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.