2008 Presidential Voter Guide

No matter who you support, or think you support, it is important to be informed and not vote under false impressions or beliefs. I know some people shy away from being informed or investigating platforms of the candidates because it's usually too cumbersome or boring. I thought I would give an add service and summarize each candidates platform:

John McCain


Party: Republican
Age: 71
website: www.johnmccain.com

Bioethics/Stem Cells and Embryos
Supports Adult stem cell research
Supports Research using left over embryos from IVF
Supports Embryo destructive research
Supports Umbilical cord blood banks
Supports federal law prohibiting reproductive cloning and cloning for research


Judicial Issues
Would appoint judges who interpret a law in accordance of how it was written and not on personal beliefs

Woman's Health
Opposes Medicaid-funded abortions
Supports laws requiring abortion clinic to show all women an ultrasound image of their unborn baby.
Supports a federal parental notification law

Promoting Stronger Marriages
Opposes a constitutional amendment to define and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman

Religious Liberty
Supports the continuation of the Faith Based Initiative (federal level) to guarantee the right of religious social service providers to access federal programs on an equal basis.

Homosexuality and Special Rights
Would veto any bill to provide federal civil rights protection on the basis of sexual orientation.

Would veto an federal "hate crimes" law, and leave prosecution of such crimes to state and local authorities

Would veto any bill to overturn the statutory ban on homosexuals serving in the military

General Issues
Supports limiting the ability of government to take private land for private development purposes

Supports repeal of the federal estate (death) tax

Opposes legislative initiatives that emphasize border security over all forms of immigration reform

Supports President Bush's decision not to renew the federal ban on assault weapons

Supports removing the federal ban on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf

Supports an immigration system that allows undocumented immigrants, who qualify by not having a decided criminal record, to learn English and become eligible for US citizenship

Has a schedule for reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions


Barack Obama


Party: Democratic
Age: 46
website: www.barackobama.com

Bioethics/Stem Cells and Embryos
Supports Therapeutic Cloning
Supports Research of leftover embryos from IVF
Supports Research on Embryo Destructive Research
Supports Umbilical Cord Blood Banks

Judicial Issues
Would appoint judges who interpret a law in accordance of personal beliefs

Woman's Health
Supports Medicaid-funded abortions
Undecided on laws requiring abortion clinic to show all women an ultrasound image of their unborn baby.
Opposes a federal parental notification law

Promoting Stronger Marriages
Opposes a constitutional amendment to define and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman

Religious Liberty
Opposes the continuation of the Faith Based Initiative (federal level) to guarantee the right of religious social service providers to access federal programs on an equal basis.

Homosexuality and Special Rights
Would sign a bill to give civil rights protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity

Would sign a federal "hate crimes" law that included protections based on sexual orientation and "gender identity"

Would sign a bill to overturn the statutory ban on homosexuals serving in the military

General Issues
Undecided on limiting the ability of government to take private land for private development purposes

Opposes repeal of the federal estate (death) tax

Opposes legislative initiatives that emphasize border security over all forms of immigration reform

Opposes President Bush's decision not to renew the federal ban on assault weapons

Opposes removing the federal ban on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf

Supports an immigration system that allows undocumented immigrants, who qualify by not having a decided criminal record, to learn English and become eligible for US citizenship

Has a schedule for reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Chicken Little Headed for the Fryer

Many people are uptight and worried about the economy. As we sit in a state of worry about our 401Ks,IRAs, the credit crisis, and the job market, etc. Let me just say we live in the greatest country in the world. We live in a cyclical economy. We have a financial market that is more skittish than a herd of deer. I think people need to take a deep breath and relax. Now, once you've relaxed it's time for each of you to take action. People who moan and groan about why didn't someone do something really have no merit if they themselves didn't take action. We have a government that was established by the people, for the people. Well people, it's time for you to ask for accountability. Stop believing tainted, one-sided, media sources. If you haven't realized or want to deny it our media is biased and are not giving you full stories and truths.

