Why I am Voting for Obama (instead of Romney, Paul, Barnett or Anderson) in 2012

Yes, I am a registered Republican.  No, I had no intention of voting for Obama in a gazillion years. But I did the research to the best of my ability and this is where I ended up.  So be it – see my Google Spreadsheet Doc for my primitive scoring method 😀  (Note: Google Docs is chopping off the Justice Party candidate, Rocky Anderson, but there were enough gaps in issue coverage that I didn’t actually score him).

VOTE BASED ON BELIEF

This year I made a pledge, and I intend to keep it.  I pledged never to vote out of fear.  What that means is, people constantly tell me that if I don’t vote for a Republican or a Democrat, I am just wasting my vote because those are the two biggest parties, and there is no hope for the other candidates to win.

Guess who makes that possible? Yep, the people who told me that. So, I pledge, for the rest of my days, that I will never vote for a Republican or a Democrat just because I am scared to vote for somebody else. Ross Perot got 19 million votes back in the 90s as an Independent. The bottom line is, if all Americans would vote for the BEST CANDIDATE, regardless of party, the system would represent them better. That’s what I believe, and I encourage everyone to throw the two-party fear out the window and vote based on their beliefs!

However, for that to work there would need to be more visibility to the other parties and their candidates! But that’s a separate diatribe. The bottom line here is, I am going to research who is running and then I am going to vote for the people who best represent my interests.

So, what are my interests? If I am going match someone to them, I guess I had better figure that out.

RESEARCH

The election is tomorrow. I know, I should have started sooner. Oh well. I need to do some research.  So, I sat down and came up with 30 issues that were important to me – 30 things I would like to see happen in the United States of America.  I guess this would be considered a “platform” with the exception that there are so many issues that must be faced by any platform, and then drilling into those issues down to the details is impossible at the platform level.

My list of 30 issues is in a separate document – and really I could have added so many more.  I wrote what I wanted to see, roughly (again very high level).  That is, until I got to Healthcare.  I needed to do some additional writing before I decided what I wanted to see happen.

HEALTHCARE

Thinking about healthcare… first the question is, does every person deserve healthcare in an advanced nation?  I think so.  But I also think there are limits.  For example, you child is rushed to the hospital.  She’s 15, class president, and is already being eyed by various educational in situations for her promise as an academic superstar.  She needs an immediate heart transplant.

500 miles away, a slightly insane invalid walks in front of a truck screaming obscenities and is run over.  He is rushed to a hospital.  In order to survive he needs a heart transplant. OK, I know the odds of this are slim, but you see where it goes… Who gets the attention?? Who gets to make the choice?

5 years later, the girl is flunking on her scholarship, she is strung out on drugs and dies of a heart attack – the received heart is ruined, while the slightly insane invalid receives the heart, and they find out that improved blood flow is enough to get him back on his feet.  Even though he is always kinda weird, he starts a homeless shelter, writes a book about it, and changes how shelters are run across the United States.  Who gets the attention, access to finite resources, under healthcare for everyone?

The second question is, presume everyone is entitled to healthcare, and so this person decides he wants to commit suicide by lighting himself on fire.  It doesn’t kill him, but through the flames he realizes he wants to live and now requires years of surgeries and rehab, at taxpayers expense.  Later, maybe he goes on tour and becomes a major force in suicide prevention and self help…or maybe he turns out to be the psychopath that goes into the re-release of Nightmare on Elm Street dressed as Freddy and kills 5 people.  How do we handle people who invite risk/violence into their lives? Do they get the same level of care?

Beyond those types of situations, I think everyone should get wellness exams, shots, medication, and basic care.  To some extent, provided they didn’t intentionally invite the situation into their lives, I think they deserve advanced medical care (unless they want to pay some kind of risk premium ahead of time)…but enforcing that would be difficult at best.  It might cost more than the medical attention.  And in the case of finite resources (transplants), I am clueless how to solve that issue…it seems too important to leave to chance, and yet as soon as we try to qualify a recipient…the door to favoritism opens and human corruption steps in.

PLATFORM RESEARCH

Now, I had my list of 30.  I decided to see if there was a party out there that was even close. There wasn’t.  I found this website (http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm), which seems to explain a lot about the different parties out there (although I don’t know how accurate it is).  It was useful.  If I had to characterize myself, I think I am somewhere close to being in:

Modern Whig Party: http://www.modernwhig.org/handbook/who-are-modern-whigs/what-we-believe

Their position seemed interesting but a bit vague – I mean, based on their explanation, I get the position of discovery thing, but how will that process be conducted, assessed, etc.  How will decision be made? Plus, the bias for veterans seemed a bit out of place – I have a huge appreciation for veterans, but there are many heroes that never wear a uniform and don’t get benefits either, so I would just want things to be fair…

The Justice party: http://www.justicepartyusa.net/

They had some interesting perspectives, but there environmental bend, although not bad, seemed over dominant compared to my list, and their thirst for prosecution seemed a bit spooky. I could almost hear the spittle welling up in their mouths as I read about it… eww!

