Prop 8 and Gay Marriage

I have mixed feelings over the California Supreme Court hearing arguments about the validity of Proposition 8 passing. I'll start by saying I see nothing wrong with gay couples getting married. Two people willing to make the commitment of marriage is what matters. If they happen to be the same sex who cares? I sure don't. All I see is two people who want to spend their lives together. How can I or anyone else tell them it is wrong. I just want to be honest where my thoughts are. Back to Proposition 8. The people voted and decided that the constitution of California would limit marriage to only opposite-sex couples.

Agree or not that was what the majority of people in California voted for. Now people are challenging that result before the Supreme Court of California. When I first heard that I was upset. While I disagree with the outcome of the election I felt that the people had chosen so that was the law. If you don't like it then gather signatures and put it on the ballot again. This article made me think again. What is an inalienable right? Do people have the right to take away inalienable rights? What if a state decided to vote to start slavery again? Yes, that is extreme but where do we draw the line. How do we decide when it is ok for one group of people to limit the rights of other group? Isn't that really what government is for? To defend and protect the rights of its people? All of them.

Let's be honest here. What real harm comes from two people of the same sex getting married? How does that hurt America? Two people who love each other and want to spend their lives together. Two people who pay taxes and are part of our community. I see the high rate of divorce among opposite sex couples. Why not embrace couples who want to get married? Who cares what sex they are or who they love? I hope the Supreme Court of California rules in favor of same sex marriage and we use that ruling to get a Federal ruling on the issue. Marrying someone you love should be an inalienable right. Whether that person is the same religion, race, or sex should not matter. All that matters is whether they love each other enough to make the commitment to say I do.

Casinos in Ohio

This November the residents of the State of Ohio get to vote on a constitutional amendment whether to allow a casino to be built. This would be the first casino in Ohio. Both sides having been running a lot of tv ads along with mailings trying to convince us to vote one way or the other. It has become quite comical in their appeals. I love how the side against the amendment keeps saying that there is nothing to stop them from hiring criminals. They don't even specify what kind of criminal. What a joke. Are they saying that no business in Ohio should ever hire anyone convicted of any crime? If a person commits a crime, is sent to prison, and then is judged rehabilitated enough by the State to be released back into the population then why can't they get a job?

Let's cut to the bottom line here. The politicians who oppose it are upset that they did not get anything out of it. Ohioans gamble. And with legal gambling in our bordering states tens of thousands of them travel out of state and take their money with them. Why should we keep losing millions in tax dollars that our citizens would be more than happy to deposit in our state just because some politicians are too stupid to get their heads out of the sand and face the realities of gambling. Either come up with a better plan or get out of my way because I am voting yes on this issue. I am tired of seeing us lose out to other states when we desperately need the tax revenue. And if it fails I hope all of those who support the issue remember which politicians were against it come next election time...

What has McCain done in the Senate this term?

Being bored I was using Stumbleupon to surf the web. I came across this page. During the current session of Congress McCain has missed 371 votes which comes out to 61.6% of the total votes. If he was my Senator I would not be very happy to have elected someone who cannot even bother to vote even half of the time. In case you were wondering Barack Obama missed 43.5% of the votes and Hillary Clinton missed 33.4%. Maybe we should have a rule if you are already in office and decide to run for a different office you should have to resign your current position. People like to make fun of Dennis Kucinich, who is my Congressman, but at least he only missed 9.3% of the votes. Again it would really piss me off to have my elected representative in Congress missing that many votes. If they care that little about representing me now how much are they going to care if they get elected President?

Boycott the Olympics...

I am not understanding the thought of boycotting the opening ceremony or any part of the Olympics. The reasoning for doing so seems to be the Chinese suppression of religious freedom in Tibet. I can't begin to say how hypocritical that would be. Go into almost any store in America and you will find products manufactured in China. No one is boycotting those. If we really want to take a stand then shouldn't we be refusing to buy anything produced in China? Our priorities are so messed up in this country...

McCain and torture

The man was tortured himself for years and has repeatedly spoken out against the U.S torturing suspects now has a change of heart? I can't believe McCain voted no on this bill to ban waterboarding and other forms of harsh interrogation by the CIA. Another case of a politician abandoning his principles to try and get elected. So sad...

