Political

Why I’m Voting Libertarian

The reason I want to vote Libertarian is I feel the Libertarian party takes what I value from the right and left and puts them together. I’ve actually been interested in voting Libertarian for quite a few years. This election year, I don’t feel very strongly for the Democrat or Republican candidate, so this seems to be a good time for me to vote Libertarian.

It’s insulting to me when people say my third party vote will be a protest vote or a wasted vote. Can’t we all just vote for who we want to vote for? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? I’m sick of playing the Lesser Evil game and I’m sick of hearing shit from people who should know better. I don’t care if Johnson doesn’t win, he is the candidate who I feel is best for the job.

If by some miracle Johnson does win and becomes our next president, I feel that he has a better chance of bringing the country together than Clinton or Trump.

Football, High School, Political, Sports

Lapeer Lightning Sings the National Anthem

Last week, the Lapeer High School freshman football team were at an away game in Flint Township. They had lined up for the National Anthem and when they were informed the Anthem wouldn’t play, they took it onto themselves to sing it.

I think that is awesome. I’m seriously impressed. I can’t believe no one has produced a video of this yet. There’s got to be a video. There’s got to be several videos. I very much want to see this on video.

Anyway, I’ve seen some articles that are making this about politics. This really had nothing to do with Colin Kaepernick and his decision not to stand during the National Anthem. Nor was it a stand against liberals and it wasn’t an attempt to boost conservative pride.

Many high schools don’t play the National Anthem before freshman games, because the freshman game is not the top event of the day. I personally don’t agree with the notion that the National Anthem should only be played before the top event. I see no reason why it can’t be played before freshman games.

But that’s how it’s done at many schools. However, apparently, it’s not done that way at Lapeer High School. Our freshman team believed the National Anthem should play. When it didn’t, they thought something was wrong with the sound system and they made sure the National Anthem was heard before the game started.

So, it wasn’t about politics. It was just good ole boys making their way the only way they knew how.

It was awesome. I’m proud that this is my town’s high school we’re talking about.

Now where’s the damn video?

Political

The ACA

A few weeks ago I had a lengthy discussion on Facebook about the ACA. The bulk of the discussion was voiced by me, a couple of my cousins and an asshole who seemed to think his opinion was the only opinion that mattered (and who I no longer respect after he basically called us all freeloaders when he couldn’t convince us that his way is the only way).

I was swayed back and forth between both sides of the argument. But then something Irene said pulled it all together for me and I was able to take a solid stance. So, here’s the summary and what it all came down to for me.

(Comment copied from the discussion with mild edits applied.)

I guess it depends on how you look at it. When we call it slavery, though, it feels like a big exaggeration, like we’re blowing the whole thing out of proportion. If this is slavery, it’s barely noticeable.

I’ve been thinking about this discussion all day. Wendy moved to England a little more than a year ago when she married Mark. I don’t know exactly how long she had been fighting cancer, but if I recall correctly, she’d beaten the cancer not long before she got married. So, it wasn’t that long ago that she was dealing with the insurance companies we have here in the United States. I think her information is up-to-date and accurate.

Now Wendy is living in England and, as she said, she gets free healthcare. David pointed out that there is no such thing as free healthcare; that somebody else has to shoulder the expenses for the healthcare that is considered to be “free”. He’s not wrong, but Wendy’s not exactly getting charity that somebody else has to pay for. Wendy pays 70 pounds a month along with, I’m guessing, everyone else in the UK, whether they need the medical attention or not. This insures that when somebody does need medical attention they don’t have to worry about whether they can afford it or not, because it’s already covered.

Why shouldn’t we have something like that in the United States? While the ACA is not exactly the same thing as what Wendy has in England, it sounds like they intend for it to function in pretty much the same way. Irene, who has worked in the medical field for years, reminded us that people use emergency rooms as doctor’s offices because they can’t afford insurance. More often than not, they also can’t afford the bill for their time in the emergency room. The bill goes to the government and the government pays it with tax dollars.

I think that people who oppose the ACA are saying to those in need of medical attention, “If you can’t afford it, you can’t have it.” But I feel that nobody should have to suffer or die just because they can’t afford insurance. The ACA, like the NHS, could make it so that nobody has to worry about not being able to afford healthcare when they need it.

So, that’s where I stand. The ACA, although not perfect, makes a lot of sense to me now. I think it makes as much sense as paying taxes for roads, schools, law enforcement and fire departments, etc. Everyone needs medical attention at some point in their lives, and if they can’t afford it, the government covers it. I think the ACA would make it so the government doesn’t have to pay for so much and it could improve the economy. It would probably be better if we went for something more like what they have in Europe, but the ACA looks like a step in the right direction.

Political

Conserve the Constitution

I believe in leaving the Constitution alone. It’s why I support the right to bear arms. It’s why I think religion should have no part of our government, it’s why I believe in equal rights for all.

You know the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 and it did not contain the words “under God”.

The original Pledge of Allegiance said, “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” The conservative in me says that was fine, we should have left it alone. Why? Because it respects the fact that some people don’t hold to the Christian belief, and we were supposed to be a nation where religion and government do not mix.

I don’t think too many people had complaints about the original Pledge of Allegiance, except maybe those who want this to be a Christian nation. And they got their way. They changed things. How very liberal of them. I like the original Pledge of Allegiance, for the reasons stated above, and because it was the original and it worked. There was no reason to change it.

The same is true of “In God We Trust”. Again forgetting that the Unites States is a country of mixed races, cultures and religions. Both, “In God We Trust” and “Under God” were inserted in the 1950s.

I think religion is one of the things that makes it so hard for the government to function. We have people who claim to hold true to the Constitution, but they’re trying to keep certain groups from enjoying the same rights that they do. All because their religion tells them it’s wrong. It’s fine to believe what you do, but the government shouldn’t heed to religion when it has a lot of different cultures to consider.

If you want to uphold the Constitution, then by God, uphold the Constitution. Hold it up high so everyone can see it, and don’t put your fingers over the parts you don’t like.

Equal rights for all. That should means just what it says. Gay people must be allowed to marry under our Constitution.

For the record: I’m not an atheist.