[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 09-28-04 AT 01:54PM (CST)[/font][br][br]Do I dare weigh in? Ah heck why not!
It is no secret that I support Bush and I will give you my unbiased opinion...such that it is.
Yes the war in Iraq was based on faulty information, but does that make Bush a liar? No it does not, it just means he made a decision based on faulty information. This is the same information the Clinton and Kerry had. Bush has the common sense to realize then that you then clean up the problem and don't pull out to soon and cause a bigger problem. The problems in Iraq right now are mostly being caused by foreigners. So there is still some work to do.
Should we have gone after N. Korea or Iran first? Maybe, but we are where we are. Take the next one as necessary. As for Rowanda & Sudan, CLinton did absolutely nothing there either. It is my opinion that we should pull out of Bosnia and leave that up to NATO.
As for the debt, yes it is high, but that is typical in a time of war. Also, the debt as a percentage of our GDP is in line with historical percentages and if we were not at war would be very low.
Reimportation of drugs, talk about a disaster. Since the Canadian gov't subsidizes those drugs, you take away a lot of incentive for any company to come in and provide more drugs, manufacture them, etc. For more information about this, there is agreat article at [url]www.pacificresearch.org[/url].
Gee, I could go on, but you get the idea. Kerry is a double minded man who would be very dangerous as our President. Oh and one other thing, the combined wealth of Bush-Cheney is $65mil. The combined wealth of Kerry-Edwards is $1.05bil. And the Republicans are the party of wealthy??x:-/
Slogan, I just read Sally Pipes' article and you do have a point - the piece makes some logical and intelligent arguments - all profit-driven.
Next time I talk with an uninisured person who is trying to decide whether to pay the rent, eat or buy their medication, I will certainly refer them to the Pacific Research web site. x;-)
Seriously, though, there has to be some middle ground on this issue. I understand Pfizer wanting to make a profit for their shareholders, but why not offer them tax incentives or some other perk for providing low-cost drugs to those who really need them - the uninsured, the fixed-income elderly, etc? Just my opinion.
Re the Iraqi war, I understand the need to sticking it out once we start it. However, Bush's "Middle Eastern Initiative" or whatever he calls it, scares me. Where do we get off trying to democratize countries that can't even spell democracy and view its core ideals as contrary to the foundation of their religious beliefs? Didn't we face off with the Soviet Union over their similar antics? If a civilization wants to be a theocracy, kingdom, empire or loosely organized knot of hunter-gatherers, let 'em!
>the piece makes some logical and intelligent arguments - all profit-driven.
And of course there is nothing wrong with making a profit in a capitalist society. Profits create jobs, buy new equipment (spuring growth elsewhere), fund R&D hence new & better drugs. Go to any pharmacutical companys financials and you will see that they do give away medicines or offer them at discounts to the needy. Is there middle ground to be reached, probably so, but it's not the function of gov't to dictate that. And "W" recognizes that.
Now here's a shocker, I actually agree with you on the Middle East. We can establish a democracy in Iraq, but I guarantee it will not last. It never has in that part of the world and to be honest with you I don't think it ever will. As long as you have the Mullahs are in charge over there, they will always revert to whatever. Heck, the Soviets learned that the hard way.
As for being a hunter-gatherer, as long as I have my AK-47 and there are deer around, I'm happy.
I'll vote for Bush because John Kerry's wife gives me the willies! I do believe the first lady has some influence when it comes to the President. Laura Bush is far more level-headed and classy than Teresa Heinz-Kerry could ever be. Give up the "Heinz" already Teresa and take a class in decorum because right now you don't have any.
I also agree that Bush is predictable whereas Kerry is not. It appears to me as well that the Democrats want to give entitlements without anyone having to work for them (think FMLA) whereas the Republicans will give entitlements but make people work to get them.
*He misled the American people in regards to Iraq - he did it with a lot of help from others, but he's the leader, so it falls to his credibility.
*He's lousy when it comes to environmental issues - have some big negative things happening up here in the northwest.
*Dick Cheney.
*Donald Rumsfeld.
*He stinks at diplomacy & may have made some grave, hard/impossible to mend errors.
*The economy still stinks - it's getting better, but it still stinks.
*He's just as "in bed" with the lobbyists as any other politician.
*He's eroded, with a lot of help, our rights to privacy.
*He's a waffler as much as the next politician - his campaign just calls it 'evolving'.
*He's not strong on healthcare - HSA's are awesome, or at least they will be when the rest of the country catches up - but he screwed the seniors with prescription drugs.
*He lets his personal faith rule his head & I don't share the same faith.
*His folksy ways seem/are disingenuous to me.
*I don't sleep better at night knowing he's in charge.
