I am so hopeful.

talktothemike

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Tuesday November 06, 2012 · 10:25 PM PST

2012/11/06 · 22:25

I want so much for this to usher in better times for more people.

My Own Unscientific Poll

talktothemike

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Monday November 05, 2012 · 9:48 PM PST

2012/11/05 · 21:48

Sitting at home grading essays from my Goverment class. After watching the debates from both the major and minor candidates, and discussing a lot in class for a month, students were asked to choose a candidate and explain why. Results:

Gary Johnson......................2
Jill Stein.............................1
Virgil Goode........................1
Nobody..............................2
Mitt Romney.......................5
Barack Obama....................14

There you have it. You can all sleep better tonight.

On a side note, several students cornered me last week to ask me if I was a Republican. I do so try to be fair and objective.

Hell Yes Your Vote Matters! Consider This...

talktothemike

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Monday November 05, 2012 · 8:14 PM PST

2012/11/05 · 20:14

What if George W. Bush had never been elected? What if in any one of those swing states enough people had voted so that the election never even got to the Supreme Court? Just how different might this country--the entire world--be?

If George W. Bush had not become President of the United States it is entirely believable that the whole 911 trajedy might have been avoided. Alito and Roberts would not be Supreme Court justices. If there had been no President Bush, government agencies would not have seen the "fox guarding the henhouse" type of regulatory appointments we saw for eight years. The government surplus would have been banked for a "rainy day" and we probably never would have heard of Sarah Palin.

So when you cast your vote, if you haven't already, or if you are thinking about not voting, consider just how much it matters. Read on...

talktothemike

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Saturday November 03, 2012 · 6:01 PM PDT

2012/11/03 · 18:01

It’s late and I want to write. I am compelled to write. But all I have on my mind these days is the presidential election. And I do not want to write about that. It is depressing. The wasted money by the zillions. The dishonesty. The frustration. The acceptance from the American public for candidate behavior no reasonable parents would ever accept from their own kids. I simply cannot bring myself to write any more about this. I’m done. Really, I’m done. So I’m opening up Words With Friends to get a whole bunch of random opponents. I've been injecting the political stuff like heroin and Words will be my methadone treatment. I’m too weak to go cold turkey. So tonight I’ll overdose on disconnected and totally irrelevant vocabulary stuff. It’s fun. It’s mentally stimulating. It feeds my competitive urges. It will take my mind off the Romney/Obama fix I so desperately crave. Do you think playing 12 games at one time is too much? Do I need to get a life or what?

talktothemike

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Saturday November 03, 2012 · 4:26 PM PDT

2012/11/03 · 16:26

This sign greets all visitors to our town.

talktothemike

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Monday October 29, 2012 · 7:10 PM PDT

2012/10/29 · 19:10

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are counting on one of two things: either you don't know or you don't care. If you fall into any other category they have already written you off. Think for just a moment about the kinds of things you have heard from Gov. Romney and Congressman Ryan. They have told you that the President cut $700 million from Medicare benefits. Not only is that false, Ryan's own budget plan makes real cuts to Medicare. They have told you that Romney planned to save the auto industry exactly like Obama did. False, and anyone who has read or listened to Romney's statement at the time knows this to be false. They have recently made wild and exaggerated claims that they are for the middle class worker. Do I really need to comment on that one? And now Romney is running an ad that accuses President Obama of "selling Chrysler to the Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China. Mitt Romney will fight for every American Job." What a load of horse-crap. Romney knows that no Jeep jobs are moving to China. But he expects that the voter does not know it. And the only job he ever fought for was his own. But my favorite line in the add was this one: "Fact-Checkers confirm Obama's claims are false." We all know candidates stretch the truth when campaigning, but Romney invoking the Fact-Checkers in his own defense is right out of George Orwell or more to the point, right out of Karl Rove's playbook. So, if Romney hasn't done anything to offend you yet today, stay tuned. I'm sure he is working on it. And if you are offended you are probably informed, intelligent and have a memory longer than yesterday. If you aren't offended, perhaps you need to pay a bit more attention.

Conservatism by Osmosis

talktothemike

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Saturday October 27, 2012 · 2:03 AM PDT

2012/10/27 · 02:03

Driving south from Spokane on 395, across the part of the country shaped by a whole lot of oozing lava scoured by repeated floods into a tough land of hill and coulee, the dominant features for my next two hundred miles will be irrigation, power lines and four lanes of divided pavement--tangible testimony to a tamed land. Woody Guthrie immortalized this home of The Columbia, Grand Coulee and Bonneville Power.

