Thoughts on this election....

Well I've been thinking a lot about whether or not to put these thoughts out here but those of you who know me also know that I am pretty much an open book. I don't hide my feelings and I normally don't hide my thoughts either. So I have decided to jot down some of my thoughts on this election. First and foremost if you don't know I am an Obama supporter. If you didn't know you must be living under a rock, or you never look at my page. Secondly I am a Democrat. However, I am not a Democrat that votes a straight party ticket. So please don't think I am close minded. I have felt attacked many times during this election year by people telling me that I was crazy voting for Obama or that someone was going to pray for me because I was voting for Obama. To me spirituality whether it be Christianity, Catholocism, Buddhism,or Judiaism is a very personal matter.I understand that there are those who come from an evangelical background and believe it is your job to spread God's love as well as his word and I appreciate that. However I also believe I have friends who are just as strong in their faith but may not proclaim to the world. I, personally, believe politics and religion do not mix. Once again my belief. So let's get down to business. Why am I voting for Barack Obama? I vote on a variety of issues. Many of them social not fiscal. However, seeing as we are in a recession at this current time, I am also more aware that I need to vote with fiscal issues in mind. I am not here to lay out Barack's plans for you. There are online and you can look them up. I'm just telling you what I think is best for my family. I do not make $250,000 and if you do I think that is fantastic and more power to you. Barack's plan will give me a tax cut and in this day and age it will be welcome relief. Enough said. Also although I do not have children I believe they are the key to this nation's future. I believe in reforming no child left behind, as well as increasing teacher pay and empowering our schools to take the initiative to enrich these children's mind. Teachers need to teach the curriculum not teach to a test. If you've heard it once you've heard it a thousand times. Green Technology is our future. The US will not be able to compete with other nations if we do not adapt this technology. We must become an energy efficient nation. And no that doesnt mean we have to "drill baby drill'. There are alternatives such as wind, solar and clean coal technology. Healthcare is a hot button issue for many people, especially mine considering my brother and sister both work in this industry. First and foremost let's get one thing straight, Barack does not want to institute Universal Healthcare. His goal is to make coverage affordable for everyone. And if you don't want more affordable health insurance I'd love to know why. The war in Iraq seems to have become a back burner topic and it's sad because I think our troops have done a great job and sometimes as busy as we are with our schedules we tend to forget about this war. My problem is that we are spending billions of dollars on this war when the Iraqis are sitting on a roughly $79 billion surplus. I believe they should be using their own money and we need to put our money back into communities across this great country that are struggling due to the economy.Gay marriage is one of those volatile issues that gets people talking but I will say this about the topic, I have many gay friends who are in much better relationships than some of my staright friends are. These are people who work next to you every day, that love their partner as well as the families they have created. All they are asking for is that they have the same opportunities as we do such as spousal visits at the hospital, spousal healthcare benefits through employers and unfortunately one day social security benefits if their spouse should pass away. Last but not least I am a woman and I could never and I mean never vote for McCain because of the fact that he voted against the Violence Against Women Act as well as the Equal Pay Act. I also could not vote for McCain because of his running mate. A woman who wants to tell other women that I'm sorry you were raped but you will have to carry that child to term. I know, major hot button issue but I am not backing down from that. I know there are many people excited about Sarah Palin and that's great if she's your gal. However, I take heed when people say she's great she's just like me. Well I don't know about you but I don't want a VP who's just like me I want someone a lot smarter. In closing these are my thoughts and yes I am sharing them in a very open forum, however I still felt like sharing them. All I ask is if you are so passionate make sure you vote on Tuesday.

Something that makes me sad.

