stupid politics
I have to get on my political high horse at least once this year. I'm being bombarded by political news as of late, however I'll admit I'm seeking it out a large percentage of the time because I find this election fascinating.

Allow me to preempt this by saying I'm not a liberal. I have never voted liberal. Yes, I will say it publicly, I voted for George Bush. Please don't stone me. Now, with four years of hindsight in the bank, I would not have voted for him. That does not mean I would have voted for Kerry. I wouldn't have. He was utterly unimpressive. I guess I would have just thrown my vote away on a third party. Was Ron Paul around? I like that libertarian old nutter.

Background:
I have always leaned somewhat more conservatively on issues. I never liked the thought of "big government" and unchecked social programs. I do not like excessive spending. And I absolutely HATE welfare abuse. I will never forget working my first job as a cashier at Gordon Food Service and scanning in SHRIMP, STEAK, AND CHEETOS for a FAT woman with FOUR screaming kids running around the cash register with no concept of polite behavior and then watching as she hands me her EBT FOOD STAMPS CREDIT CARD. I'm working as a cashier for $6.50 an hour and you're buying shrimp and steaks for your family with too many unruly kids and you're buying food I DON'T EVEN EAT with the taxes taken out of my pay check. Oh yeah, and you're fat. I learned this lesson at the age of 17 and it has always stuck with me. I know there are people who need this service and don't abuse it, but that doesn't make me any less bitter about those who do.

That being said, I've come to learn (the hard way) that a conservative government does not equal a low spending government. They just spend copious amounts of money in other ways...business, oil, war...instead of social programs.

Okay, I concede. That's retarded.

I guess if we're gonna blow money on things I hate, we might as well blow it on things that help people back here at home, rather than a business half way around the world. Because make no mistake, Iraq is BIG business.

And if you know me, then you know ...
I hate bureaucracy.


I have always felt distaste toward politics. I like to know what's going on of course. I watch the nightly news if I'm home. (Jason can attest to my Brian Williams obsession.) And I catch up with the news online. But when it comes down to listening to the talking heads jabber on about the issues, I'm often left with a bad taste in my mouth. It always seems as though no one's heart is in quite the right place. And I don't care what party is talking. The extremes of either side make me sick.

Despite my conservative background, I am not in the least bit impressed with John McCain. And for the love of God, do not get me started on Palin. Hey I'm a female, I'm all for getting a woman in the White House, but holy crap are you kidding me?!

The interviews she does are horrendous. I cannot possibly fathom by any means how the McCain campaign is not seriously embarrassed.

I don't even have that much beef with McCain. He loves our country. He's involved in Washington. What I can't possibly let him get away with is his judge of character and thinking that Palin could in any way be a good candidate.

McCain, you're old. There is a reasonable chance that you could croak after getting in office. Which means Palin would be President. I honestly, truthfully, think that is terrifying. And I'm speaking for what would be best for this country, not for a political party.

She has hurt my view of McCain in many ways. Not only was she a lame political ploy (grab the Clinton supporters away from Obama), she's terrifyingly unequipped for the position. Every interview with her is difficult to watch. Especially the Katie Couric one ... and that was her third one. She's getting worse and I'm not the only one who thinks so.

As for the debate tonight, which I'm very much looking forward to, I'm happy that McCain decided to follow through with it. I would have given him a lot more shit if he hadn't. But I will say that he looks pretty silly going back on his previous statement that he was going to stay in Washington until a deal was made. Which, you know, kinda never happened.

This whole debate debacle is another political ploy in my book, but I think I'm going to leave that one alone. It will be over in a few hours anyway, and I don't think he fooled anyone from what I can see in the comments on Internet news sites.

Side note:
Do not even get me started on this financial bailout of Wall Street. I'm disgusted. When did America become socialist? It's a FREE MARKET society. So I'm here in NYC watching Wall Street make bad decisions, sell loans to people with no money, then they wonder why their company tanks after thousands of people default on their mortgages.

Yet another reason I judge business majors. They have easy classes and they still can't do it right.

Geez, I'm being a bitch today aren't I? And a long-winded one at that.

Anyway, McCain took a lot of shit for his decision to bail on the debate, so he said Welp, I guess I'll fly to Mississippi and hope that people think I was a hero for staying in Washington, and by the way totally disregard that statement I made about not debating unless Washington made a deal. Unfortunately for McCain, Obama was in Washington too. Sitting right there with Bush and McCain. But he wanted to follow through on the debate. Imagine that...a President who has to do TWO things at once.

Anyway. This just kinda poured out of me after soaking up the events of these last few weeks. I don't wish to come across as angry or bitter. Most of my exclamations in this post are simply bewilderment. I don't want to be a liberal douchebag any more than I want to be a conservative douchebag.

I do know this:
I have no idea which side I'll support four years from now. Why? Because I'm not a blind political minion who aligns herself with one political group and is willing to blackball myself from differing points of view. The US government does not allow me to vote in primary elections because I refuse to chose a political party. I will not allow one party alone to own my allegiance. Therefore I get one vote every four years in the main election only. You're damn right I'm gonna make it count.

Bottomline,
McCain isn't the best thing for this country right now,
but I do appreciate what he has done for us.
Palin scares the shit out of me.
I don't feel the least bit sorry for Wall Street.

I'm voting for Barack Obama.

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