More about why I don't support Ron Paul

Disclaimer: For those who don't already know, web dev girl and I have been having an interesting blog conversation about Ron Paul. For the record, web dev girl and I are very good friends and I appreciate her desire and willingness to converse with me about Ron Paul and our upcoming presidential election. We do, in fact, differ wildly on our views in this and several other things from religion to politics, but I am happy to have a friend who, in addition to being one of the most helpful and giving people I know, constantly challenges my perspectives. I just wanted to put that out there, lest anyone should read back through the last several entries and comments and think that anything untoward was going on.

Ok, now this entry is part in response to my last entry and web dev girl's subsequent comment, and in part just a breakdown of my views of some of Ron Paul's proposed solutions to issues. All of my analysis is in response to the information Paul has posted on his site, http://www.ronpaul2008.com.

Web dev girl wrote:

It's a shame so many of the people who write articles, such as the one on Slog, rely on sound bites for their information rather than doing their research. Congressman Paul's position on both of the issues mentioned - earmarks and immigration - is far different from the picture painted by the sound bytes put out by the mainstream media and many others - and is one I think most Americans would agree with if they were given all of the data.

For example, Ron Paul is not against LEGAL immigration. He's all for immigration as long as people do so LEGALLY. He knows that the rampant influx of ILLEGAL immigrants not only threatens our national security, it threatens our way of life -- the very way of life immigrants seek to avail themselves of -- by putting an incredible strain on our infrastructure and our resources.

As for earmarks, Ron Paul believes voters should get to use their taxes. He simply wants to get federal funds back to his home state as a way for Texans to get something in return for their tax investments. He has openly criticized many of the earmark requests made over the years by many lawmakers, and claims the difference is the money benefits the people of Texas and not a limited number of supporters.

For the facts go to: www.ronpaul2008.com

Actually, the reason I agreed with the article on the Slog is particularly because of what I found on Ron Paul’s own web site and from interviews I have seen with him. The Slog entry and original article just summarized my own opinion about his views on the issues. It's really just a difference in framing.

For example, I think Paul is an alarmist about immigration. I find that a lot of people overstress the issue of illegal immigration as some huge threat and drain on society. Before I started my career in the technology field, I worked with immigrants for several years-trying to help them learn English, find work, and become citizens of the US. It is easy for those of us born in the US to take for granted how good we have it-even US citizens who are in the lower class. People who come here often cannot wait or may not have the resources to do so legally- at first. In addition, our economy relies, in part, on people filling the jobs that citizens do not want to do. And unfortunately, we do rely heavily on low-skilled and low-paid labor, especially in the agricultural sector.

Ron Paul’s six-point immigration plan won’t reduce governmental interference in our lives – it will increase it. Who else will be working on physically securing borders and coastlines (a stupid solution, I might add), enforcing visa rules, removing amnesty for illegal immigrants, ending birthright citizenship, and limiting the amount of immigrants that would be allowed with current reform proposals. Keeping people out is not the answer.

In addition, Ron Paul is against organizations that I support, such as ICC, WTO, NAFTA, and the UN. In an increasingly globalized world, Paul wants to remove the US from organizations that help partner countries from coming to agreements and enforcing those agreements. I don't think that a more nationalistic approach is in order in our life and times.

As far as his plan on taxes and debt, of course people like lower taxes. But I don’t want lower taxes to mean cuts in important social programs, which Paul wants to cut. And the fact that he's supported pork that benefits his home state of Texas rather than other states doesn't make him any different in that regard than other politicians. But, I do agree with Paul about the war – I’ve never supported the war, and that is what has caused us to go so far into debt. I just don't think that cutting social programs is the way to balance the budget - don't hurt people who need help the most. Of course there are people who take advantage of the system, and we need to figure out better ways of weeding those people out. But that doesn't mean that we should get rid of these programs altogether.

Also, Paul is very much against the Department of Education and suggests, “Returning control of education to parents…” while using his “authority to prevent the Department of Education from regulating home school activities.” While I disagree with the No Child Left Behind law, I don’t agree with undermining the Department of Education. There does need to be some standard of learning in the country so that we ensure all students get a minimum of education across the country. I just don’t agree with penalizing programs in poorer areas, and producing laws that give schools incentives to cheat when they don’t pass. And, I personally think that kids miss out when they are home schooled and never experience going to school. I think home schooling can be good, but it does cause a problem for socializing kids. I’m also not sure whether all parents are equally intelligent and open enough to provide a well-rounded education to their own children.

