And now a post from the Right side of my brain 



Yesterday's was completely from the left. So, for equal opportunity, here's my right side:

1. I agree with the "Arnold" amendment - any citizen of the US should be able to run for President. No matter where he or she was born.

2. I agree with Greenspan that we need to look seriously at a Federal Sales tax. Either in lieu of or in addition to the income tax. We are a society that consumes too much and saves too little. Anything the government can do to discourage excess consumption and encourage savings can only be good.

3. I didn't agree with the timing or the politics or the Neo-con arguments for the Iraq War, but you gotta admit that things are happening in Iraq and trickling to its neighbors. Too soon to tell whether the Iraqi government will be able to effectively encompass all the different factions, but the election pictures of the women with the purple thumbs just got to me. Even the media-placed Iraqi woman at the State of the Union address got to me. Yes, I know they were just trying to manipulate my emotions. They did a good job. It worked. I was in tears and so proud for her.

4. When Hillary Clinton moved to the "center" on abortion, I thought she sounded pretty intelligent. (And I can't stand her...so that's saying a bit.) Ever since my 8 week ultrasounds where I saw heartbeats and arms and legs, I haven't been able to fully be 110% pro-choice. I definitely think it should be always safe and legal, but I can't get the vision of those ultrasounds out of my head. I think it comes down to the individual person and their individual circumstances and their individual values. And no one can determine what is right/wrong except that individual. Really hard to make laws like that, though.

5. Larry Summers should think a little more before he speaks. His words were poorly chosen and I'm sure he'd like to take them back. But should he be vilified so much for basically stating that "women are different than men?" Now that I'm raising a boy and a girl, I can attest to the fact that they ARE different. Their minds work differently. And I have a "tomboy" girl and a "feminine" boy (how can he not be with an older sister?) - and they are still very, very different. I'm sure some of that is birth order. But I also am sure that some of that is gender. I think women's rights are an important issue - but if we can't admit that men and women are, in general, wired a bit differently, how will we ever truly appreciate the value that having a women President or Board of Directors brings?

6. I saw Christine Todd-Whitman on PBS 2 nights ago. Wow. She's smart and a good communicator and seems to be a person who really cares about making the world better. If the Republican party can get people like her back into their leadership, I think they'd get a lot of people like me seriously considering their platform. Ain't gonna happen, but a girl can dream.

I think we need to create a new party. Fiscally, it will be a bit conservative - socially a bit liberal. Full of smart people who are willing to compromise for the greater good. I'm a bit sick of both of the existing parties right now. Too fringe for me - both of them.

OK, less politics and more cute pictures of the kids tomorrow, I promise.



 

Posted: Sat - March 5, 2005 at 06:16 PM          

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