My Soapbox

I have a problem with Republican politics. When George W. Bush became president, the first thing he did was screw with American public education, instituting No Child Left Behind, which was and is totally out of step with reality.

What's worse is that I live in a Republican state. I am inundated daily with the conservative agendas that are so far from what I feel and believe that it gets ugly.

What are my issues? Mostly, I am female!

*Abortion. I don't like the notion of late-stage abortion as a measure of birth control, but I do think that a woman should have a choice. If men can't keep things in their pants, and women are drawn into that, why must it be the woman who is stuck with a life-changing situation, when men can move on to create other unwanted children? Sorry...I just think the choice should be there.

*Welfare. Not everyone in need of services is bleeding the system. My child and her family were, several times (unbeknownst to me) having to take advantage of WIC, food stamps, food banks, and other ways to keep the babies fed. Poverty in this country is overwhelmingly juvenile and female. Who does it hurt to cut back on welfare??

*Education. I was a teacher for 40 years in American public schools. Over the last 15 years of my teaching career, we were told how we weren't making the grade, in spite of working our fannies off trying to help kids not only learn but also just to get through their lives. Now, states are offering vouchers to send tax monies with children who want to go to private schools. What's wrong with that? It takes aways funds from public schools and puts it in the hands of schools that can pick and choose what students they will accept and not accept. Schools whose students can't make the appropriate test scores are threatened with being "taken over" by the state. These same schools have already lost so much revenue due to the economy that they can't even provide enough copy paper to provide worksheets and other valuable learning materials. It's a set-up for failure. Actually, I WANT to see the state take over these schools and see what they can do!!

*Gay marriage. The debate is still out about whether homosexuality is a choice or a genetic inheritance. Who cares? Yes, it is strange by most standards, but gays are not asking for anything more than a legally recognized partnership, which can already be documented in law. I mean, my siblings and I were partners in farm ownership. Why can that same institution be granted to people of the same sex who want to be together forever? What is the divorce rate for gay marriages? Can it be any worse than the 50% hetero rate? The statistics are still out on that one, too. I take the same stance with that as I do with the notion that there can be no other life in the universe. Huh? How do we know??

*Separation of church and state. The Republicans think they have a claim to defend the Christian nature of our country's founding. If they actually did their research, they would understand that our founding fathers weren't necessarily Christian, and the pilgrims were a mixed bag of people looking for new situations. (Not the Puritans...the pilgrims.) I have my faith. I want others to have theirs. But I do NOT want religion in my government, and I do NOT want government in my religion! When the line blurs, we all have issues.

*Women's rights. The Republicans let the likes of Rush Limbaugh represent their conservative stance. I have listened to Rush's radio program way longer than I like, only to try to understand what the conservative view is on things. He repulses me! Last week, ol' Rush stepped directly into a pile of manure that came from his own mouth. A young woman was testifying before a congressional committee about insurance covering contraception prescriptions--a committee that had no females on it, and had decided that her testimony could not be televised. In his daily radio show, he called her a "slut" and a "prostitute" because (he conjectures) that she wanted to have so much sex that she wanted insurance to cover her contraception. Huh?? I was infuriated! Rush created such a firestorm that he was forced to make a sort-of apology because he was losing sponsors for his show, but the apology was one of those, "I'm sorry, BUT..." things. Don Imus lost his radio slot for calling a group of African American female athletes a bunch of "nappie-headed ho's", but Rush is being kept on and defended by his media carrier for his "right to express his opinion" about the issue at hand. Clearly, it isn't okay for a non-political idiot to make racial slurs, but it IS okay for a political idiot to sling epithets at women? Sorry. It doesn't fly with me. In fact, it make my blood pressure go up!!

I witnessed a TV ad the other day promoting a penis vacuum pump...with the tag that it is "covered by Medicare and most insurance policies". Huh? This has nothing to do with contraception or procreation, but for sexual desire. Apparently it's okay for insurance to cover this but not female contraception?? I'm aghast....

One of my dearest friends has become a conservative/political gun nut whose information about politics comes directly from the NRA. He is vociferously posting anti-democratic stuff...even touting the "birther" crap. I have tolerated it, considering his state of mind as his. I'm done with that, now. I intend to continue the fight by posting some stuff in my own conscience's defense.

I went to church yesterday. The pastor spoke briefly about the poor people in southern Indiana who have suffered with the tornado devastation, saying "They are not being punished for anything." Then I went to Sunday School, and one of our older members who gets on topics and won't shut up started in on how we have tornadoes because we have cut Got out of our society. Oh...you have to understand how much strength it took to keep my mouth shut!! I started to, saying, "Now, now, Kenny..." but his wife shut him down before it got worse. We all know Kenny's thoughts. Everyone knows not to get him started...but it upsets me. In fact, when politics came up in class during our study of the disciples, I blurted out "As long as the Republicans allow themselves to be represented by Rush Limbaugh, I will never vote for them. I am very, very angry about that!" Things were pretty quiet after that.

I'm sorry if your fortune has been at risk because of the economy, but Barack Obama didn't start that. George W. Bush started the big company bailouts. I don't have a fortune. I don't even make enough money in retirement to pay much in taxes. I don't follow the stock market. No need! I don't know what the answer is. Like the big majority of people in this country, I rely on what I have to keep me going. It isn't pretty, folks...but I'm not complaining. I'm just tired of those who do! Until you have lived at the bottom of the heap for awhile, you have no room to criticize what goes on!

I wish I were a multi-millionaire. I wouldn't buy for me. There is nothing I really need...but so many need so much. I would get such pleasure out of helping a little!