Platform Wrangling Part II

Time is moving quickly and the election in now less than a week away! As promised here is the second part of my examination of the two parties' platforms. Again, I encourage you to explore their stances on your own.

The following are overviews of Foreign Policy & Military, Civil Liberties, Gun Control and Reproductive Rights. Have fun!

Foreign Policy and Military:
Using our military and business might is how Republicans believe peace will be achieved.
Republicans main priorities in foreign affairs are opening markets to free trade with the U.S. and showing military strength. “The Republican vision of peace through strength requires a sustained international effort, which complements our military activities, to develop and maintain alliances and relationships that will lead to greater peace and stability.” (Pg. 6)
Iraq: “That outcome is too critical to our own national security to be jeopardized by artificial or politically inspired timetables that neither reflect conditions on the ground nor respect the essential advice of our military commanders.” (pg. 13)
Afghanistan: Republicans believe there is still some work to be done, but that there has been progress. There is little mention of increasing American troops in Afghanistan and no mention of grassroots development assistance. “Additional forces are also necessary, both from NATO countries and through a doubling in size of the Afghan army.” (Pg. 13)
Republicans do affirm the value of women in the armed service. However, they also believe “To protect our servicemen and women and ensure that America’s Armed Forces remain the best in the world, we affirm the timelessness of those values, the benefits of traditional military culture, and the incompatibility of homosexuality with military service.” (Pg. 5)

Democrats recognize that a strong military is important, but that foreign policy and protecting the United States needs to be more holistic and include diplomacy, education, development and leading by example.
Democrats see foreign countries as potential partners in business, but want to work towards greater equality by ensuring high labor and environmental standards. “Development and diplomacy will be reinforced as key pillars of U.S. foreign policy, and our civilian agencies will be staffed, resourced, and equipped to address effectively new global challenges.” (Pg. 41)
“Needed reform of these alliances and institutions will not come by bullying other countries to ratify American demands. It will come when we convince other governments and peoples that they too have a stake in effective partnerships.” (Pg. 36)
Iraq: “We will give our military a new mission: ending this war and giving Iraq back to its people. We will be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in. We can safely remove our combat brigades at the pace of one to two per month and expect to complete redeployment within sixteen months.” (Pg. 29)
Afghanistan: “We will send at least two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan, and use this commitment to seek greater contributions–with fewer restrictions–from our NATO allies. We will focus on building up our special forces and intelligence capacity, training, equipping and advising Afghan security forces, building Afghan governmental capacity, and promoting the rule of law.” “We will help Afghans educate their children, including their girls, provide basic human services to their population, and grow their economy from the bottom up”
Democrats would like to increase military recruit through programs and believe it is essential to repeal the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.

Civil Liberties:
Yes, Democrats realize that these liberties are the cornerstone of the freedoms that our founding father and mothers envisioned for the United States.
Democrats, on the other hand have a couple pages discussing different programs that will need to be reevaluated in order to protect our civil liberties. “We reject sweeping claims of “inherent” presidential power. We will revisit the Patriot Act and overturn unconstitutional executive decisions issued during the past eight years.” (Pg. 54) “We will close the detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, the location of so many of the worst constitutional abuses in recent years.” (Pg. 55) “We will review the current Administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. We reject illegal wiretapping of American citizens, wherever they live.” (Pg. 54)


What are those again? Oops! Republicans forgot to mention most of them!

Republicans don’t bring up a lot on this topic and fail to bring up issues involving torture, wiretapping or Guantanamo Bay. The following is the only mention of civil liberties. “We must always ensure that law enforcement respects the civil and constitutional rights of the people. While we wage war on terrorism in foreign lands, it is sometimes necessary for intelligence agencies and law enforcement officials to pursue terrorist threats at home. However, no expansion of governmental powers should occur at the expense of our constitutional liberties.” Pg.49

Gun Control:
Democrats realize that with such a right as owning a firearm comes even greater responsibility.
Democrats propose to “Acting responsibly and with respect for differing views on this issue, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe.” (pg. 48)

Republicans forget about the thousands of people shot each year by firearms that are legal or were borrowed or stolen from a legal owner.
They believe in no gun control what so ever. "We recognize that gun control only affects and penalizes law-abiding citizens." (pg. 51)

Reproductive Rights:
Republicans do not believe a woman should have the right to make personal judgments in her reproductive activities.
Being proactive in preventing unwanted pregnancies is discouraged by the Republican Party. “We oppose school-based clinics that provide referrals, counseling, and related services for abortion and contraception.” (pg. 45)
Republicans also support a global gag rule, which refuses to fund international organizations that perform or promote abortion as a family planning option. Because of this stance they also reject signing treaties such as CEDAW (women’s right treaty) and UN convention on the rights of the child. (Pg. 8)

Democrats trust women and families to make decisions about their own reproduction and birth control decisions. They recognize it isn’t just a gender issue, but a class and human rights issue.
“The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all
efforts to weaken or undermine that right…The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education” (pg. 50)
In addition, Democrats would repeal the global gag rule and reinstate funding to organizations such as United Nations Population Fund, which advocates women's health in third world countries.


