Great Political Debate!

Over the past several days I have been able to have a good debate about the upcoming election with a very good friend of mine. Below is our email exchange:

RE: My brotha from anotha motha
From: Gary Asp (gasper1974@hotmail.com)
Sent:
Wed 10/22/08 11:02 PM
To:
The Happy Hudsons (happyhudsons@gmail.com)
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Jon, Quite the contrary, I really understood your position and can sympathize with the feeling you have as I share them too. The reason you and I have the views we do are based upon our religious beliefs and that is the point I was trying to make. You reference the Family Proclamation to the World which is a religiously based document that perpetuates christian beliefs and ideals. Can you not see how wrong that would be to force this upon people who have differing religious beliefs or no belief at all in God. Everything you reference in your first paragraph I agree with, but why do we believe in these things? Because we are Latter Day Saints right? Not everyone is a Latter Day Saint or even a Christian or even religious. Gay Marriage and Abortion are controversial moral and ethical topics that people base their opinions on usually from their religious beliefs. This is central to the point I was trying to make. We can not assume or require political leaders to uphold policy based upon religious views because they represent all the people of America. You asked a very good question as to where we draw the line with regard to crimes....murder, rape, theft etc. Where do we draw the line with regard to morals and what constitutes a crime in civilized society. I believe these types of crimes (rape, murder, theft etc.) are universally accepted as bad regardless of your religous beliefs. I believe atheists, jews, muslims, christians etc. can agree universally that these types of crimes are bad and need to have laws to prevent them and punish those who commit them. I do not think this can be said for controversial topics such as abortion and gay marriage. Sure christians believe they should be illegal, but what about atheists? While we both believe that a healthy home to raise children is composed of a husband and a wife, this cannot be said for all faiths and walks of life. Why do we feel that we have the right to enforce these ideas on people who do not hold religious beliefs that we have or hold no beliefs in God at all. If some one chooses to be gay or lesbian, then however much I disagree with it they should still have their agency to do so. If they wish to become married how can we enforce the "christian" belief on marriage between a man and woman on them if they hold no religious beliefs? True children throw an interesting and challenging dynamic to this issue, but who is to say that a gay or lesbian couple cannot do just as good a job at loving and raising a child as a heterosexual couple? We are basing this opinion off our religious beliefs (which I'm fully on board with). I dare say there are heterosexual couples out there that are horrible parents. If a gay couple who have no religious beliefs are in a monogamous, loving and committed relationship and wish to share that love by raising a child I feel we can disagree with it but we can respect the fact that the child is raised in a loving home. I mean would you rather a child be raised in an abusive heterosexual home (mom and dad) or in a functional loving gay home? Hard question to answer I know given our beliefs. In essence we would be forcing those who do not hold any religious values or alternative religious values to our standard and thereby infringe on their freedoms as US citizens and their civil liberties. This is the catch 22 that politicians face everyday, to ensure they make decisions that represent all the people and their walks of life in a fair manner. Abortion is a horrible act, but I am confident just as those born with birth defects or those who die very young that Heavenly Father will bless them with a "skip to the head of the line" pass into Celestial glory. They will have all the same blessings we do. We have children and start families because we understand their importance with regard to Heavenly Father's plan. Not everyone is aware of this or if they are aware they might not even believe it. This relegates the conception and birth of children to a purely non-spiritual act of sexual activity. If a woman with no religious values or beliefs then becomes pregnant is it really hard not to see it from her shoes? If she doesn't want the baby, then why should the government have any say