The Reform Party (closer to 2012 version, not the old one): http://reformparty.org/about/core-principles/

They had some interesting views, but there were a lot of agreements they wanted to shut down, and their bend on immigration seemed over the top.  Immigration didn’t even make my top 30… scary how many important topics there are…but I am not about shutting down immigration.  That’s like shutting down gun sales… it doesn’t stop anything, just shifts who does the trafficking.

Ultimately then, no one platform seems to align with what I am looking to accomplish.  I think I will stay registered as a Republican, but operate as an Independent.  Maybe I will start my own platform…I mean I did Walk for President this year. Let me know if you write me in. Hee Hee.

Out of this research, something interesting has come to light.  I was talking to a cohort in the office today, and they said people can’t vote on platform.  I wasn’t sure I agreed, but after this research, I do agree.  There’s too many issues.  No one platform will represent them or serve as a guide to how the candidate will interpret their platform.  And a lot of platforms contain candidates all over the spectrum, or who have, themselves, bounced from platform position to platform position.

So, in the end, it isn’t about platform.  It’s about the candidate, and whether or not they will, with integrity and diligence, represent me and my interests for my country.

THE PEOPLE

So it is 3:45 AM and I have read every candidate BIO I could get my hands on (literally I have reviewed mainstream all the way to people trying to prove the NSA is out to kill them) – only scored 4 presidential ones: Barrack Obama, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Andre Barnett. It’s been great, but details are in the spreadsheet, and on my BALLOT TEMPLATE!! Muahah.

I know it wasn’t rocket science, but it depresses me that the president I will be voting for only meets 25% of my top 30 issues. Then again, I could probably list 100 issues. Of course, I don’t know if that would drive the overall match percentage up…or even further down.  It also doesn’t help that my research is incomplete – it is based solely off the issues listed on the candidate’s campaign website…not based on other research sites which might have gathered quotes that may have flushed out some of my issues at hand.

Plus, having read all the different issues, I question if my top 30 are truly MY top 30 anymore.  Oh well… there’s always 2016.  But then, I should be running instead of walking by then 😉

CONCLUSION

I voted for 3 Democrats (for one position 2 Democrats were running, there was no other choice!), 1 Republican, and 1 Green Party member. All my voting was done based on what the candidate SAID they would support, as best as I could match it to what I felt was important. ZERO PARTY VOTING.

Of course the next step is to evaluate their performance based on their commitments, right? Also, over time I think it is easier to research as I go instead all at the last minute…it’s just hard when the media reports fluff and plays on emotions…I want objective facts.

And in closing, all I can say is, I don’t think ANY of the candidates have what it takes to address my issues – the only person who has that is me, and it it just underscores our need to participate in civic duty and not rely on proxies – only Americans can truly save America, and our system, from the campaign engine to the economic machine to the little schoolhouse on the hill, it all needs to be updated and brought to the same advanced state as all the gadgets we carry with us.

Cheers and Happy Voting!!

~TheRage3K

Thoughts on the We Noticed Chain Email

So there is this email going around – says it is from Sherry Hackett, but Snopes says otherwise.  You can read the message there too, but I researched the claims in the letter just to give it some thought.  In the end there is a lot more research needed to quantify some of the subjective statements… the research and links are shown after the obligatory soap-box rant…

I'm Voting Healthy in 2012!

TODAY’S RANT

Interesting… the letter is real, the real author is not Sherry Hackett but Faye Parrish:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/wenoticed.asp

This email has some truth, some fiction, and like most, it ends it a bunch of sweeping generalities that, albeit one person’s point of view, won’t help you or I do anything but maybe feel better.  To actually get Obama out of office might save us trillions of dollars as taxpayers (that would be nice), but who are the Republicans going to run?  Palin? Epic Fail.  I’d rather elect a stalk of asparagus.  And what campaign strategy will the Republicans try next time…in 2008 the Democrats chose their typical Hollywood Hope and Sensationalism model – very effective at sweeping voters off their feet.  Republics came back with nothing but fear…a giant campaign telling us what we don’t want from the Democrats.  That won’t sell voters… The Tea Party is the same BS…all about protesting, but they have no solutions lined up…thanks…for nothing.