Vote! Vote! Vote!

Platform Wrangling Part 1

This is the first of two installments of Platform Wrangling. I have read the 2008 platforms put forth by both the Democrat and Republican parties. Below you will see a comparison of their views on Fiscal Policy, Energy/Environment, Healthcare, and Education.

Early next week, I will bring you their thoughts on Foreign Policy, Military Issues, Gun Control, Civil Liberties, and Reproductive Rights.

Fiscal Policy:
Republicans still believe wealth actually trickles down.
Advocate to make 2001/2003 tax cuts permanent, reduce business and capital gains taxes. They believe in limited regulation and allowing the open market to balance the economy. "We believe in the free market as the best tool to sustained prosperity and opportunity for all." (pg. 28)
In order to save money in Washington, Republicans propose to freeze spending and eliminate wasteful programs, reinstate a presidential line-item veto, and placing more responsibility on the states.

Democrats believe in more distribution of economic wealth and opportunity so all people can feel secure and pursue happiness.
"We must build on the wealth that open markets have created and share its benefits more equitably." (pg. 26) Democrats would allow the tax cuts to expire and wouldn't raise taxes on anyone making under $250,000
In order to save money in Washington, Democrats will end the Iraq war timely and responsibility, place a fee on polluters, evaluate programming and reorganize or eliminate wasteful programs.

Environment and Energy:
Democrats: New technology and they call on us to be grown ups by taking responsibility for what humans (especially in the west) have collectively done to mess up the natural world.
To alleviate our dependence on fossil fuels, Democrats want to fast track investment in green technology research, production and deployment of solar, wind, geothermal, clean coal, etc. Also, they "call on businesses, government, and the American people to make America 50% more energy efficient by 2030." (pg. 17)
As for climate change, Democrats recognize it is a "man-made threat to the planet" (pg. 43) and call for a Global Energy Forum to discuss and create global commitment to reducing energy emissions.

Republicans: Drilling, Nuclear Energy and who cares about animals really?
Republicans main priority in energy is drilling and refining oil in the U.S. "We oppose any effort that would permanently block access to the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." (pg. 32) They also advocate for some nuclear energy technology, renewable resources, clean coal and natural gas.
"Republicans caution against the doomsday climate change scenarios," (pg. 36) and believe a robust economy is the best way to deal with climate change. They will not ask anyone to sacrifice for the environment and think that private ownerships of land is the "best guarantee of conscientious stewardship." (pg.36)

Healthcare:
Democrats think everyone should be covered and healthcare needs to be affordable, accessible and flexible. All children should be covered!
Democrat policy would include a person having an option to have health coverage through their work or through other private companies or public programs. These options should be accessible and affordable. "Health insurance should accept all applicants and be prohibited from charging different prices based on pre-existing conditions." (pg. 11)
Democrats support increased funding for biomedical and stem cell research.
In addition, they reinforce their commitment to women's health. "We oppose the current Administration's consistent attempts to undermine a women's ability to make her own life choices and obtain reproductive healthy care including birth control.” (pg. 13)

Republicans think open markets will work for healthcare, because it worked so well for the stock market.
Republicans believe open markets and privatization will regulate costs. "It lets consumers make better decisions about where to spend their health care dollars, thereby fostering competition and lowering costs." (pg. 39) They encourage companies to cover pre-existing conditions, but leave the standards to the patient's state of residency.
Republicans support limited stem cell research. They also support robust intellectual property laws. As far as women's health, they support allowing medical professionals to refuse healthcare service if they feel it is against their conscience.

Education:

Republicans believe that giving vouchers to students to attend private schools will somehow help public schools.
Republicans believe in "school choice" through vouchers and tax credits for religious, charter and home schools. They call for a review of Department of Education and cut programs. To recruit teachers they will develop a teacher corps of business and military professionals to fill-in teacher spots when needed.

Democrats want to make sure teachers and administrators are given every opportunity to help students learn. They also realize learning doesn’t just happen during school hours and other programming to supplement education is necessary to produce a strong, smart and capable next generation.
Democrats believe in increased resources for public schools including professional development for educators, after school programs, early childhood education, and alternative education programs. Incentives (such as college tuition/loan assistance) for teachers that serve at-risk communities, mentor new teachers and excel in the classroom.

I encourage everyone to look at the platforms on their own.
Don’t forget to vote November 4th!

Trick or Tramp

In my quest for Halloween costume ideas, I discovered something truly terrifying! Costume marketing! AHHHHH! When did it become the norm that all women’s costumes must include a miniskirt, corset and fishnet stockings???

