Honesty, it's needed now BIG TIME! So here's mine.

[fedupwithbush]

I'm no fan of political speak. Say it and mean it. We need a HUGE dose of it and then maybe the majority would listen.

Don't mince your words. If we can't afford something, say it. If you want to cut something to afford something, say it. If you believe something will really hurt the majority of people, say it and back it up.

Now I get "nuanced". I'm sick of people not wanting to hear the real truth. Let's debate some of these issues down to the bare bones.

I believe we need to pull back from a LOT of our foreign aid. Not because we are heartless, but because we need to take care of our own before we take care of the world. We have a base of support for ALL foreign aid if most American's feel like they are affordable. I don't want to support ANY countries military. Buy your own damn bombs.

I do support keeping some troops in Europe, unlike *. It hurts us to pull out of South Korea when dealing with North Korea. We need some presence in Europe like Germany. My uncle served there for 8 years. His family and him did not want to come back! I see a reason to keep a presence in the world. But we don't have to bankroll their military(ie: providing money for them specifically to buy arms).

It's hypocritical to tell most of the world "you can't have nuclear plants or arms" and we have both. I'm not the type to make a deal, no matter how honest I feel I am, and then tell the other party you can't do what I do.

I believe we need to lock up our borders to "illegal aliens". Until we take care of our own, we can't take in new people. Then let a certain amount in. We can't maintain the standard of living most want if we have so many that can come in and get a job, home, life and citizenship. So bash me. We can't support the world. If you believe that, you haven't thought it through. We have a finite amount of land, jobs, etc. When you "open the borders", whether that's from illegals or H1B visa's or legal citizenship, it takes jobs away from citizens.

I'm sick of the Republican "talking point" about jobs no one wants. There are always people to take those jobs. When I was growing up, hay baling was a great job for the summer for high school and others. Now they have mechanized it and it's gone. Slaughter houses, I know, aren't for everyone. But I grew up close to a town that had a major slaughter house. My uncle died in the changing room(heart attack). He had a job he was qualified for, benefits(his wife was taken care of) and he never complained that it wasn't a good job. I have other friends and family who worked there. It was shut down in the early 90's(Bush time). Now another plant is there and tons of illegals are pouring in. Needless to say they don't get the pay or benefits my uncle or friends did. And the town is paying for it in other ways by the hospital being overrun and housing standards going in the toilet.

A friend of ours worked at a packing plant in Kansas in another town too. She couldn't stay there because she couldn't speak Spanish. She couldn't communicate with her fellow workers. I'm sorry. but if you want to live here, you should speak English. Not the other way around. If I moved to France or Germany or Mexico or etc. to live, I'd learn the language! If you want to live here, there are some things you HAVE to learn. You don't have to forget your language, but you better learn ours! This extends to companies(yeah, I feel their pain in some ways). It costs money to make all your paperwork multi-lingual. I get pissed when I see an envelope with multiple lines(one in English and one in Spanish for my address, name, etc.) I worked for 2 newspapers for a lot of years. It costs money to print period. That's how line ads and box ads are priced. By the word and by the size. The more words, the bigger the costs. Our government now prints everything in several languages. I can't even imagine the savings if everything had to be printed in just English!

I hired carriers for a local paper in that town. I actually had to interview children that had parents that didn't understand a word I was saying. Their children were the interpreter. I hired them, but in the world we live in, it's kind of scary when parents don't understand a word an employer is saying to THEIR kids.

Tax cuts, my *ss! For every tax cut the federal government gives you, you pay for it locally by higher sales tax, property tax, gas tax, ad infinitum. I want taxes to be based on my income, period. Progressive too. There is no way I want a millionaire or BILLIONAIRE to get a 35% tax and a person earning $15,000 a 15% tax rate. Not even close to fair. If you earn it, you should have to pay a fair share. As * said, the rich can afford to hire an attorney and pay NO tax. I'm middle class. I get next to no tax loopholes. I pay. Someone with excess income to invest can finagle the system. That's NOT right.

If I earn it by working, I should keep more than someone playing the system. Doesn't EVERY stock and bond paperwork include the words, these rates are NOT guaranteed? But if I work 40 hours a week and do my share I should be guaranteed a certain rate of pay. Stocks and bonds are on a par with gambling in my view and should have no more pull than it either.

I may be banned from DU for my rant. I've always considered myself a Democrat. I am for equal rights, equal pay, equal opportunities FOR OUR CITIZENS.

Religion should be your personal life. Don't put it into mine. I'm not an atheist, but I don't agree with any organized religion. I was raised Baptist. Maybe that explains it, lol.

I've been on this forum for awhile (years). I've found a ton of people to speak for me, the latest news that I would have never heard on TV, and a reason to believe that the United States has not converted to Bushism(my play on Buddhism, lol). Thank you for that. I could have wrote a couple of pages or more, but I'll stop here. Ask me what I think of our school system. Ask me what I think of our local government(I live in Kansas!). Brownback, Roberts, Thihart and lately Mr. Bob f*cking Dole. I used to respect him because Bill said he was okay, but no more. He's like McCain(who I would have voted for if * had lost the primaries). I respected these men and they showed me they are only about being Republican and not being American.