To get Obama out, the Republicans have to pull their heads out of their ass and come up with a real campaign based on real results.  Hey, here is a novel concept…tell voters what you are going to do in concrete terms, and once elected…actually DO IT.  But, see, can’t have that because the crazy number crunchers locked in a padded room in Area 51 have already proven the only way to win an election is to be vague so that people vote based on what they hope will happen.  See that word “hope”? I wonder why the Democrat candidate won? Oh yeah, their campaign was based on hope.  Wow, how amazingly clever of them to tie their campaign directly to what the entire country was looking for, and spearhead that campaign with a charismatic public speaker.  Hmmm, maybe the Republicans will learn something from that little Pawn to Castle in DC maneuver.  Anyway, I hope the Republicans come up with something – otherwise I am writing in Mr. Asparagus for President in 2012.

We’ve had the first black President – that was cool from a color perspective, but he got the office in the most screwed up time since, ironically, the Civil War.  So maybe it is time to branch out… get a vegetable in office.  Yup, more I think of it, Mr. Asparagus is it for me:  Healthy,  broad appeal, does well under pressure, goes well with melted economy on top.  I’m ready to vote already!

RESEARCH AND MHO

• The claim about not saluting the flag is apparently true: http://www.erumors.net/rumors/o/obama-salute.htm – Sad.
• The claim he said 57 states is true, however he was tired and meant to say 47 (visited all 47 continental states, with 1 to go).  Reference to Islam is a paranoid stretch (to the OIC? C’mon people) – I side with Snopes – this was likely just human error: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/57states.asp
• The roses are in issue of old school etiquette – I don’t count his actions as “nonchalant”, but he does seem to have an issue with protocol! You be the judge: http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/11/ground-zero-etiquette-a-tale-of-two-roses/ Of course it’s not like Bush was a brilliant protocol observer… !?
• There seem to be a great number of articles about the different platform’s view of nationalism – he does seem to apologize for our rudeness and arrogance a lot… but after some of the Bush blunders, he was likely trying to make amends… I don’t know, I would have to understand each situation fully.  For the British Crown incident: The President/Wife should have been briefed on the cultural expectations, and then it is likely someone in a support role did the shopping.  Who knows, either he really thought DVDs were super awesome (!?), or someone supporting him dropped the ball with their shopping selection! http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2009/03/07/obamas-british-gift-gaffe-not-reported-u-s-media
• Pastor Wright – to me, that is hate ministry.  At the end of the video one member said “It’s not radical, its being black in America.”  I disagree, just like I disagree with the hate ministries in the white community.  Now, the media only showed about 20 seconds of the guy, and maybe that’s not how he was for every minute of every sermon, but to think this guy was Obama’s spiritual leader… is kinda spooky to me: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/DemocraticDebate/story?id=4443788&page=1
• On “transforming America” – America has degraded over the decades, the results of citizens being stretched thin as consumers and as taxpayers: the results of mega corporations buying and manipulating internal and global policy.  I think America needs a transformation  – back to its Constitution, back to nationalism, and back to being a nation ruled by its people.  That’s not what we got… we got a 3 Trillion dollar tax bill so we could pay bonuses to corporate leaders that sold out their country’s financial health in exchange for personal gain (in the name of Capitalism – but in real Capitalism, businesses are allowed to fail.). That is not the transformation I was looking for…
• The statement about his appointees is probably true of every President to some degree – from a civilian perspective it seems rare when someone of true talent rises to the top, those positions appear to attract people who are good at the game of rising to the top. That’s a different game.
• The statement about the horror… yup, can’t argue that.
• The statement about our right to speak up and be heard – we STILL have that right.  Obama hasn’t invoked any policy that attempts to curtail that right… but complaining doesn’t solve problems. It can be a start, but it is not an end.  Problem-solving solves problems.  Invoking Initiative and Referendum solves problems, educated voting solves problems, being involved in our government solves problems, putting key performance indicators to match candidate performance to their campaign speeches would solve problems, having a political system that couldn’t be bought and could have at least one foot in the world of virtue might solve some problems.
• The rest is more opinion – but the same can be said of every administration for one reason or another, probably since the dawn of the office.

“Losing His Edge”

Oh fiddlee-poo. I have seen some stupid headlines in my time (noooo, really?), but there is this recent proliferation of “Obama is losing his edge” headlines. Bu-duh! Listen here, I didn’t vote for the guy, but he won. He is the President of the United States of America. And in so far as I can find the good in that, and support his endeavors, I am going to do it.  So, using the power of my blog, which reaches between two and four Americans every day (staggering, isn’t it?) let’s get a few things STRAIGHT, shall we?

