i can’t wait to be able to ignore politics again….. September 28, 2008

The United States does not have a free market system. There are many reasons for this. Regulations that exist today regarding labor, banking, investments, and trade have all been set in place to try and fix problems within the system.

Abuses during the industrial revolution led to the formation of labor unions and the development of labor laws. The Great Depression led to the development of banking and investment protection laws as well as social insurance systems such as unemployment and social security. Of course there have been regulations in the reverse direction that have hurt the country, but over all most regulation is done in order to protect the average citizen and their quality of life.

Regulation is not socialism (not that socialism is always a bad thing). Regulation insures that things don’t get totally out of control. The current financial crisis was caused by a lack of regulation in lending and investment. Businesses that usually call for a lack of regulation and this so called “small government” idea, are now the ones asking for help from the government. It’s been proven that businesses and market systems do not regulate themselves. They often do not behave ethically, how can they when the system is geared to the goal of increasing profit and not ensuring that the system remain sustainable and healthy? And now, when they are having trouble they are demanding help from the government, in turn treating it like the “big involved system” they initially fought against. Doesn’t anyone realize the problem with this?

If there were regulations in place in the beginning we would not be dealing with this crisis now. As an American citizen and taxpayer I am not okay with handing over 700 billion dollars to people that have proven themselves already to be financially irresponsible. Even more so considering that we are still funneling money and resources into a war that cannot be won.

I would rather my money go to make sure that hungry kids can eat food, families are able to get housing, fuel alternatives are researched, and the environment is kept healthy, and that maybe I could finally see a doctor and take care of my medical needs without fear of going bankrupt.

John McCain’s plan seems to be to lower everyone’s taxes while continuing to waste money in Iraq and that will somehow insure that everyone still has jobs, can feed their families, and make gas prices go down.

Give me a break. I used to respect McCain. He’s officially lost his mind. He just wants to win and he’s willing to use the ideals of socially conservative people in order to do so. He doesn’t even look like he could handle the pressure of the presidency for even one day which means if he kicks the bucket we will be stuck with Sarah Palin. I can tell you all right now that if that happens I am gonna be on the first flight out of this place. No joke.

Oh, the good old days…. September 27, 2008

Tonight I watched the daily show episode in which Bill Clinton was interviewed. You should go and check it out here if you have a second. Honestly, it really made me miss him as president. The dude is fucking smart and no matter what you want to say about him personally, he was a pretty kick ass president. It also brought up my resentment that Hillary lost the democratic ticket in this election. They would have been a power couple for sure, and that wouldn’t have been a bad thing!! Both of them are extremely intelligent and try and do the best that they can for this country. I’m sad they won’t get the chance to try and turn this country around.

You should watch the interview though as Bill had some things to say about the current financial crisis and the criticism that Hillary has received for not supporting Obama “enough”. I only wish that Jon Stewart had a longer show, I would have loved to hear Clinton’s view on Sarah Palin.

Kind of on a random note, but with the news constantly providing me with evidence that America is falling apart I have begun to pay more to things on the international front. I have a sneaking suspicion I will be wanting to bail out on this place if things continue they way they do. I will now have two friends living over in England that I absolutely promised to go and visit next year and I’m sure I will be tempted to stay.

With that being said, congratulations to Rwanda, the first nation in the world to have a female majority in their parliament. Again, and surprisingly enough, Africa is leading the forefront in women in government. A few years ago Liberia democratically elected the first female president.

I was interested to find out that Rwanda actually has a gender quota in which 30% of parliament must be women, but that recently women have been gaining more support in government involvement in excess of this quota. Part of this is the fact that women are actually 56% of the population and that they are actually seen as being more trustworthy and responsible then males when it comes to issues of the community. This is understandable when we remember the violence that Rwanda saw with the whole genocide issue they dealt with a few years back.

My friend Rachell left today for Cambridge University (she will be missed!!) to begin her masters in philosophy and part of her focus will be on gender quotas. I’m not sure how I feel about them myself and I can’t wait to be able to pick her brain on what she comes up with!

After seeing the treatment of women throughout this election its nice to see that elsewhere women are making some progress.

And of course with the election coming up on us so soon I’m not going to be able to help myself and start paying attention more to the news and such. I’m going to get really annoying about getting people to vote, so if you don’t like politics, or are deciding to spit in the face of a right that people die for else where in the world and don’t vote, you probably shouldn’t talk to me the next month.

Registration deadline is October 15th in Massachusetts!! Get your registration in now!! Voting is important!!!! If you need more info check out Rock the Vote.

B!tch you crazy!!! September 16, 2008

A friend of mine recently asked if I liked Sarah Palin.  I was honestly shocked.  Apparently, because she has a has gone hunting and lived in Alaska, a “tough” woman if you will, I am supposed to be impressed with her as a political figure.  Palin has two X chromosomes.  That’s about all we share.