I 'hate', distrust, find him totally annoying, BUT I am going to vote for him. He's a known entity. My opinion is that a big chuck of the problems we are faced with now are a result (directly/indirectly) of the Clinton Administration & in some cases the Clinton's Administration lack of leadership on key issues & I think Kerry will revert, if elected, back to this style of leadership. Plus! I can't stomach another pro-labor presidency & need another 4 years to undue some of the erosions to small business. Whew! JMHO. x:-)
"I 'hate', distrust, find him totally annoying, BUT I am going to vote for him. He's a known entity".
Dang Saddam was a 'known entity' to the Iraqi's as well. Now I am NOT comparing Bush to Saddam but being a "known entity" does not seem like the right reason to vote for someone any more than comparing/criticizing the spouses and/or their bank accounts. I think if you don't have well informed positive convictions about either candidate you shouldn't vote for either one. I admit to not having enough knowledge about Kerry, and if I had to vote today I probably would not vote for him; but I DO have enough knowledge of Bush to NOT vote for him today nor in 6 weeks. The majority did not vote for Bush 4 years ago and he became pres anyhow, so I'm quite skeptical about the whole election process. (Reminds me of the UN not supporting attacking Iraq, he did it anyhow?) Yes, I am a pacifist and liberal minded but that does not mean I will vote for someone that I am not well enough informed about. It seems to me these politicians just say and do whatever they want anyhow despite what the country needs/wants.
*He lets his personal faith rule his head & I don't share the same faith.
That I believe is a dangerous reason. It reminds me of the 1960 election when people opposed Kennedy because he was Roman Catholic. Or more recently questioning Leiberman's qualifications because he was Jewish. All of us put *faith* in something, God, Allah, Buddha, or humankind. Our values and resultant decisions are rooted in our faith. A politician who says he/she believes one way but then votes the opposite is disingenuous. When elected to office the public should know exactly who they are voting for and where that person stands on the issues. That stand most likely will be rooted in their value system, their beliefs, their faith. Presumably, their positions will reflect their constituency or else the populace elected the wrong person. The politician who is easily swayed and does not vote based on principle, cannot be trusted to be consistent.
I just put down my opinions and thoughts & then reason why I was going to vote for W. I'm sorry if it doesn't sit well with some. Have a great day everyone!
Gee, did you make those up yourself? I find most of them pretty lame, but yes you're entitled to it. Not many people are gifted enough to make something negative out of a positive point and use it as a reason to hate someone they'll still vote for. ('the economy is getting better but it still stinks.') x:-/
I enjoy open, honest debate and our great exchange of opinions. What I do not understand or appreciate is those who say 'I hate Bush, just because'. Or 'I hate Bush period'. Or, 'I hate Bush because of Cheney or Rumsfelt'. Those are especially vacuous statements. I, on the other hand dislike Kerry because of his close association and political likeness to/with Ted Kennedy and Patrick Leahy (and a host of others). But, I can tell you with specificity what it is I hate about Ted Kennedy and Patrick Leahy, other than, 'just because'.
John Edwards' wife appeared briefly in Jackson, MS yesterday for a thousand dollar plate lunch at a fancy eatery. She allowed no cameras or pictures to be taken and made no statements and gave no press interview, other than to say, "My momma was born in Mississippi". Boy, there's something that would sway me!
I am all for starting a strong third party with Ray A. as the candidate. x:-)
>John Edwards' wife appeared briefly in Jackson, >MS yesterday for a thousand dollar plate lunch >at a fancy eatery. She allowed no cameras or >pictures to be taken and made no statements and >gave no press interview, other than to say, "My >momma was born in Mississippi". Boy, there's >something that would sway me! > >I am all for starting a strong third party with >Ray A. as the candidate. x:-)
I think the tactic is to keep Kerry's wife pretty low profile. She grates a lot of people the wrong way and I think she's perceived as a liability rather than an asset to the campaign.
Ray for president? A car in every garage, a chicken in every pot and free trombone lessons?
A trombone in the hand of every fifth border patrol agent. It will repel like those little plug in things that emit shrill noises to keep rats and roaches out of the house.
Ray, before you go making appointments, we deserve to hear a bit about your platform, don't you think? Do you know where the Mason-Dixon line is? Do you know the president of Peru, and if so, why? What is your opinion on the foreign exchange rate? Your thoughts about Dialectical Synergy in the northern hemisphere and its effect on the polar ice region? Have you had affairs in the past five years? Are there expungements from your record? Have you ever owned a Volvo?
Ray, before you go making appointments, we deserve to hear a bit about your platform, don't you think?
Do you know where the Mason-Dixon line is? Yes
Do you know the president of Peru, and if so, why? Not personally, but my nephew is living in Peru for 11 months, so that should qualify me as an expert on Peruvian affairs.
What is your opinion on the foreign exchange rate? I think all foreigners living in the US ought to be sent back to where they came from and exchanged for new BMW's at a quick rate.
