OK! Now we are getting somewhere! I have not warmed up to any of the presidential candidates. I just don't like any of them. Well except Ron Paul of course. But, I think John Wayne McCain just changed all that for me. John Wayne McCain can slip up, while running his mouth and tell the truth while the others are just too good at lying. That's OK with me. I'll take the truth any where I can get it. I'll bet Papa Bush cringed at this one!


McCain clarifies remark on oil, Iraq - John McCain News - MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24434071)

Ha Ha Ha!

Maybe he will awaken and realize that politics is more than just getting along; it is a civil way of changing our government, as opposed to a violent way. He will have to toughen up to win; its not reasonable to expect Oba'llary to fumble McCain's way into the White House, though either is quite capable of doing so.

Never underestimate the ability of Republicans to lose elections. Honestly for McCain to win this there will be a lot of other people carrying his water. I'm concerned that he is the next Bob Dole ;a man who should've easily won.

McCain's political campaign handler's are going to have to keep tighter reigns on the old man or tape his mouth shut between now and November.

Now I hear that he is reopnening his "comprehensive immigration reform" push. I am wondering if the sheer horror of a Clinton or Obama presidency will be enough to get me to the polls in Nov. or not. I'm pretty old, maybe I won't vote, maybe a lot of conservatives won't. (Not sure myself) Then we could watch the Dems fly this whole country into the ground! If McCain wants to get to the White House, he better wake up as to who his best allies could (or not), be. I doubt the Hispanics will vote for him en mass regardless of what he does.

Then we could watch the Dems fly this whole country into the ground! If McCain wants to get to the White House, he better wake up as to who his best allies could (or not), be. I doubt the Hispanics will vote for him en mass regardless of what he does.

McCain's on the same side of amnesty as the Democrats, so that's a wash. However your remark: "Dems fly this whole country into the ground," has me wondering what rock you've been hiding under for the last seven and half years. It will take at least two terms just to get us of the rut Bush bogged us down in. Even McCain at his age recently recognized this and that's why he changed his tune from needing to run for one term, to two.

Galveston ;even worse ,he is planning on attending and making a speech at the La Raza convention .

Senility is a sad thing.

Senility is not the issue. He is trying to create his own base of support and ignoring the conservative base. The fool had it out with the North Carolina Republican party a week before the primaries. Although he is the nominee and the race is over ,he still had 25% of the Republicans voting against him.

He is making a mistake. Obama is beatable but not without mobilizing the conservatives.This La Raza speech is just pandering to a support base that he probably can't win anyway. While doing it he has gone from committing to border security ;building the wall first, back to this "comprehensive" approach which will mean another amnesty with no border enforcement.

I will vote for him but I am more convinced than ever that we will have a President Obama next year.

senility is not the issue. It might be:
mccain senile - Google Search (http://www.google.ca/search?q=mccain+senile)

You should just hope you have his facility when you are his age.

Actually I don't. My father is older than he and seems to be in much better shape physically and mentally.

McCain jokes to play down age as issue - John McCain News - MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17686656/)

If McCain were really honest, he would be running as a Democrat.

If McCain were really honest, he would be running as a Democrat.
I feel the same way about George W. Bush (and his daddy).

[QUOTE=Galveston1]Now I hear that he is reopnening his "comprehensive immigration reform" push. I am wondering if the sheer horror of a Clinton or Obama presidency will be enough to get me to the polls in Nov. or not. I'm pretty old, maybe I won't vote, maybe a lot of conservatives won't. (Not sure myself) Then we could watch the Dems fly this whole country into the ground! If McCain wants to get to the White House, he better wake up as to who his best allies could (or not), be. I doubt the Hispanics will vote for him en mass regardless of what he does

I am really curious what the Democrats could do to fly this whole country into the ground, that hasn't already been done by this current administration. What is your take on McCain's direct involvement with the Lincoln Savings & Loan Scandal? I am sure it would interest you how much he advocated to protect those who were directly responsible for the downfall.. that affected THIS WHOLE NATION.

It is interesting to me that someone couldn't view the last eight years as a complete failure.. In regards to our economy (which was in a surplus before the current conservative right came into power) The issue of health care and social security hasn't been addressed but is now a situation of detrimental concern. The environmental laws of this country have been turned back 20 years, even though there is a world wide interest and effort to take on issues of alternative energy, protecting water, and creating solutions for global warming. IN FACT this administration has dragged its feet in even admitting there is global warming (NO matter why it is happening, its happening) Moreover, the energy companies, big oil, tobacco and alcohol are behind this administration and thus, they have a had to pay back by protecting them, rather than the WORKING CLASS citizen who makes up the population in this country.

So, I guess you see it as an opportunity to blast what a democrat will do, but I can tell you that NOTHING THIS CURRENT ADMINISTRATiON has done has been for the benefit of the working class people of this country. In addition to putting us in debt with other countries, as well as our own, they have done nothing to create international alliances with other countries and created a war with a country that is nothing but a smoke screen for the real agenda, MONEY AND POWER.. that is what they are motivated by and what they are protecting. NOT our rights, NOT our freedom, NOT our health, NOT our job opportunities, NOT our education. So before you attack the democrats of this country, take a good look of the state of affairs we are in now, do to the Conservative Administration who looks out for BIG BUSINESS, before the average AMERICAN citizen.
DISHONESTY occurs in every administration, but not every administration has blood on their hands because of it.
Outsourcing jobs, creating loopholes for big business while the small business man can't survive, Serving the corporations and the Board of Trustees interests, instead of the everyday taxpayer. Continuing a war with NO FUNDING or strategy to support it, as well as giving all the bidding contracts to their own people... these are all catastrophic things that have effected our state of affairs, our economy and our stronghold as a nation.
The dollar is weaker, the banks, due to illegal practices that were supported, are foreclosing homes at an astronomical rate. More than half of Americans have no health insurance, and the Educational Reforms that were modeled after Bush's reign in Texas as governor, have all but failed.
I cringe to think of ANOTHER Conservative Republican serving the interests of BIG BUSINESS and THEIR OWN GREED, having control over this nation for another four years, I don't think we could be any more flat on our face than we are now, but to really run us into the ground, would be to elect another puppet of those in power..

I would give anyone a chance if they weren't run and controlled by the most powerful, wealthy and elite. I don't trust them. We didn't trust them when we came to America and that is why we created a separation of powers, a Constitution, a Bill of Rights and allowed citizens to VOTE.. THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY DESERVE BETTER.. THey deserve the right to be protected, to be heard and to be given the same opportunities as those in power. I Don't see how that could happen under another candidate, who will do more of the same...
At least historically, the Democratic party has defended and supported the interests of the working class, or the MIDDLE CLASS, which as all but evaporated.
HEALTH CARE
EDUCATION
ENVIRONMENT
SOCIAL SECURITY
OHH and DEFENSE which is usually the biggest expenditure for Republicans historically, was DRASTICALLY cut in this administration.
These issues I would rather have addressed by ANYONE other than a CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN...
AM I saying we have the best candidates? NO, I am saying it will be better than MORE OF THE SAME.. because with MCCAIN, it will BE MORE OF THE SAME..

Wow! Hi, Shattered. You point out things that have been going on for far more years than 8.
Healthcare? Ours is good enough that people come here from all over the world to get it. Education was ruined many years ago when Federal Aid to Education started.
If environmental nutcases would get out of the way, we would likely be energy independent by now. What Pres was it that wanted energy independence? Oh, yeah. That was GWB. Bill Clinton vetoed drilling in ANWAR in 1992. We could have been getting the equivalent of what we purchase from Saudi Arabia from Alaska by now.
Don't tell me you really think we have any way to control the average temperature of our planet. Do you? The idea that we are responsible for global warming is a hoax designed to enrich Al Gore & crew.
We know that Social Security is about broke. Lyndon Johnson and a Democrat congress STOLE the SS trust fund and spent it on the failed effort to eliminate poverty in this country.
What Pres wanted to fix SS by allowing some private investment by taxpayers in their retirement? Who got in the way?
The economy was going down when Clinton left office. Borrowing curreny into circulation goes back a long time and is primarily responsible for the shrinking of the dollar.
Having said all this, McCain is the best Democrat in the race.