I loved Bill Clinton and can only hope Kerry will come close.

[senseandsensibility]

1. I agree that honesty is needed,

and not *'s phony plain-spoken bs either. I think the American people are hungry for it, and would respond.

[The Straight Story]

2. Odd Speak

What ticks me off more than a lot of things is how both parties will accuse the other of cutting funding when they are really proposing to increase funding just at differing amounts (like, dems want to cut the defense budget by X billion when they, like the repubs, are voting to increase, but one wants a bigger increase than the other). Both parties do this, both know it is BS the way they spin it.

What has happend is fear. Both parties play on the fear/emotions of people. "rethugs want to cut school lunches" when they voted for an increase, just not as big as one as the democrats proposed. Why do both sides do this? Probably because they want to play on emotions and make sound bytes.

I hope we do not become complacent when Kerry gets in and give him a pass on things when we know he has made the wrong choices, or ignored things (on the same token, we should not believe the president can do everything for everyone). There are tons of issues, from indian affairs to defense, and lots in between.

Kerry will do what he can, it is up to us to keep him informed and on his toes, and to do OUR best. WE need to be vigilant and work hard. If we don't hold Kerry to the same light we hold *, then shame on us. We cannot become the freep types who ignore the bad and only look for 'good' in their candidates. We must be better than that. Kerry is AN answer to our problems, we are THE answer overall. Get him in, and back it up with hard work and hold him and others accountable for the position we have given them. We cannot live in fear of losing, it will get in the way of real reform.

If Kerry lies, lets us down, backs down, promotes things we see as wrong we must be out protesting, emailing, etc, about the issue to get him educated and seeing the light. Screw the right, they want people who agree and don't criticize. We have a view, a dream, and ideal which is bigger than the candidate.

Foreign Aid
We can, and need to, take a look at the return on investment we get from it. Did it create jobs, save lives, have a potential plus which kept us out of war or other problems? Wanting to cut it is ok, but we must look at it completely and it's effects first. I am all for cutting waste, so lets look into what is productive and what is not.

It's hypocritical to tell most of the world "you can't have nuclear plants or arms" and we have both.

It is safety. The more nukes and such out there, the larger the potential problems we face. If we want to disarm and move to nuclear free world, because we see it as bad, then we have to stop others first before we get rid of our own. If we shrug off others getting them than so many will have them than you can never contain the problem. You can't roll back until you stop the forward progress.

Tax cuts, my *ss! For every tax cut the federal government gives you, you pay for it locally by higher sales tax, property tax, gas tax, ad infinitum.

Maybe we should have less federal and more local, as each area is different than the next and has different needs. The less power feds have (like *) the better off we will be. Don't concentrate funds and power into the hands of the few, let it slide to the many, to the people. I have heard some say 'look at the police and fire fighters, they are government funded and ran' yes they are - locally. Less federal taxes and more local allows for more diversity and power to a broader base of people so that the *'s of the world cannot control too much.

Religion should be your personal life. Don't put it into mine.

Why stop at religion? Is it not a belief system like politics, philosophy, etc? Why let anyone's beliefs into yours? If you believe something you want to pass it along (like you are doing here) in hopes of making things better for all (Usually). If you believe Kerry is the best man for the job and you tell others that, are you not in a sense 'witnessing' to others and trying to 'convert' them to your beliefs?

[cidliz2004]

3. I agree with you

just about 100%

I was an Independent forever, until 2000 election when I voted for Gore and called myself a Democrat.

No party has all of the answers. There are times to be conservative and times to be liberal. The right or best answers aren't all one way or all of the other way. Logic and careful thought are needed issue by issue.

We do need to protect ourselves and take care of oursleves 1st and foremost, we don't need to be hippocrates and say that it is O.K. for us to have nuclear weapons but threaten war if somebody else starts to develop them.

We don't need to spend millions to have bi-lingual signs because immigrants don't read or write English, yet want to collect (and many do) evey benefit that this country has to offer. We should also be learning another language in our schools, maybe Spanish.

The borders do need top protection, we need to control immigration. These things are a major drain on this country in many ways. Illegal is Illegal period. If our laws don't count for some things and not other, then laws will be enforced according to whichever "sheriff" is in town. Consistency is critical.

I don't agree with any organized religion either. I was raised Catholic, maybe that explains that!

Tax cuts?!? Right again! It came back and bit us in the arss in the form of job loss, local tax increases and so on and so forth.

We need a strong military, but we also need great schools and great programs for children so that they grow up to be productive adults and not poor and or imprisoned.

Sign me up, straight talk.

[vetwife]

4. No one can accuse me of dodging the truth ! LOL or

Not speaking up..........I agree. Speak up Loud and clear and
I am vocal from the supermarket to the radio and TV airwaves. Thye could actually put on my headstone..well we always knew where she stood !