Politivity

Politics is nasty. And I admit I’ve taken part in smear campaigns and all the rest.

It’s hard not to get all riled up when politicians want to enforce agendas that go against all you hold dear. If you read this blog, it’s obvious I don’t want government health care. I’m a cancer patient who depends on private health care (including choice of doctors, hospitals, etc.).

But I’m trying to get better at keeping politics about policy and less personal.

I disagree with Republicans who wanted to impeach Clinton. I think that was a waste of time. No, I certainly don’t condone what Clinton did with Monica Lewinsky. However, I don’t think it was a constructive use of time or taxpayer money to make it a national issue and then turn to impeachment.

Yes, we conservatives have ideological issues with the Clintons. And yes, we observe statements that we feel are lies. But when we get nasty about it, it defeats our purpose. The ultimate purpose of politics should be for the country.

For the most part, I think most people want what’s best for the country. It’s just that we have different ideas on what that looks like.

I know that pro-abortion people don’t believe life starts at conception. I believe that it does. With that belief - it would be crazy for me to support abortion.

But somehow opposing abortion makes me anti-women’s rights (which is ridiculous). And for many right wingers, supporting abortion makes people murderers.

This language is not helpful. It achieves the very opposite of what’s best for our nation.

As we face one of the most important Presidential elections of our time, I wish so much that we would take the nasty personal stuff out of politics. No, I don’t like Hilary Clinton. But it’s based on her policies. I disagree with her. I don’t need to dig deeper to find dirt and prove that she is, in fact, a human being who makes mistakes.

I would love for the same ideas to be applied to Republicans. I know many of you want the war to be over. I know many of you believe Bush lied. But at least be open to the possibility that the impulsive, angry words that have made the media soundbites don’t necessarily tell the whole story. At least be open to the idea that we really do want to help people, and that it’s not about oil.

It’s amazing all the horrible things I hear about Republicans, and yet I don’t know a single Republican that fits these descriptions.  And I’ve met a bunch of liberals that I’m quite fond of.

So who’s with me? Who’s ready to strip the personal and the nasty - and respect each other?

I’m Pro-Life. I’m also a Rudy Giuliani supporter. The two don’t seem to match. But that’s only if you have a very shallow thinking on the abortion issue.

You see, I’d rather see a woman make a choice to keep her baby than to be forced by legislation to keep it.

Rudy Giuliani accomplished that while mayor of NYC. Abortions decreased by 16% while he was in office. The national average decreased by 13%.

Giuliani improved economic conditions for millions of women, making it easier for them to keep their babies.

If hard-core Pro-Life conservatives spent as much time volunteering in efforts to support women in situations where abortion becomes an option - and helped them achieve a decision that supported keeping their babies - that would accomplish far more than women being forced to keep their babies with no support at all.

It’s time for Pro-Life conservatives to truly practice what they preach. Legislation has no humanity behind it. It has no love, no kindness, no soul, no grace, no hope. Legislation is godless. Most pro-life conservatives are not. Most pro-life conservatives are Christians. It’s time to demonstrate God’s goodness to those in need.

Other candidates may claim to be pro-life - but none of them have a record of actually reducing abortions to the extent that Rudy Giuliani has.

Other candidates may claim to be pro-life - but the reality of them achieving legislation that outlaws abortion is slim to none.

Pro-life conservatives need to stop letting abortion be determined SOLELY by the law. Let it be determined by the compassion we show women who need it!

If you love going to the DMV, then you’ll love Government-sponsored universal health care!

If you love going to the Social Security office, then you’ll love government-sponsored universal health care!

If you love Medicare, then you’ll love government-sponsored universal health care!

If you love paying taxes, then you’ll really love government-sponsored universal health care!

If you love public schools, then you’ll go crazy over government-sponsored universal health care!

Yesterday, Craig Mazin (who I normally agree with) wrote that writers who cross the strike line are assholes.

I disagree.

The striking writers took their jobs knowing full well that they wouldn’t receive residuals for their work. Now, they’ve walked off the job in protests of salaries they previously agreed to.

