Let the Games Begin

It is finally here, the day we have all been breathlessly awaiting since as long as we can remember, the Iowa caucuses. OK, maybe that's a bit of hyperbole, but it is interesting and a little exciting for a political junkie like myself, we finally get some results other than the various polls. Yes, Iowa and New Hampshire get too much influence as the early states, but I'm tired of hearing about that, it's obvious, and the best solution I've heard yet is a rotating regional primary. Regardless, this is the system we have, so let's move on and talk about what really matters the most, the important issues of this campaign season, both in the primaries as well as the general election. Iowa will give us a first indication, but then we will all move on to New Hampshire and South Carolina and so forth and will have forgotten the Iowa results by Groundhogs Day. So to the issues.

I have compiled a list of my own personal top ten issues for the campaign season, along with brief comments regarding my take. As always, I welcome discussion, that is once anyone starts reading this blog again. I am not even going to attempt to order them, but will just randomly list them, they are all important issues in my book so ranking wouldn't serve any real purpose.

1) The war in Iraq. Or should I say, now take the war in Iraq, please. I was against the invasion in 2003, I am against continuing the war now. Our national interests were not at stake, nor are they now despite what the hawks will tell us about fighting the terrorists over there so we don't have to fight them here. We should never put troops in harm's way unless it is vital to our defense. We certainly shouldn't keep them in harm's way when it is plainly obvious that the only national interest argument, WMD, was never there. We have lost too many lives, and suffered too many injuries, both physical and psychological, and placed too heavy a burden on the families of our military already, and every day we continue to put our troops on the front lines is another day of needless suffering. Since Congress refuses to defund the war and bring it to an orderly but timely end, it will be up to the next president to do so.

2) Immigration Reform. As many conservatives would say, now take all the Mexicans, please. I say that those that are here should be granted immediate citizenship, completely and without strings. An orderly process should be developed to allow larger numbers of migrants to enter our country legally, and they should have the option of coming simply as guest workers, free to work, and come and go as they please, or the option of becoming full citizens. Then, and only then, should we concern ourselves with protecting our borders. Let's be honest, none of the 9/11 terrorists came up through Tijuana, and as porous as our borders are, if terrorism was really the threat the conservatives would have us believe it is, then why haven't we been flooded with bad guys since 9/11. You would think that terrorist attacks would be a daily occurrence, but of course that hasn't been the case. Stop the charade and be the welcoming nation that historically we have always been, give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, and to cut your grass, build your homes, harvest your crops, and wash your dishes. Or something like that.

3) Education. The No Child Left Behind Act is possibly the single good thing that the Bush administration has produced. I have seen first hand how it has made schools and teachers accountable for improving the education of those that too often get left behind. Renew it, and strengthen it by funding it properly, and by coming up with alternative measurements to simple proficiency tests. But keep holding the educational system accountable, it is working and can work even more effectively if we take the proper steps. Also, start paying administrators less and teachers more, if you want better quality in the classroom.

4) Taxes. Tax the hell out of the rich and feed and educate and provide health care for the poor. If rich people, who reap an inordinate amount of benefits from our society have a problem with that, let them trade places with the poor. I guarantee you that people living on Section 8 rent assistance and food stamps would be more than happy to do so, and you wouldn't hear them complaining about their taxes. At least until they got used to being rich. As for the middle class, we spend too much money anyways on crap we don't really need, so stop whining about your taxes and be happy you have what you do. And quit thinking that you are going to be rich one day, and therefore supporting policies that favor the rich. It ain't gonna happen, accept your lot in life and be thankful that as pesants in the 21st century, we have it better than peasants ever have. Besides, if you go to the malls, or drive down any road full of expensive suv's and BMW 325 I's, the middle class isn't doing as bad as the faux populists like John Edwards would have you believe.

5) Environment. The planet is burning up. Forget about projections and scare tactics, look at the data that exists now. The ice caps are already melting at faster paces than projections of even a few years ago, that is a fact. The west is in the midst of a severe drought and has been for years, and the southeast is running out of water. Winter climates, from Mammoth Mountain to Scandinavia are experiencing less snowfall and getting what they do later in the year than ever before. Phoenix had well over 100 days of 100 plus temperatures, the average is 89. And we experienced 32 days of 110 plus temperatures, also well above the average. We need to act now in hopes that by the end of our lifetime we might start to reverse the process, because like paying off credit card debt, the process will involve sacrifice and will not show results right away, but to ignore it will only worsen the problem exponentially. We need to burn less fossil fuels, we need to consume less resources, and we need to protect the natural resources that we still have.

Well, I was going to do 10 but this seems to be enough for one post, so the other five will have to wait for another day. As a preview, they are leadership and governance, general foreign policy, health care, the war in Afghanistan, and the economy (stupid). More on those later, but I wonder how many of these important issues will be dealt with, as opposed to focusing on sideline issues like someones religion, past drug use, or who they slept with. At this point I am optimistic that we will have a serious campaign season, however history tells me otherwise, so I will take a wait and see attitude.