If you are voting for Obama then make sure your beliefs line up with his. If what he proposes and supports is what you want for you and your family then I say vote for him. If you believe in the following:

a) Universal Health Care System. If you wish for the government to tell you what doctor you can see, what surgery you can have, and when you can have it then Obama is your man. If you think this is a great plan then talk to a Canadian.

b) If you want entitlement programs like free cell phones for welfare recipients, increase benefits for increased number of dependants, social security payments to illegal aliens, etc. then vote for Obama.

c) If you believe that Business owners should be taxed more and tax cuts should be given to lower income people then Obama is your guy. You are Ok with taxing the businesses who provide incomes to the majority of citizens. By locking up profits in taxes, resources are reduced, less people are hired, new technology is decreased, and moving business/production to foreign countries become more attractive then vote Obama.

d) If you are Ok with Obamas association with domestic terrorists, his passive and sympathetic stance to a foreign leader who openly expresses his desire to destroy, as he refers to them as Zionist Pigs, Israel. One of our Allies. Then Vote Obama.

No matter who is voted into office neither is going to solve the current problems overnight. We can only move forward and work towards a plan to fix the problems plaguing our nation and economy. Somehow people have this mentality that the Republican party is for the Rich, Democratic party is for the poor. That is far from the truth. Yes, I align myself more with the Republican party for these few reasons. They support less government involvement in the lives of Americans, they support a Free Market Place which promotes better technology, everyone has the opportunity to prosper, and growth of our economy. If you don't think that is true. Take any 10 year period of the market and show me one that hasn't grown. Stop looking at hiccups and short term analysis. Long Term our economy and financial markets grow. Just look at countries that are socialistic and communistic. Their economies are sluggish, their people are in poverty, and they are not growing.

Now, what has me mad is both Democrats and Republicans are not representing the people. We the people who have elected them. Moving forward, no matter who ends up in the oval office there needs to be accountability. Accountability to put pressure on Congress to get the hands of Wall Street, Lobby Groups, etc. out of their pockets, stricter oversight of financial institutions, harsher penalties for those who put the nations economy in risk, stricter guidelines for mortgages, and most importantly working towards a balanced budget. If any business or individual ran their business or home like our government they'd be bankrupt. The same needs to apply to our government. We need to get healthy again!

Now, Here is a plan my old buddy Dave Ramsey came up with and I totally agree with:
Dave Ramsey Website
Here is Dave's Plan;

1) Pray for your leaders:
Pray for them to resist a spirit of FEAR and to embrace WISDOM. Even if you don't like them or agree with them, pray for them and tell them you are praying for them. There is a spirit over this problem that must be broken. Also, most of the media personalities are afraid as well and that is affecting their reporting. Pray for fear to be removed from them; they are making this worse.


2. Send the Common Sense Fix to your State Representatives
Send The Common Sense Fix to your Representatives and Senators and tell them how you expect them to vote, and that if they put this nation in $700 billion of debt, that you will vote them out. It's their job to listen to us! (Whichever presidential candidate or political party that champions this plan from their leadership down will likely become the next president. That is because this plan fixes the crisis while going along with the wishes of the vast majority of Americans.)



3. Send the Link to Everyone You Know
Send a link to this page to everyone in your address book and tell them to urgently follow these 3 steps TODAY. The more people we have supporting this and contacting their elected leaders, the more likely we can turn our economy around!

Now, we all know the plan was passed. However, It's still not too late to express your disapproval for the plan. It needs to be revised.

It will get better. The way it gets better is start voicing your opinion to your local and state reps. If our Congressmen/ladies think they can operate according to their views, personal benefit, and gain they will do so. We must keep everyone in check. Don't just do this in the bad times. Always check up on what your Senators, House Reps are up to in Congress. You might say this is boring, not my thing, or it doesn't affect me then think again. Get involved, take action, but most importantly get informed. We risk each day that we will move closer to a socialist society. Historically, countries that have fallen to fascism, communism, and socialism never happened overnight. It came about out of systematic, slow, propaganda of evil dictators. Don't think the US media doesn't have the capability to influence you to believe lies and cover up truth. Stand up for your beliefs and support those who line up with them.

Come November it's up to you. Go Vote!

BOOOYAH! AWARD DAY!

