ClydeStyle

Category: Voting

  • Truth telling: Before politics makes you disinterested

    Every now and again I like to expound on the political climate. After all, being a true independent I feel obligated to call out both sides of the aisle as our government is to be blamed for the condition of Liberty’s kids.

    Democratic candidates stumble over each other trying to convince portions of Americans that they would be better than the status quo. No different than three years ago when the Republican candidates did the same thing. We now know they lied — just like the current group is lying. If democracy is defined as the have nots hoping that the haves will show mercy each year then what nation would want democracy?

    An argument could be made for a dictatorship. The reason is simple: A dictatorship is one guy and his regime, but you cut the head off and it’s over. In a democracy, particularly ours, you have to deal with the full government of 435 in Congress and then an executive branch who are all wealthy, beneficiaries of a system that oppresses people and does not work for everyone.

    But the point of this blog is to point out the obvious lies and give the truth where applicable.

    First truth: Our president committed crimes. Say that in any other decade and he would immediately be impeached — whether it was in an election cycle or not.

    Second truth: The media is biased and their reporting is not helping hand, it flat out stinks! The media is too busy lashing back at the president to report useful informaton to the republic for which it stands. They would do better to review what Ben Franklin and his brother had in mind when they invisioned the media.

    Lastly, healthcare is what Dems would let you believe is the biggest issue but it is not. Here are issues that are more important: Income inequality, justice reform and prison reform. Look these up and see how many people they effect and don’t forget the families of the folks dealing with the justice system.

    You see, half the healthcare problem is that consumers are half the blame. There are just some things we should not be eating because it is unhealthy and leads to obesity and many other health problems. You know, meat, dairy and processed foods to start.

    I’m just trying to make you aware. The three I mentioned are not controlled by the people they effect.

    This needed to be said.

  • Something must be done about voter suppression

    Wow! What an election!

    I’m writing this blog hours before the final counts are in, but I wanted to put this idea out into the universe. Today it took me 2.5 hours to vote –that was the longest For me since I became eligible to vote. There were two precincts voting in one place and it was obvious that voter suppression was at play.

    The city I live in is a metro area to Detroit. There are lots of townhomes, apartments, condos and houses in this area. Instead of dividing the two precincts in my area by addresses, congressional districts or even a Jedi using the force, someone decided that the homowners should vote in one precinct and everyone else in the other.

    The result: homeowners could vote in less time than it takes to make a country breakfast. The other group might as well been standing in line for a roller coaster ride at cedar point on their busiest day! This was not just a divide by race (because there were some African-Americans disproportionate in each group) but financially as well.

    As I stood in line I had this idea; what if before the election a proposal to impeach the Secretary of State was on the ballot in every state? So, if you didn’t like the way voting was arranged then you could do something about it immediately.

    It’s as if minorities in America expect things to be unfair. We put up with all kinds of “stuff” assuming that we won’t get a fair shake in this country. I’m still wondering why voter suppression is not a federal offense punishable by mandatory jail time. Lol! I’m not wondering…I know why and so do you.

    Voter suppression is as blatant now as it was when African-Americans were first given the right to vote. All of this is being done to “buy” our government. If “we the people” continue to lay down for these shenanigans then our government will be up for sale. If we sell our government into slavery, then doesn’t that make us all slaves?

  • But God,

    Attention everyone!

    This is a break from the election junk. Please remember to vote Nov. 6 for whoever you support because it is your right.

    I was explaining to a group of kids this past week about my selection for president. Now before you think that I’m getting ready to give you my personal views on the candidates don’t worry. That’s not what I told the kids and it’s not what I’m going to waste your time on either.

    What I told them was about two of my favorite words in scripture and when these two words come together, look out! The two words I’m referring to are “But” and “God”. If my life were a manuscript, after every calamity it would read “but God.” After every screw up, every sin, every problem, every worry and every confession, I have been able to say “but God.”

    I’m very proud of this fact. I have personally experienced the unmerited favor of the Lord. Every time I read Ephesians 2:3-6 I get goose pimples because it is very personal to me. Paul writes: “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).”

    It’s not enough to simply know that we are sinners. It’s really the idea that we could experience such great love and not have earned it. It’s really that we have been granted peace, given grace and experience mercy. The level of forgiveness is not of this world and for this, all God wants us to do is trust and obey.

    It is this fact that makes me not a candidate for judging others. I am not a candidate eligible to sit on the same level as God and condemn anyone. BUT GOD did invite me to love, forgive, help, comfort, educate and nurture all of mankind. It’s the privilege I have as a child of the King. I have to always remember who is in control — and it ain’t ever been me. I’m glad that God sits high and looks low and shows favor to his children.

    No matter what happens on Nov. 6, I will be content where I am because God is in charge and I am eternally grateful for that. So when things go wrong and situations get out of hand, I hope like me you can smile and say, “But God.”

  • Democracy and trust?

    http://www.ted.com/talks/ivan_krastev_can_democracy_exist_without_trust.html??utm_medium=social&source=email&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=ios-share

  • A month before the election and there’s nothing to get excited about

    Don’t you just hate election season?

    The worst of us comes out during this time. We actually get a glimpse at how divided our country really is. It’s sad that we are forced to choose sides.

    The majority of the US is poor and hopeful that the election may change something in their favor. The wealthy are hoping for the same thing.

    In our country we play with a lot of things, particularly terms. We will use a word that commonly means one thing, but we will give it another meaning. We even act as though all things are equal, when clearly they are not. For example, it bothers me every time a politician promises to create jobs. I often wonder what kind of jobs.