I am not impressed.  I’ve done manlier things than go hunting, and I sure as hell know a lot more about foreign policy than this woman.  Maybe John McCain should have given me a call.  Although, I don’t think I could stick with the Republican plan of pretending like they care about the values and beliefs of your average American in order to benefit the rich while they screw over the little guy.

Anyway, I watched this clip on one of my friend’s blogs and boy did it make me laugh.  It also got me a little pissed off.  Now the republican party is all up in arms about sexism, and criticism of a lack of experience like they weren’t doing the exact same thing to Clinton and Obama a few months ago.

My criticism of Palin has nothing to do with sexism.  She is a crackpot no matter how you look at it.  She has 5 kids, the last of which is a newborn with down syndrome.  Her 17 year old daughter got knocked up and is about to marry an 18 year old kid.  There are rumors that she fired her public safety commissioner because he wouldn’t fire her sister’s state trooper ex-husband.  She used surplus money to pay for unnecessary travel for her and her family and she knows all about Russia just because she can see it from her house.

Give me a break!!  This woman is absolutely ridiculous!!  She doesn’t believe in birth control, sex education, or abortion.  Irresponsibility as a parent and as a political leader are totally unacceptable.  And yes we do have a right to examine how this woman makes certain decisions in her private life, especially when she advocates that other Americans should make the same choices in her public one.  No birth control?  The choice that led her to have a child late in life when she should have know of the risks (likelihood of down syndrome increases with the mother’s age as well as many other birth defects).  No sex education?  Her daughter will now miss out on a period of growth and development that all teenagers should have.  Instead she’ll be married to some guy and raising a child, which will be almost four before she can even legally drink.  And the money/firing issues?  Please!  A woman who claimed to stand for political ethics has done anything but!

So essentially she is telling Americans that she wants them to let their daughters get knocked up, bear children likely to be born with birth defects (note I am not advocating for abortion here, just proper use of birth control so that pregnancy at that age is prevented), when in need of money for a vacation just steal it, and if you’re in a position of power, fire whoever may have caused problems in your personal life.

Oh yeah, that’s the kind of woman I want to hold the highest office a woman has held thus far in the American political system.  A vindictive, ditzy, hypocritical, beauty queen bitch.  Because they’re my favorite type of girl aren’t they?  But you’re right, she’s gone hunting and has lived in the woods, something I should appreciate simply because I tend to respect a woman who can kick some ass.  The only ass this woman should be kicking is her own……….

And now to bring out the comedy act.  PS. I love Tina Fey.

I had some things on my mind…. September 14, 2008

I’ve been trying my best to ignore this election.  I don’t watch much TV these days so I’ve been pretty successful at it.  Of course though with all of the history being made during this election its almost impossible to avoid talking with people about it.    I studied politics in college and they used to be an interest of mine.  As a result, people often ask what I think about what’s going on.  I also happened to be watching TV tonight and got sucked into an MSNBC special on each of the candidates.  I decided to share what I think about all the happenings thus far.

1.  If you were a Hillary supporter and you are going to vote for John McCain because you are pissed of that she lost the ticket then you are pretty much an idiot.  Think about why you supported Hillary in the first place.  Is Obama really going to be all that different from where she stood on the issues?  Is it really worth another four years with the republican party after seeing where the country has gone under their leadership in the last eight?  Remember, we’re not just voting for the person, we’re voting for what they stand for.

2.  If you are Massachusetts resident and one of those people who tells me that you don’t vote, and that you are not voting this year as well, then you are also an idiot.  There are several important issues on the MA ballot this year, one of them being the decriminalization of marijuana.  This is a major step in changing drug policies in this country for the better, and most of the people I talk to on a daily basis would benefit from being a part of that change.

3.  I am not happy with McCain’s choice in a VP.  Just because this person has a vagina does not mean that she is a feminist or that she stands for things that will do any good for this nation.  I am saddened that a woman like her was chosen to run for the highest office a woman has ever held in this country.  I demand more from the women in politics.

4.  I have decided to support Barack Obama, and not in the “lesser of two evils” kind of way.  I believe he does have what it takes to be a successful leader and that he has a well-rounded perspective of this country as a whole.  I do believe that he will do his best to do what is best for this nation.  He may not be successful, but he will try his best.  Honestly, what more can we ask for but someone to truly try and keep our best interests at heart?

And that’s all I’ve got for now.  Get your asses out there and register to vote!  It does count and it does matter!!