I Love getting awards and my good friend Dawn has given me one. I am honored and thrilled.



This award comes with a few questions, so here we go:

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood? Not really, most of my childhood friends don't live in St. Louis anymore and after I moved to Texas and Louisiana I lost touch. My best childhood friend, Pat, who we hooked up with again when I moved back to St. Louis and he from Germany (He was in the Marines) have lost touch again because he moved to Phoenix.

2. What do you value most about your friends? Honesty.

3. Are your friends your sounding boards? Yes, I have limited friends but good ones!

4. What is your favorite activity to share with your friends? Dinner.

Since this award has already been handed out to my blogging friends I'm going to have to keep this and save it for new friends. Thanks again Dawn.

Lipstick Pitbull-My Girl for the White House

Well, let me just say last night was phenomenal. Just being in an arena, anticipating the debate, feeling the buzz, was nothing short of amazing. It was nice for once to see Palin speak without the filter of the liberal media. She has assured me that she has the fight, the drive, and what Washington needs God forbid she was ever called to serve as President prematurely.

She is educated, she is definitely grassroots, and a quick study. This woman will step right into one of the most important positions in this country.

John McCain and Sarah Palin have my vote!

See you all at the Poles!

EXCITED METER OFF THE CHART!

Well, it took some action on my part to change a "I should, I wish I , I'll look into that" into I'm going to do it. Early on when it was announced that the Vice President debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden was being held here in St. Louis I did inquire about getting tickets to the debate. Unfortunately, the majority of the tickets were in a lottery for the Wash U students. Very few were available to outsiders. Well, I heard some rumblings and rumors that there was going to be a Palin Debate Watch Party at a arena at St. Louis University. When I heard about it I figured it was going to be tough to get tickets to that event. In typical fashion I waited to the last minute to find out if tickets were available. It wasn't an easy task to find out about tickets. I started to think my suspicions were true in that it was closed off only to a select few. But, anyone who knows me and when I'm determined to find out about something I don't rest. I spent some time searching and I finally found it. Well, I found information on where you can get tickets. Luck would have it there was a McCain/Palin Campaign office two miles from my work. So, at lunch I drove over there to see about getting tickets. Well, I walk in the door and it's jammed. Two ladies in front of me were asking for tickets. I hear the guy say, well, I only have two tickets left. I was like,"DARN!". I actually thought worse but I'll keep it clean. Then my excitement level rose again when a lady walked in the door holding a ticket and wanting to return it because she can't attend the rally. Wooo hooo! I thought. Then the guy behind the counter goes, "Wow, you rank!" I'm clueless to what he means. He goes, "That's a VIP Ticket". Before I could respond a lady behind the counter goes, "OH, you can't have that one. That's a special ticket!". I was like OH! but before I could respond the guy goes, I do have another ticket. Here, you can have this one. So, I am going to the Republican Watch Party Tonight and I will report on it tomorrow! Sarah Palin is going to make an appereance at the rally after the debate. Wish me luck in maybe getting to meet her. I am very excited.

Warning: Potential Vomit Ahead

Karen and I were talking last week and I asked her about last Monday's Oprah show. I had remembered that she was talking a lot about this upcoming show and she had not mentioned it. She confessed that she didn't bring it up because the show was far more disturbing than she thought and to talk about it again was too tough. You see, Oprah's show was on the topic of child pornography, child abuse, and child predators. After Karen started to tell me about some of the details I was blown away. If you go to Oprah's website you can see a visual representation of how fast child pornography can spread across this country in a 24hr period. It's listed under "Most Populars". The part that made Karen physically ill and stunned was the fact that it's graduated from sending pictures to live streaming video of people abusing children and babies. Oprah reported that 70% of these cases are people abusing their own children.

Oprah did a follow-up comment last week on her show that said after this show aired she started getting emails and letters from pedophiles angry with her and defending their actions. They claim what they are doing is natural and shame on her for making it sound like a bad thing. One letter was signed, 9 angry penises.