Your thoughts about Dialectical Synergy in the northern hemisphere and its effect on the polar ice region? I think it is a communist plot hatched by Gorbachev and perpetuated by Yeltsin and now Putin. And relative to global warming, I believe polar bears have as much right to a little sunshine and warmth as grizzly bears in Colorado.
Have you had affairs in the past five years? Yes, but I kept my fingers crossed so it didn't count. Besides, I'm reformed, so it no longer matters.
Are there expungements from your record? Answering that question would be a violation of my parole.
Have you ever owned a Volvo? Yes, a 1973 Volvo 164, British Racing Green.
Hey Ray, you got my vote. Anybody who plays trombone has to be a decent person. As for the Volvo, I got in an accident with one & it was stout! GO RAY!
Well Slogan, you know us trombone players just slide through life. And as a trumpeter friend of mine says, never trust someone who plays an instrument that is constantly changing shape.
Comments
It is no secret that I support Bush and I will give you my unbiased opinion...such that it is.
Yes the war in Iraq was based on faulty information, but does that make Bush a liar? No it does not, it just means he made a decision based on faulty information. This is the same information the Clinton and Kerry had. Bush has the common sense to realize then that you then clean up the problem and don't pull out to soon and cause a bigger problem. The problems in Iraq right now are mostly being caused by foreigners. So there is still some work to do.
Should we have gone after N. Korea or Iran first? Maybe, but we are where we are. Take the next one as necessary. As for Rowanda & Sudan, CLinton did absolutely nothing there either. It is my opinion that we should pull out of Bosnia and leave that up to NATO.
As for the debt, yes it is high, but that is typical in a time of war. Also, the debt as a percentage of our GDP is in line with historical percentages and if we were not at war would be very low.
Reimportation of drugs, talk about a disaster. Since the Canadian gov't subsidizes those drugs, you take away a lot of incentive for any company to come in and provide more drugs, manufacture them, etc. For more information about this, there is agreat article at [url]www.pacificresearch.org[/url].
Gee, I could go on, but you get the idea. Kerry is a double minded man who would be very dangerous as our President. Oh and one other thing, the combined wealth of Bush-Cheney is $65mil. The combined wealth of Kerry-Edwards is $1.05bil. And the Republicans are the party of wealthy??x:-/
Next time I talk with an uninisured person who is trying to decide whether to pay the rent, eat or buy their medication, I will certainly refer them to the Pacific Research web site. x;-)
Seriously, though, there has to be some middle ground on this issue. I understand Pfizer wanting to make a profit for their shareholders, but why not offer them tax incentives or some other perk for providing low-cost drugs to those who really need them - the uninsured, the fixed-income elderly, etc? Just my opinion.
Re the Iraqi war, I understand the need to sticking it out once we start it. However, Bush's "Middle Eastern Initiative" or whatever he calls it, scares me. Where do we get off trying to democratize countries that can't even spell democracy and view its core ideals as contrary to the foundation of their religious beliefs? Didn't we face off with the Soviet Union over their similar antics? If a civilization wants to be a theocracy, kingdom, empire or loosely organized knot of hunter-gatherers, let 'em!
And of course there is nothing wrong with making a profit in a capitalist society. Profits create jobs, buy new equipment (spuring growth elsewhere), fund R&D hence new & better drugs. Go to any pharmacutical companys financials and you will see that they do give away medicines or offer them at discounts to the needy. Is there middle ground to be reached, probably so, but it's not the function of gov't to dictate that. And "W" recognizes that.
Now here's a shocker, I actually agree with you on the Middle East. We can establish a democracy in Iraq, but I guarantee it will not last. It never has in that part of the world and to be honest with you I don't think it ever will. As long as you have the Mullahs are in charge over there, they will always revert to whatever. Heck, the Soviets learned that the hard way.
As for being a hunter-gatherer, as long as I have my AK-47 and there are deer around, I'm happy.
>have my AK-47 and there are deer around, I'm
>happy.
Slogan!! Can't even buy "Amurrikin arn" and get an AR-15, huh? Gotta go with that Russkie repeater? x;-) What would the Party think? x;-)
I also agree that Bush is predictable whereas Kerry is not. It appears to me as well that the Democrats want to give entitlements without anyone having to work for them (think FMLA) whereas the Republicans will give entitlements but make people work to get them.
JMO
*He misled the American people in regards to Iraq - he did it with a lot of help from others, but he's the leader, so it falls to his credibility.
*He's lousy when it comes to environmental issues - have some big negative things happening up here in the northwest.
*Dick Cheney.
*Donald Rumsfeld.
*He stinks at diplomacy & may have made some grave, hard/impossible to mend errors.
*The economy still stinks - it's getting better, but it still stinks.
*He's just as "in bed" with the lobbyists as any other politician.
*He's eroded, with a lot of help, our rights to privacy.
