Thoughts on the debate last night...
- When discussing how to balance the budget, neither candidate talked much about cutting spending! That's so disappointing. Romney said tax cuts add to the deficit. No, actually, they don't. Spending & borrowing adds to the deficit. And the formula Obama talked about ("simple math") completely left out cutting spending as an option. That's not even on his radar screen!
- Evidence that Romney is really a liberal: He wants to lower tax exemptions, He "likes green energy", and "You have to have regulations!"
- Does anyone besides me seriously doubt that Romney will follow his rule of asking, "Is this program important enough to borrow money from China for?" to justify government programs. If we followed that rule, 80% of govt programs would cease. But then again, that's a pretty subjective rule.
- Most laughable quote of the night: "My grandmother was independent precisely because of Social Security & Medicare." (paraphrased) This is not just a case of needsadictionary. This is at the heart of his worldview, and we saw it very clearly here.
- Best argument of the evening: Obama says a voucher option for Medicare would leave seniors at the mercy of the insurance companies. (& yet being @ the mercy of the govt., who has never in its history been able to run anything more efficiently than the private sector, with the exception of the military, is just fine!?) But Romney says, "That's why they have a choice! They can choose to be @ the mercy of whomever they please! May the best product win!" (paraphrased)
- Romney's debating skills are far superior. Obama repeated himself too much, and talked too slowly.
I definitely used to believe, as many say, that if there is not a candidate that supports most of my views, I should not vote or write one in, or vote for the 3rd party. In '08, I did write in. I don't believe that anymore, and here's why. It's a protest, but it's a wasted protest. What good did it do us last election? We told the Republican party that we didn't want any more moderates running with our lack of votes & votes for 3rd party candidates, but who won the primaries again this year? Another moderate! They are not getting it. Our energies need to be spent CHANGING the way the primary system works. That's foremost. Once someone wins that, our only choice is to throw our vote away or vote for whom we think is best. You may not like it; I certainly don't like it, but you can't change it by throwing your vote away, as that accomplishes nothing. We can change it by supporting people like Ron Paul or Herman Cain in the primaries, and then by working to change the primary process.
If you live a swing state...
Your choice is between running full speed ahead over the cliff or putting on the breaks a little bit.
If you don't live in a swing state....
Because of our current system, what you do really doesn't matter much.
"I just won't vote"....
If you think it'd be better to just stay out of it and not vote, I'd challenge you to think again. You really don't have a choice, morally. Voting is not just a right, it's a responsibility. If you don't know enough about the candidates and the issues to make an informed decision, then inform yourself! People in my generation seem to think of politics as a hobby. If it's your thing, that's cool, just don't bother us too much about it. If it's not your thing, well you help the planet in different ways. I think you'd be hard pressed to find many people who thought that way 200 years ago. And I'd venture to say our country would already be down the tubes by now if they had!
If you still don't think you'll vote, I'd just ask one thing- drive up to Arlington Cemetery where the soldiers who gave their lives for your freedom are buried, or any other veterans memorial or cemetery, and just spit all over their graves. That's what you're doing when you choose not to vote. (courtesy of my dad, only he didn't use the word "spit" ;) )
