YOUR RIGHTS, YOUR ELECTION..YOUR FUTURE!

I believe the next election cycle will see me abstaining. Not one of these candidates is worth the effort or the gas money to go to the polls. The Congress is overly consumed with doing the wrong thing each and every time it holds what appears to be on the surface, and innocuous vote but which later on becomes yet one more major annoyance to the public at large. How else can one explain the mindless clasping of ideas such as new frequencies for digital television broadcasts resulting in the new ever higher priced TV sets. Or the low flush toilet which forces one to use twice the amount of water to flush away unwanted detritus. Or continuing to embrace daylight savings time and then making it longer. Now we have to manually set all digital timers 4 times a year. No, Congressmen and those who want to be should be either shunned by decent people or rounded up and exported along with all the illegals. If we not only allow paying corporations (with tax subsidies) to send our jobs overseas, then those who allow it and the CEOs who do it should accompany all those jobs. After all, which of our representatives do we really need?

Now should I start on the presidential candidates? Please. It was no accident the Clintons shose the Sopranos to emulate. It's an inside joke to these thugs. Joe Biden? The only candidate able to insert both feet comfortably into his mouth. Barack Obama? Talk about the insolence of youth. John Edwards? Would really trust the budget to this guy? Is 400 dollars for a haircut really a bargain? He has no concept of the value of a dollar. (I do. It's roughly 67 cents.) The rest of the dems are merely in it for the matching campaign funds and  aren't worthy of even this virtual ink.

How about the republicans? Guiliani? I don't think a guy who can't keep his own house in order has the gravitas to tell me how to run mine. McCane? Nope, not now that he's morphed into Bush. Would have loved him in 2000. His time is past. Mitt Romney? Come on. This guy could give flip flop lessons to John Kerry. And the country will no more elect someone named Mitt than they will a Clinton retread, aka Hillary. Remember, Clinton and the socialization of medicine attempt by his wife caused the dems to lose the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years. Bush just accomplished the same thing in 12. What a twit. Fred Thompson? As I've stated before, after Clinton and Bush, I have had enough of southern accents in the white house to last the rest of my dwindling days. We need someone from the midwest. No Left Coasters need apply either. Not that I want to sound judgemental or anuthing. :>)

Lily's Lore

"If you want my view of history then there's something you should know

The three men I admire most are Curly, Larry, Moe

If you don't worry 'bout the future - sooner or later it's the past

And if they say the thrill is gone - then it's time to take it back" - Jim Steinman

AMEN! I AGREE 100% WITH YOUR WORDS. HOWEVER, SOMEONE IS GOT TO WIN, LET'S PRAY FOR THE LESS OF THE WORST.

Lily's Lore: I would have to agree with you. I would vote for a write in campaign for "None of the above." None of the candidates get my attention. It's seems all we get is more of the same. Democrat or Republican, who knows the difference anymore. I was a solid Democrat for most of my years, but then, they sort of took a left turn, and deserted me. I wasn't fond of the Republicans, but they seemed to have a bit more sense than my deranged Dems. Now, even the GOP has gone fruitcake on me. These guys are blowing the budget more than the Democrats. I have always been a social Democrat, but a fiscal Republican. I don't think it hurts us to help those who are less fortunate, but I don't want to keep them up from womb to tomb.

From the highest level to the lowest (county commissioner), none of them represent me anymore. A comment on the great garbage scow of Clay county. Months before it passed a county commissioner told me that it was a done deal. I was somewhat shocked, but at least he turned out to be honest, at least when he answered my question. I sent countless emails to Mr. Martinez, even though I knew he had to vote for the immigration bill. I sent emails to Bill Nelson. NADA, both of those guys sold us down the river on that one. I think we may have been the only state where both Dem and GOP senators voted for that one. Talk about a bipartisan bill. I was shocked when the email readers, fax readers, and telephone answerers told their bosses, you might want to take a look at public opinion on this one, and they listened.

I guess I will sit the next one out too.

Islander I think you are wrong on the Senators. Bill Nelson voted across the board against the immigration bill. I to called, wrote, faxed, and emailed both senators on my dislike of the immigration bill before them. If my scanner was working I would post the letter that Senator Nelson wrote to me about his stance on immigration, he voted it down. The letter he sent was not a Carbon copy of his signature; it was a physically signed letter from him. Senator Martinez Voted for the bill all the way up too the last vote, and then he voted against it at the last minuet. Both there offices were deluged with calls, emails, faxes, and letters.            

Politicians are interested in one thing and I have said it before, they don’t look out for us. There policy is self preservation. They listen to what there constituents want, and for one reason only. And that is to be reelected. I believe that is there main objective. So! The system works when we speak up they listen. We will never find the perfect politician. You pick the least of the evils. And when they don’t listen we as the people must speak as one and they will here you.   If you don’t get evolved, and you don’t vote you have no right to bitch about them, or what is happening in this country.

Your voice and your vote count. And it is sad that it only counts for self preservation of the politician, but right now it the best we got. I personally think the average Joe needs to be voted in to office. You know the ones that are in touch with reality of life. You don’t have to be a lawyer, or college educated to know what is right and what is wrong for the people of this country.

