Venting.

So I’ve been tuning back into my talk radio.  Can’t help it, I’m hooked.  A lot has happened since my last post. (Powell’s endorsement, Biden’s prophecy,.. ) I don’t even know what to say about it.  I originally started this blog because I enjoyed the debate and conversation it stirred. It was a place for me to feel like I was voicing my opinion and getting out there somewhere in the blogosphere and standing for what I believe.  But the truth?  I’m a mommy-blogger.  Who happens to like political talk radio and agrees 99% of the time with Glenn Beck.  I don’t like controversy.  I thought on the blog I didn’t mind it, but really it started to consume me and I would be thinking about what to say all day!  And I got obsessed with statistics. 

So I took a break.

But now I just want to talk about a few things that I just don’t really get.  Like Obama’s association with the “New Party”, ACORN, Ayers, Rev. Wright, etc.  Isn’t obvious this man has really bad judgement??  Or he’ll do absolutely anything to get elected.  And his quote that I’ve heard 2,394 about “redistributing the wealth”.  Is everyone really willing to see the end of capitolism?  Do you really want to see the end of the best healthcare in the world?

There’s all this talk about change.  The change I’d like to see is going back to our roots.  Let’s READ the constitution.  Let’s end career politics.  It used to be that people would leave their farms and whatever, go to congress for two years, then go back to their life.  They stayed in touch with reality.  For the people, by the people.  I think we need to go back to the ideals and values America was founded on. 

I know this will never happen.  But I think McCain might be just a smidge closer than Obama.  Not that either is a saint.  (Notice I didn’t even post about the last two debates?  Just disgusting.)  I really don’t think the election is “over”, as much of the media has said.  Almost everyone is saying it will certainly be president Obama.  I’m not so sure.  But even if it is, let’s hope he is who he says he is.  Let’s hope all the right-wing talking heads are wrong.  Let’s hope his association with Ayers means nothing.  Let’s hope our children’s future isn’t mortaged anymore than it is already. 

Anyone else ready for the whole thing to just be over?

Just sick of it

So I’ve gotten really sick of politics lately.  I’ve started listening to K-Love, and country music, and turned off my talk radio. 

But then I missed it.

But I’m still kind of sick of it. 

A lesbian couple got married in San Fransico today.  One of them was an elementary school teacher.  Eighteen of her students came to the ceromony donning Prop. 8 buttons.  I have problems with this.

The stock market is back up.  Record high jumps.  Hard to get too excited when it crashes and goes up again and crashes again more than my favorite ride at Disneyland.

Talk of another round of stimulus checks.  Please government, please don’t.  Do us all a favor and work on this enormous debt.  Don’t create more.

I keep hearing that we’re becoming socialist.  Nationalizing everything.  I really have no clue.

I’m looking forward to the debate tomorrow night, but then again I’m kind of not.  I kind of can’t wait for the election to just be over.

Really what I care about the most right now is that it’s 75 degrees in Mesa, AZ.  And today my baby got her first tooth.  To me, this matters more than anything else right now.

VP Debate

I’ll be honest, again I missed most of the debate, and it’s been a rough night for my baby.  But I listened to as much as I could.  I heard the beginning and the end, and some of the middle.  Here’s what I came away with.

Biden said something along the lines of the job of the VP is to support the President.  Every time Palin speaks, she always sounds so supportive of McCain.  Even though there are areas they disagree, and she open about that, she is very aware of his accomplishments and you hear her respect for him in her voice.  I think that’s so important and crucial to being VP.  I do not get that same impression from Biden.  The impression I get from Biden is “I’m better than you.” 

Palin brought up so many good points about education, taxes, oil, etc.  I agreed with about 90% of what I heard from her.  Maybe it’s because I put so much value on motherhood, but I think her experience is enough to qualify her for VP and even the presidency.  Right now a major issue is oil, and I really think that she knows exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to the oil supply in Alaska and taking on oil companies. 

I loved when she said that there are no promises made that they can’t keep.  And on major principles she’s never changed her mind.  But really tonight, I just liked her.  I relate to her.  She’s charming and real.  That in no way qualifies her for VP, but tonight I cried realizing here is a woman who is not so different than me and she’s running for VP.  American really is the land of opportunity.

But I’ll end by saying, she definitely held her own tonight and I think she hit the grand slam the McCain camp needed her to tonight.

(Oh, and I guess Gwenn Ifill didn’t do so bad afterall )

More liberal bias in the media.

Gwen Ifill is set to host the VP debate tomorrow night. 

Did you know she has a book due out on inauguration day?  Not just a book, a pro-Obama book.

Hmm, what bias could she possibly have that might influence the debate?

This woman will make money if Obama wins the election.

This is a horrible idea, and I hope they do something about it.  Even if Ifill is fair (and that’s a big if), you know everyone is going to scrutinize every comment and question.