in her choice. Sure you and I say it is murder based upon our understanding and religious beliefs. To her it is just a physical decision which may be very difficult to make and probably even harder for us to understand. It should still be her choice and she will have to live with the consequences, both temporally and spiritually. Remember elected officials have to represent all peoples of the USA. They cannot have the luxury of letting their religious beliefs impact their legislative agenda because it impacts all the people even those who do not hold to these ideals."the problem in this society is that many people judge what's right by what's legal. In other words, if it isn't illegal, it must be OK. Where do we draw the line, then, at what "wrongs" should be illegal and others we simply disagree with but will tolerate?" What you said above I completely agree with, but I would respond by saying that is why we have our agency and because we make good decisions and keep our covenants we then are afforded the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. We can't live other peoples lives for them, we can only live our own lives to the best of our ability and in accordance with the will of the father. That is a choice we have made, but not everyone else has. To try and hold others not of our belief structure is not right and infringes upon their own agency and freedom to choose and answer to the laws of the land or the higher law on the great and terrible day of judgment based upon those choices. People have to make their own choices legal or illegal and live with the consequences of those choices. We do not have the right to dictate the decisions of others, only the right to make right choices for our own lives based upon our moral compass (as dictated by our religious beliefs) and the laws of the land. Jon - you crack me up...you go from comparing Obama to Korihor then jump to comparing him to Lucifer....you have to see the humor in that! I mean I see the relationship, but I would have to disagree. You reference what Obama is doing as a form of socialism. Let me ask you a question. Do you live the law of consecration? (I know you do) If so are not all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints socialists. I mean think about it. We tithe 10% and where does that money go? To help the less fortunate, to build buildings, pay church bills and further perpetuate the growth of the Church. So many associate Socialism in a negative context. To answer your question I would have no problem what so ever in paying higher taxes for making over a quarter million dollars annually. The question that this brings to my mind is how much money do I have to make in order for I and my family to live comfortably? How can I live in the lap of luxury when I know that there are fellow brothers and sisters, or even children suffering in the world because they have no health care, no food to eat or no home to live in? And to further carry this issue of socialism on, it is not even my money to begin with. The Lord blesses those who are faithful and that is probably why so many church members are so well off financially. But remember where much is given much is expected. Jesus said himself that when you have done it to the least of these my brethren you have done it unto me. Shouldn't members of the church feel an obligation if we are well off financially to help those less fortunate out. I know I would! As far as socialized health care goes, I've lived in the UK and it works. Everyone gets health care from a prince to a pauper and not one call to deal with insurance agents or getting authorizations to be seen by specialists, no referrals everyone gets the same access to medical care. Insurance can be bought and private doctors can be seen, but everyone is afforded the right to adequate health care. Speaking of socialism hasn't the current government run by Republicans bailed out financial institutions for poor financial practices. In my mind this is a huge example of government enforcing a socialist solution to a problem that impacts us all. Socialism isn't a bad thing, if you really look at it honestly from the perspective of a church member. We live the law of consecration and tithing which most definitely fall into the realm of socialism. Thoughts....rebuttal.....let's keep the debate going! I love you brother, G.
From: happyhudsons@gmail.comTo: gasper1974@hotmail.comSubject: Re: My brotha from anotha mothaDate: Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:53:09 -0400
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Gary,