Hey I got an Idea! Pick the politicians like we pick Juries. We will get some idiots, but we can always pick some one else.     

 P.s. I still have not got a response from Martinez 

The information I used came from the roll call vote of the Senate.  Both of our guys here voted for it, according to the tally...actually they voted for the motion to cloture it, to bring it to a vote. 

I will check the site again..... 

Below you will see a list of how the Senators voted on 6/28 for cloture, to end debate on the bill and to bring it to a vote.

• Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana: Yes
• Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Florida: Yes
• Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona: Yes
• Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri: No
• Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky: No
• Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey: Yes
• Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland: Yes
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska: No
• Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington: Yes
• Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Nebraska: No
• Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida: Yes

Every other source I looked at said the same thing.........both Florida Senators voted YES.

Check out this link on how Nelson has voted in the past/present on immigration:

http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Bill_Nelson_Immigration.htm 

You will have to cut and paste it in your browser....

Excellent advice Ms. Endenfin - diligence, education, look beyond the make-up.  I believe I will vote Republican still, but have no idea which candidate to vote for.  It's possible Obama could persuade me to cross the aisle.

To the non-voters:  "When you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."  Just a lyric from an old rock song (Journey I think), but seems appropriate in this conversation.  As unappealing as the final 2 (too bad there won't be 3) candidates for president may seem, someone will be elected.  As involved as you seem to be (Lily, Islander, et al) it strikes me as odd that you would choose not to vote.  A form of protest?  OK, but the way I see it, you just increased the power of some other person's vote.  As messed up as this system is, not voting doesn't seem like a way to fix it.  I like Endenfin's suggestion - lift the rug and look under it to find the truth. 

Think about the ego of a person who believes they are qualified to serve as the leader of the most powerful country on the planet.  That individual has moved and shaken with the other power brokers for years to get where they are.  They have people telling them how great they are and what a fantastic president they will be.  Actually, I marvel at the person willing to subject themselves and their families to the brightest spotlight in the world - our media.  $400K a year, and a head full of gray hair.  Thank goodness someone's willing to do it.

Baxley:

I guess I am tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. I know that seems like a cop out, but it's true. I can't remember how many times I have voted for the lesser of the evils. I voted for years to throw out all those judges that keep appearing on my ballot, but none of them have ever been "not retained", but yet we always retain them. I blame a lot of the problems in our country on the judicial system, and whacko judges, yet we never vote to remove our judges.

When I say there isn't a hill of beans between Republicans and Democrats, I know many people will take issue with that statement. It seems to me that the only thing politicians do is to cast their vote so they make the least number of people mad and insure their re-election. I have voted for people I never heard of in just hoping for the possibility of change.

Does that make me a cynic? You bet. I am so sick of politics in America. Yes, I still believe that we are the greatest place on earth to live, but we could be so much more than we are. That disappoints me. Call me a disaffected baby boomer, because that is what I am.

Unless a new bright shining star appears on the ballot, I will sit the next one out. None of the current candidates remotely represent my views. I guess that takes me out of the mainstream.

We have a lot of politicans in office, but no statesmen. How sad.

Remember Rome.

Thoes who give up freedom for security have neither.

Islander, I truly feel your pain.  I was watching the talking head shows this (Sunday) morning and it sounds like the same drivel over and over again.  George Stephanopolous interviewed Ron Paul (R) and Mike Kravel (D), two "outsider" candidates for president and flatly told both of them they would never be elected president.  Thank you very much George S. for telling me how to think.  Who the hell does he think he is?  The arrogance and pomposity of the press is sickening.  They, and the "insider" candidates they cover, sit around and drink each other's Kool Aid, and kiss each other's rear ends, and then tell poor, pitiful, ignorant us, how we should think.

No wonder people don't want to vote.  What's worse, it doesn't seem to matter what the message is, but rather how much money they can raise that's important.  I realize the connection between money and ads and visibility, but here we go again with who is the "prettiest" candidate.

Respectfully, to me this is exactly why we must vote.  If we don't, the media is electing the president.  I appreciate frustration, but again we need to be resolved to not just throwing in the towel.  The 2 candidates, red or blue, may be all we can choose between, but by God (or god), I'm going to make my choice, and not let someone else have my vote.

The 2 party system, and it's requirement that you are deemed electable by the party bosses, is a major problem.  To get the money, the golden ring as it were, the candidate has to dance the company dance, part their hair just so, and sell their soul for the endorsement.  Is it any wonder they all sound alike?

Don't give up the ship without a fight - vote. Red or blue, just vote.  I'm looking forward to being able to vote purple one day.  Ya think?

Yes, both Florida Senators voted for Amnesty.  Both will be gone next election.  As far as President......looks like Fred Thompson hands down.

 www.imwithfred.com

Steven P Munsey A+, MCP, IASO Orange Park | Green Cove Springs munsey13@comcast.net

I will have to agree with you (Fred).  I don't more of the same old same old from either party, maybe an outsider can make a difference.  But is anyone an outsider anymore?