It was a chilling experience to rummage through 717 items in the category “sexy costumes” and only find a total of 37 products for men! 37!! Yes, that means there were 680 erotic ensembles for women to wear. Clearly since I’m a woman I should realize it is breasts above brains. It doesn’t even matter that I was able to figure out the simple math problem above without the assistance of a calculator as long as I wear stilettos.

Even more frightening is how gender stereotypes are actively promoted during a holiday that could be about breaking boundaries. This sexy pair continues the idea that boys can grow up to doctors and women become nurses. Just in case you forgot that women are made for careers assisting men rather than leading them. As adults we should be able to move past these assumptions, but I guess that would be ridiculous!

Not to mention the logistics of these come-hither costumes. Remember, the end of October usually fosters a nippy forecast. Men have their fully clothed costumes that are still considered sexy. On the other hand, women are relegated to clothes that might actually turn them into ice queens.

I’m not saying that sexy can’t be fun or part of your Halloween celebration. Who decides what is sexy? I mean, it seems mandatory to show pounds of flesh in order to feel attractive. Locating a female costume that is pretty, but not risqué is like finding a needle in a haystack. The injustice leaves women with the choice between being a whore or a prude. Neither of which seems like a lot of fun.

What really scared though was how these types of costumes are being marketed to teens.
“Flaunt, flirt, and follow the Yellow Brick Road to this adorable Dorothy costume! Straight out of a sexy storybook…” It would be wrong to dismiss the development of sexuality in teens, but promoting costumes catered specifically to their sex drives may not be the smartest thing.

The symbolism of some of the descriptions is downright creepy! As with this description:

“You'll look good enough to eat in this Storybook Riding Hood Teen Costume.”
Sexualizing teen girls in this way is not a healthy statement about our society and it reinforces the importance of looks over substance to our youth. Not to mention, I failed to find sexy costumes that blatantly targeted teen boys.

I say let’s take Halloween back from these costume stores. Go to thrift stores, use imagination and dress up however your heart desires. Most importantly have fun this October 31st and remember only 4 days later you get to be Uncle Sam and vote!!!

(The election keeps me very nervous despite my candidate’s rise in the polls. That is why I wrote about something else scary! Next week though, I will bring you a comparison of the Republican and Democratic platforms.)

Craving Celebrity

(Sorry for the delay in posting. A combination of traveling and computer troubles prevented me from posting. I will try to make up for it by posting twice next week! Yeah!)

Many people want to be famous. I can understand it to a point. Usually, celebrities don't have a lot of financial woes and it appears that they get pretty much what ever they want. However, the pressure to look good every time you leave your house would be a pain. Magazines would call it shameful if you ran to the corner store in PJs. Not to mention, the annoyance of cameras flashing in your face as you walk to that store. Your moments as a celebrity may be "glamourous," but you would have to share most them with a million people and not just your loved ones.

As much as I don't think I would like to be extremely famous there is one thing about celebrity that I envy greatly. That is that their voices are actually heard. They may be criticized, rightly or not, but there is no question they get their voice out there. When they care about an issue they can do something. No, they can't solve the problem by magic, but they can raise awareness and often coordinate some action.

Just think for a moment and many names and causes come to mind. (Please click on the names to find out more about the causes they support.)

George Clooney and Don Cheadle: Darfur
Angelina Jolie: Refugees
Bono: AIDS/African Aid
Oprah: Girls Education
Al Gore: Environment/Climate Change
Late Princess Diana: Landmines

This is what I envy. Celebrities can keep the paparatizzi, big houses, magazine covers, and red carpets (although I must admit walking a red carpet once in life might be fun, but it certainly isn't something I need to do to be happy.) What I really want is the means to get important information to the public and the means to moblize and begin change.

The celebrity culture of America has seeped into politics. Even as I write this, Entertainment Tonight is teasing an upcoming interview with John McCain. This aspect of the political process can be a good or bad thing. More people are interested in politics, but are they interested in issues or what is on the candidates' Ipods?

A big concern with politicians becoming “stars” is that the nature of celebrity isn’t one that requires much accountability. Movie stars make a living at playing a part, essentially not being themselves and telling a story that is usually fiction. We can’t have our campaigns becoming romantic-comedy or tragic screenplays.

Many political commentators get ratings from turning the election into laughs or dramatic yelling-matches. The popularity of Tina Fey’s spot on parody of Gov. Palin has given SNL a huge boost. ABC’s The View has produced some heated political arguments this season and it only takes 5 minutes of watching Bill O’Reilly to see the drama emerge.

However, there are more people registering to vote and real issues are being discussed more this year than I ever remember in the past. It is exciting that Obama was easily able to fill a football stadium with supporters/delegates while still thousands watched his acceptance speech at home. Hopefully, the excitement of politics will translate into the younger generations caring about issues, craving knowledge and demanding to be a part of the process. This is a great thing.

So is a celebrity political culture a good or bad thing? Time will tell like it always seems to do.