Writer's Block: Customizable Party
I felt this was such an interesting and thought provoking question. First of all, I do not really consider myself to be of one party affiliation or another - on my voter registration card is states 'Independent'. I did this because I don't feel it necessary to limit yourself in term of your beliefs. This is also the reason I consider myself 'Christian' and not 'Catholic' or 'Baptist'. I am Christian because I believe in Jesus Christ, but I do not believe in any church as a structure. I do not believe there needs to be those kinds of boundaries & labels in this world. But let me get back to the issue before I digress too much...
I am voting for Barack Obama in this election, but I am not a Democrat. I voted for Bush (yeah, sorry bout that) in the last election but i am not a Republican. Why is it that people focus so much on a Title, and not on the person. You should vote for someone because you share the same beliefs and ideals, not because he's got a donkey or elephant sticker on his car. So right off the bat, if I were to run I would not label myself under any party name. It would just be me, Jay, running for office. But here are a few things my platform would consist of:
1) Education: Raise the budget for education, as well as teacher's pay & benefits. Also, I would make sure every school (elementary to high school) maintains Arts and Health programs. Every child should have access to art, music, and physical education. I think this could be easily accomplished if the school day was longer.
I would also make sure that there are enough counselors in each school. Many schools only have a counselor available once or twice a week (if at all), and not all day. What if a child experiences a traumatic event on Tuesday, but the counselor's not available until Friday? I think every opportunity possible needs to be available to our children. Same goes with extra assistant for kids with disabilities, healthy nutritious meals for all (breakfast & lunch), and many others.
The thing is, there are so many parents out there who are short-changing their children - theyre never home, there's no discipline, no educational interaction (reading to them, etc.) - that it has become the responsibilty of the TEACHERS to be the educator, disciplinarian, mentor, friend...not to mention the fact that children spend most of their young lives in school. So that it why it is so vitally important to make sure that our schools are correctly maintained and funded.
2) Women's Rights: Roe vs. Wade will always stand, but I would ban partial-birth abortion. That is straight up muder. Also, sex education should be mandatory in every school (to teach STDs, contraceptives, etc., not just abstinence), so that perhaps there would be more informed young people and less abortions necessary. I would also make sure that paid maternity leave is available for both the mother AND father in the case they do decide to start a family. Of course this would have to be well-documented and there would be stipulations, but i think both parents deserve a chance to bond with the newborn baby, and a new mother needs alot of help.
3) Insurance: There is too much "big business" in health insurance. How is it that we have allowed a handful of companies to dictate how & when we get access to health insurance. How is it that my brother, who works hard and is well educated, cannot get correct treatment for his MS b/c the company he worked for while he was diagnosed had to downsize, and the insurance of the company he got hired at afterwards does not cover pre-existing conditions...??? How is it that a sick woman goes to a hospital that is "in network", but still has to pay an exhorbitant amount of money b/c the doctor who helped her at the hospital is "out of network"....??? What dumbass decided that insurance coverage should be tied to our employers?? I mean, there are so many holes in that It's hard to know where to begin. I would make sure there's alot more government regulation and that we figure out a way to make sure EVERYONE has access to health care.
4) Social Programs: I will make sure there is ALOT more oversight & accountability in social programs. Welfare should be a stepping stone, not a bump on a log. No one should be allowed to benefit off of welfare and other social programs for their entire life. No one should be paying for $200 worth of groceries with their food stamp card, then dolling out a $100 bill from their Gucci purse to pay for their cigarettes. I think once these programs get cleaned up, there will be alot more money for other community initiatives.
Well, I think there's quite a bit for now. Later, I'll focus on the economy & foreign policies...stay tuned
I am voting for Barack Obama in this election, but I am not a Democrat. I voted for Bush (yeah, sorry bout that) in the last election but i am not a Republican. Why is it that people focus so much on a Title, and not on the person. You should vote for someone because you share the same beliefs and ideals, not because he's got a donkey or elephant sticker on his car. So right off the bat, if I were to run I would not label myself under any party name. It would just be me, Jay, running for office. But here are a few things my platform would consist of:
1) Education: Raise the budget for education, as well as teacher's pay & benefits. Also, I would make sure every school (elementary to high school) maintains Arts and Health programs. Every child should have access to art, music, and physical education. I think this could be easily accomplished if the school day was longer.
I would also make sure that there are enough counselors in each school. Many schools only have a counselor available once or twice a week (if at all), and not all day. What if a child experiences a traumatic event on Tuesday, but the counselor's not available until Friday? I think every opportunity possible needs to be available to our children. Same goes with extra assistant for kids with disabilities, healthy nutritious meals for all (breakfast & lunch), and many others.
The thing is, there are so many parents out there who are short-changing their children - theyre never home, there's no discipline, no educational interaction (reading to them, etc.) - that it has become the responsibilty of the TEACHERS to be the educator, disciplinarian, mentor, friend...not to mention the fact that children spend most of their young lives in school. So that it why it is so vitally important to make sure that our schools are correctly maintained and funded.
2) Women's Rights: Roe vs. Wade will always stand, but I would ban partial-birth abortion. That is straight up muder. Also, sex education should be mandatory in every school (to teach STDs, contraceptives, etc., not just abstinence), so that perhaps there would be more informed young people and less abortions necessary. I would also make sure that paid maternity leave is available for both the mother AND father in the case they do decide to start a family. Of course this would have to be well-documented and there would be stipulations, but i think both parents deserve a chance to bond with the newborn baby, and a new mother needs alot of help.
3) Insurance: There is too much "big business" in health insurance. How is it that we have allowed a handful of companies to dictate how & when we get access to health insurance. How is it that my brother, who works hard and is well educated, cannot get correct treatment for his MS b/c the company he worked for while he was diagnosed had to downsize, and the insurance of the company he got hired at afterwards does not cover pre-existing conditions...??? How is it that a sick woman goes to a hospital that is "in network", but still has to pay an exhorbitant amount of money b/c the doctor who helped her at the hospital is "out of network"....??? What dumbass decided that insurance coverage should be tied to our employers?? I mean, there are so many holes in that It's hard to know where to begin. I would make sure there's alot more government regulation and that we figure out a way to make sure EVERYONE has access to health care.
4) Social Programs: I will make sure there is ALOT more oversight & accountability in social programs. Welfare should be a stepping stone, not a bump on a log. No one should be allowed to benefit off of welfare and other social programs for their entire life. No one should be paying for $200 worth of groceries with their food stamp card, then dolling out a $100 bill from their Gucci purse to pay for their cigarettes. I think once these programs get cleaned up, there will be alot more money for other community initiatives.
Well, I think there's quite a bit for now. Later, I'll focus on the economy & foreign policies...stay tuned