Politics
I figure I would do a political post, since it is about that season, and my Cowboys lost to the Giants of all teams, a team that they beat twice by double digits!! (Damn you Tony Romo!!!)
One of my friends asked me who I was voting for this year for president. Well as some of you know I am fairly moderate Democrat, so of course whoever wins the Democratic presidential primary, I would likely cast my vote for them. None of the Republicans, in my opinion, fit my values and my beliefs.
As much flawed as each candidate is, my main qualm is with the American public in general. I am tired of the way that people vote in this country. People don't look at the issues or analyze the candidates anymore. One of the reasons why we are in the mess we are in today as a country, is because instead of voting for someone who was battle-tested, intelligent, insightful, diplomatic, and a true leader in the 2000 election, our country voted someone who was "just like us": average, personable, likable, ignorant, stubborn, and "spiritual". My question to the American public is this: Why would you vote for someone "just like you'? Are you capable of running the U.S. effectively?
Most likely not. I know I am not, and I am a fairly intelligent, educated man. Americans are too busy being caught up in image. They rather have someone look good, than actually do good deeds. Personally, I want a president that is more intelligent, more knowledgeable, more diplomatic, and more diligent than me. Bush is the perfect example of an average American. Instead of choosing wisely, we got entranced in a public relations ploy to find someone un-Clinton like. We did not research his background as Governor of Texas. Our education system here in Texas is pitiful. The standardized testing here he implemented in 1994 is basically a failure, since it forces teachers to teach how to pass the test, instead of actually teaching the subjects, due to the monetary incentives of high scores on the standardized tests. So it doesn't surprise me that so many problems are arising during the Bush Administration.
In conclusion, we, as Americans, need to stop settling for mediocrity, myself included. When you settle for mediocrity, you have incidents like an economy heading towards recession, a growing deficit after a surplus, a war in Iraq that still to this day has no correlation with 9/11 and Al Qaeda, rising utilities and gas prices, a disastrous and abrasive foreign policy that alienates our allies, and my personal "fucking up the church's money" incident, the Katrina and FEMA fiasco. Don't choose a candidate "just like you"; choose a candidate that can run the country effectively. Educate yourself about the candidates and choose which one you believe can best bring the U.S. back to promience.