Enough is Enough

By Matt:

I am 31 years old and for the first time in my life I have fundamentally lost all faith in the people leading our country. This, of course, is a result of the recent bailout package that is currently circulating through our do-nothing Congress. And although countless Senators have come out and said “we warned of this happening,” I cannot find a single documented instance of that actually happening. What were our so-called leaders thinking????

Who thought it was a good plan to lower the under-writing guidelines so that people could get a mortgage who never had a chance of repaying them? Oh wait…it was Bill Clinton because you know it’s not politically correct to be denied a loan.

Who thought it was a good idea to allow Fannie and Freddie to loan out unlimited amounts of money to banks as long as it was going to be appropriated to loan programs for the above mentioned programs? Oh wait... it was all the Congressman who have had their pockets so lined with Fannie and Freddie dollars - Obama being the #2 leading beneficiary over the past two years.

But it’s not just the Democrats. There has not been a single Republican to take a strong stand on this over the past 13 years! This Congress is the most incompetent, self indulged group of morons this country has ever seen. They all need to be kicked out!

And the public certainly has to be blamed as well. When are we going to wake up and realize that absolutely no major government led program has been successful over the last 25 years? There’s Social Security, Welfare, the Public Schools, Fannie and Freddie and now the leading candidate in the presidential race wants to add yet another one: Health Care. As my 3 year old son would say with such vim and vigor: ”oooohhhhh good idea!”

To Clarify

By Mark:

I wrote yesterday that the candidates were bailing out on the bailout and I suggested that they should be involved if they have all the answers like they claim.

Now, apparently I should have specified. That did not mean they should show up today when it’s too late and most of the work has been done. I didn’t suggest that they should show up for a few hours for a political photo op.

McCain said yesterday that he was suspending his campaign, yeah right. Most of what he was going to do today and tomorrow was prepare for tomorrow night’s debate. This was a political move and I hope people see through it.

Candidates Bailout on Bailout

By Mark:

Congress is on Capital Hill this week laying out the framework for a $700 billion bailout plan for the U.S. financial system.

Two notable senators are not present this week however. Both John McCain and Barack Obama have remained on the campaign trail rather than returning to Washington to help with this major crisis.

What’s even better is that they both have the egos to tell the media and those at campaign rallies that they know how to fix the problem, they have the right solution. Beyond that, they have both said that there are flaws with the current bailout plan. So if they have the solution and know that Congress’ solution needs work, why aren’t they in Washington sharing their expertise?

Both McCain and Obama preach about how they will always do what’s best for America and will bring change to this country. I’d say they both seem to be looking out for themselves rather than the American people right now.

Even Hillary Clinton is letting her ego shine throughout this all. Clinton is now saying that she saw this coming a long time ago and warned people. She was campaigning for a year, did you hear her warn of this? I sure didn’t.

Dude vs. Chick

By Mark:

Watching the presidential candidates on the campaign trail the past few days I heard something that really made me raise my eyebrows.

Last week in Iowa, Sarah Palin was giving her introduction speech for John McCain and in the process she introduced her husband and referred to him as the first ‘dude’ of Alaska.

Excuse me? So that’s fine for her to say that? If John McCain were to introduce his wife as the future first ‘chick’ of the United States he would single-handedly end his chances of being elected President of the United States.

Can we say double standard? It’s funny for Sarah Palin to call her husband a dude and makes her look cool and hip, but if a candidate referred to a woman as a chick they would be called a total sexist.

Did it really upset me that Sarah Palin called her husband the first ‘dude’ of Alaska? No, I couldn’t care less. But it is interesting how there is a double standard with the topic.

Great Read on Flip-Flopping

By Mark:

George Bush gave a strong and brief statement regarding the current market this morning. Talking with friends who work in the financial industry, many believe that a turnaround is very near which is comforting to hear.

No real gripes from me this morning, but I did want to direct you to a good read. A friend of mine in Pennsylvania had a great commentary on flip-flopping and brings up a great point – it’s better to be a flip-flopper than not – it demonstrates an ability and willingness to work with others and be convinced that your ideas aren’t always the right ones or the only ones.

Check it out: Flip-Flopping? By Jake Miller

I Blame McCain for Twins’ Downfall

By Mark:

So I called it a month ago and what do you know it’s coming true. Yup, I’m blaming the republicans and John McCain for the Minnesota Twins’ dismal play down the stretch.

