Monday, March 19, 2012

Rick Santorum doesn't care about the economy. Surprise?

I'm having a really hard time with this.  The Right wing has given me so much material to work with and blog about, but every time I try to write, it just seems... too easy.  I want my blog to be informative, full of information and facts, and be fairly well thought-out and researched.  And then the Republicans do all this stuff, and it feels cheap.

But screw it, let's get to work.

My favorite Republican candidate, Rick Santorum, has recently proclaimed (quite publicly, which just shows the monstrosity of his balls) that  ... hold on, let me get this quote right: "I don't care what the unemployment rate's going to be.  Doesn't matter to me."

I want to provide information.  I want to do research.  I want to be a good source of detailed analysis.  But when you're working with this kind of statement, what more do I need to do?  It just makes me feel lazy.

He later recanted, saying "Of course I care about the unemployment rate."  Thanks for clearing that up, Rick. He made claims that this nomination is all about securing our freedoms.  Which makes sense, because since Obama's been in office, I've seen all of my freedoms disappear left and right.

Oops, sorry, my mistake.  That hasn't happened.

Mr. Santorum, if this race was really about freedoms, why are women who want birth control, or even women in general, suddenly under attack from right-wing activists and politicians (This article is particularly revealing and disgusting at the same time)?  Why are you trying to ban pornography?  Why are you suggesting that women who are RAPED should carry to term this gift from God?  What types of freedoms are you protecting?

The issue is not freedom.  The issue that you are fighting for is your personal moral code, and that's not right.  I believe Obama said it best:

"Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values.  It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason.  I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teaching of my church or evoke God's will.  I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all."

Your personal moral code is NOT the issue of this election, and it should never be a political matter.  That's not the President's job.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Post In Which I Flex My Conservative Views

Get ready everyone.  I'm about to talk about one of the issues that causes me to label myself as a moderate, or independent.

For whatever reason, I've been hearing a fair amount of chatter on the news networks and social networks about food stamps (now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) and welfare.  I will say, with complete honesty and conviction, that I despise the current welfare system.

Let me be more clear: I understand and embrace the need for a nation to offer and provide food stamps and welfare.  It could be a great system for a productive society, in order to help its citizens who are down on their luck.  The people who use the welfare system properly are those who got laid off and needed help to get back on their feet for a few months, or those who were hit with an unexpected financial obligation, such as a monster hospital bill, or a death in the family.

The responsible welfare users are out there, I am sure, and I would never say that they are even a minority (because I just don't know those facts, and they would be hard to verify by any study).

However, from what I've seen in my daily life, far too many people on welfare have been on welfare far too long.  A column written by a Wal-Mart cashier goes into depth on this issue even more.

Welfare does not exist to support your family forever.  It exists for emergencies.  Anyone who has used welfare and who isn't actively looking for a way to support him or herself, boggles my mind.  I cannot imagine relying on government handouts for my well being without making any effort to rectify the situation.  I also cannot imagine winning the lottery and trying to convince ANYONE that I still needed food stamps.

Welfare, SNAP, unemployment, are all GOOD things.  But as of right now, the system is abused far beyond what it should be.

I've always been taught that if you are discussing a problem and you don't have any solutions, you're just complaining.  That being said, fixing our government's welfare and social benefits programs falls well outside of the scope of my knowledge of economics and financial structures.

I'm sure that further along in my blog journey, I will delve into the more intricate parts of welfare policies and laws, and I shall discuss them with you at length.  Stay tuned.