What issues will you use to choose candidates for Congress?
6 Comments
chris said:
I'd like to remind the press and the candidates that they work for us, the people and not the parties! Everyone seems to forget that basic constitutional fact. It would be nice to see some candidates with true common sense some day. There sure aren't any right now!
f bonzo moretti said:
Mostly the candidates will not address the issues of concern for me. The foremost problem in American government is the vast and untoward effect that money--in the form of campaign financing--has on our elected officials. Until and unless we disallow ALL private funding for ALL elections, that is, until we mandate and support ONLY public financing of all elections, we will continue to promote political corruption, collusion, and cynicism, and we simply will have no prayer of electing a majority of public servants whose mission is to legislate for the common good. There are NO candidates talking about this issue (none that I can vote for, anyway), so, I will hold my nose and vote a straight Democratic ticket, because--by and large--the Democrats are less in the pockets of monied interests and at least pay lip service to the ideals of democracy and the commonweal.
Oh yeah, there are plenty of other important issues that also aren't on the table for any candidates: extending Medicare for all Americans; reassessing America's stance as a unilateral military juggernaut, that is, disassembling the military industrial complex; reassessing America's completely dysfunctional view of criminal punishment--recentering on reparations for victims (and victims' rights) and rehabilitation for the convicted; reassessing (possibly revoking) the carte blanche reissuance of corporate charters, examining what it means to allow a corporate charter--originally charters were granted for the goal of completing a specific task and explicitly required a significant commitment to the improvement of society. I could go on, but this is a representative list of the issues that NONE of our representatives are talking about. Again, though , the Democrats get a grade of about a 1 (on a scale of 1 to 10) and the Republicans receive hearty -5s.
chris said:
I can't say I disagree with anything you mentioned, but voting straight demo isn't the answer either. I'm really torn because I am an NRA member, and totally support the second as well as all the other ammendments. The democratic party is still declaring war on the second and the NRA in particular. However there are some democrats that I will vote for because they are willing to break from the party line. There are also reps that I will not vote for for the same reasons. I guess I'm really a democrat (that would never vote for Hillary) in most of my beliefs.
How do we get the press to ask simple questions like: will you actually follow the constitution you vow to uphold, and will you vote for what your constituents tell you to? Simple questions that can be answered yes or no, and will show if they are willing to do the right thing. People should be more upset that the parties rights are more important than the peoples!
kristyr said:
I'm just pretty sick of the way things have been going, and I'm ready for a change. The Republicans have made a mess of things and I feel like I've been lied to. I just want our politicians to focus on fixing things here at home.
Melissa Neacsu said:
My main concerns this election are how the candidates will vote on issues like abortion and embryonic stem-cell research. While the Bush administration needs an overhaul, it is the Republicans that seem more willing to uphold the sanctity of life. Many Democrats have confused this as an issue about women's rights, but from the moment of conception, there are two lives involved, and two people's rights to consider. It is the fundamental principle of human rights that every human has the right to life, and few would argue that life begins at conception. The argument is simple and logical, and need not be backed by religious doctrine. Therefore I am baffled that so many intelligent people can confuse this as an issue of women's reproductive liberties.
CW said:
The Founding Fathers were very much religious grounded. This Government is based on christian faith- laws of the land is based on christian principles.
I beleive there is Ten Commandments on one of our federal buildings in D. C. above the door frame.
I'd like to remind the press and the candidates that they work for us, the people and not the parties! Everyone seems to forget that basic constitutional fact. It would be nice to see some candidates with true common sense some day. There sure aren't any right now!
Mostly the candidates will not address the issues of concern for me. The foremost problem in American government is the vast and untoward effect that money--in the form of campaign financing--has on our elected officials. Until and unless we disallow ALL private funding for ALL elections, that is, until we mandate and support ONLY public financing of all elections, we will continue to promote political corruption, collusion, and cynicism, and we simply will have no prayer of electing a majority of public servants whose mission is to legislate for the common good. There are NO candidates talking about this issue (none that I can vote for, anyway), so, I will hold my nose and vote a straight Democratic ticket, because--by and large--the Democrats are less in the pockets of monied interests and at least pay lip service to the ideals of democracy and the commonweal.
Oh yeah, there are plenty of other important issues that also aren't on the table for any candidates: extending Medicare for all Americans; reassessing America's stance as a unilateral military juggernaut, that is, disassembling the military industrial complex; reassessing America's completely dysfunctional view of criminal punishment--recentering on reparations for victims (and victims' rights) and rehabilitation for the convicted; reassessing (possibly revoking) the carte blanche reissuance of corporate charters, examining what it means to allow a corporate charter--originally charters were granted for the goal of completing a specific task and explicitly required a significant commitment to the improvement of society. I could go on, but this is a representative list of the issues that NONE of our representatives are talking about. Again, though , the Democrats get a grade of about a 1 (on a scale of 1 to 10) and the Republicans receive hearty -5s.
I can't say I disagree with anything you mentioned, but voting straight demo isn't the answer either. I'm really torn because I am an NRA member, and totally support the second as well as all the other ammendments. The democratic party is still declaring war on the second and the NRA in particular. However there are some democrats that I will vote for because they are willing to break from the party line. There are also reps that I will not vote for for the same reasons. I guess I'm really a democrat (that would never vote for Hillary) in most of my beliefs.
How do we get the press to ask simple questions like: will you actually follow the constitution you vow to uphold, and will you vote for what your constituents tell you to? Simple questions that can be answered yes or no, and will show if they are willing to do the right thing. People should be more upset that the parties rights are more important than the peoples!
I'm just pretty sick of the way things have been going, and I'm ready for a change. The Republicans have made a mess of things and I feel like I've been lied to. I just want our politicians to focus on fixing things here at home.
My main concerns this election are how the candidates will vote on issues like abortion and embryonic stem-cell research. While the Bush administration needs an overhaul, it is the Republicans that seem more willing to uphold the sanctity of life. Many Democrats have confused this as an issue about women's rights, but from the moment of conception, there are two lives involved, and two people's rights to consider. It is the fundamental principle of human rights that every human has the right to life, and few would argue that life begins at conception. The argument is simple and logical, and need not be backed by religious doctrine. Therefore I am baffled that so many intelligent people can confuse this as an issue of women's reproductive liberties.
The Founding Fathers were very much religious grounded. This Government is based on christian faith- laws of the land is based on christian principles.
I beleive there is Ten Commandments on one of our federal buildings in D. C. above the door frame.
Yes, it should be publicly diplayed.