Tired of all of the doom and gloom

Okay first of all… this is the biggest economic crisis in my lifetime, I’m sure.  All the news stations can talk about nothing else but the economy and this bailout plan, or whatever they’re calling it now.  And congress is taking a break from it for the Jewish New Year?!  I guess the collapse of our great nation can wait a day or two.  But honestly, is it really going to be the collapse of America?  Ron Paul has been comparing it to the collapse of the Soviet Union, and what happened to the Soviet Union was a financial collapse, not invaded, or anything else, it was financial.  Scary stuff.   I am glad the original bill did not pass.  I don’t know much about what’s on the floor right now. 

But here’s some optimism.

Glenn Beck: Hey, just remember one thing. Just remember who we are. Just remember what our rock is. Just remember it’s life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We’re going to make it through anything as long as we stay together and we don’t stay together on stupid things. You know, marriages never work that are just built on a sham where you kind of just, you know, seven years into it, you went, what the hell did I marry this person for. Know why we married into this system. We married capitalism because it is the first system that really truly freed people. We married in the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We married our Constitution, and that’s an eternal kind of marriage. Just refresh yourself this weekend, I want you to know. Because when we know who we are, when we know who gives us the power, when we know that there are good people around us that believe the same thing, when we educate ourselves, we can survive anything. It’s going to get rough but we’re going to survive anything because that’s who Americans really are, survivors.

I’m not sure it’s going to get that rough.  But I am working on that garden.  And I think if I see any good bargains I might stock up on some clothes and shoes for Olivia for next year while my dollar is actually worth something. 

But maybe I’m silly and this is like the y2k when everyone thought the world would end, and my grandparents filled their basement with toilet paper and canned goods.

The Debate.

Okay, the debate just barely ended and I wanted to just write what I thought about it before going and reading other blogs or listening to talking heads.

First of all, I am SO glad this debate happened tonight.  Yes, I am now that dorky that I have been looking forward to this debate for a long time, and while I thought McCain’s political move to postpone the debate was alright, I was disappointed because I really wanted to watch! 

I honestly didn’t get to hear all of it (taking care of a 6 month old doesn’t leave much uninterrupted time).  From what I heard I thought both candidates did pretty good.  I felt more confident in my decision to vote for McCain.  Obama may have some great sounding ideas, but he lacks experience.  (Which drives me up the wall when people complain about Palin not having enough experience, since first of all she’s not trying to be PRESIDENT, no one is planning on McCain dying his first month in office… sheesh don’t get me started… not that you don’t need experience to be VP but I would think the person running for president you would need more than barely two more years than Palin… I’m sure those two years made him much more qualified… and okay there’s that rant. phew.)

I honestly expected more from Obama.  I had to listen to most of the debate on the radio (getting baby ready for bed), and Obama seemed to fumble on his words, and I swear he called John McCain Tom at one point.  And hubby thought he heard Obama call his running mate Bill Biden… these are small “grasping at straw” type things, but that’s the type of things people have been crucifying Bush for, for the past 8 years!

On the war in Iraq, and veterans, McCain has it all the way.  I mean he trusts his general, who is there, who sees what is going on.  How can someone in Washington disagree with someone from the front lines?  Doesn’t make sense to me.  We will win in Iraq.  I’m sorry Barack, but those parents who lost children would feel their child died in vain if this war is ended without success. 

I don’t really understand what either one said about the economy really.  Yes, we have to cut spending.  But please be specific and tell me exactly where the spending cuts will happen and how it will effect me.  It was all, “alternative fuel, cut spending, etc. etc.”.   And how does Obama plan on becoming energy efficient, or whatever the term was, without drilling?  Yes there are alternative fuel options, but none of them are readily available now.  I agree we should work on making it more accessible, and mainstream, but I think McCain feels the same way.

I thought McCain, being known for his bad temper handled himself extremely well.

My favorite quote from the night was when McCain said something about along the lines, “Obama is the most liberal Senator in the Senate.  It’s hard to reach across the aisle when you’re that far left.” BURN!   But I thought so true.

Biden’s Blunders

1. The Stock Market crashed in 1929. (Common sense)
2. FDR was elected President November 1932, to the first of four terms.  (http://www.whitehouse.gov/)
3. Television was introduced to the world in 1939 at New York World’s Fair. (http://www.ideafinder.com/history)

What was that about leaders, Joe?  “Part of what a leader does is to instill confidence, is demonstrate that he or she knows what they’re talking about “  Love the quote from Stu, “Reason magazine has this very solid comment: “And if you owned an experimental TV set in 1929, you would have seen him. And you would have said to yourself, ‘Who is that guy? What happened to President Hoover?’”

All I can say is imagine if this was Bush or Palin, she would be massacred by the media.  I’d love to see Jon Stewart comment on this guy.  He certainly has enough material.  Find more of Biden’s Blunders (like calling his own ad terrible, clean coal issue… and that was just in one day!) here: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/blog/?blog=stu&page=blog

Now that that’s settled down…

I think anyone following this blog can agree it’s time for a new topic.  What do you think of the government bailouts? 