The Twins are now 2.5 games out of first place and, after seeing a decline in their results thanks to a 15-game road trip the team was forced to take while the Republican Convention was in St. Paul, it doesn’t look like they are going to recover. The Twins went 6-9 on that road trip and are yet to get their feet back underneath them and start playing better baseball.

So shame on you Republicans and your ‘maverick’ John McCain. Shame on you for ruing my team’s chances of making the playoffs. The Democrats were kind enough to host their convention in Denver, obviously because the Colorado Rockies had zero chance of making the playoffs.

So my message here is we need to keep politics and sports separate. I doubt game seven of the World Series would ever be played on Election Day.

Perhaps the real message of this post is that I’m tired of listening to candidates repeat portions of their convention speeches like they are on some rock concert tour and can just do the same set every day. It seems there is nothing new to talk about aside from the market issues right now and I’ll defer to Matt on that topic.

We’ve got six weeks before the election so let’s get the debates going and turn up the heat on this vital election.

Finally Some Common Ground

By Matt and Mark:

New web ad by the SD Campaign for Healthy Families. Check it out.
This is an important message regarding Initiated Measure 11 and it's dangerously vague language.

NFL Bigger than the Election

By Matt:

I have always been disgusted that more people vote on American Idol on any given week than in the Presidential Election - or any election for that matter - but I am starting to see how and why this happens. In the last two weeks I have been engrossed in a topic that means nothing to the overall health of this country much like American Idol. The only political things that have perked my ears up and made me listen since the two conventions are that McCain’s numbers are continuing to rise - AWESOME news - and Obama continuing to throw the same tired old line of “do you want four more years of Bush?”

And, to make it worse, I am realizing that I have not really gone looking for news from the campaigns either.

Instead of listening to political talk radio I find myself consistently having ESPN on in the car. Instead of hearing what both candidates are saying on any given day, I’m searching out Tom Brady’s injury or what my Fantasy Football players' statuses are. And, instead of talking politics with my wife our conversations have become more focused on our 2-0 Packers.

Is that bad or are other people this intoxicated with the NFL??? Or is it that nothing is really happening on the campaign trail right now and we are all just waiting for the debates? We’ll see. Let us hope that McCain and Palin continue to rock the polls the way that the Pack has rocked the Vikings and Lions the past two weeks.

As a side note, I would like to thank Pastor Hickey for reading my post this weekend. Please don't call me "left" again. If you continue to read my blog, you'll find that it's a much more appropriate title to bestow on my counterpart.

"Choice" at the Gate

By Matt:

Choice. It's a word that carries so much symbolism when it comes to our county’s history. Choice is what has led this country to be so great!

The significance of having the power of choice could not be summed up better than what was stated in a recent mailer I received from Church at the Gate. The piece states: "Americans like options. We dislike being told what to do. As powerful as God is, he does not exert his power over human will, or a nation’s will for that matter. Theologians call this freewill.”

THAT’S AWESOME! I applaud the marketing department of Church at the Gate. It’s total B.S. but well done. The reason that it’s total B.S. is the because the Church is led by Pastor Steve Hickey. I check out his blog frequently and he is for choice about as much as Leslee Unruh is.

Not only is Pastor Hickey a major force in the Vote Yes on 11 Campaign, he is consistently using his blog to launch smear campaigns against anyone who doesn't share his point of view. Recently he went after a young woman at the SD Campaign for Healthy Families because of her work against Initiated Measure 11. He went so far as to post personal information about this young woman and her family. Totally uncalled for and totally disgusting.

He acts in a manner that is not consistant with any kind of Christianity that I know. What happened to Loving thy Neighbor?

But, it's his choice to act the way he does. It's his freedom. Just as it's my choice to call him out on it.

Here We Go

By Mark:

I was watching the 5 o’clock news tonight on KELO and after the weather segment, an ad caught my attention.It was from VoteYesForLife.com talking about the upcoming abortion ban in South Dakota – Initiated Measure 11. Oh boy, here we go again.

Didn’t South Dakotans already vote against a ban on abortion by a vote of 56 to 44? I’m just not ready for this divisive debate once again.I would’ve missed the ad because in all honesty, it’s pretty darn boring.

I find several things very curious about this ad – not to mention inaccurate.

The ad claims Initiated Measure 11 was “written by South Dakotans for South Dakotans.” This is just not true. We know that it was heavily crafted by Harold Cassidy, a New Jersey trial lawyer. If you search his name on YouTube, you’ll find plenty of videos in which he’s talking about the “importance” of this measure in South Dakota. I love it when outside interests use our state as a battle ground. Which makes me wonder: was this really written for South Dakotans? I highly doubt it. In fact, I’m pretty darn sure that this is an attempt to create an abortion-free America… a direct challenge to Roe.

