OT: Which issue is most important to you this elec

Jobs/economy
Education
Healthcare
Social Security
War in Iraq
Homeland security
Gun control
Gay marriage/gay rights

2) Healthcare costs must be addressed. There needs to be a detailed account of what is being spent and where the money goes. Liability must also be addressed. Liability also causes a hospital to preform every test (x-rays, cat scans, ultrasounds, blood lab, ect) to rule out even the remotest posibility of a certain diagnosis(added bills). After all the available test are done, you may be sent to another facility if a certain test is not available at your first hospital. All of those steps are to cover medical professionals from being sued for the "one in a billion chance" diagnosis, and the people who pay for it is you.

3)Education depends greatly on the truth (telling a kid that 2+2=4 and not "5 is close enough") and how school admin is managing its funding. Too much money is being spent on pretty school buildings, bus systems to keep up with "the Jones", and other non educational componets of a school. Teaching a child about reality will prevent these kids from being nieve later on in life.

4)Social Security must be addressed in a plain and straight forward maner. When it was started this program was supported by the paychecks of the workers. For every SS recipient there was 10 workers to pay the check. The increase of SS recipients and the lack of workers over the past 12 years has made the ratio 6:1.

5)The Economy is driven by the public and is hindered by the goverment. The goverment can easily scare the people into saving their money and cut their spending of luxuries. Goverment can not cause people to go flocking to enployment and go flocking to the stores to spend money. In the Economic Sea, Goverment can clear the water by yell shark but can't get the poeple to jump into the water.

Ya can sure tell who is cashing those government handout checks. :>)

Allan

andy b.

Kerry got a Silver Star for shooting a Fleeing young man in the BACK...and "claimed" it was "Him or Me"..!!!--Self-defence... 3 Purple Hearts for wounds that apparently didn't even draw blood... Need I go on..??

I would list all of the above as my answer. It's important to research your candidates and pay attention to records too. Those are other things I would list as things to pay attention to. Look at who you believe will lead the country, who stands by their word. We talk on here a lot about scammers who sell things but whose word is about as good as yesterdays roadkill. Now, we rant and rage about that but then vote for people whose word is just about as good simply because they make big promises. Folks should vote for the candidate who sees eye to eye with them but shouldn't overlook other important characteristics that make them either fit or unfit for that type of job. Hope you all enjoy this great privelage we have. I sure do. God bless.

--old fashioned farmer

God Bless!
Marc

I was disappointed to see so many disrespectful comments.

I have to add that marriage/civil unions should be between consenting adults, not people and animals. Marrying your sister is also out unless you want birth defects in your children. No one should marry their sibling or parent.

It doesn't hurt my marriage or yours one iota if two guys marry each other. Marriage/civil unions help to stabilize society, so it is better for society if they settle down. I read where the wedding industry alone stood to make a ton of money on these new ceremonies. And let's face it, they have always been here and aren't going away.

They should be entitled to the same rights and benefits as I have such as inheritance, hospital visitation, and the other 1000+ rights that automatically come with signing a marriage license. Religion should be separate from this discussion because we're talking about Constitutionally mandated rights, not Biblical principles. The latter are to be left to the church.

Think about this also, anyone can run off to a quick Vegas wedding, get divorced, and get married again all on a whim. All kinds of heinous criminals can get married too, but not "them." Why not?

And before anyone brings up "chosen lifestyle" think long and hard about how it was that you "chose". I think you'll find, like I did, that everyone is born the way they are, no choice except to be true to yourself. You don't choose who you're attracted to.

Sorry if this was vague, but I'm trying to keep it clean.

It would hurt your marriage and family social structure. If not immediately, certainly the next generation. The activists typically play this point as an attempt to keep potential voters from getting involved. It works on a lot of folks that don’t want to think about and engage in civil debate. Lets not think in terms of “me” rather “us” and future generations as our founding fathers did in their vision to lay the foundation for a free and great country that would become a world changing society.

Why shouldn’t they have the same entitlements? Let talk dollars and sense; imagine the monetary impact on our already financially strapped entitlement programs of our great nation. What rights are the rest of us going to lose at the expense of a social experiment of this magnitude?

