I Just Do Not Understand

I read, I research, I invest in the running of my country. And yet, daily, I am baffled by choices and utterances meant to soothe and assuage me that instead inflame and insult me. Rather than dicuss things for which I would happily yell at people, I'll talk about something that quite simply does not make sense to me.

Paul Ryan.

Nice guy. Married, 3 kids, Roman Catholic and a Green Bay Packers fan. So far, so good.

Conservative - okay, fine. Haven't really thrown me for a loop yet.

The Path to Prosperity.  Here's where you lose me. As it is explained on Ryan's websites (and the websites paid for by 3rd party funding, etc) and my understanding of it, his major changes to governmental spending would be 2 key areas: his 2012 plan wants to privatize part of Social Security, and privatize all of Medicare.

My understanding of our economic situation goes way beyond what I'm about to say, but I want you to understand that what I'm about to highlight seems to me, personally, to be the biggest factor.

If you claim you don't want to raise taxes, money has to come from somewhere else. For example: former President Bush the latter decided, along with his advisors, that Americans would fare better if given their own money to spend. Funding for the administration of our 43rd President outsourced (I'm not kidding) to various nations across the globe, including China and Japan. Americans own less than $0.20 of every dollar of our deficit, leaving more than $0.80 per dollar in the hands of foreign investors.

What I'm saying is that I have no idea how we're going to better the American population by taking the money that was paid into governmental systems away, giving vouchers that do not currently have enough dedicated capital behind them for currency, and pay our international debt down with the money taxpayers thought was going to be there for retirement. Essentially, the Government entered a compact with the people of the USA, and is now suggesting that the only way to get something approximating what we thought we were getting is by altering the deal. I suppose we should be grateful and pray they do not alter it further.

So the money thing really perplexes me. Especially when I don't understand how former Governer Romney proposes to fund the Government he'll be running. Don't get me wrong, I comprehend the words. I just do not trust that Gov. Romney has thought about the consequences. He does have fabulous hair, though.

I'm also really baffled by legacy. Truth be told, I would sincerely prefer a Thinking Man in the White House's Oval Office when some of the looming issues I see in the next 2-3 years or so pop up. Do you get the feeling that Gov. Romney may do a lot of impulsive reacting, and less contemplative strategizing? Maybe it's just me......

So there's Global Warming (yes the Republicans admit that's real now), and Deficit Spending that really won't be reduced (just shifted around), and Middle-Of-The-Road Politicians who actually got the most done because they weren't busy playing Whose Can Be Ruder And Do Less? with the opposition are now being completely squeezed out of the game they've been marginalized in for years. Not much to worry about with this election, I'd say.

Oh! And I mention this only in passing, but we have 9 sitting Justices on the Supreme Court.

Names and years of birth? Chief Justice John G. Roberts, b. 1955. Associate Judges: Antonin Scalia, b. 1936; Anthony M. Kennedy, b. 1936; Clarence Thomas, 1948; Ruth Bader Ginsberg, b. 1933; Stephen G. Breyer, b. 1938; Anthony Alito, Jr., b. 1950; Sonia Sotomayor, b. 1954; Elena Kagan, b. 1960.

We have 4 Justices sitting on the Supreme Court who were born before the Second World War. There are a total of 5 Justices out of the 9 presently presiding on the Bench who were born before 1950. Just as a note of reference, Alaska and Hawaii were not states until 1959. We have all of 1 Justice, count 'em ONE, who was born after we became 50 states. Would you say that there is a chance at least one of the Appointed Justices for whom retirement will sound its clarion call will happen during the tenure of The Next President?

I suppose it comes down to perspective. I appreciate the Republican Perspective - I sincerely do. There are States Rights versus Federal Rights arguments, there are Less Government in General discussions, and there are multiple other view points that are all very valid, and very needed in the Great Argument Over Our Future known as American Politics. There are also, I feel, personal perspectives I would never want to miss out on, which is why I pick my friends based on who they are, not for whom they vote.

From the way I understand it, and where I'm sitting, I will be choosing between 2 perspectives this Fall. I've read a lot of position papers and plans, I've seen a lot of history and records, and I've listened to people justify the Electoral College daily by saying things like "This is extremely complex and attempting to simplify it furthers the misunderstandings of the American People at large," on everything from politically-dedicated shows to the evening news.

From my perspective, I want to ask for idealistic things like An Honest Person, and A Perspective Where Americans Are The Focus, An Understanding of The International Political World In Which We All Move, and A Compromiser. I'll take that last one over the rest, because the last time we had someone who knew when to cave in and when to hold his ground, we balanced the budget, improved schools nationwide, felt the touch of prosperity in every single state and we had a country who still felt like we had things in common. From my perspective, that isn't such a bad thing at all.