Wow! Hi, Shattered. You point out things that have been going on for far more years than 8.
Healthcare? Ours is good enough that people come here from all over the world to get it. Education was ruined many years ago when Federal Aid to Education started.
If environmental nutcases would get out of the way, we would likely be energy independent by now. What Pres was it that wanted energy independence? Oh, yeah. That was GWB. Bill Clinton vetoed drilling in ANWAR in 1992. We could have been getting the equivalent of what we purchase from Saudi Arabia from Alaska by now.
Don't tell me you really think we have any way to control the average temperature of our planet. Do you? The idea that we are responsible for global warming is a hoax designed to enrich Al Gore & crew.
We know that Social Security is about broke. Lyndon Johnson and a Democrat congress STOLE the SS trust fund and spent it on the failed effort to eliminate poverty in this country.
What Pres wanted to fix SS by allowing some private investment by taxpayers in their retirement? Who got in the way?
The economy was going down when Clinton left office. Borrowing curreny into circulation goes back a long time and is primarily responsible for the shrinking of the dollar.
Having said all this, McCain is the best Democrat in the race.


snopes.com: Social Security Changes (http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/sschanges.asp)

FactCheck.org: Lies in the E-mail, Part 2 (http://www.factcheck.org/specialreports/lies_in_the_e-mail_part_2.html)

Lies in the E-mail, Part 2
April 14, 2004
By Brooks Jackson


"Since my first article on lying e-mails, I've gotten dozens of inquiries about a snarky little message blaming Democrats alone for all sorts of bad changes to Social Security. I'm calling it "Lying E-mail #2" because it is so full of laughably inaccurate claims.



Lying E-mail #2

SOCIAL SECURITY:

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the federal government to "put away," you may be interested in the following:
Q: Which party took Social Security from an independent fund and put it in the general fund so that Congress could spend it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the
Democratic-controlled House and
Senate.
Q: Which party put a tax on Social Security?
A: The Democratic party.
Q: Which party increased the tax on Social Security?
A: The Democratic Party with Al Gore casting the deciding vote.
Q: Which party decided to give money to immigrants?
A: That's right, immigrants moved into this country and at 65 got SSI Social Security. The Democratic Party gave that to them although they never paid a dime into it.
Then, after doing all this, the Democrats turn around and tell you the Republicans want to take your Social Security.
And the worst part about it is, people believe it!
Pass it on please!
2004 Election Issue
This must be an issue in "04." Please! Keep it going.

Who Taxed Benefits?

The most glaring falsehood in this one is a claim that it was "the Democratic party" that "put a tax on Social Security."

Oh yeah?

Here's a link to a picture of that tax being signed into law. The year was 1983, and the president who signed it was Ronald Reagan.

Note Republican Sens. Bob Dole and Howard Baker -- both of whom had a hand in passing the law through the Republican -controlled Senate -- are looking on approvingly, along with a number of Democrats.

The tax, in fact, was part of a bipartisan measure to address Social Security's shaky finances. And it was recommended by a bipartisan commission headed by another Republican -- Alan Greenspan -- who had been appointed by Reagan. You can read about the Greenspan Commission (and see a picture of a much younger Greenspan) here, at a site the Social Security Administration maintains to document the history of the program. There is a full history of how benefits came to be taxed here .

And by the way, the tax only applied to a relatively small percentage of retirees -- those whose income totaled over $32,000 for a married couple. And the tax fell on only 50 percent of their Social Security benefits.

Who Gave SSI To Immigrants?

The next biggest whopper in this e-mail is a claim that it was "the Democratic party" that "decided to give money to immigrants" through the SSI program, "although they never paid a dime into it."

Actually it was Republican President Richard Nixon who both proposed and signed the legislation creating SSI -- the Supplemental Security Income program. When he signed it on Oct. 30, 1972, Nixon called it "landmark legislation." It was also bipartisan, approved by a Congress that was controlled by Democrats at the time.

Under Nixon's SSI law, immigrants were eligible for benefits from the start, as were all citizens, provided they were blind, disabled or elderly and destitute.

SSI is a federal welfare program funded out of general tax revenues, and is separate from the Social Security old-age pensions and disability insurance programs funded out of dedicated payroll taxes. While Social Security benefits are paid to those who have paid payroll taxes for a certain minimum period of time, SSI benefits were available to all -- citizens and resident aliens alike -- regardless of whether they had "paid a dime into it" or not.

The Social Security Administration published a history to mark the 20th anniversary of the SSI program, which you can read here.

It's true that Republicans did try to cut off SSI benefits for immigrants in 1996, but they quickly eased their stance amid a public outcry. The 1996 welfare-reform law cut off benefits for most immigrants. (Democratic President Bill Clinton protested, but signed the law anyway.) An outcry arose when the Social Security Administration notified more than 660,000 aged, blind and disabled immigrants that their benefits would be cut off at the end of 1997 and newspapers carried reports of some who had committed suicide after being notified. Congress then restored benefits to those immigrants who were getting them before the welfare-reform law was signed. The measure that permanently restored benefits to pre-1996 immigrants (Public Law 105-306) passed the Republican House by voice vote and the Republican Senate by unanimous consent.

Tough restrictions remain for newer immigrants, which you can read here. But you can credit a Republican president for creating SSI and a Republican Congress for giving SSI benefits back to hundreds of thousands of aged, blind and disabled immigrants.

Who Spent Trust Fund Money?

The e-mail gets history wrong again when it blames Democrats alone for spending Social Security tax revenues for other purposes. It is true that Democratic President Lyndon Johnson was the first to lump the accounting for Social Security (and many other federal trust funds) into the "unified" federal budget. He announced this in 1968 in his State of the Union address:

LBJ: This budget, therefore, for the first time accurately covers all Federal expenditures and all Federal receipts, including for the first time in one budget $47 billion from the social security, Medicare, highway, and other trust funds.

But the same accounting practice has been followed by every president and Congress since, Democrat or Republican. It's as bipartisan as can be.

And anyway, it's not the unified-budget accounting that's at fault for allowing Congress to divert Social Security taxes to other purposes. Indeed, not long after Johnson first put them into the budget the trust funds were soon running large deficits. For seven years, from 1975 through 1981, the money was flowing out, not in, and there was no extra Social Security tax money for Congress to spend. You can see how the trust funds ebbed and flowed here .

It's true that large Social Security surpluses have in more recent years been used for other purposes -- by Democratic and Republican presidents alike, with Democrats in control of Congress, or with Republicans. What created those tempting surpluses was the 1983 law (mentioned above) signed by Reagan, which raised Social Security taxes in an attempt to repair the system's finances. There's plenty of bipartisan blame to go around on this one, too.

One Thing Right

The one item this e-mail gets right is that Democrats were behind an increase in taxes on Social Security benefits. That happened in 1993, as part of Bill Clinton's huge package of spending cuts and tax increases. No Republican voted for that and Vice President Al Gore did cast a tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate. That increased tax goes to help pay for Medicare and is paid only by those making $44,000 a year or more for a married couple. But as we've said before, neither party has made a serious move to repeal that tax since it was enacted. President Bush didn't propose repeal in either of his tax-cut bills for individuals in 2001 or 2003."

Senility is a sad thing.

When Obama says he has visited 57 states and still has 2 more to go ;is that a sign of senility ?

