Make your vote count

Mitt Romney pays income taxes at a rate that is less than half of the rate at which the average American pays. Some of his money is in banks in the Cayman Islands. He makes a $10,000 bet the way you and I would gamble half a buck on something. He enjoys firing people. He flip-flops his position on issues to the extent you need a mirror just to see which side of his mouth he’s speaking from. Yep, this is a great candidate to be the next leader of the free world.

Newt Gingrich has the moral strength of a male rabbit set loose in a hutch of females. He’s so compassionate, he serves divorce papers on one of his wives while she’s in the hospital recovering from breast cancer surgery. He bends history to fit his own set of “facts.” He has, on his third try, finally found a woman who says that it’s okay for him to screw around with other women. He’s made millions from Freddie Mac and now wants to break it up…getting rid of some evidence, are we? Yep, Newt has a moral compass than spins like a top but he’s another great candidate to be the next leader of the free world.

Dr. Ron Paul seems like a pretty good guy. It worries me that he’s from Texas and served in the Air National Guard in that state. I keep thinking back to the last Republican President from Texas who served in the Air National Guard…and that scares the pants off me. Oops, sorry, I’m male and Dr. Paul is a gynecologist.  It also bothers me that he believes the bombing of the World Trade Center on 911 is our own fault. It appears he’d like America to be in a bubble and let the rest of the world flow around it. I’m a year older than Dr. Paul and hope to live a few more years. However, with his finger so close to “the button,” I’m not certain long-term survival is a guaranteed option because I’m fearful that retaliation in his mind would mean total annihilation. Yep, he’s another ‘good-un.’

The Republican golden boy at this stage is Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania Congressman. In Iowa he was the only candidate who shook hands in all 99 counties of the state. That’s commendable but it’s not a prerequisite for a president. While in the Senate, Santorum had the reputation of being “earmark happy,” attaching over $16 billion in earmarks to various bills. Now, he’s looking to stop federal spending and lower the deficit. Can you say, “Flip-flop?” Santorum is arrogant and, in his own mind, his never wrong; so much for the idea of listen to those on the frontline. He also lacks executive leadership experience. In addition, I have trouble supporting someone who appears to feel that women have no right to choose, even if she has been raped or impregnated by a member of her own family. No, I cannot even consider that Rick Santorum should be allowed anywhere near the Oval Office. Perhaps when he grows up, he might be considered a viable candidate.

Maybe I’m way off base here and one of these men would be a good change. However, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, “I wouldn’t trust one of them to hold my wallet for five seconds.” I’ve talked about Santorum’s arrogance but the rest of the candidates are just as bad. They are George W. Bush robots. They will spout anything to get elected, but don’t believe that once they are, they’ll do as they said. If lying, cheating, and stealing is your bag, these are the people for you.

Do I believe that Barack Obama has done a great job? No, I think his priorities have been a bit screwed up. The health care bill was a stubborn, bull-headed move. Yes, it got passed, but I don’t know that it should have been number one on the ‘to-do list.’ I didn’t agree with TARP and still don’t, but what the hell, things did seem to get somewhat turned around. I still have a problem with some of the banks and companies that were saved and are now back to paying their executives the huge salaries and bonuses all over again, but I guess I’m just jealous of people making millions while there are still so many homeless and hungry in this country. I guess perhaps I have a warped view about what American should be and how it should be run. But let me get back to my opening question about our incumbent President: He’s a man trying to do a job, and I can’t see any of the opposing candidates doing a better job than he has done in his first shot. If you’re an American and if you’re of voting age, the choice is yours. The only thing I would ask is that you make your vote count…understand what is being said and make your vote count.

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