AND a lil politics...post election.

now i told myself i was done talking about politics but that's just a lie.  i'm too fascinated and i deeply care about the future of our country. now i have to admit something that i've tried to run away from for weeks, but blogs should be about truth, my truth. okay, here i go. i don't think i entirely trust obama. i want to so badly (maybe i should not have watched obama 2016). i voted for him in 2008. i so desperately wanted to be apart of a movement...something 'moving'...like back in the 50's and 60's during the Civil Rights Movement, without getting beat of course.  i thought wow, this guy is so passionate and inspiring.  he could change the world.  (i'm a dreamer.  can't help.) i imagine he felt that way too. then i'm sure reality set in. not as easy as he thought.  hmmmm.

this election....now, i honestly don't know how i feel about obamacare because i haven't read all 2000 pages and neither did probably 99.9% of the people who voted for it.  to me, that's some "politics as usual". i do believe in insurance reform. i do believe hard working americans deserve healthcare.  i'll just leave that right there. although, what has made america america is opportunity. immigrants have come here for the american dream for well over a 100 years (we are all immigrants really). i can't help but think that due to the prime mortgage disaster, thanks to ol freddie and fannie...ie pres. clinton and some wall street turkeys, it's becoming a crime to be financially successful. if i want to be even more honest, i think romney's wealth was used against him, which is unfortunate to me.  here's a guy that was good as what he does and made a ton of money.  but guess what?  he left that business to pursue public service (and could easily be a billionaire right now like oprah and bill gates).  he's ALWAYS been a man of service and not just in the mormon church either. so should we close those loopholes?  makes sense to me.  GE need to pay a tax, yo.

this election seemed to be driven more by social issues as opposed to the economy and foreign policy. which, hey, socially, i'm a lib. i could care less if gay people want to marry.  how does it really affect you personally? it doesn't.  it doesn't.  "oh but it teaches our children".....NO, you are responsible for teaching your children about love and tolerance. children come into this world innocent and open to loving anyone.  it's society that changes that.  it's their experiences that change that.  their okay with it....i promise you. if it goes against your religious beliefs.  i respect that.  don't marry a person of the same sex.  that's how you solve that. plus...ALL SINS are equal so it's really not productive to get too busy pointing out other peoples' sins while i'm committing my own. and anytime one needs to begin a sentence with, "well, i'm not judgin, but...." YE JUDGIN'!!! acceptance doesn't mean approval either. and let's not forget that we live in a country that PRACTICES religious freedom and separation of church and state.  i have friends that are christians, atheists, muslims, mormons, catholics, buddhists, and some that are jewish. i'm grateful i live in a country that allows people to honor their own beliefs. i get to be a christian without worry of being persecuted and harmed. everyone deserves that right. love and acceptance folks.  Jesus was ALL about it.

dare i even step on some toes about abortion???  hmmm.  well. i think the answer is education.  education helps people make informed choices.  education keeps people from having unwanted pregnancies. education does come from planned parenthood....along with millions of annual exams...breast exams, etc.  oh and by the way, romney was pro-choice in massachusetts.  he had a cousin that had an illegal abortion and died.  we cannot force anyone to get pre-natal care, to not do drugs during pregnancy, or to not get an abortion whether it's legal or not. i know through my own pregnancies how soon in the process the heartbeat can be heard and i cannot imagine if anyone experienced this they would not see the value of life staring them right there in the face. education. and for goodness sakes make it easier to get some dang birth control.  hello??? less welfare.

so i recently took a little hiatus from Facebook. for one, i was just on it way too much. also, i just wanted to make up my own mind during this presidential election and didn't want to be swayed by anyone. people that swing so far to the right or so far to the left, really aren't representing society as a whole anyway, fyi.  so you support the traditional family with a mother and a father and 2.5 kids, a dog and a white picket fence.  well that's great for you, but you don't get to decide for everyone.  besides all that, how many marriages end up in divorce??? and you may not believe in using birth control but this girl is gonna use it because i will go insane if i get pregnant again. no joke.  abortion is touchy.  obviously i'm not a fan. most people aren't, they just support the CHOICE ( late term is unacceptable unless it brings severe harm to the mother).

now fiscal differences, well, as most know, i'm fiscally challenged. the end. we need to cut spending...sounds good considering what's been spent in the last several years.  BUT, will raising taxes on the rich (although $250,000 is far from rich in comparison to 10 million+) bring in enough revenue to make a difference, how the heck do i know?!?  all i know is, we are in an enormous amount of debt. do i think i need to be taxed more? not really, ha.  my husband has spent the last 18 years working towards his FIRST REAL JOB. that's commitment folks and now that he barely qualifies for this tax increase, he's going to get raked over the coals because he makes more than the average american.  he deserves it.  period.  and i need botox.  yes had to throw a little vanity in there (only joking...gaaaaaaawwwwww...close your mouth).  if you don't know me, i'm a giver.  i even buy magazines from fraudulent front door salesmen to help children in need.  see, i'm not opposed to helping nor am i a stingy person. i just need to know that you, mister President, after you tax me, are going to use my money to pay against the national debt.  oh and could we please not fall off that 'fiscal cliff'?!?!  thank you.

obama....i watched the video of him saying thank you to the people that worked so diligently on his campaign.  those people are sure dedicated to a cause.  so much passion in one room.  as i watched the tears fall down his cheeks, i didn't see that smug guy from the debates. i saw a human being expressing sincere gratitude to the people that supported him most and believed in his message.  it didn't feel contrived or rehearsed.  whether we agree on policy, fiscal or social, it's important to lead with heart and conviction and represent the people as a whole and that means compromise for EVERYONE.  we are ALL americans.  we are ALL on the same team. bout time we starting acting like it.  and no seceding....that ridic.

