Politics

As a resident of a southern state I am accustomed to ugly elections focused on religion and slung with mud...this year is no different. I've heard that they've started making guides that are one-page summaries of the condidates views on specific issues. I wish I knew where to get my hands on one of these for my state. Voting by absentee makes the process of trying to find out what the hopefuls stand for...well, it makes it twice as difficult. I've found campaign sites and blogs and news reports, and I still haven't figured out what Lucy Baxley wants to do to improve the education system in Alabama (from what I understand, it's even worse than when I was growing up there, having dropped from 48th to 50th place nationwide). I hear lower taxes and better education, but no plan to implement it. Then I hear the other guy say, increase taxes on upper income and corporations and continue growth at about 4% annually...I'm not sure you can do those two things at the same time...

Then of course, one of the candidates was convicted of a couple of felonies shortly after the primaries...thankfully, he was not selected for his party's nomination (this guy wanted to be governor, all the while being tried for bribery and corruption)...

Then there is the guy who refused to remove the Ten Commandments from the courthouse even after the Supreme Court had ruled...ok, I can respect that he held to his beliefs...but I don't think that religion should play a role in our courts...at least not in the sense that only 'God-fearing' folks can be treated fairly...it reminds me of Gov. Wallace standing on the schoolhouse steps swearing that Alabama schools would never be desegregated...try to remember folks that line in our pledge 'liberty and justice for all'...not just for those who agree with us...not just for one race...not just for one religion...for all...

Voting is important...it is a right, a privelege, an obligation, and a duty to our country...please, someone...grant me something to vote for...tell me where you stand, and convince me that you will stick to that when someone challenges you...show me that you have the nation's best interests at heart...always...show me that you care about civil liberty and security...prove that you care more about our kids' education than lining your pocket or staying in power...