For once, I’m not really sure how I feel about it.  Maybe as I write I’ll straighten it out in my mind.  To be honest I do not know much about the stock market.  I don’t know about these huge companies and how and why they are now needing to be bailed out.  I do feel that the government forgiving individuals of their debt for getting stupid loans is wrong.  I think these people who didn’t research the loans before they got into it should just have to go through the natural  cycle and do whatever it takes to get themselves back on their feet.  With these large businesses going under though, I guess what choice does the government have?  But I don’t understand where we will come up with the amount of money on the table.  I thought we were already in a huge deficit.  Where will this money come from?  What will happen if the government goes through with this bail out?  What if they don’t?  What’s going to happen to the value of a dollar?  I am honestly afraid of what is happening in this country right now.  All this talk that things are going to worse than during the Depression.  I am hoping that my family and I can be somewhat self reliant.  I plan on planting a  vegetable garden and stocking up now on grains, and non-perishable goods in case these hard times really do come. 

Anyway, been busy and haven’t really heard what either candidate has to say about the issue.

Gay Marriage.

Okay most of this can be found in my last comment on my last post, but there are some things I want to reiterate.  First of all, I believe there is a Prophet of God living on the Earth today.  I believe he receives direct revelation from our Father in Heaven.  I have prayed about what I am about to post and have pondered it in my own heart and mind and found these things to be true:

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.[Not sure if it has any meaning, but I find it very interesting that love is not the first principle by which marriages are successful.]  By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

 

     So of course this is an ideal situation.  This is what we are striving for.  This is what I want for me and my posterity.  In every situation it does not work like this.  There are tragedies in this world.  For reasons we may not understand God lets things happen to some families where they are in situations with only one parent in the home.  These things may or may not be part of His plan.  God has given us our free agency and let us choose our actions.  Hopefully we use our agency wisely, but God cannot control the actions of anyone.  We may not understand why at first, but hopefully, usually down the road we may come to understand why certain things happened.  However, choosing to divorce because you have fallen out of love, or living together and bringing children into the world before marriage contradict this plan.  My feelings on homosexuality is very controversial today.  Years ago I would have been in the majority.  But I honestly believe we are all given challenges in this life.  If someone’s challenge is same-gender attraction I believe it is something they need to control and overcome.  I know that may sound appalling to some of you, but what about people who are born with a natural attraction to children?  We would never condone the behavior of letting someone give in to these temptations and molest little children.  I am not putting child molesters in the same category as gay people, but I think the principle is the same. 

And a quote from an outside source:

According to Jeffrey Satinover, M. D., a psychiatrist and member of the Department of Politics at Princeton University, there is no more important reason to prohibit same-sex marriage than the effects it would have on children. And he doesn’t say this for sentimental reasons. He says it because it’s sound science.

“In every area of life, cognitive, emotional, social, developmental … at every phase of the life cycle … social evidence shows that there are measurable effects when children lack either a mother or a father. … The evidence is overwhelming. Mountains of evidence, collected over decades, show that children need both mothers and fathers.”  (read the whole article here: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/homosexuality/ho0090.html )

 

 

Some facts about Sarah Palin (and maybe a little biased opinion…)

Okay here’s a few reasons why I love Sarah Palin.

1 – Her stance on drilling in Alaska.  She is all for drilling and exploring her state’s natural resources.   She wants to see our dependence on foreign oil decrease, and the price of gas go down.  I could belabor this point for a few more paragraphs but that about sums it up.  DRILL IN ALASKA!

2 – She’s fought corruption and stood up to members of her own party.  For example, she vetoed 300 pork projects in Alaska in her first year in office. She made a habit of knocking out big-government Republicans in her brief political career.  Her approval rating in Alaska among Democrats is 75%.

3 – Her stance on health care.  I think we’ve all seen how when companies need to compete with each other in a free market the consumer benefits.  She was quoted: “allow free-market competition and reduce onerous government regulation.”

4 – Her social “conservativeness” goes along with my personal beliefs.  Yes, she is against abortion even in the case of incest and rape, which may raise some eyebrows.  But at least she’s never wavered in her opinion, and truly acts in accordance with what she says.

5 – She wants to protect the family by keeping marriage between a man and woman.  However, one of her first vetoes as governor was a bill that sought to block state employee benefits and health insurance for same-sex couples.

6 – love Love LOVE what she has to say about education.  Parents and teachers should be deciding what should be taught in schools, not the government.  She has also promised to be a friend to special education.  I think this is something I am most excited about, because I have written IEPs, and tried to sort through legal mumbo-jumbo to help children.  I am eager for the change she will bring.

7 – She’s real.  I don’t understand all the comments about her lies.  From everything I’ve read she’s been incredibly honest. 

8 – Honestly, I think it’d be a sweet Disney movie to see hockey mom turned VP.  Maybe Tina Fey could play the part.

I got lots of my info from this article: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/09/the_libertarian_case_for_palin.html

And I also love this video.  The first few minutes are pretty boring, fast forward to the part when Palin gets on.  This is before most of us had heard of Sarah Palin.