This is not strictly a political or religious issue. Lets not forget that our great country was founded due to religious persecution and our God fearing Bible believing founding fathers based the structure of government, as far back as the Mayflower Compact, on biblical principal. To find the definition of marriage we do not need to turn to our state or federal government, rather the bible. It is addressed right up front and is the first God ordained institution. Please don’t take my word for it, grab that book off the shelf, blow the dust off and refresh yourself. After that, please reread the first amendment and understand it. Not as the media would like for you to interpret it as “separation of church and state” but as the writers wrote it and is to be interpreted as the government will not make laws to establish religion as did the governments that they fled so that they would have the freedom to practice the religion of their choice without fear of government repercussion or persecution. Please educate yourselves and understand that stripping us of our religious freedom is the goal of the activists. They are not pushing their agenda through the legislative process but through the judiciary system which we the majority of people have the least control. Same gender marriage and hate crimes legislation are only two ways we are at risk of losing our religious freedom. Look at Canada’s Bill C250 as historic proof. We have similar legislation in Congress as we speak and it will likely pass.

You are correct we are all born the way we are. Born sinners, everyone! Although there is one decision we all must and will make. It is the most important choice a person will ever make. Do the soul searching, questioning and study and make your choice. I pray that it is the right choice the choice for eternal life, Jesus. After that the other choices will still be there but you will have help in making the right decisions.

God Bless All,
Marc

Jesus did address gays as well as all other adulteries life styles in Mathew 5: 27-31. There are many other biblical references that rebuke this choice of life style. Again please don’t take my word for it get your bible down, open your heart and read, meditate, pray and read some more.

We are not to judge. Please forgive me if I seem judgmental it is not for us to judge but be judged. We are all sinners therefore not capable of judging. However it is the God given responsibility of all Christians to be salt and light by helping the deaf to hear and the blind to see.

Don’t attempt to simplify this issue with the argument “If you don't want a gay marriage, don't have one!” This is a much more complex issue than simply what goes on in a persons house. It is a social experiment and is one of several factors that can morally and financially bankrupt this great nation that our founders worked so hard to build and countless patriots have defended. It’s not as easy as saying “hold the mayo.” due to personal preference.

I’m not “afraid” of gays. I do know gays and we do have a lot in common; we are all sinners! Yep, every one of us! I pray for them and I hope that they pray for me. I'm praying for you too.

God Bless,
Marc

How will gay marriage financially bankrupt the nation? Be specific!

Frankly, I don't think it is right denying equality to gays. They didn't choose to be gay any more than folks choose to be straight. They were born that way.

Think long and hard about that one. When did you choose to be straight? Bet you didn't choose--it was just natural and who you were attracted to. Same for them.

Why should they be denied their rights just because they are gay? They pay their taxes, so they're entitled to Social Security and all of the other benefits. End of story.

Bankrupt the nation? Pah!

First I want to take a moment to thank you for your interest in this mater and taking the time to discuss it with me. I appreciate that you have an opinion and have kept the discussion civil. Kim won’t accept the three letter "S" word so I’m substituting the letter C in its place to form the word Cex. I hope you understand.

Let’s start with the word adultery in Mathew 5: 27. As you know our bible is a translation from the original scriptures that were written primarily in Hebrew and Greek. So the original word in Hebrew was likely "zanah." Which can be translated as fornication or adultery. I have included some dictionary meanings below for your reference because I think that you have an Americanized-English post 1960’s definition of adultery in mind when you say “There is nothing in Mathew 5: 27-31 regarding gays.”

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition defines "fornication" simply as: "Cexual intercourse between partners who are not married to each other." 1

Adultery is one type of fornication...In Biblical usage, 'fornication' can mean any cexual congress outside monogamous marriage. It thus includes not only premarital cex, but also adultery, homocexual acts, incest, remarriage after un-Biblical divorce, and cexual acts with animals, all of which are explicitly forbidden in the law as given through Moses (Leviticus 20:10-21). Christ expanded the prohibition against adultery to include even cexual lusting (Matthew 5:28)." 4

I Have addressed the fact that we are all sinners so I won’t expound further on Homocexuals don’t do anything straights don’t do.

I can’t be specific in regard to the financial burden to our economy in terms of dollars. Although it does not take a degree in economics to understand there will be an additional burdon put on social security and insurance companies if there are suddenly millions of new dependents that will be entitled to benefits. I can assure you that it will amount to billions of additional dollars. Knowing that now tell me where that additional funding will come from. It all comes down to higher prices and that intern will have an effect on everything we purchase from water to homes.

