I am not politically oriented (much), but I am definitely going to find my polling place today because I want to vote AGAINST the proposed sales tax hike that is supposedly going to go toward preserving our roads. Yeah, whatever. What people need to understand is that the money goes to the STATE, and that Northern Virginia (NOVA) and the rest of the state are two different entitites. NOVA is a richer area and also pulls in more money (taxes) by income than the south, and tons of my money is going into the bowels of the state that I will never see. Do NOT raise my taxes. Do NOT. Do NOT. DO NOT!!! I can barely afford to live here, as it were.
Also, I must admit that I lost my political idealism shortly after the last presidential election. Shit, I’m not all that sore that Al Gore didn’t win; what pissed me off was the whole counting/re-counting saga that nearly left our country without a leader. By the time Dubya was finally given the electoral nod, I was glad to finally read something ELSE in the news headlines.
But really, elections, to me, serve as nothing more than an attempt by the voters to retain their current rights. I am through with hoping to change the country and to make the world a better place. It ain’t gonna happen. My bubble officially burst a few years ago. I don’t vote along party lines, but sometimes I find myself voting AGAINST a party rather than a particular candidate, which is the incorrect way to vote, but hell, it helps me to make a decision. I know a lot of women who vote for female candidates, and I know a lot of Dems who vote against Republicans.
As for me, here are my issues. Unfortunately, there are few candidates who stand with me, so I have to traverse party lines, go with my chosen party or simply play roulette in the voting booth.
1. Pro-choice all the way. Doesn’t mean I am a baby-killer myself or am in favor of randomly murdering the unborn. They don’t have souls till they’re born, and until 35th-trimester abortions become legal, I am standing up for my Roe v. Wade rights. Quit trying to take them away. This is an issue about which I am willing to fight to the death.
2. Sensible gun control. Despite the damage inflicted by insane snipers in my homeland, I am fine with letting people own guns. I do NOT own one because I would USE it on people who PISS ME OFF!!! And I will admit to being a Type A Personality who gets pissed when people slack. And I get depressed over my miserable existence sometimes, too, so personally, not owning a gun is like a community service. Unfortunately, not all other Type As out there are as conscientious as me, so we need to regulate who may legally purchase a gun, and we need to get rid of all the backyard gunsmiths who are supplying these fruit loops with illegal toys and ammo.
3. Economics — fix that fucking public welfare system, will ya? I hate those bitches who lie on their backs and pop out babies every nine months to different fathers every time. Fuck you, for using my hard-earned pennies to support their fat asses that sit around and watch, and frequently guest-star on, Jerry Springer and Jenny Jones. If you run a DNA test on a kid and none of the 10 daddies you brought to the set are a match, you deserve to work for a living, just like the rest of us. See the above pro-choice entry … I myself, and most of my friends, could be welfare mommies if not for that very painful operation, but no — we’re out supplementing the economy and taking care of ourselves, and we’re also funding the food stamp program so that welfare bay-bays can eat well while we miss meals ’cause we can’t afford ’em. Fuck it all. Further, look who’s cashing those checks — they all have expensive braids, bejeweled and disgustingly long manicured fingernails, designer clothes on themselves and their bay-bays and not a man in sight. Waaah. I have NO pity for them. NONE AT ALL.
4. Sensible drug control/Free meds for the elderly and disabled. I will admit to indulging in some illegal treats on occasion, but I use them responsibly. It kills me that Health and Human Services just invested $8 million in research and preventive use of Ecstasy, but come the fuck on. Leave the so-called “club drug” users alone and pay for prescription medication for senior citizens. Do you know how much money our parents/grandparents are dumping on their dozens of prescriptions to treat the maladies that accompany old age? Too fucking much. Take that $8 million — and some of those funds from the Temporary Aid to Needy Families Act — and give our retired, disabled and income-restricted elders a break. Please.
That’s my soapbox. Challenge me if you dare. Otherwise, go vote with or against me. But, for Christ’s sake, just vote, OK?