On Election Season and Why I'm Glad I Have an Absentee Ballot

Darling readers, as much as it pains me to be out of the country during the first presidential election I can vote in (shout out to the Bucks County Board of Elections and my awesome mother for making sure I still get my absentee ballot!), I do have to say I'm not lamenting missing out on the irritating onslaught of campaign ads.

Don't get me wrong, between the daily emails, the political Facebook posts, and the fact that for some reason the Danes do actually seem to care about the outcome of the American presidential election, I'm still bombarded with campaign slogans and election information (and the occasional request to canvas or come to a rally, but sorry guys, it's hard to do that from Copenhagen -- best of luck though!).  But it's refreshing to get a break from every ad I see on YouTube or TV, or hear on the radio, being a political ad.

But the thing is, I didn't miss it entirely.  Because what they neglect to tell you is that campaign season in the States starts long before the primaries.  In fact, especially for House elections, it's reasonable to say that campaign season never stops.  Even before the campaign ads start airing, the media is full of policy critiques and comments from one side on the actions of the other.

What this means is that our politicians can rarely enter into that lull where they can actually govern as opposed to dancing around like trained monkeys trying to win your approval.  The second-term presidencies are really the only chances politicians get to actually do their jobs without worrying about the ramifications at the polls -- after all, they don't GET another shot.

What I've noticed here, though, is that while campaigning can get a little tough (especially in the UK because politics in the UK are so absurd they're actually funny), once an election has passed and a government has taken over, they're given the chance to DO THEIR JOBS, with the understanding that they may have to pay the price in the next election cycle, but that it won't really be an issue until then.

An outside perspective on American politics is actually kind of refreshing, really.

Absently yours,
Rachel Leigh

On SCOTUS, Obamacare, and Perspective

Let's get a perspective check, shall we?

While we've been squabbling over whether a government should provide health care to its citizens (heads up, America: the rest of the first world has already made a decision on this issue and, even today, we're still way behind the trend...so, awesome).

In the 12 hours since the SCOTUS decision about Obamacare

• Roughly 15,000 people died from malnutrition and starvation.  What did you throw away today?
• 820,000,000 people struggled to find safe, clean drinking water (Meanwhile, I have gone to the Brita in my fridge today three times to fill up my water bottle, and can't even begin to comprehend what it would be like to not have access to drinkable water)
• Roughly 3600 people have contracted HIV (for which we have yet to develop an affordable, accessible cure), in spite of worldwide programs designed to increase awareness and stop the spread of the disease
• 360 people were raped or sexually assaulted in the United States alone

I'm not saying there aren't things worth fighting about.  There absolutely are.  I think affordable access to medical care, education, and housing is the right of all people.  But there are bigger issues, within our borders and outside our reach to keep in mind.  We forget that the world has ACTUAL problems, problems with some obvious and not-so-obvious solutions that we can't seem to fix.  And when we get so wrapped-up in what side of the aisle we fall on or whether the wealthiest taxpayers should be taxed 34 or 35 percent, we lose sight of these real, tangible, terrifying problems and we forget to fix them.

If all this can happen in 12 hours, what could we do with a week?  A month?  A decade?  What could the world look like if we didn't get so off track?

Sorry that got so serious.  I promise, the next post will involve a picture of a kitten.

Seriously yours,
Rachel Leigh

Sources:

• Worldometers.info (http://www.worldometers.info/)
• The United Nations AIDS Clock (http://www.unfpa.org/aids_clock/)
• The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network [RAINN] (http://www.rainn.org/statistics/)
• Basic math skills on the calculator on my laptop

On Those Intolerant....Liberals?

My liberal friends: the Tea Party Movement has ruined us.

Now, before you go and get all confused on me, I am not saying that Tea Partiers have ruined America or ruined society...because I don't think they have. I think the Tea Partiers have turned us into monsters. Hateful, intolerant monsters.