I’m also vehemently opposed to his defining women’s reproductive rights as his “life and liberty” issue. If anything, Row v Wade should be upheld so that the government (both federal, state, and local) do not interfere with a woman choosing her own destiny with respect to pregnancy and birth control. His following statement is completely ridiculous: “I am also the prime sponsor of HR 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn.” Ending the federal court tyranny and causing the deaths of 45 million of the unborn? I’m sorry, but no man is going to tell me what I can and cannot do with my body and any pregnancy. Until that embryo can live outside of my womb, it’s my decision, not the decision of the government. Period. He lumps abortion in with his issues of violence, crime, and murder. This is an anomaly and is not the job of the government-state or federal-to dictate women's reproductive rights.

His stance on the second amendment is typical republican mumbo-jumbo slamming those who support the right to bear arms along with safety and common sense legislation. He supports and works toward the repeal of many important protections we’ve gained, such as those protections under the Brady Bill, and opposes legislation which would keep dangerous individuals, such as those with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, from owning a gun. As I’ve written before in past entries, I think that we can uphold the second amendment without it being a blanket statement that everyone and anyone can own any kind of gun.

Exactly why I wouldn't support Ron Paul

I love the Slog. Since L. and I were gone for almost a week, I just finished catching up on some of the back entries. This one was particularly interesting from a libertarian commenting on Ron Paul, and the final comment (from liberal, Erica C. Barnett) is perfect:

"An inconsistent right-winger who, as I [Erica C. Barnett] wrote before, 'believes in slashing government where it actually helps people, and dramatically increasing the size of government to restrict rights he doesn’t agree with.'"

Barnett's original entry about Ron Paul was pretty good, too. That list pretty much represents why I can't possibly support Ron Paul. I really hope that he doesn't continue to grow in popularity, because I know that people want a change, but I'm not sure turning to a looney like Paul is the answer. But, that's just my opinion.

January 14, here I come!

I officially start the 20/20 Lifestyles program on Monday, January 14. For the 16-week program, I'll be doing the following:

Working out with a personal trainer in the evening on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Meeting with my nutritionist once a week after one of my personal training appointments

Meeting with a counselor on Thursday evenings

Meeting with a women's support group on Monday evenings

Working out on my own at least two other days a week besides my personal training sessions on M/W/F

After the 16 week program, I'll go into the 12-week maintenance phase, where I'll still work out with my trainer, and meet up with my nutritionist and my counselor, but on a slightly less frequent basis.

I'm so excited to get started, but I know that I'll go through moments where I wonder what the heck I've signed up for. It will be the most intense exercise and nutrition program I've ever done in my life, and I already lead a pretty busy life. But, in the end it will be worth it when I see and feel the results. And it will certainly get me out of work at a decent hour, which is always hard during a ship year, but I just can't wait any longer. After we ship one thing, there's always another thing right behind it. So, I just decided to bite the bullet and do it now. I realize that will change some of my habits as far as work goes, and will probably slow me down a little bit as far as promotions or things go because I won't be taking on so many extra things. But, maybe that's a good thing. We work in this really busy, fragmented, always-something-else-to-get-done kind of place and it takes its toll on a person.

I think this program will make a world of difference in my immune system, back problems, asthma, acid reflux, and migraines. Once I get all of the food allergies and such figured out, and get my body moving, I know that I'll feel better just by doing that. The weight loss will be just that extra benefit to help with my back problems and asthma. And I sincerely think that my immune system will finally start to improve when I take better care of myself. Looking back on this year, I've been sick once a month every month since August. And that doesn't count the flu and cold that I had at the beginning of the year. That's just awful, and I don't want to feel that way anymore.

I am hoping that I find some kinds of activities that I really enjoy so that I stick with them. I always hear about people who kind of get addicted to exercise, and I just can't fathom it. I hate working out with a passion. Anything I can do to make my life less active, I'm all for. So, the cool thing about this program is that your trainer helps you to find activities that you're interested in so that you stay with them. I want to do some swimming, because I've always really enjoyed swimming. And I have a friend who wants to try some group classes with me, such as step aerobics (which I like, because I like dancing) and pilates, so that will be good. I feel more motivated when I have a friend because it doesn't seem as much like work. I might also pick up a fun activity, like badminton or something where I meet people who like to play. My friend really likes squash, so I might try that with her. It seems a little bit less painful than raquetball.

Anyway, I want to go into my 30s a much healthier person than I've been in my 20s and make that something that I can maintain for my lifetime. Wish me luck!