From your reply it sounds like you drastically misunderstood what I was saying. In no way was I intending to imply that I wanted to combine church and state. If so, then I would be arguing to enact laws requiring people to attend church every week, pay tithing, etc. What I am saying is that there are some moral and ethical issues that you have to put into law to ensure order in any established society. While I agree with you that we should try to avoid this wherever possible, I feel it is necessary when innocent people could be negatively affected by people choosing to participate in sinful or transgressional behavior. This is why I'm so opposed to abortion, because not only is it murder, but it is murder against a baby that has no chance at defending himself or herself. As for gay marriage, I wouldn't be so opposed to it if children weren't involved, but marriage and partnership is inseperable to the right to raise children, and that's where I draw the line because children have the right to be raised in a home with a father and a mother (this is even spelled out in the Family Proclamation). Granted, some people would say that growing up in a home with two moms or two dads is better than in a home with just a mom or just a dad or dysfunctional parents, but I don't know about that because it's engraining in the children that homosexuality is an accepted practice. Since I know for a FACT it is not, this is why I'm opposed to the idea because these children do not have a choice when they're younger before the idea has already become engrained in their young minds.

Now back to your argument about instituting morals and ethics, it sounds like you are saying that it's not right to do this in any circumstance. According to that argument, then, anything immoral or unethical should be lawful. In other words, there should be no laws against murder, rape, theft, etc., because everybody has their agency and we will leave it up to God to judge them. Obviously this is a ludicrous thought and would lead to pure chaos. Why, then, is it any different for abortion and gay marriage, but particularly abortion? Is it because it's been lawful for so long that we've become desensitized to the fact that no matter how you look at it, it's murder? How can you say that this is a religious issue and is therefore off limits to be discussed in the political arena so we don't infringe on others' rights to legally commit such a heinous act?

I agree with a lot of what you say about how our spirituality shouldn't be affected by who sits in the White House, etc., but the problem in this society is that many people judge what's right by what's legal. In other words, if it isn't illegal, it must be OK. This is why I'm so opposed to issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and even infidelity in marriage. There are some things that are debateable whether or not they are wrong, but among most (if not all) people I'm sure the concensus would be that all these things are wrong. Where do we draw the line, then, at what "wrongs" should be illegal and others we simply disagree with but will tolerate?

Comparing Obama to Korihor was perhaps a bit of a stretch. I want you to know that in making the comparison I was simply trying to highlight the magnetic influence that can be wrought by somebody who is a gifted speaker, which Obama definitely is. You're right, though, in that I failed to acknowledge the motive behind the two. I honestly believe that far-left liberals like Obama truly believe that they're doing what's right, but I think they go about it the complete wrong way. In that respect, I would almost compare Obama to Lucifer in that they both have really good intentions in presenting their plans, but that their approaches could lead to disastrous consequences. In a way, Obama is actually trying to take the free agency away from people by simply taking wealth from the "rich" (most of whom have worked their way up in the world and have earned every penny of their wealth) and giving handouts to the "less fortunate". This is a form of Socialism in disguise, and it's been tried many times in the past and it just doesn't work. It's a very noble endeavor, but it will never work as long as imperfect beings are leading it. And going back to abortion and gay marriage, what about the free agency of those children who are affected and never get their God-given rights to life itself and/or to be raised in a home with a mother and a father?

Going back to your reasons for supporting Obama in the first place, let me ask you one question before I sign off for the night--If you were in the category of people who would see their taxes raised by Obama, would you still support him as strongly?

Give my love to your sweet family over there in soon-to-be-cold-as-you-know-what Colorado!

-J.

