Election Day

I try to steer away from volatile subjects like politics, but today is election day so I figure it's a good day to get on my soapbox and alienate a few of you out there. Seriously, I'm the same person I've always been, you're just hearing some things I don't usually share with you.

Here are some statistics I've found online: The spending in 2010 for the Department of Defense was 708 Billion dollars (this figure doesn't include spending for Homeland Security or Veterans Affairs). The last year I could find statistics for education spending was 2005 and we (nationally) spent 14 Billion dollars. Most education funding comes from the states and we all know how well they are doing. So there are your American priorities. I found a pie chart with the percentage that goes out to Social Security and Medicare. It's higher than education, but lower than defense.

I also found figures on the national deficit compared to the GDP. We were in pretty good shape until GW came along. And although Obama has let loose on the spending, I remember that it was late 2008 that GW decided to bail out the banks and left that on the table as he scooted back to the ranch.

 House Republicans, in their “Pledge to America” agenda announced in September, promised to cut $100 billion in domestic spending programs if they take power. The unspecified cuts would come from non-defense domestic discretionary programs, which totaled $477 billion in the 2010 budget. Social Security and Medicare would be excluded from the proposed 21 percent reductions. (from businessweek.com) So that looks like education and healthcare will be the ones to be cut. Oh, boy!

And I'm always assailed by the moral issues by my friends at church so here are my views on that. You may be against abortion and gay marriage, and the Republicans may pay those issues lipservice, but what have they done about it? While they had control of the presidency and congress they didn't outlaw abortion and gay marriage actually started gaining legal rights in some states. So keep that in mind, when you listen to their rhetoric. And as for those ads with all the religious references, and there are plenty of them in Alabama, just let me say that my faith is not a commodity. Don't try to buy my votes with my belief in God.

Some insights from each of my kids that I've heard in the last few weeks.

S: "I'm starting to see the differences between Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats want to help people and the Republicans want to make money."

M: "They are saying if they get rid of those tax breaks for people making over $250,00 a year it will hurt small businesses. But we learned at school that most small businesses aren't even affected by that because they have their own exemptions. So I think they are just saying that to get people upset and vote the way they tell them to." (I believe her "they" are Republicans.)
Mr. C: "I don't know why we have to have Democrats and Republicans. It's just something to make Americans separated."

Whether you're a Democrat, Republican, or partying in The Elephant's Ass (aka Tea Party), get out there and express yourself today: VOTE!