Christmas recap

L. and I had a very nice Christmas celebration with family and friends this year. On Saturday night, we got together with Kati, S., and K. for dinner at Beppo's and games at Jillian's in downtown Seattle. I hadn't seen any of them for at least a few months, so it was good for us to all get together and catch up. I actually did well at pool this time, but sucked at air hockey. I'm amazed at how sore my arm was the day after air hockey. I can definitely say that I really get into the game.

On Sunday, L. and I took it easy because he was getting over a cold and I was just getting into one. We went to a couple of places to finish up some last minute shopping, and stopped by my cousin's house to drop off some presents for them to take over to my family in Eastern Washington. Little T. opened his presents while we were there so that I could see his reaction. I got him a couple of tee-shirts from my various trips this year, and he thought they were cute. But clothes never get as big a reaction as toys when it comes to little kids; clothes tend to thrill the parents, though.

On Christmas Eve, L. and I made our way down to Federal Way to spend the evening with my dad and step mom's family. We had the traditional prime rib dinner, complete with everything you'd love to gorge yourself on. I had a great time, despite the fact that my cold continued to worsen and I didn't feel so great after stuffing myself that night. I got to thinking about it, and I hardly ever eat red meat anymore, so I wonder if that had something to do with it, too. I love a good steak, but only eat one on rare occasions, and I never feel that great afterward. I'm not vegetarian or anything, but I gave up eating hamburgers and such a long time ago.

Yesterday, we went to my mom and step dad's house for Christmas Day celebration with my sisters. My sister L. brought her new boyfriend, R. My sister P. brought over my niece and nephew, and her husband ended up showing up after all. It was a good day, overall, and I'm still hopeful that she and her husband will work things out. It's still very iffy, but I'm praying for them.

As usual, I was totally spoiled. Tonight I sat down and wrote out my thank you cards as I was putting things away. I always have a hard time finding places for everything, and of course you always end up with one thing that you're just not sure what to do with. But, it's the thought that counts, so I'll try to figure out how to use it or give it to someone who can use it.

L. gave me a set of beautiful earrings and a necklace from Something Silver. And he got me a Lorac makeup set and the Jean Paul Gaultier Classique perfume that I had my eye on. He also went out and got me all of the Smashing Pumpkins albums and singles from their last release (since they released several different versions with varying bonus songs and I had only gotten the one from iTunes). He was really cute about the CDs, too. He wrapped each one individually, and then wrapped them altogether so that I was thrown off the scent.

I stayed home from work today because I was still fairly sick. Yesterday was fun with the family, but I slept a lot in between the festivities because I wasn't feeling well. I slept until after 3:00 PM today, but felt a bit better after waking up, so I must have needed the rest. Hopefully I'll feel even better in the morning because I am going back to work for Thursday and Friday before we leave for Montana.

Hope that everyone else had happy holiday celebrations as well!

Plantlife

For Christmas, I have received two plants from well-meaning people. The first is a fir centerpiece that holds candles and it is currently sitting on my breakfast bar. It's lovely, and luckily it's not meant to last indefinitely.

The second is an amarylis plant from my manager that's still in bulb form. Her instructions were, "just water and it will grow". I let out a little chuckle. These are probably sufficient instructions for most people, but I have a black thumb. I'll be shocked and awed if the thing actually blooms. I couldn't even get the poor plant home before it tipped over (despite my best efforts to keep it propped up and to drive extra carefully). So, I need to get to a gas station this weekend and vacuum out the potting soil from my car mat.

I'm not sure where I go wrong with plants. They are seemingly simple, as my manager's instructions point out. I always read the instructions, and try to put the plant in a good area for the light it needs and water it accordingly. But it's just not a success. This is odd, considering I come from a long line of farmers on both sides of my family and even worked on the farm when I was a kid. Come to think of it, my grandparents are lucky that I didn't kill the wheat and alfalfa just by being in proximity of the crops.

When I tell people that I have a black thumb, they're always quick to offer plants that are so simple, no one can kill them. Believe me, I can and have. My mom buys me a plant every mother's day (and for all of my sisters), and I have yet to keep one going longer than a few weeks. The only successful plant I've ever had was a lavender bush, and I think it survived a whole year in spite of me. Once I moved to a new place, it was never the same and I took it to my mom's house to recover. Plants LOVE my mom. They perk up in her presence, and she has one of the nicest yards in the summer. The plants always get depressed when she and my dad go on their summer vacation and I'm tasked with watering the flowers. As for that lavender plant, she gave it back to me once it got back on its feet and it promptly died. I think it committed suicide when it realized it was back at my house.