    Even when they say the Obama administration has created X amount of jobs, what does that really mean? Is this a job that will allow a man to take care of his family or will the same man need three of these newly created jobs to do that?

    Then the other party says, “His economic policies have failed us!” They want us to believe that they could have fixed every that happened during the Bush years. They say they would have created even more jobs. You know me, I then wonder what kind of jobs? No one ever talks about what kind of jobs. They just say jobs.

    If you have been watching, I told you in the summer that this election would be the most expensive election in US history. And in the midst of the homeless and jobless, we will elect someone who will make more money being president than they did before they got the position. And they will make even more money when they exit the presidency than they made as president.

    It’s October and I’m already tired of these ads. I don’t know about you, but this is depressing to me. Despite everything, please vote. Your voice will be heard. It’s one of our rights that people died for. It’s the least you could do.

    It makes me long for the return of Jesus. Only he can make things fair.

  • Christian politics?

    Is it possible to be a Christian in politics?

    It seems like election time brings out the worst in us. We hear Christians speak of patriotism as if it were in the bible.

    We say things that are in direct conflict with the teachings of Jesus, but we still claim to belong to him.

    How can those who have much, not help those who have less? How could we think that Jesus would just be okay with this?

    Jesus said for us to love our neighbor as he has loved us. Jesus loved us enough to actual give up his life for our sins. He rose from the dead with all power in heaven and earth. His victory in the grave was so profound! In the midst of this victory, the apostle Paul explains (eph. 4) that Christ “led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.”

    These wonderful gifts were used to perfect the saints, equip the body for ministry and build up the saints.

    My point here is this, there is nothing we have that we acquired on our own. Without Christ, we are nothing.

    If I’m middle class and know that I HAVE because HE lives, then what right do I have to judge? How can I tell someone to simply pull themselves up by their boots straps when I didn’t do that? Many of the rich in our country are living off “old” money. Their grandfathers and great-grandfathers gave them a huge head start in real estate, finances, education and status. They were able to take these wonderful resources and grow them 10 and 100 fold or more.

    There is a great divide in our country between those that have and those that don’t. And the viewpoint of the rich regarding the poor seems so judgmental. I think Mitt Romney summed it up well in his statement that he doesn’t care about the very poor. Newt Gingrich followed up Romney’s comment by saying he cares about the very poor and opportunity needs to be shown to them so that they can “stop being poor.” I don’t think he realized what he said. Can they really just “stop being poor?”

    I see God using those who are poor and struggling in a powerful way. I believe these folks are there so that God can see the true intent of the rich. Will you help or will you hurt? 

    We would be foolish to believe that any of the candidates on either side really care about the poor when we are still spending far more money in foreign relationship and war than we do on the needy in our own country.

    I have been truly blessed to be able to provide for my family. And I am mindful and very much in touch with those that are struggling. As Christians we cannot say we honor God and turn a blind eye on those that are suffering.

    We all need to do what our scope of influence will allow us to do because in this economy, you never know when things can go south. And for those who believe they are untouchable, you are grossly underestimating God!

    Learn this lesson now before God takes you to school!

     

  • Voting is a right, right?

    It’s November again and that means that in most parts of the country we will be setting our clocks back participating in Benjamin Franklin’s daylight savings regimen. It also means for this year that we will be exercising our American to vote for whatever candidate we choose.

    There’s much interest in getting people out to vote and there’s a lot on social networking sites like Facebook encouraging people to vote. I was asked recently why I am voting. The intent of the question was for me to say something like my ancestors fought for the right for me to vote and many of African heritage died so that myself and other minorities may have the right to vote. So basically I should, and every minority should take pride because “they” are letting us vote.

    I keep going back to the original question. What happen in the distant past does not motivate me to vote. What has happened in just the last decade keeps coming to mind for me along with the age old question of will my vote matter. For me, every time I go to the polls I think of why Al Gore didn’t continue to fight for his presidency. I keep thinking that with a race that close, he owed it to those who voted for him – the majority of the country – to challenge those results. He started, and then he just stopped. It’s as if he saw a butterfly flying outside his window and got interested in the environment and global warming.

    Then I think of the Bush vs. Kerry election and how there were people in poorer districts that were robbed of an opportunity to vote. I also think of the punch card controversy (carried over from the previous election) and who could forget the recounts in Ohio.

    If this were not enough, I think of how we taught Iraq how to vote – complete with teaching them about political parties and our brand of politics.

    I even question why we still have an electoral college. I often wonder if our elections are fixed or if it was just created to look like a complicated “rubrics cube” and President Barack Obama found the right algorithm to solve it.

    Maybe I’m thinking too much, but the last decade you’ll notice – if you have been paying attention – that our country is headed down a slippery slope. We have massive debt, a divided government, we have totally disrespected the power and position of the President and we’ve given every interest group the right to openly challenge authority, fight the powers that be and openly practice deception all in the name of democracy.

    I fear that America is too dumb to handle its problems. Too many people don’t have a clue to what’s really happening and the media has not done anything to help. People are voting for a candidate based on everything but the candidates true ability to serve in the office they are running for. Am I the only one frightened by this?

    I feel like our country is being hi-jacked by a bunch of irresponsible kids who claim to like tea. You know the ones who have made bad decisions and as a result were home living in mom and dad’s basement. Well now those same kids want to select positions in Congress.

    Although there are many reasons to vote, the glaring reason for me these days is habit.