P.S. One more question--Is your mind already completely made up about this, or is there a chance that you might come back to the fold?
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Asp
To: The Happy Hudsons
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 3:25 PM
Subject: RE: My brotha from anotha motha
Jon, I feel you brother, I really do. But we have to remember that America is not a church state. There is clear requirement to keep church and government separate so as to ensure all people get equal representation. The USA is composed of people from all walks of life and belief structures. Atheists, Jew, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Satanists etc....that is what makes America great....land of the free, home of the brave. A place where people can come and practice their religious and ethical beliefs as they see fit. Our elected officials have to represent them as a whole and not just a small fraction. Politicians cannot make abortion or gay marriage a political platform to stand on (or any other morally based issue). I hate abortion....it is a horrible act! Gay marriage too. But we have been sent here with agency. Each to make his or her own choice. If our president said abortion and gay marriage is illegal, then as much as it saddens me to say it that decision would be infringing upon the rights of those Americans who do not hold to the same ethical, religious and moral beliefs that you and I hold dear. So how can you or I say that all Americans must conform to our religiously based moral beliefs? We can't. We must continue to practice Christ like love to those of differing opinions and beliefs. I agree we are waging a spiritual war, but that war cannot be waged in the halls of congress, the senate and Pennsylvania Avenue. It must be waged in our homes where we raise a righteous generation and allow the Christ like love we develop there to burst forth from our homes to impact the neighborhoods and communities around us. Word upon word precept upon precept we teach our children regardless of what they hear in the world or at school. Through long suffering, righteous example and love unfeigned is how we are able to wage that war. Our children will grow strong with the Lord at their side and know who they are and who they represent. This will be a testimony and example to those around us. We must allow people to use their agency to live their lives as they wish. It is Heavenly Fathers job to judge those that do not live according to his commandments, not our president or elected officials and most certainly not ourselves. Sherry Lawson brings up very good points about living in spiritual poverty, but is living in spiritual poverty really dependent upon who sits in the White House? That is to say that our elected officials affect the spirituality in our homes? I say that is not so, that we as parents, as husband and wives control the spirituality present in our homes and in our lives. We live in the world, but are not of the world. We do what we can, but must treat all with equity, tolerance and love. This is not something that could or should be mandated from Washington DC. We must practice Christ like love and patience. Not all will live a Celestial life nor should they. That is what is so great about the plan of salvation. We all have the right to choose. I fear that many would force such issues as abortion and gay marriage to be illegal and thereby perpetuating a society that resembles Lucifers plan....all come to earth all obey and make the right choices and all return to live with Heavenly Father. This would be great, but that is not the plan you or I adopted to follow. Obama's comments of his daughter being "punished" with a baby is an unfortunate choice of words. One would hope that that was a gaff that so many politicians make from any party - a poor choice of words that one would hope he would recant and express in a different manner. I would hope that given the opportunity he may choose a different word. What a great video! Thanks for sharing it with me. After listening I had a few thoughts on what was said. The commentator mentions that making gay marriage legal will ensure that gay marriage is taught to be a "normal, acceptable practice". Having teachings in school that are contrary to our beliefs is nothing new. Look at evolution, clearly against our beliefs but it is taught. The parents said they had to sit their children down and discuss with them their beliefs on the topic and this is what we must do. We live in a free society as previously discussed where all should feel free to use their agency to live as they see fit. Sin will always exist in this world. It is unfortunate, but even as the mother from the video said, even at the age of 7 we must prepare our children to live in this world but not be of this world. We cannot shield our children from the evil in this world, but we can prepare them with sound doctrine as prescribed by the Saviour, the Prophet and General Authorities. We have strong beliefs against gay marriage as is evidenced by the Family Proclamation to the World that you referenced. We have no right to ask our leaders to enforce our religiously based beliefs, however much I may agree with them, upon the entire US population. It would be infringing on their rights and perpetuating the type of society Lucifer wanted. We do have the right to live our lives in accordance with the will of the father and to be an example and light to this wicked world. You make references to Obama and Korihor which I think is unfair. There is one major difference behind these two individuals, one was driven by wickedness and the other is seeking to be a fair representative of a people who are separated by religious, ethnic and political views but are all Americans. He is not trying to corrupt, steal and murder as Korihor did. He is trying to be a candidate that fairly, equally represents all people on the issues that are relevant to a "temporal" government, not a spiritual one. He is a christian, but he chooses to not push his religious beliefs upon a society he hopes to represent because not everyone holds to these beliefs. How could he do this and still allow America to be free country?The type of government you are describing, regardless of which candidate wins (Obama or McCain) is one where Jesus Christ is our President and every knee shall bend and every head shall bow proclaiming that he is the Lord and Saviour, first born son of God. Brother we are waiting on the second coming - that is the election I'm looking forward to! Until that time we must live our lives as a covenant people and encourage a government that remains open to allowing people to live their lives in freedom according to the laws of the land and using their own moral agency (what ever that is based upon). Imagine if we were atheists trying to live our lives as we see fit and the government forced us to live in a manner that conformed with Christian ideals. Would that be fair? We cannot force people to adopt the same religious and moral beliefs that we ascribe to and believe in. We must accept all love all and do what we can where we can. We cannot expect the same from elected officials who are elected by the people for the people to represent all. I hope you can at the very least understand and respect my view as I understand and respect yours. I'm sorry we are at odds here but I still feel like Obama is the best candidate to represent the people of this great land. I love you my brother, G.
From: happyhudsons@gmail.comTo: gasper1974@hotmail.comSubject: Re: My brotha from anotha mothaDate: Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:51:57 -0400
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Gary,

