President Elect Obama!

So Obama won!!! I didn't actually vote for Obama, but I'm actually really excited he won... Although it's getting pretty annoying hearing all of my friends comment on how he won and how my guy lost, I'm really happy to see him as our new President. I think I'm actually more excited to see what he'll do. To see how he'll make sense out of all of this. Another thing I'm waiting to see is if he'll keep to his platform and if he'll actually do what he said he would. Now, that he's going to be President and the majority in Congress is Democrat, if nothing gets done or passed, all the blame goes to them. At the same time, when, if* change occurs, they get all the glory.

I Hate Lines...

Is the voting system outdated. In reading the post someone wrote about Recount and with the election coming up, it makes you wonder how the whole process works. I saw the movie as well and found myself getting really upset as to why they couldnt just count every vote again. The way the whole system is organized is basically that its not organized. When I went to vote, the lines were ridiculous and so you'd think there would be organization when so many people were involved. They had it by last names and of course I was stuck in the longest line. They then started to split the lines and at one point there were like 5 lines, so meanwhile while i was waiting for 2 hours, someone who had just shown up 15 minutes prior got in just because their last name started with an "H". I know it seems petty, but little things like that discourage people, especially people who have things to do like go to class or work...

Bailout

The whole country thinks the economy is struggling in the U.S. right now, but are we actually struggling? We are freaking out because of stock prices going down and bonds not being worth much, but we can all make some adjustments to make it easier. Are we just being greedy and selfish? What a lot of people are really concerned about is not getting the same luxuries they used to get before. No one is going hungry, no one is starving more because of this? Then there is this bailout plan, that Bush of all people created... We'll just keep on loaning ourselves money and letting th eproblem get worse... Maybe instead of giving more money to people to spend (in which case they'll probably save) we can cut prices on things, get the economy going again without having to use money we don't have.

To Vote or Not to Vote? Part II

Something that goes hand in hand with my last post concerns something else I heard. My mom's friends are extremely pro-life, and thats what they're basing who they're voting for on. In telling one of my friends this, she stated that that was a stupid reason to base your decision on and I was a little annoyed at her comment. Who is she to say what issue is more important? I believe that if there is an issue you feel strongly about, you run on it. Some people care more about the economy and they vote congruent to that belief and others feel strongly about abortion...

But am I being a hypocrite by saying this? Can't the same be said for those who vote for a certain candidate because his opponent is too old? or his opponent is black? Is there a line we can draw that distinguishes between what's appropriate and relevant when you vote?

Leadership

After learning about leadership and the different roles leaders can have, I began to wonder whether we'd ever have leaders like they did back then. I know the circumtances are different and I guess less extreme, but can't we get leaders like RFK or MLK? or even FDR! It seems like the economy is in a recession and if not will be very soon, so can't we get the boost they gave the country when they were alive? Do leaders with such enthusiasm and passion exist anymore? The most passion we get is from Obama and even his speeches don't seem that sincere... I feel like leadership has a lot to do with its followers (obviously) but not just in the sense with them following but how they respond. Someone who follows MLK is not the same as someone who follows Obama. Although they're both leaders in their own respect, the attachment seems so much deeper and heartfelt than any Obama fan... If leaders were able to lead like they use to, can't it be said there'd be more followers?

To Vote or Not to Vote?

I'm not sure whether I should vote or not... Election day is fastly approaching and I'm still on the fence as to whether I should vote. I read a lot about politics and have been following pretty intensely with how the election has been unfolding and I can honestly say, I'm not impressed with either candidate. I know I wouldn't vote for Obama, but I'm not the biggest fan of McCain either, so should I just call it quits and not vote? A lot of people say that I should vote regardless because every vote counts and blah blah blah, but what good would my vote be if it isn't sincere? In all honesty, I probably will vote because we're able to vote on other issues and candidates (at lower levels) in spite of the presidential nominees (which I've also done research on and have stronger ties to) but what about those uneducated (by uneducated I don't mean a formal education, just about the election in general) voters, who should they vote for? Should they even vote?

I was speaking with a friend (who's totally and completely against gay rights), who mentioned she was voting for McCain. To summarize the gist of her reasoning, she said it was because he was republican and apparently republicans have some loyalty to opposing homosexuals. Well in all actuality, with gay rights (in terms of same-sex marriage), Obama, as well as McCain are opposed. In speaking to her, this seemed to be the only issue she cared about (or at least knew anything about) and yet the outcome would of been the same (in terms of gay rights) regardless of who won. Yet after telling her about this, she still said she was voting for McCain.

Should people like her, unaware to facts or anything for that matter be allowed to vote?

I've heard people say they're voting for Obama because he's black and I've heard people say they're voting for McCain because Obama's black? Wtf?! I know that everyone has the right to voice their opinions, and yes, we live in a democracy, everyone has a right to vote and thats all swell, but I don't want some uneducated voters risking my future well-being on their prejudices, indifference and/or ignorance.

Obama v. Palin? Shouldn't it be Obama v. McCain???

Most Democrats have decided that Palin's biggest drawback is her supposed lack of experience but this seems a little ironic to me considering their Presidential candidate barely has any either.


OBAMA:
He was a community organizer, an attorney and a professor before his public office career. He spent 8 years as Illinois Senator where in his spare time he continued to teach law as a professor at the University of Chicago (life as a Senator must be very time consuming) and started serving the U.S. Senate in 2005, most of which was spent running for President.

PALIN:
Served 4 years in City Council and served 6 years as the mayor. She was the first female governor of Alaska and has substantial experience in private-sector management. She has actually made decisions and formed budgets.

Palin has executive experience which I believe is worth more when considering their running for an executive position and in comparing the two, she has more executive experience than Obama has legislative and executive experience combined. I'm not saying she's more qualified, given her lack of knowledge reagrding foreign policy, I'm just saying that neither seem fit to be President. I've noticed that when people are comparing how little experience Palin has, they always compare her to Obama. With this tactic, it seems to me that those who claim Obama has more experience than her, they are just trying to mask the fact that he is just as inexperienced as Palin. If you haven't noticed, I am comparing Obama to Palin, but truth is, if you compare Obama to McCain, McCain would have the edge hands down (at least in terms of experience).