.....AND POLITICS!!!

so!!!  if ol Taibbi (i haven't a clue how to pronounce his name, so in my head i've nicknamed him tabby, like tabby cat) can call Romney a dickhead in rolling stone, i think i can blog about politics.  i was sure as soon as i got this up and running i would become a blank slate.  yep.  my wit has evaporated on the spot. i was not familiar with mr. tabby's blog until today actually, and while i'm not impressed with his immature name calling he certainly got my attention.  i might have to go back for more.  he brought to the forefront things i want to investigate as a voter in this country. i'm tired of the rhetoric and the ANNOYING buzz words from both camps.  it's insulting. really.

so i made my way over to fact-checker (http://www.politifact.com) the other day, because that's what we all should do if we want to make an informed choice.  here's what i thought about what i discovered.  well, first, you can change one word around or take a few words out and completely change the meaning of a sentence.  seems harmless, but i learned in therapy with Bedford Combs, that in order to properly communicate, we should be able to repeat what someone says VERBATIM, meaning, exactly the way it was said, without changing one single word.  maybe these politicians need a lil session.  that could cut out some serious mudslinging.  

Example numero uno:

Biden says Romney said it was TRAGIC, keyword here folks, mistake, we should have left 30,000 troops there, meaning in Iraq, when in fact he did use the word 'tragic', although he was referring to the rate in which Obama pulled the troops, not the fact he was pulling them.  see???  now isn't that silly?

Here's another:

Biden says Romney said he wouldn't move heaven and earth to get Osama, when in fact he said that he wanted to pursue all of al-quaida, not just it's leaders.  really? how long did they know Bin Laden's location before they ordered the hit? hmmmm.  and who was the driving force behind it? silly politicians.

On Iran, Ryan felt the ayatollahs were getting the impression that the U.S. relationship with ally Israel was dwindling. Ryan claimed Obama was in New York City the same day as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and snubbed him by scheduling a TV appearance instead of meeting with the man. Come to found out, the two leaders weren't even there on the same dad gum day: Obama was there Monday and Tuesday, and Netanyahu was there later in the week, on Thursday and Friday. it's the little details....

okay okay last one....there are just so many, but i have to include the lie of the year. government is not taking over healthcare.  it was a broad statement.  i'm guessing he was a little nervous, Ryan that is, he's green, and got a little carried away.  they don't own the hospitals and our doctors aren't becoming government employees. 

gosh there are so many more juicier ones but you're going to have to go read them yourself.  i'm tired. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2012/oct/11/fact-checking-vice-presidential-debate-between-joe/ 

now, i'm going to be real TEXAS honest here.  it was difficult for me to even listen to vp joe biden with all that snickering, and smirking, and interrupting he did.  i think the final count was 83 interruptions.  i missed some important details of this debate. he seemed defensive and arrogant. i can stomach A LOT of things, but not arrogance.  isn't he supposed to be a public servant?  i really wanted to knock those veneers right on out that mouth.  i shouldn't be feeling this way about the vice-president of the United States of America, and he really shouldn't be acting like a first class jerk.  i don't care what you say mr. tabby. no excuses

blog about a new blogger that should be journaling

it took me about three nights to even set this blog up.  don't judge.  so here i am.  my first blog and the first time i've sat down to write in ages.  i'm completely unfocused right now and should probably be 'journaling' instead. however, i've decided to let go of being a perfectionist tonight.  i'm not even going to edit. *sudden writer's block*

so i've been reading a few blogs for a few years now all the while wanting to be a 'blogger' myself.  hoping to have something to say that people will want to read. oh i rant on fb on a daily basis.  i'm infamous for starting debates amongst my friends, who happen to sway extremely right and extremely left.  i've even been deleted because i enjoy the bill maher show.  SO.  he has great panelists and i absolutely LOVE listening to many different views from such interesting people.  i'm passionate and opinionated and a complete procrastinator. so this is sort of a new beginning for me.

i'm probably going to quote oprah A LOT. (i've grown up with her and she has been a teacher.) she says, as i paraphrase, that everyday we aren't following our passion, a little piece of us dies.  whoo is that powerful. okay maybe i'm editing a little bit.  don't judge.  so basically this is me getting out the bad writing to get to the good stuff. yes, i definitely should be journaling (just so you know i AM aware).  today, and that's all i have, i'm going to start this process of rediscovery, in search of real freedom that only comes from being truly authentic, the woman God created me to be. 

peace