I really like the new crib. I like Scottsdale. Got the cable up and running, the Xbox streaming from the office, and all is well. I’ve been doing a lot of running around this week, and the weekend doesn’t promise a lot of rest as I’ve got a martial art seminar on Saturday and I’m helping Bryan move on sunday. Blah. At some point I have to get some real sleep.
Kelli is pretty angry about Bush winning the election and sounds pretty serious about wanting to get out of the US now. Not sure what will come of that. I’m here for at least a couple more years. With a record turnout at this election, and Bush winning the popular as well as electoral vote, it’s safe to say that Bush has the support of the majority of American people. I’m not angry about this, I just find it incredibly sad. I was certain that with all of the bungling of this administration, its crushing of civil liberties, its obsequious kowtowing to big corporations, its dismantling of the health care system and social security, its deficit running, its lying and covering up, all of this would frighten the American people more than the threat of another terrorist attack. Apparently not. The propaganda machine of the Bush administration has done its job of painting them as an effective government. And a great deal of the US population has eaten it up.
Now, I’m not a staunch liberal. I said before that I would vote for McCain as president. I voted for him for senate in this election. I think there are a few republicans who are truly focused on running a small tight government that doesn’t interfere with individuals and states in matters it doesn’t need to. I think this is a good plan. Instead, we have a republican administration that has cranked up government spending while handing out tax cuts to the rich, leading to massive deficits. How does a country pay off its deficit? Taxes. Taxes that will be levied on the people by responsible governments down the line in order to balance the budget and pay off the national debt. And that government will portrayed as big spending liberals wasting your tax dollars. An amendment to ban gay marriage? How exactly is that small government? Homeland security confronting toy store owners about rubiks cubes? Incredible.
It is hard to avoid the feeling that people who vote for bush are stupid. Really hard. Beyond all the O’reilly and Moore rhetoric, I see a country kept under irrational fear of terrorism while the administration wages a nasty war in a country that had nothing to do with the attacks of 911. I see Americans detained for 2 years with no trial and no explanation, released without so much as an apology for the lost years of their lives. I see prisoners hidden from the red cross and the international community illegally. I see Osama making videos. I see an energy policy set by Ken Fucking Lay. I see a bunch of people in Red states nodding their heads agreeing that Bush has been a great president so far. I’m flabbergasted. I don’t want to believe that my friends and family that vote for Bush have compromised thought processes when confronted with these issues, I really don’t. But I can’t help it. Guys, please, without the Fox news spin, explain to me why you voted for Bush. Help me understand how this guy won your vote.
Don’t get me wrong here. There are plenty of very intelligent republicans, even if I think they are evil, I understand their motivations for being conservative and republican. From the perspective of Political Science, I think many conservative policies can be rightfully argued against more liberal ones, and it really depends on how you want your society to look and what it is you are trying to accomplish in society that dictate which way you go with them. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. Republican truck drivers from Kentucky are by and large not dealing with developing society and political ideology. They just don’t want those gays getting married and kissing in public. That may sound very biased and classist of me, but if you feel that way, you need to take another look at the people around you.
I find it incredible how little the war affected the way people voted. People were more concerned about “Moral Issues” than the war. Apparently people did not consider Abu Ghraib a moral issue.
Okay, I think I’m done for now.