My Civic Duty continued

So I know my views are often controversial, but I have a great ability to agree to disagree. Some of my friends are bible toting conservatives and others are far more liberal than I am. Generally, I can respect different opinions as long as they are based on some sort of facts or logic.

Undecided voters are baffling to me. Uninformed voters are also baffling. Do they not read the papers/internet and/or watch the news. How can you exist and not what is going on in the world around you? These candidates seem so different, it is amazing that it would be difficult to choose. Granted, I was never a huge fan of Kerry's but after the debates, I felt a lot better about him. He is articulate, intelligent and seems to care about the Middle Class. Let's face it without the Middle Class, who would pay for all of society's needs? The rich don't pay and the poor cannot.

Neither candidate is really that dazzling to the single person particularly women. That is undeniable. No one cares is the single woman gets a tax break or that we have to pay almost as much to live as a couple.

Even though, neither candidate specifically appeal to my personal needs, I think change is needed. Most of the issues that I really care about, I tend to fall on the side of Edwards.

I am big on family values. I hate the idea of welfare as a lifestyle - it is something that should only be temporary not to exceed 12-18 mos. Dependency on an agency for basic needs seems to be debilitating and fosters a poverty cycle, but more importantly, it keeps the recipient from achieving their potential.

On the flip side, I hate welfare for corporate crooks - they are a much bigger drain on society than single un-wed mothers. They steal millions, pollute the environment, and only get a slap on the wrist, if that.

I am so big on education - free education. I hate the LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND crap. It seems like a wonderful money making scheme for testing companies. I do feel that everyone needs to be literate, but I am not for creating a nation of standardized people who test well. What about the arts, physical education, and basic life skills? Why are these being stripped out of the curriculums? That is very disturbing. Those were some of the best things about school. Don't get me wrong - I am all about math, science and literacy, but I think children need to be well-rounded. Not all kids will grow up to be the next Einstein - some may become the next Yo-Yo Ma. They both have value.

I have been recycling my entire life - it's what you do when you grow up in a modest home. So while you won't see me at any earth day marches, I am very much in support of protecting the environment. I suspect that the increasing cancer rates are directly influenced by the toxins in the air, water and in our genetically modified food.

Which brings me to healthcare.... which is definitely in need of reform. Why in the world would the solution to increasing malpractice insurance rates be to cap the award amount of someone who may be legitimately injured to $250,000. That's appalling, what gives you the right to place a dollar amount on someone's life and what's worse, such a paltry amount. You can't even get a decent single family home around here for that. Why not go after the insurance companies? Granted, I am not big on frivolous law suits, but I think this issue is best addressed if the insurance companies were made to issue malpractice insurance like car insurance. The more incidents you have, the higher the premium. Good doctors shouldn't have to pay the same high rate that a crappy one has to pay. If it were set up like that, I bet good doctors would stop protecting the bad ones.... but most of all why would you choose to punish the patient. That is so twisted.

I am in favor of the assault weapons ban. I completely understand the need to defend yourself, but do you need a killing machine. There are enough accidental gun deaths as it is.

I am in favor of free speech, free thought etc. I hate that we have become so crude, but I don't believe in censorship. Censorship is a dangerous thing, because I don't know how a governmental body can decide what can or cannot be read, heard or seen. I think that rests with parents and adults.