’m calling it.

332-206.

That’s what the electoral college will read at the end of the presidential election, with Obama taking the win.

To me, this is the better of two outcomes. The term “lesser of two evils” comes to mind, but hey, that’s just the consequences of a two party system and an indirect democracy.

The two party system that America has into place is a way to funnel your choices down to two people you almost certainly disagree with. It is almost impossible for someone to agree entirely with Obama, or entirely with Romney. Even if you did agree with them 100%, it is then their work ethic that comes into play.

For example, I agree with Obama that Guantanamo Bay needs to be closed ASAP. In fact, I agree with him that it should have been done 4 years ago…Anyways, to me, the US needs to stop its weird romance with torture prisons and secret “interrogation techniques”, but that’s for another blog. My point is that while you may agree with a candidate, you may not agree with the way they get things done (or don’t get things done).

Another thing that I don’t like about the election system is how much it all depends on character. Many voters decide who to vote for just based of who they relate to more. Well hell, I don’t know about any of you, but I don’t want a president like me. If he was anything like me, we’d be taken over by Canada in a matter of days. I’d want someone smarter, stronger, and just all out better than me.

Now that I’ve gotten way off topic, I’d like to ask you who you believe is going to win, and by how much? What’s your count for the college?

Insurance War

therightliberalLeave a comment

Oh America, how blinded you can be.

My families insurance is about to run out so we have started the battle to find a new one. This is no small task.

First there is the fact that there are thousands to look at. My mom spent hours upon hours searching and narrowing down the field.

She has been worried though because the last time we tried to apply, all three (me, my mom and my dad) all got turned down. It is not at though we have dangerous conditions; no history of heart problems, no history of cancer, etc, etc. But we do have some pre-existing conditions, especially me and my dad.

So my mom finally found some insurance that has a low rate of people they turn away, is a PPO and doesn’t have a deducible so high we have to mortgage the house.

So then she gets to fill out about 8 hours of paper work just to apply for it with a chance we get turned down. And our current Cobra insurance runs out at the end of the month so we really need to get on it.

The moral of the story: we should have a “socialist” health care system.

It makes it so much easier and so much more affordable. I am not commenting on the mandate, that is irrelevant. What is relevant is that people in the US deserve health care, and it’s not free health care either.

We all pay a little and in the long run create a much better society to live in. Sounds like a deal to me.

Healthcare Hell

therightliberalLeave a comment

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that the Supreme Court is currently deciding if “Obamacare” is constitutional.

Now let me say this, I am not sure about the mandate. I get the point and I also see why people would be upset.

However, for those who say that the government is making a mistake by creating a healthcare system where people with pre-existing conditions can still get coverage, shut up.

Although young, I have seen exactly the problems behind our current system. Just yesterday I was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

But because my family’s coverage is about to run out, I could not schedule appointments because we will run out of coverage and chances are I won’t be able to be put on a plan. This worries my parents far more than me, but it is a valid concern.

I consider myself lucky, I do not have a disease that is life threatening or controls my life. But for those who do, who is to say that they do not deserve coverage?

They are citizens of our nation, just like a healthy person, and as part of our society they deserve care they can afford.

You can call it a socialist program or whatever you want, the fact of the matter is that it is what people need. People need coverage so they can survive without massive amounts of debt and massive fears every day.

It is worth the tax increase we could see, and it is worth being potentially mandated to have health care. And let’s be honest here, the people trying to get rid of the mandate feel as though they should be able to turn it down because they have health care.

Taxes happen and lead to the society we have today so stop complaining. You want to live in this great country? It will cost you. Just like living in Beverly Hills, there is a price. But there is also a reason people are willing to pay the price.

I have no idea what the Supreme Court will decide but I urge them to make the right choice. Rule what you want as far as the mandate but please see that we need to get rid of the rejections relating to pre-existing conditions.

Lets get this done and make a better country, giving people support that they need. Lets make a better and stronger society and keep building our country.

Integrity

therightliberalLeave a comment

The word integrity is defined by my Google search as “The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.”

This, as it would seem, is a key factor in a person. There is a reason that the word so often gets tossed around and applied in so many ways.

I have heard it said on multiple occasions that the generation of today lacks this quality when compared to those before us, and that statement makes me really look around and judge for myself.

Surprisingly, I would tend to agree with the above stated remark. I feel that my generation has less of a regard for integrity, it just simply is not a value that we seem to hold as dear.

As with most things, the blame can not be placed on one specific person or thing for the occurrence. But I do feel that there are some very key factors in this trend.

Money makes the world go round more than ever before. My generation has been taught that money is in fact the key to happiness and all satisfaction in life.

To achieve success through money, many feel as though cheating and lying is the way to get ahead, and in many cases they are right. The world of business can be a cutthroat place and in some situations a lack of integrity can really help you.

This sends a message of acceptability when it comes to lacking integrity. As stated in a previous blog, I believe that morals and ethics are unique to each person so this is not a judgement of people’s integrity, simply and observation.

Obviously business ties in with the world of pop culture, another area which I feel has diminished the importance of integrity.

It used to be that the people portrayed in movies were honest characters who would rather die than compromise their integrity.

I am not stating that these characters do not exist in the movies today for they are still prevelant, yet not in such an obvious manner. Added to that there is also the counter of many characters who derive their likability from their overall lack of integrity.