Apartheid in the U.S. and Britain...

A sobering thought for sure. I am not sure how most people feel about the U.S. and Britain detaining "terrorist" suspects without trial. Archbishop Tutu have an unique view on the matter. I am not so sure I don't agree with his assessment. On the one hand I have no sympathy for terrorists. Killing innocent people is not the solution for peace. The problem is detaining suspects indefinitely without trial. If they are really terrorists than put them on trial and punish them. If they are not then let them go. Isn't that what our justice system is supposed to be about? Doesn't the sixth amendment guarantee the right to a speedy public trial? Yes, the government conveniently gets around this amendment by making them war crimes, etc.. I just thought we were better than that...

Congress hands out a Christmas present...

Just when you think you have seen it all. There are so many issues facing this country right now so what is occupying our wonderful House of Representatives? How about a vote on Christmas and Christians. What surprises me is more Democrats voted for this than Republicans. Is this the Democrats way to reach out to the religious right? The majority of us already get the day off already. Do we really need to waste Congress's time with such a stupid resolution? Apparently we do...

Huckabee vs. Women...

It is not like I was going to vote for him anyway. Still, you wonder what these politicians are thinking about. Everything they say publicly stays out there forever. It is going to come back and bite you in the ass. A woman's role in marriage is to "graciously submit" to her husband? What world does he live in? It sure is not this one. And do any of us really think he has changed his opinion since? I noticed he refused to comment recently on his views on women in the ministry. But he did give his view on miniskirts. Is it that hard to find qualified candidates that represent the views for more than half of our population...

Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act

Another law to take away our rights. It has already passed in the House by a vote of 404-6. Twenty-two more were present but did not vote. Most prominent among the non-voters was Presidential hopeful Ron Paul. Think about that. Only 6 U.S. Representatives had the balls to stand up for our rights:

Nay HI-1 Abercrombie, Neil [D]
Nay IL-12 Costello, Jerry [D]
Nay TN-2 Duncan, John [R]
Nay AZ-6 Flake, Jeff [R]
Nay OH-10 Kucinich, Dennis [D]
Nay CA-46 Rohrabacher, Dana [R]

Three Democrats and three Republicans. That is all we have left with the guts to stand up and be counted. Now a vote is imminent on the Senate. We need to let our Senators know where we stand. We have become a nation so afraid of "outsiders" that we blindly stand by while more and more of our rights are taken away. All in the name of protecting us. Protecting us from who? Because it sure is not from outsiders...

Poverty Map...

Here is nice interactive map showing how states fair in poverty and violence. A couple of things stand out for me. Maryland has the lowest child poverty rate in the U.S. at 10.8%. Washington D.C. has the highest rate at 32.2%. Think about that. Even in the best state almost 11% of children live at the poverty level. We are supposed to be the greatest nation in the world. Washington D.C. coming in dead last at 32.2% is beyond words. How could our politicians allow this to happen? Mississippi's rate is 30.9% of children living in poverty if you want to use the actual worst state. No matter how you look at it though we are a disgrace to the rest of the world and more importantly to our children. Again Mr. Bush--no child left behind? You refuse to give them health care and allow them to live in poverty. More like how many children can we leave behind is your policy...

Follow the money...

It is both scary and sickening to see how much money is involved in elections today. We are just under a year from the next presidential election and the amount of money already raised and spent by the candidates is astounding. Think about it. Hilary has already spent over $22 million and has over $50 million on hand ready to spend. Obama has spent over $21 million and has $36 million on hand. Both of them are around $80 million in total contributions so far. On the Republican side Milt Romney leads the way spending over $21 million so far. None of the Republican candidates have the cash on hand like the top two democrats though. The point that seems to be glossed over in all of this is with all the money being raised and spent are there any strings attached? Do we honestly feel that the candidates will not take into account who donated what if they are elected? Of course not. And democracy continues to waste away...

Our Clueless Congress...

