Can you see where I'm coming from?

Honestly, I think you just don’t realize how national politics affect you personally.

I think you’re disenchanted and don’t understand how the government affects the individual. Consider looking into third party candidates, It’s not about understanding the cases being made, it’s what you think the country needs to fix what’s wrong and lay a good foundation for the future.

@pup: jinx!

Dancing With the Stars starts in 16 minutes. I will respond after that is over with a thoughtful response.

Here’s just one example. The fact that our country is essentially financially bankrupt is a direct result of the war in Iraq and the large tax breaks provided in the face of the huge costs encountered for this war. Thus, no war (foisted upon us by the Bush administration), no bankruptcy.

I absolutely understand where you are coming from. Maybe it’s because I am almost 50 and have seen my share of candidates and realize that once elected they are almost handcuffed by the process to do the things they promise or want to do. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just the way it is. The person that most fits this feeling I have (and whose campaign reminds me so much of Obama) is Jimmy Carter. The outsider who was going to make changes and found himself handcuffed. He had support from young voters and dems repubs who wanted change. And yet, he was a pretty much a failure. A decent guy, but not much of a President. Will Obama fall into that trap remains to be seen. I hope not. I hope, should he win, that he accomplishes some of his goals and realizes that he was wrong about others and does the proper thing. Jenn and I are at opposite ends of the political spectrum but with both agree that a monkey could probably be president.

Yeah, I get where you are coming from. I think I am realistic and see both sides and how they have their pro’s and con’s. I think more people should see both sides and I think elections makes people say and do things that they wouldn’t usually say and do because they really want their person to win. I think it sucks that politicians have to pick sides in order to win because there are more than two ways to do just about anything. I also think that most people vote based on emotional issues that really don’t matter to everyone as a whole and nothing has ever been done about them by any president and I doubt it ever will so they really shouldn’t be a selling point on who to vote for.

am I paranoid to think Sueanne T is Jack Adams?

i’m shocked, shocked!! at my mental state

Yes, JackAdams’ tatas are not nearly as arousing.

You speak from experience?

<comic trombone> wa-wa-waaaah

boom shaka laka

I’d say, in general, I share your opinion. I think the country/world needs fundamental, ideological change, and neither a Democrat or Republican is going to make that happen. But we are at a crossroads in history. (yes, I am youngish, but I know history)—culturally and socially. This is the only time in my life when I can say I have placed my hope in a candidate. I might even say that I have faith, but that’s a huge leap for me.

I think it shows a lack of understanding of history and possibly anything beyond your own experience…a limited vision. That isn’t meant to be disparaging. People don’t have to care about things beyond their own existence. The only thing I would object to is sometimes people think their viewpoint is the only one.

People who have a larger frame of reference can see a difference in leaders and although they may not aspire to be a leader, they would like to see the best person available take that role. I think if you cared to spend time thinkig about it you might want to have the better person win even if s/he couldn’t make everything perfect. That was only a suggestion. I can understand that you may not wish to ponder such things. Millions don’t. Billions don’t even have the luxury of time and energy to do so.

However on some level you must realize the differences in the leadership of John Kennedy and Richard Nixon or even Bill Clinton and George Bush. I’m not talking about their personal lives but how they saw their roles as leaders and how they tried to carry out their mandate.

The trick to this is to understand that different policies fix or create more problems. So, for example, Bush’s policies have opened the door to a kind of gambling which eventually crashed the financial system here. They have also lead to an increase in homelessness.

If you care about your own money, or you care about other people, you should be interested in selecting the best representative who you believe is most likely to fix our problems. Don’t forget, even if you don’t care about others, they still have an impact on your life. For example, with respect to more homeless, that usually means more beggin that you have to deal with.

The problem with being involved is that you actually have to analyze varous candidate’s plans. That’s a lot of work. Also, you need to understand the things happening in many areas right now. Immigration, health, Iraq, Finance, and more. I don’t mean to scare you, but democracy is not for the faint-of-heart!