Again, I am not saying that this culture change is a horrible thing or that it is a positive. I simply find it interesting that our values have changed in this way.

From a personal standpoint I can see both sides. I have seen when being honest can bite you in the ass as well as the other way around. So it comes down to each person thinking for themselves on how much they value integrity.

Rah Rah Romney!

therightliberalLeave a comment

All the politicos are talking about the GOP so why shouldn’t I join in? I can think of some reasons but reasons be damned. I digress.

As the Great Divide among Republican questioning the validity of Mitt Romney as a candidate continues, people are running wild in wonderment of what the GOP will do.

The issue is simply that many members of the GOP feel that Mitt Romney does not hold true to their ideals and that is a valid concern. But they then look down the list and cringe, realizing that there is not a soul on there that is electable.

In this three horse race to the glue factory there is only one candidate that would have a chance against Obama and that is Romney. Granted, I don’t think it’s much of a shot but with American voters you just never know.

Santorum is seemingly gaining momentum but at this point it is borderline irrelevant. Gingrich can’t even see the other two, but in true nature of his sheer evilness, Gingrich is staying in the race in an attempt to spoil it for the other two.

I have no idea how many times I have written this but the GOP are a mess. I am on edge that there will be a sudden surge of conservatism and the GOP will regain their lost strength but I have not seen a hint of that happening.

It seems as though Republicans have packed up their guns and beer and decided that 2012 was meant for hunting anyways. Cheney will be delighted.

It is not as though the GOP doesn’t have the funds or the populous to draw from, they just don’t have a candidate. And in my eyes, its not as though they missed someone that should have run. Palin would have added to the hilarity but nothing more and Christie would have just made an ass out of himself.

Who knows, maybe I am completely underestimating the GOP and will be in for a shock come November. But for now I remain confident of the GOP and their mistakes.

Joy of Joys

therightliberalLeave a comment

I find there to be nothing making my week slightly positive besides the fact that the Republican party is a mess. Some may shame me for finding joy in others misery, but to them I would respond with words not suitable for this site.

For those of you who prefer to not follow the Republican race, here is some news. Mitt Romney, the only feasible candidate now that Huntsman dropped out, just made a little confession. He admitted that he only pays about 15% on his taxes.

Mitt Romney is not one of those poor candidates either. This guy is loaded, so rich that he should just start wearing suits made out of money to the debates. So why then, Mr. Romney, are you paying only 15% while Americans that make about one millionth of what you make pay twice that rate?

His answer: because I am not making much income. He babbled about his only job being speaker positions (which he gets about $40k and hour for) and how he hasn’t been fully working for a while now. But he is still making enough to buy a small country each year.

Mitt Romney is a scumbag for a variety of reasons but this just adds on to it. Obviously our system is partially to blame for this rat to be able to sneak his way around tax codes, but being a public servant (if he was my servant he would be whipped daily) he should know better.

And if you thought that is not a big deal, one of Romney’s huge corporations (who are people too) seems to be keeping their funds (which are linked very closely with Romney) in the Cayman Islands to avoid taxes. Damn, isn’t he just an outstanding citizen?

But while many people are up in arms about all of this, I feel no need to be. As much as I would love to see Romney be publicly humiliated by a variety of public displays, I am content with the chances of him being elected president going down. At this point all I want to see is Obama being sworn in so that we can decline more slowly into our final years as a great nation instead of being thrown into a third world plutocracy by good ol’ Mitt.

RIP Reason

therightliberalLeave a comment

I knew Jon Huntsman was not going to win the Republican nomination. But I still could not help but be a little sad when he dropped out of the race.

My friends and family know me as the Republican basher, that guy who always says the obnoxious and inflammatory comments about the Good Ol’ Party.

But Jon Huntsman was different, he actually was intelligent and reasonable. Now the GOP has members who are very intelligent, take Dick Cheney for example. But Dick makes Stalin look like a teddy bear. I’m sure the GOP has had reasonable members who were unintelligent too, I just can’t think of any.

But Huntsman checked both boxes. In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Huntsman explained that his reason for being part of the Republican party was just because he though the people of Utah (his state) would be the most open to it.

I’m not trying to claim him as a Democrat because he is not. There is probably some obscure party in Australia that his ideals fit perfectly in to, but because of our system, he has an R next to his name.

But he did not let that get in the way of trying to make sense. He was not like Romney, trying to make himself look like a crazy teabagger who just wants to get rid of every single government program and become an isolationist nation that is at war with every single Islamic state.

No, he supported socialized programs and tax hikes. He thought we should stop fighting people for no apparent reason and we should protect the environment. He also thought we should work to cut some redundant government programs and reduce big government and that Boehner is at least some what competent.

It says a lot that a man who just stuck by his beliefs seemed to be such an oddity. Our system has come to the point that someone in the middle, who works to bridge the two parties, is looked at as being ineffective and plain wrong.

It is sad that Huntsman could not gain more ground in the primaries but I hope that he changed a few peoples mind in the process. I hope that he made some people see that there is room for the middle, that reason can conquer our stupid polarization. Jon Huntsman gave me hope, and that is more than can be said for most candidates.

So I’m now switching to endorsing this man for the Republican nomination, and yes, that is a boot on his head. Free Ponies for All!