The Politics of Age

Well, as we are heading right into the thick of the Presidential campaigns and politics are one of the big talks of the town, one thing starts to worry me a bit.  Now, I don't think it's any secret to most people that I am a strong Obama supporter.  Well, with all that keeps constantly getting brought out about the McCain campaign, it's hard to imagine they could win in November.  McCain's Spain interview, McCain's firm belief that the U.S. economy is "strong" (at least up until a day or two ago when he decided the best action would be to fire the SEC Commissioner), Palin's lack of comprehension as to what the "Bush Doctrine" was or referred to, Palin's "world view" being that there are some places in Alaska where you can actually see real Russian land from, and much more...  All of those things really scare me, thinking that there is a potential for McCain and Palin to be the leaders of what is supposed to be the "greatest country in the world".  

Unfortunately, the biggest thing I'm worried about in this election time is voters feeling less motivated as we get towards the "goal"...  Voters feeling like, "Hey, we've got this one in the bag!" and not voting.  Unfortunately, it happens with younger voters, as older much more right-leaning voters tend to vote in much higher numbers.  The younger voters, while very excited and pumped up right now, strongly holding up the Obama campaign and bringing new voters by the boatload, must stick to the "plan".  It's a very simple plan and really just amounts to getting out the vote and GETTING OUT AND VOTING.  I've got to be honest.  I'm VERY afraid that when it comes down to it, a lot of the people who were pumped up six months ago, those that are excited right now, and are just getting interested will start losing interest and feel that the election is already decided and that they won't be able to affect things one way or another.  I hate to think that such a thing would happen, but it has before and we just need to all get out there, bring our friends and family, and vote this November!

Also, with all the focus on the Presidential election, don't forget about local governmental elections, as these are going to be the closest people that are representing all of us and the easiest to get in contact with for our own feedback and to push what we hope are our agendas moving on.  We need to get people who are fighting for us in our local governments as much as in the White House!

Posts

While I haven't been able to find much time to post here, I have somehow been able to find time to create a whole new blog, http://bilmagard.blogspot.com, just dedicated to what's been happening at my work, just in case people have been missing what was occurring over there. It's HIGHLY interesting and the action and suspense will leave you riveted to your seat, reading away at what would otherwise seem like just mindless drivel.

Aside from that, I've been highly interested in seeing what Sarah Palin had to say in her first interview. I was pretty surprised that she didn't have any concept of what the "Bush Doctrine" meant, but honestly... I wasn't terribly surprised. It's tough when the polar bears start speaking out against you... They've gained a great number of fans, especially ever since those Coca-Cola commercials where they were really just made to look very adorable and where they loved Coca-Cola just like all real Americans do.

Fight Night!!! Biden vs. Palin

So, the 2008 Presidential elections are now on their way!  With both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions finished and the candidates all in their positions and ready to roll, campaign season is finally in full swing!

Now while Obama and McCain have been ready to go toe to toe for some time, the most interesting story is the VP picks.  Now, Joe Biden, Barack Obama's choice for the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate is no slouch.  He's a well-known individual with a long track record, years of experience in politics and national and international affairs and relations.  His portfolio is pretty extensive.  There is no denying that.  He's even an old friend of political rival for the run of the nation, John McCain!

The Republican VP pick, on the other hand, was the biggest surprise and is really causing the most stir of all!  Sarah Palin, the Governor of the distant state of Alaska, is John McCain's choice for the second most powerful seat in the nation.  She is a virtual unknown and was seemingly picked out of nowhere.  There has been much speculation that the vetting process for her was not nearly the extensive process that most any other VP candidates have gone through.  Her being an unknown and also seeming to have not been vetted as thoroughly as others, people are anxious to find out what will come out of her proverbial closet and media sources are happy to oblige and are digging up plenty that they can find!  Already, stories have been "blowing up" about the things that people have found out about the seemingly mysterious woman!  So far on the table now:

• The extent of her political career is that she was mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Alaska for two terms and has been the Governor of Alaska for less than two years.
• She decided that it was in her and her baby's best interests to fly across the country to Alaska after her water broke and she was a month early for delivery.
• Sarah Palin's 17 year-old unmarried daughter, Bristol, is currently pregnant and engaged to be married to the father, 18 year-old Levi Johnston, who describes himself as a "f___'in redneck".
• On Levi Johnston's MySpace page, before it was removed, where it asked about kids, he wrote "I don't want kids."
• Sarah Palin shows great disrespect to those who have and do play the role of community activists.

Now, are all these things really pertinent in the upcoming election?  Maybe there are ways that some of these will be...  The point is that this is just what was dug up within the first day.  Many more stories are sure to come out, mostly because so little is known about her by the general public.  She seems to be shielded right now from really fielding questions, so the highly anticipated day, though weeks away, is going to be "Biden vs. Palin": Fight to the Finish!