WOW that is scary if that is what you believe. I don't know why you have to make GLOBAL WARMING a political issue, when in fact it is a GLOBAL ISSUE.. WE ARE GLOBAL CITIZENS AS WELL as AMERICAN CITIZENS. WE are absolutely in control of the amount of waste, pollution and energy that we produce and if we don't get a hold on it now, it is more than just the polar bears we are losing. THIS isn't about getting money, its about understanding that this planet can only be abused so much. AS the most wasteful country on earth, we have a personal responsibility to take care of what we abuse and what we throw away. We have a direct effect on this earth with our lifestyles, whether it be wasting water, or developing on precious land that should be protected, or drilling for oil for temporary use, and eliminating entire species of animals in the process. ( FOR A LIMITED SUPPLY OF OIL BY THE WAY.)

YOU don't think that the SPECIAL INTERESTS GROUPS are particularly wealthy for a reason? They like keeping things the way they are. Energy, Oil, Tobacco and the Drug companies have a lot invested in keeping us in the dark. YOU think this economy was on its way down 8 years ago, so where are we now? WE should be doing better than ever if someone came in with a TRUE fiscal budget. My argument isn't against REPUBLICANS or FOR DEMOCRATS.. IT is for leaders that have MY interest at the top of their priority list. IF there was a moderate Republican who took a stand for the issues that I care about, I would absolutely vote for them. PROBLEM is, they are all Conservative with a personal agenda for greed and power.
If someone is doing something for the greater good of the entire world, WHO cares if they benefit from it monetarily? WHO is it hurting to be aware of environmental issues? Why shouldn't we worry about the animals that will be extinct because they cannot roam the land, due to ice melting? Why don't we think that trees are a valuable resource that must be conserved and protected rather than depleted and wiped out? WHY isn't clean air and water a basic issue for all of us to be aware of? Isn't it more of a threat to the energy companies and other big businesses, who would be held accountable as a result? My loyalty is not with them.

WE all abuse the earth. It has limited resources. The ozone layer has been growing alarmingly larger, the amount of concrete put down doesn't allow the earth's surface to breathe, our factories and other pollutants from fossil fuels create more pressure and stress on MOTHER NATURE.. CAll it what you want, but this entire nation should wake up and pay attention.
WE have droughts and water restrictions throughout Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Without clean water, WE are all at risk..
THIS is not about whether you are REPUBLICAN OR A DEMOCRAT, it shouldn't be about whether you like Gore or don't, it is simply time to pay attention to MOTHER NATURE. Her call couldn't be any louder to WAKE UP and start changing our ways. Will it STOP global warming? Probably not, but it could change the way we abuse the earth and we can start to respect what we use and take advantage of, every day.
We could create so many opportunities to become independent of oil, it wouldn't just benefit the earth, it would allow us to NOT be intertwined with the MIDDLE EAST and all of their problems.

I think some people just like to attack a person's character, rather than focus on the issues. Whether you agree with Gore on politics, has nothing to do with him taking on a cause he believes in. WHAT does it hurt you to believe in it too? I guess people bashing is more your style. Winning the Nobel Peace prize isn't easy and I guarantee it isn't about money either. They found merit and value in his studies and his findings, so that must mean something in the whole scheme of things.

Unfortunately, it is much easier to point fingers than to look at our own personal responsibility and consequences for being ignorant about the environment and the future of our children.

Moreover, for people who respond by quoting articles, those aren't your words so I will not respond to them. TELL me in your words what your thoughts are. I can read the paper myself. I may not agree with you, but I will listen.

As far as for hating Clinton, that doesn't change the fact that this economy and this nation was in a much better place financially, environmentally, and involving Foreign Relations, 8 years ago.. You can not like his personal lifestyle, you can disagree with his political views, but you CANNOT say that this country was on a decline, recession and at war with the entire MIDDLE EAST when he was in office.

It is frustrating that people mention his dishonesty, but the dishonesty of this administration or the two Republican administrations prior to him, isn't mentioned, noted or even acknowledged. Why do people defend those political figures whose put their own lust for greed and power ahead of the average American citizen? Those who circumvented the system to keep those in control, who continued to feed off the poor working class man and his taxes are the ones we must be afraid of. I don't think I need to be afraid of Al Gore's views. They benefit everyone, except big business.

Let's figure out why we do what we do to the working class, let's start there... Is is for the benefit of this nation, or the detriment? What do we do to protect small businesses? What do we do to bail out big corporations? The differences are staggering. I am just a regular person who goes to work everyday. I have a small business and I can barely keep my head above water. Gas almost four dollars a gallon for regular unleaded so I hope I can afford to drive to work in the near future. The water restrictions keep my grass brown and the pollutants from the electric companies cause LEUKEMIA in children in PORT ST LUCIE near where I live. THESE Aren't MATTERS OF POLITICS but matters of humanity..

UNLESS and until I see a Republican protect, conserve or help the working class person, I cannot in good conscience vote for one.

Global Warming is far from settled science despite what the Goracle says . What everyone is asking for is draconian reductions in economic activity .I for one am not willing to makes such changes when there is significant evidence that this global warming scare is the next Y2K .

So, whether there is global warming or not, do YOU think we each have a personal responsibility in electing someone who cares about investing interest and money,in helping conserve our critical sources of energy and life to better the entire planet? Does there really need to be a confirmation of global warming to become aware of the drain we put on the limited resources that we will need for our children's children? IT isn't even about the "GLOBAL WARMING" issue. It is about the lack of awareness this country has in its own accountability for the destruction of wildlife, polluted water, polluted air, the dismantling of environmental laws and efforts put forth by legislation in the last twenty years, and THE LASTING EFFECT IT HAS ON OUR PLANET. You can turn a blind eye to what you don't agree with.. but you have to wake up and smell the coffee.

This earth has drastically been polluted, destroyed, and raped of its resources and it has shown its consequences. I am not saying it's the cause of every natural disaster and I'm not here to retort scientific results of disputing scientists.. I am here to say stop attacking people's character and start talking about real issues. This is why the debates are so illogical. They never attack issues, just each other.

Don't we need to come together as a nation and stand for what is good for all of us? The working class, the ENVIRONMENT, and the ability for ALL citizens to have equal opportunities. We need to respect the Constitution and what it stands for, THE INDIVIDUAL, AND need NOT to allow the branches of government to USURP THEIR POWERS FOR THEIR OWN GREED AND POWER. THIS isn't what the Founding Father's intended. That is what the Conversatives say they want to follow. THE ORIGINAL INTENT of the FRAMERS.. Well that would be protecting the rights of all citizens and the POWER OF THE PEOPLE. We shouldn't allow that to fall in the hands of those who have the most wealth. WE don't need big business to be the focus of interest. WE need to stop bailing out the big guy and paying it back through our parents and grandparents social security.
Some say we shouldn't aid those through welfare or other social programs, so why should we help those that make the most money out of all of us? Where is the loyalty to the employees of these corporations? Why are CORPORATIONS (like ones owned by Republican Conservatives in POWER) allowed to be bailed out, but the little guy loses his job, his pension and any sense of respect for their work from their employer? How has this become an acceptable business practice?

WHY has the middle class evaporated and why do we continue to have less people with more money, and more people with less? HOW can an administration with more of the same, change or address any of these issues? THEY CAN'T, it isn't where their loyalty lies. THEY won't, they have too much to gain by supporting those that get them into office. THey must be loyal to special interest groups. ENERGY companies are in control of this administration, with no plans to change that.

While one may think that to become a country that is independent of oil will not benefit our country, I believe disastrous results will become of continuing our relations with the Middle East and thus, it is of upmost importance that we do become less dependent.

WE could build all new homes with solar roofs, new schools and buildings as well. WE could create model cities that have solar powered transportation to prevent pollution and the drain on energy resources. WE could give tax incentives for doing so, since its so costly upfront. WE could reward people for recycling and for their waste to be reused. WE could save money, lots of it in the long run. WE have limited places to store garbage and waste, rather than polluting the ground with it, which is detrimental to our health, we could also use it as an alternative source of energy. Even further, the war for oil will never end, unless we stop fighting for it and create other alternatives. WE stay the superpower because we don't need other countries to help us. THIRD world countries understand this concept, as should we. Under this type of administration, with their limited scope of understanding on the ENVIRONMENT, we are all at risk. Our future is at risk, as well as the financial freedom of the working class. WE must move forward, find solutions and stop attacking character but attack the problems.

