the election . . .

I am posting this as a blog so that no one has to read it that's not interested in what I have to say. Click on it or don't, it's your choice. I am a Democrat.

That being said:

 I've been wanting to write something about the election ever since it finished--sort of a "my take on. . ." Or "what we learned from. . ."  thing.

One thing I'm very glad about is that we learned that the election can't be bought by billionaires that want to throw their money into it so that things will be run their way.

One thing I'm sad about is that our country is very divided.

And I'm pretty surprised by how even the divide is in terms of numbers. Romney did not lose by that much despite the fact that:

1. He's Mormon (I thought that would be a much bigger factor).

2. He's so rich that he hasn't actually had to hold a job for over 10 years.

3. The state that he calls home and which he served as governor overwhelmingly voted him down as president.

4. He made a remark about 47% of the country seeing themselves as "victims" that don't pay taxes and would never vote for him (implying that he wouldn't coddle them, I suppose).

5. He refused to give real details about any plans he had to do what he intended to do and the details he did give did not add up but he refused to acknowledge the mathematical impossibility of what he was proposing.

Why does half the country dislike Obama so much that they think Romney would have been a better president?

I believe it is because of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump and others who spew misinformation and vitriol that has no basis in fact. I would challenge Republicans to stop listening to that stuff for just a little while and see if their view changed.

I have said that I would really like to see Obama make more of an effort to form some personal relationships with more moderate Republicans in order to sway them toward getting something done in Congress. In my view, Obama has made it clear that he will compromise, but Republicans seem to have their heels dug in and won't budge--because of this idiot, Grover Nordquist, who had them sign a pledge not to raise taxes. Who is this guy anyway?? He's not God, he's not America. What has he got over you? Any pledge you sign, should not be to an ideology that is causing us to have to borrow money from other countries instead of raising it on our own. At the times when America has prospered, the rich were paying more of their share in taxes. Why is this being fought so hard now?

Oh, I know! You think the money is all going to freeloaders, is that it?? Why don't we take a look at the federal budget and see where the money is really going?

20% Defense and international security assistance

20% Social Security

21% Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program)

13% Safety Net Programs

6% Interest on the National Debt

7% Benefits for Veterans and Federal Retirees

The remaining 13% goes to an array of programs including education (2%), infrastructure (3%), medical and scientific research (2%) and other programs.

Where is all this wasteful spending happening?

What is so wrong about the government passing a law to make health insurance more affordable for more people?

If you think that the states can do it better, then put a plan out there!! Fight over it if you must, iron out the details, make Obamacare better. Don't just arbitrarily dismiss it and say--we can't afford it! What we can't afford is moving forward without some sort of comprehensive plan to get health care costs in this country under control!

Immigration, too! This is a country of immigrants. People still want to come here because we have a great country! Ideas from both sides of the aisle--as well as outside the box should be put forth until we have a plan that addresses this issue in a pro-active way once and for all.

One more thing--it makes me really angry when people call Democrats (me) stupid and blind and naive because we  disagree with the way they see things. I think we need to understand that people have very diverse viewpoints and always have and it's never stopped this country from being great. As long as we can have civil discussions and find things we agree on and be respectful of each other we can start moving forward again instead of sitting in this stalemate stewing.