Judy's Homegrown Blog

Originally posted at Writeindependent.org on April 22, 2012

People expected “change” from Obama, and no doubt they will expect “change” from Romney, but one thing is certain: there will be no profound and lasting change if people continue to vote their party line. Why? Because the parties are part of the problem.

Parties “own” people. They dictate how you think, how you vote, how you behave because they know that you are afraid of “the other party.” They prey on that fear and use it as a campaign strategy to scare you into voting the party line.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I have to vote for ____ because if the other guy wins, we’re in for big trouble.” They are right, but not for the reason they think. It’s not because the other guy is that much worse; it’s because they are BOTH bad.

And I mean bad like: they are ruining our country. Both of them. Here’s why:

Obama caves in to the bankers, the military industrial complex, and the oil industry. All you have to do is look at his record and you can see that he hasn’t been able to increase taxes on the wealthy (though the Republicans weren’t helpful to balance the budget) or stop the madness with offshore tax havens or special tax loopholes for hedge fund managers. But most of all, he didn’t even TRY to fix the balloon that the derivatives market has become. It’s the elephant in the room that neither Republicans nor Democrats want to address. Until credit default swaps and the derivatives market is reined in, we do not have a “reality based economy.” So if you think Obama’s done a great job holding off a recession or a depression, think again. He’s just put off the inevitable.

When Obama refused to reinstate the Kyoto Protocol, and instead crafted the Copenhagen Accord which is non-binding, he basically thumbed his nose at global warming. When he signed the NDAA (National Defense Appropriations Act) he proved that the military industrial complex was in his back pocket. War is big business, and it will be business as usual. Don’t expect your soldiers to come home any time soon with Obama at the helm, parents. Regarding the healthcare bill, Democrats know that he caved in to the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry to come up with a very lukewarm, very compromised program that doesn’t have a public option.

Republicans: since when should the clergy dictate women’s “healthcare”?

Why is there is no limit to campaign spending, even at a time when half of America is struggling to keep a roof over its head and food in the cupboard. They are the other half of the reason that the rich can easily get richer while the poor can’t seem to get a break. If “trickle down” economics really worked, would we have the unemployment we’re seeing now? If tax breaks for the rich really created jobs, where are those jobs (since they have their tax breaks, don’t they?)

And if Romney becomes president, well, let’s just say I hope to God he doesn’t do to America what he did to the companies he was supposed to “save” at Bain. I will do a thorough investigation of his record at Bain and let you know how many companies he pulled through versus how many went bankrupt, while he made away with all his bonuses and high salary and everyone that got laid off, fired, or had to close up shop got nothing. If he privatizes Medicare and Social Security the way the banking industry handled our housing industry, well, I shudder to think of the consequences.

I know a highly educated, supreme court fellowship-winning beltway insider Democrat who won’t look at any other options than Obama and the status quo. I must say, I was a bit disappointed. When party loyalty gets really bad, the loyalists lose their ability to think rationally. Many people claim they don’t have enough time to research their political options, but when someone works closely with the federal government, I should think they have an obligation to be part of the solution when their government is going awry, as ours has. Unless of course, they are part of the problem itself.

Yes, we all have to put bread on the table. But one of the reasons things are getting bad lately is that the system is broken. If we take steps to fix it now, we may work ourselves out of this situation and lead the rest of the world from a “just getting by” survivalist attitude to one of strength, creativity and determination with a positive outlook about the abundance this world offers.

Before we can realize abundance again, we have to realize health: of ourselves, our food, and our planet. Nothing is going to improve until we clean up our act and take on our responsibilities. Parties be damned; function from a position of “what needs to be done?” and let’s do it.

I think the only reason a guy runs for president is his big fat ego. Neither of these men really care about you or me, or the country for that matter. They want to look like they did something great, being president. When actually, they’re just helping the fat cats maintain their fat or get fatter. They aren’t problem solvers, they don’t know how to create or inspire, or teach. All they do is yak yak yak, and I for one am sick of it.

Put me on record as saying: Obama doesn’t own his balls. He has sold his soul so many times, he can’t even keep track. And Romney is a disingenuous, fake, selfish egotist who doesn’t have a soul to begin with. He’s hollow. There’s nobody home.

We need a vision for this country. That’s what is lacking from these two horrible men. Obama seems to say all the correct things, but he has no spine for follow-through. It all sounds like rhetoric now. I can see right through it. And Michele, she’s on this kick with the military, trying to show how sorry she feels that they aren’t being assimilated or honored by our civilians. I don’t believe that she or her husband really want to end the wars. They haven’t done anything to stop it. They perpetuate the same game. It’s a game, run by a few dictators and power-mongers who throw their weight around the chessboard, while we aren’t enjoying the show.