barrybendtsen185098

Of course it is our civic duty to use our intellect to DECIDE which candidate we think is best and vote accordingly. But here we really should consider what "best"means. Do we really want only to vote for the candidate that is "best" for our own personal interests? Could it be possible that what WE want for our own personal interests could be in conflict with what would be "best" overall for everyone in the whole country? How about considering what would be "best" for the whole world?

I've written a lot about this race and it's no secret, that I've been a Teresa Jacobs fan for a while, and now I'm happy that we're going to see where she can take this county. A mayor that's not afraid of the powerful lobbyist or developers and will make the decisions that are right for everyone, not just the wealthy.

malaysia election In the past three elections, nationwide sales of U.S. Presidential candidate masks revealed the winner days before general election results were in. In 2004 the Spirit Halloween Presidential Index showed George W. Bush masks outselling John Kerry masks at a rate of 65% to 35%. In 2000 the George W. Bush mask took 57% of the sales vs. 43% for Al Gore. And in 1996 Bill Clinton masks were 71% of the market vs. 29% for Bob Dole. A fluke or a real predictor?

The Supreme Court will play a major role, whether or not George Bush gets to make another appointment and especially if he does not. A pro choice majority will do all they can to have a pro choice court. The religious right is discredited and cannot play much of a role in the 08 election.

The Maverick, while touting his plan to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, wants to implement a 50 cent per gallon gas tax to curb emissions. A plan that was originally brought up by lefty Carl Levin and backed by every Al Gore fan boy.

Also in the BCRA was the rule that advertisements paid for by a corporation (including non-profit organizations) could not use a candidates name within 30 days of a primary and 60 days of a general election. In effect the bill limited free speech, throwing out the first amendment and putting set rules on the speech of an organization. Sounds like big government to me.

Next up is McCain?'s stance on interrogation. http://budtrader.com/arcade/members/sampsonmcneil9/activity/435834/ believes that water boarding and torture should be outlawed, pointing to the fact that if we do it to terrorists, they'll do it us. But McCain? forgets that terrorists move past torture and go straight to killing.

Considering what is best for our favorite political party (and voting accordingly) is a somewhat more evolved stance than looking only at our own personal interests. Voting for our party is "ethnocentric" behavior. Its about the same as voting for a local bill that would renovate the school in your district but voting against the bill that would provide funds to renovate the school in the neighboring district. It elevates the needs of YOUR group above the needs of OTHERS. It is also similar to thinking only your church is the one true church and all the others are wrong. (in accordance with the "Faithful" group, for readers of my blog.) This is not the most mature way to believe, behave, or vote either.