*He's a waffler as much as the next politician - his campaign just calls it 'evolving'.
*He's not strong on healthcare - HSA's are awesome, or at least they will be when the rest of the country catches up - but he screwed the seniors with prescription drugs.
*He lets his personal faith rule his head & I don't share the same faith.
*His folksy ways seem/are disingenuous to me.
*I don't sleep better at night knowing he's in charge.
I 'hate', distrust, find him totally annoying, BUT I am going to vote for him. He's a known entity. My opinion is that a big chuck of the problems we are faced with now are a result (directly/indirectly) of the Clinton Administration & in some cases the Clinton's Administration lack of leadership on key issues & I think Kerry will revert, if elected, back to this style of leadership. Plus! I can't stomach another pro-labor presidency & need another 4 years to undue some of the erosions to small business. Whew! JMHO. x:-)
Dang Saddam was a 'known entity' to the Iraqi's as well. Now I am NOT comparing Bush to Saddam but being a "known entity" does not seem like the right reason to vote for someone any more than comparing/criticizing the spouses and/or their bank accounts. I think if you don't have well informed positive convictions about either candidate you shouldn't vote for either one. I admit to not having enough knowledge about Kerry, and if I had to vote today I probably would not vote for him; but I DO have enough knowledge of Bush to NOT vote for him today nor in 6 weeks. The majority did not vote for Bush 4 years ago and he became pres anyhow, so I'm quite skeptical about the whole election process. (Reminds me of the UN not supporting attacking Iraq, he did it anyhow?) Yes, I am a pacifist and liberal minded but that does not mean I will vote for someone that I am not well enough informed about. It seems to me these politicians just say and do whatever they want anyhow despite what the country needs/wants.
Please tell us what is happening in the northwest.
That I believe is a dangerous reason. It reminds me of the 1960 election when people opposed Kennedy because he was Roman Catholic. Or more recently questioning Leiberman's qualifications because he was Jewish. All of us put *faith* in something, God, Allah, Buddha, or humankind. Our values and resultant decisions are rooted in our faith. A politician who says he/she believes one way but then votes the opposite is disingenuous. When elected to office the public should know exactly who they are voting for and where that person stands on the issues. That stand most likely will be rooted in their value system, their beliefs, their faith. Presumably, their positions will reflect their constituency or else the populace elected the wrong person. The politician who is easily swayed and does not vote based on principle, cannot be trusted to be consistent.
I just put down my opinions and thoughts & then reason why I was going to vote for W. I'm sorry if it doesn't sit well with some. Have a great day everyone!
John Edwards' wife appeared briefly in Jackson, MS yesterday for a thousand dollar plate lunch at a fancy eatery. She allowed no cameras or pictures to be taken and made no statements and gave no press interview, other than to say, "My momma was born in Mississippi". Boy, there's something that would sway me!
I am all for starting a strong third party with Ray A. as the candidate. x:-)
>MS yesterday for a thousand dollar plate lunch
>at a fancy eatery. She allowed no cameras or
>pictures to be taken and made no statements and
>gave no press interview, other than to say, "My
>momma was born in Mississippi". Boy, there's
>something that would sway me!
>
>I am all for starting a strong third party with
>Ray A. as the candidate. x:-)
I think the tactic is to keep Kerry's wife pretty low profile. She grates a lot of people the wrong way and I think she's perceived as a liability rather than an asset to the campaign.
Ray for president? A car in every garage, a chicken in every pot and free trombone lessons?
Ray, before you go making appointments, we deserve to hear a bit about your platform, don't you think? Do you know where the Mason-Dixon line is? Do you know the president of Peru, and if so, why? What is your opinion on the foreign exchange rate? Your thoughts about Dialectical Synergy in the northern hemisphere and its effect on the polar ice region? Have you had affairs in the past five years? Are there expungements from your record? Have you ever owned a Volvo?
Do you know where the Mason-Dixon line is? Yes
Do you know the president of Peru, and if so, why? Not personally, but my nephew is living in Peru for 11 months, so that should qualify me as an expert on Peruvian affairs.
What is your opinion on the foreign exchange rate? I think all foreigners living in the US ought to be sent back to where they came from and exchanged for new BMW's at a quick rate.
Your thoughts about Dialectical Synergy in the northern hemisphere and its effect on the polar ice region? I think it is a communist plot hatched by Gorbachev and perpetuated by Yeltsin and now Putin. And relative to global warming, I believe polar bears have as much right to a little sunshine and warmth as grizzly bears in Colorado.
Have you had affairs in the past five years? Yes, but I kept my fingers crossed so it didn't count. Besides, I'm reformed, so it no longer matters.
Are there expungements from your record? Answering that question would be a violation of my parole.
Have you ever owned a Volvo? Yes, a 1973 Volvo 164, British Racing Green.
You want my vote don't ya?