When people just talk about the problem, they become part of the problem. BE part of the solution. Open your eyes to the bigger picture. WE are not alone on this earth, the resources we have are limited. Being respectful, responsible and ready to be a part of what is needed for change, is the first step to creating a more healthy earth. ISN'T that what we should all aim for?

Enough is enough, its time for change and it will not happen under another CONSERVATIVE administration.

There is more of a chance for the change you suggest with a government that lets market forces work over one that creates absurd artificial remedies and their unintended consequences. Please see what harm ethanol subsidies are doing to both the fuel and food supplies. That is your government at work.

Conservation is noble . I suggest that as prices are rising there will be a natural conservation movement taking place. You can see it already at the dealerships that are having trouble moving SUVs off the lot . Bicycle sales are also up. As market forces come into play these alternatives you talk about would become economically viable.



WE could build all new homes with solar roofs, new schools and buildings as well...
When people just talk about the problem, they become part of the problem.. .
Enough is enough, its time for change and it will not happen under another CONSERVATIVE administration




Let's see who walks the walk . Al Gore with his huge carbon foot print His home consumes approximately 20 times more electricity every year than the average American homeowner; or President Bush who's home in Crawford was constructed using the most up to date energy efficiency .

his Crawford Winter White House has 25,000 gallons of rainwater storage, gray water collection from sinks and showers for irrigation, passive solar, geothermal heating and cooling. “By marketplace standards, the house is startlingly small,” says David Heymann, the architect of the 4,000-square-foot home. “Clients of similar ilk are building 16-to-20,000-square-foot houses.” Furthermore for thermal mass the walls are clad in "discards of a local stone called Leuders limestone, which is quarried in the area. The 12-to-18-inch-thick stone has a mix of colors on the top and bottom, with a cream- colored center that most people want. “They cut the top and bottom of it off because nobody really wants it,” Heymann says. “So we bought all this throwaway stone. It's fabulous. It's got great color and it is relatively inexpensive.” Is George Bush a Closet Green? : TreeHugger (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/is_george_bush.php)

More important... do you walk the walk ?

More important, do I WALK THE WALK.. I am not here to preach what I don't practice. I have begun to put together a Mother's Environmental group with my sister here in South Florida. I take my children on regular beach clean ups in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. I plant trees in parks with them and teach them to pick up trash every time they are at a park, beach or anywhere outside. I work directly with my son's elementary school to plant flowers and revive their garden. ( I have also purchased plants and flowers with my own money to benefit that garden each year. I have gone on HPSolar.com to learn about how to redo our roof with solar panels and other energy efficient ideas. I have gone to great lengths to read and become aware of what I and MY family must do to create a cleaner, safer environment for everyone on this earth. I plan to volunteer and travel to other parts of the country and outside the United States with my children to create awareness and unity with other people and for the sake of the environment. This is not the only cause I care about. I also have joined a Human Rights organization call Amnesty International after being inspired to create change by Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy's daughter. There is something everyone can do and before you point the finger at me, make sure you take a good look in the mirror. I am not judging you, simply making evident your lack of awareness or concern for imperative changes that must take place, for the good of this nation and this entire universe.

I buy organic food. I recycle. I have taken groups of children to parks, beaches and museums that focus on the environment and then discuss these issues with them. THANK GOD THEY ARE NOT AS CLOSE MINDED AS THE ADULTS I DEAL WITH!~

I have spent my own money, time and energy to help the environnment. I have vowed to buy a HYBRID vehicle in a year when my lease is up. HAVE I done enough? NO I haven't. I think everyone can do more, including me. I don't think I have any right to speak about what I believe in, if I am not accountable for my own actions. Are you really concerned with the environmental issues, or just want to keep up continuing the conflict for argument's sake? Do I believe that the garbage in the GROUND is just as toxic as in the air, YES because it is. Do I think we need OTHER ideas to decrease pollution, clean up the air, and the water and save our trees that provide critical oxygen and nutrients to our planet? YES, do YOU have any? Rather than attacking my idea, find your own solution to what is obviously an issue that effects us all.
The difference between you and I is that you choose to be apathetic and negative, rather than proactive and positive. You want to continue division rather than work towards solutions that benefit ALL OF THE PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH.
Respond to all of my questions in each of my posts before answering in the same manner each time.
Do you like clean air? Do you like clean water? Do you want to see a walgreens and gas station on every block in your city, like mine? Well rather than attack me, attack the problem. Otherwise, it is a waste of your time and mine.

Shattered, I'm glad you have the money to buy solar panels and a hybrid auto. I don't. I would like to have solar panels, as they make sense. The hybrid dosen't. Do you have any idea of the pollution connected with the production and disposal of those batteries? Will you be able to afford replacement batteries when needed, or will your hybrid wind up in an early auto graveyard? Oh, and by the way, don't drive that hybrid into the water; all that voltage, you know! What will be accomplished by carbon taxes? I can't afford to buy organic. Lots of people can't. With increased taxes to "fix" global warming, even fewer will be able to buy organic. We may have trouble buying anything! I thilnk you are unduly concerned, as in a few years "scientists" will be worrying about global cooling. And last, but not least, when was the last time the Democrat party did anything for the working man?

AGAIN, answer the questions I have asked and I will gladly answer yours. What has the Democrat party done for the working man? Well historically that is what every Democratic administration has attempted to protect and defend. Whether you agree with how they did it, isn't really the point.
Most people can't afford to buy organic food. We need to give farmers the incentives they need to grow organic farms. Initially the costs are more because it takes longer for it to harvest, but when it does, it is actually more plentiful than traditional farming. Is it the only solution? I was asked the question DO I WALK THE WALK.. I am now being attacked for the choices I make, WHAT ARE YOUR solutions to the problems that I mentioned. Again, answer what I have asked instead simply arguing semantics... Who said increased taxes are the way to "fix" global warming? Who said global warming was the only issue? It is one of many. Do you think we will have the ability to afford oil in ten years? Will it be more expensive than it is now? How many more lives must be lost to fight a battle with a limited resource? THE problem is you hear what you want to hear and don't pay attention to what I am asking.. I said I looked into getting solar panel roofs... because pretty soon I won't be able to afford the electric bills that we have. WE will have nation wide blackouts due to power shortages, so I guess continuing more of the same seems to be the quick fix, to a permanent problem. If we had a way to utilize what resources we have been given in a way that doesn't abuse them, we would all benefit and in the end, we would spend less. There is no simple answer but my whole point of my last three posts was completely disregarded, maybe you found what you wanted to disagree with and ignored the rest. My issue isn't about being a Democrat, a Republican, arguing about mixed scientific results. Moreover, I seriously doubt that I will be worrying about global cooling anywhere on this earth, when everything we do does nothing to to make it cooler. Have you ever stood outside your car with the engine running? Have you ever felt the heat off the concrete on a summer's day? Have you not notice that the temperature of the water rises each year causing hurricanes to become more catastrophic? I live in South Florida I KNOW EXACTLY what I am talking about. WE will have trouble keeping our kids healthy if we continue to feed them food with partially hydrogonated oils and more sugar than their bodies can stand. Do you know the diagnosis of Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are so high in children, as well as obesity? The doctor bills for those issues far outweigh the grocery bills that we incur to keep our children healthy. A big commodity is organic coffee, there is much money to be made in that industry. WE have to find alternative methods of living, so that we don't suffer the consequences of turning our heads and pretending that what we do doesn't reap serious havoc on ourselves and this earth. Batteries can be reused, replenished, recycled. By the way, most cars don't last more than five years, when fifty years ago, they last twenty or thirty years. You see black, I see white. However, what I see is an opportunity for change, to get on the bus or die trying. Who said I have the money to do anything? Do you really have something against protecting or conserving our environment? Do you really think we have no responsibility to take care of what we have? WE will wash our cars with water, while there is water restrictions, we will use every last bit of water to keep our grass green, all for appearances but yet somehow conserving water or protecting trees is beyond the realm of reason. COME ON wake up! YOu don't really think we can afford to just do nothing.

