Just vote!

The voting booths are ready, the poll workers in place.

The ballots are printed.

You have heard and studied the positions on each issue.

Now the nation and the world are waiting for your best judgment.

-

OK, then.

Just vote.

photo by flicker by momboleum

If character counts, who should be President?

Have you ever thought about how the Presidential candidates would get along in Iowa schools today? I sure have. Character Counts! in Iowa is part of a national program and it’s very important in schools statewide. The six pillars of character are

• trustworthiness (honest, reliable, loyal)
• respect (treat others well, tolerant, good manners, considerate, deal peacefully with anger and disagreements)
• responsibility (good self-control, self-disciplined, accountable)
• fairness (play by the rules, share, be open-minded, not blame carelessly)
• caring (kind, compassionate, grateful)
• citizenship (cooperative, involved, informed)

Each has its own set of descriptors. Read them on-line.

Do you have a sense of which of our Presidential candidates was more likely a bully as a schoolboy? Read the characteristics of a serial bully and see if any apply to either of our candidates. Think about that when you vote.

Do you think that bullying is only for boys? Current literature defines the phenomena of female bullying and relationship aggression (Odd Girl Out [sneak peak video], Girl Wars, Reviving Ophelia). What are the tools of the female bully? Gossip, character asassination, group control, exclusion of others, cliques, incitement, intimidation.

Will John McCain and Sarah Palin please report to the Principal’s Office?

photo by flickr by Eddie~S

Acceptance comes with age

I’ve been traveling a bit lately, and I was talking by phone to a North Dakota boy Tuesday. Here are the three sentences that this good Republican named Stan had to say about the prospect of the election of Barack Obama:

First,

• “It looks like the young guy is going to win.”

He followed that with,

• “Well, that’s all right.”

And ended by saying,

• “We’ll just give him a chance and see what he can do.”

Acceptance comes with age.

Stan is in his late 80s and he has lived a lot of American history, gained a lot from living in America, and given a lot back. He has known

• hard work on a Great Plains farm
• the Great Depression
• service in WWII as a technical trainer at Chanute Air Base
• marriage
• a long career as a government accountant and his wife as a teacher
• a modest income and sound judgment in how it was spent
• homes (one at a time, not multiple homes)
• retirement in Arizona and
• declining health

Now in his sunset years he and his wife were having difficulty keeping up with the physical demands of their home, so they moved into an assisted living facility, and they put their house in Arizona on the market. You guessed it. A full year later their house is still on the market with little hope for a sale. There is no bailout in sight for these loyal Americans – veterans of the Great Depression and World War II. Why haven’t we heard these Americans mentioned by John McCain in the same sentence as Joe the Plumber? Why we haven’t heard them mentioned by Sarah Palin in the same sentence as the parts of the country she calls pro-America? Couldn’t those “maverick” Republicans at least refer in passing to the aging Americans who have started with nothing and are seeing 60 years of hard work and careful living disappear either slowly or quickly? To add insult to neglect, if McCain were elected these uncomplaining, aging, loyal Americans would be saddled with McCain’s proposed cuts to Medicare.

Celebrate, Stan. It looks like the young guy is going to win.

photo by flickr by rileyroxx

Maybe it’s age, maybe not

I have been surprised by the new John McCain. In my view he has changed in appearance and in character. During the 2000 Presidential primaries, he seemed to possess somewhat higher standards of behavior than he does eight years later.

• His statement, “I’m John McCain, and I approve this message” has become a euphemism for distortion and a focus for comedy.
• Not too long ago McCain thought that his “little white lie” to David Letterman about rushing back to Washington was somehow not significant or would never be exposed. Guess again. It was exposed quickly. Watch and listen to Keith Olbermann.
• Now we learn that McCain’s campaign will turn completely negative in a desperate attempt at election. If my TV had a stomach, it would need an airsick bag.
• I am not alone in having lost the respect I once had for John McCain. Arianna Huffington calls McCain’s fall Shakespearean.

