Broaching a no-no topic

So, I read on my dear friend Tiffany’s blog not long ago that there are three topics one should avoid – sex, religion and politics. Well, I’m diving in folks. Let’s talk about politics for a moment shall we? I am admittedly fairly uninterested in politics. That’s not to say that I don’t take seriously my right to vote for those who I think are going to best meet the needs of my family and our country. But when I start trying to understand the political world, I must say I get pretty overwhelmed, and also pretty annoyed. I especially get tired of it all during presidential election years. Is it just me or are most politicians a bunch of overgrown toddlers all kicking and screaming every time they don’t get their way? This whole back and forth stuff between Obama and Clinton (which, unfortunately, McCain has now joined) is ridiculous. Hillary Clinton is one prissy hip pop and eyeroll away from “I told you so,” and Obama is treading perilously close to “I know you are but what am I.” And now McCain is getting into the back and forth game throwing out his own barbs. Is there no one out there who is above all this? These people, one of whom will be our future leader, are not all that different from Sloan and Tia. They just have a vocabulary that’s further expanded than “uh-huh,” and “uh-uh.” Seriously, let’s grow up and be adults here. Politics seems to have become more of what the other guy did wrong, and less of how we can move forward as a country. For the last eight years, the democrats in Washington have been practically on their stomachs, kicking and screaming, looking for every way possible to say “That’s not fair!” Don’t get me wrong, either. The Republicans have not exactly stepped up to the plate as the bigger “Person” either. When the Dems took the House, the Republicans walked around with their lower lips sticking out and chin’s trembling. And I fully expect them to take on the role of pouter if a Democrat takes office. I guess I’m just tired of it. It’s sad that the very people we are supposed to be entrusting our well being as a country to are the very people that we tend to distrust the most.
Now I don’t think that politicians do everything wrong. I think they do a lot of things right…and a lot of things wrong. Obviously we need leaders to step up and get things done. And most politicians do a fair job of that. Mostly I’m just tired of the immaturity in Washington. I put up with my kids bickering all day long, so forgive me if the last thing I want to do is sit and watch a candidate give one more “tattle tale” speech. How about telling us what you’re going to do and stop telling us what the other guy’s not going to do? And while you’re at it, don’t make promises you can’t keep.
When I was in eigth grade, I attended Crestview Jr. High, which at that time was a three year Jr. High. In the girl’s bathrooms at Crestview, the toilet paper holders were really annoying (I’m going somewhere with this, I promise). They were just a long peice of metal that the janitors shoved a roll of toilet paper on (and I use the word paper in an almost completely literal sense – that was rough stuff!) So you couldn’t just pull down on the roll to get toilet paper off, you had to unravel it from around the bar, and the stuff was so thin that you needed a lot of it, so it was a real hassle to go to the bathroom! Anyway, the ninth grader elected school president that year, Tracy whatsherface, told us all in her campaign speech that she would make sure, if we elected her president, that all of those toilet paper holders would be replaced. Well of course every girl in the school voted for her and she won. And I never really saw or heard from her again. And I feel quite certain that were I to walk into Crestview Middle School today, those awful toilet paper holders would still be there. Sometimes that’s how I feel about politicians. They are promising us better holders, and perhaps even a little 2 ply, yet we’re still wiping with the same course hard paper that we have to unroll square by square. Do I sound bitter? I’m not bitter. I know many politicians do a lot of wonderful things. And, while I haven’t agreed with everything President Bush has done, I have respected him for sticking to his guns and doing what he felt needed to be done. Perhaps he could have been a little more teachable in some areas, but you have to give the guy credit for doing what he said he’d do. Okay, you don’t have to give him credit. Whew. I’m probably really stepping in it now huh? The point of this is that I am mostly just tired of the fighting. I don’t even know what half of them are talking about anymore because all they’re doing is trying to smear the next guy. I find it difficult to make an informed decision on who would be best for our country when I can’t see past the name calling and finger pointing. So there we have it. You don’t have to agree with me. I won’t be offended and I hope I didn’t offend. This is my personal opinion that’s been brewing because every time I go to the gym, CNN or FOX News is on and I am stuck watching this stuff while I work out. And now you can all breath a sigh of relief because I am finished with this little rant. From now on, I’ll try to stay in the safe zone and stick to stories about the kids. But I won’t make any promises.