It's not that I don't have an opinion......

OK, Politics.

I've got a political opinion - a pretty big one at that. If you know me personally, I'm ALWAYS willing to share that opinion with whomever would like to hear about it. I think I'm a VERY fair listener, but I do not tolerate those people that are angry about the elections, I do not tolerate people that do not want to listen with respect, and I have the utmost respect for those that have posted their feelings but have done so without being angry at the "other side" for what they believe.

I have a child with Down syndrome - I love her to pieces and want the best for her as she grows up. I also want the best for my son and my husband and I.

This economy stinks right now - there is nothing "strong" about our economy - Gas prices are the highest ever, housing market is still bad, our country is so in debt, it makes my personal debt look "not so bad", the job market stinks - all in all, the US is in a lot of trouble right now.

I personally hold the current president to the fire on this one - I've not ever been a big fan of W, but right now, I think this country can stand for a change of the guard. There was a lot of criticism of Clinton's personal life when he was in Washington, but with regards to how he did the job of the president, I think he did a pretty darn good job.

It intrigues me that McCain has chosen Sarah Palin for his running mate. I will still shake my head over anyone who thinks that he didn't choose her for strategic reasons - She's a spunky woman, she has a child with special needs, she's made a lot of changes in Alaska. My first reaction when this was announced, was "WOW - that might be a problem for the Dem's".

Would I vote for her because she's a woman - Nope.
Would I vote for her because she has a child with DS - Nope.

I hope no one does the above - it's not about her being a female or her kids - it's about what her platform stands for.

I categorically oppose most everything that she stands for. She had an amnio at 13 weeks with her baby, Trig, and CHOSE to keep that baby. That's a big thing - I'm not pro-abortion - in fact, I hope that abortion rates go down - significantly. I'm pro-choice. I think it's up to me what I do with my body, not the president's religious beliefs, but my choice. I also think that doctors need to be "schooled" on providing current and up-to-date information for expectant parents regarding outcomes of their choices.

I find it odd that Palin found out that her baby had Down syndrome at 13 weeks along in her pregnancy, but declined to tell anyone (even her family and children) about the DS. I don't have a problem with her waiting the few days to tell her husband so that she could tell him "in person". I really don't even have a problem with her hiding her pregnancy from the general public - but from her sister, who has a special needs child - from her own children??? It's not that they wouldn't understand - if they were old enough to make the observation in the hospital while meeting Trig that "he sure looked like he had DS", than they were old enough to be told before the baby was born. Make all the excuses you want about it - but if she can't face up to telling her children about their sibling, what else would/could she hide??

I'm getting off on a tangent - John McCain is "old" - just watching him at the convention showed that he had a tough time even going down the stairs. He doesn't raise his arms very high to wave (and he points a lot into the crowd - Joe Biden does this as well - must be an old Washington thing) - he just gives me the creeps.

He's voted with Bush 90% of the time, but now wants to distance himself from the current president since he's not popular. He's been VERY negative with his campaign - I'm just not a big fan of running such negative ads on TV. He's also changed his campaign slogan to Barak's slogan of change. Yep, you did change partway thru your campaign.

I have a best friend that is from a VERY liberal family - both she and her Mom were very big Hillary supporters. When Obama got the ticket, she, at first, didn't even want to vote in the election as she didn't like Obama. It is our right and our privilege to vote in this country and we know from the past, that it does come down to just a few votes sometimes (and when you're Al Gore, you might actually have more votes, but not win - OK, had to put that one in). I hope everyone that can, will vote - and vote for who they think will make the better leader of the country.

I don't think that having Sara Palin in the white house will be an advantage to me (with a special need's child) - it's not her platform - it's McCain's.

I've been following the polls and am happily relieved to see that things are evening out again (depends on where you look). I think the American public is watching the current president and what is happening to the country and will hopefully bring in some new ideas, some change.

Comment, if you want - but I ask, please be respectful!