I still have a hundred miles, a hard right at the Tri-Cities, and hundred more. Tonight, blasting down the lonely black hiway at 75, I feel the Conservatism leaching out of the fields and silos and rusting machinery, catching up to the car and seeping into my skin. And I try to understand. Then I start to worry. Can I catch Conservatism by osmosis? Is it contagious? Is it airborne?

talktothemike

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Tuesday October 23, 2012 · 12:42 PM PDT

2012/10/23 · 12:42

1. I am the Lord thy God. Even though the Constitution says so, no other beliefs except those in me shall be respected.

2. Thou shalt have no other Gods–except the acquisition of great wealth–before me.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain–except during campaign season.

4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, so be sure to watch the Sunday morning Fox programs.

5. Thou shalt not kill, unless it is in a war where obscene profits are possible.

6. Thou shalt not commit adultry. This does not apply to Republican Senators.

7. Thou shalt not steal small amounts of money. If you are going to steal, make sure you steal millions and preferably billions. You are our job creators.

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Unless all the polling tells you it will work.

9. and 10. Thou shalt not covet. Remember, we never covet but you should refer back to #7.

Why I'm Voting for Barack Obama

talktothemike

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Monday October 22, 2012 · 9:54 PM PDT

2012/10/22 · 21:54

It really is pretty simple. I weigh the candidates the same way I choose my friends.

Does my candidate follow the Golden Rule?
Does my candidate believe he is his brother’s keeper? Not his boss or his Lord. “Responsible for”…that’s what I’m talking about.

Is my candidate more Peacemaker or more Warmonger? ‘Nuff said.

Is my candidate more Poor in Spirit or Rich in Pocketbook. I know they aren’t exactly opposites but they seem to fit together.

Does my candidate live his life more for himself or more for his country? Anyone who profits from war or from sending domestic jobs overseas, is no patriot.

If my candidate had two coats would he give one to a stranger? Or would he wait until he had 50 coats before giving one to a stranger?

Does my candidate care as much about the 12 year old girl in a group home as he does about the unborn?

Does my candidate believe that nobody should have THAT much when so many have nothing?

Is my candidate willing to be honest enough with the American people to admit that everything Congress does and doesn’t do is about wealth redistribution in one direction or another? Except maybe treaties. Oh yeah, they do too.

Would my candidate lie to get us into any war? Or just really, really stretch the truth?

Does my candidate believe that the lives of people from Mexico, Iraq, North Korea and yes even Iran–I mean their LIFE, is as valuable as anyone else’s?

Does my candidate change his mind with the wind? I do not mean the deliberate, thoughtful changing of mind that shows growth and even wisdom. I mean, does my candidate change his mind to get campaign donations?

Does my candidate believe that we need fair and honest elections where the voice of every voter cannot be smothered by the millionaire’s and billionaire’s money?

From: http://talktothemike.com/...

My Top Three Moments of the Debate (that nobody else picked).

talktothemike

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Monday October 22, 2012 · 9:12 PM PDT

2012/10/22 · 21:12

#3
When Romney went into his explanation of the Pakistani leadership. Did you see him play that three part shell game thing with his hands?

#2
When Romney sarcastically accused the president of "attacking" him. Twice. Did that all seem a bit contrived and over rehearsed to you, too?

#1
When Romney said he wanted to provide economic, social and human rights aid to nations in the Middle East. Isn't that what Republicans call war?

The International Student Testing Myth

talktothemike

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Sunday October 21, 2012 · 7:47 PM PDT

2012/10/21 · 19:47

From: Japan and its standardized test-based education system By Kevin Burns

[At age 12] exam hell starts and from which students never really recover. The standardized test-based education system of Japan that starts in the junior high school years kills any kind of initiative, creativity and especially thinking outside of the box. Unfortunately, these last three are what Japan especially needs in the 21st century; perhaps Japan`s most challenging 100 years yet.

http://www.japantoday.com/...

talktothemike

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Sunday October 21, 2012 · 6:40 PM PDT

2012/10/21 · 18:40

I agree that America needs to address some serious deficiencies in the nations schools. But let’s be certain that we are addressing the real issues. If we keep making decisions based on bad information and fallacies that go unchallenged we will find ourselves eliminating the good that our schools do while “fixing” the wrong ills. Consider what you hear about America not producing enough math and science trained graduates and see how that jives with some factual information.

http://talktothemike.com/...

The bottom line is that someone is feeding us all the wrong line. No matter what you have been hearing, American high schools and universities are producing more and more math and science trained graduates. The problem has more to do with the economics at the hiring end that it does with education.

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I am so hopeful.

My Own Unscientific Poll

Hell Yes Your Vote Matters! Consider This...

Gerrymander for 174

Do You Have These Offensive Political Signs in Your Town, Too?

Has Romney Offended You Yet? Don't Worry, There's Still Time.

Conservatism by Osmosis

The Republican Ten Commandments

Why I'm Voting for Barack Obama

My Top Three Moments of the Debate (that nobody else picked).

The International Student Testing Myth

If We Really Want to Fix Our Schools Let's Be Certain to Get the Correct Picture