An Election Rant

The Mr. and I got into a pretty good political debate last night and now I need a place to vent.  Hellooooo blog readers!  Hope you're ready for some discussion...

Let's get some stuff out of the way before we tear into this year's election.  Who doesn't hate an election year?  How many more times do we have to hear "I approve this message"?  We all know that politicians spew what they think we want to hear and what certain groups are paying them to say.  But how much are they really going to get done during their four year term in office?

Cynicism aside...

The Mr. and I are divided in terms of political party.  During our wedding, his speech included the line, "It's our differences that make us perfect for each other."  Sweet.  But frustrating.  Especially during election year (for those counting, yes, we did meet during an election year.  Thank goodness America was smart enough to not vote Sarah Palin into office).  We agreed, mostly because we forgot about the first few days of the RNC, that we would only watch the last night of the conventions to hear the candidates speak.  We watched Romney speak last week, along with Marco's (Polo?) introduction, and the entire televised DNC event last night including Biden and Obama.

The problem with politics in our household is that we don't even want to argue about the same issues.

The Mr. believes in being fiscally conservative, decreasing taxes, making more of the American population actually pay their taxes, and improving - or eliminating - government programs.  I'm more passionate about the social issues.  Gay marriage should be legal and women should be able to do what they want with their own bodies.

This is why YOU have a CHOICE and why we have a decision to make.  Nothing bothers me more than people who vote by party.  I don't care if your parents are Republicans, how can any woman look at the Romney/Ryan platform and think that her life will be better if they're voted into office?

Argument: What about the money?  What about the debt?  Doesn't everyone agree that it's a problem right now?  Does anyone think that one party will be able to help the economy recover more quickly than the other?  I can go on and on about their plans - Obama ending the war in 2014 and putting money towards the national debt and Romney decreases taxes and ending Medicare - but what will those bullet points accomplish if those people haven't actually accomplished any of that yet?

Is our nation facing a financial crisis?  Yes.
Is our nation facing issues aside from the financial crisis?  Yes.
Do you care about money or people more?  (Yes, this question was thrown into the household debate last night.)
Do you think that the Democrats won't do anything about the financial crisis?
Do you think that the Republicans will try to take rights away - or never allow them in the first place - from anyone who doesn't fit into their mold (i.e. gays, women, all minorities)?

This is my argument about the Republicans' view on the social issues.  I'm Jewish.  Jewish people don't eat meat from a pig -- pork, ham, bacon, etc.  Have you seen a legitimate ballot issue trying to ban pork from being sold in grocery stores across America?  No.  People can decide their eating habits on their own.  So why can't a woman decide what to do with her body?  Why can't a man marry his lover even if it doesn't fit the traditional view of marriage?  Who are WE to decide?  And don't you dare blame it on religion.  Freedom of religion vetoed that excuse years ago.

If you're reading this, please VOTE.

Don't vote for your parent's political party.

Vote for the platform that you most align yourself with.

Do some research.

Spread the word.

Thanks for listening.  I'm done now.


UPDATE:  It's worth noting that we made a bet.  My gambling record is pretty terrible lately -- I'm currently searching for a CSU shirt that I have to buy and wear to work and I have to wear a tutu during tomorrow's 5k.  Regardless, I have hope for this one!  The prize is a specified amount of cash to the winner to spend however that person (me!) wants without input from the other.  The bet was originally the Gucci purse I've been eyeing, or the cash equivalent for him, but I decided that was too ridiculous :)