Sick of it all

Hi, everyone! I know that a lot has been going on, and I fully intend to blog about it soon, but I’ve managed to have not only the worst week of my life, but also to catch a bad cold. In the meantime, here are a few of my thoughts on everything that’s been going on:

– House Republicans and Democrats need to agree RIGHT NOW on a new, improved bailout bill for our quickly dying economy. I know that Secretary Paulson’s proposal was boneheaded – there’s no way that it would work, and would mostly like make everything worse. We need better oversight of our financial institutions, like, now!

– I thought the debate went well, for both sides. Both candidates were able to get in the talking points they wanted. However, I was very disturbed by John McCain’s behavior. Besides constantly belittling and disrespecting his opponent, he wouldn’t even look Barack Obama in the eye! So much for “reaching across the aisle”, huh? I mean, if you can’t stand to even appear like you’re listening to your opponent, Mr. McCain, then how can we know that you would listen to us?

I hope to be able to express myself much better in a few days. For now, what with my exhaustion and the fact that my throat is swollen and my head is aching, I can’t concentrate too hard without wanting to pass out. I’m sure that by the time I recover, there will be 15 new stories to think about…I can’t wait!

A Lot Going On…

Not only is there a lot going on in my life right now, what with papers due every minute, extra babysitting days for my nephew, and a reading list that keeps growing, but a lot has happened in our country. I’m finding myself spending the first 3 or 4 hours of every day catching up with what’s happening with the economy and what our government leaders are doing to solve the problems. I’ve even heard that student loans, with which I pay for my education, are at risk, but no one has said specifically how. That scares me. What’s even scarier is that people are comparing the economic crisis we’re facing now with the Great Depression. So, no longer is this a recession…it’s a depression? This is something I predicted in my post last week, but it’s terrifying to hear it repeated by people who actually know what they’re talking about.

I’ve also been closely watching the reactions of the two presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, to this crisis. Obama has seemed calm and steady, going public with his solutions and opinions, and calling for a bipartisan solution that will aim to protect taxpayers and homeowners, and not simply bailout rich Wall Street tycoons who are the ones who brought us to this point. McCain on the other hand has played a game of political chicken, declaring that he’s calling off his campaign and asking for Friday’s debate to be postponed. Why? I think he’s trying to take the political “high ground” here, but as there isn’t any, he’s just coming off as foolish. If he were president, he would never be able to shut down the government to focus on one crisis…you have to be able to multitask, for goodness sake! Plus, if he really wanted to focus on this problem, why did it take him like 4 days to read the 3 page bailout proposal by Secretary Paulson? Too busy campaigning when he said he wasn’t going to? His tactic hasn’t worked at all. Instead of showing himself as above politics, he instead now looks like he’s afraid to debate Obama tomorrow night. There’s barely more than a month until the election, and he wants to throw away an opportunity to show himself to the voters, who more than ever need to know where he stands? Like I said, foolish. He’s doing the work of the Obama campaign staff for them.

Going Public

I have been interested in politics since I was 8 years old. I remember watching the news on election night, 1988, and understanding in some childish way that I wasn’t happy with the outcome of the election. I couldn’t really articulate it to my parents, but I knew I had wanted Dukakis to win. Some of that may have been a residual preference from my parents, who are both fairly liberal Democrats, but I know that I made up my mind early on which party I wanted to belong to. Luckily, both my parents, and especially my father, encouraged my interest in politics. Now, it’s an interest that helps me to bond with my dad, who loves to watch Keith Olbermann on MSNBC and even calls me up especially to talk about Keith’s latest rant against Bush or McCain.

But besides bonding with my father, politics has become one of my most consuming passions, and it’s been that way since I was a teenager. The best thing about turning 18? Registering to vote. The only club I belonged to in high school? Amnesty International. My boyfriend sometimes complains that I’m too much of a bleeding heart liberal, but I don’t care. I care too much about certain issues, like women’s reproductive freedom (the only issue on which my dad, a Catholic, and I don’t agree), gay rights, social welfare programs, more economic oversight, less government control over our morality, and the defense of human rights around the world. I believe it is the responsibility of government to provide the greatest possible standard of living to its citizens, to guarantee protection of their civil liberties, to eliminate poverty in the richest country on Earth, to encourage economic and technological innovation, to protect our natural environment, to guarantee access to healthcare, and to protect people from harm. I want to dedicate my life to the things I believe in by working in public service, either for the government or for a non-profit organization.

Although I have always enthusiastically supported every Democratic presidential candidate in the past, it wasn’t until earlier this year that I was struck by one in a deeply personal way. I started out this presidential campaign as a fervent supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton. I loved the idea of a woman as president, and was excited at the prospect of seeing her take office. But as the race went on, I found myself paying more and more attention to Senator Barack Obama, who already had a supporter in my family in my older brother (who has never been interested in politics before). When my dad and I started watching his speeches together, we both found ourselves deeply impressed by his eloquence and by what he had to say. We also found ourselves disappointed in the Clinton campaign. Long before the Democratic nomination was won, I, along with the rest of my family and even my much more moderate boyfriend, switched our support to Senator Obama.

Now, for the first time in my life, I have actually donated money to a political campaign. I sent the Obama campaign $50 (not a very impressive donation, I know, but hell, I’m a student) and my boyfriend bought some Obama merchandise from their website. I’ve never felt compelled to donate money before, and although I know that my $50 won’t accomplish much, I felt the need to go on public record as a supporter of Barack Obama. As the race for president has gone on and on (and on), it’s become even more obvious that Senator Obama is the only candidate who can get America out of the chaotic mess it’s in right now. I’m more and more disgusted everyday with the McCain campaign, especially McCain’s feeble attempts to blame the current economic crisis facing America on Obama. First, it was that Obama didn’t have enough experience, now he’s claiming that Obama is too much of a Washington insider? Which is it?

