Spare Change

okay, brian, what's your point?

i see nothing wrong with our future vice president actually looking happy, optimistic, and inspirational, as opposed the current one we've got in there, who always looks annoyed, disgruntled, or angry. i haven't seen a positive thing written about cheney in a long, long time.

so what if kerry and edwards look happy together and get along well? when i look at them, i see two capable, optimistic, intelligent men who are going to make fine leaders and lead america out of the mess which the last 4 years have put us in.

My point is simple...these two are hilarious! They're gold, Jerry, gold I tell ya!

I think it is absolutely a laugh riot to think that they are trying to sell us on the concept that they have nongay man-love for each other, especially after how Kerry was so openly critical of Edwards in the primaries. The fact that these two are going to such extraordinary lengths to convince us of their affection and devotion to each other shows that they have neither any character nor shame.

And to be serious for just a moment here, I'm more concerned that my President and his right-hand man are seriously diligent about the work of defending and protecting our freedoms than I am about them being touchy-feely with each other and that they want to go and toss the pigskin with each other (that's not a euphemism, btw).

And I'm not naive enough to think you're naive enough to not understand why Cheney hasn't had a lot of positive PR lately, if at all. I think Cheny has been a great VP...he's extraordinarily qualified (as compared to the photogenic neophyte on the Dem ticket), has no fear to handle assigned responsibilities, and has no designs on his boss's job. And though I don't agree with his lack of decorum, I respect Cheney's forthrightedness in not "playing well with others" (when those "others" are two-faced back-biting appeasement monkeys) on the Senate Floor.

I'm sorry you've bought into the lie that "we're in a mess." If winning wars, defeating terrorists, and a surging economy are all signs of "a mess," I'd hate to see what "the good life" is like in your Bizarro world.

here's "the good life" in my world:

6 year olds in the inner city get the same type of educational start as 6 year olds in the suburbs. basically, educational equality across all public school systems.

nobody goes without health care, and people are not driven into massive debt paying for health care. the elderly do not spend their last days counting their pennies to ensure that they can afford health care and medications. i feel very strongly about providing veterans with adequate medical care, especially because they risked their lives to ensure that we have the freedoms which all of us treasure.

anyone who wants to go to college has the ability to do so and cost does not prohibit people from going to college.

people without college degrees who want to work an honest job for an honest wage have the ability to find jobs that will pay them enough to live and support their families on.

america is not viewed with suspicion and disdain by the majority of the world, but rather as a nation which uses its prosperity and power to act in positive ways, helping out poorer nations and doing all we possibly can to ensure that their citizens will have things that many of us in America take for granted such as electricity, water, and food.

there's child care and after-school care available for single parents in the inner city, making it possible for these parents to work and get off welfare.

no child in america goes hungry.

and, last but not least, our government seeks to act in ways which benefit ALL citizens, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious preference, or party affiliation.

by your own standards, no Democrat has come remotely close to accomplishing "the good life," and despite the rhetoric to claim otherwise, neither of the two men featured in this post have ever made a discernible impact toward that end, either in their own state nor in the nation.

i differ vehemently with you.

kerry's health care plan will provide health care to thousands of people who currently cannot afford it.

kerry's community service for college tuition plan will not only result in our neighborhoods being dramatically improved through wonderful acts of community service, but it will also make it possible for many more people to attend college who at this point cannot due to costs. brian, i've done two terms in AmeriCorps, i have seen firsthand the transforming effect which community service can have in the inner-city; this program is going to benefit America in unprecedented ways. i participated in AmeriCorps last summer, and i'm currently in my second term this summer. during the past school year, i went to several job fairs at my school recruiting people for AmeriCorps (the program i'm in is run through my school's Office of Student Community Service). some of the people i recruited were selected to be in the program, and one of them told me that the speech i gave them during the recruiting fair inspired them and made them truly believe that they were able to make a positive difference in the inner city and that community service is a powerful thing. i have received *very* few compliments that i treasure as dearly as that one. when thousands of idealistic young men and women participate in this program, they will not only see how beneficial community service can be on all accounts, but they will also tell others about their experiences, and a spirit of community and teamwork will become contagious throughout American young men and women. furthermore, these people will also have the ability to attend college and obtain training so that they will be able to find jobs, earn an honest living, and hopefully raise stable two-parent families. and isn't the reduction of welfare and promoting stable two parent families what you guys want?

kerry also recently introduced a plan to fund after-school centers. brian, i work at Boys and Girls Clubs in Cleveland's inner city. most of the teenagers who attend these clubs nightly go to college, because they're surrounded by adults and good role models who work with them and invest themselves in them so that they can have a better future. unfortunately, the clubs can only hold so many kids; kerry's plan is going to provide much-needed money for the creation of afterschool programs so that many, many more urban youth can spend their afterschool hours in enriching, nuturing environments.

john edwards talked all through the primaries about the "Two Americas". there was a great quote yesterday about hunger from edwards; when i find it again i'll post it. in the meantime, here's an appetizer: "Millions of Americans who work full-time for minimum wage and live in poverty. In a country of our wealth and prosperity, we have children going to bed hungry. We have children who don't have the clothes to keep them warm. Maybe on some poll, that may not be a big issue, but it's important. The Democratic presidential candidates have a moral responsibility to talk about it and do something about it, because it's wrong."

had it not been for kucinich, i think i would have supported john edwards. the stuff he said about feeding hungry kids and ensuring that no child grows up in an unhealthy environment really resonated with me. as a Christian, i feel that my conscience directs me to vote for politicians who make taking care of the less fortunate a high priority. to paraphrase verses from the book of James: "what good is it if a man has faith, but no deeds?" as a person of faith, i believe that one "deed" that i can do is to vote out politicians who time and time again have not acted in ways charitable to the least among us and have shown no inclination to change their ways and instead proudly cast my vote for politicians who make caring for the least among us a high-profile issue.

okay, i finally found the part of the John Edwards stump speech that i wanted:

But the main point of his primary campaign stump speech that remains intact is his pledge to better address the needs of the 35 million Americans who live in poverty.

"When we're running this country we're going to say 'No' in a country of our wealth to having kids going to bed hungry," Edwards says. "We are going to say 'No' forever to any American working full-time for minimum wage and still living in poverty."

sounds good to me! you sure don't hear anything like that coming from bush.

Hope is on the way!
Vote Kerry\Edwards in 2004!