Of course I love you like a brother, and always will regardless of any political differences we might have. However, I can't help but be disappointed with your choice, but moreso your reasons behind it. While I could refute a lot of your bulleted points below, I won't (unless you really want me to) because there is a deeper issue here than just the economic policies and worldly concerns such as taxes, health care, etc. that a candidate supports.

The fact is, we are waging a spiritual war that has far greater impact in our lives--and frankly, our eternal wellbeing--than the temporal issues you have raised. For one, the issue of abortion trumps every other issue for me because I detest the fact that we live in a society that allows people to kill innocent, unborn babies as a matter of convenience. I really like what Sherry Lawson said in her email reply that she said (something to the effect that) she would rather her children live in physical poverty than in a world replete with spiritual poverty. In addition to abortion, this includes the highly controversial issue of gay marriage, which is becoming more prominent every day and will probably reach its pinnacle during the next president's administration.

I bring this up because I hope you know that if Obama wins, it is almost guaranteed that Roe v. Wade will never have a chance at being overturned and that gay marriage will become a permanent part of our culture. Obama is the most liberal out of all the members of Congress, and with a Democratic Congress you can be assured that they will work together to push their liberal agenda and try to make it acceptable to have abortions and marry whowever / whatever you want without any consequence. They will do this by passing laws, appointing liberal judges to the Supreme Court, trying to hush conservative voices through the "fairness doctrine", and by imploring the American audience to agree with their viewpoints through their enormous influence in the media and celebrity-like popularity. Do you know that Obama once said that if one of his daughters made a mistake by "accidentally" becoming pregnant that he wouldn't want her "punished with a baby"? Do you really want somebody as your President who thinks that a child is a punishment?

I urge you to watch the following video clip about one of the consequences of "normalizing" gay marriage in particular:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1352578267/bctid1784521903

Also recall the following from the Family Proclamation:

"The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ."

You may also want to check out the following web site, which talks about the proposition to ban gay marriage in California. While the church generally avoids endorsing political candidates, it has taken a strong stance about this issue in defense of traditional marriage, which to me means that we should do everything within our power to take this stance to defend traditional marrieage as well:

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705256207,00.html

Now I know that Obama is an incredible speaker and he has a tremendous ability to inspire and motivate people through his oratory abilities, but so did Korihor and countless others in the scriptures who hid their evil ways behind majestic speeches. I liken it to them "teaching the philosophies of men...mingled with scripture."

Sarah also mentioned that it is narrow to just consider abortion when choosing a political candidate for whom to cast your vote. On the contrary, however, if I may be so bold as to say that I believe it is narrow of you to simply consider these temporal matters you have raised without taking into consideration this spiritual war we are fighting and in which we, as members of God's only true church, are enlisted. We need to be able to count on each other to fight this war to the best of our abilities, part of which is by voting for the candidate(s) who are best prepared to fight on our behalf for what we know is right. I'm not saying John McCain is perfect, but considering our alternative in fighting this war he is our best alternative and we should make our vote count. Otherwise, instead of all of our votes counting, ours will simply cancel out yours and they will all be wasted...

Your brother,
J.