So, we'll see how this whole amarylis thing goes. It already had a rocky start in my car. At least they just boom once and then that's it. That's not too much pressure. If it doesn't work out, there are worse things that could happen. And as for the fir centerpiece, it will be nice over the holidays and then I can throw it out after it runs its course for the season.

Some more thoughts about the Zeitgesit filem and Ron Paul

This is semi in response to a comment by my friend, Web Dev Girl on my last blog post, and semi to clarify my last entry and my thoughts on Ron Paul.

First, about Ron Paul. Ron Paul has some interesting ideas, but I have some big problems with several of his stances and I think that he sometimes has a very limited and simplistic view on things. Also, I don't really agree with his views on abortion, the second amendment, health care, immigration, and education. Some of them I agree with in theory, but not with what his proposed actions are. For example, I find it interesting that he wants to repeal a lot of federal legislation, but continues to support the movement to limit and take away women's reproductive choices. That displays a paradox in his views.

With regard to the second amendment, I agree that it is important to uphold it, but I don't agree that it is to be done without common sense such as beneficial legislation introduced by such bills as the Brady Bill. We can uphold something while being smart at the same time. Making someone wait for a few days to obtain a weapon isn't removing their right to bear arms. And frankly, we have a big problem with guns in this country, the likes of which are not seen in other places around the world. The founding fathers wrote the Constitution in a way that we could add on and make changes in the form of amendments. This is a very important tool as we continue to change and grow as a nation.

Now, about the movie. I think the video was interesting in that it gets you to think critically about things, which is why I say that I took it with a grain of salt. I would never watch that and take it as Gospel truth. But there was a lot of interesting historical information, some of which I remember learning about long ago and it kind of reminded me of some of those things. What I like is that people are starting to take a look at some things and ask questions to foster actual debate and promote an aquisition of knowledge. This is something that has been sorely lacking in our society, and frankly went from bad to worse when Bush took office in 2000. And unfortunately, it will take awhile to bounce back from the destructive programs like No Child Left Behind in our educational system.

Wow - Zeitgeist will blow your mind

A friend told me to watch the video on Ron Paul's Web site, which is actually the third part of a longer movie. The section on Paul's site is approximately 45 minutes, but the actual full movie (on www.zeitgeistmovie.com) is much longer. I plan to watch the full movie at another time, but I can definitely say that this third section blew my mind. Part three covers the federal reserve, war mongering, the decline of American schools, the fallacy of 9/11, and what it all means for our future.



The actual Zeitgeist site has some interesting information to supplement the film, as well as the full film for viewing and downloading. I still take some of this with a grain of salt, but it definitely caused me to open my eyes a little and re-analyze some things.

And, I have to say that I've been blogging and talking about some of these things for some time. It's actually kind of nice to see that some of this information is starting to get out and affect conservatives who have been so blindly following Bush. Of course, all of this is not dictated by party lines. It's just unfortunate that we are in a two-party system here, because I think it keeps the power in very limited rotation. And frankly, liberals have been talking about some of the points from the movie for a long time but were silenced by the changes that have occurred in the media and political sphere.

Here are a few old chestnuts from my blog:
Growing Fascism in the US
Awesome opinion piece about the state of the nation with a link to We're Being Gaslighted
Hell House

Is it really the week before Christmas?

Really? It sure doesn't seem that way. Despite the fact that Thanksgiving came early this year, I didn't even get my Christmas tree up or any decorations out. It's in part because I've been so busy with my new job and just pooped when I get home, and in part because of some of the difficult things going on in our family right now. At least I got my Christmas cards written and mailed, and all of the gifts are wrapped. So, that may be the extent of what I can do this year.

L. and I will be spending Christmas Eve at my dad and step mom's house with whatever other family members decide to show up. Who knows, it may be just us, my parents, and an aunt and uncle or two. And we'll spend Christmas day at my mom and step dad's house with my sister P. and the kids, and my sister L. and her boyfriend. Right now it doesn't look too good for P.'s husband to show up. Then, on the 29th we'll fly to Montana to visit L.'s mom and step dad. We'll spend New Year's Eve with them and then come home on the 2nd.

So, things will certainly pick up next week. I'll work Wednesday through Friday next week before we leave for Montana. From past experience, this time of year is one of the only times I actually get significant work done while at work. It's amazing how different it is when I have no meetings and only a few people are in the office.