Are these our only choices?

Do I dare? It's only 9:09pm and Kale is just hopping out of the tub after football practice and Dane is still laying in bed chatting. If I turn on the debate now it could cause some serious frustration.

I was listening to an interesting report yesterday about Ohio's early voting results. They had anticipated that over 20,000 people would take advantage of the early voting and that it would be a good indicator of how Ohio would vote for President. Because Ohio is such an important state in the election this was coveted info. But only about 3,000 votes have come in. Is it because people truly need more time to make up their mind and these final debates will weigh heavily or is it that the two choices are so poor that people can't make themselves vote for either one? For my young kids, 9 & 7, the choice hinges on one issue. Abortion. Don't ask me how they got hung up on it. One of them came home from school asking what abortion was and they both decided then that Obama and Clinton were evil because they think it's okay to kill babies. I tried to explain that it wasn't quite that simple but is it just that simple? My own decision may come down to that issue. They both seem clueless on the rest of the issues.



The whole bailout thing was a huge disappointment for me and the biggest reason was that neither McCain or Obama showed any leadership or understanding. They didn't seem to be able to persuade their own parties to follow their lead. They didn't have a lead. One voice I would have loved to have heard in this mess was Romney's. The guy is a financial genius and the Republicans didn't parade him once to show any economic understanding. My fear is that McCain was too worried that people would say well why didn't you pick him for VP. It seemed political and not like anyone is trying to solve things for the best of the country. Not a surprise. We have been told to expect the turmoil. If this isn't turmoil then I would hate to see what is.

Why didn't McCain mention Romney as a choice for that financial post? Frustrating. It has been reported that they don't love each other but Romney did speak at the convention.

So Oliver, McCain didn't clearly answer your question but the info he gave you was accurate. The Clinton Administration decided in the 92/93 to increase home ownership in American from 60% to 70% I believe. Worthy goal. Unfortunately, they did not do this with financial planning. For example, instead of counselling people to pay off their credit card debt so they could qualify for a loan or even just loosening the standards to lower % of down payment like 10-15% instead of 20%, they let Freddy and Fannie loose. The loans offered were ridiculous. 125% of a homes value and applicants didn't even have to have great credit scores. And those ARM's. Youza. So that is the tip of the iceberg. America got greedy. Wall Street and Main Street. Main Street because people accepted loans they couldn't afford for huge homes they didn't need. Wall Street because then the big banks and insurance companies starting betting on these bad loans. They hired world class mathmeticians to create a formula to try and predict which of the bad loans would actually get paid. Then they sold the bad loans to each other. That alone was stupid, but the thing that tipped the scale to corrupt and just plain greed was when the banks also put a rider on the loan that said, 'Wamu if you buy this bad loan from us and the applicant doesn't pay it back then we (AIG, Leaman Bros, Merrill Lynch etc.) will pay you.' Like a little insurance policy. Only we can't call it an insurance policy because then it would be regulated and no one in their right mind would approve of us doing this. Why? Because a regulator would have made the banks have that money in reserve if it was truly an insurance policy. So the banks called it a 'swap' and therefore it is not insurance and not regulated. No money was put in reserve for the banks to pay each other and people started to default on the bad loans. That is my understanding. If I am wrong, Mitt please call me and explain it to me.

How did I see the affect of this? Within 2 years, more than 50% of our PTA volunteers had to go back to work to pay mortgages that had gone in to the variable interest years. Less PTA volunteers.

This is going to be ugly for McCain. He is not great in this format. Obama is a great speaker. Hillary was good in this format too. Will McCain's plan to let everyone refinance their home include those of us that are not in debt and still paying their mortgage? Isn't buying out the bad loans what we just did with the bailout. I would blow off his statement about American workers being the best in the world if I hadn't seem surprising apathy in other places outside of our country. The things I heard from Michelle about the work place in Italy and what I hear from Jeff about Japan pretty much reinforce that Americans know how to work. We may be fat, full of entitlement, prude for not wanting our President to have a mistress and flaunt it in office and nationalistic, but for all that I saw an article a few years ago that showed Americans giving more to charities around the world than any other country. That is adjusted for % of income as well.