----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Asp
To: The Happy Hudsons
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 9:15 AM
Subject: RE: My brotha from anotha motha
Hey buddy, OK I could create a book on this so I'll keep it to the few areas that are important to me: Taxes (for people making under $250K - I think most folks (even small business owners) fit into this category):
Cut taxes for 95 percent of workers and their families with a tax cut of $500 for workers or $1,000 for working couples.
Provide generous tax cuts for low- and middle-income seniors, homeowners, the uninsured, and families sending a child to college or looking to save and accumulate wealth.
Eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses, cut corporate taxes for firms that invest and create jobs in the United States, and provide tax credits to reduce the cost of healthcare and to reward investments in innovation.
Dramatically simplify taxes by consolidating existing tax credits, eliminating the need for millions of senior citizens to file tax forms, and enabling as many as 40 million middle-class Americans to do their own taxes in less than five minutes without an accountant.
Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families: Obama and Biden will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they need. Obama and Biden will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.
Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less than $50,000: Barack Obama will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This proposal will eliminate income taxes for 7 million seniors and provide these seniors with an average savings of $1,400 each year. Under the Obama-Biden plan, 27 million American seniors will also not need to file an income tax return.
Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans: Obama and Biden will dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes. Obama and Biden will ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return. Experts estimate that the Obama-Biden proposal will save Americans up to 200 million total hours of work and aggravation and up to $2 billion in tax preparer fees. Healthcare
Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions so all Americans regardless of their health status or history can get comprehensive benefits at fair and stable premiums.
Create a new Small Business Health Tax Credit to help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to their employees.
Lower costs for businesses by covering a portion of the catastrophic health costs they pay in return for lower premiums for employees.
Prevent insurers from overcharging doctors for their malpractice insurance and invest in proven strategies to reduce preventable medical errors.
Make employer contributions more fair by requiring large employers that do not offer coverage or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of their employees health care.
Establish a National Health Insurance Exchange with a range of private insurance options as well as a new public plan based on benefits available to members of Congress that will allow individuals and small businesses to buy affordable health coverage.
Ensure everyone who needs it will receive a tax credit for their premiums.
Lower drug costs by allowing the importation of safe medicines from other developed countries, increasing the use of generic drugs in public programs and taking on drug companies that block cheaper generic medicines from the market
Require hospitals to collect and report health care cost and quality data
Reduce the costs of catastrophic illnesses for employers and their employees.
Reform the insurance market to increase competition by taking on anticompetitive activity that drives up prices without improving quality of care. Economy (way too much info to include in this email) His plan for the economy I think is a great one. We can't expect the economic mess we are in to be solved overnight, but I really think he has some good ideas. He plans to tax those oil companies that are making record profits, while our gasoline prices continue to go up! I think he is going to force the US to move toward clean fuel options as well (eliminate the grasp the Oil Barons have over the US). I know you don't support Barack, but we need to look at both candidates objectively and then decide. I feel that too often folks go either way Democrat or Republican because that is what the parents have done or that is what the majority of their friends have done. I have been to McCain's website and reviewed his stance on the same issues and I have to be honest that some of his ideas are not that solid. The link below will take you directly to Barac's views on the economy. Take a look.http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/ Hope this answers your questions on why I'm voting for Barack. I love you brother, G.
From: happyhudsons@gmail.comTo: gasper1974@hotmail.comSubject: Re: My brotha from anotha mothaDate: Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:20:53 -0400
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What's his vision and direction for this country?
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Asp
To: The Happy Hudsons
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 9:17 AM
Subject: RE: My brotha from anotha motha
Yo my brother, Of course I'm voting for Barack, both candidates are good men, but I've done quite a bit of research and I feel like he is the best man for the job. I guess Sarah's emails are creating quite a stir in the Huber Heights ward? I really don't affiliate myself with either party. I think that Barack has the right vision and direction for this country. I know the majority of church members go Republican but I have to go with what I feel. I take it from your email you are shocked? I can already feel a good debate coming on, but I want to make sure that right up front we establish that regardless of political affiliation / views we are still brothers and that is never going to change. I love you guys, G.