Lancaster, SC has been named America's most vulnerable city. This makes me sad. This town was once a town that lived and thrived due to Springs Industries (the company that makes all the bedroom and bathroom linens). And now I read in Forbes Magazine that it's just a sad little town due to unemployment figures, poverty and education. Well let me tell you what I know and remember about Lancaster SC. My father's family is from this town and my grandparents have always lived there. I grew up spending many weekends there as well as lots of weeks during the summer. My grandfather and grandmother both worked for Springs. She worked in customer service and he worked in what was called the bleachery, where they made the textiles. They both put in many years with this company and retired many years ago. Springs at one time took great care of its employees. They use to have a small amusement park on the grounds of the Catawba River. It was also at this park that I first went to summer camp. I made it till Thursday and then I had to go home due to a bad case of homesickness. But let me tell you about this place. It had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen with one of those Olympic size diving platforms. It had a skating rink that was outside. It had rides like you would see at a county fair. It also had a boat that would take you around the Catawba. It was a place of fun for kids of all ages. However, it closed many years ago due to the globalization of Springs Industries. It's sad to say that a large population of Lancaster lost there jobs due to the fact that Springs could find cheaper labor south of the border. Moving on from Springs let me tell you some other great things about Lancaster SC. Its Main St use to come alive on Friday and Saturday nights with teenagers just cruising. Yes I think the maximum speed on the weekends was a whopping 5 MPH. It was the place to see and be seen. I remember cruising with my cousin Kevin in his Camaro with the T-tops out listening to Rob Base. It wasn't the only thing to do on a weekend night in Lancaster it was the THING to do. Oh and I can't forget the Eckerd's lunch counter. My grandma and I use to have lunch there on Saturdays after leaving the beauty shop. You could get the world's best patty melt at the counter. I could go on and on about memories of Lancaster. It made my heart sad to read that article, however I am optimistic that this little town will turn things around.

Funny how things work out.

Seven months ago my spouse was offered a promotion to be an Operating Partner in Hilton Head. At the same time I made a lateral move to be the catering sales manager in Savannah, GA. We spent 6 months living in the lowcountry and decided it really wasn't for us and moved back to Columbia. At first I didn't know if I would have a job or not but the great company that I work for has allowed me to continue working for them. Well as of Friday I have found out that I get my old job back. Hooray. It turns out that the chick that had my job is making a move to our home office. Funny how things work out. I guess some body was looking out for me.

BS and then some

As those of you who are friends with me know, I am very much a Democrat and I don't try and hide it. I love my all my friends Republican and Democrat and I will always agree to disagree. However, I must speak up about these brazen lies that are circulating on Myspace about Barack Obama. Mainly, the fact that he is a Muslim. He is not. He is a Christian. Also there is a BS post comparing Barack to the anti-christ. Now if it were done in good fun I could maybe get a laugh out of it but it's not. It's written in a way to scare people into voting for McCain. We've come this far with out any major scandel about Obama and the reason is he's a good Christian man. One of my favorite political sayings is God is Not a Republican...or a Democrat. So when it comes to electing a president think with your head and do what's right for you, whether it Obama or McCain. But please don't let the fear mongers scare you into believing their BS lies.

So much to write errrr type.

Just got back from 4 days in Mt. Pleasant at my company's home office. If my husband wasn't here I don't think I would have come home.I absolutely love my job and the people I work with. They have become so of the best friends I have ever had. Had some great meals while I was there. If you ever get to Boulevard Diner you must have the Pimento Cheese burger. It's rich, lush and damn right good. Also ate at the Bookstore Cafe and the portions are ginormous. Who doesn't love a fresh crab cake sandwich topped off with fried green tomatoes. I haven't had the opportunity to watch the debate yet but I have it recorded and I plan to catch it this afternoon. I have seen the Katie Couric/Sarah Palin interview and once again this woman shows exactly why she should not be the VP candidate. It's a Saturday afternoon so there's a lot of good football to watch. Loved seeing Oregon State beat USC on Thursday night. Although I do have quite the school girl crush on Pete Carroll. It's the gray hair I think. I'm a little peturbed that I applied to be on the debate panel for the State newspaper but apparently they had plenty of Obama supporters so I didn't have a chance. What exactly does that say about SC? We are a Red state and they were having a hard time finding McCain supporters. Hmmm that's odd. My mom leaves on Wednesday to go on a two week cruise of Italy, Greece and Turkey for her 60th bday. I really hope she has a great time. What an opportunity. Maybe one day. Hell I'd be happy to go to Helen, Ga for a weekend at this point in time, lol. Is it just me or does it seem that I am all over the place today?