500 billion of our debt owed to China scares me. I don't think people realize that our debt is not just to ourselves. It is to other countries. What happens if the call it in?

McCain attacking in this format is just ugly. He will loose this debate for that reason alone. If he and Palin win it will be because Tina Fey has played Palin on SNL. JK.

Priorities. McCain all three at once. Health, SS, Energy. ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS. That says it all don't you think. Was it Lincoln that said, 'A country that gives everything to it's citizens call also take it away'?

Obama. Dang he is good at this. Energy. Health care. Education. Wait. Where did education come from? McCain should not laugh out loud ever!

Finally an American who puts it on the line. The person who asked this question should be President. We will have to make sacrifices. Nobody wants to hear that but someone from the 'greatest generation' understands that there is no other way to win a war. Military or Economic.

Barak Hussein Obama should not have brought up 9/11. Is buying only Made in the USA even feasible anymore? In such a global economy the money trail almost makes it one big nation. True, the imbalance of flow to the Middle East is unsettling. Especially with the way they use the money. By supporting terrorism and growing their own dictatorships. Our history with Saudi Arabia is quite sketchy to say the least.

Small business would be hit for sure. Love those tax credits. Too funny to watch Tom Brokaw push the rules. I love him. It would sure be great to see Tim Russert doing this. Not even smooth from entitlements to tax plans. The businesses making more than 250k are the ones hiring dummy! McCain is left handed. I am so sick of everyone blaming the policies of the last 8 years. Let's face it. Greed did not start 8 years ago. If we make good choices things go well. If we make bad choices we will have to live with the consequences. It's a cycle. Prosperity -Pride - Destruction - Humility. Then it begins again. Sound familiar?

Don't get smirky gentlemen. Energy. This thought brings me comfort. God is in charge. He has a plan. There are still pieces of that plan that must happen before he can return here to earth. In order for that plan to be fulfilled, more countries must be taught the gospel. The teachers/missionaries must have a way to get there. The technology must exist to get them there. Transportation will evolve. Finances will have be steady for some people because in order for people to listen to the gospel their basic needs have to be met first. Food, shelter.

Health records online? Are you kidding me? If some twit from University of Tennessee can hack into Palin's email, then some brain from MIT will be able to hack into health records and sell them. Health care responsibility, right, priviledge? Fine for health care plan non-compliance? Blah blah blah. Socialistic? The governments own programs for vetrans are just as bad as any private insurance. Don't tell me that there is less red tape IN ANY GOVERNEMENT PROGRAM!

Foreign policy. Are we still the greatest force for good? Sure we are still ahead of France and Iran. JK. I do believe that our country was created under inspiration to our founding fathers. Is there no hope for us? There is hope but it starts with each individual living a more Christlike life. In the last few years I have wondered what would happen if we tried a little experiment. What would happen if the world as a whole spent one week living more Christlike.

Did McCain really say temper our decisions? I'm sorry but if anyone seems able to temper themselves it just might not be him. Good question about Pakistan. At least Obama can set up a flow. No Iraq. No Pakistan problem. Intersting but accurate? He pronounces that wierdly.

Follow up shmallow up! It is making me tired. 11:15pm and it is worth it to stay up any more. Oh wait. Bomb, Bomb Bomb Bomb Iraq. This may get good yet. Musharif is not in power any more.

Glad this next question didn't go to Palin. The book the Kite Runner puts Afganistan in an interesting perspective. Is touting the status of Iraq really a good response how to handle Afganistan?

Russian humanitarian crisis. Putin and the KGB. What are the penalities for their agression? What international pressures? Those guys have allowed their citizens to freeze and starve before and I can't imagine they would hesitate to do it again just to show the U.S. that we could take any sanctions and shove them.

Mrs. McCain doesn't look that comfortable. Michelle more personable. Thank goodness it's over.

Isn't Andrea Mitchell married to Alan Greenspan? Those dinner conversations would be interesting.

Nashville. A mear three hours from my own casa. I took it for granted that we could just vote by mail in Oregon. Here in TN I have to visit a polling place. I will have to take Dane. I will probably leave some hanging, pregnant chads if I have to chase him:) Good night.