WHO supports big business? Who controls the energy companies? Who protects the tobacco and pharmacutical companies? Do you care how it affects the average American citizen? I guess not because instead of looking at those issues, you want to rip apart my ideas and yet you have none of your own. YOu are just as bad as the people you defend.
Continue more of the same, point fingers, take no accountability and offer no solution for unity or change. GOD HELP US ALL. I can't even get you to answer of my questions but you can sure find fault in my words. I guess it is as the saying goes.. IGNORANCE IS BLISS..

Hi Shatteredsoul,

You're making a lot of sense. Cost is the only reason I haven't forked over the money for the hybrid yet. But eventually I'd like to make that purchase and I know that with more manufacturers becoming involved the market competition will make them more affordable. In fact due to the rising price of gasoline, it may be sooner than later! :)





Do you have any idea of the pollution connected with the production and disposal of those batteries? Will you be able to afford replacement batteries when needed, or will your hybrid wind up in an early auto graveyard?

Frequently Asked Questions | Hybrid Cars (http://www.hybridcars.com/faq.html)

How often do hybrid batteries need replacing? Is replacement expensive and disposal an environmental problem?

"The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, probably a whole lot longer. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years, depending on the carmaker.

Battery toxicity is a concern, although today's hybrids use NiMH batteries, not the environmentally problematic rechargeable nickel cadmium. "Nickel metal hydride batteries are benign. They can be fully recycled," says Ron Cogan, editor of the Green Car Journal. Toyota and Honda say that they will recycle dead batteries and that disposal will pose no toxic hazards. Toyota puts a phone number on each battery, and they pay a $200 "bounty" for each battery to help ensure that it will be properly recycled.

There's no definitive word on replacement costs because they are almost never replaced. According to Toyota, since the Prius first went on sale in 2000, they have not replaced a single battery for wear and tear."





Oh, and by the way, don't drive that hybrid into the water; all that voltage, you know!

LOL!! Hey guy, hybrid cars are made to be driven in the rain and car washed. You'd probably drown first being swept away in a flood. But there is a legitimate issue as to how the cars are wired and the manufacturer's are already working the kinks out; same with any newer technology.

Fire Products (http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/extricationequipment/articles/285627/)

"There's thousands of hybrids on the roads, and when you take account the mechanics who work on them as well, the people who work on them in junk, there's not been one person who has been electrocuted by a hybrid."

Are Hybrid Cars Hazardous? Article - Cars and Trucks Article (http://www.redsofts.com/articles/read/125/20012/Are_Hybrid_Cars_Hazardous.html)

"In South Florida, with its many canals, many people have expressed concerns about the hybrid hazards involved in water submersion, as these kinds of accidents are common in this area of the state. Manufacturers of hybrid vehicles say that the only thing emergency personnel need to keep in mind in regard to safety issues is to remember to make sure the car's ignition is turned off once it is out of the water."

I think market forces will provide an alternative if it is available. I do mostly highway driving . A hybrid would not appreciably increase my milage because on the highway the car switches over to the gas . I can't wait to read in a few years the unintended consequences related to disposal of all these hybrid batteries.

I grow my veggies in my garden using organic methods. Sometimes I have no problems ;other times whole sections are destroyed through various bugs/fungus etc.that I know I could fix with some dusting of chemicals. Still I chalk that up to inexperience and will not abandon attempting to grow organically . But on the same token ;I am not opposed to GMO as I think that will provide a steady food supply to the world eventually.

Port St. Lucie hmmm I wonder if the folks there would approve an off shore wind farm . Actually you don't need one because you have the nuke plant at Hutchison Island so you are already getting clean reliable electricity.

WOW that is scary if that is what you believe. I don't know why you have to make GLOBAL WARMING a political issue, when in fact it is a GLOBAL ISSUE.. WE ARE GLOBAL CITIZENS AS WELL as AMERICAN CITIZENS. WE are absolutely in control of the amount of waste, pollution and energy that we produce and if we don't get a hold on it now, it is more than just the polar bears we are losing. THIS isn't about getting money, its about understanding that this planet can only be abused so much. AS the most wasteful country on earth, we have a personal responsibility to take care of what we abuse and what we throw away. We have a direct effect on this earth with our lifestyles, whether it be wasting water, or developing on precious land that should be protected, or drilling for oil for temporary use, and eliminating entire species of animals in the process. ( FOR A LIMITED SUPPLY OF OIL BY THE WAY.)

YOU don't think that the SPECIAL INTERESTS GROUPS are particularly wealthy for a reason? They like keeping things the way they are. Energy, Oil, Tobacco and the Drug companies have a lot invested in keeping us in the dark. YOU think this economy was on its way down 8 years ago, so where are we now? WE should be doing better than ever if someone came in with a TRUE fiscal budget. My argument isn't against REPUBLICANS or FOR DEMOCRATS.. IT is for leaders that have MY interest at the top of their priority list. IF there was a moderate Republican who took a stand for the issues that I care about, I would absolutely vote for them. PROBLEM is, they are all Conservative with a personal agenda for greed and power.
If someone is doing something for the greater good of the entire world, WHO cares if they benefit from it monetarily? WHO is it hurting to be aware of environmental issues? Why shouldn't we worry about the animals that will be extinct because they cannot roam the land, due to ice melting? Why don't we think that trees are a valuable resource that must be conserved and protected rather than depleted and wiped out? WHY isn't clean air and water a basic issue for all of us to be aware of ?? Isn't it more of a threat to the energy companies and other big businesses, who would be held accountable as a result? My loyalty is not with them.

WE all abuse the earth. It has limited resources. The ozone layer has been growing alarmingly larger, the amount of concrete put down doesn't allow the earth's surface to breathe, our factories and other pollutants from fossil fuels create more pressure and stress on MOTHER NATURE.. CAll it what you want, but this entire nation should wake up and pay attention.
WE have droughts and water restrictions throughout Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Without clean water, WE are all at risk..
THIS is not about whether you are REPUBLICAN OR A DEMOCRAT, it shouldn't be about whether you like Gore or don't, it is simply time to pay attention to MOTHER NATURE. Her call couldn't be any louder to WAKE UP and start changing our ways. Will it STOP global warming?? Probably not, but it could change the way we abuse the earth and we can start to respect what we use and take advantage of, every day.
We could create so many opportunities to become independent of oil, it wouldn't just benefit the earth, it would allow us to NOT be intertwined with the MIDDLE EAST and all of their problems.

I think some people just like to attack a person's character, rather than focus on the issues. Whether you agree with Gore on politics, has nothing to do with him taking on a cause he believes in. WHAT does it hurt you to believe in it too? I guess people bashing is more your style. Winning the Nobel Peace prize isn't easy and I guarantee it isn't about money either. They found merit and value in his studies and his findings, so that must mean something in the whole scheme of things.

Unfortunately, it is much easier to point fingers than to look at our own personal responsiblity and consequences for being ignorant about the environment and the future of our children.

Moreover, for people who respond by quoting articles, those aren't your words so I will not respond to them. TELL me in your words what your thoughts are. I can read the paper myself. I may not agree with you, but I will listen.

As far as for hating Clinton, that doesn't change the fact that this economy and this nation was in a much better place financially, environmentally, and involving Foreign Relations, 8 years ago.. You can not like his personal lifestyle, you can disagree with his political views, but you CANNOT say that this country was on a decline, recession and at war with the entire MIDDLE EAST when he was in office.

