Should I?

Should I put up the Obama 2012 sign? Will the people of Spanish Fork be influenced by their liberal neighbor? Stay tuned!

Posted by Paul

Not concerned about the very poor

This video truly amazes me, but is doesn’t surprise me.  If you have been following Romney’s campaigin, you will notice that he is always very cautious to not mention the poor.  He loves to focus on the middle class, and I think he does so because a lot of people like to believe that they are middle clase (regardless of their actual income).  Many very poor individuals in America probably believe they are in the middle class.  Who wants to be really poor?

It is with this political calculus that  Romney presses forward with the following quote.

On the surface this sounds like a political gaffe, but I think it truly exposes the way Romney, and in a larger sense, Republicans in general view the poor.  They don’t feel as if they need to be politically accessible to the poor, and they don’t feel like it hurts them politically to ignore poor folk.  I was floored when Romney deferred any political issues relevant to the poor to the purview of Democrats.  Romney essentially said, “I don’t care about the poor, they are taken care of, and Democrats can deal with them.”

In a democracy a vote is a vote, regardless of the economic situation of the voter.  And in these economically difficult times, middle class people who have been out of work for months may actually begin to believe they are really poor.  Ask unemployed people if they believe in American social safety nets.

Posted by Paul in Politics, US Politics

Doing Just Fine

As with all years, this year passed quicker than the last. Starla and Miles have been wonderful kids and Mandy is a wonderful wife. We leave this year humbled by the experience of Malinda (Mandy’s mom) who suffered a stroke early in 2011.

With each passing day I become all too familiar with the notion that life on this earth is not finite. I think now in terms of decades and not years when it comes to major milestones in life. I am very optimistic that the greatest days are ahead of me.

Posted by Paul

2012 or 2000

It is amazing how much similar Perry is to George W. Bush, both in his demeanor and his apparent thought processes.

Posted by Paul

Concern for the Senate

If you follow Utah politics you know that Jason Chaffetz has all but declared his candidacy for the US Senate. He would be going up against 7 term incumbent Orrin Hatch for the GOP nomination. I’m concerned about the possibility of a “Senator Chaffetz.” First off, I don’t think his strict tea party orthodoxy is what this nations needs. Secondly, I have a an issue with Chaffetz the politician. Ever since he was able to stage a coup in the 2008 Republican convention I have been very wary of him.

Chaffetz truly is a master politician, but he is not a master of conventional general elections. Chaffetz knows how to play Utah’s unique caucus system. In so doing he was almost able to win the nomination at the convention outright, without need for a primary. And in Utah, more often than not, when you win the Republican nomination, you win the general election.

By taking advantage of the caucus system Chaffetz is only accountable to the 1700 or so Republicans who are delegates to that convention. He has no interest in serving the greater needs of the people of Utah… because so few of those people participate in actually selecting him as a nominee. And unfortunately in Utah general elections are often a rubber stamp on the Republican parties caucus / primary process.

It is for this reason that I am seriously considering moving my party affiliation to Republican. I am sick and tired of being excluded from the political process in Utah. I may not be in line with the politics of Utah’s Republican party, but I do align with many of the political ideals of the people of Utah. My goal for 2012 is to be a delegate from my precinct. Which party? To be determined.

Posted by Paul

Some pre-28 year old thoughts.

I think for the first time in my life I am starting to think in terms of 10 year chunks of time. It is somewhat humbling to think of myself 10 years ago, an 18 year old. How did all this time pass?

On the eve of my 28th birthday I feel generally happy with life. I think that one thing I need to return to is actively committing time to personal retrospection on my life. I need to ask myself the following: what am I doing, why am I doing it, and it is what I want to do.

In addition I want to get back into my habit of always having an answer to this daily question: “What did I learn today?”

I’ll report on my progress on my “New Years Resolutions” here. 28 Years old, here I come!

Posted by Paul in Personal

Two Presidents

Clinton held an impromptu press conference at the white house today, where he defended president Obama’s tax plan.

I like seeing these two guys together.

Posted by Paul