Boo on mean people

I haven't been writing much lately but I guess that's a good thing because I usually only write when I'm pissed off or mad at some one, lol. I woke up this morning to apparently find out I was being too thorough in my job. WTH? Yes, too thorough. So I need to scale back on my emails and send one at the end of each day. Ok so enough about being too thorough because if I get started I won't stop. The cool crisp weather in Columbia is fantastic. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and you can tell it's just around the corner. And with fall comes great football, the state fair and Halloween. Hooray Fall!! The election is also around the corner and I think the media is starting to get over their Sarah Palin obsession. More and more information keeps coming out about this woman and it keeps looking better for my Dems in November. If any one in their right mind watched her interview with Charlie Gibson they would know this lady is an idiot. She may be shrewed, cunning and instinctive but when it comes down to intelligence I don't think she's got it. Come on she has a Bachelor's in Poli Sci. I have one to so I'm thinking about asking Andre Bauer if he would let me be his lieutenant governor because clearly I am qualified. As my little smart ass brother use to say Poli Sci, why try? Yea I know it's pretty much a crap degree unless you get your Master's or go on to law school, but at least it shows I committed to 4 years of going to school. Actually make that 4 and a 1/2.

In a mood and not in a good way

I'm feeling a little angry today. I would like to say I don't know why but I do. However, unless I want to piss somebody off I just need to let it go. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just call up that person in your life that you think is a complete ass and tell them what you think of them? Man oh man I wish I could do that today. I just want to pick up the phone say hello this is Paige, I just wanted to let you know I can't stand you, I think you are a jack ass and yea well no one else here likes you either. Ahhh but no I can't do that. I have to be good and play by the rules. So next subject that I am angry about. Churches that are telling their congregations that Barack Obama is a Muslim. I mean come on. It's amazing how those that are the most fervent about the gospel are the ones least likely to practice the golden rule. God loves the sinner and the saint. He loves, black, white, gay, straight, man and woman. It just seems like this election has so much fear-mongering with it and I am really sick and tired of no one talking about the issues. Well excuse I am sick of the Republicans not talking about the issues. Oh that's right they can't talk about the issues because that would link them to Bush and then people would realize we would be getting four more years of the same. So they continue trotting out the pig in lipstick with all of her issues to distract from the facts. And heaven forbid any one say anything about the Republican princess because if they do that means they're sexist. Well guess what I'm a woman and I can say what I want. Why should Carol Fowler have to issue an apology for saying what she believed in? I call bullshit. Yep that's right I said it. I understand if a man had said it that maybe it would have been a little bit harsh but I know where Mrs. Fowler is coming from. So many people in my fair state vote Republican just on the abortion issue alone and God Bless America that to me is just ignorant. Damn am I fired up today. It just scares me to think after 8 years of watching what W has done to this great country that we could have more of the same if the American public does not educate it's self. Ok so I am done. Enough ranting for today. It's time to focus and hopefully educate some people.

Rain

It's a rainy day in Columbia and I really can't think of any thing to talk about. So there's no use in me typing when I have no inspiration. Maybe I'll check in later.

