A Few Quick Comments

Between baby updates and political rantings, I don't know who even would keep reading this (good thing I write for primarily selfish reasons). Good thing there's an intermittent post on public transportation here and there to keep things interesting.

But, here I go again with 10 quick thoughts on yesterday's midterm election results:

1. Thank goodness O'Donnell didn't win, and that we won't see Pelosi as Speaker. Although, these articles almost make me feel bad for the lady (Pelosi, not O'Donnell): Nancy Pelosi Keeps Low Profile, and The Rise and Fall of Nancy Pelosi. With the loss of the House, I hope Obama takes a more moderate Clinton-esque approach in modifying his agenda.
2. Unfortunately, I think that Harry Reid was probably the best choice of the two candidates. But, wow, Angle's website is crazy interesting, while Reid takes a more mature approach.
3. Apathy amongst Utah voters contributes to the single-party system, although I feel that we did get a good mix of Dems in various state positions. It would just be nice to make some candidates like Lee and Chaffetz work a little (or a lot) for their seat.
4. Is it bad that I will stay up to watch election results, yet I usually change the channel when it comes to sports?
5. The Tea Party cranked out some crazies despite what I hope are good intentions on their part. I hope they can consolidate with mainstream GOP in 2012 to produce refined, qualified, and sane candidates that we can all feel good about voting for. Please GOP (and Tea Party-ists), we need better candidates and we have a year or so to figure it out.
6. Mike Lee skirted around simple questions and spat out Tea Party rhetoric. It's obvious he has no concrete plans, unlike Granato. But, I knew that when we called his office to ask some questions. I sigh with disappointment.
7. It's ridiculous to vote for the only candidate running on the ballot. I understand that County Assessor isn't everyone's dream job, but come on, someone else must have thought about running.
8. I checked out Philpot on CNN, and I would not list a tier 4 law school education when running against Matheson, who graduated from both Harvard and UCLA.
9. Watched Bennett on KSL last night and thought he could have one more good term in him. Glad to hear he still has plans to be working on issues in Washington, though.
10. I'm glad some people care about voting and take some time to research what they're voting for to vote according to their conscience.

I believe that our political process, although messy and imperfect, is important to understand. We as citizens of the United States give our consent to be governed, and we should not take that consent lightly. Apathy should not have its hand in our society, as we are those who ultimately have the power to direct it in theory. And this is where I get all conservative, but I believe that people are agents unto themselves, and that society should provide the freedoms and opportunity (through proper incentives - yeah, that's loaded, I know) so that people can make what they want of their lives through effort and hard work.


I heard a call on the Dave Ramsey show one night in which Dave condemned what he called "income envy." Income envy leads to entitlement and income redistribution which act as deterrents to work hard, save, achieve, and maybe even take some calculated risks. I believe these actions are behind innovation and progress we enjoy in America. I know that there are varying factors, and I do not want to come across as insensitive to unfortunate circumstances in which people find themselves, but I believe that anyone with effort can better their situation. I think that it is unfortunate for the government to provide incentive not to work under the current welfare system, which only perpetuates a culture of underachievement - this is not the American Dream. I prefer the idea of local solutions to relieve suffering and poverty to federal solutions.


I believe the American Dream is still alive, even though it may have taken some hits in the past couple of years. I listened briefly to Amanda Dixon on KSL radio Sunday(?) night who was talking with a few other women about how the upcoming generation does not aspire to home ownership due to current issues caused by the recession. I disagree. I think we still aspire to own property, even though currently it appears less appealing and more risky and complicated.

America will come out of this if we do it together, and I hope that's what we get out of these elections. What I do not want is continued polarization in Washington, and partisan bickering.

So, what do I think I can do to be more involved and try to make things better?

Here are a few challenges I have given myself:

1. Become involved in caucus meetings
2. Go to a city council meeting, state house meeting, and U.S. Congress meeting (can be committee meetings)
3. Talk to people with different views to understand them
4. Volunteer for a campaign or initiative I believe in/or for a nonprofit in the community
5. Go to both the Democratic and Republican Party offices (after primary contact, of course) to get an idea of what happens there

What will you do?