speed of dark

I don't usually use this space to express my political opinions. As much as I support Barack Obama for President, I'm not making annoying phone calls (I hate getting them), and I'm not knocking on doors waving a survey. I'm using my own blogspace to speak my views on the coming U.S. Presidential election. Excuse us, international readers, but for the rest of this piece, I'm going to assume you are a young, voting-age, U.S. citizen.

First, if you aren't registered to vote, you need to do that NOW. Our country is in a crisis, and apathy is not acceptable. Your actions count. The results of the election DO affect you personally, so you must get involved. In the past two elections, a matter of only a few votes at crucial polling places handed leadership to the illiterate, roller-skating chimpanzee who has lived in the White House for the past 8 years.

In some states, the deadline for registration for this election has already passed. The deadline for California is coming up fast: October 20, this coming Monday. If you are not registered to vote, it's easy. Go to your post office, public library (if it's open--your tax cuts at work) or go here NOW:

REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE
A Perfect Circle: Freedom of Choice (Devo cover) from eMOTIVe (2004) [Buy]

Now that you are registered, get informed about the candidates for President if nothing else. Just keep in mind that local elections affect you as well, but right now let's get a good leader at the top. Make sure you're getting correct info and not believing fear-mongering trash. Turn off Sean Hannity on Fox News and turn on NPR. Take advantage of online sites like the Washington Post FactChecker on both candidates. What I am going to say is biased, but I do my best to base what I think on facts.

Xavier Rudd: Choices from White Moth (2007) [Buy]


Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller
Frankly, I can't think of a single reason to vote for McCain/Palin. The Republican Party has spent a decade taking apart every regulation that protected us from the current economic crisis, and McCain was right there supporting it all, right up until he had to try to backpaddle his way out of responsibility (Washington Post). He chose as his running mate the female equivalent of W--an inarticulate, unprepared, unqualified hick who has already been proven to have misused her authority as governor of Alaska. And thank you, Tina Fey, for those impersonations that used nothing more than Palin's own words to be ridiculous. If McCain kicks the bucket, this is our President. Haven't we had enough of that, already?

Are you concerned about income taxes? McCain thinks you are, but when he complains that Obama is going to raise taxes, he's not talking to YOU, honey. He's talking to a very small percentage of Americans who make far more money than you or I do. Here is a visual from ChartJunk blog. Go there to see it full-size with complete explanation.


Notice that in McCain's plan, the biggest cuts go to the people who make the most money. Where is your income on that chart? Which candidate do you think has more sympathy for the larger population of America? Oh, sure, those rich guys were supposed to create all those good-paying jobs for us with the tax breaks they already got under Bush. Instead, they sold your jobs overseas and pocketed the profits. Obama wants to stop that shit too.

Frankly, I would rather pay my taxes and see that our schools are fully funded from pre-K on up, our roads are in good shape, our air and water are clean, and everyone has access to affordable health care. If people are having to declare bankruptcy because of medical costs, that's not affordable. Other western democracies manage to do this much better than we do. Watch the movie Sicko (the latest Sicko News).

Frank Hoier: Jesus Don't Give Tax Breaks to the Rich from Lovers and Dollars (2008) [Buy]

The backers of the Republican Party, and the whole point of the party in general, is not to create a good standard of living for vast majority of people who live and work here, no matter what they try to make you believe. Their goal is to make the top 1 percent richer. Their philosophy is, if you can't make your house payment, or your business closed or moved overseas so you lost your job and can't feed your children, or you can't pay your medical insurance or medical bills, it's your own damn fault. Too bad (Suicides From Financial Crisis, today: Pasadena Woman Found Dead in Burning Home). Anything the government could do to make any of that easier for you is considered a handout that you don't deserve. On the other hand, government policies that help put money in their pockets are fine. Dirtying your water and your air because it would cost them money to keep them clean is fine. And your providing billions of dollars, which will take as much as 20 years to pay back, to bail out the financial crisis they created is hunky-dory too.

I don't care what color our next President is, but I do want someone whose goal is to make our country great again, who can get us out of this blood- and money-sucking war, and whose highest priority is taking care of all of our citizens, not just the rich and powerful. I see no evidence that McCain can do that. I want a calm, capable, smart, person I can respect in the White House, and I see that in Obama.

Frou Frou: Holding Out For a Hero from Shrek 2 Soundtrack [Buy]

We missed out on having that when we let Bush steal the Presidency--not once, but twice! We would be living in a different country, a better country, if we had not let that happen the first time. We would have had a President who understood scientific evidence, for one thing. I want a President who believes in science, who believes in funding education, and who realizes the importance of not making enemies with the entire rest of the world.

Johnny Bertram: Change from Live In My Bedroom (2006) [Free download]

There are enough voting-age Americans to turn this country around in the coming election if the real issues are understood and people actually vote. We must not be distracted by those who think controlling others' personal lives (who should marry whom, for example) is more important than a healthy life for all. Talk To Your Parents has some basic information for talking to others, including your older relatives who may be planning to vote Republican just because they always have. The current Republican Party is not the kindly, fiscally conservative party of small government that it used to be. It hasn't been for some time.

The Black and White Years: Power To Change from The Black and White Years (2008) [Buy]

Let's elect the right guy this time and get some real change going. GObama!