As if our congressmen have nothing better to do with their time. Global warming? Iraq? Economy? No, let's punish poor kids trying to go to college. And this came from the Democrats. The bill will tie financial aid funding to Universities that impose stiff penalties for file sharing and to Universities that subsidize subscriptions to DRM-based music services. Why don't they just admit they are so in bed with the music and movie lobbies that instead of actually doing something productive they waste time on things like this. As if college students won't be able to get around this anyway. The traditional music and movie distribution system is dead. Anyone with half a brain already knows it. Let's move on and worry about more important things. And Politicians wonder why they are so reviled...

Vote for your right to party...

Your political party maybe? Whatever you choose today is the day for voting. It is quick and painless. You have no excuses. I refuse to listen to anyone complain about the state of this country who refuses to vote. No vote--no right to complain! You may not be happy with any of the candidates, but one of them will be elected so at least put the one in that fits as close as possible to your views...

Mission Accomplished...

It looks like Bush has managed to accomplish one of his main goals. His policies have made the rich richer and the poor poorer. Way to go Bush! Yesterday's Wall Street Journal had an article showing the wealthiest 1% of Americans earned 21.2% of all income in 2005. This is the highest total since the 1920s. And as Bush talks up the economy and low unemployment, the median tax filer's income has fallen 2% when adjusted for inflation between 2000-2005 while the top 1% has seen theirs grow by 3%. Another thing to think about when it comes time to vote...

The Stupidest Woman in America...

Ann Coulter. Yes, I said it. And we all know this. The things that come out of her mouth just defy description. Recently she said that women should lose the right to vote. Her reasons--because women vote so stupidly. Now she is saying that Jews should be "perfected" by accepting Jesus and that America would be better off if everyone were a Christian. She is giving all blonds a bad name. The thing I can't understand is why anyone still interviews her? She obviously has no clue about anything. This is what is wrong with the media. Someone like her who spouts off the most inane things constantly gets a forum to do so. Yet, others who are more grounded in reality and have real things to say about what is happening in the world are ignored by the media. The American people deserve to hear actual truths and yet are forced to listen to the drivel of conservatives like Coulter. And unfortunately there is a large segment of our population that never moves beyond the propaganda and hate speech of people like her. No wonder we can't make informed choices. We never get the proper information. Freedom of speech does not mean we have to put up with ignorance...

Facts for Features Special Edition...

The U.S. Census Bureau has released a 2008 Presidential Election report as we head toward primary season. There are some interesting numbers on voting in the last Presidential election. 72% of voting-age citizens,who were registered to vote, did so in 2004. I would have guessed much lower. Of course this is just registered voters. It does not include citizens who did not bother to register. Who always seem to be the ones that complain the most about our government, but I digress. We had a record high number of people vote in 2004. And we still elected Bush? Again I digress. Women continue to vote more than men do--65%-62%. Hillary anyone? 80% turnout rate for citizens with a bachelor's degree or higher. And we still elected Bush? Whites lead the way in turnout with 67%. What surprised me the most was Asians and Hispanics had turnout rates of 44% and 47% respectively. This was consistent with the results of the previous election. I would have thought both groups would vote more...

Show Me the Money...

How lame can out local governments be? This is exactly why we are not a first class area. Thanks to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan and Bay Village Mayor Deborah Sutherland, Avon may lose their proposed highway interchange. All because of money. They don't have to pay one cent to build the interchange, but that is not good enough. For their blessing they need a payout. Why they should get a say in this is problem enough. It is not in Cuyahoga County so why should they have any right to tell another county what they can or cannot do? And why wait until the last minute? At least have the decency to put your intentions out on the table early enough for rational dialog. Oh wait, we are taking about politicians. My bad. If we hope to grow and prosper we need a regional government. One that is able to see the big picture. Not petty minded politicians who cannot see past their own backyard...

Republican debate...

GOP Candidates Snub Social Conservatives - September 5, 2007 - The New York Sun

I came across this tonight. It gave me hope that maybe there is a change coming for the next election. To often republicans would bend over backwards for the conservatives trying to get their votes. Seeing several prominent candidates skipping a debate sponsored by a social conservative group is a good thing. It is a long way to go until the next presidential election. Too long actually if you think about all we have had to put up with already. I just hope that  we can debate on the issues that are important to the majority of citizens and not just a small subset of the population of our country...