Dude, are you guys really going to vote for Obama?

Elections

I am so sick of hearing the parties pointing fingers and blame on our current economic mess. I'm also sick of hearing commercials saying why this amendment is bad or good and how this representative is bad or good....mud slinging. I am also disgusted with our political system as a whole. Republican, Democrat, independent....liberal, conservative....it's all so pointless! Our government is in need of some serious reform.

It seems to me that those we have elected have lost sight of why they are there in the first place (at any level - president, vice president, member of congress, member of senate, state & local). It is no longer about representing the interests of their constituents (us), but has turned into a game of playing middle ground to ensure their viability for re-election. They no longer care about us and our interests but rather getting re-elected. They've gotten use to the lavish lifestyle that we have allowed them to have. Outrageous health care plan (lifetime coverage for them and their family after serving only 2 terms!), limousines, mansions, six figure salaries it is all so disgusting. Since when did being a representative of the people equal living a lifestyle like this? So now they are use to this type of lifestyle and it becomes an issue of getting re-elected. How does this occur? Money, plain and simple. Who has the money? Special interest groups the most disgusting of which is oil producers. They fill our candidates election campaign accounts with money in exchange for a sympathetic ear to legislation that affects them. So now we have representatives who have put our interests on the back burner, and adopted the interests of their new bankroll. And we live under the delusion (in this example) that the US is serious about alternative energy sources?

Speaking of re-elections and money have you ever examined how much money is thrown into campaigning? With all the financial problems we face as a nation this should be a serious eye opener. We are throwing billions of dollars into getting our representatives elected. I don't see why we can't just put them all on a train, move them around the country. Then they can explain their platform to the people. We can all go to the polls, vote and then we quite literally use those votes by you and I to determine the winner. No millions of dollars spent and the power of election is put squarely in the hands of the people of this great land.

We as a people should demand the immediate overhaul / reform of our government a declaration of independence if you will for our time whereby we the people let our government know in no uncertain terms that we will longer sit idly by and let this system of self indulgence continue to perpetuate itself. Case in point the recently passed bailout bill of $700 billion dollars with almost a quarter of which was openly disclosed to be pork barrel spending for special interests. Not only that, but also bailing out Wall Street. Bailing out those companies whose owners are making millions of dollars each year driving around expensive cars, living in mansions and living a lifestyle of luxury. These CEO's should be held accountable, especially those in the mortgage business. But hey, why should we expect our representatives to pass a bill for the good of the people without that type irresponsible spending included in it. They've quite clearly turned a blind eye to the irresponsibility of Wall Street. Maybe I should buy a home that is way out of my ability to pay for and then demand the US Government pay for it....because I deserve to have such a nice home. (for those of you who don't know me so well that was sarcasm) So far we have not demanded accountability for our governments spending actions, so why start now.

It's time we all start demanding more integrity and honesty from Capital Hill. It will be difficult because if you really examine our system of elections, the power has been taken from our hands and put in to the hands of the electoral college. Those who hold electoral vote power are encouraged to vote with the consensus of the people, but are not required to. So yes, you guessed it when we vote....it really doesn't mean much because they can cast their vote as they see fit.

Opening Post

OK, so I finally decided to start my own blog. Not too sure many will want to hear my deepest innermost thoughts, but hey it could happen. So this weekend is the 178th General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We've been fairly good about it hooking up our laptop to the Flat Panel TV to watch via byutv.com.

We spent the day around the house, taking the kids to the park in between sessions. So all in all a pretty decent day. The kids are having a blast on their bikes and we feel like we're settling into Colorado pretty well. This picture is of the Rockies and is a typcial view from pretty much anywhere in Colorado Springs.

One of the main reasons I wanted to start this blog is to have a forum from which to express my views. Not just to voice them, but also to help me organize my thoughts for my own benefit. So I hope to provoke insightful, respectful discussion on topics affecting families in the US today.