It is frustrating that people mention his dishonesty, but the dishonesty of this administration or the two Republican administrations prior to him, isn't mentioned, noted or even acknowledged. Why do people defend those political figures whose put their own lust for greed and power ahead of the average American citizen? Those who circumvented the system to keep those in control, who continued to feed off the poor working class man and his taxes are the ones we must be afraid of. I don't think I need to be afraid of Al Gore's views. They benefit everyone, except big business.

Let's figure out why we do what we do to the working class, let's start there... Is is for the benefit of this nation, or the detriment?? What do we do to protect small businesses? What do we do to bail out big corporations? The differences are staggering. I am just a regular person who goes to work everyday. I have a small business and I can barely keep my head above water. Gas almost four dollars a gallon for regular unleaded so I hope I can afford to drive to work in the near future. The water restrictions keep my grass brown and the pollutants from the electric companies cause LEUKEMIA in children in PORT ST LUCIE near where I live. THESE AREN"T MATTERS OF POLITICS but matters of humanity..

UNLESS and until I see a Republican protect, conserve or help the working class person, I cannot in good conscience vote for one.

I REPOSTED TO POINT OUT BECAUSE YOU ONLY ACKNOWLEDGED PART OF WHAT I SAID AND I DON'T WANT THE ASSUMPTION TO BE THAT I HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY TO DO EVERYTHING I WANT AND NEED. I SIMPLY HAVE THE DESIRE, THE INTEREST AND THE CONSIDERATION OF THIS PLANET.
You point out that the nuclear power plant on Hutchinson Island is safe. REALLY? Studies have shown that people who live near them have higher rates of ENVIRONMENTAL LEUKEMIA, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN. That is enough for me to be aware. However, you ASSUME I have money for Hybrid cars and solar panels when in my post, that I am REPOSTING, I explained how I have a small business. My husband sometimes travels 150 plus miles a day for work. WE DON'T have the money for the gas, anymore than we do a hybrid vehicle. DIFFERENCE IS, in the long run the hybrid vehicle pays for itself. THEN I don't need gasoline AT ALL! That is the reason I am SAVING my money so I can possibly afford one when my lease is up. Also, I am hoping the increased awareness about the environment and the possible higher demand, will allow the cost of the Hybrid, or flexfuel vehicles to go down significantly. I am also hoping they will have more stations for them by then as well.

You look at the short term expense of changing our ways, rather than the long term savings and benefits that come from creating other solutions. By the way, right now where I live, in addition to the smoldering heat, water shortage, humidity and sawgrass fires, we have no rain. I don't see an opportunity for things to be cooling down, anytime soon.

The understanding of this kind of administration that you don't see as flawed or ignorant, believes this earth has an unending supply of everything we need to survive. Not only is that untrue, its dangerous. IT is dangerous to our own survival. It isn't a conspiracy theory, it is a fact of life. WE have done serious damage to our oceans, our reefs and we've overfished our waters beyond what is appropriate or necessary. Everything on this planet that was here before us, is here for a reason. IT is necessary for the balance of nature. IF species continue to become extinct, it changes our future as well. IF we lived in harmony, instead of in excess and greed, we would change the course of this destruction.

FIRST, we must become aware. Stop fighting each other, and start attacking the issues at hand. WE must elect people that have the interest of the people, and the earth that we live in, to protect us from destroying it completely. We have to be open minded, forward thinkers. WE have to unite countries through our solutions and create an independence that makes us unstoppable as a nation.

This country is the greatest country on earth because our possibilities are limitless. HOWEVER, if we choose to be unaware and apathetic and create more conflict rather than diffuse it, we are only hurting ourselves in the long run.

AS I said in my first post, we aren't just AMERICAN citizens, we are GLOBAL CITIZENS. WE have a responsibility to be respectful, we have a duty to protect this earth and to advocate for change to make that happen. I don't believe McCain's interests are going to be much different than the current president, because the same people are behind him.

Before you ask what I do for the animals that are endangered, I belong to Defenders of Wildlife. org. so that I can contribute, and adopt animals and learn about legislation that is being attacked so that I can send in my petitions to defend them. That is one specific thing. I also had each of my children's teachers adopt a pet for the class to have the class also learn to be aware of what is happening with different species of animals that are endangered or almost extinct, or to protect their surroundings.


This is not just a debate for me, it is a passion that my head nor my heart can ignore. Every fiber of my being wants to create awareness and change to benefit all of us. Therefore, I cannot trust, elect, or defend, MORE OF THE SAME.

Did you hear or read his global warming screed yesterday ? He probably should be running as a Democrat for what he is proposing... scams like cap and trade .;he should pick the Goracle as his running mate ! Don't you worry about McCain .He will make sure no one taps into the oil reserves in and around Florida.. . No one that is except the Chinese who are drilling off the Fla. Coast for the benefit of the Cubans.

Btw each year since 1978 has recorded cooler avg temperatures than the year before.That's a full decade of steady lower temperatures . This article explains that it is the ocean currents that are having the great impact.
IBDeditorials.com: Editorials, Political Cartoons, and Polls from Investor's Business Daily -- Testing The Waters (http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=294880707561262)


Understanding the ocean's effect on climate took a quantum leap forward in 2003 when the first of 3,000 new automated ocean buoys were deployed, a significant improvement over earlier buoys that took their measurements mostly at the ocean's surface. The new buoys, known as Argos, drift along the world's oceans at a depth of about 6,000 feet constantly monitoring the temperature, salinity, and speed of ocean currents. Every 10 days or so a bladder inflates, bringing them to the surface as they take their readings at various depths.
Once on the surface, they transmit their readings to satellites that retransmit them to land-based computers.
The Argos buoys have disappointed global warming alarmists in that they have failed to detect any signs of imminent climate change. As Dr. Josh Willis noted in an interview with National Public Radio, "there has been a very slight cooling" over the buoy's five years of observation.

There have been other observations by respected scientists that sun spot and flare activity has a greater impact on the environment than anything we drive. No one has convinced me that we have made any difference at all in the natural fluctuations of the climate.

SO nothing about the environment has any interest to you? Have you ever endured an hurricane? Have you ever been without power for three weeks? Have you waited for 4-5 hours in line to get gas and drove 65 miles to get there? Well I have. Being independent of oil has NEVER been of interest of the Conservative Republicans and it never will. They have too much invested in keeping things the way they are. IT is what keeps them in power. Gas yesterday when I got to the gas station was $4.07 a gallon for regular unleaded. I don't see how things are going to get cheaper anytime soon. So why not find alternative methods to save the average citizen money to AFFORD TO DRIVE TO WORK?

I think we are stupid if we continue to support an administration who systematically protects their own financial backers more than the interests of the people of this nation and the resources we use. IF you think his speech is going to make me believe that his most important interest isn't green and can be folded, you are sadly mistaken. The historical record of McCain's views before running for office, was to support Campaign Finance reform and elections laws. Has he focused on those issues since he began his Campaign? Come on, wake up and realize you simply have no interest or desire in the environment because you have been spoon fed to believe that everything is just babble from tree hugging liberals.

Well I am here to say that your opinions continue to avoid the bigger issues and questions that I have continued to ask and thus, your argument is weak and flawed. I don't have any reason to continue to respond to the same thing, when you ignore my specific response to it. You want to live in denial that is your choice, but if we all do, than we choose to destroy ourselves, our future, and that of generations to come. I am not willing to let my own selfish pride stop me from realizing what is blatantly obvious in every respect.

We began a war on the resources this earth gave us, since the beginning of the Industrial Age. We are now reaping the consequences of it. As a whole this nation suffers from disease and illness that isn't even prevalent in third world countries. That is because our lifestyle isn't healthy. The way that we treat the earth directly affects our well being. People in Africa don't have diabetes and high blood pressure or high cholesterol. They are STARVING TO DEATH! WE are slowly killing ourselves with the choices we make and the issues we choose to ignore. I cannot in good conscience, allow you to belittle my points and the issues that I have presented.