At one point near the end of the first Presidential debate while a dignified Barack Obama tried vainly to make a statement, John McCain repeatedly interrupted his attempts by speaking, pausing, starting again, pausing – effectively stifling Barack Obama’s attempt to speak. It must have been a pretty important comment or McCain would not have suspended civility to prevent Obama from being heard. Was that rudeness or was it the inability to engage in dialogue? Imagine your President meeting with advisers during a crisis. At such a time not everyone will agree. Would you want a President who cannot engage views other than his own? Would you want a President who would try to intimidate those with conflicting views? Would you want the most powerful person on the planet to start interrupting and speaking over anyone who would offer another point of view?

I have more respect for Barack Obama who has the ability to look someone in the eye, hear what is being said, engage the thought without violence, and to respond appropriately.

photo by flickr by Chesi – Fotos CC

$700B, Fleece, Herd, and Stampede

Who elected these boys (1, 2) anyway? And why did we do it? Because we were afraid of “liberals” and “big government” and “high taxes?” Are we supposed to think that bailing out the nation’s two largest banks and its largest insurance company is conservative, is little government, and won’t raise your taxes? 

 Well, let’s see here. Tonight we were asked to fund another $700 billion dollar bailout. Your share of this latest one comes to $2,333. That’s also your son’s share, and your daughter’s share, and your grandchild’s share – everyone of them. Ante up, and tell those little kids to do the same. Empty their piggy banks if you have to.

Oh, wait a minute! What are we stampeding to buy this time? Bad debt!? What a great idea. This idea has John McCain so confused that he is returning to Washington to help, and no wonder he is confused. He has been a long-time champion of deregulation. Now he has to leap to another horse as his first steed flies off the cliff. John McCain is so anxious to share his plans with America that he wants to cancel the Friday Presidential debate. Let’s find out how McCain and Obama think under stress.

As of today convincing the public, the Congress, and some wise pundits is not progressing well. The political scene looks more like herding cats; the public is not going along quietly. Wise people are looking at the alternatives.

• Jim Jubak suggests that we slow down long enough to avoid a bigger problem, catch the crooks, and keep the same old foxes out of the henhouse.
• Forbes.com suggests there are better ways to spend $700 billion.
• New York Times suggests a more carefully designed plan.

Still having fun? No? Then vote more carefully next time.

photos by flickr by Mark Sardella, stuckincustoms and mag3737

Why McCain chose Palin

It’s fair to say that everyone is speculating on why John McCain, the Senior Senator from Arizona chose as his potential running mate Sarah Palin, the incumbent Governor of Alaska.

I don’t know for sure, but I can think of a few reasons. Remembering the phrase tongue-in-cheek, see what you think.

1. Alaska is far from Florida so he’s hoping voters won’t be reminded of hanging chads, Katherine Harris, and Jeb Bush.

2. Choosing an Alaskan is a good hedge in case bears win the right to vote by November.

3. Even if bears don’t win the right to vote, it’s still a good hedge because Alaskan bears can be sent to Florida to help count ballots in case the vote gets close.

4. The time will come when Senator McCain is looking for a few more retirement properties. Governor Palin can help him locate (and keep track of) good beachfront resort properties in Alaska (just in case this global warming business gets out of hand).

5. Her experience as Council Member and Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska dovetails nicely with McCain’s plans to allow her to ramp up U. S. participation in the Sister City, International program while toning down his own Bomb, Bomb Iran image.

6. Senator McCain was protecting Republicans from accidental injury. He knew that Sarah Palin, a lifetime member of the NRA, is a better shot than Dick Cheney, and thus fellow Republicans were less likely to be injured.

7. McCain also knew that Alaska’s reputation for pork barrel spending will appeal to pork producers in Iowa, and should help land the farm vote. (On a legitimate note, if you want to compare the McCain and Obama positions, check this rural voter guide.)

8. Hoping that clear understanding of the impact of the George Bush Presidency had not yet reached all of the voters, McCain was hoping some would associate the word Bush with Alaskan Bush.

9. Even if Sarah Palin and John McCain lose the debates, the basketball player formerly known as Sarah Barracuda will catapult them to a win at HORSE.

10. And finally, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin may not have his experience but all reports are that she is cuter than Joe Lieberman.

photo by flickr by GISuser, er3465, and Wigwam Jones