Big picture

This election isn't just about the economy. The economy was in free-fall before Nov. 2008 and yes, it is now better. GM lives. Jobs have been created. Taxes on the middle class have been lowered, and attempts to make the super-rich pay their share are underway. Decreasing taxes on the wealthy while spending huge sums for an unjust war used up a surplus and destroyed a balanced budget...but those were 2001-2009 choices, not 2009-2013. So, things are b

etter, but in addition to the economy, gay rights have been promoted, health care has been made more accessible, the person who actually did orchestrate the 9/11 attacks is history, a third of the Supreme Court members are women...more than just the economy is better. Everyone must vote his/her own conscience, but please do vote and please think about more than the economy, and remember, the economy really has improved too.

Socialism Is Not a Dirty Word

I'm tired of Socialism being used as a threat and as an insult. Yes, Communism and Fascism are two forms of Socialism, and they are totalitarian and that is what makes them objectionable. But Democratic Socialism thrives in Scandinavia and (perhaps to a slightly lesser degree) in Canada. These countries benefit from BOTH the protection of civil liberties AND the guarantee of all citizens being served by universal access to health care and education.

Secondly, Capitalism isn't the economic savior of the world. It is a sin that in this, the richest and most powerful country on earth, there are people without access to health care and who's education depends more on their ability to pay than on their scholarship. Apparently, no system is perfect.

Finally, if you receive (or hope to receive) Social Security, Medicare, government run health care (if you are in the military), or if your large company has benefited from a government bailout, then guess what? You aren't opposed to Socialism when it benefits you! So, why not be honest and say that there are ways that Democratic Socialism can help. And let us not forget the Christian Socialist movement of the early 20th century which included Evangelicals at the time!

So, Capitalism is an economic approach that one can argue over other economic systems, but it isn't perfect, it isn't the same as democracy or religion, and to make it work, socialistic adjustments are often made it!

Socialism is not anti-democracy, nor is Capitalism the same as Christian (the early Christians, in fact, lived a true socialist lifestyle of providing for everyone in the community). I'm tired of Democrats and Republicans bashing Socialism while also employing it in their own lives! Let's stop using words ("Muslim," "Marriage," "Gay," "Arab," "Socialist") as slurs to scare people into blind compliance. Be a Capitalist; be a Socialist, or be a blend of the two (you probably already are). But please stop reducing complex issues to buzz words meant to end conversation which only serves to protect the power and privilege of those who currently have them and who use them against those who don't.

Here endeth my rant.