Poli-tiques

I’m starting a new political party… the Appalled Political Party because that’s exactly what I am… appalled. And I hardly call the last six years a party for either side. It’s been more like a spectacle.

I figured out a long time ago that my vote is supposed to count for me. It needs to be what I want. What is important to me. You have yours… I have mine. I’m not in this world to vote up to your expectations and you’re not here to vote up to mine. May the best candidate or initiative win.

I’m a complex person and I vote all over the map.

That being said, when it comes to discussing politics, I have no problem voicing where I stand, what I believe in and why. But know this, my arguments are personal. They are about me, who I am and what I want out of life. I rarely argue principal or theory…my political discussions only extend to the point where I want you to know why I feel the way I do. It’s never about making you feel that way, too.

I am, however, interested in how you feel and particularly how the issue became personal for you. Your story has a chance to make it personal for me, too. Your facts and figures can count, but if you’re just parroting the opinion of some larger pressure group, or political party well, I’m willing to listen, but you probably won’t make much of an impression on me.

I don’t want to hear some canned argument designed to make me ashamed of my vote. If I wanted to feel bad all I have to do is listen to the political commercials on TV.

Case in point: It wasn’t on my ballot, but ‘Making English the Official Language’ was on the ballot in Arizona. To me this is not a trick question. English is our official language what’s wrong with making it officially official?

I was told this is Karl Rove propaganda… I was chided that passage of this amendment will foment fear on the part of immigrants who don’t speak English. I was even presented with incorrect data, such as that 90 percent of Hispanic immigrants are both legal and speak English. (See actual 2002 Census stat at end of Washington Times article.)

Well, (for argument's sake) if it's true that 90% of Hispanic immigrants are both legal AND speak English… then is this amendment still a big problem? Or... (wait for it) is it just me?