I can not even express the anger, fear, and disgust I have over this information. Whatever you think of Oprah I commend her for bringing this to light. Law Enforcement officials do not have the man power or the resources to effectively combat what I call an epidemic and moral breakdown. It takes action. We need to fight and let our US senators know that this is something that takes precedence over other issues. You can either go to your state government website and find links to your state Senators or you can find a link Here for Oprah's Senator List where she gives you the link and a letter you can send to your Senators.

Now, I personally feel building more prisons and incarcerating offenders is not the ultimate solution. We need to petition our state representatives to approve programs to fix the problem and not isolate the problem. Most sex offenders abuse based upon compulsion. No Sex Offender Registry or time in prison is going to stop them. I agree Internet porn fuels the minds of offenders and law enforcement needs to go after them and porn websites with a vengeance. However, there needs to be more. Most offenders are victims of child abuse themselves. Most of the time by a family member. There needs to be government programs to repair these people emotionally and mentally. The cycle needs to be broken. It takes brave people like yourselves to stand up, make a voice, get in deep prayer about this, and say that is not acceptable.

I beg each of you to take a few moments and do this. It must be stopped and it's only going to get worse unless we take ACTION NOW!

Neighbors.....

Since it's Fantastic Friday I thought I would share who my Blogspot neighbor is. You ask, how do you know who your blogspot neighbor is? It's simple. It's sort of a fun way to see what other blogs are out there in Blogland. In fact, your blog neighbor changes by the minute. All you have to do is go to the top of your blog and hit, "next blog" and Waaaaa La! there's your blog neighbor. Now, sometimes you'll encounter blogs from other countries in languages you don't understand. Actually, lately that's happened a lot. Then you encounter blogs that are really suprising and interesting. The featured Neighbor Blog today is, Man Made Marvels . A blog on Made Made Marvels. The great thing is? If this blog didn't interest me I could click next and venture into another blog.

Some might say, Joe you have too much time on your hands, I say, True, but won't you be my neighbor?

Sign Lady Expose'

At the beginning of the summer Karen noticed a lady walking up and down our street holding a sign. The first time it happened back in June she thought the lady was advertising an event, a store opening, etc. Well, when she started to make more frequent visits to our street my lovely wife became more concerned and also very intrigued.

Well, a few weeks ago sign lady shows up. This time Karen can tell she is targeting the house on the other side of the cul de sac from us. You see we live on one corner and this house is on the other corner. Karen was trying desperately to make out what the sign said. It was obvious that she was trying to relay a message to our neighbors home. Finally, she came into the Cul de sac and Karen could make out I Love You (in form of a heart) and someones name. She thought maybe Jim. Then she moved to the front of the house but across the street. This woman knows boundary limitations for restraining orders I suspect. Our first thoughts, "An Affair to Remember" but not in the romantic Cary Grant way. I thought, this chick was dumped and she's not letting go. I'm getting the play-by-play of this over the phone while I'm at work. Next thing Karen says is, "Oh my gosh, she's blowing kisses at our neighbors house". I'm like, call the police. Karen's like, and tell them what? A Looney is blowing kisses at our neighbors house? I said, Precisely! Karen says, she'll be gone by the time they come and they'll think I'm nuts. Besides she says, she's starting to leave. Oh Wait a minute, she's walking back and unrolling her sign again. Karen said she flashed the sign one more time then rolled it back up and walked off down the street. So like I said that was about a few weeks ago.

So yesterday, Karen is going out to the car to get something out of it and who is standing on our lawn but Lady Blowakiss. Karen yells over at her, "May I help you?" the lady responds, "No, you may not!". Karen replies, "Well, can I ask you what you're doing?", the lady responds, "I'm Protesting. I've called City Hall and they know all about this!". Karen goes, "What are you protesting?". Lady responds, "My daughter-in-law won't let me see my grandson and he's my best friend". Karen responds, "Well, I don't think they're home". Lady doesn't respond. I would hate to think she's been doing this the whole summer and my wife points out to her that her protesting is literally ineffective because her target is not home.

I for one am a bit relieved. I just had visions of a heartbroken paramour pulling an Amy Fisher in our hood. I just can't stop wondering how she feels making a public spectacle of herself is going to make them want to have her around their child.