I don't think we can give another chance to the SAME KIND OF ADMINISTRATION.. who is backed by the SAME PEOPLE and supports the interests of CORPORATIONS, BIG BUSINESS who have control over their decisions. Energy companies don't care if our children are sick with cancer, Big corporations don't care about their employees or their pensions as much as they do the Board of Trustees. I see it here with my own eyes. Huizenga owns quite a bit in Florida and his power and greed are evident everywhere. I do not think for one minute that he cares about the shorelines that he destroys when he builds another multi million dollar condominium complex, or the wetlands that he builds on west of my house in sunrise with his unaffordable housing for the few. IT is pure hippocrisy to even defend such people with power who don't even represent those who stand up for them. Where has job security gone? WHO HAS THOSE BID CONTRACTS IN IRAQ.. see which of this administration directly benefits from them.

Maybe its time for a revolution of the people again, that would wake up anyone running for office. This generation needs a revolution rather than bantering, bickering, apathetic debates.

SO nothing about the environment has any interest to you? Have you ever endured an hurricane? Have you ever been without power for three weeks? Have you waited for 4-5 hours in line to get gas and drove 65 miles to get there?
I am an environmentalist and a conservationist . But I don't think we should jump off a cliff like a bunch of lemmings. Someone should at least prove these chicken little predictions about the environmental catastrophy before we make a commitment to force changes on our way of life.

I survived Hurricane Gloria in NY and was without power for 2 weeks . Many times in the midwest I was under tornado warning .My mom in Fort Pierce ; had her roof torn off her house in 2004 ,and has been through evacuations many times. Are you saying that the hurricanes are the result of human tampering also ? I think you are . After Katrina I heard doom and gloom predictions from prognosticators that terrible hurricane seasons will be the norm. I believe your area has been hit with one since the 2004 season. Frankly ;you chose to live there. I live in an area where blizzards are the big risk and we pay a fortune for heating our homes because any attempt to build power generation is met with NIMBY. And yes ; I was in gas lines in the 1970s during boycotts . It was then that we should've set a course for energy independence.


Being independent of oil has NEVER been of interest of the Conservative Republicans and it never will.
I think market forces are the answer to energy independence and I dare say if we did not impose government restrictions we would already be energy independent. Truth is that we have not built a new nuke in the country since the 1970s . France gets 80% of their energy use from clean nukes . I dare say they have been better stewards of the planet then we have.
I am not interested in pie in the sky alternatives that are not realistic or have some 40 years before they can come on line like hydrogen fuel cells .When they are we will know about them because they will compete in the market.


We began a war on the resources this earth gave us, since the beginning of the Industrial Age. We are now reaping the consequences of it. As a whole this nation suffers from disease and illness that isn't even prevalent in third world countries. That is because our lifestyle isn't healthy. The way that we treat the earth directly affects our well being. People in Africa don't have diabetes and high blood pressure or high cholesterol. They are STARVING TO DEATH! WE are slowly killing ourselves with the choices we make and the issues we choose to ignore. I cannot in good conscience, allow you to belittle my points and the issues that I have presented.


Really . As a nation we have never been healthier. Would you prefer the life or the life span of the average person pre-industrial era ? I think you need to refresh your history lessons. Their lives were hardship and bare sustanance. People had so many kids because so many of them would die prematurely .The lucky ones that survived were needed so the kids could help the family survive.

The chemical companies developed DDT and was in the process of eradicating malaria in Africa. Do gooder environmentalists stopped that so now millions of Africans die of malaria and mosquito born disease every year. Yes Africans are starving but it is exactly the problem of government intervention that is the primary responsibility . You don't think so ? Then how did Zimbabwe go from a net exporter of food to a basket case that it's people are trying to escape from ? It is because of idiotic socialist policies adopted by the corrupt Robert Mugabee.
The rest of your posting I choose not to respond to . Frankly I have answered the class envy stuff too often. Job security ? Who provides those jobs ? No bid contracts ? Bill Clinton hired Halliburton for exactly the same purpose.

I am an environmentalist and a conservationist . But I don't think we should jump off a cliff like a bunch of lemmings. Someone should at least prove these chicken little predictions about the environmental catastrophy before we make a commitment to force changes on our way of life.

CHICKEN LITTLE PREDICTIONS is an outrageous and unfair assumption of what what we already know to be true. . I never said hurricanes were because of anything. I asked if you had been through it because you would understand the panic and terror that occured during those occasions where many were without power and there was no available gasoline for hundreds of miles. Why must you find an argument where there is none? I simply pointed out the hardships that occur after natural disasters due to our dependence on oil and energy. THAT IS IT.

]I survived Hurricane Gloria in NY and was without power for 2 weeks . Many times in the midwest I was under tornado warning .My mom in Fort Pierce ; had her roof torn off her house in 2004 ,and has been through evacuations many times. Are you saying that the hurricanes are the result of human tampering also ? I think you are . After Katrina I heard doom and gloom predictions from prognosticators that terrible hurricane seasons will be the norm. I believe your area has been hit with one since the 2004 season. Frankly ;you chose to live there. I live in an area where blizzards are the big risk and we pay a fortune for heating our homes because any attempt to build power generation is met with NIMBY. and yes ; I was in gas lines in the 1970s during boycotts . It was then that we should've set a course for energy independence.



I think market forces are the answer to energy independence and I dare say if we did not impose government restrictions we would already be energy independent. Truth is that we have not built a new nuke in the country since the 1970s . France gets 80% of their energy use from clean nukes . I dare say they have been better stewards of the planet then we have.

am not interested in pie in the sky alternatives that are not realistic or have some 40 years before they can come on line like hydrogen fuel cells .When they are we will know about them because they will compete in the market.

I don't think clean air and clean water and food, without chemicals and hormones, is something unreachable, nor are the solutions to achieve it. Just because the battle is huge, doesn't mean it cannot be attacked, one issue at a time. IT is a global responsibility not just a national one and focusing on the negative points doesn't take away from the bigger picture.

Really . as a nation we have never been healthier. Would you prefer the life or the life span of the average person pre-industrial era ? I think you need to refresh your history lessons. Their lives were hardship and bare sustanance. People had so many kids because so many of them would die prematurely .The lucky ones that survived were needed so the kids could help the family survive.

Wow, considering my own interest in history and my understanding, I don't think I need to refresh anything. Moreover I should reinterate that despite efforts put forth to help people live longer, this country is more sick than ever. The people of this country are addicted to more prescription medication than ever and it is prescribed recklessly. Diseases that do not exist in other countries, exist here because of the what we eat and what is in the food we are eating. THAT IS A FACT. IT isn't rubbish. Yes, we have come a long way in the medical field to help babies and children live longer. BUT 50 years ago children didn't have alarming rates of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. These things can be prevented. Don't you think there is a reason why a drug store never goes out of business and a new one pops up on every corner? Because preventive medicine isn't used in this country. We think we are the experts on everything, but the way we live is the most wasteful, careless and unhealthy, considering the knowledge, wealth and power we possess as a nation. What would happen if we didn't need medication? What would happen if we prevented the illnesses that pharmacutical companies thrive on maintaining?
The chemical companies developed DDT and was in the process of eradicating malaria in Africa. Do gooder environmentalists stopped that so now millions of Africans die of malaria and mosquito born disease every year. Yes Africans are starving but it is exactly the problem of government intervention that is the primary responsibility . You don't think so ? Then how did Zimbabwe go from a net exporter of food to a basket case that it's people are trying to escape from ? It is because of idiotic socialist policies adopted by the corrupt Robert Mugabee.

There are nations all over the world with food shortages, ones that we do not support. THIS IS A catastrophic issue that must be resolved. WHEAT, RICE, FLOUR AND MILK have gone up in price, and limits have been put on how many bags of rice that can be bought at Sam's or Costco. That sounds like everyone's responsibility to acknowledge and to come up with solutions.