The television viewing habits of a 37 year old woman

Ok so I admit it. After all these years I still love MTV. Tonight was the 25th anniversary of the VMAs and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The live performances were great except for Lil Wayne's pants around his ass. What's up with that? I mean really what is it with pants down to there. I understand it's a culture thing but did someone sit around and think that this was really attractive. Ok let's move on. Brittany Spears won three awards and she looked great. I know you are thinking Paige you are 37 why do you care about Brittany? Well this is why. Brittany was on the road to becoming an icon much like Madonna and she fell off her path and when I say fell I mean she fell hard. I think Brittany did have some mental health issues and with the help of good doctors and her family see is starting to get back on that path. Any of you that read this know that I love an underdog and Brittney is my favorite underdog. So hmmm let's see what else did I enjoy tonight. Oh yea Kid Rock is pretty damn cool for a white guy. He always has such a great way of marrying old school and new school. I'm not one to talk about some one being chunky but Demi Moore was looking old and thick tonight. Enough said. Pink is 30 something and that chick can rock it with the best of them. Kanye well he always brings it and his rap always has a message and that's why I like him. So as you can tell I enjoyed the show. I think MTV is still relevant although I do wish they'd play more music.

Saturday football and other simple musings

So it's the second week for college ball and there have been some great games. Skip Holtz is either a really talented underrated coach or a fluke. I'm guessing it's probably the first one. If he keeps his team playing the way they are right now he will not be there much longer. Ohio State did not look impressive against Ohio but come on their a Big Ten team so it's not like they play any one any way. I'm watching the Miami-Florida game right now and Miami is hanging tough and I love it. Yes Tebow is one talented QB, but every body knows what to expect from him this year and it looks like Coach Randy Shannon from Miami has a little some thing for him. A brief kudo to the Demon Deacs for pulling it out at the last minute but then again this team was predicted to win the ACC this year. Suzanne if you are reading this you need to channel some postive vibes up to WF. Finally, let's look at Notre Dame. Why on earth this school has all their games broadcast on NBC just baffles me. I mean other than Regis Philbin and Lou Holtz I don't know any one who watches these games. I may be a little biased but I'd almost rather watch grass grow than watch Notre Dame football. And I'm still pissed that they didn't give Ty Willingham a fair chance to win there. Come on you've seen that Charlie Weiss hasn't done jack. Ok so now I'm starting to ramble about football. So let's change the subject to my favorite thing:politics. I'm watching Fox news today and they have this story on about how these boy scouts rescued a bunch of American Flags that had been discarded at the Democratic National Convention. They were going to bring these flags to a McCain-Palin rally today to show that they had been saved and once again show how unpatriotic us Dems are. What really bothers me about this is when did the Boy Scouts become a part of our Nation's political process? Don't get me wrong I'm not hatin' on the scouts what I am hatin' on is the fact that these are young boys who are not even eligible to vote getting caught up in a very divisive election year. Did some one go to each boy's parents and say by the way your kid is going to support McCain-Palin at a rally today? I just think using children as pawns by either campaign is kind of BS. And finally, I'm almost packed and ready to move. I'm going to miss Bluffton but I think I will have a better appreciation of it since I won't be living there any more. I have so many things to look forward to when I get home like getting ready for my little brother's wedding, helping to plan for my 20 year high school reunion(yes I am that old,lol.) and being able to see my grandmas more often. So I guess you could say I am ready.

Gamecocks

So I'm watching my Gamecocks and wondering to myself, can they come back against Vandy? I sure hope so. As a lifelong Gamecock fan I've heard it all. Every excuse every year. Same song and dance. It doesn't matter that we have a great defense every year if we can't do any thing on offense. To continue to lose to teams like Vandy is RIDICULOUS!!!! Yea, they might be good but we should be better. By God we have Steve Spurrier as our coach. He was supposed to be our saviour but he seems to have mellowed in his old age. Well I want the old Spurrier back. I want that asshole coach that every other SEC fan hated. I want him to pull QBs when they screw up. I want him to be an ass and get in the official's face. We have Spurrier-lite and we deserve better. I told my husband tonight that for once I just wish God would smile on the Gamecocks, but I realize it's not God's decision it is in the hands of those players. I'm tired of leading at the half only to lose by two touchdowns. I'm tired of watching a team give up on themselves. I'm tired of my friends calling the team I pull for the lamecocks. So the question I ask is are we going to settle like Clemson and just deal with being mediocre every year or are we going to pull it together. It's a tough question but it needs answering. However the biggest question to ask ourselves is: Is Spurrier the coach we need or is it time to cut our losses and take a risk on another coach?