I think it would be funny the next time she's out there is make a sign that reads, "I "heart" the Sign Lady" and stand across the street from her and point it at her.

Have a great day!

Fellow Hurricane Suffers....

My In-Laws live in Florida and I received this "funny" email from Karen that express the frustration of living in Florida and dealing with Hurricanes. I thought with all my friends in Louisiana battling and worrying about what Hurrican is going to hit next, here is a posting to let you know that you're not alone:

Awards Night...

To my surprise my friend Dawn nominated my blog for an award. I'd like to thank my handful of devoted fans. I enjoy the comments I receive, the comments I don't receive, the comments I hope to receive.



The rules of this award are:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated

There are so many blogs I enjoy reading. It's been an amazing period where I've learned so much, reconnected with some friends, and met new ones. The blogs I enjoy reading the most and would like to nominate are the following:

My wife Karen (insert a blog from her to come soon. She is going to have an awesome one)

Chip Ingram

Robert Dickie

Chris Brady

Orrin Woodward

Dustin Breese

Chelle (regardless of her secret, private, blog)


These are just the tip of the iceberg of blogs I frequent. Thanks again to Dawn for the award and thanks to all of you who read my blog. Good Night and see you all at the after the awards show parties!

Yearbooked....

Thanks to my friend Dawn, I tried this hillarious yet scary website (www.yearbookyourself.com) . Here I am over the years starting in 1952:

1952

1962

1972

1974

1982

1988


1992

1994

2000

Friday's Deep Thought...

Everyone have a great weekend, Be Safe, and be Breezy!

Public Service Announcement

For us Cat Owners....

CAPTION OF THE DAY

FUNNIES FOR THE DAY

BIGGEST FEAR PART 3

To wrap up the series from Chip Ingram, the last question, "What am I going to do to change and make questions number 1 and 2 happen?" One of my biggest weaknesses is procrastination. Believe it or not, for years I didn't even know that's what I was doing. I thought it was normal to wait to the last minute or sometimes not do things at all. I'm highly aware of this now and it's actually a thorn in my side. It's a common trait of people with my personality type. I do well thinking about what I need to do, I know what I need to do, but then comes action and my old philosophy of tomorrow is better than today to start kicks in. If you know my personality, I have two types. The first one being Melancholy- detail oriented, introverted, will strive for perfection. The Second one is phlegmatic- procrastinate, people pleaser, love people, everyones friend. These personality traits are complete opposites of each other. You can now see the struggles that go on in my own head. No wonder I get migraines. So, I have to be highly aware of the tasks I need to do and learn to do them now. No matter how small, I have to do it now or I fall back into old habits. I'm a great starter, but horrible finisher. So I've set up a plan of action for me:

Reading
1. Read 15 minutes of a my study bible each day. Then work through the questions.
2. Read 15 minutes of a leadership book.
3. Read something funny and/or uplifting.

Prayer
1. Pray with Karen in the mornings before work.
2. Pray at lunch for personal reflection with a daily devotional.

Relationships

1. Start getting know people I work with and meet on a deeper level. I have some books that help in this area in asking questions that draw answers on a deeper level.
2. Be the head of my household and work at my marriage everyday. I have a very forgiving wife who really doesn't ask much of me. I know at times I probably take and don't give as much as I should. I want us not to have a good marriage but a great marriage. I need to know my priorities which are God, Karen, Bella, Work. I don't always have them in the right order.

So, that's my plan. I can do it. It's reasonable and attainable. This will all probably change as I grow, learn, and when God feels I'm ready he'll move me into more.

So have a great day!