The ad claims that this ban has exceptions. It does not. Plain and simple. If you take the time to read this poorly crafted measure, you will find it’s full of legal jargon that is confusing and deceiving. I cannot imagine any doctor in SD being willing to perform an abortion for fear of prosecution. Great, now we’re putting politicians in the exam room. Now doctors will have to put their own careers ahead of the best line of care for their patients.

There is no question, this is a sensitive issue. I think we can all agree on that. That is why it is so important for people to make up their own minds about this… not the Government.

For more information check out what Cory over at Madville Times has to say about the issue.

Sign O'Rama

By Matt:

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been away for almost a week. And, even though my beautiful wife was in Oregon with me on vacation, she was apparently very busy back here at home as well.

Well, not actually, but it appeared so.

We pulled into Sioux Falls, wiping the exhaustion from our brow early Tuesday evening and when we did, there was a plethora of yard signs ALL over our yard. When I say "plethora" I mean it. Especially because we have a corner lot and that means each candidate can give us two signs which my wife was quick to agree to.

I don't mind yard signs. They're fun and supportive and all that jazz. But, it got me thinking... do they really work? What is their real purpose? And, how odd is it when you have spouses (like us) who don't always agree on candidates and you've got one for each who's running against one another. Do they motivate neighbors? Do they influence anything?

Personally, as soon as the Initiated Measure 11 signs go up, I think the signs divide neighbors and families. People you thought were your friends are suddenly turning their noses up at you because you don't agree on the very sensitive issue of abortion and who should be making those decisions - the government or women and their families. Regardless, I know my wife will be sure we have at least two of those in our yard.

I'd be curious to know what you all think. Do signs work?

At What Point Do Clinton's Eye 2012?

By Mark:

Bill and Hillary Clinton’s endorsement of Barack Obama was appropriate and vital at the Democratic Convention and moving forward as they have continued to do.

But how long will they continue to do so?

Obama is still neck-and-neck with John McCain in the polls but if McCain were to start gaining a slight edge, how long will the Clinton’s stand by Obama’s side?

If polls begin to indicate that the McCain camp is distancing itself, the Clinton’s may start eyeing 2012 and jump off the Obama bandwagon.

I think the Clinton’s truly believe Obama would do great things as the leader of this country, but as I’ve said before, politics are politics, and the Clinton’s will look out for themselves if the Democrats fall behind.

So it’s game time for Obama. The first debate on September 26 at the University of Mississippi will be critical for Obama. He must be sharp going off script and gain a lead on McCain with a large national audience watching or else the Clinton’s may jump ship.

Let’s Regroup and Remember Our Opponent

By Mark:

Like many, I thought that John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate came from the upper deck in the left field bleachers, but it’s time for Barack Obama and the Democrats to move beyond that.

Here we are a week later and most of what I read from the Democrats is still targeting Palin’s experience and this and that. Folks, John McCain is the opponent! Let’s refocus here.

It was a strange choice and it gave you a chance to take some shots at Palin and McCain but now it’s time to change gears and let your plan be known.

People are attacking Obama for just being a charismatic speaker and not having a plan. It’s time for Obama to go more in depth to how he is going to bring about change. Obama is clearly a far superior public speaker to McCain, so Obama’s best bet now is to spread the word of what he stands for so McCain can no longer say Obama doesn’t have a plan.

I can’t wait for the first debate at the end of this month. I’m tired of hearing the same speeches from both candidates. Let’s make them go off script and find out what their plan for America is and get a better idea of who can best get this country back on track both at home and abroad.

Back From the Hood

By Matt:

I'm back. Sorry for the lack of posts. I just returned from an awesome trip to Oregon for a wedding with my wife. One of her college roommates got married in the mountains and it was incredible.

But, now I'm back, and I've got a lot to say about what has been happening while I was gone.

First, the RNC. I haven't had a chance to post a single thing on the RNC.

We left for Oregon via Wisconsin on Wednesday night. We made sure to drive my wifes car so that we could listen to her satellite radio and get both the Guiliani and Palin speeches. Much like Muhammad Ali, Guiliani came out with a rope-a-dope technique. But, he quickly turned to "stinging like a bee" using the Obama campaign as his punching bag.

Palin took her fair share of shots at the campaign as well. She was quick to point out Obama's "experience" as a community organizer, versus her job as an executive in both Wasilla and Juneau. I think she started off a bit slow, but I was more than impressed by the end of the evening.

