Politically oriented rantings:

Wouldn't it be great if at the presidential debates they had to actually answer the questions asked. They would be given no time to wander off subject and the moderator or in the case of the last Town Hall style debate the questioning person were able to interrupt & task them to actually answer the question & instead of being decided by who spoke well or said things that people agreed with the debates would be scored according to who gave the most correct factual information & fully answered ever question posed to them - seriously these should almost be like an oral essay at this point. I want facts. I want to hear what they propose to do. I don't give 2 tugs of a dead dog's cock about personal jabs or bs at this point. Spouting off the "He's an Arab" or "He's a cripple" really do nothing but make me want to get you convicted of a hideous crime so you can't vote. The issues break down into some simple yes & no questions & the ones that don't - well if you don't know the difference between your platform & the guy next to you yet then heaven help us all. I know who I am voting for already.

On the same note I received a 2 page glossy full color mailing from the people against Issue 6 in Ohio last week. I personally think the Issue sucks & the idea of putting it into the Ohio State Constitution is an insult to my intelligence as well as to every citizen of the state. Do you know how hard it is to get things changed in the State Constitution? - we're not talking some simple laws here - this is serious business my friends & neighbors. Much like the BS amendment we added during the last presidential election - you know the one that destroyed all civil unions. My complaint isn't in the midst of the economic/environmental crisis that they sent this out - it is that they had a perfect opportunity to send out a copy of the actual Issue as it will be written on the ballot & make sure that EVERY voter in the state has the opportunity to read it before voting on it. Instead it was pure propaganda & fear mongering. Just like all the commercials for each side of the issue - they just bitch back & forth that there are taxes, guarantees, that there aren't - that it will create jobs, that it won't draw in $ from outside of the state - It just goes on and on. I really just needed to sit down & read it to make up my own mind & most voters should be able to do the same for themselves. I'm just pissed that they took time & money to send out propaganda when they could have just as easily sent out real valid information. or saved the money & helped a family keep their house out of foreclosure. HELL, I'd give a second look to any political organization that decided there were more important things to spend money on than fear-inducing propaganda. Call me naive but I don't believe that people should be browbeaten w/ their fears to cause them to take action.

& for the record I'm not against gambling any more than I am against prostitution or marijuana for that matter. Legalize it, sanitize it, tax the Hell out of it, & let's see if we can't make the world a better place while we are at it. If the only problem you have with those things is a personal/moral/religious one, I can't help you. I don't dig legislating your beliefs onto other people, who may or may not hold the same beliefs. In point of fact they clearly don't if they are all about what you dislike. And the idea that passing legislature that demonizes things or behaviors is any way to protect your children from "bad" influences is fucking retarded. If you want to get into something you will regardless of what your parents teach you or tell you. Some things are pretty universal: killing, stealing, raping, assaulting, menacing, driving while under the influence, Summing up to be all the things that hurt/endanger others or others' property - with extras thrown in to protect those who can't protect themselves - the young & the old. I've ranted this before - you know damned well where I stand. A little to the left of the Right, a little to the right of the Left, with a flaming sword, hunting for the next head to put on the pike outside of my theoretical castle.