First, no one person is going to fix this.  I’ve already had that rant when I was trying to decide which of the two competing suckers to stick with the task of helming  the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.  The only way for our government to get fixed is for people to participate in it.  And I am still guilty of sitting on the sidelines, so until we are all actually PRACTICING government, we cannot expect it to fix itself. Period. That goes for everyone in the entire country.

Second, the problem has little to do with government.  Yeah we have all seen the videos about “the biggest game in town,” and arguably that is part of the government – but not really.  The root cause of the problem is economic terrorism.  I’ve already had THAT rant, as the economic terrorists (AKA “The best and the brightest”) haven’t even tried to change their spots – they are just switching their funding sources from consumer markets to taxpayers (and since BOTH of those are the SAME people, nothing has changed).

So there it is. This isn’t about Obama. This isn’t about McCain. This is a battle between consumers and “the best and the brightest.”  This is a battle between the American people at large, and the American elite -who seem to remain untouchable despite of their gross management of financials, their lack of ethics, and their addiction to rape.   This isn’t about State, about Religion, about Race or about anything other than Greed.

Greed. Lets call it what it is.  I was reading some comments on artwork on DeviantArt, and an artist acquaintance of mine stated how she was sick of capitalism and religion enslaving people.  I replied to her, and for the life of me I cannot find my reply on the site.  But the answer holds true here.  At the root of greed is ignorance. I am not kidding.  What is greed? www.dictionary.com defines it as “excessive or rapacious desire, esp. for wealth or possessions.” Odd that the term “rapacious” is used, because I used the word “rape” earlier before I had read this definition. 

What would motivate someone to aspire to greed? Fear. People fear what they don’t understand, they fear the unknown, they fear the future, they fear death, they have a lot of fear.  Fear drives us, even on our best days.  Fear, and how we manage it, is part of life itself – it drives religion, it drives science, it drives the arts…and yes, it drives the economy.  Fear is always there, and it NEEDS to be there.  What the “Best and the Brightest” represents are the ultimate financial warriors.  They surround themselves with “intelligence”, they exploit every possible venue and amass their wealth because, like it or not, they are scared and don’t know how to deal with it any other way.

I am not saying it is right.  I am not endorsing their choices.  But what I am putting forth is the notion that their greed is ignorant. I told my fellow DeviantArt member that the only way to fix things would be to educate both the slavers and the enslaved.  But what would we teach?  Ahhh. The light is on, and that is a topic for another blog entry.

Please comment.  There are as many perspectives as there are people, and I only lament my human incapacity to absorb them all.  But please, share!!

I Label Thee… “Nonbeliever”

ARE YOU A NONBELIEVER?
 Apparently, according to the political world, if you are not Christian, Jewish, Hebrew, or Muslim, you fall into this nifty little category called “Nonbeliever.”  Did you know this? On one hand, I suppose us nonbelievers should be thrilled at the thought of at least being somewhat recognized. On the other hand, the statement is blatantly erroneous on so many exciting levels!

BLATANT ERROR #1: HELLO, EVERYONE IS A NONBELIEVER
The fact is, organized religions tend to be mutually exclusive.  So, if you are a Muslim, Christianity will label you a nonbeliever.  This is true. Muslims do not subscribe to beliefs of Christianity. Another example? Even within these overarching definitions there is exclusion.  Looking a Christianity, a Catholic cannot walk into a Mormon church (oh, sorry, I meant “temple”) and say they are Mormon.  Using a binary approach, to the Mormons, a Catholic is a nonbeliever.

BLATANT ERROR #2: HELLO, EVERYONE IS A BELIEVER
Everyone believes in something. Even if they believe in nothing, that is something.  I have one friend that I know is a true atheist. I myself am in the wondrous agnostic camp. I believe strongly in a higher power (because if we are the best this universe has, then well, that’s probably the most noir joke in all space-time).  There are people who are very spiritual, but do not subscribe to an organized religion.  For atheists and agnostics to be grouped in the phrase “nonbeliever” implies that to “believe” requires membership in an appropriate religion.  Not so!

SOAP BOX CONCLUSION
For atheists, the term “nonbeliever” may be an acceptable fit, because even thought they believe in nothing, they truly don’t subscribe to any religion or to spirituality.  Maybe that’s OK – Idunno.

For agnostics, “nonbeliever” is misnomer.  If I had to address the nation, maybe I would use “We are a nation of many religious and spiritual beliefs.” If asked to recognize various camps, it could be “Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, agnostics, and atheists.” 

I am not going to lose any sleep over it.  I’m just saying. . .

.-=o=-. .-=o=-. .-=o=-. T h e    E n d .-=o=-. .-=o=-. .-=o=-.
Reference: The Inaugural Address