Negative campaiging and the race for the White House

SKL, surprise, I am actually not a student, but an adult who contributes to society just as much as you profess to do. You said you were a preteen during the Carter Administration, so that makes you not all that much older than me. I am not naive and idealistic, I just haven't been hardened so much to the plight of individuals as you seem to have been.

I am not advocating that the government pay able-bodied people to sit at home and watch Jerry Springer or soap operas. I support job training and educational opportunites. And if there are certain people who choose to not take advantage of those things, then they should be cut off from receiving those benefits. But conservatives want to cut all of these programs and/or direct funding to institutions of faith. I do not support either of those options. I also think that if you are receiving welfare, you should be required to limit your family size or face reduced benefits. I do also feel that people who receive government benefits who have drug or alcohol addictions be required to go for counseling or not be able to receive benefits. So see, I am not for rewarding excuses but for helping people who do need help and are willing to do some of the work themselves.

And I know you are thinking that I am still naive because you think government is the problem, not the solution. No, what needs to happen is that government needs an overhaul, not eradication. I am not advocating socialism or communism, those two things have to do with ownership of the means of production, not welfare benefits. I know that our culture makes us unique, and therefore, we are in no danger of becoming like cold war Poland if Obama is elected. If you believe that, fine, you are entitled to think that way. And if Obama wins, I expect you to complain endlessly about him and how we are becoming socialist or communist even if our economy thrives.

Oh, and I am still waiting for someone here to explain how socialism encourages people to go on welfare. I won't hold my breath.

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Lisa,

First of all, there is no need for you to be rude with me and call me a "lost cause" just because I don't buy into the "me first, me only" mentality of the GOP.

I understand that the economic system of capitalism rewards hard work, but having a safety net for those less fortunate than us is not a socialistic society. A socialistic society is not completely unproductive, nor do all of the people in said societies sit on their butts and collect the fruit of other people's labor. One example would be paid maternity & paternity leave. For a party that spouts on and on about "family values", the GOP needs to put their money where their mouth is. Our federal government should have a program like the one in Canada, where each parent gets up to six months off and is funded through taxes everyone pays. The majority of people in this country would benefit from this, including children and we would really be a nation who values family. Maybe Canada doesn't have as many obscenely weathly citizens as we do. Oh well, it's not like you or I are ever going to be as rich as say the Bush family, John Kerry, or Cindy McCain (and no, I am not jealous, I am quite happy thank you). And, I want everyone to benefit, Democrats, Independents, even Republicans.

However, I never see this happening at the federal level, because of people with your attitude. It all boils down this:

I and people like me believe government should spend more on its citizens and infrastructure, and less on greedy defense contractors. You, and others like you, follow the "I got mine, you get yours" line of thinking.

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I followed both campaigns with an open mind. After the Democratic convention, I felt I was leaning towards Obama but I still wanted to reserve judgment.

McCain's campaign has been consistently more negative than Obama's. When death threats are shouted at your rally, you have sunk to a new low. McCain is using fear tactics. McCain's proposed health care plan should scare people more than Obama's pesumed "otherness".

I've never been a "red mom" or a "blue mom", preferring not to label myself and voted on issues rather than party lines. But I have to say I relate so much more to everything that Ada writes and very little that Rachel writes.

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Of all the Obama's shady associates Bill Ayers probably matters the most, because he is the key to understanding the agenda of the camp Obama represents and the the means they are going to use to achieve their goals. Once Obama gives education to Ayers and his followers, the next generation of American kids will be conditioned to believe in the same ideas that drove Ayers to bomb the Pentagon. And then American parents will start hearing questions like this one.

Socialism in its ugliest shape is coming to us if Obama gets elected, but people who vote for him will realize this only when it's too late.

Jeff Tyler (Dr. Slogan)

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