Quote for the Day:
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." -Albert Einstein

Biggest Fear Part 2

Yesterday I began a new blog on everything outside of Bella. Have you ever started out in a blog with the best intentions, you have all these thoughts in your head, but they don't quite come out what you intended your point to be? I think God has blessed me in many areas but due to some overwhelming issues in my life right now I think I sounded like I'm aimless, derailed, and overly frustrated. True, I get frustrated when I know I'm doing the right things, being a good steward of my resources, but yet I'm not accomplishing desires and goals I have for my life. I am happy with my life because of the blessings of a great wife, great job, and Isabella. I learned a great lesson when God turned the mirror on me this week. Particularly after I've been praying, reading, and I even got answers after reading my own blog. One thing Karen and I have learned and almost have to remind ourselves daily is God doesn't operate in our timing. He operates in his. I've come to realize that I'm not ready for what he has planned for me and my family. He wants me to strive to be prepared. Not to sit idle but to read more, study more, and start working on my own heart before I can be effective. What I ended my blog with yesterday about being wide awake from the attacks of the devil I was talking about myself. He is trying his best lately to discourage me, to make me doubt, and wear me down. He won't win. He's tried it before. So I just ask that you keep me and my family in your prayers.



So to answer question #2 from Chip Ingrams series, "What do I wish for?". I wish for God to equip me with knowledge, Mentors in my life, emotional intelligence, and the ability to have a heart like Jesus so I can be effective in spreading the Gospel. Not by words alone but by action. I think each of our lives acted out is a better testimony than any words we speak. Not to be weird or preachy but treat everyone with understanding and love. This needs to start at home. I know the few people who read my blog have so much potential in their daily lives to affect the lives of so many. Words can not express how proud I am when I read your blogs and know the love, care, and compassion you have in the daily things you do. So tomorrow I'll answer #3. The Action Step! The hardest of them all.

So, that concludes todays ramble.

Love you all

Here a some quotes for the day:

Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.
Mother Teresa

God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.
Mother Teresa

I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.
Mother Teresa

Biggest Fear

Karen ( for those who don't know me is my Beautiful, funny, passionate wife) was listening to one of our favorite pastors on the radio a couple weeks ago,Living on the Edge- with Chip Ingram . Chip talked about 3 questions to ask your spouse and yourself on a weekly basis that will revolutionize your life. They are:

1. What are you concerned about?

2. What do you wish for?

3. What are you going to do about it?

This really got me thinking. I think Karen and I were pretty much on the same page with question #1. We both believe our greatest concern is to be good at something that doesn't matter. I know some of us get caught up in worrying about having enough money to take care of our families, worrying about our children, worrying about will the car make it another month. Those are the small stuff. What really has been on my mind is, What has God really called me to do? I've found myself thinking about this a lot. So much I almost feel dead in the water. Like I've pulled off the highway of life and I am just sitting here. Like what I'm doing is not what he wants me to be doing. Fearful that I should just stop and not move any further. Just sitting there is not me. If I don't have some kind of direction I start to get panicky. I've been in deep prayer the last couple days asking God to help me to have patients, peace, and trust. I have to remind myself that there is always a calm before the storm. What I mean by storm is there has to be change (A combination of opposing forces to create a new formation. Well, my interpretation at least) if I expect different results. God knows in some ways I'm suffering with this. A lot of people get caught up in a perplexing question, "Why does God let his Children suffer?". There was a great blog on this topic by Robert Dickie, 9 Reasons for Suffering.
It is a great teaching. I've stopped asking God Why and have begun asking How. How can I take this experience and learn from it? how can I grow and become stronger? I just know that God has a plan and a purpose to do good in my life. I just continue to pray in my, as one friend puts it, desert experience to be sensitive to the holy spirit and not miss doors of opportunity that God wants me to move through.

At a later time I will blog on questions 2 and 3. So stay strong. Be wide awake to the attacks of the Devil. If you feel like you're getting bombarded everyday just smile. You're headed in the right direction. The Devil doesn't go after the lost. But, remember, he has a limited amount of tricks. When he knows you won't give in he'll move on. So stay strong, press in, and fight the good fight.

Love you all

What can I say......

Ok, most of you have been reading my blog concerning my and Karen's adopted daughter, Isabella. I created that blog for Bella. I want to keep that blog for Bella. However, there are times when things weigh on my mind, things that strike me as interesting, but if I would post it on Bella's blog it would just take away from the specialness of Boogie's own blog site. So, I've created another blog for those things outside and also including Bella. So enjoy and thank you for stopping by and experiencing the inner sanctum of what my not fully developed brain ponders on.