First Post

I've never been told that I have a hard time expressing myself. What a great place to do it. Great and thoughtful banter is always welcomed here. I hope that we will all have a chance to start some lively debate!

Over the past few weeks, I've tried to spend some time listening to both sides debate for the Democratic and Republican nominations. There is so much repetition and spin, it is really quite humorous. So much focus and time is spent trying to trip up one another and take things out of context, it is amazing that people take this stuff seriously. The inability to directly answer a question makes me tend to agree with Laura Ingraham's belief that the race is for the next "American Idol" President. Creating a sense of balance and determining what is best for our country needs to be the focus. I've been largely unimpressed with the balance of all the candidates, and I'm not convinced that any of our choices will create anything but an altered bureaucracy that trade one set of problems for another. In some respects, replacing all with no political party affiliation may be the only way to get anything done. Unfortunately, that will never happen.

I do have one question that I can't possibly understand why is never answered and is in all of our best interests. Why are candidates for one public office allowed to remain in their current office while campaigning for that new position. How about this for campaign finance reform: you must resign your current office if you run for another. I fail to see how one can concentrate on your current job when you are trying to get another. I can't think of too many employers that would be open to an employee going on an 18 month+ interview for a position that isn't currently helping its constituency. Taxpayer financed job interviewing. It's appalling.

Here are some thoughts on Barack Obama. So many times I have heard that Barack, unlike the balance of the candidates, is the best hope for creating non-partisan politics...that somehow Barack is our hope to bridge the great divide between Democrats and Republicans. I'm having a real hard time buying that. As an Illinois resident, a brief history lesson on Barack may be appropriate. Mr. Obama is the freshman senator from Illinois that has spent nearly as much time campaigning for his new role as he did working on the federal level for our state. His dear friend and fellow Illinois Senator Dick Durbin (about as left of center as they come) was a main catalyst for him to run. He comes from a state that has been so left of center and democratically controlled, that many of his experiences and counsel have come from a very liberally biased side. With that said, I'm not suggesting that Mr. Obama cannot grow into the role that can bring the parties together. I'm just saying that I'd like to see some thoughtful and juicy long term examples of it before I'm going to buy into that rhetoric.