All good points...
I think you both raise good points - Dave and Kerry...
It seems to me that Obama is heading towards signing on Hillary as a running mate...which may clinch the deal for him...but as much as I don't like McCain as a candidate (I whole heartedly admire him for his life accomplishments and time as a POW in Vietnam)...I am having a hard time endorsing the other team just because I am tired of the current predicament of our country - politics aside.
Has anyone watched the world news, watched or listened to the BBC? Gas is almost twice what we pay in Europe right now. A lot of what we are seeing today has not much to do with America, and our politics. There are developing nations and country's out there (can anyone say India or China) that are growing in demand for the same resources - natural (oil and coal), refined (concrete and steel), and finished products that 5 or even 10 years ago the US of A was the leading purchaser of. We are no longer the head honcho in the world economy guys! We are used to our ways as a country, and we are no longer getting the deal on sweet crude like we once were. The Saudi's are selling their product to the highest bidder (and not increasing production), Iran is still a nation we won't deal with, Iraq is still a mess (oil production is way off from before we took over in 2003), and no new drilling of any significance has occured in North America. My brother-in-law lives in Edmonton, AB. They are excavating and refining the Alberta Oil Sands in his neck of the woods. It takes a lot to make this into a usable product, but it works. The economy in Alberta is crazy nuts as a result. He was telling Michelle this past week that a ranch home - 3 bedrooms, 2 baths (very similar to what we have) that is a run down fixer upper, is now going for over $350K in a bad neighborhood in Edmonton. 5 years ago this was selling for just over $125k. That's crazy. And they still pay over $1 CAN / Liter for gas, none of which is imported from the Middle East. 4 liters is equivalent to a gallon. You do the math. As the price of gas goes up, everything, I repeat everything follows. Almost 100% of what we buy and consume is shipped, transported, or cultivated with a machine that runs on gas or diesel. So we are trying to come up with alternate fuel, i.e. corn based ethenol. The results are not very positive. Yes it is a renewable fuel, but at a cost. Farmers have switched over thousands of acres they previously planted other crop on, to get on the ethenol band wagon. As a result, the price of "feed has skyrocketed" since most cows , pigs, etc. feed on corn. From the reports I read, once the corn boom passes, farmers will be left with fields dedicated to corn production, without a buyer...and fields that are screwed up from planting and fertilizing for corn.
Sorry to go global and gassy on you...it's just something I read about every day.
Back to the thread topic:
I too would like to not vote...but what does this say about myself as a citizen and our country - and the 230+ years we have had this right (well at least for white males...another topic another time). Many people are still fighting for this right around the world, and many Americans have never registered and probably couldn't tell you who is even running this year for president. Makes me laugh, if not sick...Ever watch Jay Leno when he does the street interviews...OMG!?!?!?
Enough said. I say - speak your mind, get your facts straight, stand up for what you believe, and let GOD sort out the rest...