Critics have accused both Guiliani and Palin of being too harsh or nasty. The only reason they're saying that is because the truth hurts.

So, we're in beautiful Mt. Hood, Oregon and instead of seeing some sites on Thursday, my wife and I hunkered down to watch McCain's acceptance speech marking the final night of the convention.

As expected, the McCain Speech didn't live up to the Palin home run the night before. Obviously McCain is not the most charismatic of speakers. But, he had a real opportunity to beat the Democrats with some serious strategies and policy plans... AKA a platform. This used to be one of the major purposes of these conventions. Apparently both parties find these more of a pep rally these days. I thought the McCain speech was solid. But, I do wish he would've given me a little more to sink my teeth into.

As a real short side thought (because that is all they deserve), I would like to mention my absolute disgust for the men and women who thought Senator McCain's speech was the perfect time to make a protest statement about whatever issue they think the Republicans are missing the boat on. I support free speech. But, folks, there is a time and a place.

Another Month of Job Loss!

By Mark:

As expected, for the eighth straight month August saw a loss of jobs in the United States. Unemployment has now sweltered to a five-year low with 605,000 jobs being lost already this year. Just over 6% of Americans are now unemployed, these are people that want to work and can’t find it. Isn’t that amazing, 6% of qualified, hard-working Americans don’t have jobs. About 84,000 jobs were lost in August alone.

The manufacturing industry saw the biggest loss with 61,000 jobs disappearing.

Yet John McCain believes our economy is in a good place. Well if he considers oil companies continuing to make record profits while hard-working Americans are getting squeezed at the pump a good economy then yeah I’d say it’s great. I don’t think McCain’s Bush-like view on the economy is going to cut it.

The numbers are actually even more staggering than they seem. The figures only reflect those without work who are looking for jobs. They do not include those who are looking for full-time work but can only find part-time jobs.

Whatever your theory is on how the government can influence the job market, it is clear that we have a serious issue with unemployment and the economy in this country and it’s irresponsible for George Bush and John McCain to say they like where the economy is at and where it’s headed.

Barack Obama gets it when it comes to the job market. He believes Americans should be able to make a ‘living wage’ and he voted for raising the minimum wage to $7.25 and for restricting employer interference in union organizing. The AFL-CIO has given him a rating of 100%.

Response to Palin Speech

By Mark:

So I said I wouldn’t pick on Sarah Palin anymore and I meant it, until her speech last night. I was very impressed by her public speaking talents, but a couple things stuck out to me that need addressing.

She spoke about how people have picked on her for her ‘executive experience’. Well Governor Palin, you’re getting picked on because that ‘executive experience’ is being the mayor of a small town of 5,000 people and then two years as Governor of Alaska.

My second problem with her speech was how she attacked the media for their criticism of her. Way to call out and anger those who will influence more votes than all the candidates will combined. You may not like the media right now Sarah Palin, but you need them on your side and calling them out may not have been the way to go about it.

Also, Palin said Obama has never authored a bill. Way to do your research, he has authored bills, look it up!

Another thing that needs to be addressed is that the criticism of Palin has nothing to do with sexism! It’s a qualifications issue. So one CNN reporter questioned if she could handle the duties with her family responsibilities. Ok, that wasn’t Barack Obama or anyone associated with his campaign that said that, it was one reporter on one station.

People saying that reporters or critics are sexist because they aren’t Sarah Palin fans makes about as much sense as saying Sarah Palin is racist based on her attacks on Barack Obama in her convention speech. Come on…get real!

This is a unique and historic election. We have an African American and a woman on tickets. This is uncharted territory and politics are politics and there are claims and attacks made by politicians and critics. Let’s leave the sexist and race cards out of the election and let politics be politics.

By the way, I like how John McCain copied Obama’s appearance on the stage following the Veep acceptance speech. The guy looked brutally uncomfortable up there and did about a quarter as good of a job getting the arena fired up as Obama did last week. Nice try McCain.

Does Liberalism Really Mean Feminism?

By Matt:

John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and even the chosen one, Barrack Obama, have all run for the nations highest office with one thing in common - they all had or have had children still living at home during the election. But unlike Sarah Palin, none of them ever had to face the questions and accusations on the topic of parenthood that she has had to face over the last 4 days. One CNN reporter even went so far as to say: "it really makes you wonder if Palin can handle the responsibility of having a five month old with the duties that come along with being the Vice President”. Come on!!!! I have never looked at comments from the media - or anyone for that matter - with a suspicious eye that is on the look out for racism, ageism or sexism but you do not have to look to0 deep to clearly see this quote is blatant sexism.