At a moment when the U.S. isn’t just facing a recession, but a possible depression, we need actual change at the White House. President Bush has driven this country into a wall, and Obama is the only one who can fix it. Senator McCain will only give us four more years of the same broken policies, as he has proven by voting with Bush 90% of the time. I am so proud to be a now-documented supporter of Senator Obama, and now that the presidential campaign is finally once again focusing on actual issues, it’s clear that Americans understand that Obama is the best candidate for the presidency, and I’m convinced that they will prove their support in November.

Truth, Lies, and Presidential Campaigns

John McCain is a liar. Sarah Palin is a liar. Yes, I said it. Why isn’t everyone else?

John McCain put an ad out that stated that Barack Obama called Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate, a “pig”. What they didn’t explain was that Obama’s infamous “lipstick on a pig” comment was actually referring to McCain’s policies and how they are so similar to President Bush’s, even when he calls himself a “change” candidate. Nowhere in that speech did he refer to Sarah Palin as a “pig”. He wasn’t even talking about her! McCain finally admitted that Obama never called Palin a “pig”, but is still defending his ads. Even Karl Rove, the architect behind many dubious Republican campaigns, said that McCain is lying in many of his ads. Karl Rove. Think about that.

Sarah Palin has stated over and over that she was always against the “Bridge to Nowhere”, but, as reported by Mark Murray of MSNBC, “while Palin did put the final nail in the bridge’s coffin, that came after she supported the bridge during her 2006 gubernatorial campaign and after Congress essentially killed the project once it became politically unpopular.” Palin has proved herself to be the very worst kind of politician, the kind that lies so very comfortably and smoothly, and without shame, that you can never trust a single thing she says. Aside from the fact that she betrays a lot of the women who have worked so hard for women’s equality and freedom, Palin is simply a liar. A dangerously popular liar with almost no experience or applicable education.

John McCain and Sarah Palin have run the most sleazy, disrespectful, and underhanded campaign I think I’ve ever seen. I used to respect McCain as a man who was honorable, trustworthy, and above this sort of politicking. He has completely lost my trust and respect, and I can’t think of any way he can earn it back. And I know I’m not alone in this.

The Ugly Truth About Sarah Palin

I found this great blog post about Sarah Palin, Senator John McCain’s running mate (thank you, Mudflats!). I think everyone needs to read this! She’s abused her power, she’s ultra-conservative and has tried to enforce her morality on everyone, and she’s a danger to this country. Think about it…McCain is in his 70s and has a history of cancer. Do we really want this horrible woman to be this close to the presidency?

VOTE OBAMA!

I’m Blushing!

I was sweetly surprised when I checked into Kell’s blog, Life gets in the way, to see that she had honored me with an award! I read her blog several times a week, and love to read her often hilarious and always thoughtful updates on her pregnancy. Thank you, Kell!

Now I have to pass this award on to other deserving bloggers. There are so many to choose from, but here are a few that are some of my favorite corners of the internet.

Kate’s Blog – Kate always gives us a true picture of life, from the good to the bad.

Reflections of a Fine Book Connoisseur – Kylie is a fantastic book blogger and reviewer!

Corners of my Mind – This is one of the very first blogs I ever read, and is one of the reasons why I blog today! Rosie always shares beautiful pictures and thoughtful stories.

I don’t have time to leave all you ladies comments, so hopefully you come and visit me here soon and find out how lovely you all are!

Random Thoughts

A lot has been happening in the world and in my life lately, so here are some of the thoughts I’ve been having.

Re: The Democratic National Convention…WOW! Congratulations to Senators Obama and Biden for an extremely successful convention. Every speech was a winner, from Hillary Clinton’s to Michelle Obama’s, and especially to Senator Obama’s acceptance speech on Thursday night. I was inspired and encouraged by everything I heard and by the response I saw in the people.

Re: Senator McCain’s VP pick…Sigh…Senator McCain thinks that women, especially disaffected Hillary supporters, will vote for any woman, no matter what she stands for or who she is. McCain’s VP pick, Alaska governor Sarah Palin, is an insult to the intelligence of women everywhere. Not only is she anti-abortion, she makes no exception in cases of rape or incest. I’m sorry, but the women’s movement didn’t come this far only to be set back 30 years. This woman would betray everything that women have fought for, the very women whose hard work made it possible for her to hold such a high office. Ummmm….yeah, I don’t think so.

Re: My new computer…So, I applied for a loan from my university to purchase a new computer, and I chose a Sony Vaio FW series. It’s beautiful! It has an Intel dual-core processor (which is SO fast), a gorgeous 16.4 inch widescreen HD display, a built-in webcam, and…Windows Vista Home Premium. WHY??? Well, fortunately, Vista is working just fine for me and I love the way it looks. So there, all you Vista haters.

Re: School…I started school a week ago, and even though I’m loving my classes, I can already tell that it’s going to be a tough semester. I have tons of reading to do and papers to write. I only started studying yesterday, as it took almost a week to receive my textbooks. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed, but how depressed can I be about a semester in which I get to get credit for re-reading David Copperfield and in which I get to read Voltaire and Goethe?

Thank you for reading my random thoughts.