There is not any definitive evidence that Homocexuality is genetic. Therefore it is a lifestyle choice just like alcoholism, drug addiction, pornography addiction, gambling and countless other choices we make that lead us to illicit life styles. The vast majority choose hetrocexual relations because it follows life’s design, which is natural. It is obvious that homocexuality is contradictory to nature. Again don’t take my word for it. Do some research and then be specific when you raise this argument in the future.

God Bless,
Marc

I'm talking about civil rights for gays. They've paid their taxes, and are therefore entitled to the same benefits as you or I. Who cares if it is a financial burden--they've paid and they are entitled. End of story.

Gay is not a choice and it is not a "lifestyle," unless you call going to work, paying taxes, and contributing positively to society a lifestyle. The only choice a gay person ever makes is whether to be themselves or whether to try to hide and fit in by marrying some poor woman.

And in case you don't believe me think of this: Who would choose to be gay in a world where there is such bigotry and hostility? You'd think they'd rather just try and pass as straight.

Frankly, I respect and admire gay people who can stand up and say "I'm gay."

Ask someone who is gay and they'll tell you. To equate being gay to alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addition, etc. is just plain wrong and tells me that you don't actually know any "out" gay people.

But to use your analogy, alcoholics, drug addicts, child molesters, gamblers, convicted felons can all get married, so then, why not gays?

By the way, being gay is totally natural--happens among animals as well as people in roughly the same numbers.

Anyway, you're entitled to your viewpoint, however misguided and uninformed it might be. I was like you once until some very patient gay people explained it to me.

By the way, the Lord brought a passage of scripture to my attention today and I’m convinced that He did it so that I could share it with you. If you are interested it is Isaiah 30: 21.

Thank you for the stimulating discussion. I hope you like Case tractors. Or am I in trouble there too?

God Bless,
Marc

Posted by Britt on September 27, 2004 at 08:34:37 from (207.69.137.24):

In Reply to: Re: Texan vs Massachusetts posted by tlak on September 27, 2004 at 07:36:08:

Quote from tlak: "Just spread a little green and something like a gun ban will never happen."
Sir or Madam, I think that you are seriously optomistic on what the NRA is capable of. There are several avenues of attack on the second amendment. One of the most dangerous and not well published is from the UN. They are working on a binding international treaty to ban private ownership of firearms world wide. If the treaty is ratified by the Senate and signed by the President, the second amendment will evaporate. Mr. Kerry is on record about his belief that the UN should control the worlds destiny. That in its-self should give most people pause to think about his future actions. While in the Senate, Mr. Kerry has voted more than FIFTY TIMES against gun rights. What makes you think that he will do any different in the future?
A lot of the replies to this post seem to be made from preconcieved ideas on the candidates. DON"T fall into that trap. RESEARCH each candidates past voting records. THEN make up your mind! There are things that President Bush has done that I disagree with, BUT I don"t let that detract from my opinion of his overall record. On the other hand, I find it difficult to find many things that Senator Kerry has done that I support.
I try to look through the daily manure that we are presented thru the national media to see what each candidate stands for. I keep having to go back to their records. For me the choice is clear.
I can only say this, INFORM YOURSELF!!! Do NOT rely on the press or what your buddies say. Do the research and then make your decision. Research BOTH men"s records.
All the green spread around in Washington will not amount to anything, if a misguided Congress and President decide to sign a treaty or bill that GIVES YOUR RIGHTS AWAY.
God help this country if we choose wrong in November.

Britt

No offense, but I want to see the proof when numbers come into play.

Frankly, I cannot see how anyone who values their job, esp. working folks, could be GOP. Too many jobs lost through outsourcing/offshoring.

You've got to be kidding!, right???

You think the GOP is to blame for outsourcing?

Do a little research on the actual policies of our two major political parties, not sound bites, actual policies. Then do a little foray into studying economics. The correct answer will become quite clear.

Long Live Dubya!

Thought it might be a toss-up with quack grass.

Just had to put that up. The gopher thing brought it to mind. A little Jerry Clower humor to lighten the post. God bless.

--old fashioned farmer