And who do we call when women are not being treated fairly? The ACLU? But, the ACLU will not touch this with a 10 foot pool because of its legitimacy. Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton? Whoops, Palin is white - they’re not going to help. We need to go grassroots-we need to go to the feminists. Well we’ve called - no one is answering!

I am no expert on feminism but at its core I'm fairly confident that it strives for equality in all spectrums from politics to economics between the sexes. Equality is at the doorstep. There is a woman on the presidential ticket. I would think that feminists would be thrilled that a woman (and I hate to quote Obama) “is a heartbeat away from being president”.

I know the feminists were thrilled when Hillary was up there last week speaking about how proud she was of being a mother and a daughter. Hell, she was so sincere that she made the ultimate womanizer himself tear up and mouth the words I love you. Scary how not even two days after Hillary’s speech Palin said how proud she was to be a woman and a mother, but it was not received nearly as well from the feminist groups or Hillary Clinton for that matter!

My God, attack her all you want for her experience - McCain basically threw you all a meat ball on that one. But, how dare you attack her for being a mother, a wife and a WOMAN. Where’s the sudden absence of the movement for equality? It makes me wonder which it really is... feminism or liberalism?

Obama Lashes Out In New Abortion Ad

A new Barack Obama radio ad airing in seven swing states is blasting John McCain and Sarah Palin on their stance on abortion and women's rights.

The ad is narrated by a female nurse practitioner who says ‘Let me tell you: If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, the lives and health of women will be put at risk. That's why this election is so important. John McCain's out of touch with women today. McCain wants to take away our right to choose. That's what women need to understand. That's how high the stakes are.”

Obama has publicly supported abortion rights, unlike his two counterparts McCain and Palin who are adamantly pro-life.

One quick remark I have on last night’s convention. Can I say I love the ‘Country First’ signs that the republicans were raising last night. I couldn’t agree more, it’s time to take this country back after these past eight sorry years. I found it ironic that those signs were blue because Obama and Biden are the ones that can take this country back. So kudos to the republicans to have the know withal to get those signs printed in blue. Couldn’t agree more…nice work!

Are We Really Protecting Kids?

By Matt:

In school today kids are taught about the dangers of drugs, of alcohol, of not driving without their seat belts, of not prepping for their ACTs. They're even taught the dangers of not stretching properly after the calisthenics they go through in gym. It makes me wonder why we are not teaching them how to practice safe sex!!!???

This questioning of course is in light of yesterday’s announcement from Gov. Palin that her 17 year old daughter is now 5 months pregnant. Palin has been a strong supporter of the "abstinence-only" sex education. And, although we cannot assume that she has never spoken to her children about safe sex, we do know that not every parent does. We also know that these are the same parents who bury their head in the sand and think: my kid is not sexually active.

WAKE UP people-TEENAGERS ARE HAVING SEX-and you can take that all the way to your Purity Balls. They always have-they always will. Maybe not while their in high school but almost definitely when they hit college and even more definitely before they get married. Teach them to do it safely. Not only to prevent STD’s (which are rising at a spectacular rate among high school kids here in SD) but to prevent a 17 year old of facing the decision of raising a child while being a child and - in Palin’s daughters case - marriage!!! Which is absolutely insane!

Sanford Sports Complex

By Mark:

Shifting slightly away from politics but sticking with something that would drastically improve Sioux Falls and the opportunities for its children. There has been a lot of buzz about the future Sanford Sports Complex in Sioux Falls but I’m ready for some local organizations to step up to the plate and do their part to finish this great project Sanford Health has set out to establish.

One facility talked about for the complex is a tennis center. Now as a tennis player this issue is a bit more personal for me. This is a project that has been talked about for more than a decade and the community just hasn’t got it done. Tennis has nearly fallen off the map in this area, both in the number of juniors playing and the level of talent. There is plenty of tennis money in this town and I wish people would join together and get this project done.

Another facility idea I have for the Sanford Sports Complex is a little league baseball complex. A couple weeks ago, a little league baseball team from Rapid City made it to the Little League World Series and had the opportunity to play nationally televised games on ESPN. Wow, what an opportunity. But guess what, as of right now kids in Sioux Falls don’t have that opportunity because there is no Little League Baseball League organized in Sioux Falls. Now that’s embarrassing. Somebody needs to step up and put that together so kids in Sioux Falls have the same opportunity that kids their age around the country have.