A Hodgepodge of Issues

There have been a lot of things on my mind lately that I just want to get off my chest. Beware, I may become quite political and these are issues all over the board. I hope this all makes sense in the end.

I have to preface this first issue with the fact that I don't back either major political candidate right now. I find major problems with them both. Granted, this will make it hard to vote in November, but I will vote. Anyway, that isn't the point. I'm just amazed at the hypocrisy that exists in both political parties. I'm going to address a Democrat hypocrisy right now, but know that Republicans also have many against them as well. To the point: I hate how a lot of Democrats tout women's rights, especially that women should be able to, and sometimes just should, work outside the home. (I have strong feelings on the "Mommy Wars" as well, but that's another post.) So, they go on saying all this and what happens when a successful mother is chosen as the VP pick on the Republican ticket? They attack her, saying that she should be home with her kids. Not everyone is saying this about Palin, but I've heard plenty of it. They say with a Down Syndrome baby she shouldn't be running for #2. When did they get particular? And they also fail to mention that she takes her son with her everywhere and still nurses him while on the stump. It's just that since she's of a different political mindset as they are that their demands for women are different for her. What bunk!

The whole "lipstick on a pig" debacle: silly, silly, silly. It's stupid and petty for both sides and, frankly, there are more important things to address than acting like a bunch of grade school kids on the playground.

The continued bailouts the government is giving to mortgage lenders is starting to scare me. It makes me wonder who has the inside track in Washington and when this will stop. The government getting involved and taking over private business is a big step toward socialism, which scares me. I heard a commentary yesterday that increased my distrust that government can really solve all this mortgage mess. The commentator (on Marketplace on NPR) said that the government itself is partially responsible for all this. All through the '90s and 2000s the government leaned on the mortgage industry to loosen mortgage standards so home ownership would increase, which in turn makes the U.S. look good and economically stable. So, these companies did. The banks making the initial loans sell them anyway. If government is partially responsible, should they really be in charge of fixing it? Is more government the answer? I highly doubt it.

This story out of China about melamine in infant formula makes me absolutely sick. Not only did these companies put a harmful chemical in food, they did it to save cost, labeled it "high protein," and knew it would be fed to babies. Also, the government knew about it. That's the truly sick part. When doing their tours of the factories, the agents would notify the factory in advance, letting them know what they wanted to see and what they didn't, and then the visit would just be checking boxes and leaving 20 minutes later. I cannot say how sick this whole story makes me. Evil really is alive and well in the world.

On a funny note, did any of you see the SNL skit making fun of Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton? If not, you've gotta see it. You can see it here. It is absolutely hilarious. It's one of the better SNL skits I've seen in awhile.