On my way home

So I need to start packing this house up and for some reason I keep putting it off. I hate moving but I should be happy that I am going home to Columbia. I can honestly say that I love Bluffton but it's just never been home. Savannah is another story. It's a place that I had visited before and loved but when it came down to going there for work every day and actually spending time there it all changed for me. Savannah is like a big ol ghetto with a nice historic district. It's dirty, the traffic is horrible and for some reason people think it's very cosmopolitan. HAHAHA. Now let's talk about Columbia. Although I grew up outside of Columbia it's the closest thing I'd call to home. Many people scoff at the notion that Columbia is a real town but it's a heck of a lot more real than Savannah. Columbia has a major university, it has concert venues (even one that seats more than 10,000 people. It has shops, restaurants and yes it even has some historic sights. There's no question that Columbia is where my heart is and all the more reason for me to get back there.

The day after....

So it's the day after Sarah Palin's big speech. What have I learned? Well she is a feisty hockey mom. She loves her country and she's not out to please the MSM. Other than that I didn't really learn any thing new. It seems the MSM are trying to cut her some slack because of the whole she's a woman factor. However, I am a woman and I am sick and tired of hearing that we should cut her any slack. She chose to put her self out there and guess what baby it comes with the territory. I don't have kids and I probably shouldn't judge her because I am not a mother; but this is my own blog and well I can judge. The fact that she has an infant son and she is spending countless hours on the campaign trail tells me that Mrs. Palin has put her self before her family. Maybe she should have waited another election cycle to allow herself time to nurture her young family. Yes I know the pundits are saying well people don't question Barack about being a good father. That's because a relationship between a mother and a child is completely different than a father and a child. A mother carries that child for nine months, she breasts feeds that child and she is usually with the child more often the the father. This is not to discount what father's do but it's to give you an idea of the difference between the realtionships. And yes the Obamas are different because their children are older. I know McCain picked Sarah Palin to throw all the Democrats off their game. He wants us to focus on her not the issues and that's exactly what I have been doing the past two days. So now is the time to start focusing on the issues so as of today I will try and drop the personal analysis until the next Palin scandal hits the news which I'm sure it will.

So here goes nothing.......

As I sat here watching the Republican Party convention tonight I just got so angry and felt like I needed to give myself an outlet for all this anger. Thus a blog is born. I have never been more excited about a candidate than I am about Barack Obama. His thirst for change and his support of many of the things I stand for make me believe this country can go blue. I don't know that I will blog every day. It might only be when I am angry but I am tired of being told that John McCain is the right man for this country because he was a POW. My grandaddy Tillman was wounded in WW II and till the day he died carried shrapnel in his body. However, he never once complained about it and even when he ran for office (and lost) he never ran on the fact that he served his country and that's why you should have voted for him. I'm also extremely pissed with McCain's choice for VP. The governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Are you kidding me? Do you just want to ask yourself WTF? This woman will set every woman's issue back 50 years. She is pro-life and believes in preaching or excuse me I should have said teaching abstinence only education in schools. Well unless you've had your head in the sand you will know that Palin's 17 year old daughter is knocked up by her 18 year old boyfriend. Someone once said teaching abstinence is like potty training, you can only say hold it for so long. Another thing that drives me crazy about Palin is that she thinks we should teach creationism is schools. Now don't get me wrong I am a Chrisitian and I do say my prayers however there comes a point where you have to teach kids the reality of the world. Ok I am done tonight I feel better and who knows when I will be back again but damn did this feel good.