http://my.barackobama.com/friends
I know the political process seems superficial and lame. It is.
But our democratic system, however flawed, is better than most of the alternatives. And our government can, and must, be improved. And, as we all know, if you want something done right, YOU gotta go out there and make it happen.
Barack Obama gives me hope for a better America and a better world. WHY? Because I'm confident OBAMA WILL APPOINT BETTER PEOPLE TO RUN OUR GOVERNMENT AND OUR COURTS. To me, the power of appointment is the most important power a president has. We're talking about thousands of government jobs!
[Warning: SHPIEL] Obama and I share many goals:
Ending the Iraq War:
Obama courageously denounced the war from the beginning, and I marched against the Iraqi Debacle before it so predictably debacled.
Honoring our commitment to our veterans (for real, not just rhetorically):
Many veterans will be wounded for decades. Already, there is a rise in divorce among soldiers, and the stress on military families will continue. It's WRONG to ask soldiers to risk their lives, and then abandon them. And my momma taught me right from wrong.)
Achieving energy independence:
A gallon of gas costs how much??? We have the technology to energize in sustainable ways. Achieving SUSTAINABLE energy independence is in The National Interest; fighting to supposedly "stabilize" energy producing nations is NOT in The National Interest. Besides, oil is sooo 20th Century.
Stopping genocide in Darfur:
Here's something I learned in elementary school; if
you let the bullies get away with bullying, they only get worse. Asserting yourself IMMEDIATELY, and establishing consequence for bad behavior stops bullies. Why? Because bullies are basically cowards who respect power. Bullies don't attack everyone at once; first, they attack the weak, i.e., the kids who don't have posses or allies. Then they go after everyone who isn't strong, i.e., the regular kids and wannabes. We need to be the righteous, strong, popular kid who stands up to the bully. And if we need to kick bully as* once or twice, so be it.
We're not going to fix Darfur's systemic problems, build democracy, or promote racial harmony. That would be nice, but we gots lots of other stuff to do. We'll stop genocide, and prevent it from happening again. Period. We're not signing up for Nation Building 501 -- a graduate level course. We're doing Bully Control 101.
Where was I? Oh, yes. Goals shared by Obama and me...
Improving our schools: Bush's No Child Left Behind is a Mirage. Spending oodles to test the problem, and punish the problemees, and then declaring we don't have money to throw at a solution is so dumb.
Imagine for a minute you own a struggling construction firm. Following the principles of No Child Left Behind, you'd blow your money on a pricey management consultant, fire most of your people -- good and bad -- and then expect the remaining demoralized, overworked employees (who've been told how much they suck) to produce skyscrapers that meet code out of construction paper, popsicle sticks, and Elmer's glue.
While money doesn't necessarily buy quality, it's hard to get quality without it.
For example, when I go shopping for Prosecco in diamond-studded bottles, or even Kool Aid in paper cups, people expect me to pay them.
Radical, huh? Here's something even more radical: How 'bout we spend money wisely and try programs that have been proven to work? We might all learn a valuable lesson if we applied the principles of the scientific method to some educational problems. Rather than let our Currently Blissfully Blind Decider co-blind us, let's get Blinded by Science.
And the last reason to vote for Obama is that affordable universal health care is neither a dream nor a nightmare. It makes sense. Insurance companies currently spend so much time and money NOT paying for care, and doctors waste resources trying to get paid. Hospitals lose millions treating the poor in emergency rooms, and then try to pass those costs onto "wealthy" consumers. Companies drop coverage and/or raise premiums because health insurance is so crazy expensive. Does the current system sound efficient to you? The closeted economist in me groans as I write this.
So pretty please take a moment to learn more about Senator Obama and join the campaign:
http://my.barackobama.com/friends