I'll admit to having used the term "Tea Baggers" to describe the Tea Party Movement. It's shorter than saying "The Tea Party Movement," and I've admitted that I've gotten angry enough about things that have happened that I've used it as a derogatory term.

But when I realize I'm doing it, I stop myself. The reaction to the Tea Partiers has been hateful. Yes, there are racists in the Tea Party movement. Yes, the most outspoken voices (Limbaugh, Rand Paul, Glenn Beck) are crazies. But the fact of the matter is that there are some normal people who are scared by what has happened to the country they live in and have been dwarfed by the radical right, who really just want a different option from the ones they have now.

Let's face it: the very heart of the Tea Party movement is anti-corporate and anti...big. They don't want big business. They just want to know that their peaceful, quiet lives aren't going to be controlled by things bigger than themselves. At worst, you could call that misguided.

We've made the Tea Party so radical because they're under constant attack. When a child misbehaves, you get the best results for a change in behavior by ignoring them...neither positively or negatively reinforcing their behavior. It's basic psychology. When a movement misbehaves and we respond with press coverage and intolerant hate speech, the behavior is reinforced.

Let security handle the guns at rallies. That's their job. It doesn't need to be publicized and super-politicized. Let the hate speech sit with the people who are truly hateful. The solution to face a hateful movement is not by hating those people.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Hate cannot drive out hate. It can't. The more hate in the world, the stronger the hatred and the grudges become.

D0n't blame the problems of the world on FOX News. Don't bad mouth people just because you believe their opinions are misguided. There is still a moderate Republican. Refusing to separate the individual from the voice of the party is an intolerant mistake we can't afford to keep making.

Peace and Love,
Rachel Leigh

On Politics

Someone on Formspring (www.formspring.me) asked me why I am a democrat. I thought my answer would be relatively brief and glib, but it turned out to be rather long and in-depth. So, I decided to post it here. Please note that the individual issues are stated in Reader's Digest-form, since this is mostly just laying out the basic premises of my belief system.

Well, really, I'm not. As I've told people, I'm a Communist. And I'm serious when I say that. I really am your ultimate bleeding heart. I believe in peace, love, equality, freedom, and understanding. They're the ideals I was raised on. As a human, you accept other people, take care of those in need, and love your neighbor as you would love yourself.

I believe in universal health care because I believe no one should suffer bad health because of a bad situation that's out of their control, and recognize that many Americans live on minimum wage and cannot afford decent coverage.

I support the right to choose because I believe no one has the right to have dominion over your body more than you do.

I support welfare because I recognize that there are hard-working people who need help and that a flawed system is better than no system.

I am anti-war (and pro-kittens) in 98% of cases (excluding, perhaps, the World Wars, Civil War, and the American Revolution, and even so, our actions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were rather unforgivable), supporting war only when it is the only feasible path to peace and all other diplomatic channels have been exhausted, but I support our troops 100% and recognize that the sacrifices they have made for our country and our safety are more than I will ever have the opportunity to repay.

I support educational reform that begins at home, rather than beginning in the standardized testing rooms. I support educational reform that rewards progress, not reform that punishes failure or stagnation.

I support green reform and climate change legislation, because I like the planet I live on. I like having air I can breathe and not roasting. I like having snow in the winter. I like coastal regions remaining coasts instead of being engulfed by the water.

I support gay marriage rights because I believe that nothing but good comes from increased ability to love someone freely and happily.

I support legalization, because I believe there are many worse things to be in prison for than deciding to smoke pot.

I believe in internationalism and globalism. I believe that there are more important issues outside our borders than those we currently worry about within them. I believe in the importance of the UN, even if it lacks a lot of practical power. I believe NGOs and charities can change the world. I believe in human rights, not just for Americans, but for everyone. I believe in "Never Again," and I believe in stopping hatred at the source. I believe in the power the US has to change the game everywhere in the world. I believe we should exercise this power more often.

So...that's why I'm a democrat. If a Republican candidate ran who stood by these ideals, or even most of them, he (or she) would have my full support. These are the things I stand for as a human being. I hope that's okay with you.