Do you know who I am? September 10, 2008

I’ve been slacking a lot lately in the blogging department, not only in writing, but in reading them as well. I recently was able to catch up thanks to a slow week at work. After reading J-Man’s blog post “Best Friends Means You Get What You Deserve” I decided to take a look at the list of things you should know about your good friends. I realized that I could barely answer these questions for myself, let alone be able to say that I knew them about any of my friends. I decided I’d let those of you who read my blog cheat a little bit and learn somethings about me if you don’t already know them. I also felt I needed to try and define those things for myself. Fears, dreams, weaknesses, history they are all at the core of what make a person who they are. I’ve been on a mission to try and figure out who I am this last year so I may as well let everyone in on what I’ve come up with so far. The link is at the bottom of where these came from.

1. Know at least one of their life’s goals.
I’d like to go back to school for my PhD when I’m older. I think it would be pretty cool to be called Dr. DePiero. I figure that when I get burnt out on my crazy lifestyle in 15 years I won’t have a problem sitting in room and reading and writing books all day.

2. Know one of their weaknesses.
I don’t know how to ask for help when I need it. I refuse to ask for directions. I’d rather waste hours, days, weeks trying to figure out how something works rather than ask someone how to fix it. When I’m feeling vulnerable I don’t let anyone help hold me up. Part of it is not trusting that others can know something as well as I do, and part of it is the need to always be self-sufficient. I got so used to people not being there for me that I stopped asking for them to be. I’d like to change that.

3. Know what makes them truly happy.
My friends and watching a good live music show. When the two of those are together I couldn’t feel more complete as person.

4. Learn about their childhood.
I’d actually rather you didn’t. Just know that whatever weird fucked up shit I do now is probably a direct result of things that happened when I was younger. It’s no excuse for my less awesome behaviors. It is however, all in the past and it can’t be changed and I’d rather not talk about it anymore. The best I can do is try to be the best person I can be, right now. I don’t need any sympathy or respect from anyone for the things I have gone through. Just like everyone else I am just trying to get through this crazy thing called life. I made it out alive and I’d like to think I’m a pretty decent person despite all the bullshit I had to deal with. So lets just enjoy the present moment instead, it is after all, the only thing we’ve got going for us.

5. Learn about what they want in the future.
Adventures. I don’t want this crazy ride to stop for a second. I never want to sit down and realize that I am bored with my life. I constantly want to be going somewhere, anywhere.

6. Find out what they feel was their biggest failure in life so far.
I don’t mark my life by successes or failures. I’ve technically “failed” some things but I wouldn’t call them failures at all. Experiencing those things only helped me become even more awesome, so I don’t waste too much time on letting them make me feel negative.

7. Find out what they do and don’t like about their life.
I love that I am all over the place. I love that I don’t have any problem picking up and moving on to the next place. It makes my life pretty damn interesting. One thing I don’t like is the fact that my family is so spread apart. I’m only 23 and the last time we were all together was at least 10 years ago. There are few things I wouldn’t give to wake up and be with all of my siblings on Christmas morning again.

8. Discover what their dream job has always been.
Music and travel…..put em together

9. Find out what their favorite book is.
Books are my favorite in general. I’ve read too much from too many areas to ever choose just one.

10. Find out something they’ve always want to try, like skydiving or bungee jumping.
I’m always up to try anything. There are few things I haven’t at least tried. I’d like to learn how to skate board though honestly. I’ve tried it but I’d like to get to the point that I could at least do some cool stuff. There’s nothing more awesome to me than seeing a chick know what she’s doing on a skateboard…..unless its a chick playing the drums.

11. Find out who they admire.
I’ve never been big on admiring others really. I didn’t have very many people in my life growing up that I could admire really and as such I have always looked inside myself for strength, motivation, etc. Recently though that has changed and I would have to say that anyone who has the guts to pursue what they love, regardless of how tough it may make their life in the meantime. Those are the people that get all the respect in the world from me. I’m working to be more like them.

12. Know what their biggest fear is.
Losing a limb in a shark attack. I used to have the worst nightmares about it when I was younger. Shark week for this girl is definitely something to avoid. Second to that would be living your normal average life, marriage, family, owning a house, working a 9-5 job. Hard to think of anything more scary than normalcy…..and shark attacks.

13. Discover why they aren’t pursuing their dreams.
It took me along time to really even figure out what they even were. I think I’ve got a handle on that now. I’ve got some financial obstacles in the way right now, but soon I hope to be on my way. I’m just glad I was able to find out what that was.

14. Find out where they would live if they could live anywhere.
I’d have a house on a beach where the weather is always nice.

15. Find out what they thought was the worst day in their life.
Hands down the day I went to Denny’s funeral. It wasn’t real until I saw him lying there, and then eventually buried. Probably the hardest thing I had to stand and watch and I couldn’t do a thing to change it. Confronting the absoluteness of death affected me in a more profound way than anything else has before or since. Nothing feels more real, or makes you feel more helpless. Even though it was the worst day it gave me one of the best things I’ve ever gotten:  the ability to treasure those in my life right now, because they can all too easily be gone tomorrow.

http://www.lyved.com/people/15-things-to-know-about-the-people-in-your-life/