In the fine tradition of our own Kossack Keith Olbermann (who, I'm told, also has a show on some network), may I present Mrs. Shelby, who wrote a rant that makes my bones proud. Yes, I married this woman! She's fantastic.
A little bit of set-up, as they say on "The Tonight Show." My wife has run afoul of some of the people that she works with (she is a teacher), and some people who are friends of ours -- politically afoul. Of course, this wasn't through any fault of her own. They brought it up.
We live and work in a red state and mostly keep our beliefs to ourselves to avoid the hassles. Like ths saying goes -- avoid arguing with a fool because people won't be able to tell you from the fool.
And now, so that you can understand just a little bit of how cool I think this woman is, I present Mrs. Shelby:
Are you kidding me?!
OK, this post is very political. I don’t usually write about these issues, and I don’t often make my viewpoints really obvious. I stopped doing that when I was 19 because someone called me pushy. I realized that I don’t want to be pushy, I believe what I believe and that is what is good for my family and myself. Don’t push me and I won’t push back.
I have come to the point of "push back." What the hell!? I have to sit here in this conservative state and listen to all the bogus bullcrap around me. I had to sit through a 2 hour hair dying job while I was forced to listen to my hair stylist talk about how Obama is the antichrist and that "all the signs are there." Also how I’m responsible for my son’s eternal damnation. Who do you think you are!?
Now, I was raised in church and when I was a kid I was also told that black people are the sons of Cain and that God burnt their skin as punishment. This was told to me IN CHURCH. So I can’t help but believe that these same churches are simply fearful of a black president.
I know not all churches are like this and there are some really bad ones out there, but this is unacceptable; calling someone who wants change in our country the antichrist. Someone has been reading too many "Left Behind" novels. In case you aren’t aware, those are fiction.
In addition to this I have had to sit through 1 week of listening to a colleague, who I respect, tell me that she is not voting for Obama because he is black. Are we that lost that this is what people think? This is how they make decisions?
I have heard numerous people basing their decision of who should be president on a single issue. There are plenty of issues out there that will affect our entire country and way of life. I don’t believe that voting for someone based on one issue is a good idea.
I know why I am voting for Barack Obama. I am voting for Barack Obama because:
- He wants change, and so do I.
- He believes in Civil Unions. I am for gay marriage. I see no reason why two people who love each other cannot share a life together. I don’t think they are going to hell. I don’t think anything they are doing is wrong. Oh... and by the way I think they should be allowed to adopt children as well. A child raised in a loving household will have everything he/she needs.
- He wants to change and actually FUND "No Child Left Behind" (imagine that. Funding for schools ... such a novel idea)
- He wants to change the way people are taxed and the taxes that exist. I have paid $2,500 in taxes every year for the past 3 years. Each year I have wealthy family members who receive enough money back in taxes to add on to their house, remodel, go on vacation, or purchase a new vehicle.
I am not asking not to pay, I am not even asking not to owe, but I am asking that it be EVEN. I work my ass of in the public sector educating YOUR children and America’s future and I have to pay in a huge amount every stinking year. While people who make enough to foot some expenses don’t. They also don’t care to contribute to education while complaining of the quality of education their child receives.
- I believe in Barack’s tax policy. I do not believe in McCain’s tax policy.
I don’t completely agree with all of his issues related to the economy but I do agree with his statement that "trickle-down economics" does not work. And that banks and mortgage companies should be held to a higher standard. That they should not be allowed to hand out money on a whim to people who they KNOW can’t afford it.
Also that housing programs should be available to low-income people. That is the only reason [Shelby] and I got into the house we own is because of a community action project. we received the best fixed interest rate and we had to attend a "how to manage your finances" class. Those kind of programs are good for the economy and the individual. It helps low-income people make responsible and informed decisions, which is what we should be working on.
- He wants to change current healthcare policies so that there will be more health care available for working families. As a child I grew up on government healthcare. McCain’s healthcare policy is simply taxing your take home dollars. Right now I get my healthcare pre-taxed which helps my take home pay. If McCain’s ideas were put into place I would only be taxed more on my healthcare.
- He wants to get our soldiers home. Obama believes we should end the war and bring the soldiers home. I believe this, and I also believe we shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I know a lot of people believe in it and I know a lot of people died believing in it. I’m sorry for that, I’m sorry for the loss. I wish it hadn't happened. I guess you could call me a pacifist. I don’t believe war resolves anything. I know a lot of people do, but I don’t and never have.
- Obama on gun control. He wants to leave that up to individual states. I agree with this because gun problems in Chicago, Illinois are not the same as Anchorage, Alaska. For some people hunting is a tradition and guns are a hobby. This shouldn’t be taken away from them, but that is a stark difference between the hobby of the rural individual and the "hobby" of an gang member.
- His stance on abortion. He doesn’t personally believe in abortion but he doesn’t want to push his beliefs on the entire nation. He doesn’t think it is his place to make this decision, as his voting record shows.
- He supports contraception for women. The Republican Party as a whole has a horrible track record for making sure women have adequate forms of contraception -- and no, I don’t think abortion is a form of contraception. I think other forms should be allowed and covered by insurance besides the pill and sterilization. I recently called my insurance company and these are the only two forms they cover. However, a friend at work called and they cover Viagra, which is more expensive than the IUD I wanted.
- Supports legal immigration and says that there is nothing to fear from immigrants. That is something that has always occurred since people began immigrating to the U.S. It has always been a fear of CHANGE.
These are a lot of the reasons I support and am voting for Barack Obama. He is the kind of person I want in the White House. I feel like he represents me and the best interest of MY family. I also feel that he has the best interest of the country in mind. I think my husband said it best when he said that too many people in this country view the world with an "us vs. them" mentality. It's not rich vs. poor or white vs. black. We have to get over that.
I do admit that I sometimes resent rich people who haven’t had to sweat a day in their life, or cry in front of the fridge because there is no food, or worry about diapers, food, heat, or electricity. That makes me angry. It makes me angry because I feel that everyone should have to experience it.
Everyone should have to go through the bad so they can appreciate the good. I hate it when people talk bad about the poor but have never been there, that talk about government "handouts" and have never been in a position where they had no other choice. When you have worried about where you are going to live, when you have had to stress and stretch, then you can talk about government "handouts" and how lazy poor people are. Until that happens... shut up.
Thanks to government "handouts" I have become a productive member of society. I came up from the poverty level thanks to public education, scholarships, affordable student loans, government healthcare, free/reduced school lunches, food stamps, and Planned Parenthood.
Thanks to these programs, I received a quality education and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree. I got well-rounded meals, doctor’s visits and emergency room stays.
Thanks to the education and birth control available, I also planned my family to when I was ready, instead of becoming one of the thousands of teen mothers. Through Planned Parenthood I received free birth control pills and my bogus questions about perceived "safe sex" practices were answered. Thanks to these government "handouts" I am no longer a part of the generational poverty that plagued my family.
Pretty good rant, eh? I was so proud of how well she made the case for compassionate, progressive government that I had to share it with the rest of you.
Oh, and another thing. I promised her that I would share some of the community's response to her writing with her once I post this, so feel free to speak directly to her.