In most companies in America, if an employee just stopped showing up to a job, they would be fired and a vacancy would become available. If the job was one that was highly competitive - many people would apply to the job.

Unions and strikes are designed to bully people who take advantage of the competitive nature of a free economy.

The writers of these TV shows have put many people in a tough place. Sure, studio heads and big time actors won’t truly suffer. But what about Production Assistants, Cinematographers, Editors, etc.? What about actors who play supporting roles?

And how long will it take for writers to recover the money they’ve lost? Let’s say a deal is struck for residuals. The deal will be so small - it will be pennies. It will take quite a while to make up for the real wages not being earned right now.

The WGA would like you to feel sorry for the writers because they can go so long without employment. Good writers don’t go without employment. They may not always get to work in their “dream job” on a TV show - but writing for movies and TV has many transferable skills - to advertising, copywriting, editing, etc. Any good writer never goes long without a job.

I would love for this strike to make the WGA fall apart. Good writers know how to make a living, to negotiate for what they want without unions and strikes. They don’t accept bad offers. They don’t work for free. They know what they’re getting into. And they certainly don’t throw strike-size temper tantrums and make the lives of hundreds (thousands?) of families.

You can pull the troops out of Iraq, but it won’t end the war.

Al-Quada has been displaced out of much of Bagdad and the Anwar region in the past few months. Without the US military, they would easily regain the territory.

It’s not because the Iraqi soldiers are anti-American. They’re not. They have come around. They support America, and they’re good soldiers. But they don’t have the equipment they need to sustain their country yet.

Additionally, pulling out of Iraq will hinder diplomacy with Iran. Having a military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan is the best chance we have at diplomacy with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Senator Clinton said during the CNN debate tonight that she supports the right to privacy (the question was about Supreme Court Justices and abortion).

I don’t want my private income to become public tax dollars that provide abortions.

Furthermore, I want to maintain my right to keep my private healthcare!

I think DMV and Immigration should have offices right next to each other. When an illegal comes in for a license, he gets ushered to Immigration and then deported back to their homeland.

Why should people who are here illegally get rights?

Warren Buffett testified before Congress today in support of estate taxes. He said he didn’t believe wealth should be passed on through families because it will create dynasties and aristocracies.

One of the main reasons people build wealth is the ability to pass on an inheritance to their families. They want to be sure their families are taken care of. But estate taxes make it very difficult for people to do this. Estate taxes on those with small businesses or those with “new wealth” such as minorities suffer the most.

Economists talk about classes of people by categorizing them into fifths.

In the past ten years, 5% of the lowest fifth income bracket moved to the top 5th (the richest bracket). 25% moved to middle and upper class brackets.

Many African-Americans are obviously and unfortunately in the lower fifth. But 35% of the bracket has been able to build wealth. Estate taxes threaten to put the children of these wealth-builders back into lower brackets, having to start all over again.

And when they do, they’ll be relying on government programs, supported by taxes to subsidize their lives. It’s a vicious cycle that is completely racist!

P.S. Warren Buffett will be avoiding paying taxes on the billions he’s leaving to charity.

When the current global warming cycle is over, temperatures will begin to taper off. It will have nothing to do with human effort to thwart global warming. Greenhouse gases increase as a result of the earth’s temperature, they don’t cause the temperatures.

But if politicians who believe that mankind causes global warming are elected, we will see taxes associated with the effort. Whether it’s an increase in the gas taxes or an increase in income taxes in order to pay for government-sponsored environmental programs, there will be less money in your pocket. You won’t be able to pay for all those carbon footprint offsets they want you to have.

Moreover, government regulations are likely to impact your investments.

Then, when the natural global warming cycle ends, these politicians will claim that it was human effort that cooled the earth down. Efforts will have to be maintained, which will require the taxes to be maintained.

10 million of them are illegal immigrants

Others qualify for Medicaid but haven’t applied

Another group makes $50,000 or more but doesn’t purchase health insurance

Another group is unemployed for a temporary time

It’s a shifting number.

So you say, “There are still uninsured in this country.”  Still, government healthcare is not the answer.