There are just as many idiotic CAPITALISTIC ideas that have affected people worldwide and the state of affairs we are in as a result. This isn't tit for tat.The rest of your posting I choose not to respond to . Frankly I have answered the class envy stuff too often. Job security ? Who provides those jobs ? No bid contracts ? Bill Clinton hired Halliburton for exactly the same purpose.

CLASS ENVY?? This isn't an issue of envy, it is an issue of giving the power to those with the most wealth, while they continue chipping away at the working class's rights, job security and bargaining power. If you know anything about history you would understand that the FOUNDING FATHERS created a Constutition for the POWER OF THE PEOPLE.. NOT THE WEALTHY AND ELITE. Believe me, I studied constitutional law and I know what it means.

SO, you are saying that Clinton is as financially invested in oil in Iraq as Bush and his administration, that is more than reaching, it is ludicrous.

As a conservationist, I don't know why you wouldn't respond to the rest of my post regarding the oceans, the animals and the land at risk from greedy developers and those who want to dig for temporary use of oil.

I appreciate your thoughts and the ability to debate, you are an intelligent person who has chosen a different perspective. BUT do not limit yourself to the specifics of the content, be open to the bigger picture of the absolute need for unity, change and progress to protect the people of this country, their future and the earth that we abuse and take advantage of everyday.

And the original question was??

I looked twice at the header, but I don't see any question marks. Perhaps you are referring to the original subject that was made with statements??

Is John wayne McCain responsible for tornados?

He's responsible for a lot of hot air. I would blame him for the hole in ozone, but on the other hand he is into recycling... recycling Bush policy, that is. McSame!

The original statement was referring to McCain and his crediblity as a presidential candidate, my responses were to those that followed after mag's first post.. I would like to think we can find humor in everything, which MAGPROB is awesome in doing, but unfortunately the bigger issues do come back to haunt us. I guess if someone would have responded to those things, I wouldn't need to keep elaborating the same points about McCain continuing on more of the same kinds of policies and running the same kind of administration.. I think I stayed on topic.. Although I think a great dirty joke is in order after all of my exhausting remarks.. or a stiff drink. LOL
Thanks for always creating stimulating conversation MAG!

A blind person could see that McCain is going out of his way to position himself in opposition to many of President Bush's policies. I wish it weren't so ,but unfortunately my candidates did not win the primary battles.

But make his age and "a 3rd Bush term " the issue. To me that is a winner for him when I compare him to the likely Dem. Nominee ;who is running left of McGovern and has about the same electoral demographics for that matter.

A blind person can also tell you that no matter how he wants to position himself, his policies and his stance on issues can't be much different, because it is the same people who are behind him and putting him into power. He will owe them too much to not be loyal.
Moreover, I too would prefer to see other candidates who didn't make it, but this is what we are stuck with. I don't think McCain is as stupid as Bush, but he is as politically tied to big business as he is, and cannot therefore show too much opposition to them, once he is elected.

I would love to see a third political party be represented in the elections. I would like to choose someone who I completely and wholeheartedly trust their interests and their alliances. However as the system is now, there is no way to do that. Too bad McCain hasn't continued to make an issue of election fraud and campaign finance reform, he would be a much more relatable candidate had he chosen that route.

Finally, I think we spend too much time arguing and not enough time coming together as people, as a nation to voice what we want and need. I think the political parties and this country both continue to suffer because of the division that has occurred over the last eight years. My fear is that McCain will create more division here in this country and abroad.

Who knows what will happen in Florida, with the elections and the counting of the ballots. That is a whole different subject entirely. I do know that we have to make sure everyone who votes is counted, although that issue hasn't really been dealt with either.

My point has been the same all along, we need to bring back the POWER of THE PEOPLE.. we must unite to ensure that happens. Without our voices being heard and represented, we all stand to lose more of our grounding and our rights. I don't think McCain represents my voice.

a blind person could see that McCain is going out og his way to position himself in opposition to amny of President Bush's policies.
With 82% of the populace thinking that the country is "seriously off on the wrong track" Washington Post-ABC News Poll (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/postpoll_051208.html) what would you expect him to do?

I wish it weren't so ,but unfortunately my candidates did not win the primary battles.
Poor baby!

I think we spend too much time arguing and not enough time coming together as people, as a nation to voice what we want and need. I think the political parties and this country both continue to suffer because of the division that has occurred over the last eight years. My fear is that McCain will create more division here in this country and abroad.

The divisions in the country are as old as the country and even predates the Constitution. Nothing has changed about the competing visions about what the country should be. President Bush has not made that either better or worse.


Too bad McCain hasn't continued to make an issue of election fraud and campaign finance reform, he would be a much more relatable candidate had he chosen that route.

McCain's campaign reforms amount to nothing more than a violation of 1st amendment rights. He would stifle free speech in the interest of abstract concepts like "unity " and "coming together" . His reforms would better be called "incumbent empowerment act"


I would love to see a third political party be represented in the elections.

See my comments about 3rd parties here :
https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/politics/third-parties-214558.html


Who knows what will happen in Florida, with the elections and the counting of the ballots. That is a whole different subject entirely.

Yeah ;wasn't it terrible how Gore tried to disenfranchise the military personel of Fla. Serving overseas ?

The truth of 2000 was that the Fla. Vote was recounted ad infinitum and the results did not change. An independent media group counted the ballots again after the elections and found that Bush's lead in the State was undercounted . But you probably do not want to rehash the events of 2000 again. The Fla .Supreme Court did not come out looking very good .

I think Bob Barr will probably play the spoiler role this year and the anointed one ;Obama will become President .Without the 3rd party vote I think McCain could squeek out a win against Obama ;who is creating another McGovern-like coalition.

With 82% of the populace thinking that the country is "seriously off on the wrong track" Washington Post-ABC News Poll (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/postpoll_051208.html) what would you expect him to do?


I don't expect anything from McCain and am not surprised at anything he does. This is a guy who openly courted changing parties in 2001 .It doesn't surprise me at all that he is running as a Dem.

Unfortunately he is the best person left running for the office. I will reluctantly vote for him ;hope he wins ;and then will become one of his harshest critics where he deserves it .

shatteredsoul

I did some more research on the point I made about the divisions and factions present in our system being as old as the Constitution itself . I came across Madison's writings in Federalist 10 and it made my point better .

The Founders understood that the division of the people into "factions" or groups was a natural development in a free society.

Madison defines a faction as a number of citizens... united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.

Madison explains that there are only two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: by removing its causes, or by controlling its effects.

He says that it is impossible to remove the causes of faction without either destroying liberty, or by giving to every citizen the same opinions, passions and interests, which is impracticable.

Therefore, in order to protect liberty, the Founders chose NOT to try to remove the causes of factions, but to control their effects. Rather than establishing a "Pure Democracy," they created a "Republic" where factions and/or parties exist, but are held in check by constitutional law. Nonpartisan elections would be in conflict then with the constitutional principles under which our nation was founded.

The Federalist, Number Ten (1787) James Madison (http://faculty.umf.maine.edu/~walters/web%20231/federalist10.htm)

I was just watching MSNBC and they showed a clip of McCain walking down the steps, off boarding an airplane. He was hanging onto the handrail for dear life while doing something similar to the Thorizine shuffle all the way down. When he stepped off the last step, he almost fell forward as his right hand jolted forward to break his fall. He didn't fall but I realized the guy is in bad shape. Aside from the cancer in his jaw, does he have any serious medical conditions? He don't look too good.

Besides the fact that he was beaten to an inch of his life while in the Hanoi Hilton that left him partially disabled where he cannot raise his arms above his shoulders.;he has virtually no cartilage left in his knees... he is otherwise in fine physical shape.He regularly hikes ,swims,and enjoys snorkeling . He plans to hike the Grand Canyon again this summer.

I'm sure his health will be an issue through the campaign. I worry about Obama's anorexia .