Sigg Water Bottles

In the wake of the plastic industry's worries and scrambling over the leaching of chemicals into water in many plastic bottles, including Nalgene's well-known bottles, that contained Bisephenol-A (BPA), one product that has been around for quite a long time has become much more popular. This is Sigg's aluminum liquid storage bottles.

Sigg bottles have been famous with "heavy duty" campers, backpackers, and climbers for many years and are becoming more popular with people due to worries about BPA. They are made from aluminum, but before you worry about links to Alzheimer's Disease worries, these have a special lining in them that is practically unbreakable, much like the bottles themselves. These bottles are superlight, typically have really attractive graphics, and have no discernable tastes that leak to the beverages stored within. This last one is a big issue as too many people are complaining about new BPA-free bottles and their problems of having a "plasticky" taste leach into the water, ruining the flavor.

These bottles are really durable, a great product, but a little more expensive than their plastic counterparts. A 1-liter bottle will cost around $19-22, typically. These are so durable that they might be the last bottles you'll ever need, so a one-time cost will afford you years of usage! There's many different interchangeable tops as well that turn it into a water bottle with a drinking cap, lid with a loop for connecting to bags and such, and other lids. These are a great product that are finally coming to the more acclaim they've deserved for years. They're a fashion statement, a health concern statement, and a great product all in one!

McDonald's "Espresso"

McDonald's new commercials advertising their new espresso offerings have struck me as pretty insulting to anyone who frequents coffee shops, Starbucks, and anywhere else that offers espresso that isn't McDonald's. People that visit other coffee shops are painted as pretentious and fake. They're also depicted as not wanting to be that way and having to put on a front for their other friends as a show. It seems they're insulting people, then asking them to come to McDonald's to be themselves. I find it hard to imagine that a good marketing strategy is to insult those you are intending to woo and then tell them that they should come to your business. I am not the biggest coffee house fanatic, though I do love coffee, but I tend to get a drip coffee over espresso, most days. It seems like this strategy can't be working too well as McDonald's has started up their free espresso Fridays again, so it seems like people didn't just get the first taste and fall in love with their coffee or their "laid-back" atmosphere. It's true that Starbucks has been feeling the brunt of a slowing economy, but that is a far different thing from calling people fake and pretentious. These ads aren't appealing to just price, they're biting the hand they want to feed them...

Goodbye Tim Russert...

Tim Russert, a political commentator and analyst probably best known for his role as the host of Sunday morning's "Meet the Press", died today of a heart attack. He was only 58. A lot of famous people's deaths occur in which I think, "That's too bad...", but I feel a lot sadder that he has passed than many other "famous" people you hear about. He was a really intelligent man and interviewed most anybody who was anybody in the Political field. He would ask hard-hitting questions that could leave a politician squirming to find a way out and keep on hammering away with a nice volley to get to the "inside" of the person he was speaking to. He will def be remembered as an influencial man and his face is def recognizable, even if you don't know who he was, per se. He would be on NBC anytime elections were coming up and he was constantly a political commentator/guest speaker/interviewer/debate host/etc.

He came into my, as well as many others', house most every Sunday morning where he faced countless guests, candidates running for political offices, politicians, and many more, each week, asking very tough questions and putting them in the hot seat, but always fairly and doing it by asking them directly about their own beliefs, their own statements they had made, and their own actions. He was a fair and classy moderator of Meet The Press and became sort of like a member of the family, "coming over" each Sunday morning for breakfast and some political conversation.

6/15/2008: Additionally, for this morning's Meet The Press, Tom Brokaw hosted and had a number of Russert's colleagues and analysts on the show, such as James Carville and Maria Shriver was on via satellite. It was a very touching and heartfelt hour, looking back at the life of a man who from such simple working-class roots made his way up to having interviewed and grilled most of the most powerful and influencial figures in politics today. It really was moving, but great to see all sides of him, talking about his avid sports interests, his strong Catholic background, his family life, and his focus on the importance of Fathers and Fatherhood, on this first Sunday after his death, which was Father's Day. I was really happy to see how this took place in this first Meet The Press after his death and I had a lot of tears at the end, during their slideshow/clips of the man from his early life throughout his career.

Ban the Bottle!

I'm still working on trying to propose a container tax for water bottles (at least, or cans/bottles/etc.), but it seems a longer process than I thought. Well, not really, but I read that trying to write a bill for it would be easier to make progress with because you then just submit it to whoever, like submitting to Senator Cantwell to try to get her to push it further, for example.

In the meantime, something that has already happened that is a pretty good step has been Mayor Nickels' ban on the city of Seattle purchasing bottled water. It's only for the city of Seattle and might not sound like much, but the city of Seattle spent $58,000 on bottled water last year! $58,000!!! I think that taxpayers can all think of better ways to spend tax money than overpriced water, though they might pay for it at home. But aside from the financial savings that will be had, there is also the oil saved from less water bottles created and less waste created as an aftermath and considering how great our water is that comes out of the tap in Seattle, bottled water really does seem like a waste and just a luxury convenience.